A Creative Communications Agency

You can’t get something for nothing.

I remember my high school Economics teacher used to say TANSTAAFL (it rhymes with John’s brothel). It’s an acronym for There Ain’t No Such Think As A Free Lunch. In economic terms it means that everything has a cost associated with it. Whether it is a direct cost (the $100 you spend to by a gun) or an opportunity cost (once you buy a gun you can’t spend that money buying butter), there is a ramification for making a purchase decision.

Somewhere down the line, though, this concept was lost by marketers. They still believe that they get something for nothing.  Nowhere is this more evident than search engine optimization (SEO). I’m sure every car manufacturer —and dealers too — want to be the first result on Google when someone searches on “new cars”. (BTW the prize goes to Kelly Blue Book). Furthermore, they want a high search engine rank without paying any extra money.

This is the part of the article where I make a rather large assumption and base the rest of the article on it. You cannot get a high rank without spending advertising dollars. Companies are crawling out of the woodwork now telling you how they can increase your SEO.  The thing is that only the good people at Google and Yahoo know the exact algorithms very determining a search ranking. If a company comes to you with these promises, ask them if they guarantee page 1 results. If they say, “yes”, pay them once you are there. If they say “no”, save your money.

I believe the search engines rank sites based on relevance and popularity. The core job of a search engine is to return results that the user finds useful. That being said, the result must be relevant to the search terms. For the “new cars” search they are going to throw out companies that have “new cars” in their keywords, but are actually selling toasters.

In addition, the more popular a search result is (i.e. how many searchers find, click a particular link, and —beyond that — don’t come back to the search), the more likely the site is providing the information that the user is looking for. This is another highly regarded attribute by the search engine.

So in order for a company to get people to click on its link,  they need to do some MARKETING! They need to offer a great product and they need to promote that product. They need to pay to get their brand on the minds of the public so that people are familiar and comfortable with the brand. Then when the people see the brand name in the search results they will click on the link.

Now the SEO companies that I spoke about above will claim you need to configure your site for the ultimate SEO. They will tell you not to use Flash only pages, and use CSS, get links to your site on other sites. None of these strategies will materially affect your ranking.  Try this test for yourself, search on a few terms and check out the results on the first pages, see how many companies break the above mentioned rules.

I will admit, there a few certain things you must do to your site to be search engine friendly. You need a good, relevant page title; you need accurate —don’t go overboard — meta tag keywords and descriptions; and you can even place the important terms in the <h1> tags. Beyond that, though, you are wasting your time and money.

Finally, the best SEO is to BE the search term. Disney does not rely on people searching “family entertainment”. Most people search for “Disney”, or —better yet— they skip Google and type in ‘disney.com’ in their browser. Obtaining a position like that, though, takes good marketing and a lot of money.

Marketing Commandment 3:
Thou shall not expect positive results without spending marketing dollars

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Let’s face it, we our a society obsessed with external appearances. We want everyone and everything to look nice and —for the most part— that is a good thing.  Maintaining a desirable appearance is aesthetically pleasing to others, it demonstrates a certain professionalism, it conveys trust, and shows the pride a company has in its products.

That being said, we spend WAY too much time on making things look pretty. Now these words might have our Creative Director storming after me, but hear me out. I believe a disproportionate amount of time is spent rebuilding templates, interfaces and layouts.

A majority of the time in a project should be spent on the content. The content being the information, entertainment, or business transaction that is being conveyed in the medium. I look at it this way: books haven’t changed much in the past centuries. Most are rectangular, they have white pages with black text, and  rectangular pictures. This layout works perfectly. I have never stopped reading a book because the fonts weren’t right or the margins are 4 pixels too narrow. I care only about what the book has to say. I believe the same applies for other media. To quote cinema pioneer Sam Goldwyn, “A wide screen just makes a bad film twice as bad.”

