Category Archives: Brand Strategy

ADDY Insider Tips Part II – Open Before 2014 Edition

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When you’re running an event you say to yourself and the committee a million times, “we have to remember this for next year.” Most of the time you forget anyway. Hence, your wonderful committee. So while we covered some of these ADDY tips just a short time ago, the judging trip made us remember a few more nuggets for you to store away. And of course, a few tips we just can’t tell you enough. Good luck in 2014, and remember that it’s never too early to start thinking ADDY, even if 2013′s awards haven’t even happened yet (see you on the 14th!).

1. Read the submission guidelines
ADDYJudging-2

2. You spent hours, days, weeks, months on your work and campaigns. Now spend some more time preparing your entry properly and make it easy to view. Your work and your passion deserve it.

3. Even if your work is interactive or a physical piece, consider mounting some screen shots or stills to help educate the judges.

4. Mount just the entry number on your boards, not the entire entry sheet or your work will look like this at the judging.

5. Read the submission guidelines again.

6. Remember to enter your company information and titles correctly in the entry system software. It’s the same text and info we use to promote and print your work if you win an award. We don’t know that your company name is misspelled unless you do first.

7. We can’t say anything about your work unless a judge asks a question. So don’t leave anything to chance in case they don’t ask us a question. Prep every element of your entry as if the judges know nothing about you and your work, because, well, they won’t.

ADDYJudging-7

8. You might be on the fence about it. The judges might love it. Take a chance. Enter.

9. Students! We were students once too, we get it. Professionals still have deadlines and homework too. Ask questions. Submit everything on time. In addition to your talent, a well planned entry is a good way to signify you’re ready for post-grad awesomeness.

10. If your work was live and then taken offline, it never hurts to tell us the dates it ran. Nothing lowers a score, or worse, says “DQ,” better than an entry we can’t find online or elsewhere if the judges need details.

11. Another one for the students. In your entry credits, make sure your professor is included. They too have a stake in the game of seeing you succeed and have earned a line with their name. That kind of respect goes a long way.

12. READ. THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. One last time.

Product placement is the biggest loser.

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Unless you are The Biggest Loser.

NBC’s hit reality show The Biggest Loser does more than entertain America while contestants sweat away pounds. The show is a model for appropriate product placement that brings together brands like Subway, Ziploc, Extra Chewing Gum, and Rochester’s own Birds Eye. In an era where consumers fast forward traditional broadcast commercials, product placement is on the rise. In The Biggest Loser’s case, it’s hard to justify skipping the segments where Jillian talks about how chewing Extra gum craves hunger. (And yes, each segment is either :30, :60, or :90 seconds long). Because it’s appropriate content that is rooted in helping those on the show and on the couch. I even admire the media directors follow through. Lining up a broadcast spot in the next commercial break after the product placement takes place on the show. Although, I can’t say I watch them. I, like America, tend to fast forward.

Unsuccessful attempts were the new Blackberry on Law & Order, or Diet Dr. Pepper on The New 90210 (I just wasn’t buying the perfectly positioned cans in the cooler. Sorry). The dialogue was forced and the actors seemed uncomfortable with the sell.

So when is product placement appropriate? The show must fit your brand, and the content you provide to the consumer must be relevant. Otherwise your brand is an unwelcome participant during a time when America wants to get away.
And then guess who turns out to be the biggest loser.

Rochester’s City Newspaper Ducks the Trend

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The “newspaper deathwatch” tale must be the year’s best covered story. In last week’s installment, the Boston Globe faced extinction while Sen. John Kerry convened hearings to discuss how the industry might be preserved (surely a coincidence).

So when you find a newspaper succeeding, it’s worth investigating. Fortunately, we have a hometown example: City Newspaper. They’re pulling off the neat trick of growing total audience while keeping the print side steady at about 100k. In this market and era, that’s noteworthy.

I called up Bill Towler, City’s co-publisher to get the scoop. He and his wife Mary Anna (editor and co-publisher) were nice enough to provide insight on how they’re doing it:

1) Go deep, but selectively. City focuses on a few areas that readers want – politics, urban development, arts – and goes deep. Decades of coverage provide institutional knowledge and the credibility to partner with expert free lancers. Recently, David Cay Johnston reported on Monroe County finances. You know, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, local resident, and expert on tax code. Hard to pull off if you try to cover everything.
2) No shrinking violet. City has a point of view and it’s ok with them if you disagree (trust me). From restaurant reviews to city council coverage, they take a stand and do it with reason.
3) More why, less what. “What happened” has a lot of competition, from CNN to Twitter. With a weekly schedule, City can’t offer that via print. Instead, they do context and analysis.

Each point enables City to strengthen a bond with core readers and stand out from the competition. Yeah, I know. “Choosing to differentiate” is no revelation. But it’s a good reminder that differentiation is rarely one decision. It’s how you come down on thousands of tough choices over years. Shrink the page. Don’t tick off the advertiser with that story. Cut back a bit on local coverage. It all adds up, or detracts.

Resilience isn’t a popular branding concept, but it ought to be.

Matt Jones

A picture is worth a thousand copywriters

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Over the last couple of days, some very nice things have been written about the copy that is part of the Dundee Ales & Lagers rebranding. It’s been very gratifying…and a little embarrassing.

But here’s some insight into what we, on the Dundee team, knew. Packaging sells beer. No one is buying beer because of a story on the back of the label. Sure, it gives them something to read while they drink…all by themselves. But the cool new look of the Dundee labels and Craft Pack is what stops people in their tracks in the beverage aisle.

And that is the genius work of Paul Hill and Tim Downs, two of the finest I will ever work with.

