Atomic Ideas - Helping You Sell More Stuff!

What an Odd Feeling

I was talking to a business friend this morning about an international company that's been in business for over thirty years. We were questioning if they offered a certain service, so I googled their company name to go to their web site..

They didn't come up.

I was stunned. Google search has conditioned us to expect instant connection toward whatever we search for.

When it doesn't happen, it feels odd. So I blinked twice, added a few more search terms, and finally found them. They really should have come up in the first search.

Search engine optimization has become a de facto process in our consulting with customers. Before we get into strategizing how a company can sell more stuff, we always check out their SEO. Sometimes a client is surprised by what we find (and don't find).

Imagine a retail store without a sign on its building. Before talking about a 'marketing for sales' strategy, we'd first recommend they get a sign...

Monologues into Dialogues into Sales

A company promoting webinars for social media started off their LinkedIn email solicitation with:

'Now that the traditional one-way marketing conversation has become a dialogue, what are you getting from the discussion?'

Aw, c'mon, Free Webinar Guy. 'Traditional one-way marketing conversation has' (NOT) 'become a dialogue'.

One-way marketing is not a conversation. It's a monologue - brand awareness, which can be a good thing.

It's a first step. It's an introduction into two-way marketing - having a dialogue that may lead to a sale.

What matters is having a compelling selling story in both one-way and two-way marketing.

One-way good. Two-way good.

Sales - all good.

The 'S Word' - The Good One

I read through a PPT presentation on Social Media Marketing the other day and the first slide read:

"Social Media Marketing

Does not mean: Selling, always delivering a pitch.

Does mean: Becoming a valuable resource and trusted leader in your market."

And then there's this definition of content marketing:

"Basically, content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling... The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty."

Oh come on, people. "Content marketing is...communicating with your customers without selling... (so) they ultimately reward us with their business..."

When customers reward you with their business, you've made.... (come on, say it with me) a sale.

Social media marketing and content marketing aren't selling? Businesses are getting Facebook pages and Twitter accounts and joining industry forums just for grins and giggles? Spending real money and valuable time and not interested in ultimately making a sale?

In the interest of 'full disclosure', 'transparency', and using an old school word, 'honesty', when businesses use social media and content marketing, it's not to win an award from United Way or to get a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

What's the end game? To sell more stuff.

Not a hard, pushy sell, but when did that type of selling ever really work? Call it consultative selling, informational selling, customer service selling, however you want to distinguish it from something other than pushy. But be honest and include the 's word'. Stay focused on what being (and staying) in business is about.

That's what's so cool about social media. You have an incredible opportunity to know more about your best customers, what their likes and dislikes are, send out relevant info about your company and its products, engage with customers, and offer up your products and services to answer their needs. As a customer I just may buy something from you if it meets my needs.

Atomic Ideas is working with a couple clients now to help them learn how to reach more customers through social media so they can sell more stuff. All kinds of opportunities when you do it right and tune your conversation to the environment you're in.

Listen, learn, engage. Now more than ever. (BTW, the 'engage' part is where the selling happens...).

Bound to Confuse

It was the second time in the last couple weeks where I was shaking my head (insert rattle sound). 

First a webinar on social media as 'inbound marketing' and how it's better than 'outbound marketing', second a blog post on 'inbound marketing vs. outbound marketing'.

Good vs. evil. Shiny new vs. decrepit old.

Both the webinar and blog portrayed outbound marketing as an old school "sledgehammer", essentially Satan's friend, and inbound marketing was the Path to the Holy Grail (if only Monty Python had known, they could have avoided the Black Knight).

Outbound marketing was defined as the 'old media' ways of television, radio, newspapers, trade shows.

Hey, guess what - we're doing outbound marketing in business all the time! It's just sprouted new tech babies:

YouTube - television

Podcasts - radio

Blogs - newspapers

Webinars - trade show presentation

In a meeting I was in recently, I likened Twitter to Native American smoke signals, and Facebook to hieroglyphics. Making a point...

