In my last post, I ended on a negative note. This post, I will hopefully offer more positive examples of successful marketing.
In the last installment, I previewed an ad that appeared in a local newspaper. The ad itself was only a symptom of the problem. Companies have been hearing the old slogan "any publicity is good publicity". This is no more true than saying all eggs are white.
Spending time and money on bad publicity does NOT generate positive revenues or returns.
As I mentioned in Part 1, advertising is only a part of marketing. Publicity can be anything from someone mentioning you or your company on a talk-radio show, to a 30 second ad shown nationally during the Grey Cup.
Lets have a look at some exceptional and successful publicity/marketing campaigns:
A recent example of a hugely successful marketing campaign is US President Obama. During his first and second election campaigns, Omaba hardly mentioned his platform. He offered no solid plans to the American public. His entire campaign was based upon 'hope and change'. He didn't tell American voters all sorts of facts and figures and details about his platform, yet he was elected twice to the most powerful office on the planet .....
Look at this picture of the American President and his family. You can't help but feel their love, happiness and companionship. Which is something everyone wants. The key word here is "Feel". He's not holding a black-book full of facts, he's not portraying anything in this picture except positive emotions.
In fact, during the recent election campaign, Obama rarely spoke about his policies and programs. Instead he appealed to emotions. This man appealed to all aspects of Americans. In essence, he sold himself and not a bunch of numbers and/or facts.
If anyone remembers back to the recent Prime Ministerial debates on Canadian national television, you might recall how PM Stephen Harper gave no solid answers to pointed questions. During the question period he just spouted the same lines. 'The economy and jobs', and 'our action plan has Canadians working'. He emotionally asked voters to give his government 4 more years - with a strong mandate - to finish what they have started. Whats more, he made the other parties look like the devil incarnate using words like "Secret agenda", "financial ruin", and more. All phrases used to exact an emotional response from the viewer.
On the other side of the coin, Liberal leader Stephan Dion spouted 'red book' facts and figures, talked about the Liberal platform and gave all sorts of reasons why voters should choose his party. The late NDP leader Jack Layton was emotional and enticing, on the offensive but also really didn't offer any specific plans or details about what his government would do.
Yet looking back at the results, Harper and Layton scored big at the polls, Dion and the Liberals failed.
All this tells us is that marketing isn't about details, nor about facts, figures, sales, services or any product you sell, it's about generating an emotional response. Look at Justin Trudeau - who is currently the front runner for the Liberal leadership. He has no solid platform, hasn't campaigned on facts and figures, or started telling Liberals how he will make Canada a better country to live in. All he's done is appeal to a younger crowd, look great in pictures and entice emotional responses. Critics say he isn't his father nor does he have any real vision for Canada. But he is hands-down got a lock on the Liberal leadership campaign.
Here are some emotional examples of great marketing strategies:
Coke sells refreshment and saving polar bears.
Nike sells athletic success "just do it".
Apple sells fun, creativity and supporting the 'underdog'.
Pepsi sells 'being young'
None of these companies actually sell polar bears, or athletic success, or fun - these are emotions, and they play on them.
Lets face it, Coke and Pepsi sell products that may be bad for you in many regards. They have too much caffeine and sugar, and have no nutritional value, yet they sell like there is no tomorrow. Apple computers are really not that much better than a standard PC and the ipod, Iphone, Ipads are good and innovative products, but there are less expensive versions that do as much and are readily available. Nike shoes will not make you a superb athlete. Yet these products outsell their competitors many times over. Why do people buy these items over their counter parts?
This is the biggest 'fail' in terms of community-based marketing. Local or SME's often aim their entire campaign at what they can do for you, why they are a better choice than the 'other guy', why their products are better for you. They miss the mark in terms of generating an emotional response.
Generating an emotion is the start of a good campaign. It's not the entire campaign of course, but it's the starting point.
Consider any ad campaign than sticks in your mind. They are emotional, innovative and well planned out. In my next post I will look at how a great ad campaign - coupled with some strategic marketing with a community based flair can do wonders for a local company.