I truly value a beautiful image, or carefully crafted words, and I think a well produced video is the most effective communication medium there is.  We need to spend our time perfecting the content itself. We don’t need fancy, accordion menus; complex organic transitions; or multi-color, multi-layer, gradient effects. We need to make sure that the core message is being communicated in the most beneficial manner.

With this thought in mind I declare Marketing Commandment 2 as:

Thou shall concentrate your efforts on producing great content

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I’m a big orange juice fan. Seldom a day goes by where I don’t drink a glass. I drink the 100% pure not from concentrate (sorry Minute Maid) version. I wouldn’t say I’m brand loyal. I tend to rotate between Tropicana, Florida’s Natural, and the local store brand (I buy which ever one is on sale that week).

A couple weeks ago I approached the refrigerated orange juice section and pulled a double take. “Where did Tropicana go, and when did GE start selling oj?” I asked my wife.

It’s turns out I was wrong on both counts. Apparently Tropicana wanted to move from a fun, tropical logo and packaging to a clean corporate look. It looked bad. I raved to my wife about it. What we’re they thinking?

Well, it looks like the people at Tropicana are asking that question too? The brand is ditching the new look.  With that thought in mind I suggest that we start a 10 commandments of marketing. 

The first commandment: Thou shall not mess with a product when it is selling well.

More to come.

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Let me tell you, my bladder hates Super Bowl Sunday.  I am a big football fan and I watch the whole game. Usually I take my restroom breaks during the commercials. On Super Bowl Sunday, though, advertisers are strutting their stuff for the huge global audience. Working in the advertising field, I am compelled to watch the commercials, so that I will be current and topical during Monday’s water cooler talk. Thankfully the NFL has decided to use aging rockers for the past several years (thanks, a lot Janet and Justin), so I do get a break at halftime.

On the whole I have to say I was disappointed with the batch this year. It seemed like most advertisers decided to show existing spots. The few new spots were very forgettable.

I feel the best commercial was Hyundai’s spot were they are letting people who buy their vehicles return them if they get laid off in the next year. Gee, using mass media to communicate a differentiating message. The people at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners may be on to something.

I’m sorry Pepsi and Bud, but I can’t even recall your spots this year. It’s not like you ever were delivering a message in years past. It was more case of sponsoring your own commercial which is, in turn, sponsoring the game.

GoDaddy, you may want to stop using in-house people to produce your spots. Maybe you don’t care though that you are used as a prime example of how not to make an ad. You fail to mention any concise product benefits; your spots are not funny, clever, emotional; and you could use 5 million dollars in better ways.

Seeing Ed McMahon sell his pride to hock Cash4gold is just sad. I have to admit, I’ve never seen the appeal of Ed McMahon. Here’s a person who has been successful and famous without any real talent. I lump him in with Vanna White, Paris Hilton, Ryan Seacrest and the like. I guess GoDaddy and Cash4Gold are examples of the old adage “There’s no such thing as bad publicity”.  I would be curious to see what would happen if they put all of that money towards something good.

Then we have a darlings of the Super Bowl ads. The Herbert brothers and their Doritos spot. It seems to have won the various ad-tracking awards. And it takes the torch from Bud and Pepsi. Will throwing a snow globe through a vending machine and at someone’s crotch lead to sales of more chips? I doubt it.

I save my worst for last. The Teleflora spot (yet another bad example of using in-house agencies) was hideous. The horrible copy was only outdone by the message that flowers in a box are somehow worse than flowers delivered in other containers. It wasn’t funny, it wasn’t interesting, and it didn’t even make sense. After seeing it, I was struck with the feeling of “what did I just watch”.

By the way, that was one great game.

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Dr. Pepper has kept its word and is offering every American a free 20 oz.  it will take some time though and time is running out. You have until 6pm EST TODAY to go to www.drpepper.com or call 1-888-DRPEPPER to register for a coupon to get a free pop. Be patient with the site and while you wait the 4-6 weeks for the coupons to be mailed out.

