November 27, 2005

Seem as You Want to Be

That's an old - but ever-relevant - addage of public relations: Seem as you want to be.

Yesterday, the New Orleans Zoo re-opened, and the director's display quote in our paper was, "This is a time of sadness in this city."

Well, it may be a "time of sadness," but communicating that negative message - instead of a positive message of hope - makes the "sadness" even more of a reality.

There's a prominent antique dealer in New Orleans - I can't remember his name - and he frequently has very important auctions. He has one coming up, and he has made a point of advising his numerous out-of-town clients that there are good places to stay...there are good places to eat...and visitors to New Orleans can, in fact, have a terrific experience. He is not denying that major parts of the city have been tragically devastated. But he is focusing on what's up and running, and he is presenting a realistic and positive opportunity.

That's just the right attitude, and it's one that can become a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Meanwhile, Atlanta has positioned itself with the following slogan: "Every day is opening day."

Will someone please tells me what that means?

November 22, 2005

Today's Bicycle

I'm intrigued with a small 19th century tricycle I saw recently. Well, I want to buy it, because it's such a beautiful patina-rich object. But also because, in my youth, a bicycle was a symbol of independence.

For today's children, the symbol of independence is the Internet.

Apparently, by their seventh birthday, most U.S. kids will have talked on a cell phonne, played a computer game and mastered a TV-on-demand device like TiVo. By 13, they will have gone through several software editions of instant messaging, frequented online chat rooms, and downloaded their first illegal song from BitTorrent.

Today's 'bicycle' catalyzes a generation of short-attention-span children who are constantly multi-tasking.

The speed and precision with which we must engage their minds with our messages is awesome.

No wonder then....

Fox Broadcasting introduced 5-second spots for AOL at the end of commercial blocks in "Prison Break" the other night.

And no wonder then....

Interactive ad revenues jumped 34% in the third quarter vs. last year. Spending for the quarter topped $3.1 billion, up from $2.3 billion last year.

With independence comes opportunity!

Bye Bye Miss American Pie

I had lunch over at the College and walked back to the Business School campus in time for a 1:20 class. I walked into the classroom and immediately noticed Bob Koh's eyes reddened from crying. I looked around. Others seemed similarly stunned. What could possibly turn these future 'captains of industry' into such lost lambs? It was November 22nd. Twenty-two years ago. The day the music died.

November 21, 2005

Nikki, regarding your thoughts on ads and art...no, I can't think of any ads that I'd characterize as 'art.' Ads are so of-the-moment. They are designed to engage and entangle us right now. And that's a function of the context of our lives. Where are we when we're viewing the ad? What is the context for the ad...what programs appear next to it...what are the adjacent editorial pages in the magazine...etc.

By definition, then, ads are creatures of context.

Art, on the other hand, endures so much longer and takes on so much more meaning over time. Especially good art.

Did you read the story yesterday about the women who posed for Giocometti sculptures more than half a century ago? One woman said that she didn't think the sculpture resembled her at all at the time. Then, as the years passed, she began to realize that it captured her in an extraordinarily perceptive and enduring way. One model even said that she felt like the inanimate object, while the sculpture had the true life.

Those kinds of transcendent characterizations simply do not apply to advertising.

Well, that's my opinion.

You Gotta Have a Gimmick

We've talked a lot about the importance of having a brand position that can be communicated in two or three words...a position that not only describes your product or service, but also differentiates you from the competition.

Waiting for a light to change on the streets of New York last week, I noticed a flyer taped onto the nearby light pole: "NYC's Toughest Personal Trainer." Well, there's a clear differentiation for you. Right to the point. That trainer carves out a powerful position in four words. Very cool.

(And if you want to avail yourself next time you're in town, call 212-946-2090.)

Marketing ROI

I'm reading a book about it now, because I'm intrigued to learn more about how others measure the effectiveness of their marketing. It's even more relevant now as the interactive advertising boom is fueled in part by its benefit of measurability.

I'm all for accountability. But I think we have to be careful. So often, what's easy to measure is not what's most important. For example, think of why you love your wife?