'Outbound' info online is now called 'content marketing'.

We're sending out content that's (hopefully) relevant, informative, helpful, so that the audience we direct it to will respond with an 'inbound' response.

It still adheres to basic marketing principles - create awareness and interest, build desire, start an interaction.

The discussion on 'inbound vs. outbound marketing' would do well to instead center on how to create awesome content, how to share compelling selling stories.

And then prepare for your inbound responses.

Good Luck To GM and Their Ad Agencies With The New Campaign... And We Mean It!

Pundits and agency gurus have weighed in with all kinds of criticism and skepticism over the decision to use silver-haired Chairman Ed Whitacre to lead off the new branding efforts.

McCann Erickson in Birmingham who created the initial commercial with Whitacre and all GM's other roster shops the best of luck.

In the end, you never really know what's going to work. Regardless of whether Mr. Whitacre is a good choice or not, the 60 day money back guarantee is a bold and unique idea in the industry that could honestly affect purchase behavior and drive sales. That's not branding, that's marketing. Sell more stuff, fulfill customer expectations, and the brands will build themselves.

I drove a brand new Cadillac CTS last night. I can tell you that, inside and out it stacks up in all respects with any luxury performance vehicle I have ever owned or driven. It's a phenomenal machine.

In Detroit, especially in Detroit, we are banking on GM, Chrysler and Ford and all their agencies to succeed. Criticism doesn't help. Obviously, none of the agencies and noone at GM, including Ed Whitacre, wants to go down in flames. There's way too much riding on this for all parties.

So we say best of luck to you all from all the folks at Atomic Ideas!

Is "The Ultimate Driving Machine" The Ultimate Tagline?

Over the weekend, I was watching Tiger Woods rocking the PGA once again in the BMW Championship. It got me thinking about BMW from a branding perspective.

I have owned a Beemer in the past and love their cars. I also appreciate their tagline... a line they have used since Ammiratti & Puris first introduced it way back in 1975. The client at BMW, by the way, was a 39 year old marketing guy named Bob Lutz. Food for thought?

Call me old-fashioned, but I still believe in the power of a well-crafted tagline. In fact, the descriptions "tagline" or "slogan" to me are misnomers. When the words are right, the result is really a positioning statement. An umbrella statement that defines a brand. Everything else can hang off it and expand on it.

BMW's long-running tagline "The Ultimate Driving Machine" is one of those lines. It truly positions the brand and its products, and if you've ever owned or driven a BMW, you know they do a pretty good job of making good on the promise. These are driver's cars first, everything else second.

Gear-heads will argue all day long about whether or not BMWs really are the ultimate driving machines. But it doesn't really matter. Because if you relish driving as more than an exercise in getting for point A to point B, you can't ignore BMW as a possibility.

Not many companies can claim to have the perfect tagline, but I think BMW does. Unless they completely change their products and target audience, what could possibly be better?

How about this? BMW... "A Company of Ideas." Supposedly back in 2006, BMW was apparently considering tossing out The Ultimate Driving Machine for this anemic line (which, by the way, could be applied to any company, anywhere in the world, in any industry). 

The rumor was started by marketing Guru Al Reis in an AdAge column. There was even an online petition set up to save the ultimate tagline, although with only 40 signatures attached, It probably didn't help the outcome. Regardless, thankfully the original line stuck.

What do you think? Is The Ultimate Driving Machine the ultimate tagline? Are taglines passé in the digital multi-target, multi-channel era? 

I say no. Just Do It!

TOP 10 SLOGANS OF THE CENTURY (According to Adage.com)

(It's not on the list, but I think Alka Seltzer's  "Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz... oh what a relief it is" should be!)

