On Niche Marketing

Where is your demographic on Saturday morning?  For me, most Saturday mornings consist of some serious bonding time with my pillow, followed by a hot cup of coffee and some sort of breakfast item prepared at my leisure.  I, like most Americans, spend my Saturdays in chill-mode.  Saturdays are prime time for television and newspaper ads, but maybe it’s time to think outside the tube. 

Before

This past Saturday, I joined a select few of my more adventurous friends and woke at the crack of dawn to don our white apparel and cruise down to Petco Park for the Color Me Rad 5k.  If you’ve never done a color run, I highly recommend it.  (Note- this is being recommended by someone who typically runs only when being chased, so don’t let 3.5 miles scare you away from all the fun)  Loosely based on the Holi Festival of Colors, Color Me Rad starts with a run and ends with what is essentially a massive street party, only instead of punch and pretzels, it’s color dyed corn starch. (Gluten free since 2012).  It takes a certain type of person to wake up at 5:20a (yes, the dark one) and run into a mob of rainbow powder-pelting peers.  But we do exist, and are what you might call a niche.

After our event concluded, we started walking back to the parking lot and were greeted by a spokesperson for 5-hour energy drinks.  I’ve never purchased one before, but I had an actual person spend some time talking to me about what was in the drink, ask me why I’d never tried it before, and offer me a free sample.  Much more powerful than an on-screen pitch.  When we arrived back at our car, we had a flier for an 80s costume race definitely focused more on fun than a run.

Two excellent examples of groups that did their homework and found their niche market.  It’s not a stretch of imagination to assume that if I am willing to wake up early to participate in a color run, I might be willing to try an all-natural energy drink or wear a pointy bra in my next 5k.

After

In my opinion, more companies should have taken advantage of this opportunity.  Where was Jamba Juice?  Or McDonalds with their all new under 400 calorie breakfast sandwiches? Where were the gyms offering new member discounts or free guest passes? Want to find your target demographic on a Saturday morning? Find their niche.

Mood: Alive

On Having a Loud Bark with your Byte

“He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help” Abraham Lincoln

Everybody has an opinion, and everybody has an opinion on having opinions.  Most people believe it is noble to have bold opinions and to voice them loudly and unapologetically, as long as those opinions match with their own.  As soon as a voice becomes contradictory, we call it a hate crime, and rush to silence them. Or as soon as opinions become inconvenient, we ditch them.

If you’ve been on any social media or website in the past week, you may have predicted where my burst of opinion on opinion is stemming from.  I can’t go more than 5 minutes without seeing another pro or anti Chick Fil A statement.

It’s not the first time that something like this has happened.  Several companies have taken stances on the issue of homosexuality and gay marriage and many either have been boycotted or crowds have simply threatened to boycott until they decided that was far too inconvenient for them (i.e.- Disney, Starbucks, GAP, JC Penney. )

Will the boycott on Chick Fil A stick? Maybe. Personally, I think it’s a lot easier to stick with taking a chicken sandwich out of our diet than it is to withhold our every morning piping hot soy-no-whip-low-fat-carma-frapa-venti-latte-datte-da drink or a family fun Disney day or front row ticket to the new 3D Finding Nemo theater experience. My question is do we really believe in what we are fighting for, or has social media led us into what I like to call, the Chihuahua effect.

If a company is supporting something that we feel is morally wrong, we should do whatever is in our power to stand up for our beliefs and to raise awareness of their unethical tactics.  But one can’t help but notice though how loudly the bark is on social media but how non-existent the bite is in reality.  It’s easy to type up a heated status condemning someone or something and think nothing of it apart from freedom of speech, but become outraged when an opposing view pops up on the Twitter feed.  Or to post every witty meme and Wonka photo we can find, but never actually do anything to fix the problem. It’s ok to have opinions, but condemnation might just be adding to the noise.

Actually acting on our convictions may just make the difference between whining and winning.

Mood: Opinionated

On Perception

Whenever a new creative project kicks off, there’s usually a myriad of opinions floating around.  The client knows what they want but lacks the skill or ability to produce the visual in their head, or doesn't know what they want but knows clearly what they don’t want.  The Account Manager feels responsible for pleasing the client so they have their interpretation of what the client wants and what would be best.  The Creative Director leads the Creative Department and as such feels like an authority on the matter and wants to spin their own creative interpretation of the request.  All three opinions (though potentially very different) may be great, but whose is the most important?  Answer- None of the above.  

The most important opinion is the consumer’s.  The consumer is the one that will be looking at the advertisement, and most will not even notice the amount of work you put into it, or the strategy behind why you chose those colors and characters, and won’t care.  What they care about is whether it is aesthetically pleasing, and if it makes them want to purchase the product/join the movement/whatever your ad was asking them to do.

The same as in life, it’s easy to think that what we are trying to communicate and how we communicate it are the most important details, when really, the majority of our communication success lies in how our communication was perceived.  The most effective communication comes through selflessness- meaning the best communication comes with thinking like your audience.  People respond to things they connect with.  If you want to reach your consumer, learn about them, think like them, speak to not at them.

