Howl at the Moon?

I had no idea an Amazon review could spark such a cultural phenomenon. Have you heard about the Three Wolf Moon T-shirt? It is all the rage on Amazon.com, thanks to a 32-year-old law student from New Jersey named Brian Govern.

Govern’s review of the shirt on Amazon sarcastically stated, “This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that’s when the magic happened.” His review generated nearly 700 similar comments and catapulted Three Wolf Moon from sales of two to three shirts a day to 100 an hour. Michael McGloin, creative director of the Mountain, the company that made the shirt, said, “You could not dream of getting this worldwide notoriety for a shirt, but it became a viral visual.”

This shirt has been Amazon’s top-selling item of apparel every day since May 19, perhaps because of some of the following reviews:

“As soon as I put this shirt on the Bank called to apologize for trying to foreclose on my home.”
“When I opened the package, the focused radiance of the shirt actually burned my shadow onto the wall.”

The sarcasm is almost irresistible! Kinda makes me want one, too. It’s even made the New York Times. See for yourself on Amazon.


--Kara W.

Real time support now “nearly a requirement”

A few years ago, I visited LandsEnd.com, and I was amazed to see that they offered live support via chat. Well, a lot can change in a few years, and now not only am I not amazed by sites that offer live chat, but I’m a little disappointed by those that don’t.

Apparently I’m not alone. A recent Adweek.com story about the new realities advertisers are facing, for example, discusses consumers’ expectation of “instant gratification” when it comes to customer service. And live chat is just one of the tools marketers need to consider when it comes to responding to these expectations. As Andy Jacobs of MRM Worldwide says:

"Our clients find themselves in a very reactive world...They're forced to respond to things. They need methods by which they can confidently and quickly publish info through the right channels."

How are companies doing this? Twitter is in the mix, of course, because companies can monitor customer comments and respond in near real-time. But other innovative tools exist that allow organizations to connect with customers more quickly than ever before. One example: the message board on the Ivy Tech Community College home page, where students, parents and prospects can post questions about everything from financial aid to transferring credits to a four-year college or university. In addition to responding directly to those who post, the message board also provides ready answers to the most commonly asked questions.

How is your organization responding to your customers’ need for “instant gratification”? What tools do you wish other companies would provide to get you faster answers to your questions?

--Anthony J.

Ethics and Blogging: An oxymoron?

An article posted May 19 on BusinessWeek.com, briefly covers some good background on blogging, ethics and – gasp – regulation by the FTC. The subhead is “The Federal Trade Commission wants bloggers to disclose when they’ve been wooed with cash or freebies from companies they cover.”

The report lists several examples of blog posts that have been written because a company provided a product to the writer at no charge. I wondered: Is this bad? Is it good? Is it any different than what routinely happens in trade publications when articles are written about new cars, boats, trucks or other products?

Seems to me that if a writer, regardless of the communications vehicle being used, is given the latitude to write honestly about his or her experience with the product, what better way to provide readers with valuable information assessing it? That scenario is based on seemingly ethical behavior.

The risk and ethical questions come into play if the person writing about a product is simply regurgitating something positive crafted by the company behind the product or service or simply not accurately reporting a true experience.

The questions become:

Does listing that some form of compensation has been given for mentioning a product or service within a post help assure an ethical assessment?

Do blogs need governmental oversight?

I’m curious. What do you think?

--Mike B.

Social Networking: The “Hot Pocket” of Marketing?

Business Week’s Gene Marks says that “for many business owners, social networking is as valuable as a Hot Pocket is nutritious.” So it’s no surprise that he believes there are several social media marketing “myths”. A sample:

“Some of these cool and trendy sites aren’t going to be so cool and trendy in the near future. The percentage of Twitter users in a given month who return the following month has languished below 30% for most of the past year...And MySpace recently suffered a decline in monthly visitor traffic. Remember GeoCities? Yahoo...is shutting it down. A lot of business owners aren’t thrilled about committing time and resources to a vanishing trend.”

But before you dismiss Marks as a naysayer, read between the lines in his column. In addition to serving as a wake-up call to anyone who has fallen a little too in love with social media, it also includes some nice nuggets of wisdom about social media’s greatest strengths:

“[S]ocial communities are not for marketing. They’re for service. [They allow companies] to get closer to...customers and respond to their needs.”