   1. Diamonds are forever (DeBeers)
   2. Just do it (Nike)
   3. The pause that refreshes (Coca-Cola)
   4. Tastes great, less filling (Miller Lite)
   5. We try harder (Avis)
   6. Good to the last drop (Maxwell House)
   7. Breakfast of champions (Wheaties)
   8. Does she ... or doesn't she? (Clairol)
   9. When it rains it pours (Morton Salt)
  10. Where's the beef? (Wendy's)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

    * Look Ma, no cavities! (Crest toothpaste)
    * Let your fingers do the walking (Yellow Pages)
    * Loose lips sink ships (public service)
    * M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand (M&M candies)
    * We bring good things to life (General Electric)

Where Do The Best Ideas Come From?

When I give people my business card, it invariably gets one of several reactions; a frown, a raised eyebrow, a chuckle, or sometimes all three. And that's the idea. It empowers conversation and differentiates me from the crowd in my profession (notoriously big on big and imperious titles).

It allows me to explain to people something I have always strongly believed. That the best ideas can come from anyone, anywhere in your organization, at any time. I also believe that it's a concept that is more relevant and important than ever. At Atomic Ideas, everyone is an idea maker. It doesn't matter if they are a "creative," an account executive, a programmer or the mail room person (if we ever have one). He or she too would be an idea maker at this company.

The reason isn't because our company is called Atomic Ideas. The reason is that Ideas power business, period. Not titles. Not departments. Not even individuals. Businesses need ideas to innovate. Businesses need ideas to succeed. Where they come from within the organization shouldn't matter.

When you empower your employees at every level to become part of the conversation internally, and allow them the freedom to contribute ideas, especially to problems or opportunities outside their "silo" - you may be amazed how many more good, actionable, "out-of-the-box" ideas you actually get.And you'll get more engaged, more enthusiastic employees as a side effect when they feel like they are truly part of a team and engaged in the direction of the company. Everybody wins.

Bring the administrative assistants and the receptionist into your next brainstorm and see what happens. You might be blown away. You might not. But what have you got to lose? I've been doing this for years, in my own companies, and at others I have worked for. I can tell you I have seen brilliance pour out of people most companies would never consider bringing into a high-level, critical brainstorm.

Frankly, I've also been in those meetings plenty of times when all the high level folk fizzled on the idea front, including me. And maybe that's the most important point here. You never know when or where "the big idea" will come from.

In my world, everyone is creative. Everyone is an idea maker.

Hey, if ideas are the currency of the future, then the more ways you can mint them, the better.

Let me know what you think.

Is This The Best TV Commercial Ever?

So the TV commercial is dead is it? The Internet is where it's at is it? Social Media is the Holy Grail is it?
The Snuggie commercial throws a bit of a wet blanket on those suppositions.

According to Mediapost, over 4 million of the goofy backwards robes sold in a three month period through January, 2009 - 4 million! Translation, just under $40 million dollars in the coffers. Could you have done that with Social Media? A banner campaign? Why would you have wanted to?

The Snuggie spot may not be a shining example of what many (to be fair, in past lives, me too) in our industry strive for - beautifully shot, often pointless commercials that create "buzz" and more importantly, awards. But man did it SELL PRODUCT!

TV commercials are not dead - not if they are as "bad" as the Snuggy spot. But maybe "branding for awareness" TV commercials should be put out to pasture. In this day and age, if you're not clearly communicating why your product or service fulfills a need better than your competition's product or service, and prompting behavior that that leads to purchase (pick up the phone and fork over $19.95), you are simply wasting money.

See my recent post on the new Palm Pre commercials for musings on a current example of money wasted on esoteric, ambiguous brand awareness advertising that tells you absolutely nothing and does absolutely nothing to differentiate the product. Sure it's fabulous to look at, but forget about actually selling stuff. Forget about communicating the info that the Pre has a killer feature the other Smartphones don't have - the fact that you can move between multiple open apps just like you can on your desktop or laptop - I can't even do that on my otherwise awesome iPhone. Very cool. But not mentioned in the TV ads. So why should I care?

And that's why, much as you might hate to admit it, the Snuggie commercial that would be a doormat at Cannes probably sold more stuff than the Gold Lion winner. Over 4 million dumb old blankets with sleeves in 3 months. Over $40 million in sales!