Mood: Perceptive

On Facebook Freedom and Discernment

I started my Facebook page my senior year of high school as a mom-safe alternative to MySpace.  Since everyone and their mother (quite literally) had MySpace accounts, I was constantly getting checked up on by other moms who would report my daily doings to my mom.  I never had anything bad or offensive on my page, I was the quintessential goody-good, but it sometimes bothered me that “MySpace” was not actually my space.  I was raised in a fairly sheltered and conservative home so the moments of true independence and me-time I had in my life, I could probably count on one hand.  I was ecstatic to learn that you had to be a college student to use Facebook.  I’d already been accepted into school so I plugged in my new email and wrote myself into my profile.  Whether through photos, videos, blogs, status updates, etc, I finally had a creative outlet that I was completely free to be me – no discernment needed.

Fast forward a couple of years, Facebook opens up to high school students, then middle school students.  Fast forward some more time, Facebook opens up to the general public.  Fast forward again, open to marketers.  Currently, I have 1,238 Facebook friends.  While it is still my space, it’s not just a page I share with my friends- everything I do (sometimes even apart from Facebook) is now seen by my friends, my colleagues, my parents and family, my kids that I mentor and babysit, my pastor, my former college chancellor, that guy I met at the Library that one time sophomore year, the school mascot, and advertisers for any product/service you can imagine.  Facebook may as well be a public website (technically, it is- regardless of your privacy settings- but that’s a blog for another day).

There are countless complaints regarding the lack of privacy on Facebook.  People are astounded when they don’t get hired for a new job based on inappropriate Facebook photos, or they get fired for posting that they skipped work to do drugs.  Their argument:  “It’s my page, my life, no one else’s business.” I want to be able to live my life as I want to, and document it.

The flip side : If I’m looking to hire an employee and invest my time and finances in training and salary, I want to know that they’re not just a quality resume, but that they’re a quality person.  And ultimately, if there’s a photo or comment that I am not comfortable with my mother/sister/pastor/boss/random guy from sophomore year seeing, maybe I should evaluate my actions/words. Read what employers are thinking when they look at your facebook page. 

While one can make the argument that they should be able to exercise freedom of speech and expression, I’d caution to remember that all actions have consequences whether good or bad. Rather than thinking about it as censorship, consider it astute discernment.  As quoted by Mark Zuckerberg’s character in The Social Network, the internet is written in ink. As cathartic as it may be, does the World Wide Web really need to see your beer pong skills or know that your boss is a jerk? Probably not.  Perhaps comments like “I hate my job” or “I got sooooo wasted last night” are better left unwritten.

Mood: Discerning

On Product Placement

Call me nerdy but one of my favorite "games" to play while watching television or a movie is "Find the Product Placements." Product placement is ubiquitous in media.  I love to imagine the strategy behind it.  Why did the Marketing VP of Oreo Cookies decide to place their product in the TV show "Friends" rather than "7th Heaven"? What would have happened if Wayne had eaten a Domino's Pizza instead? Are the decision makers at M&Ms prejudice against extraterrestrials?  Why this show or that movie? Why do television/movie producers seek out specific products as opposed to others?  At what point does a brand become so powerful that they can take advantage of free placement (i.e. Apple Computers)? My fascination goes beyond movies and television- it's the whole media plan.  Why does a marketing team pick the particular avenues that they do? Why do I pick the avenues that I do when it comes to the brands I am responsible for?

Sometimes the logic seems a bit hazy, and sometimes it just makes perfectly obvious sense. (Note- Not exactly "product placement", but smart ad placement.  Please do not judge me by my current Pandora playlist stations)

Mood: Inquisitive

On the Art of Schmoozing

schmooze 

"to chat intimately," 1897, from Yiddish shmuesn "to chat," fromshmues "idle talk, chat," from Heb. shemu'oth "news, rumors."Schmooozer is from 1909.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper 

Schmoozing has a somewhat negative connotation.  Typically it's associated with shady car salesmen or vendor shows- sellers kissing buyers behinds regardless of how they feel about them to keep the money trail happy.  It's not something I enjoy doing, or am good at doing- perhaps why I shy away from the sales side of advertising.  I pride myself on honesty and transparency.  I don't particularly care for being schmoozed either- I want people to be real with me; I don't want to feel manipulated or patronized.  But schmoozing does not always have to be a negative thing.  In fact, according to its roots, it's not negative at all. It wasn't until "chatting intimately" (which obviously leads to successful relationship marketing) was discovered as a successful sales tactic that it progressed from a methodology to a cheap tactic.

Recently, I purchased a Groupon that allowed me to sample several fitness classes from various gym facilities.  While each has offered effective workouts and knowledgeable instructors, one stood out.  There are two key ways this gym successfully "schmoozed" me.