So while Hot Pockets might not be the most nutritious food out there, they still can fill you up. You just need make them a small part of your diet, not eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

--Anthony J.

New Media Expected to Salvage Slumping Ad Revenue

Local advertising spending on traditional media such as television, radio, print and outdoor is forecasted to drop to $144.4 billion by 2013, down from $155 billion in 2008, according to Adweek.

Traditional media outlets will need to branch out to offer new media, such as radio and TV internet advertising, the revenue from which is expected to climb to $1.9 billion by 2013, up from $805 million last year.

Another avenue advertisers are exploring is local mobile advertising, which the Kelsey Group predicts will generate $3.1 billion, up from $180 million in 2008. More than half of that revenue will come from local search. “Mobile gets you closer to the point of purchase because it goes with you to the store,” says Michael Boland, senior analyst at the Kelsey Group. “When we come out of this (economic slump), we’ll see a sudden interest and demand in mobile marketing.”

E-mail advertising is yet another growing trend as advertisers seek ways to more closely target their audience in a cost-effective way. Local email advertising is starting to replace direct mail and is expected to climb from $848 million in 2008 to $2 billion 2013.

There is no doubt that new media is here to stay and will continue to change the media buying landscape as it increases its share of the proverbial pie. What was once a complement to traditional media has become a necessary and substantial part of smart media plans.

--Tessa G.

Saving Lives One Spot at a Time

At Asher, we're constantly charged with changing opinions, spurring trial and creating action. This summer it looks like our thinking could once again save lives.

With infant deaths on the rise in Indiana because of unsafe co-sleeping habits, the Indiana Department of Child Safety is once again ready to run a series of commercials created by Asher to keep kids safe.

In an effort to break through the clutter, Asher made the commercials as hard-hitting as possible. In each of the spots, the first 15 seconds set up an unsafe-child scenario (including co-sleeping and water dangers) while stark type on a black background asks serious questions of the viewer, including “Could you live with that?”

The result is a campaign that won the support and praise of EMTs and emergency rooms throughout the state. Because the message was real-life and not sugar-coated, Hoosiers got the point. And while it's harsh, if we save one child, it's all worth it. See what we're talking about.


--Matt G.

In on the ground floor

Sports events are the best places to see creative marketing at work. Every swing of the bat, every layup, every seat and cup and song and time-out and perimeter fence is sold, labeled, branded or sponsored. I’m always amused and inspired to think of the most audacious ways to wring pennies out of space and time.

Sports marketing was at its finest at the Indy 500 this weekend, but brand frenzy spilled beyond the oval. In the lobby of the downtown Marriott, lighted logos were splashed onto the stone floor at the entrance, rotating images from banks and restaurants right in front of the logo-wrapped car parked in the middle of the room.

So why stop there? Why weren’t the sofa pillows stitched with logos? Shouldn’t the elevator doors be emblazoned with moving signs? What about corporate sponsorship of, say, Floor 15, with a logo on the elevator button?

We’ve seen signs posted on the backs of stall doors in the ladies’ room. I think there’s potential for a message on the plastic covers that slide over toilet seats at the push of a button in airports. You could sell me on hand sanitizer there. Parking meters could draw more revenue if gas stations and auto repair shops paid to post their brand identities under the coin slot, don’t you think?

People have sold ad space on their bald heads and pregnant bellies. Is any moment devoid of a marketing message? What space is just screaming to you for a creative concept?

--Julianne W.

So You Think You Can Act...

A TV commercial can break down in many ways, but in a midsized market, one of the great challenges for agencies such as Asher is finding the right talent to appear on screen.
With budgets that seldom allow union talent and clients who want to squeeze every dime, we're forced to be creative. Even against those odds, we still seem to find the right voice, look, delivery.
Here are some things to remember...from both sides of the table:

1. Never choose a commercial actor because he or she looks good. If the role depends on the ability to deliver a line, a good head shot is no substitute for the ability to act.

2. Commercials are not theater. Stage actors are expected to exaggerate, enunciate and emote. The best commercials actors come across as normal...and sometimes that's the hardest role of all.

3. Create to the limits of your talent. If you don't have the budget for skilled actors, develop spots that don't rely on on-camera action or synch sound.

