Hyper-targeting is a game-changer.

Posted on May 6, 2009 by Michael Chatfield

Introducing the magazine for the totally selfish.

Ever been reading a magazine and wish you didn’t have to skip through all the crap? You know, the articles that no one with a pulse reads. Mine Magazine, a collabo between Time Inc. and Lexus tailors all the articles in the publication directly to you. Essentially allowing readers to focus in on what they care about and tune out the rest.

Choose 5 of your favorite magazines, answer a few behavioral insight questions, enter your mailing address and you’re done. In 2-4 weeks your custom made magazine will show up on your doorstep piping hot and ready to be read instead of skimmed.

I received my Mine this week. The Lexus ads using variable-data printing are compelling almost to the point of being creepy. But I love that.

Hyper-targeting individual consumers could be a game changer. It’s clearly a more cost-effective way to know exactly who’s listening to your message.

Big ups to p+n intern Dan Taylor from RIT for digging this one up. He rocks.

UPDATED: In response to Scott’s comment, I thought it was only fair that I share one of the other variable-data ads in the same issue of Mine. See below.

Lexus Ad in MINE magazine
mine21

What do you want?

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Michael Chatfield

I’ll start by saying I’ve seen this approach succeed twice in the past 3 months, so I’m starting to believe that there may be some merit to it.

I’ve found that clearly identifying and making known what you want out of a situation can do nothing but help your cause.

Most situations have 4 critical components:

A) Your current state
B) Your desired state
C) What you are willing to do to get from A to B
D) The person who ultimately has to say yes

We all know what A is. But what often goes unmentioned is B. And if you haven’t made it clear to D what B is, then how can you formulate C?

“I am an intern and I want to be hired.”
“I am an Assistant AE and I want to be an Account Executive.”
“I have a 3.5 GPA and I want to have a 4.0.”

…”and here’s my plan.”

So if you are not where you want to be, consider this approach:

1) Determine B.
2) Put on C on paper and get buy-in from D. Execute the plan and update D frequently on your progress. Keep B top of everybody’s minds.
3) D can’t say no.

So, what’s your plan?

Betty knows what she wants. She wants a Mad-tini.

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Michael Chatfield

By popular demand…I bestow upon you all the official 2009 Addy Award MAD-TINI Recipe. Special thanks to Ann McAllister and Katy Daniels from Monty’s Korner for bringing this to life.

MAD-TINI
3 oz cherry vodka
1/2 oz bourbon
Splash of sour mix
Splash of cranberry juice
Shake in a cocktail shaker, strain sexily into martini glass and garnish with maraschino cherry.
presentation75

What’s your pepperoncini?

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Michael Chatfield

Something crosses my mind every time I get a pizza from Papa John’s.

I’m just fascinated by the fact that with every single pizza, they include a pepperoncini pepper in the box.

I know, I know…the marginal cost of this is probably a penny per pizza- but it goes a long way for me as a marketer.

It reminds me why they are different, why they are better. It brings their brand promise to life. It says to me, “You ordered pizza, we delivered more.”

So, it makes me wonder- what little things can you do for clients and customers to add value and remind them why you are different, why you are better. Because it’s the little things like that which make a brand unique and excite people.

It makes me think, what’s my pepperoncini?

What’s yours?

RIF RAF :: The Official Blog of the Rochester Advertising Federation

Author Archives: Michael Chatfield

Hyper-targeting is a game-changer.

What do you want?

Betty knows what she wants. She wants a Mad-tini.

What’s your pepperoncini?