Atomic Ideas

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. 

I could use a little more white space.

  
A classic VW ad created by Doyle Dane Bernbach in the sixties with lots of white space.

I want to weigh in about an issue Russ brought up in his recent blog post - that all this engagement-talk with social media is killing him, and is it worth it? He’s slowly going out of his mind, though everything is all right on the outside. He’s lying in bed, wide-awake, thinking about everything in his life and asking himself,

Does More Engagement mean More Success?

Well, I really don’t know.

I think, that when you try to be all knowing and a super multi-tasker, everything else begins to suffer. Your product, your thinking, your strategies, are not as strong. It’s all spread too thin. It’s like that old saying, “Jack of all trades, and master of none.”

I like to equate this predicament to a design world axiom like “less is more” or the expression, “keep it simple, stupid”. By reducing the number of projects, tasks, and business contacts you’re involved with, a better-defined purpose can emerge. By reducing the quantity of these chores and messages, more time can be devoted to the remaining ones to make them stronger, more concise, and better understood. You get back to the basics. It’s as though you’re creating more white space to let the ideas breathe.

Also, delegating is another way of reducing. Like when the Atomic Ideas team spreads out the blogging responsibilities.

Another thing, some of these business tasks can be replaced with getting away from them. As corny as it sounds, non-business events like an occasional walk in a park, or watching a movie, or listening to music or getting together with non-business friends or family (I know, sometimes it doesn’t work with family) can restore logical thinking.

Basically, what I’m saying in my simpleton world is that we can’t do everything. And by reducing the bulk of business clutter one can better achieve a focus. A more true focus will allow projects and communications to shine. And what about Engagement? Don't worry... it’ll come naturally.

Yes, less is more.

Domino's "Marketable Truth" helped to double quarterly profits

This week, news reports indicated that Domino's doubled their quarterly profits. This is a perfect example of Atomic Idea's concept of finding a company's "marketable truth" then communicating it clearly to their best potential customers.  The result...selling more stuff!  The following are articles on Dominos and "Marketable Truth" from the Atomic Ideas blog.

01/04/2010

(Marketable) Truth will set you free!

Have you seen the new Domino's pizza commercials on TV lately? They fess up to their shortcomings and improve their products in order to deliver marketable truths, ie those attributes that will resonate with their best customers. How did they do it? First by listening to their potential best customers (through focus groups) then delivering what those customers wanted most. The result. They will sell more stuff! 

Here is a full video from which :30 TV spots were made:

01/08/2010

Truth in Advertising

At Atomic Ideas we talk about "Marketable Truths" -- finding and communicating those things about a client's product or service that are: 1. Actually true and supportable everyday.  2. Resonate with the client's best potential customers. The comic strip below is an example of a truth that is not-so-marketable. So while the truth may set you free, a "marketable truth" will help you sell more stuff.

12/18/2009

Marketable Truths.

 
 

At Atomic Ideas, we specialize in finding a client's "marketable truths".

That means those facets of a product or service that will resonate with their best potential customers. The word "truth" here is critical. The product or service has to actually possess the attribute or feature. Otherwise, the communication to the customer is hollow.

Take for instance these spots. They are funny, memorable, but they don't contain a "marketable truth." So while we laugh and applaud the humor, when they're over, there is really no reason to prefer this dealer over another. You wouldn't mind doing business with this dealer, but would you go out of your way to do business with him? Probably not.

A slightly lower price or a closer location would easily trump this dealer's fictional point of difference. The trick is to deliver entertaining, memorable spots that contain a "marketable truth."

Does Domino's New Formula Risk a "New Coke" Backlash?

Consider this. As bad as Domino's new campaign claims its pizza is, it seemed to have served the tastes of millions upon millions of pizza eaters over the last fourty-four years the company has been in existence. Hmmm.

Sure, in the spirit of "new marketing" we respect and applaud the transparency, openness and honesty of their new campaign, and the effort to improve their product. On the other hand, was it really necessary? Or even the right thing to do?

Frankly, I never thought the crust tasted like cardboard, or that the pie tasted that bad. Domino's is sort of like White Castle or Taco Bell. It's top of mind when your brain's not working perfectly... one of those products you enjoy after a few too many cocktails. At that point, anything tastes great. In other words, it has its niche.

We don't know for sure, but I'm betting they had to throw out hundreds of interviews where the folks said, "I love it just the way it is."

All of us who love pizza have a favorite we go to when we're sober. Usually a local purveyor of authentic Italian goodness. But when we're in a supreme hurry, or just plain buzzed, Domino's is an acceptable go-to substitute.

