Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays and thanks for following my blog. I am looking forward to 2009! Here is a great video to end the year on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_w4MV_LwMw



Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Wrapping Up The Love: Cause-Related Marketing During The Holiday Season

Wrapping Up The Love: Cause-Related Marketing During The Holiday Season

Not only do foundations get much-needed support during a time of high need, but positive brand relationships are fostered by the partnership between companies and their customers.

Several retailers encourage subscribers to give during the holiday season, using email messaging to invite donations or participation. Each of the brands mentioned below takes a unique and admirable approach to holiday giving.

Macy's: Rather than asking for dollar donations, Macy's invites its subscribers to drop off Santa letters, and pledges to donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish-Foundation for every letter received, up to $1 million. This allows subscribers to feel like they're participating in the giving, but also establishes an image of generosity for the donor, Macy's.

Petco and PetSmart: Everyone wants to be home for the holidays, right? PetSmart and Petco try to find adoptive homes for homeless pets over the holiday season. Both brands use email to advertise opportunities to adopt animals -- or donate to programs if subscribers want to help without taking home a new family member.

Sears: Sears encourages subscribers to join it in supporting U.S. troops with its Heroes at Home Gift Registry. A strong CTA in the email links to a landing page with video and program details.

Williams-Sonoma: Across its brands, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. uses email to encourage donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and then follows up by sharing its successes with subscribers. This Pottery Barn Kids email features a prominent banner that encourages giving. Customers are more likely to trust in the sincerity of brands that are upfront about where money goes and how much money is going there. This thank-you note sent out last holiday by Pottery Barn solidifies the trust of subscribers who donate, encouraging the longevity of the program.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008


Burger King’s scent of love now flame broiled!



I am not kidding:)

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1139319&srvc=home&position=1

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Inside the Entrepreneurial Mind" series

Take a look great stuff on Social Media from one of my favorites and a great guy Seth Godin.


NEW!! FEATURED VIDEO
Facebook and Wikipedia co-founders: what they've learned
Seth Godin hosts a conversation with Facebook co-founder Sean Parker and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales to find out what they know about social networking, branding and online marketing on OPENForum.com's "Inside the Entrepreneurial Mind" series. The takeaway — your business doesn't need to reach the entire world online, just those that want to buy your product. CLICK TO VIEW

Monday, December 1, 2008

Retail email over reaching?


WHILE MANY OF US COOKED....... a Thanksgiving turkey last week, there are signs that many retailers have already started cooking the golden goose -- the email goose. Email is a wonderful tool -- measurable, cost-effective, easily deployable and convenient -- all gold in the marketing world. My guess is you agree, or you wouldn't be reading this. However, as the economy falters it is easy to lose track of the fact that while email is a wonderful relationship-building tool, it can do major damage when used incorrectly.

I already see many retailers overburdening in-boxes with what I call RAM (retail spam). RAM messages are from retailers I have either subscribed to or placed orders with, whose approach to using email is to ram so many messages into my inbox that I hate the appearance of their names in the "from" line.

If these retailers are savvy, they have done some testing and have determined that they are driving incremental orders with these messages. However, my guess is that they are not thinking about the collateral damage these messages may be causing.

First, there is the damage to their brand. Every company that sends out a message is communicating with someone who has a perception of their brand. When you RAM, every message that the recipient views as an intrusion rather than a welcome communication negatively tears at that brand perception.

Second, many people you want to communicate with in the future tune you out now. While you may get an additional $22 sale now from one recipient, the mailing was a failure if three potential $500 orders in March were lost because purchasers tuned out your future messages -- either mentally or using email filters -- because of your email RAM qualities.

Third, if you are lucky recipients will unsubscribe because you have damaged the relationship. However, if your messages have really bugged them, they may click the "SPAM" button provided by one of the major email clients, which will damage your digital reputation in the process.

If you are in retail marketing, or send email in any capacity, avoid sending RAM by taking several steps:

  • Set up a mailing plan in advance that you know is acceptable from your recipients' perspective. If you are going to deviate from it (for example, add one more message because sales are down), seriously examine your motives and determine if doing so makes sense to the overall long-term business plan (not just this week's sales). Make sure that the additional message delivers incredible value and is highly relevant. Sending just another "buy now because it's the holidays" email is neither.
  • Make it easy for consumers to tell you "I like you... just send me fewer messages" in a preference panel. This way if you RAM, at least you have an opportunity to retain them as subscribers.
  • When recipients unsubscribe, provide them with an optional area to give you a reason why they are leaving (make this free-form rather than radio buttons and you will get a better view of what your customer is saying). Make sure you periodically review the reasons. If your unsubscribe rate is sky-high and you are in RAM mode, it's probably time to reconsider what you are doing.
  • Ask customers when they sign up how often they would like to receive messages from you. In some cases, you may find that you could be sending more messages if your base is loyal and your messages are important.
  • Don't try to hide your RAM in a cute concept. Last year I received email from three separate retailers who decided that by running a "12 Days of Christmas" campaign they could get away with sending messages every day (I unsubscribed from all of them).

