Does Bing have the zing?

By now you’re probably familiar with Bing, the newest search engine on the block. It’s the offspring of the recent Microsoft and Yahoo! merger. These two gurus are coming together to try to compete with search engine giant Google.

Competition is good for any industry, but will they make a dent in Google’s 65 percent share of market searches? According to BusinessWeek, Yahoo! held a 20 percent share of market searches. Maybe by putting Microsoft’s fiscal muscle behind the Bing endeavor, it can gain some traction against Google?

As an avid Googler, I would need to find something very unique and compelling about Bing to make me switch. I use a PC at the office, and a couple of weeks ago Microsoft reset my search setting to Bing. Trust me, I didn’t do it. Now when searching, I find myself avoiding the convenience of a search engine in the tool bar. Instead, I will go to Google, then search from there. It’s familiar, has a clean look, and is easy. And frankly, I simply prefer Google as my search engine.

It will be interesting to see how Bing fares this next year. Will the Microsoft/Yahoo! team identify a better search algorithm? Time will tell.

Have you used Bing? What do you think of it?

--Kara W.

Want Customer Insight? In Real Time?

In the world of social media, it’s a constant conversation. All hours of the day, every day. So, how do you know whether they’re discussing your business? Want to eavesdrop on the conversation and get an insight into your consumers’ perceptions? It’s easier to do than it sounds. Get online and start listening.

Yelp.com, CitySearch.com and local.yahoo.com are good websites. Or set up a Google alert to notify you when your business is referenced in any review, blog or online publication. Run a search on Twitter.

Listening will provide you insight. But to take it a step further and provide good customer service, you should respond to customers’ posts, both good and bad. It demonstrates that you’re a caring and engaged business owner. That said, if you receive a scathing review, it’s advised that you hold off on an immediate response and allow yourself time to cool down before responding.

Whatever you do, don’t post false reviews to bolster your business or badmouth a competitor. It could potentially ruin your reputation and even get you into legal trouble. Not worth it.

Now, go forth and start listening!

--Kara W.

What’s Happening Now?

Did you know that 6,000 people are researching restaurants from their cell phones in cabs? And that 29 of them just left their phones in those cabs?

Did you know that 23 million people are talking on their cell phones? And that 308,000 of them just hung up?

According to Sprint, that’s what’s happening now.

Yep, it’s one clever campaign. Has it conveyed that Sprint is introducing America’s first 4G Network? Not necessarily, but their ads sure are entertaining. And they’re relevant to today’s society, because everything is instant—primarily thanks to cell phones. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, or text messaging, people are in touch with each other and the world around them on a minute-to-minute basis.

It’s amazing how quickly cell phones went from being an extravagance to a necessity. I bought my first cell phone about eight years ago as a safety precaution for a long road trip. It has now been at least six years since I’ve had a landline. From business emails to monitoring Cubs scores, the cell phone is my lifeline to the world. Maybe I’ll need that 4G Network, after all!


--Kara W.

Build loyalty with brand integration

In the world of marketing, it’s important to localize your brand and integrate it into the community. This not only builds loyalty among your customers, but also keeps your product top-of-mind.
The integration could be in the form of a sponsorship, such as partnering with a nonprofit like the local Susan G. Komen affiliate. Or it could be in the form of a cross-promotion, in which you align your brand with a property in the community.

Our agency orchestrated a cross-promotion for a SUBWAY® client in western Massachusetts with the Boston Red Sox, one of the hottest properties in the region. During the months of July and August, hundreds of SUBWAY® restaurants in the New England area will be selling co-branded collectable cups, and sandwich artists will be wearing co-branded T-shirts.

While the Red Sox alignment is significant for the New England SUBWAY® restaurants, cross-promotions can certainly be done on any level. Smaller scale examples include partnering with a local zoo, art museum or minor league baseball team, depending on your target audience.

With economic times being tough, it’s important to continue building relationships with your customers. Integrating your brand into your consumers lives, into things that are important to them, will strengthen their perception of your brand and ultimately their loyalty.

Is there a product that you’ve developed affection for, in part because of its involvement in the community or environmental or health issues?

--Kara W.

Can Competitive Advertising Help Your Business?

As an ad agency that represents Subway restaurant franchisees, we have watched competitor after competitor jump on the $5 bandwagon. It’s everywhere, from Pizza Hut’s $5 calzone to Arby’s $5 meal deals.

But the competition’s marketing dollars seem to have assisted in keeping the $5 price point top-of-mind, almost solidifying the value of five dollars.

Starbucks’ CMO, Terry Davenport, is hoping to experience a similar effect from the surge in competitive coffee marketing, specifically from McCafe. While Starbucks wants to remain a premium brand, focused on environmental and social issues, McDonald’s advertising is educating the general public about lattes, mochas and cappuccinos.

Check out this interview with Ad Age and Mr. Davenport in which he elaborates on this topic.


--Kara W.

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.

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.

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.

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.