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Michelangelo, Marble, and Better Marketing

When Michelangelo began sculpting 'David', it had already been started by another sculptor who had died after blocking out a huge piece of marble.

According to the legend, Michelangelo got the job because he was the only sculptor willing to work with the 'spoiled' stone.

A pretty good job with that spoiled stone.  One of the superb masterpieces of the Renaissance artists.

Some companies running a mediocre, 'not bad' marketing program feel like the effort to make a change, to take the marketing conversation to another level - to make it more engaging, compelling, more memorable - may be too daunting.

Not necessarily.

Stepping back and looking at your company through the eyes of your best customers, with fresh ideas and a fresh perspective, can lead to something powerful and memorable, getting more people to notice you more often.

If your marketing's not getting the results you want, another sculptor may be needed to work with the 'spoiled stone', and a story that sells may jump out of your own marketing marble.

What Obama and The Healthcare Bill Can Teach Us About Initiating Corporate Change.

First off, this is not a political post. It's about change and how to make it happen.

The thing about change is that it's never easy. There will always be conflict surrounding change. There will always be two sides to the story. There will always be people who are content with the status-quo. 

For all these reasons, making sweeping change in corporate systems and culture, like changes in health care, is often seen as an overwhelmingly daunting task. But change is always critical to move forward. Especially in a world where marketing, brand building and employee concerns have already changed radically over the last few years.

Corporations are faced with going where they have always gone, or changing with the times. Whether dealing with a new generation of Millennial workers who want more out of work, but want to work less (and not necessarily in an office setting). Or dealing with the onslaught of social media and customer-driven brand definition, a lousy economy and a not-so-rosy outlook for the near future.

The  point is, the way it was is rapidly giving way to the way it will be. If you are not giving great thought to changes in your business' systems, processes and culture necessary to succeed in the future, you'll likely have no future.

It will be challenging. It will be hard. It will even be painful. You'll lose friends and make enemies. But in the end, even if everyone is not on board, even small changes could make all the difference to success against your competitors.

After all, look at health care reform. Take away all the rhetoric, the politics, the pork, the pain and what do you have. 35 million people who didn't have health care will now have it. You'll never be denied for having a preexisting condition, and neither will your children. 40,000 people who die each year because they can't get insurance will now have it and have a much better shot at living. Is that really a bad thing?

Forget about the dollar cost. The human cost will go down regardless.

If you can change something important in the beginning, you can fix the rest of it down the road. Getting going is the key. It took almost 100 years and countless administrations to make health care reform happen. But to Obama's credit, whether you agree with him or not, his decision to pursue change at great political risk was impressive... and inspiring. The bill is by no means perfect. But some of it is great. Great for the people who need it. The people who needed change to survive.

It's not much different in business. Change needs to happen in businesses that have been doing things the same way and resisting the trends and behaviors that are shaping the next millennium. What's required is leadership with the courage, conviction and stomach to make it happen.

By the way, here is a little confirmation that driving change can even sway your staunchest critics to get behind you... sort of. As I write this, I am watching MSNBC and they are reporting that now a number of Republicans are taking credit for many of the health care reform protections I just mentioned above after not a single one of them voted for them. Go figure.

Let me know what you think. Are you making changes that matter to your business?

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeantil/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

This is why I'm not an early adopter...except maybe when it comes to jetpacks.

Let me start by saying our Kodak Wi-Fi enabled printer works just fine. We bought it for Christmas because  we wanted the convenience of a Wi-Fi printer and because Kodak advertised that ink for their new-to-the-market machine is not as expensive as for other machines. (cartridges indeed cost about 40% less). 

The problem is...no one around here carries the darn Kodak ink cartridges! Not Office Depot, not Office Max which are fairly close. No...I had to go all the way back to Best Buy where I bought the printer to find the stupid things. What good does low priced cartridges do me if I have to waste a ton of time and gas going to get it?  Sure I could buy it online, but by definition, I only seem to run out of ink right when I need to use it. (Oh sure, I could plan ahead, but that's hard. I thought technology was supposed to make our lives easier.)  