    So as the holidays approach, don't forget that email is about relationships. One of the best ways you can thank the people who have signed up for your messages is by making sure that what you send them is relevant to them and doesn't RAM their inbox.

  • Wednesday, November 19, 2008

    What Will Citi Stop Doing?

    Citi's announcement that it'll fire 52,000 people begs a basic question: what will it do to its brand?

    No, I don't mean the impact of the bad news. Every business other than Wal-Mart and your local pawnshop seems to be in trouble these days. I doubt that anybody will switch their checking account because their emotional attachment to Citi has been damaged by the bad news.

    However, there may well be customer defections based on what Citi has chosen to stop doing.

    That's 52,000 (and 17,000 already dismissed this year) less to do the account transfers, count the cash, or do whatever else banking industry personnel are supposed to do. Approximately 1/10th fewer people will work for Citi when this blood-letting is over.

    So what will it do differently?

    I mean, that's the real question about the brand, isn't it? Its experts can label the moves however they choose, and I bet there's more than one glossy, highly creative ad campaign somewhere in its near future. The nonsense they've been running this year can only run so far before somebody looks up and notices that Citi's brand has very little to do with what it says about itself (or fantasizes about its customers in a Joe the Plumber sort of lifestyle marketing way). Their answer will be to run different nonsense, I'm sure.

    So the real impacts on the company's brand won't come from the marketing department. Customer relationships with Citi will change. 52,000 fewer employees mean 104,000 fewer hands to answer phones, click computer buttons, or whatever. So I wonder what new fees will get charged, or services reconfigured to be "customer-directed" (a great code word for "outsourcing work to your clients")? What services or insights will simply disappear entirely?

    I read that the company will "jettison" some companies that aren't "core to its strategy," whatever that strategy might be...but the rest, well, for all we know, the company is going to try to keep on doing the same things it does now. Only with far fewer people.

    However it plays out, it'll be these activities -- or the lack thereof -- that'll impact its brand far more than any narrative coming out of its communications department, or from its agencies. So it's these changes that will define Citi's branding going forward. Not its Wall Street valuation (its stock price tanked today), nor its ranking on any branding agency favorites list.

    If it were really forward-looking, Citi would define and express these changes, and make them the substance of its outbound marketing.

    Tell people what'll change, so they're not disappointed or surprised. Promise them the good things that'll happen, presuming there are any.

    We wonder why corporations rank so low on matters of authenticity and trustworthiness. I think it has something to do with making utterly incomprehensible announcements (and business decisions) like this one.

    We customers aren't totally crazy, are we? We know that a company can't fire a tenth of its work force and continue on with business as usual. Things will change, and they most likely won't be good for us. But Citi isn't telling us what, who, or when.

    I suspect we'll get to discover those answers on our own. And in doing so, we'll define the Citi brand.

    Tuesday, November 18, 2008

    For all of us who live in the Sponsorship world....

    The percentage of MLB fans who correctly identified Taco Bell as the league’s official fast food restaurant in a recent survey conducted exclusively for SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily nearly doubled compared with results of a similar survey fielded in 2007.
    Longtime sponsor Gatorade
    was linked with MLB by 45
    percent of respondents in the
    sports/energy drink category.

    About 14 percent of the fans surveyed correctly identified Taco Bell as the league’s official QSR, but that’s a higher count than was posted for either McDonald’s or Burger King, each of which ranked ahead of Taco Bell in the 2007 polling. Taco Bell scored in the single-digit percentages among both avid and casual fans last year.

    The polling asks fans to identify the company that is the league’s official sponsor in each of several categories.

    The news was not as good for several other MLB sponsors, which saw rivals make gains among fans in sponsor recognition this year.

    Pepsi lost its 2007 standing as the brand most identified by fans as MLB’s soft drink sponsor, falling behind rival Coca-Cola among both avid and casual fans this year. The drop, however, follows PepsiCo’s decision before the season to market primarily its bottled water brand, Aquafina, as the MLB brand of choice rather than its namesake soda.

    Longtime partners Gatorade and Anheuser-Busch each maintained solid leads in their respective categories, as did relative newcomer General Motors, but each saw challengers make gains in recognition among fans.