Hopefully these three rules give you a little insight into the casting process. It's best to find someone who can give you different deliveries.

Finally, always see your talent in person before making final selections. It's amazing how a camera can hide bad skin or teeth or add pounds.

Acting isn't easy, and sometimes choosing the right actors can be even tougher.

--Matt G.

Listen

As a marketer, the ultimate goal is to please your clients. To do so, you must provide a top-notch product, exceptional service and responsiveness to their needs. The most basic yet critical responsibility of a marketer, however, is to listen—to clients, as well as to clients’ customers. Now more than ever, there is a constant conversation. The social media scene, including Facebook, Twitter and blogs, makes feedback that much more accessible. Familiarity with the forums is the first step; the next important step is to listen to the discussions.

Curious about where to begin and how to listen? Marketing Profs’ Clay McDaniel has some insight.
As the old saying goes, one always learns more by listening than by talking.

--Kara W.

“Hulu: An Evil Plot to Destroy the World. Enjoy.”

Hulu’s tag line is proof that this online television website has not only a sense of humor, but also a keen understanding of human foibles. Their television spot pokes fun at the brain numbing properties of television. We consumers know that TV, in general, is bad. We know we should be doing something more constructive, as we sit, in a stupor, glued to our television sets every night watching wonderfully mindless shows. We’re incorrigible zombies. Hulu makes fun of us but they do so in such an irreverent, comical way that we accept their condescension. It’s reverse psychology at its best. The ads make us want to log on to hulu.com to watch television we might have missed the night before. Who says you can only watch Saturday Night Live on Saturday night?

Although there is controversy concerning how many people are watching their favorite shows on Hulu, their 490% growth year over year indicates that people may be rotting their brains, but at least they’re doing it on their own time, when it’s convenient for them.

--Tessa G.

What the Trend

Twitter is a handy little megaphone for announcing brief company news, ongoing developments, promotions or the fact that you just finished a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

But it can also be a hot mess of nonsensical tweets. A recent article in Advertising Age about the proliferation of inane and obscure references made me feel less alone in my frustration.

Fortunately, Matt Mayer came along with his blessed twin gifts for technology and communication. He’s developed What the Trend, a website that offers a fast peek at what has the Twitter world chirping. It’s updated Wiki-style, with Twitter users giving flesh to the references. Matt makes sure it remains operational, and the general public makes sure it remains useful.

Wanna know why everyone’s buzzing about #batt? What the Trend can tell you. You can be just as cool and in-the-know as your friends who have nothing better to do than mess around on Twitter all day.

From a business perspective, it’s great insight into what captures the collective online imagination, what’s getting attention and where you might join in the conversation. Especially if peanut butter and jelly starts trending.

--Julianne W.

Yaz strikes out

You know pharmaceutical advertising has some challenges when there’s a whole TV spot dedicated to clearing up claims made in a previous TV spot.

The Pharma Marketing Blog has all the dirt on the Yaz controversy. And you can still find the original spot on YouTube.

If you ask me, there’s only one Yaz commercial worth watching—the vintage Kahn’s spot featuring Captain Carl Yastrzemski. The only side effects that Yaz ever experienced were a Triple Crown, 3,000 hits, and general awesomeness.

--Anthony J.

Asher employee takes stairs to present about elevator speeches

Floor 'EM with a Great Elevator Speech

View more presentations from ajuliano.

Yesterday, I spoke to a great group at the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce Brown Bag Lunch. The topic was elevator speeches: what to do, what NOT to do, and why they’re important. You can view the presentation above, but the best part was to meet so many new people who are launching or building their businesses. The best way to capture someone’s attention, after all, is to have a great idea.

Asher’s team always welcomes the opportunity to share what we know, so if your group needs a speaker, send me an email. Happy Friday!

--Anthony J.

Metamorphosis into a blogger

The speed of my metamorphosis into a blogger is a bit more rapid that I imagined, thanks to input and support from my wife and my Asher colleagues. My measure of progress: My screen remained blank for but a few minutes.

Through this learning process I wondered how social media could reach certain target audiences; say, those with members who don’t read blogs, don’t have Facebook pages and don’t Twitter—what I’ll call an older audience.