The Palm ads don't do enough to clearly demonstrate the Pre's marketable truths - features and benefits that fulfill needs and prompt sales. The Snuggie ad does. Keep the blanket on you while you eat, drink, hug stay warm and be merry!

Want to know how many Palm Pres were sold through July after its June launch? According to Intenetnews.com, about 300,000. According to this article, Sprint had hoped to sell 1-1.5 million units through the third quarter.

But hey, the TV spots created buzz (translation awareness) - most of it negative because apparently folks found at least one of the spots a tad creepy. Note that Palm is betting the farm on the Pre (and their agency, I supect).

The Snuggie commercial may not be beautiful, but it's simple and direct. And often, it's simplicity that sells... 4 million in 3 months. $40 million in sales.

"As Seen On TV! 'Nuff said.

E-Conomy Bogs Down E-Tailing. Still a Lack of Growth in Ecommerce.

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Came across some interesting stuff to share today.

According to Comscore, the news in retail e-commerce is not going to make anyone jump for joy. After the initial online exuberance of the last few years, the reality of the economy is taking its toll. Q2 retail e-commerce sales estimates show spending down 1% over last year. Not surprising and hey, it could have been worse, right? It is only the second quarter on record when e-commerce spending has been lower than the same quarter the previous year. 

"The marginally negative growth in Q2, on the heels of flat growth in Q1, signals that online retail spending has yet to turn the corner after a disappointing end to last year,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “Unfortunately, it appears that the reality of nearly 10-percent unemployment and rising gas prices, coupled with an increased savings rate, continues to hold down consumers’ discretionary spending and it may still take some time to dig our way out of this recession.”

Also, from MarketingProfs, the top 10 online retail categories.

My 5 Year Old Daughter, The Human Billboard.

Just got back from a few days off recharging the batteries at Cedar Point in Ohio. Apart from defying death on numerous insane roller coasters and eating too many potentially deadly cholesterol inducing fried things, I had the opportunity to witness branding's effect on a five year old. Truly astonishing.

Four days away means many changes of clothes. Even at five, my daughter is a fashion plate and is already able to match stuff up far better than I am.

'Course, I'm a guy and that's really my wife's job, anyway.

The fact that it rained on our parade a few times meant even more changes for Gabrielle and I realized that almost everything she wore was pushing something. The influence of messaging on her little brain was evident on clothing items ranging from sweatshirts to underwear. As a marketing maven, I took note.

Following, in no particular order are the brands she advertised on her cute-as-a-button bod over the four days we were away:

1. Mickey Mouse
2. Hannah Montana
3. Hello Kitty
4. High School Musical ("I Love Troy" - Argghh)
5. Gap
6. Ralph Lauren Polo Sport
7. Jonas Brothers
8. O'Neill
9. Nike
10. Barbie

Impressive. And an impressive drain on my wallet. Even at five, these are a few of her favorite things and she evangelizes them proudly! Factor in all the associated brand merchandise that clutters up our home and the add-on cost of all this is staggering. Speaking of brand clutter, I have actually punctured my bare foot and crushed Barbies head while stepping into the shower. This required minor surgery and, of course, the acquisition of a replacement Barbie after I "killed" her. More money quite literally, down the drain.

Damn it. the fact is they should be paying me! Think about all the eyeballs that saw all those logos and messages as my daughter paraded about the park and around town. If I was much smarter than I am, I should have figured out park attendance, come up with a CPM and billed the bums.

Oh well, maybe next time. Meanwhile, I will go on listening to my daughter giddily under the influence of marketing saying, "I want this," and "I want that."

And my wife and I will dutifully comply, because it's better than hearing the alternative, "If you weren't in advertising, you could afford it Daddy."

One of the shirts she wore this weekend was more of a personal branding statement, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." I blame that one on my wife.

Woe is me. And woe is the guy who marries her.