Advertising isn't dead; you're killing it.

Advertising isn't dead; you're killing it.   The world of advertising and marketing, as we know it, has been turned on its head and is suffering a slow and painful death. No longer can you get away with telling consumers that tobacco is safe, lead paint in children's toys is harmless, Airborne pills will prevent the flu and, my favorite, Extenze will increase your male member. When communication opportunities were more limited to outbound, marketers of products or services found success without achieving it. Bogus claims were easy and if they made them clever and told them often enough the public bought them. Who's to blame? The advertising firms making such claims without doing their due diligence or the product companies directing the campaign? Doesn't the ad agency bear as much responsibility to provide truthful advertising to the public? Is it purposefully done to fool the public and increase profitability? Should they be hung for attempted murder of such a vital and important industry? Perhaps this is extreme but the good news is that, regardless of advertisers claims, thanks to social media and inbound marketing, these products get outed quickly and pay the price in lost revenue. Good riddance. It's a new day. In today's world of social media and consumer connectivity, consumers can kill a bad product faster than a Duracell battery dies. Celebrities endorsing products they have no relation to may get a nanosecond of credibility but the public quickly becomes the rightful judge. Advertisers must be at the top of their game. There's zero tolerance in our new world of media. Consumers demand honesty and relevance. Bad products have short lives. President Abe said it right  "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." And the solution is... Both advertisers and their agencies must understand they are selling to an extremely educated and well connected audience. We must open our lines of communication with our customers, engage them, let them tell us what they want and need. Not what we think they need and want. On the flip side, if a mistake is made or an error occurs this same media can be used to honestly engage the customer. Admit you are aware of the problem and discuss what you're doing to correct it. Advertising is not dead, it's being reincarnated. Marketing Maestro, Larry    If you enjoyed this, please share:             Lippi & Co. Direct Response 2820 Selwyn Ave, Suite 871 Charlotte, North Carolina 28209

Stop Screaming at Me!

Stop Screaming at Me! How many of you are sick of being screamed at by advertising commercials? I mean SCREAMED AT! It's as if the advertiser can't give you a positive reason to pay attention to their message. This method of trying to get your attention is not limited to the broadcast media. Obnoxious billboards and print ads do very much the samething. The predominant focus is on trying to sell you something. Here's a lesson I learned many years ago from one of my mentors in salesmanship. Have you ever been to a social gathering and met someone who, in casual conversation just kept asking you questions about yourself? His focus was on being interested in you and what you had to say. Afterwards you probably thought, what an engaging person even though you learned little to nothing about him. That's because you felt that person was interested in you and what you had to say rather than focusing on themselves. Now, let's apply that same approach to marketing. What if instead of trying to sell a product by being loud and interruptive, you asked your customer for input? So few of the screaming ads even offer an opportunity for you to engage. Thank goodness for electronic and social media for opening the door to real interaction between the your company and its customer.  Men trust their ears less than their eyes. - Herodotus  If you rethink your marketing strategy to where you are putting providing valuable and useful information out that your customers really need and want to know, you'll begin to develop a relationship. This will allow interaction where your customer gives input, asks questions and yes, voices dissatisfaction. And you can begin to engage and interact with your customer, building trust and loyalty. The timeliness of your message is equally as important. With electronic media your message is instantaneous. You'll be able to communicate newsworthy and relevant content well in advance of periodicals other news outlets. Too often traditional advertising is wasted on viewers who have no interest in your product. You want to reach the customer that is already interested in what you have to offer. Would you try to sell Hip Hop music at a NASCAR race? Respond to this email and let me know which ads you find most obnoxious. Auto ads? Shamwow? Oxiclean? Actions speak louder than words,  Larry Lippi If you enjoyed this, please share:             Lippi & Co. Direct Response 2820 Selwyn Ave Charlotte, North Carolina 28209

Advertising, is your heart in it?