I was reading about Leo Bogart, one of the great thinkers in the advertising industry. (He died recently.) Bogart said, "The Great Idea in advertising is far more than the sum of the recognition scores, the ratings, and all the other superficial indicators of its success. It is in the realm of myth, to which measurements cannot apply."

November 17, 2005

Big Help or Big Brother?

The Mandarin Hotel people now have a remarkable service in some of their hotels. As a regular customer, you enter your room and the temperature is set the way you want, your phone has your personalized answering message along with your favorite numbers on speed dial, the music you like to listen to is wafting over the sound system, and your minibar is stocked with the things you like. The list goes on, but you get the idea. It's all about recording people's behavior and then "playing it back" to them on their next visit.

It is the ultimate "have it your way" hotel experience.

But what if "your way" varies? Mmmm. No, you can't do that...not here in Stepford.

What Mandarin is doing is really no different than Amazon telling us what they think we'd like to read. It's just more personal.

I think it's misplaced. That is, when a store knows what we might want and saves us time in making either decisions or purchases, that's a valuable service. Mostly because it saves us time.

But how much time does it take to adjust a thermostat or change a TV channel?

What's stunning to me is the technology that enables the hotel to know virtually everything that has gone on in your room. In the wrong hands.....

Give a Little Something

Ralph Edwards, the creator of "Truth or Consequences" and "This is Your Life" has died. In his obituary, they note that once during a radio show in the midst of World War II, Edwards suggested that his listeners send a penny to a woman in Staten Island New York who wanted to plan a homecoming for her Marine son. More than 300,000 pennies were sent in.

So it made me wonder why more TV and radio personalities today don't use their platform, their power, and their air every single day to encourage their audiences to support one cause or another.

And then it made me think of that Edward R. Murrow speech that bookends George Clooney's brilliant film "Good Night and Good Luck." Murrow suggested that every few weeks the most popular TV shows should give up their time slots to programs on the major issues of the day.

It was a brilliant idea. Sure, it sounds idealistic. But what are the consequences of an uniformed or misinformed public? Just look at our country today and you see for yourself.

I see this as "program tithing," and I wish the networks would do it....just as I wish that the Lenos, Lettermans, Montels, and Marthas would use their influence and reach to regularly encourage their audiences to help out the many, many needy people in our world.

November 14, 2005

On the Road to Recovery

Mississippi recently ran an ad in the Wall Street Journal touting the state's new resolve to economic development post-Katrina. "Amid the debris, Mississippi found its future," claims the headline over a gloomy orange/black image of Katrina's devastation.

The body copy talks about the state's newly coordinated resources and commitment "to building one of the most advanced economic infrastructures in the country."

I admire the state for taking a positive approach and coming out fighting with a message of pride and commitment. And I'm reminded of how the Charleston economic development community really began to pull together after Hurricane Hugo in 1989...and again, when the Navy Base closure was announced in 1993.

The color orange is unfortunate for this message. One hardly associates orange with hope. Maybe they think it's sunshine. But it looks like Halloween.

What do these devastated areas do now? I had a very long interview with a reporter from the New Orleans Times Picayune who was asking just that. She heard that we were very involved in post-Hugo communications, and she wondered what we did that was especially effective.

I think there were four keys to effective communications at that time. The first is a constant in our business: keep people informed all the time with the best possible information at your disposal. Second, communicate a message of hope. This was so tragically missing in New Orleans. There was no message of hope. Third, communicate the specific needs of the citizens of your community to those who can help meet those needs. And fourth, let the world outside know that you are not defeated and they should continue to visit, do business, and have confidence in your area.

Those are somewhat tricky waters to navigate, especially all at once. But it's clearly the key to a successful rebound.

On the Value of Great Art

Art, I believe, is a mighty powerful communicator. Some of the best art communications are the drawings of artists, because you can more readily see how the image comes together...there's a sense of immediacy that is diminished in more time-consuming work like painting and sculpture.