First off you need to ask your self this question: "What am I selling"?
In the last installment, I previewed an ad that appeared in a local newspaper. The ad itself was only a symptom of the problem. Companies have been hearing the old slogan "any publicity is good publicity". This is no more true than saying all eggs are white.
Spending time and money on bad publicity does NOT generate positive revenues or returns.
As I mentioned in Part 1, advertising is only a part of marketing. Publicity can be anything from someone mentioning you or your company on a talk-radio show, to a 30 second ad shown nationally during the Grey Cup.
Lets have a look at some exceptional and successful publicity/marketing campaigns:
A recent example of a hugely successful marketing campaign is US President Obama. During his first and second election campaigns, Omaba hardly mentioned his platform. He offered no solid plans to the American public. His entire campaign was based upon 'hope and change'. He didn't tell American voters all sorts of facts and figures and details about his platform, yet he was elected twice to the most powerful office on the planet .....Look at this picture of the American President and his family. You can't help but feel their love, happiness and companionship. Which is something everyone wants. The key word here is "Feel". He's not holding a black-book full of facts, he's not portraying anything in this picture except positive emotions.
In fact, during the recent election campaign, Obama rarely spoke about his policies and programs. Instead he appealed to emotions. This man appealed to all aspects of Americans. In essence, he sold himself and not a bunch of numbers and/or facts.
If anyone remembers back to the recent Prime Ministerial debates on Canadian national television, you might recall how PM Stephen Harper gave no solid answers to pointed questions. During the question period he just spouted the same lines. 'The economy and jobs', and 'our action plan has Canadians working'. He emotionally asked voters to give his government 4 more years - with a strong mandate - to finish what they have started. Whats more, he made the other parties look like the devil incarnate using words like "Secret agenda", "financial ruin", and more. All phrases used to exact an emotional response from the viewer.
On the other side of the coin, Liberal leader Stephan Dion spouted 'red book' facts and figures, talked about the Liberal platform and gave all sorts of reasons why voters should choose his party. The late NDP leader Jack Layton was emotional and enticing, on the offensive but also really didn't offer any specific plans or details about what his government would do.
Yet looking back at the results, Harper and Layton scored big at the polls, Dion and the Liberals failed.
All this tells us is that marketing isn't about details, nor about facts, figures, sales, services or any product you sell, it's about generating an emotional response. Look at Justin Trudeau - who is currently the front runner for the Liberal leadership. He has no solid platform, hasn't campaigned on facts and figures, or started telling Liberals how he will make Canada a better country to live in. All he's done is appeal to a younger crowd, look great in pictures and entice emotional responses. Critics say he isn't his father nor does he have any real vision for Canada. But he is hands-down got a lock on the Liberal leadership campaign.
Here are some emotional examples of great marketing strategies:
Coke sells refreshment and saving polar bears.
Nike sells athletic success "just do it".
Apple sells fun, creativity and supporting the 'underdog'.
Pepsi sells 'being young'
None of these companies actually sell polar bears, or athletic success, or fun - these are emotions, and they play on them.
Lets face it, Coke and Pepsi sell products that may be bad for you in many regards. They have too much caffeine and sugar, and have no nutritional value, yet they sell like there is no tomorrow. Apple computers are really not that much better than a standard PC and the ipod, Iphone, Ipads are good and innovative products, but there are less expensive versions that do as much and are readily available. Nike shoes will not make you a superb athlete. Yet these products outsell their competitors many times over. Why do people buy these items over their counter parts?
This is the biggest 'fail' in terms of community-based marketing. Local or SME's often aim their entire campaign at what they can do for you, why they are a better choice than the 'other guy', why their products are better for you. They miss the mark in terms of generating an emotional response.
Generating an emotion is the start of a good campaign. It's not the entire campaign of course, but it's the starting point.
Consider any ad campaign than sticks in your mind. They are emotional, innovative and well planned out. In my next post I will look at how a great ad campaign - coupled with some strategic marketing with a community based flair can do wonders for a local company.
First off you need to ask your self this question: "What am I selling"?
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