Coke's effort to "improve" their product backfired big time. Does Domino's risk the same? You don't grow to become a gigantic, appetite-satisfying company by producing a product everybody hates. What about all those folks who liked it just the way it was? Cardboard crust and all. Only time will tell.

I'm just saying. Just throwing it out there for consideration. What do you think?

At Atomic Ideas, we specialize in helping clients sell more stuff. How? By helping them find and then communicate their marketable truths in whatever medium(s) is most appropriate. So we applaude Domino's in finding their marketable truths and communicating them. And we wish them the best in selling more stuff!

Great Films That Did Not Win An Oscar

It’s Academy Awards time. And in honor of all my friends who are working on great screenplays and those that are someday soon going to make a great film (this is a common dream in the ad biz), I present my on-going list of Great Films That Didn’t Win. This list started out in 1988 with just 10 films, but as the years have gone by, new films have been added. Occasionally, some movies are removed. (Duck Soup, The Big Sleep, Touch of Evil, and Casino, to name a few) The list is somewhere around 15. This years’ addition is the 2005 film, Sin City.

Here’s the rest of the Great Films That Didn’t Win –

1, Citizen Kane, 1941

 A movie I first saw in a college film class. What can you say - It’s truly great.

2. The Third Man, 1949

  
 
 
 The film noir, Orson Welles and the zither music - who wouldn’t love that?

3. Bonnie and Clyde, 1967

  
 
 
 Great story telling, great cinematography, great acting.

4. 12 Angry Men, 1957

This movie made me realize that great dialogue is king.

5. Chinatown, 1974

 
 
 Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston sure helped to make this great.

6. Fargo, 1996 - and O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000

 
 
 Two from the Coen Brothers - Once again, dialogue is king.

7. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948

A John Huston film that featured great acting by his dad, Walter, as well as Bogey.

8. Dr. Strangelove, 1964

It’s fine art wackiness, watch the trailer.

9. Once Upon A Time In The West, 1968

 
 
All I can say is, Hank Fonda.

10. Raging Bull, 1980

This was a great use of B&W.

11. North By Northwest, 1959

 A classic Hitchcock story. Cary Grant was sort of a precursor to James Bond in this movie.

12. Pulp Fiction, 1994

 This movie gave everything to the viewer; it was a lot of fun.

13. The Swimmer, 1968

A pretty obscure film, I think I'm the only one who saw it, but it’s one of the great performances by Burt Lancaster.

14. Hotel Rwanda, 2004

 A powerful and chilling film based on a true story.

15. Sin City, 2005

 A unique looking and complex film noir movie. Wouldn’t you know it - Quentin Tarantino was involved.

Words Mean Things - Pay Attention or Perish (like that Sea World Trainer)

Did you hear about the trainer who was killed at Sea World by a Killer Whale? They said they were   shocked because the whale and his female trainer got along really well. Don’t you think the name “Killer Whale” would have been enough of a hint to her that this animal might possibly be dangerous? I mean, if it was called like a “Play Quietly in The Corner Whale” or a “Cuddly Whale” then yeah, I would have  been surprised,  too. But it was a “Killer Whale.”  And not in a "Lady Killer" sort of way. More in a "Kill Other Creatures" sort of way. After all, it had actually killed before! Twice! This of course, made it a much more dreaded  denizen of the deep - "The Serial-Killer Whale!"

What does this have to do with advertising and marketing? Words mean things. How you name your products and services should be done carefully. Of course, a great name still cannot overcome the tendency of people to ignore the inherent value, promise or danger the name is meant to communicate. So advertise, advertise, advertise.

The Making of Old Spice

My friend, Brad Smith sent me this You Tube video the other day.

It’s a video about the making of an Old Spice commercial that aired some time during the recent Super Bowl.

It’s a great example of how things magically get done on television. And it also shows us a little about the creative team that was responsible for this spot, something we don’t often see. 

The complete commercial is also included on the video in its entirety.

Take a look.

Internet...Schminternet. (Nearly a third of Americans can't be reached online)

From a recent article that appeared on AOL, It would appear that almost one in three of us cannot be reached via the information superhighway.  Or even through any of the social media by-ways. (Of course, that means that 60% of us can be reached online!) All the more reason to first determine who your best potential customers are, and where they will be when you choose to deliver your brand's marketable truths.

Feb 17th 2010 By Jeremy Taylor

30 Percent of Americans Don't Use the Internet

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Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.