    League sponsor MasterCard, which had a comfortable lead on the field last year among fans who identified it as MLB’s official credit card, lost that position this year to Visa, a company with almost no baseball activation. Both avid and casual MLB fans recognized Visa as the league’s credit card sponsor in greater number than fans who correctly said MasterCard had that standing.


    Are you more or less likely to trust a particular product/service if that product/service is an official sponsor of MLB?

    AVID

    CASUAL

    2007
    2008
    Change

    2007
    2008
    Change
    Much more likely
    9.30%
    15.30%
    6

    4.40%
    6.10%
    1.7
    Somewhat more likely
    23.50%
    23.60%
    0.1

    27.20%
    25.40%
    -1.8
    Neither likely nor unlikely
    60.90%
    60.20%
    -0.7

    57.80%
    66.50%
    8.7
    Somewhat unlikely
    2.30%
    0.00%
    -2.3

    3.90%
    1.50%
    -2.4
    Very unlikely
    4.00%
    0.90%
    -3.1

    6.80%
    0.50%
    -6.3
    Are you more or less likely to consider trying a product/service if that product/service is an official sponsor of MLB?

    2007
    2008
    Change

    2007
    2008
    Change
    Much more likely
    10.30%
    17.10%
    6.9

    5.80%
    6.10%
    0.3
    Somewhat more likely
    28.50%
    31.90%
    3.5

    33.00%
    31.50%
    -1.5
    Neither more nor less likely
    53.00%
    48.20%
    -4.8

    50.00%
    60.90%
    10.9
    Somewhat less likely
    4.00%
    1.90%
    -2.1

    1.90%
    1.50%
    -0.4
    Much less likely
    4.30%
    0.90%
    -3.4

    9.20%
    0.00%
    -9.2
    Are you more or less likely to regularly consume a product/service if that product/service is an official sponsor of MLB?

    2007
    2008
    Change

    2007
    2008
    Change
    Much more likely
    9.30%
    12.00%
    2.8

    3.90%
    3.60%
    -0.3
    Somewhat more likely
    27.20%
    29.20%
    2

    26.70%
    25.90%
    -0.8
    Neither more nor less likely
    54.60%
    56.00%
    1.4

    54.90%
    69.00%
    14.2
    Somewhat less likely
    3.30%
    1.40%
    -1.9

    4.90%
    1.50%
    -3.3
    Much less likely
    5.60%
    1.40%
    -4.2

    9.70%
    0.00%
    -9.7
    Does purchasing a particular product/service that is an official sponsor of MLB make you feel like you are connected to MLB?

    2007
    2008
    Change

    2007
    2008
    Change
    Yes, definitely
    9.60%
    16.20%
    6.6

    2.90%
    4.10%
    1.2
    Yes, somewhat
    23.50%
    26.90%
    3.4

    27.20%
    28.40%
    1.3
    I’m not sure
    8.60%
    13.40%
    4.8

    11.70%
    19.30%
    7.6
    No, not really
    42.40%
    29.60%
    -12.8

    37.40%
    37.60%
    0.2
    No, not at all
    15.90%
    13.90%
    -2

    20.90%
    10.70%
    -10.2
    How often do you seek out MLB news, scores, standings, etc.?
    Several times/day Daily
    Several times/week Weekly Several times/month

    Methodology

    For this project, Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, through its Turnkey Intelligence operation, conducted national consumer research surveys among a sample of more than 420 members of the Greenfield Online Omnibus panel who were at least 18 years old.

    The first survey was conducted Aug. 7-Sept. 5, 2007. This year’s survey was conducted Oct. 10-29, a period ending with the last game of the World Series. Respondents were screened and analyzed based on their general avidity levels. Fans categorized as “avid” were those who responded “4” or “5” to the question “How big a fan are you of MLB?”, claimed to “look up scores several times a week or more often,” “watch/listen/attend at least 11 games per season” and “have a favorite team.” Fans categorized as “casual” responded “3” to the same initial question, then claimed to “look up scores several times a month or more often,” “watch/listen/attend at least 5 games per season” and “have a favorite team.”

    The percentage responses listed have been rounded. The margin of error for each survey is +/- 4 percent. Ad spending totals are from Nielsen Monitor-Plus.


    Which of the following is an official sponsor of MLB?