The site has been running slowly due to volume and a hotline had to be openend. I wonder how much of a problem this is generating for the Dr. Pepper marketing people? When they announced the promotion back in March did they have the logistics set up, or know the scope of what would have to be done if this seemingly million-to-one shot came in?

It is definatley too early to mark this promotion as a success but this message on the Dr. Pepper web site seems to speak to the amount of interest they have created:

DR PEPPER EXTENDS FREE COUPON OFFER DUE TO CONSUMER DEMAND

Everyone in America has until 6 PM EST on Monday, November 24 to get a free 20 oz. Dr Pepper

Click here to get a Free Dr Pepper for a limited time.

We are sorry for any delays you have experienced in securing a coupon for a free Dr Pepper. While we had taken additional steps to meet the expected demand for our offer, the response has been greater than anticipated. To resolve this, we are increasing our server capacity and making a toll-free number available (1-888-DRPEPPER or 1-888-377-3773). In addition, as a result of the technical delays, we are extending the offer and will provide more information shortly.

Thanks for your patience and support.

So it looks to be a fairly memorable promotion but how does it rank with the others of late?

What was your favorite? Which received the most mention and generated the most buzz?

- Free Taco (Taco Bell)

- Free Coffee (Starbucks)

- Free Dr. Pepper (Dr. Pepper)

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Over the last few months there have been a few national giveaways to “every American” but does it have an impact? First was the Steal a Base Steal a Taco promotion from Taco Bell during the World Series. The second was Voters get Free Coffee from Starbucks. And finally the promotion that could still fall through; Dr. Pepper promised to give every American a free Dr. Pepper if Guns ‘N Roses releases the album “Chinese Democracy.”  Backed by millions of dollars in media buys, sponsorship costs, TV, web, print and radio spot development do the promotions pan out and really increase revenue for the brands?

That is always the question with advertising - how much revenue will it generate? How much revenue does any TV spot generate? Did the ad in Sports Illustrated drive more customers to your store? It’s difficult to tell but one factor is that these companies have done something that generated a “buzz.” People love that term, create some buzz and get people talking about the product and sales will jump! Right?

The actual dollar equation of cost of promotion to the revenue it generates isn’t a direct line that can be easily tracked. First there are millions of dollars spent to get the promotion out there. Lot’s of money has to go in up-front. Then you can’t be sure how much of you will be giving away. Production needs to go up at the bottling plant, more beef needs to be ordered, more beans need to be ground,  more workers needed to handout the tacos, coffee, or Dr. Pepper.  Considering all of the costs directly and indirectly involved it can get out of hand quickly.

But what is the result, where do you set the goals for success? With Starbucks and Taco Bell, they are giving away something that is fairly small; one taco, one cup of coffee. It’s likely that someone who comes in for the freebie will order something else and thus help offset the cost of the promotion. It’s similar to why grocery stores put milk in the back, you have to walk all the way back there and you will probably think of other things you will need along the way. The message also has a deeper impact in the mind of the consumer. FREE - something is free, let’s go get it! It will draw attention and to think of all the messages that QSR’s send out each hour. Having a message so different will be remembered.

Though in the end, I did know about the Starbucks and Taco Bell promotion but did not partake. Why? I forgot. I knew the promotions were going on and when but when the time came I had other things on my mind and it slipped away.

So all this talk about tacos, coffee, and soda pop has made me hungry; where should we go today? Get a taco and go to Starbucks? Probably not, but the message does have a stronge sense of recall and a long shelf life.

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Once again another nationwide promotion has come to be and everyone in the country, all 50 states, coast-to-coast, even Alaska and Hawaii, but not Puerto Rico; will receive a free crunchy taco from Taco Bell. Oh the joy in free tacos!

Taco Bell has managed a similar promotion as to that of Dr. Pepper  for the new Guns ‘N Roses album where everyone in America will get a free Dr. Pepper if G N R releases their long anticipated album “Chinese Democracy.” The Taco Bell promotion was a more realistic offer than counting on Axle Rose to release an album 15-years in the making. Taco Bell’s offer was; if a base is stolen during the World Series every American would receive a free taco. It didn’t take long for the first base to be stolen last week in Game 1 and today Taco Bell is honoring their offer.