I hate having to stop before making every new technology purchase and guess as to whether enough of my fellow humans will also purchase it --thereby creating demand for a big enough support network so that supplies will be easy to find. That's why I'm not an early adopter. Guess wrong and you're screwed.

One exception will be when they finally start selling jetpacks, I will be the first in line. (Sometimes cool trumps economic conservativeness). And besides, If I need supplies for my jetpack, I can just use the jetpack to blast off and get it. And because flying around in a jetpack is so cool, I wouldn't care if I had to fly a little farther or to a few more locations to find what I need. 

Do Small Businesses Need Social Media?

Yes, absolutely. Now, let’s get to the other important stuff, stuff that really matters. March Madness is here - and one week later, we’re into the sweet 16. Of course many in the business world already know this, I think there are more office tournament pools for college basketball than any other sport’s championship during the year. Following all this hoop action is a great way for business people to let off steam and even make a couple of bucks, which is exactly what my colleague, R. Tate, will be doing this weekend, after he has dinner with his family (and his iPhone).

A lot of years bring about underdog/cinderella stories. This year there’s U of Northern Iowa, Cornell, St. Mary’s and Washington – none of which I predicted to win their first round games in my hoops bracket. Sure, we like these contests for their athleticism and competitiveness, but as aspiring business people in a tough economy, we like them for their inspirational quality. It’s the little guys taking on the big guys. It’s succeeding when everyone expects you to fail. It’s David vs. Goliath.

So, in honor of this year’s seasonal bball madness and underdogs, here are some inspirational thoughts and quotes to help motivate us in our daily business challenges.

"The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy." -Jerry Tarkanian 

"When it's played the way is supposed to be played, basketball happens in the air; flying, floating, elevated above the floor, levitating the way oppressed peoples of this earth imagine themselves in their dreams." -John Edgar Wideman

"I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot... when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result." -Michael Jordan

"The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move." -John Wooden

“Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath.” -Wilt Chamberlain

“When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.” -Larry Bird

“Basketball is like photography, if you don't focus, all you have is the negative.” -Dan Frisby 

 “If the NBA were on channel 5 and a bunch of frogs making love were on channel 4, I'd watch the frogs, even if they were coming in fuzzy.” -Bobby Knight

"Sometimes a player's greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team"  -Scottie Pippen

“Confidence is a lot of this game or any game. If you don’t think you can win, you won’t.” -Jerry West

"There are really only two plays: Romeo and Juliet, and put the darn ball in the basket." -Abe Lemons

“We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.”

-Weldon Drew

 “I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok.” -Shaquille O'Neal

"Some things you just can't question. Like you can't question why two plus two is four. So don't question it, don't try to look it up. I don't know who made it, all I know is it was put in my head that two plus two is four. So certain things happen. Why does it rain? Why am I so sexy? I don't know." -Shaquille O'Neal

"These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it." - Charles Barkley

 "The first time I shot the hook, I was in fourth grade, and I was about five feet eight inches tall. I put the ball up and felt totally at ease with the shot. I was completely confident it would go in. I've been shooting it ever since." -Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

 "I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing." -Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

 "One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team." -Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“I couldn’t imagine not playing basketball. To me, basketball is what life is all about.” -Bill Walton

“I haven’t been able to slam dunk for the past five years. Or, for the thirty-eight years before that, either.” -Dave Barry

“There is absolutely no way the best team in the NCAA could even dream of beating the worst team in the NBA? You’re talking about men vs. boys.” -Bill Walton

 “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” -John Wooden 

Crowdsourcing without Sandra Bullock and Jesse James

I was at a social media presentation last night, on how to connect the dots between Twitter and sales.

The speaker went down the same road as so many do - you have to have a plan on what you're going to do in social media, then set objectives, then determine your measurements (followers-fans-conversions), then open up your Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn/YouTube accounts and listen, learn, then engage.

She showed a couple examples of social media campaigns, one of them being the Ford Motor Company Fiesta campaign. Very successful, and the campaign has been referred to over and over in the press as a shining example of the power of social media.

