Holiday Thoughts

He’s baaaack!  Ok, it has been a long time between posts.  Too long in fact.  I have decided to start an early New Year’s resolution to blog more regularly.  After all, there is such good stuff out there right now between Tiger Woods, health care reform and the economy.

Let’s start with a nice holiday message.  I had a chance to catch up with an old friend yesterday that I haven’t seen in more than 10 years.  It is interesting to see the career paths we have chosen and the direction our personal lives have gone, yet we were able to pick up right were we had left off just like we had last seen each other last week.  As I think about it, it all comes back to core values.  It is important to know who you are and what you stand for and surrounding yourself with people that share those same values.

My friend and I first met through a business relationship.  His company provided a service to mine, and over the course of the years we became good friends.  As often happens in life, he took a new job, I took a new new job and our paths have not crossed in all these years.   Professionally we both grew through challenging jobs, and personally our families grew through the challenges of life.  Both of us are still married to the same wives.  Probably a major accomplishment in itself these days.  We both have healthy well-adjusted kids who have completed or are in the process of completing their college degrees.

As we talked, it was clear that what we had in common years ago was still relevant today.  We both strive to be successful in our jobs, seek out challenges and continue to learn and adapt to a changing business environment.  And on a personal level, we both knew the value of staying focused on family and setting limits for our kids to help keep them safe and on the road to success.  We had both experienced hearing our kids telling us how mean we are and that on occasions they hated us.  While it was tough to take at the time, looking back today, we were both OK with that.

It can be lonely making the right decision personally or professionally, and so my point is that is is good to see others out there that struggle in the same ways.  I always thought it was worth it and apparently others do as well.  I hope that in some way and I can offer someone else out there struggling during the holidays some encouragement to stay focused on what is important in life and making the right decisions personally and professionally.  Despite the occasional struggles, I am truly blessed to have a great family and job.  Hey, I’m not perfect, but I’m grateful this holiday season that I’m no Tiger Woods or Bernie Madoff either!

Adapting To Change

Back in my teen years I was a big fan of Saturday Night Live as the show got its start.  Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Jane Curtin, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Don Novello, Laraine Newman and of course John Belushi made it worthwhile to be home early on a Saturday night.  I still remember where I was when I found out Belushi was dead.  I had gotten my first job out of college and was out of town on business.  At the motel, I was walking to breakfast and passed a newspaper box with the morning edition headlines announcing his death.  It was so surreal.  Unlike today where you can jump on the Internet to confirm information, I had to go look for other news sources, radio and television, to confirm it was really true.  One point for technology.

Not all change is as easy to adapt to.  While the internet has made it easier to get quick access to information, for me, it has been hard to find a good comedy show that is in tune with society the way Saturday Night Live used to be.  ( Yes, I have watched Jon Stewart and Colbert, but I’m looking for satire of everyday life.) 

I was pleasantly surprised while watching MADtv this weekend.  I usually can’t watch more than five or ten minutes, but it grabbed my attention with a reoccurring segment about a VCR repair company.   (You may recall a previous post where I discussed how the VCR was invented and gone from the face of the earth in less than one lifetime.)  The gags center around phone calls to a VCR repair shop.  In the first segment, the customer is quoted a price of $350 to repair a VCR.  Back in the 70′s when a VCR cost $500 – $700, you might consider fixing your VCR.  Today, throw it away.  While it is hard to find a simple VCR to buy, you can get new VCR and DVD combo for a little over $100.

In the next segment, the customer calls the VCR repair shop because thieves broke into her house and took everything but her VCR.  She wants to disguise her DVD player to look like a VCR in case she gets robbed again.  Talk about being dissed!

So what have we learned.  Be cautious when it comes to investing in new technology whether as a consumer or a business investment.  Don’t buy new technology as soon as it comes out because the price will always go down.  Transfer your videotapes to digital before your VCR breaks.  And good comedy is hard to replace.

Surfing USA

While out jogging this morning I was listening to the DJ’s (are they still called that?) on the radio talking about the price of gas and how to find the lowest price.  One of them said she was able to go to a web site on her new phone to find the lowest gas price in the area as she ran her errands.  While it is of obvious interest that more and more people are using their phones to search web sites for information, it also demonstrates that consumers expect information immediately and the importance of keeping your web site relevant and current.

Keeping a site current is obvious, but what about relevant to drive more traffic frequently to your site?  Here is a person that didn’t take the time to go to her computer before she left her house.  She was out driving around, needed gas, claims she pulled into a parking lot to surf the Internet on her phone (highly recommended here at Tom’s Trails), and found the cheapest gas.

People want greater flexibility than a computer tethered to a wall, and Internet surfing on phones allows for that.  So, what’s on your company’s homepage that a web surfer wants and needs while they are out and about?  What can you put there to make them think of you and surf your site from their phone?