One way is to first engage the younger generation with your message via social media. In turn, they can influence their parents and grandparents through conversation. It’s intergenerational communication.

This insight came from an article in the April 2009 issue of PR Tactics from the PRSA. Dan Solomon’s piece, A clear and healthy choice: Building your patient community online, demonstrated the tactics health communicators can use to engage an older audience.

“If you are trying to provide a product or service to a more mature audience, you may need to focus some of your efforts on their younger relatives,” Solomon says.

As with any tool or tactic, I don’t’ think social media alone can serve the purpose. But none of the traditional tools does as well alone as when bundled with companion elements. What ways do your think your children or grandchildren have the ability to influence you and your decisions?

--Mike B.

Music Makes Everything Better

Let A Stranger Drive You Home Heineken Commercial - Awesome video clips here

Notice how music in advertising can make or break an ad? Granted, this is all a matter of preference, but if your target audience likes it, the spot is golden.

Heineken has certainly caught my attention lately (and it has nothing to do with that welcomed spring weather that so nicely complements a cold beverage). The latest ad features a group of friends riding home in a car and singing along to the radio, when suddenly an older driver cranks up the tunes and joins in the sing-a-long. The premise: He’s a cabbie. The message: Let a stranger drive you home tonight. The song that stops me in my tracks and has me watching this commercial every time: Biz Markie’s Just a Friend.

On the contrary, I cannot sit through the 30-second Hallmark commercial featuring John Mayer’s Say. It just wears on my last nerve. Once again, music taste is relative, and I’d bet this wins over the 45-and-older female demographic. Very appropriate, since that’s likely their target audience.

Ultimately, the goal is to make ads memorable, and music is a great way to capture attention.

Are there any ads that have won you over with their melodies?

--Kara W.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new media?

You might think county government would be more traditional, more old-school in its communications. But Multnomah County gets the value of “new” media, and it is putting its money where its mouth is.

The Oregon county’s chairman is hiring a specialist to manage communications via Facebook, Twitter and other social media. To him, it’s obvious. "These technologies are not just fringe technologies. People are signing up for social networking by the millions. That's where our constituents are. That's where the people are who we serve,” says Ted Wheeler in a report on KATU News’ website.

He’s been challenged by a radio personality there who points out that Multnomah County got by all this time before without such a position—why do they need one now, he asks? But isn’t that a little like asking a person why he’d trade in a typewriter for a computer?

Wheeler is undeterred in his belief in the value of social media. In fact, he and his staff are so committed that they took a 12 percent cut in salary to pay the new hire. If an entity as stereotypically conservative as county government is Tweeting, who can really claim to be too stodgy for new media?

--Julianne W.

Learn how to use social media to communicate with your customers

Blogs. Facebook. Twitter. You’ve heard about them—now learn how they affect you and your business in a new, interactive class at IPFW that starts this fall.

“Using Social Media to Connect with Your Customers,” taught by Asher's Anthony Juliano, is a two-part course designed for everyone from those with no prior exposure to social media sites to those looking to use social media to grow their business. Part I provides an overview of a variety of social networking and social media sites and gives participants an opportunity to explore them in class. Part II focuses on specific ways businesses can use social media sites and tools to market their products and services and network with other professionals. Participants can attend Part I only, Part II only, or both, depending on their skill level/knowledge.

If you're interested in signing up, please contact Anthony at anthonyj@asheragency.com or call 260-424-3373.

Part I - Introduction to Social Media
9/8 & 9/15 (2 meetings)
Tuesdays, 6 - 9 pm
.6 CEUs
$110 Fee includes materials.

Part II - Social Media for Business
9/22 & 9/29 (2 meetings)
Tuesdays, 6 - 9 pm
.6 CEUs
$110 Fee includes materials.

Bogged down in a blog

Accepting—but not yet ready to embrace—the realm of “social media” and blogs, this senior (in age) Asher staffer is struggling with his first blog submission … I mean post. I’m still working on the terminology.

In my effort to turn my thoughts into something written for this new-to-me concept of communicating, I have researched. I’ve Googled “blog,” “writing a blog,” “creating a blog” and “successful blogs” and have now read all the posts on more than a dozen blog sites. And there is plenty of information at my fingertips on the value of blogs as a form of social media.

