Archive for May, 2008
May 29th, 2008
Was someone at your company honored on the Rockford Chamber of Commerce’s “40 Under 40″ list? If so, don’t keep the good news to yourself. Sure, it was covered locally, but look further afield to gain additional publicity:
- Draft a news release about the honor, how the nominees were selected and then detail the accomplishments of your company’s particular honoree.
- Distribute it to the trade media that cover your industry and any other non-local publication that is appropriate, including the alumni office of the honoree’s college/university/high school and any other organization with which he or she is involved (like a church, professional organization, etc.)
- Whenever possible, email the release, a headshot and a link to the online version of the story (See sources below)
- Mailed or faxed releases are OK, but don’t have the advantage of automatically giving the media outlet the option of running the piece with the headshot.
We should all be proud of these accomplished professionals - so let’s talk it up!
40 Under 40 Source Material
PS - kudos to KMK Media Group’s own Pam Maher for her inclusion on the list!
May 28th, 2008
The Columbus Dispatch featured a story recently that highlights a trend across the country – the “staycation.” Does your business offer amenities that cater to the ‘staycationers’ that will be in Rockford this summer? With the high price of gas, many vacationers will be cutting back on travel and opting instead for spending time and money at home.
Think backyard bliss first of all. What can you offer that would make a backyard better? If your realm of expertise falls under food, swimming, lounging or socializing with friends at a small party, you can bet that there will be an audience this summer for your marketing efforts.
And what about relaxing? Salons and spas should be catering to those who may be staying in town to save some money on gas, yet who still will want to feel that they got some R&R time this summer. A spa and hotel package right here in Rockford could be a nice option for a staycation, but there are certainly those who have not thought of this as a good alternative to travel. With a little marketing effort started soon, the summer could look very different indeed. Use words like reconnect, home paradise, local leisure and highlight saving money without skipping the vacation feeling.
For more ideas, check out The Outdoor Living Guide from Consumer Reports:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/resource-center/outdoor-living/0705_outdoor-living.htm
Columbus Dispatch article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/05/25/stay-home_summer.ART_ART_05-25-08_D1_QCA9F64.html
May 27th, 2008
Just like any business, the media also has its cycles. There are some stories you can always count the local media to cover depending on the time of the year. Smart business owners will examine these cycles and position themselves as experts on the topic to get some coverage in the stories that are bound to come out.
Some suggestions for working with the local media: Be a one-stop shop for time-pressed reporters - think about all the angles of the story and be prepared to talk about it expertly and on the record/on-camera. Offer satisfied customers as additional sources and have a few ideas for what the TV camera or newspaper photographer might be able to “shoot” for the story’s visuals.
Below are topic ideas to get you started thinking for the upcoming summer “media season.”
Spring/Early Summer
New beginnings, vacation plans, picnics, outdoor topics. General stories that are light and fun are well-received during this time of year include:
Summer vacations (What to pack, how to get there, where to go)
Outdoor living (Patios, BBQs, outdoor toys)
Gardening (Clean up, tools, plants)
Leisure activities (Boating, hiking, bicycling)
Kids (Activities for when school lets out)
Safety (Sunscreen, boating safety, auto safety, severe weather)
Summer
As the summer wears on and the heat rises, no one feels like doing much of anything. This is a good time to pitch entertainment stories or other wacky ideas that reporters may not have had time, up until this point, to cover.
- Light business stories (Trend pieces, technology, new products)
- Back-to-School (Supplies, education trends, back-to-school fashions)
- Outdoor activities (Camping, swimming, gardening)
- The heat (Heatstroke, auto maintenance, sunscreen, air conditioning)
Key dates in June, July & August:
- Flag Day (June 14)
- Father’s Day (June 15)
- Junteenth (Jun 19)
- Summer begins (Jun 21)
- Independence Day (Jul 4)
- Parents Day (Jul 27)
- Friendship Day (Aug 3)
- Labor Day (Sept 1)
May 22nd, 2008
In an annual survey of 2,000 marketing executives, more than 82% said that their use of email marketing campaigns will increase this year over last year, with 55% saying they expect email to have a higher return on investment (ROI) than other channels. Email is a great solution for small businesses - it literally costs mere pennies per mailing, it is efficient and provides another way for you to converse with your customers, clients and fans. So for those who have not taken the leap yet, here are 5 helpful tips:
1. Pick a Date - Set a calendar and stick to it - don’t wait for “when you have something to say” to send out an email.
2. Less is More - Keep is short and to-the-point….and include information that’s useful to your reader. Don’t just spew boring corporate news
3. Swag, Freebies & Deals - people like free stuff. Be sure to include special offers, freebies, etc., that are available only to your email recipients.
4. Divide & Conquer - once you get the hang of email, start segmenting your lists and offering different things to each segment. Test offers before you send them to everyone.
5. Take it or Leave It - Include “forward to a friend” and “unsubscribe” options in every email you send.
There are simple programs that can manage your mailing lists, your HTML templates and more, so there’s really no excuse for not including email in your marketing mix these days. Want to see some examples? Sign up for the KMK Media email newsletter, NewsBriefs, click here and enter your email address and name in the fields located in the lower right side of the page.
More results from the Datran Media survey:
Compared to 2007, in 2008, your company is likely to?
In 2008, do you expect your company’s email marketing ROI to be?