Michael Kimmelman recently wrote about the fantastic exhibition of Van Gogh drawings presently at the Met Museum in New York. It's the last line of his paragraph that I find so very true:

"As they say, in the flesh great art, no matter how often it has been dully reproduced or mistaken for a price tag or overrun by crowds, somehow retains its dignity and originality. It slows your system and demands that you stop and look afresh."

"Looking afresh" is exactly what we try to do in our business. Finding smart new ways to engage consumers with powerful brands. Art can give us powerful inspiration.

November 13, 2005

Overload?

I read that - on average - a new blog is launched every second.

I also read that about 35 million workers - one in four people in the workforce - visit blogs and spend an average of 3.5 hours (9% of the work week) engaged with them.

Blogs are a powerful trend, and it's very difficult to anticipate what their ultimate impact will be.

For sure, they add to the transparency of news. That is, there's not much that can be hidden from or by the media. This could lead constructively to a more open society. But it could also lead to a culture acting upon mis-information, as the flow of blog info is so swift, sometimes at the expense of accuracy. (Well, that's always been a threat in any news-deadline context, I suppose.)

What is especially exciting is the possibility that workers (and others) are using blogs to explore ideas and interests that they don't have the opportunity to pursue in the normal course of their lives. What will that mean, though?

Line Extension

Many marketers have always been suspicious of line extensions. They fear that line extensions dilute the brand and make take management's eye off the core business.

I wonder, then, what the effect will be of Whole Foods testing small adjacent shops that carry lifestyle products like organic jeans, recycled glass plates, and low-toxicity paints.

They launched one in West Hollywood after testing it successfully in Austin.

Irrespective of whether this venture is successful, I think we'll see lots more movement into earth-friendly products.

Meanwhile, what gives with Kleenex?

Yes, Kleenex.

There was a powerful full-page ad in The Times last week with the headline:

"How to destroy the boreal, North America's largest ancient forest, in 3 easy steps:

"Step 1: Pull out a Kleenex facial tissue

"Step 2: Put it to your nose

"Step 3: Blow"

The ad goes on to say that Kleenex is destroying thousands of tons of trees to make disposable tissue products instead of choosing more recycled fiber and less trees and committing to environmentally sound logging operations.

This high-impact ad is sponsored by NRDC and Greenpeace. I think it really packs a whollop.

November 8, 2005

I gave such a lousy interview to Joan Mack today, and I am very disappointed. I was really looking forward to it. Joan was a major TV anchor here and she has developed a very successful interview show that is on public radio throughout the state. Somehow, I never got into the subject matter, because I was responding to general questions in a general way.

Just as we play better tennis when someone is hitting the ball harder than we are, so too we can easily roll back to easy answers to easy questions. But that's letting others drive the energy in the room...and that makes no sense at all.

After the mikes were off, I went on this riff about the challenges for women entrepreneurs which I wish had been recorded for the show. Because I could feel the passion and the facts flowing, as I made a case for changing the culture in this part of the world with respect to women in business.

I'm so interested to see the role models of women in business. Some of them are wonderfully successful AND wonderfully supportive to other women. Then there are those - WE know who THEY are - who figure they've made it on their own and every other woman is going to have to make it on their own as well.

That incredible selfishness is so shocking and saddening to me. What greater pleasure in the world is there beyond helping others? These tough mamas are really missing the true fun in life.

The Center for Women here is trying to break patterns by having entrepreneurs speak and then have multiple round-table discussions of topics related to the talks. Last night, Bob Siegel - the chairman and CEO of Lacoste USA - made a great presentation, and then 20+ tables of attendees engaged in individual discussion groups.

So smart, I thought, to get people participating. So much more effective than having Bob speak and then calling it a night.

This inclusion of interactivity is increasingly vital in effective communications.

The days of dishing it out are over.

The days of dialogue are now and forever.

Does YOUR marketing include and encourage a dialogue?

How could it do more??

November 3, 2005

Harry and David Get It

The other day, we were writing about how retailers are starting so early with their holiday promotions, because they anticipate a weak retail selling season. I don't happen to think that starting early is going to solve the problem.