It's a good story. For large companies with a healthy social media budget and a dedicated team. Yet I was wondering how many small businesses could relate to it.

And that was it, folks. Thanks for coming.

But then it got interesting, after the speaker's presentation was over. The host of the event, a public library, had their representative thank us for coming, and he mentioned his library had started getting involved in social medias last fall, but with a limited budget and no one specifically in charge of handling social media it had been a bit of a challenge. He asked that if anyone had any ideas to share they could send them to the library's Facebook or Twitter account.

And then the hands shot up, most of them from marketing people. One person after another (myself included) had an idea to share with him, beyond what the speaker presented. And there were some very creative ideas, tying in social media with real world events. Creating buzz for the library. The energy in the room rocketed. So many ideas kept coming people started chuckling. The library rep was pleasantly overwhelmed.

Crowdsourcing at its finest. Except it was in person instead of online.

And it was great. Blending online and offline ideas to create memorable customer experiences. The library rep wisely asked for a copy of all the suggestions. It demonstrated you don't need a big social media team or a big budget to generate solid ideas on getting customers to connect with you. A handful of passionate, seasoned people, thinking outside the Big 4 social media platforms, works fine.

I won't be surprised to see several of the ideas happen.

Blankies, Teddy Bears and The iPhone.

I was in my car this morning driving to the office, only two minutes away in fact, when I noticed something missing. What followed was a cold sweat, much cursing, and the reversal of my direction as I headed back home. 

Flash Back.

The night before this happened, my wife and I had been lamenting the fact that our eight year old son's Teddy  Bear (aptly named "Teddy") was about to fall apart at the seams, and the fact that he still can't live without the damn thing. That led to a humorous discussion about our daughter's "Lambie", a sort of woolie blanket with a lamb's head which she also can't live without. I suggested we put it on the grill. My wife suggested I would lose my daughter's love forever. We both laughed at the absurdity of these childhood "security blankets". Crazy kids.

Flash Forward.

I'm back in the car heading back to the office. The cold sweat is gone, and there is a smile on my face as I check for calls, read my email and narrowly avoid rear-ending a car at a red light. Yes, all is right with the world, I have retrieved my iPhone. 

Last night it slept by my bed. Often, I even fall asleep clutching it in my hand where it usually miraculously still resides when I wake up in the morning. It lives in my pocket, travels where I travel and, when misplaced or left somewhere it shouldn't be, it induces panic-attacks and profanity-laced tirades on a grand scale. Sort of like what happens when my kids lose their cherished loved ones (minus the profanity).

Fact is, I can't live without the damn thing.

I could of course turn this little story into a life-lessony sort of thing and comment on how we have become more attached to our devices than our families, too dependent on technology, and generally disconnected from the real world by all the digital connections these devices provide for us. But no.

I'm going to man up and just tell it like it is. Today I realized I have a blankie, and it's my iPhone.

Hypocrite I am not. I'll never make fun of  Teddy or Lambie again.

TV...A word in support of the anti-social medium

With all the talk about social media, many of us forget that a majority of Americans still spend more time watching TV than they do tweeting, facebooking, texting and e-mailing combined. This means that while Social Media plays a vital part in many marketing strategies, the TV commercial still remains a powerful tool.  At Atomic Ideas, we first determine who a client's best potential customers are and THEN determine the best channel(s) through which to reach those customers (to sell more stuff!). Of course that includes, when appropriate, Television.

Some TV statistics compiled by TV-Free America:

According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.

 

 

I. FAMILY LIFE

Percentage of households that possess at least one television: 99

Number of TV sets in the average U.S. household: 2.24

Percentage of U.S. homes with three or more TV sets: 66

Number of hours per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home: 6 hours, 47 minutes

Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66

Number of hours of TV watched annually by Americans: 250 billion

Value of that time assuming an average wage of S5/hour: S1.25 trillion

Percentage of Americans who pay for cable TV: 56

Number of videos rented daily in the U.S.: 6 million

Number of public library items checked out daily: 3 million

Percentage of Americans who say they watch too much TV: 49

 

 

