Atomic Ideas - Helping You Sell More Stuff!

Fantasy is NOT a Marketable Truth, Nissan!

Nissan is at it again. First they had a spot where their pickup races onto the tarmac to help a jet land by letting it put it's semi-extended front landing gear in the bed of the truck. Clearly fake, what does that say about the pickup? Since it's fantasy, NOTHING!  I could just as easily (with a special effects budget and matting software) have my daughter's 2001 Chrysler Neon with a bent fender and 126,000 miles on it, race out and save the jet by putting it's landing gear on the roof. Both say the same for the Nissan pickup -- Nothing!  Okay, you might remember the Nissan name. But once you think about the fact that they have no real benefits to talk about (which is why they present a fake scenario that no pickup could live up to) you're not going to seriously consider buying it. And isn't the whole reason advertising exists, is to try and put your product or service on top of someone's consideration list?

AND NOW...they come up with a snowboarding pickup. At least this time they try to avoid looking like they are LYING to us or trying to FAKE US OUT by clearly disclaiming it as FANTASY. So again, why should I buy the Nissan pickup??? Just because someone at their ad agency had a wet dream about depicting the vehicle like it was a snowboard and doing impossibly fake flips and jumps over snow covered hills? Substitute a Ford F-150, a Dodge Ram, or a rickshaw as the featured vehicle and the commercial would work equally as well, ie. not at all! 

While you're at it, Nissan, if you're  going to live in a fantasy world, why not just give  your truck lazers, afterburners, and submarine qualities in your commercials, too? No real truck has those, either.

At least when I walk away from an F-150 commerical I remember a benefit or two, like Eco-boost. Or with Dodge Ram, towing capability. But with a Nissan Pickup commercial, other than the dubious entertainment value of "gee, I'd like to see a truck do that", there is no resaon to buy one, because, "gee, NO truck bound by the laws of physics can do that." 

Sure a TV spot has to be attention getting, entertaining and likeable, but once the spot is over, if you want people to buy what you're advertising, it needs to have a marketable truth. In today's economy, it's not enough to have someone remember your product or service's name, they need to have a reason to part with their hard earned money to purchase it.

 

 

Meat and You -- A marketing message gone wrong.

At Atomic Ideas, we're in the communication business. The stragegy of, the formulation of, the proper transmission of, and the tracking of, your marketing messages. So naturally, we  appreciate when such a message goes wrong. Whether it is an actual ad, a parody ad or in this case, "an educational film" (which, when produced by a lobbying organization, is really just a long-form commercial) that was part of a Simpson's episode. Enjoy.

  

 

 

Happy New Year from Atomic Ideas!!!

Here's to a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year! And a look back at the last 34 New Year's Eves.

 

Happy Holidays!!!

Spray-on hair and Social Media.

Marketer's have long known the value of the customer testimonial and have done commercials and info-mercials based on that premise. Like for instance, Ronco's big-selling, but short lived, spray-on hair. (Click below.)

 

Now, let's face it, social media is basically cutomer testimonials on steriods. If people like you or your product or service, they will forward that 'thumbs up" to friends. The difference between social media and an infomercial is that in social media, REAL people are using the product (not paid actors) and everyone knows it. So for social media to work, your product or service has to actually deliver what is promised (and work in real-world situations). If it doesn't, REAL people will dump on it and your offering will be DOA. You won't even enjoy a short-lived success of the spray-on hair variety!

Challenge assumptions regularly when it comes to your marketing message.

You've been marketing your product or service so long that you really know your customer... or do you? Economic conditions change people's values,  new generations with different goals rise to prominence, people move, demographics change, neighborhoods turn over, and every year, some of your best customers leave the market completely. So what's a business, that wants to sell more stuff, to do?  Simple. Challenge your assumptions about what your customers want....by asking them.

A little market research from time to time is a tonic for stale messaging. Challenge even your most basic, "everyone knows that" facts. This gem was brought home in an entertaining fashion while tooling around "You Tube." I, like everyone else on the planet "knows" that cats don't like water....or do we?  Take a look:

 

 

Occupy Wall Street -- an example of bad branding!!!