I don't think you can fool people. And I wouldn't want to try. What's threatening this holiday season is cost...the cost of gas and the cost of everything that is affected by gas....and that would be practically everything. (I saw a red bell pepper in the supermarket the other day that would cost a half-hour's worth of the net pay of a minimum wage employee.)

So, starting early doesn't really address the problem.

Harry and David, the legendary fruit-and-more direct marketers, announce on the cover of their current holiday catalog "Same low shipping and handling. Shop now, don't pay until February. Save 10% (free coupon inside)."

Well, that's EXACTLY what today's consumer wants to hear. All of us are sick of the energy surcharges slamming us on anything we order or buy. And saving 10%? That sounds great!

Successful retailers this holiday season - I think - will give customers what they want (discounts on products, and more reasonable shipping costs)...not just what they, the retailers want.

New Stats on Diversity Market

We've also written a lot about the fast-growing Hispanic market. How interesting to read in the latest PRSA publication that "The buying power of blacks, Asians, and Native Americans will exceed $1.7 trillion by 2010, an increase of 268% from 1990."

Recent U.S. Census statistics predict that, by 2050, the Hispanic populaton will grow to 102 million, or 24% of the total population. The black population will be 61 million, or 15%.

There's another compelling statistic from the Census people that doesn't relate to diversity, but it sure does demonstrate the impact of the aging boomers: By 2050, there will be 86.7 million, or 21% of the total population, over 65.

We're already seeing significant trends in marketing to these audience segments. Look for more. And, think of how your product and service can best resonate with these dynamic constituencies.

November 2, 2005

Stark Contrast

Wasn't it Nixon's pal Mitchell who said, "Watch what we do. Don't listen to what we say."

This morning, I was watching what Karl Rove's boss was doing. Clearly, Rove is so distracted by the prospect of wearing an orange suit that he's not attending properly to W's public image.

So there we are, in the middle of the morning, America watching the cable news channels, hearing the story of Rosa Parks - who epitomized this country in terms of demonstrating the Power of the Individual - and viewing the scene of the celebration of her extraordinary life....

And then the cameras cut to W and the missus greeting Prince Charles and his wife on the manicured lawn in front of the stately plantation-style columns of the White House.

Cut then from the stiff handshakes and sterile photo op in DC, back to the Rosa Parks love-in where Bill Clinton was being embraced by all the regular folk in Detroit...genuine energy and connectivity vs. the man in the bubble.

What an incredible contrast. We were looking at the two sides of the American Revolution in close juxtaposition. And the so-called leader of America had jumped back to the other side with all of its insensitivity about the true feelings and needs of human beings.

A stunning moment in communications.

November 1, 2005

Santa Arriving Early...and Often

Anticipating a weak holiday sales season, many retailers are starting early...very early.

They figure that high fuel prices (for cars...and for heating consumers' homes) are going to dampen holiday spirits...especially when the weather turns colder.

The Postal Service, for example, figures that a penny increase in the price of gas has an $8 million impact on the Postal Service's bottom line.

Remember when holiday season advertising began at Thanksgiving? This year, it started for many in mid October...the earliest time ever.

Only time will tell if fourth quarters do well because of this early push. My money is that all this early bird stuff will have a minimal to negative impact. It just seems to me that the early advertising is being done for the benefit of the retailers. Where's the benefit for the consumers?

I'll bet that the January sales start early too....maybe in mid December. Then the retailers will really be shooting themselves in the foot.

Google Rocks

There's a great piece on Google in the Sunday Times. Check out this fact:

This year, Google will sell $6.1 billion in ads, nearly double what it sold last year. That is more advertising than is sold by any newspaper chain, magazine publisher, or television network. By next year, Goldman Sach's analyst expects Google to have advertising revenues of $9.5 billion. That would place it fourth among American media companies in total ad sales after Viacom, the News Corporation, and the Walt Disney Company, but ahead of giants including NBC Universal and Time Warner.

Read that again, and just think about it! Wow!!