II CHILDREN

Approximate number of studies examining TV's effects on children: 4,000

Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful

conversation with their children: 3.5

Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680

Percentage of day care centers that use TV during a typical day: 70

Percentage of parents who would like to limit their children's TV watching: 73

Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV

and spending time with their fathers, preferred television: 54

Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours

Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500

 

 

III VIOLENCE

Number of murders seen on TV by the time an average child finishes elementary school: 8,000

Number of violent acts seen on TV by age 18: 200,000

Percentage of Americans who believe TV violence helps precipitate real life mayhem: 79

 

 

IV. COMMERCIALISM

Number of 30-second TV commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000

Number of TV commercials seen by the average person by age 65: 2 million

Percentage of survey participants (1993) who said that TV commercials

aimed at children make them too materialistic: 92

Rank of food products/fast-food restaurants among TV advertisements to kids: 1

Total spending by 100 leading TV advertisers in 1993: $15 billion

 

 

V. GENERAL

Percentage of local TV news broadcast time devoted to advertising: 30

Percentage devoted to stories about crime, disaster and war: 53.8

Percentage devoted to public service announcements: 0.7

Percentage of Americans who can name The Three Stooges: 59

Percentage who can name at least three justices of the U.S. Supreme Court: 17

 

Compiled by TV-Free America

1322 18th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20036

Marketing to be Social and Selling

Had an interesting conversation yesterday with a social media evangelist, a believer in the 'let's hug and follow each other' online marketing approach.

If you've talked to one of these fervent devotees of social media you've probably heard the same mantra:

"Social media is about having conversations."     

"Social media is about engaging."

Right.

And TV commercials are about having fun, billboards are for giggles, and company events are for friendly chatting.

When people say those squishy things about social media, they don’t draw a line to the bottom line. 

Social media is about driving business. It’s about making money. Like, well, like your other marketing efforts.

One of our clients had a recent special event supported by a social media/traditional media strategy and campaign, and their sales numbers were great, topping expectations. 

If you’re not making money with social media then it’s just a hobby. And I don't know many companies today who have the luxury of playing at business. 

The end game is to sell more stuff. Create loyal customers. 

Social media is one (of many) way(s) to get there.

If you'd like some ideas on how social media can help draw business your way, how to be social and selling, feel free to contact us. We can 'engage' in a 'conversation' about helping you sell more stuff!

photo: drinksmachine

Cell Phone Coupons Might Just Appeal to Non-Coupon Users

 

It was only a matter of time. In fact, the technology has already been up and running for some time in several asian countries. Now Target is the first major US Retailer to deliver coupons to your cell phone  -- which can be scanned at the checkout. 

Now, normally I avoid coupons. The clipping, organizing, and the simple task of even remembering to bring and/or use them. But if someone wants to put coupons right in my hand while I'm at the checkout, who am I to turn down 50 cents here, or a couple of bucks there, on the stuff I'm already buying anyway?  Right now, with Target as the only store doing it, I might be tempted to shop Target a little more than its competitors.

But once everyone is doing it, I will be back to my old habit of not thinking about coupons. That is until I'm checking out and want to see if I can save a few cents on what I've already got in my basket. It really won't prompt me to change the brands I've already chosen. What might prompt me to do that is when manufacturers jump in with both feet.  That way, when I'm standing at a store shelve trying to decide between competing brands, I can just type in their codes and see which is offering the best deal.

Then I might be swayed to try a new brand, or buy more than I had planned. Of course, as the ultimate big brother conspiracy theorist, I will have to balance saving a few bucks with the knowledge that with cell phone coupons, people can track my purchases and purchase history. Maybe I'll just do like always and just forget about the coupons, altogether.

Giving The Blog A Little Breathing Room

 After reading Steve's, Gene's and Russ's blogs the last few days about how we often feel compelled to post a blog for a host of reasons other than creating a conversation with our best potential customers, I am going to hereby not add to the social media clutter. Instead, I am, like Steve's analogy to white space, going to use my minimalist blog today to provide a little breathing room around the more profound Atomic Ideas posts -- which will hopefully help readers to more easily recognize their worthwhile nature.