Do a usability study on your home page to make sure your audience can find what they need and want – but do your study using a cell phone.  Evaluate your site for clutter and appearance.  Find ways to make it attractive on the computer and phone screen.  While using cell phones to surf is not commonplace yet, you have to get there before your audience is looking for it.  It’s important to stay one step ahead of the consumer.  They will try you once or twice, but if they don’t get what they need, you have lost your opportunity to get them hooked and it will be even harder to get them back.

What’s Old Is New Again

ADWEEK is reporting that late-night Jimmy Kimmel Livebroadcasts will integrate live commercials into each episode of the program in order to break through the clutter of commercials and beat the DVR systems.  Let’s not overlook the fact that it’s also a celebrity endorsement.

Back in the golden age of television, it was commonplace to have a show sponsor and live commercials as part of the program.  Videotape made it possible to pre-record commercials and actually show the product in action, to differentiate from the rest of the advertising.  So now it’s gone full circle back to where it started – but will it work?

Product placement in prime-time broadcasts has been the hottest trend in advertising, most recently growing 13 percent while total advertising spending rose only 0.6 percent in 2007 according to Nielsen.   American Idol topped the list of shows with the most product placements last year, yet the the true value of this type of advertising is difficult to measure. 

Whether we’re talking about product placement or live commercials, I have to wonder if advertising is going in the right direction.   For instance, can I pay a guest on Jimmy Kimmel’s show to mention my product, is that acceptable?  In public relations, it’s considered a success if you can get a reporter to mention your company in an article they are writing, and you don’t have to pay the reporter.  Is there any difference?

As a consumer, I don’t mind the ads that bombard us from billboards, at ball games, on the tv, radio, etc..  I think we are all, kids included, smarter than the generation before us in understanding when we are being sold a bill of goods.

As an advertiser that buys media, I worry about all the different ploys to advertise.  Should I buy product placement, live commercials, bus signs, sponsor a show?  I don’t want to be left out on something that works.  And that’s why advertising has gone full circle.  Because the question that started the advertising industry still doesn’t have an easy answer today: What can I do to motivate someone to buy my product?

 

That Ship Has Sailed

Reports are that China is shopping for a public relations firm to improve its image in the west.  A little late for that.  This is why PR people get a bad reputation.  Once the damage has been done, it is so difficult to repair the organization’s image.  China’s PR campaign needed to start last year, not once protesters try to extinguish the flame and world leaders threaten to boycott the summer Olympics.

How many PR firms are really going to want this job?  You’ve got I client that has already stepped into it big time, they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong and – let’s face it- I don’t expect the Chinese leaders to be receptive to the idea of being told how to run their country for the sake of the Olympics.  That’s one meeting I want in my office, not theirs.

This is a good lesson for corporate America.  Get the PR folks to the table at the start of an idea or project. Too often PR is brought in to clean up the mess that was none of their doing.  I am sure they wouldn’t have completely prevented the protests, but I have no doubt they could have set a much better tone in the court of popular opinion. 

It’s great to have a crisis-management plan, but it’s even better not to have to use it.  “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” are truly words to live by when it comes to PR and your corporate reputation.  

It Was My Idea First

When I was kid there were only three networks to watch.  I swore that when I grew up I was going to start a tv station that ran kids programming all day long.  I grew up and lost interest and Nickelodon beat me to it anyway.  My next great idea was new programming all year round.  Now NBC beat me to it, but that’s OK.  NBC announced what it labeled a “superseason” of new shows that will fill 65 weeks, from this June through August 2009.

Finally, customer service has reached the television industry.  If people are happy watching television and there are new shows, people will watch and the networks can charge higher rates.  Better service and better quality means value to the customer and they will pay for it.  I expect this experiment to not only be successful but to see the other networks follow suit.  If not, NBC might have actually figured out a way to differentiate themselves from the pack.  But I had the idea first!

I Repeat…

On my post from March 28 regarding paid Internet clicks, I concluded with advice to marketers to stay focused on the brass ring – know how many customers your advertising is generating, not just the size of the audience you are reaching.  Subsequently, my friend Rob Jewell (read his blog at PR on the run) passed along an article from BusinessWeek regarding Super Bowl advertising.  Apparently research is showing that the average brand recall was at only 7% one week after the game.  I highly recommend taking a look at the article, “Super Bowl Ads: A Big Fumble.”

A good marketing plan starts with exposure to a large audience, but two other elements are missing – repetition and relevance.  Both of these are often overlooked as advertisers get blinded by the glamor of the Super Bowl (or other big events) spotlight.  Think of these as a three-legged stool for marketing.  Without one, you have no base.