Has or does your company plan to employ email to do any of the following? (select all that apply)
May 20th, 2008
In the national advertising conversation, broadcast TV is not “sexy.” Broadcast TV is not “buzzy.” Or “flashy.” Or “edgy.” But, when it comes to local news and information, local TV broadcasts and their corresponding websites are used by just over 50% of adults, at least according to a new survey conducted by Nielsen Research on behalf of the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB). Plus, when it comes to advertising, the survey says the public perceives television ads as the most “influential,” “authoritative,” “exciting,” and “persuasive.”
Source for Local News, Sports and Weather:
Source for Learning about New Products or Brands:
See the complete report here (click on “Media Trends Track” and then “View the Study On-Line” under “Media Comparisons Study 2008″). There’s loads more information, including breakouts comparing the media-usage habits of men and women, their perception of the role of the media in their communities and how they use media outlets’ websites.
Certainly the TVB has a vested interest in showing broadcast TV as the preferred locale in the advertising mix…but I don’t discount their numbers. Mobile advertising, social networking sites and all the rest may be pushing the advertising conversation nationally, but as I’ve said earlier, when it comes to our local market, broadcast TV still seems to be the vehicle that carries the day for local advertisers.
May 19th, 2008
Little is sexier than having your brand being an integral part of an uber-luxurious, hyper-chic world inhabited by Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda…as luxury brands Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo learned. The return of Sex and the City to the big screen has made for a match made in product-placement heaven for some new players - Mercedes Benz, Skyy vodka and Bag, Borrow or Steal among them - according to this recent piece by Ad Age.
That said, there’s lots of tie-ins and cross promotion being done as new brands try and jump on the Sex bandwagon…what do you suppose the image below (part of a print campaign) is advertising? The Movie or a Product?
Don’t discount the power or product placement - do you really think that six-inch heals that cost half a month’s salary would have made it into the national conversation without the cache of Carrie Bradshaw’s personal (albeit fictional) endorsement? I always wondered how a “writer” in New York City with no apparent full-time job could afford that swanky one-bedroom apartment AND those expensive shoes. There’s a lot to be said for escapism, I suppose.
(BTW, the ad above is for Skyy vodka…see the blue bottle superimposed over the building, just under the huge graphic of the movie’s title??)
May 16th, 2008
As if it weren’t enough that buying a domain name for you company’s Web site requires all sorts of linguistic acrobatics, creating an account with popular social networks and other online utilities is starting to be taxing as well. Pages at myspace.com/McDonald’s, GAP, Applebee’s, IBM, Xerox, Microsoft, Sony, iPhone and many others have little to do with the respective brands apart from the page owners’ usernames. Common dictionary words are long gone as well.
You don’t hear about brand squatting much, although there was a blog post last year comparing twittersquatting to the domain name rush of the 1990s. Why is it important to your organization? Three reasons.
1. Convenience. Blendtec Inc.. Their name on MySpace which is MySpace.com/myblendtec is less obvious than /blendtec, which is taken by someone other than the socially successful blender maker.
2. Danger of misrepresentation. It is easy to recognize /billgates and /microsoft as obvious parodies, but hijacking an online brand identity of someone less famous can’t be too hard.
3. Search traffic. Perhaps not a threat to bigger companies, but part of the search traffic for brands with limited online presence and for common words can be derailed to pages on MySpace, videos on YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. I don’t have a good “bad” example off the top of my head, but see how CBS YouTube channel ranks way above many of the network affiliates’ sites. And if you search for “tequila”, MySpace celeb Tila Tequila comes up above many businesses with the word in their names.
May 14th, 2008
How much of an impact has modern marketing had in the 2008 Democratic primary? Plenty. Barack Obama’s campaign has made quantum leaps in terms of “branding” a candidate. From his free-standing “O” logo to the sheer marvel that is his interactive campaign website - check it out at www.barackobama.com - he is changing the landscape both in terms of politics but also in terms of how political campaigns are run.
Here’s an interview that Crain’s Chicago Business did of the guy who created the Obama logo (click picture below). He talks about the elements that were used in the logo and what they mean, how the campaign has adapted it for other uses and even the font they used:
May 13th, 2008
A few weeks ago, we told you about using biometrics to measure consumers’ responses to advertising. Now, it seems the House of Mouse (Disney owns broadcasting behemoths ABC and ESPN) is getting in on the action by constructing their own advertising biometric laboratory in Austin, Tex.
One of the things Disney will be paying particular attention to are the reactions to online and VOD (video on-demand) advertising … in order to prove their effectiveness to the advertisers that keep pouring resources into these channels. Disney execs are no doubt plotting their business-growth course based on non-traditional advertising - Disney CEO Robert Iger is quoted saying his organization this year will gain $1 billion - that’s with a “B” - in online ad revenue by September. If I had a business that brought in one billion dollars in 9 months, I’d build a lab to prove its effectiveness too.
And we know that when the Mouse speaks, the consumer world follows, so expect to hear more about biometrics and seeing Internet advertising become even more mainstream soon.
May 12th, 2008
Small daily newspapers - not unlike our local daily, the Register Star - are actually growing their revenue while national and regional newspapers have been in a slump for years. Why? According to this article, one of the reasons is because local ad dollars are staying with traditional print ad vehicles like the Star.
Instead of following the national trend set by the big guys (like Proctor & Gamble and other huge consumer corporations), who’ve consistently moved their ad dollars to the Internet and other “non-traditional” outlets like video on-demand services, smaller, local advertisers have stuck with local newspapers and television advertising. In our shop, that’s certainly the case.
We know that, long-term, local advertisers will have to be in the Internet and non-traditional space as well…but at the moment at least, that type of advertising just doesn’t get the customers in the door like the other, more traditional, channels do. Which is good news for the Register Star and all of our local media outlets.
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