So I’ll never admit I said this, but save your reading for the cereal box, be shallow, and just choose a Dundee for its good looks.

Facebook v. Twitter

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One of my facebook friends recently sent me this question:

What’s the advantage of Twitter over FB? Seems like you can twitter on FB and do so much more. What am I missing, Ms. Social Media Guru?

I’d been pondering the same thing over the past few months, and this is where I come out:

Facebook is for friends to share personal stuff about each other, and you choose with whom to share. The homepage view format resembles twitter, with its list of short status updates, but it’s much more. Sharing personal photos, sending friends whacky “gifts” among other things make Facebook fairly robust and highly social. While many people use Facebook for business contacts, that doesn’t feel quite right to me. Do I really want to see pictures of my work contact’s children, vacation places and potentially embarrassing moments?

Twitter, on the other hand is an easy way to keep up with the thoughts and goings on of people who you may not even know. That’s where it gets interesting. Follow people or organizations you admire, and you get regular exposure into what makes them successful. A great example is Barack Obama. By tweeting regularly, he’s making good on his promise of transparency and creating a great way to get buy in.

Businesses I think should tweet:

  • Wegmans, when they have new products
  • Restaurants, when they change their menu
  • Organizations when they host events
  • Growers when crops are progressing and promising good yields (okay, I’m really thinking about wine, here)
  • Any kind of business when it offers new services

That said, I wouldn’t start a twitter page unless you’re going to tweet at least a couple times a month.

Andrea Zuegel

Old? Or classic?

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It’s 1982 and about 15 degrees below zero.

Like we did every Saturday night, we were standing on a road that came to a dead end in the St. Lawrence River, with a raging bonfire and stacks of Genny Cream Ale we stole from our dads.

That was life growing up in Massena, New York…north of everything that mattered. My buddies and I would sit around and joke about how cool it would be to work at the Genesee Brewery. Think of all the free beer.

Our dads. We were always so much smarter than them.

It’s 2008 and about 15 minutes before our pitch to High Falls Brewing Company.

Like we did at every pitch, we were standing in a conference room with stacks of black boards, this time containing every good idea we could think of to help sell Genny Cream Ale.

It wouldn’t be easy. How do you sell a beer that’s universally thought of as an old man beer to younger guys? Guys who likely had their first taste of beer sitting in Dad’s lap, taking little sips of his Genny Cream. Guys who routinely liberated some Genny Cream from Dad’s garage without necessarily asking. Guys who realize with every passing day that Dad was right about more and more things.

Hey. Wait a minute.

Our dads. They were always so much smarter than us.

******

With the recent change in ownership at High Falls Brewing Company, it brought to mind that there are classics right in our backyard…whether it’s a classic brand from the old Genesee Brewery or a man in black socks and sandals mowing the lawn.

Meet Gary, Social Media Ninja

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Gary Vaynerchuk owns a wine shop in New Jersey named the Wine Library, and also happens to be a social media expert. Now, I understand that you can’t swing a dead cat on the web these days without hitting a “social media expert”, but Gary’s the real deal, i.e. he uses tools like online video and twitter to actually increase sales, seemingly the point of our efforts.

His experience captures a dilemma facing the advertising industry: For very specific brands in very specific categories, digital technology will replace a big chunk of the “traditional” advertising spend. And with a bit of courage and panache, clients can do it themselves. This quote from an article in the New York Times on Gary’s approach sums it up:

“Last December, seeking to enhance sales, he offered free shipping and promoted it three ways. Direct marketing cost $15,000 and brought in 200 new customers; a billboard cost $7,500 and won 300 new customers; and tweeting the promotion on Twitter attracted 1,800 new customers.”

Sales up, costs down, and he’s humanized the store. I’m the first person to say that for 99% of brands, apps like facebook make little sense. People don’t want to be friends with detergent. But there will be exceptions and there’s more to social media than facebook. Here’s my free advice to agencies: have a point of view, educate your clients, and experiment like crazy under your own roof. Unlike Gary, most will want a partner.

Matt Jones

What’s your pepperoncini?

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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?

Kodak.com shows the way

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Kodak's New HomepageKeeping a strong idea intact through each stage of the creative development process isn’t for sissies. But if you think its tough when developing a print ad, try designing a homepage. The process begins with good intentions – make it intuitive, prioritize messaging, retain the brand’s distinctive qualities, etc. – but can quickly devolve into a land rush.

So congrats to Kodak on their re-designed homepage. Usable, impactful, true to the brand. Downright gutsy. And check out this post from Paulette at Kodak’s blog for a visual description of the process. Sounds like the tight timeline helped – if it’s due tomorrow, it doesn’t sit in approval meetings subject to over thinking.

If you still want more, visit Canon for a comparison. Which company looks like they have passion for the business?

Matt Jones

Burnett’s ’09 Predictions

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Leo Burnett’s UK office just released predictions for 2009 via Youtube. Here’s an opinionated review:

2 things I like
1. They have a point of view on our times
2. They’re using the web to spread it quickly

3 things I don’t
1. Cliché packed – “pace of change is accelerating”, “tipping point”, “brands are vehicles”; check, check, and check
2. Conventional wisdom packaged as trends, e.g. trust is critical to brands, organizations that go the extra mile will prosper, etc
3. Excessive animation distracts

Skeptics of account planning will find much to dislike (and have). But my own prediction is that it results in client inquiries, i.e. “can you come talk to my team on your ’09 predictions”. Then they can offer specific and actionable suggestions. If that’s the case, score 1 for LB.

What do you think?

Matt Jones