To me, repetition is the most underrated of the three.  Too often, by the time a campaign hits the market, the internal audience is tired of working with it.  Their perception is that the campaign has saturated the market, when in fact it is still new to the public.  Depending on the level of media buys, it can take significant time before the public is exhausted by a campaign.  It goes back to basic psychology and memory retention.  In today’s media clutter and fragmentation, few people have the unique ability to remember, comprehend and recall a 30 second message they receive once.  Tell them, tell them again, and tell them again.  Then do your research to see if they got the message.

So, does that mean don’t advertise at major events like the Super Bowl?  Of course not, just make sure to do it wisely.  Advertising at these events can do wonders as part of a strategy to build brand top-of-mind awareness.  Just make sure that it is an event that your target market is watching and you repeat and reinforce the same message throughout your entire campaign.

Holy Technology Batman!

Growing up, my favorite TV show was Batman starring Adam West.  Back when I was a kid, you either watched a show when the network put it on, or you missed it.  Unfortunately, my parents thought I should be outside and not in the house watching television.  Ah, but my friend Mike and I were smarter than my parents.  We rolled a television to the patio screen door at his house and sat outside to watch the show.  Alas, my parents caught us and I got in trouble – hey, I was outside!  It was probably a kid like me that grew up to invent the first video cassette recorder (VCR). 

But imagine, in less than one lifetime, the home VCR was invented and will be gone from the face of the earth (If you bought a Betamax, it happened even faster!).  Technology changes quickly and can be outdated before you are done with it.  I still have a VCR, but the day is coming when I will have to buy a digital video recorder (DVR) in order to record high definition programming.

Likewise, I have a phone and computer, but they are quickly morphing into one unit.  If you haven’t seen an I-Phone in operation, ask around to look at a friend’s.  Cell phones are getting more and more applications and better and better with those applications.  Web browsing is a great example.  With older phones, the display is limited to text and is awkward in appearance.  With the newer phones, it’s just like you are on your computer. 

Data storage has grown at an incredible rate.  Music, photos, videos, email, calendar, games and touch screens have all created a phone that nobody dreamed of even 10 years ago.  Throw in a global positioning system and satellite radio and what else could you ask for?  Computers are getting smaller and cheaper, phones continue to grow in capacity and applications, you’ve got to see where this is going.  Just think if Batman had one of these babies!

The Thrill Is Gone

It is quite possible that Internet advertising has reached its saturation point.  The Wall Street Journal is reporting that data from research group comScore Inc. indicates that the number of paid-clicks on Google’s search ads has declined for the second consecutive month.  The consumer has become wise to advertising on the Web.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Google maintains that the decline reflects the company’s efforts to improve the quality of leads, that they have made it more difficult for Web surfers to accidentally click on ads.  What  a great spin!  I agree that rather than curiosity clicks, the advertiser is getting more people who are truly interested in their product.  However, I find it difficult to swallow that Google intentionally wanted fewer clicks.  That’s how they make their money.

The spin to the story allows Google to charge more per click by assuming a more customers with fewer clicks.   But has the actual number of customers increased?  The number of customers can stay the same but because the curiosity clicks have declined, the percentage of customers to clicks would increase – that’s not more customers.  If Google increases the per click cost, you are paying more for each actual customer.

Advertisers need to stay focused on the brass ring.  Forget the number of clicks.  How many actual customers are coming through the Internet ads and how much did each customer cost versus other advertising.  Without knowing that, the number of clicks is really meaningless.

Whoops, She Didn’t Do It Again!

Did you watch Brittney Spears special appearance on “How I Met Your Mother?”  The train wreck that many had hoped would happen, never did.  Of course it didn’t.  Welcome to prerecorded programming.  Edit out the bad and do it again until it’s right.  Gone are the days when actors forget their lines, miss their mark or the lights burn out in the middle of a performance. 

Back in the Golden Age of Television, when Uncle Miltie ruled the airwaves, live television was the norm.  The idea was to execute a flawless performance to entertain the audience, but because it was a live performance, anything could happen.  Once videotape came along, shows could be more controlled by being taped in advance and re-taping if necessary to eliminate embarrassing mistakes.  Then along came the blooper outtake specials followed by the various funniest home video programs.  These shows were really the turning point that got us to where we are today on television.  It didn’t take long before everyone in America was trying to videotape their family mistakes to earn some easy cash.

And now look what it has turned into.  It shouldn’t be a surprise that YouTube and reality television shows have such a strong viewership.  They all pander to the  desire to see people embarrass themselves.  Most people slow down to gawk at a car wreck, now you can watch one anytime you want.  Try doing a search for Brittney on the web and you can bet most of what you will find is not very flattering.

Brittney’s appearance in the controlled environment of a traditional sitcom was finally a smart public relations move.  No foibles to apologize for or to try to explain away.  It was a flawless performance.  She actually seemed normal.  If you were disappointed, just wait for the outtakes.