Will this promotion be worth the exposure? Taco Bell has been heavily promoted during the World Series and this promotion has gotten a lot of talk from the announcers during the game and from the players themselves.  There are approximately 330,000,000 Americans and the cost of a crunchy taco is about $0.79 so that is $260,070,000 in free tacos.

Head on down to your local, participating, Taco Bell today (October 28th) between 2-6pm and ask for your free taco. Let’s see how well the promotion worked. Official details are available here: Taco Bell Steal a Base Steal a Taco.

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Rumor has it that the Guns N Roses album that was a teasing every rock fan for more than a decade is finally going to happen. Chinese Democracy is scheduled to release on November 23 and every American is going to get a free can of Dr. Pepper. Yes that is what Dr. Pepper promised!

In a statement from March of this year Dr. Pepper put a challenge out and said that if Guns N Roses release the long, long, long awaited album Chinese Democracy this year Dr. Pepper will give every American a can of pop. What might have been a funny idea and a safe bet back in March is now looking to be cashed in, and Dr. Pepper had better be ready to pay up. I wonder if the album will be available on cassette?

Read the March AdAge.com article - Free Dr. Pepper for All if ‘Chinese Democracy’ happens in 2008 

See the news from MSN.com  - Finally! New Guns N’ Roses Album on Nov. 23

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You ever heard someone say (or said yourself) - “I wonder how so-and-so is doing? I haven’t heard from them in a while.” That is something that businesses need to consider as well. This is a time when many companies are reigning in their marketing budgets and laying low while the storm blows through. Well, while you are laying low your consumers are changing and they might not be in the same place you left them. They might not even come back when you call.

Advertising budgets seem to be the first sacrifice to the God of Falling Economics, but why? If this is such a quick reaction why does anyone advertise in the first place? Why don’t companies eliminate advertising completely and just focus on making good products and customer service?

Why!? Because advertising and marketing are informative and necessary to build a brand and increase sales. That is the point, get the people interested in buying what you are making. Think of like stopping all the maintenance work and never stepping outside of your house; stop mowing the lawn, leave the mail and papers to pile up, forget about watering the plants; and just focusing on vacuuming the carpets so they look nice. Not many people are likely to come over and some may be wondering if you are still around. That’s what it’s like when companies pull advertising. People start to wonder if you’re still around.

Cutting back is fine but it is important to maintain a presence. Keep your customers informed of what is going on so that they know you are still around and what your plans are to continue on. Otherwise, while you waiting for things to clear up the grass may have overgrown your entire position and there will be a lot of work to get back on track and restore you image to where it was before.

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Make me laugh funny man. Tell me why I should buy from you. The exercise of creating marketing that captures the attention of the audience and creates a boost to buying habits is not that easy.

Entertainment is delightful and helps us pass the time. People find different things entertaining and remember different parts of an episode. How often have you seen a commercial that was really funny but you don’t know what it was for. Even if you can recall the logo that was slapped on the end you may have though of why are they related? Someone famous in the ad world once said something along the lines of - “don’t tell me my ads were entertaining, tell me there were effective.” That was from David Olgivy. He was right; it isn’t just about being funny or entertaining, people need to remember your ad and be compelled to make a purchase or other directed action. That is where the engagement comes in.

Engaging marketing gets the audience to take action.  It is something that is easier to measure now and becoming an element that all media’s are trying to incorporate. Whether it’s banner ads that get clicks online or an outdoor piece that can recognize a person looking at the ad; we all want to know if it was seen and then if action was taken.

So where do we end up? Well if you want to be entertaining you need to know what your in for-possiblity for creating something that is memorable to the audience but not creating the action you wanted. Or if you want to be engaging the information may need to be in a fact-forward format-the data and information is most important. Not necessarily memorable as a “wassup” campaign but it gets the job done, consumers are taking action.

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