1. They made it personal.  After the very first class that I signed in for, they remembered my name.  That is huge. It didn't cost them a thing, and it completely won me over.  When I bragged on this to my younger sister she said "Of course they remembered your name Sarah, they want your money.  You're in marketing, you should know that."  Do they address me personally because they want me to commit to coming back? Maybe.  But I'm in the market for a gym, and when I compare my options, I will always pick the one that knows me.  Even though they are group classes, every instructor addresses me personally and helps me master each technique and push myself to the next step in each consecutive class. They help tailor exercises to my body's capabilities, and even pre-heat the shower for me when I'm in a rush for work after class. They clearly love their jobs and want to be there, and care about my personal fitness goals and motivate me to do my best. In my book, that is huge.


2.  They gave me swag.  I am all about the swag and getting the biggest bang for my buck.  I am extremely frugal (borderline cheap) so the more "free" swag you throw my way, and the better of deal I feel like I'm getting, the more inclined I am to bite.  Apart from state of the art equipment and great instructors, this facility offered me free parking (that alone would have won me over- parking is terrible in this city), free member events, at-cost liquids and snacks, and a fully stocked bathroom (gels, sprays, razors, flat irons, the works).  Everything I need to have a successful fitness routine is at my fingertips. 

Want to increase your consumer base and garner customer loyalty?  Start schmoozing.  Not the sleazy kind of schmoozing, but start really caring about what you do and who you're doing it for.  It can be tempting to focus on the reasons you hate your job, or how you're working on this project strictly to fulfill your quota or put the bacon on the family table, but a changed attitude can change everything.  Focus on the reasons you love your job (even if those reasons are that it keeps you from being homeless, or it teaches you patience, humility, and how to love stupid people- there's always a positive if you dig deep enough) and focus on how you can do your best to best enhance yourself as an individual as well as the company and the consumer.  Learn names, send thank yous, give away swag, ask someone how they're doing and actually stop to listen.  Learn how to excel in the art of schmoozing  intimate conversation.  

Mood: Schmoozy

On Selling Sex

Sex is everywhere. Why? Because it's stimulating, compelling, addictive, and it sells. I recently read a blog post by Karen Strauss of Ketchum titled Sex Sells- But at What Cost? addressing the marketing responsibility (predominately among youth marketers) regarding the use of sexual imagery in advertising.

Marketers have been pushing the envelope for years trying to walk the ever so delicate line of racy and raunchy.  Should sexual content be used in marketing promotions? Let's weigh the pros and cons.



Pros:
1. Sex is stimulating. Compelling. Addictive. And it sells. You can't deny that sex grabs your attention. Even as a female, I can't help but stare when a bikini clad women crams a guacamole cheeseburger down her throat while washing her car or when a scantily clad couple is rolling around in high def. For men especially, visual imagery can instantly ignite stimulation and like a trainwreck, we are compelled to stay glued to the scene.  Sex releases the chemical oxytocin which aids in a bonding emotion. Though this is released through actual relations, the mental connection is still there and aroused by basic imagery or thoughts. On top of the obvious endorphins, even thinking about sex can make one feel good, happy, alive. Typically when one feels good, happy, and alive, and associates those feelings with your product or cause, it's a recipe for some pretty spectacular R.O.I.

Cons:
1. If you misinterpret your target demographic, you may offend and/or lose them.  Both Carls Jr and JC Penny as well as a handful of other brands have experienced loss of consumer loyalty through their objectification.  You can also run the risk of your consumer being so consumed with the sexual imagery, they ignore or forget your brand/product completely.


2. Selling sex cheapens it.  Sex is a beautiful, wonderful thing- when in the context it was intended for.  Call me old fashioned, but I'd like to think that my body is an invaluable gift- not something to give away or objectify for a cheeseburger or sniff of cologne.  Sex is sacred, and when media positions it as something to throw around willy-nilly, it loses that.  It's now something of mild entertainment and recreation. Despite the popular media belief, not everybody is doing it. Sex sells cheap, but the cost is extravagant.


3. It can be socially irresponsible.  Some advertisers have found a way to responsibly promote sexual products to the appropriate demographic (In my opinion, KY-Yours + Mine and Lotions and Lace fit this description).  Most have not. The concluding line of the Ketchum blog states:

"The pornification of pop culture is having a more profound influence on perceptions and behaviors than we may want to acknowledge. For youth marketers in particular, it’s a topic of serious importance. The next social responsibility battleground, it seems, is addressing and portraying sexuality in healthy terms. It doesn't have to be something we giggle about like confused 12-year-olds anymore. Maybe it’s time we all grew up – marketers included."

I personally don't care for the times I have had to explain to an eight year old what Viagra does and why a 4-hour erection could be detrimental to ones health, or watch an eleven year old giggle at the couples hair standing up straight after an electrifying experience.  Aside from being uncomfortable, I want to be able to watch a family television show without worrying about children's eyes being subjected to adult material.  It concerns me to leave the goal of "portraying sexuality in healthy terms" to an ad agency that wants to sell condoms or beer.  If the primary goal is sales, not my kid, that means the passion is in the numbers, not the nurture, and there will never be an objective consensus on this matter.

If you ask me, when it comes to selling sex, the cons outweigh the pros 3-1 easily. While I can't deny the success of brands like David Beckham and Victoria's Secret, I can't help but think that all of this imagery is taking a detrimental toll on my sexual well-being.  What do you think?

Mood: Tainted