So I am learning. Some of the “how to” sites for blog-writing indicate that folks are interested in what I know and my opinion on relevant subjects. That interest, they say, is the reason blogging works.

Yet I continue to find myself staring at a screen gone blank before I complete the right first sentence. Why isn’t this like Press Release 101?

I’m determined to learn more, to make this work, to be a meaningful contributor to AsherSphere in my lifelong areas of expertise—public relations and media relations. I’m sure these new communications vehicles offer greater possibilities and will add more power to public relations efforts.

Even AARP shares information through several Web sites . That indicates an audience in the 50 and older group. So there is hope.

Stick with me: I’m destined to become a blogger, too.

--Mike B.

Product Integration: Priceless

Product integration is everywhere, from American Idol judges drinking out of Coca-Cola glasses to Seinfeld’s Kramer raving about Junior Mints. This forum is a great way to keep products top-of-mind. It’s infinitely more powerful, however, when consumers latch onto it, and the integration evolves into a consumer-based conversation.

This season SUBWAY restaurants worked with NBC’s Chuck to integrate their subs into the program’s script. And it didn’t go unnoticed. When the season was coming to a close, word leaked that Chuck’s future was in jeopardy. One avid fan launched a ‘Finale & Footlong’ campaign, encouraging all Chuck fans to petition NBC to save the show by buying SUBWAY subs and mailing their receipts to NBC. Now THAT is something that every company wishes it could script.

--Kara W.

Poke if By Land, Tweet if By Sea

In the last couple of years, social media has become all the rage. Friendster has been joined by the likes of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Now, it seems, Uncle Sam is joining the bandwagon.

That’s right. The military is now embracing social media as a means to reach out to new recruits. With the shift of 18-year-olds toward online communities, this figures to be a smart move for recruiters. As Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley said in Newsday, "you could friend your recruiter, and then he could talk to your friends.”

There are other practical uses as well. These applications can be used as a sort of virtual town hall, a place where the military can receive and answer questions as fast as the public can dish them out. The cool thing: Anybody who wants to have a question or gripe answered directly from the horse’s mouth can, within reason.

This is definitely a shift from the military’s previous stance that social networks could be a haven for terrorists. “I'm sure there was the same pushback years ago when somebody invented the telephone. 'Ooh, you can't talk there because somebody might hear you,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, a manager for a subset of the Army’s public affairs office. “Well, that's the whole point. We want people to hear us.”

--Brandon B.

“Boring” brands wake up to the possibilities of social media

Think your company, industry or brand is too boring to use social media? Well maybe not, says Chad Mitchell of Insurance Networking News. Mitchell provides great examples of how Geico, American Family and Nationwide are using Facebook, LinkedIn and other portals and tools that, Mitchell says, provide "content and tools to solve customer problems and improve customer experiences."

Who, in addition to insurance companies, can benefit from Mitchell’s advice? Utilities, financial planners and law firms, among others. The real question will be whether the conservative cultures in these industries will allow them to provide anything truly useful. Because once you start looking for reasons to opt out of the social media swimmin' pool, you'll start seeing nothing but riptides and sharks. So be bold, not boring. Dive in.

--Anthony J.

Feliz cumpleanos, Gena!

NBC Unveils 2009-2010 Season

NBC has announced its schedule for the 2009-2010 season two weeks before the other networks. The traditional upfront week, when networks announce their new schedule, begins May 18. NBC jumped the gun on May 4 with an “infront” presentation of their new fall season, although they did not reveal official time periods. They are launching four new dramas, two comedies, three reality shows and a new talk show with Jay Leno, which will air Monday through Friday from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The Dramas:

• Mercy: A medical drama seen from the perspective of three nurses.
• Parenthood: An adaption of the movie by the same name.
• Trauma: Another medical drama about first-responder paramedics.
• Day One: About a group who survive a major catastrophe.

The Comedies:

• 100 Questions: A woman’s experiences as she looks for love via an online dating site.
• Community: The life and trials of a group of college students.

The Reality Shows:

• The Marriage Ref: Celebrities analyze domestic disputes between real-life couples. (Created and produced by Jerry Seinfeld.)
• Breakthrough with Tony Robbins: Author Tony Robbins gives insights on how to live a better life.
• Who Do You Think You Are?: Celebrities tell their life stories.