    AVID
    CASUAL
    Quick-service restaurant
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    Taco Bell
    6.10%
    13.90%
    7.8
    8.30%
    13.90%
    5.6
    McDonald’s
    9.80%
    12.30%
    2.5
    11.70%
    10.80%
    -0.9
    Burger King
    9.10%
    8.40%
    -0.7
    8.30%
    9.60%
    1.3
    Subway
    5.70%
    9.40%
    3.7
    4.40%
    7.70%
    3.3
    Pizza Hut
    4.70%
    8.90%
    4.2
    2.90%
    7.10%
    4.2
    I’m not sure
    57.20%
    20.90%
    -36.3
    57.30%
    31.00%
    -26.3







    Taco Bell wrapped up its fifth season as league sponsor with big gains: It’s the only league sponsor to show increased awareness among both avid and casual fans. The QSR received huge media exposure by giving away millions of free tacos as part of its second annual “Steal A Base, Steal A Taco” World Series promotion. Parent company Yum! Brands was MLB’s third-largest TV advertiser during the season with $6.6 million spent, most of it on Taco Bell but some going toward sister brand Pizza Hut.
    McDonald’s has deals with 13 clubs, including every 2008 playoff team except the Rays. A Subway spot featuring Phillies slugger Ryan Howard aired nationally throughout the season, and the sandwich maker has deals with a half-dozen teams.
    Soft drink
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    Coca-Cola
    27.60%
    30.60%
    3
    30.60%
    33.50%
    2.9
    Pepsi
    32.00%
    25.90%
    -6.1
    26.20%
    25.40%
    -0.8
    Dr Pepper
    3.10%
    4.20%
    1.1
    1.00%
    2.00%
    1
    Mountain Dew
    1.30%
    2.30%
    1
    1.90%
    3.60%
    1.7
    I’m not sure
    33.30%
    32.90%
    -0.4
    38.80%
    32.00%
    -6.8
    PepsiCo’s decision before the start of the season to make its Aquafina brand the center of its MLB marketing efforts, replacing 10-year incumbent Pepsi, appears to have had an immediate negative impact on recognition of the company’s namesake product, especially among avid fans. The parent company did put New York Mets and Yankees players on 12- and 24-packs of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max, with an All-Star Game theme running at retailers in the Northeast. Pepsi also signed a deal to become a signature-level sponsor at the Mets’ new Citi Field, opening next year. In addition, the company leveraged its six team sponsorships with Pepsi-themed giveaways or promotions at 59 regular-season games this season.
    Coca-Cola sponsored half the league’s clubs, including the world champion Phillies.
    Sports/energy drink
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    Gatorade
    48.20%
    44.90%
    -3.2
    44.70%
    41.60%
    -3.1
    Powerade
    10.10%
    7.90%
    -2.2
    12.10%
    12.70%
    0.6
    Monster
    0.70%
    3.20%
    2.6
    0.70%
    4.60%
    3.9
    Red Bull
    2.40%
    3.20%
    0.9
    3.40%
    2.00%
    -1.4
    I’m not sure
    36.40%
    34.30%
    -2.1
    35.90%
    36.00%
    0.1
    Gatorade in March extended its 18-year league sponsorship for an additional five years and continued with coolers, cups, towels and other dugout branding at MLB jewel events, along with title sponsorship of the All-Star Workout Day in July. The drop in awareness for the brand among MLB fans follows drops in similar surveys conducted this year by SBJ measuring fan loyalty in other leagues. The Gatorade Web site does not list MLB as a corporate partner, although the NHL, NBA and NFL marks are present. Derek Jeter, the only MLB player listed as a “Gatorade Pro” on the site, earlier this year filmed a commercial for the new G2 drink. PepsiCo was No. 5 among MLB’s TV ad spenders during the season, committing $6 million to Gatorade and Aquafina spots.
    Coca-Cola’s Powerade brand, meanwhile, aired a spot featuring Vladimir Guerrero and Ryan Howard this year. The brand is also the official sports drink of Little League baseball.
    Beer
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    Anheuser-Busch
    53.20%
    43.20%
    -10
    43.20%
    43.90%
    0.7
    Miller
    11.50%
    15.80%
    4.4
    13.60%
    15.50%
    1.9
    Coors
    10.40%
    13.70%
    3.2
    8.70%
    9.60%
    0.9
    Corona
    0.00%
    4.30%
    4.3
    1.50%
    3.40%
    1.9
    I’m not sure
    22.20%
    17.30%
    -5
    30.10%
    22.60%
    -7.5
    Anheuser-Busch has been a league sponsor since 1996 and also sponsors 26 clubs. The company was No. 8 among TV ad spenders, at $4.7 million, approximately twice the spending of rival SABMiller. The brewer this summer also signed to become a signature partner at the Mets’ new Citi Field.
    Credit card
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    Visa
    15.50%
    22.70%
    7.2
    14.10%
    26.90%
    12.8
    MasterCard
    23.20%
    22.20%
    -1
    18.90%
    22.30%
    3.4
    American Express
    15.50%
    18.10%
    2.6
    17.50%
    14.20%
    -3.3
    Discover Card
    4.70%
    4.60%
    -0.1
    2.90%
    3.60%
    0.7
    I’m not sure
    37.70%
    31.90%
    -5.8
    44.20%
    33.00%
    -11.2
    MasterCard has been MLB’s credit card sponsor since 1997 and also sponsors nearly half the league’s clubs, including six of this year’s playoff teams. In addition, the brand this season teamed up with MLB sponsor Bank of America (rival Visa’s largest issuer of debit cards) to offer MasterCard affinity cards for all 30 teams. MasterCard debuted a new, baseball-themed spot as part of its 11-year-old “Priceless” campaign during the season, but no credit card company appeared among the top 50 TV ad spenders for 2008.
    Visa sponsors only the Giants among MLB clubs.
    General Motors got camera time when World Series MVP Cole Hamels received a Camaro.
    Automobile
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    General Motors
    25.90%
    27.80%
    1.9
    27.20%
    23.20%
    -4
    Ford
    16.80%
    12.80%
    -4.1
    11.70%
    15.60%
    3.9
    Chrysler
    8.40%
    11.70%
    3.2
    6.30%
    13.10%
    6.8
    Toyota
    3.40%
    6.80%
    3.4
    3.90%
    4.60%
    0.7
    I’m not sure
    43.80%
    33.10%
    -10.7
    47.50%
    37.10%
    -10.4