Almost one in three Americans don't use the Internet at work or home.

New census bureau data, collected from 54,000 households, finds that seniors, the poor, underrepresented minorities and folks who live in rural areas lag behind the rest of the country, technologically speaking.

While a good chunk of the nation remains offline, high-speed broadband has made significant inroads with those who are surfing the Web. By late 2009, 63 percent of overall households had opted for the faster service, which is up from 40 percent in early 2007.

Still, we can't help but be baffled, and slightly insulted, by those who continue to shun the information superhighway, which we call home.

Photos that tell a story.

  

I’ve always liked good photography whether it’s professional or photojournalism. I’m a big fan of those classic Vogue fashion shooters like Irving Penn, right, (who died last year at 92) and Richard Avedon, above, (saw his show at the DIA last month.) I liked their simplicity, their clear-cut, striking black and white look - always displaying a lot of texture, shadow and drama. Though their work was created to help sell a fashion look and to help sell a magazine, the work was always art. 

Art, in the same way Ansel Adams majestic landscapes of Yosemite are art. Like Penn and Avedon, Adam’s works (above) required a lot of patience, technical proficiency, subjective judgment and luck. His dramatic photos show us the power and grandeur of nature’s scale.

Photojournalism has a similar power. A frozen image tells a story, big or small. A story captured at the right moment with many having the elements of drama and composition that the fine art shooters posses. The difference being, one creates the moment of truth, the other records it. And that truth can carry a lot of emotion.  

With that appreciation of good photography I have to point out last week’s release of 12 new aerial photos of the 9/11 collapse of the World Trade Center. Greg Semendinger, a former New York Police Department detective took the 12 pictures. Here's two:

  

These shots are amazing. They say so much of that day, eight plus years ago. These photos make us remember much of the stories and horrors from afar and they connect us to the other places of terrorism of that same day. Seeing this tragedy from the outside yet we reluctantly and painfully imagine what happened inside. Though shot in full color on a bright sunny day, the smoke and debris of the collapse give the photos a composition similar to the black and white, gelatin-silver print effect like those of Ansel Adams.

Because these powerful photos moved me on many levels, I wanted others to also see them, to be reminded of the event that reshaped our world to what it is today.

Surprise. People on Facebook Actually Like a Good Sale!

Is conventional wisdom about how marketers (particularly retailers) should sell their products and services with social media all wrong?

Most expert advice suggests that retailers shouldn't push their products or services too hard on platforms like Facebook. It should all be about conversation, engagement, influence... you know the drill. 

Now, nobody's saying that's all wrong. But a new study from ForeSee Results in Ann Arbor, MI presents some interesting, and rather surprising findings. It shows that Facebook is actually, "By far the most effective way to woo would be shoppers."

Whoda thunk it?

Retailers like Victoria's Secret are leading the charge by showcasing and promoting new products and sales on their Facebook pages. According to the article about the study at MediaPost's Marketing Daily, Victoria's Secret has 2.8 million Facebook fans, and its teen brand Pink, has 1.8 million fans.

Kevin Ertell, VP/retail strategy for ForeSee Results, tells Marketing Daily. "If you look at those pages, they are giving Facebook users exactly what they tell us they want -- information about new products, and special prices and promotions."

Contrary to what we might all think, this study indicates that online shoppers might actually want less fluff and more stuff.

Here is a recap of some of the findings:

• Of 69% of online shoppers who are social media users, 56% have chosen to "friend," "follow" or "subscribe to" at least one store.
• 61% of this group is connected to fewer than five companies. Another 21% is made up of more serious shoppers who follow between 6 and 10 stores, while just 18% is hardcore enough to have friended more than 10.
• Facebook is by far the dominant player: Among online shoppers who engage in social media, more than 80% are using Facebook. YouTube comes in second at 31%, followed by MySpace with 22%, Twitter with 16%, and LinkedIn at 12%.
• Yet 25% of the top 100 online retailers have no formal presence on Facebook and 25% have fewer than 10,000 fans. 
• 49% of those who follow companies through social media want to hear about deals, and 45% want to see products. Only 5% use social media primarily for customer support.

In the Marketing daily article Ertell says,  "The most satisfied and loyal customers are seeking out their favorite stores' pages, and then if those experiences are rewarding, they become even more loyal."

Interesting stuff! However caution is probably justified. As we all know, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Until all the evidence suggest otherwise, engagement and conversation is still a wise strategy. And so, apparently, is the occasional, "And if you act now, you'll also get...!"

The more things change, the more they stay the same.