Adam Stotsky, president of marketing for NBC, said they wanted to start spreading the buzz about the new season early in order to have more control over how the information is conveyed to consumers.

“We learned with the successful launch of ‘Heroes’ that every piece of information posted or leaked or chatted about becomes part of the campaign,” he said. “Our fundamental strategy is to control that information from the get-go. If we don’t do it, the consumer will do it on our behalf—sometimes accurately, sometimes not. So we have to shape the message we want to advocate.”

Sources: Adweekmedia.com and tvweek.com

Quantifying March Madness

For the first time in Fort Wayne media history, we know what people are watching on television during the month of March. Nielsen moved the February 2009 sweeps period to March because of the digital transition, which was originally scheduled for February 17. Although this transition date was moved to June, the March 2009 sweeps period remained as scheduled. This gives us a glimpse of television viewership to which we have never had access. Most importantly, this change gives us actual ratings for the first rounds of the NCAA tournament on WANE-TV and allows us to more accurately project ratings for future tournaments.

As expected, March Madness delivered solid ratings in the Fort Wayne market. Here is a snapshot of how the NCAA performed:

NCAA Ratings on WANE-TV (Source: Nielsen March 2009, Adults 18+)

Event - Date - Time – Rating/Share
1st Round Games - 3/19-3/20 - 12p-5p – 6.5/54
1st Round Games - 3/19-3/20 - 7p-12a – 9.5/29
2nd Round Games - 3/21-3/22 - 12p-10p – 8.7/36
Regional Semifinals - 3/26-3/27 - 7p-12a – 9.5/29
Regional Finals - 3/28-3/29 - 230p-9p – 11/42

As Nielsen explains: “A rating is a percent of the universe that is being measured, most commonly discussed as a percent of all television households. As such, a rating is always quantifiable, assuming you know the size of the universe (TV households, persons, women 18 – 34, and so forth). A share is the percent of households or persons using television at the time the program is airing and who are watching a particular program. Thus, a share does not immediately tie back to an actual number, because it is a percent of a constantly changing number–TV sets in use. Shares can be useful as a gauge of competitive standing.”

--Tessa G.

Who, what, when and why from where

Newsweek recently revamped its print product. Recognizing that it can’t compete with the Internet in timeliness and scope, Newsweek has decided to focus on delivering a long view on topics of the day, to provide context for stories from a brand that has garnered trust. It’s found a point of differentiation.

Now Newsweek is rethinking its online product as well. Newsweek.com will dig deep, too. But it also will offer blogs and links for a broad perspective—so broad as to possibly include its competitor, Time, according to a May 3 report in Media Week online.

“You have to ask yourself, ‘Are we in the business of delivering the best possible content or brands—or brands we favor or like?’” Geoff Reiss, vice president/general manager for Newsweek Digital is quoted as saying.

It’s a different way of thinking: Rather than being the source, Newsweek.com is seeking to be the resource. Rather than being the place to turn when you want Newsweek, the online site is seeking to be the place to turn when you want news—whether it is written by that trusted brand or presented by that trusted brand.

Some say without a point of differentiation in its online voice, Newsweek risks becoming another MSNBC. I’ll watch with anticipation to see whether it can successfully add “content provider” to its job descriptor without having to sacrifice its valuable role as content creator.

--Julianne W.

Welcome to AsherSphere

At Asher Agency, there’s nothing we like more than bouncing ideas around and seeing where they land. That’s the idea behind AsherSphere, our new agency blog. It’s an online conversation that takes place even when we can’t be face-to-face with our clients, friends and anyone else who’s interested in what we’re observing from our corner of the world. It’s our chance to show what we know, and what we learn from you; what we might be working on, and how it came to be.

Right now we have multiple contributors from just about every part of the AsherSphere, so regardless of what marketing stuff you’re interested in—communication, strategy, social media, design, PR, media buying—you’ll find it here. Circle back whenever you get around to it*. Every day, anytime, AsherSphere will be here.

--Anthony J.

*Get it? “Circle” back...when you get “aROUND” to it? That’s just the kind of wacky puns you’ll come to expect from the AsherSphere, and by gumption, we’ll keep ’em comin’.