Advertising,is your heart in it? Every day your small business faces the challenge of trying to create memorable marketing and advertising with a limited budget. For large companies with unlimited budgets, the memorable challenge is easily met. Simply create entertaining ads that run everywhere, all the time. We are bombarded constantly with an endless repetition of advertising messages which results in name recognition for them when we shop. All the senses are immersed with these ads. You've seen them, from Geico, Progressive Insurance, McDonalds, etc.  Beyond the usual senses of sight and sound there is a solution that fights just as hard for share of mind.  That's the appeal to the heart. One of these ads, running currently, is a Swiffer ad by Kaplan Thaler Group featuring Lee and Morty Kaufman. The creative genius behind this ad not only demonstrated the benefits of the product in a simple way, but did it with a 90 year old couple that are so honest and believable that the ad hits you right in the heart. While viewing the ad, you can't ignore the ease of use of the duster. It cleans better and easier while keeping 90 year old Lee safer. She doesn't need to climb on a chair to dust light fixtures and tops of tall furniture. If this works for her, how easy is it for you to use? I know that I've said this many times previously, but when you can relate to your customer in terms they can understand, you've won the trust, recognition and believability war. If you can watch this ad and not relate to a parent or older relation maybe you don't have a heart. Emotional advertising is not new. Those of you old enough to remember the Mean Joe Green ad for Coca Cola, can understand the power of hitting the heart strings. Wow, how did a kid's Coke soften the heart of one of the toughest players in football? Okay, so you don't have the Coke budget Since I've been following the Swiffer ad, I've noticed that the ad has gone viral on social networks.  And that doesn't include interviews on national news programs with Lee and Morty. What's that worth. In the war for memorability can the heart beat money and the brain? You betcha! How do you add heart to your marketing? Marketing Maestro, Larry    If you enjoyed this, please share:             Lippi & Co. Direct Response 2820 Selwyn Ave, Suite 871 Charlotte, North Carolina 28209

Is measuring your marketing all it's cracked up to be?

Is measuring your marketing all it's cracked up to be?    I had a ridiculous conversation about measurable marketing with someone this week. Although it nearly made my head explode, it gave me an interesting subject for today's Sticky Note.  I recently joined an association of small business owners. As part of getting involved, it is suggested that we share some one-on-one time with each of its members. Being new, I chose to invite a guy, for coffee, who was a media rep for TV and radio. I thought we might have some commonality since we are both involved in marketing. It didn't take long before we got into what makes each of our companies tick. It was going fine while he was doing all the talking about the multitude of jobs he's had selling everything from direct mail to broadcast. When he asked what made me unique, I explained how in every marketing plan I create, a measurable response is a must. That's when the bomb fell. He said "measurable response is not all it's cracked up to be". After getting up off the floor I tried to keep my composure by using this time as a teachable moment. I asked him what made him come to this conclusion? Apparently he had lost several ad placements from companies who complained that his media hadn't delivered any acceptable results for the dollars they spent. Gee, could a return on investment be a unique concept?  How does measuring response help an advertiser? Let me count the ways it answers the following questions: Is it the right choice of media category?  Measuring here not only judges the media choice, but allows you to test the quality of your message and offers. Within that media category, is your ad placement reaching the right target? When you know what segment of the market is bringing in the bulk of the interest, then you can apportion your budget for more frequency to the smaller, more targeted audience. Is your message answering a customer need? It's great when your customers become engaged enough to open a regular dialog with you. This helps guide and direct future marketing and product decisions. Remember, even poor monetary results offer information that tells you to change what you're doing and why. Shame on my coffee mate for not understanding that advertisers deserve results. No wonder he's had so many jobs. Marketing Maestro, Larry    If you enjoyed this, please share:             Lippi & Co. Direct Response 2820 Selwyn Ave, Suite 871 Charlotte, North Carolina 28209

Who's Steering Your Ship?

Who's Steering Your Ship? Is your small business marketing suffering from too many Indians and no chief? Your website was designed by your brother and developed by your brother's friend; your graphics were created by your neighbor's cousin; your brand and logo are some clip art you found on the internet; your media plan was created by a freelance media expert; your unique selling proposition, well what's that?   Do all of these entities work together to create a successful marketing plan and singular brand message? You will need each of these components to implement a plan for your small business. However, it shouldn't be a fruit bowl toss up of "experts" each doing what they do best In a silo without someone taking a helicopter view of the overall strategy. Every textbook, business consultant, and professor will tell you that a marketing plan is required for a business to succeed. Is it possible to have a well thought out strategic marketing plan when there's seven different experts who rarely, if ever, communicate with each other. Would you run your restaurant with a kitchen full of cooks, each making their own special sauce or dish, then serving it as a meal to your customers? One plate would probably have chocolate covered gnocchi with a side of sushi. This restaurant would not be in business very long. Don't let your marketing plan fall prey to such a screwed up concoction. Your marketing plan must be well designed and thought out, reviewed frequently, and watched over with a careful eye.  The advantage to running a small business, is that your plan can be nimble and tweaked easily. You can measure different tactics and adjust quickly if one strategy  isn't performing.  Do-it-today action steps: Take a moment today to step back and take a helicopter view of your marketing strategy. Is it cohesive? Do all the parts join together well, taking your customer from an interested stranger to a loyal customer? Respond to this email and let me know about some of the challenges you have with your marketing strategy.  Your Marketing Captain, Larry P.S. We are cooking up a new website chock full of marketing tips, ecourses, and consulting opportunities that will put you on the road to successful marketing for your small business. Sign up here to be notified first.     If you enjoyed this, please share:             Lippi & Co. Direct Response 2820 Selwyn Ave, Suite 871 Charlotte, North Carolina 28209