Okay, so they had a chatchy name and they got thousands to follow. But then what? If they had better utilized the basics of brand-building, they might still be in business. Let's see how they did:

1. BRAND IDENTITY: This is where you differentiate your product or service. Calling themselves the 99% does not differentiate. The designation is so broad as to be nearly meaningless. Who are these people? Well they say it's 99% of the U.S. population. So I guess their group includes all kinds of people, including rapists, thieves, serial killers and the criminally insane, etc. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be grouped with those people.  -- FAIL

2. BRAND MISSION:  At the end of the day, what do they want to have happen? They can't tell you in one sentence or in a two-minute elevator speech, but even months after the movement has been in place, not one single person has even been able to outline their mission in any coherant fashion. (Now some might say that their mission was to gain publicity. But publicity is not a mission. It is a tool to help achieve a mission lke change minds, foster action, etc.) -- FAIL

3. UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION (USP):  If you want me to "buy, join, or support" your product, service or position, you have to tell me how, in a simple way, how my life will be enhanced or my problems diminished if I do so. Hmmm, I can't think of a single part of my lfie that is enhanced or simplified when people invade pulic parks, deficate on sidewalks, refuse to shower, steal from each other, rape each other and make senseless and contradictory statements to the press. (If you can think of a benefit in there for 99% of America, please comment below!)  --FAIL 

4. VALUE PROPOSITION: Here is where you show me how your product, service, or movement will help me attain one of my personal goals better, easier, or more cheaply than available alternatives. Since we have no idea what the goal of Occupy Wall Street is, how can they possibly convince us that their way is the best path to make it happen?  (In my humble opinion, living in tent villages, spreading disease, and basically posing a danger to themselves and their target audience (which is 99% of us, after all) is not the best way to achieve ANYTHING). --FAIL 

5. BRAND ICON: This is where you develop a character, graphic treatment or logo that is recognizable to everyone. Like the Nike Swoosh or Speedy Alka-Seltzer. Our only visual touch-point has been unwashed, stinking, bum-like people living in tents. If I'm not mistaken, that's already the logo for "Squalor."  --FAIL

6. BRAND FILTER: These are  "focus words", the words you want your brand to conjure in the minds of your best postential customers. Talk to anybody about the Occupy Wall Street movement and one of their first thoughts is of....confusion!  -- FAIL

7. BRAND VALUES: What are the core values of Occupy Wall Street. Some say it is "justice" -- getting a fair shake for the 99% of us. But is invading and befowling a public park justice? Is spreading disease, rape and theft, justice? Brand values can't just be stated, they have to be exemplified. And the brand values that Occupy Wall Street exemplifies and lives everyday are not justice, they are, if anything, criminal.  --FAIL

8. TAGLINE: This is the catchy phrase that sums up what your product, service, or movement is all about. Occupy Wall Street Doesn't have one. (May I humbly suggest: "We won't be happy until everyone's not happy!)  -- FAIL

The result of good branding is selling more products, services, or getting people to take a clearly defined action. Now you may disagree with our assessment of Occupy Wall Street's branding efforts above, but you can't argue with their results, which are....none! 

Photos courtesy of Daily Mail Online:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2046586/Occupy-Wall-Street-Shocking-photos-protester-defecating-POLICE-CAR.html

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Sure it's a little early, but let's face it, how many of you would actually be reading this ON Thanksgiving? So here's something for you to gobble, gobble up before the big day! Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Atomic Ideas!

 

Black Friday illustrates the perils of "price-only" differentiation

Well, it's two full weeks until Thanksgiving and retailers are already jockeying for postion on Black Friday. Since they are all competing on price, and prices can only be cut so far, the only tool they have left is to try to start their sales sooner than their competition.

Instead of sales starting at an ungodly early hour on Friday morning, Black Friday has crept into Thursday. Target has announced that their Black Friday will start at midnight on Thursday.  http://www.target.com/c/Target-black-friday-2011/-/N-5q0f2.  So...not to be outdone, Wal-Mart announced that their sales start at 10pm Thursday http://www.walmart.com/cp/black-friday-2011/1076614.I say we just take off the gloves and start Black Friday today...at lunchtime!

This is a microcosm of companies that rely on price to differentiate their brand. They put themselves at the mercy of a fickle consumer who will bolt the second they can find a lower price somewhere else. A brand, whether it is a product, a retail store, or a service, needs to stand for more than a low price. 

Wal-mart and Target understand this. They can't offer much lower prices around Thanksgiving, so they offer something else, availability. But since their competition is trying to differentiate themselves the same way, this can only go so far! I mean, Black Friday can only be pulled up so far before it becomes Black Monday, or further back and becomes Black November, or Black Autumn starting September 1st, or heck, a Black Year starting at 11pm New Year's Eve!

At Atomic Ideas, one  of the first questions we ask a potential client is: "If every one of your competitors had the exact same price, why would customers come to you?" If you don't have an answer to that question, you are doomed to compete on price...and your brand is simply...doomed!

 

 

BOO!

Happy Halloween from all the Guys and Ghouls at Atomic Ideas. Enoy this video we found while Zombie-ing around the web.