    General Motors in March extended its three-year-old partnership with MLB for another three years. The automaker was MLB’s top TV advertiser during the season, spending $7.1 million promoting Chevy products. GM also continued its sponsorships of the World Series MVP and Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP awards, the All-Star Game Selection Show, All-Star Game Red Carpet Show and the Roberto Clemente Award. Ford and Chrysler each sponsors a handful of clubs, while Toyota has about a dozen teams on its roster.
    Hotel chain*
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    Holiday Inn
    22.20%
    16.80%
    Best Western International
    7.40%
    7.60%
    Hilton
    6.90%
    6.60%
    Marriott
    5.60%
    5.60%
    I’m not sure
    49.50%
    57.90%
    More than 22 percent of avid fans identified third-year MLB sponsor Holiday Inn as the league’s official partner, matching the response total generated by 11-year sponsor MasterCard. InterContinental Hotels Group, Holiday Inn’s parent company, was No. 18 among MLB television advertisers, spending approximately $3.6 million in spots during the season.
    Shipping company*
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    UPS
    25.00%
    28.90%
    DHL
    20.80%
    17.30%
    FedEx
    17.60%
    13.70%
    U.S. Postal Service
    2.80%
    4.10%
    I’m not sure
    33.80%
    36.00%
    Despite having four years of MLB sponsorship under its belt, DHL ranked second in awareness among avid and casual fans in its operating category. The company spent about $2 million in advertising during MLB broadcasts this season. It also was title sponsor of the All-Star FanFest for the second time and has deals with nine clubs, including one with the New York Yankees that gave it a presence in Yankee Stadium’s final year, replacing the U.S. Postal Service in the delivery category.
    Wireless communications*
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    NONE AT&T
    18.50%
    20.30%
    Verizon Wireless
    19.00%
    18.80%
    Sprint/Nextel
    10.20%
    10.70%
    T-Mobile
    7.90%
    4.60%
    Cellular One
    4.60%
    3.10%
    I’m not sure
    38.00%
    41.60%
    AT&T leveraged eight of its 11 team sponsorships with giveaways or promotions at 37 regular-season games this season. It also spent $4.6 million on MLB TV broadcasts this season, ninth-most among MLB advertisers. Sprint/Nextel spent an estimated $5 million (No. 7). Verizon, meanwhile, spent $2.9 million (No. 22), partnered with approximately half the league’s clubs, and sponsored 19 team promotions during the regular season.
    Airline*
    2007
    2008
    Change
    2007
    2008
    Change
    NONE American Airlines
    13.40%
    19.80%
    Southwest
    7.40%
    12.20%
    Delta
    9.30%
    6.10%
    Continental
    7.40%
    5.10%
    United Airlines
    7.40%
    5.10%
    I’m not sure
    43.50%
    46.70%
    Nearly every team has an airline partner, with no single carrier dominating the scene. No carrier appeared among the league’s top 50 TV advertisers.
    * Fans were not asked about their awareness of sponsors in this category in 2007, so comparisons are not available.