In TV Advertising, Timing is Everything

While recently feeding my Discovery Channel addiction, I noticed an interesting juxtaposition that had me giggling and calling friends. The latest E-trade ad shows their trader spokes-infant making fun of an adult trying to get rich by buying lottery tickets. (I'm not sure Lotto is much worse than the stock market these days, but I digress.) The next ad was from the NY Lottery and featured their newest offering, Powerball.

Somewhere there is an ad buyer who should seriously question their choice of career. And the NY Lottery folks need to pay attention to where their ad dollars are going. Geeez!

Early Adopters vs. Trend-Setters

We only recently loaded our bird feeders, since the winter has been so snow-free 'till now. The progression of "customers" has been very interesting.

At first we got a pair of chicadees and no one else. (the "early adopters"). Woodpeckers and others watched from the periphery, but didn't partake. For days this went on.

One day a pair of tufted titmice (little Mohawks on top - really) showed up. Within an hour the woodpeckers jumped in. More titmice arrived, attracting a small flock of cardinals. It's evident the titmice are "trendsetters" in the bird feeder world.

The human world works the same way. It's nice to appeal to the chicadees, but you really want to capture the attention of the tufted titmice.

Note to Princess Cruise Lines: Selling class means acting classy

A friend and I recently went shopping for a vacation. I've been on 3 Princess cruises and they send me weekly emails telling me I'm in their "captains club", eligible for special offers. So I tried to take advantage of this "special" eligibility.

Of course their web site did not recognize me. I called their help line, and was assured the problem would be fixed. Two days later I called again, with the same result. Two more days of calling and emailing their "customer care" agent. Guess what? Still no access and no recognition that this would be my 4th cruise. The manager I finally got on the phone wouldn't or couldn't look up my cruise history and suggested I call my travel agent. Yeah, right.

We're sailing on Norwegian.

Bottom line: if you're selling class, you need to run your business the same way. Customers looking for class will pay extra, but God help you if you disappoint them. That's when they vote with their feet. Permanently.

Is this deceptive or just smart marketing?

I watched an ad from Dodge on TV last night. Their tagline was "the longest lasting line of trucks in America". Now my dad had a Dodge truck, and it started falling apart as he drove it off the dealer's lot. In a couple of years there wasn't a spot on it that wasn't rotting away or falling off.

Hence my skepticism.

Then I thought it over. The tagline did not say "line of longest lasting" - it said "longest lasting line". Which really means that the "Ram" line has been around a long time. The actual trucks may drop dead immediately after sale, but Dodge has been selling Rams for a long time.

Interesting approach.

Would you buy anything from Citicard's new spokesperson?

Citicard's new TV ads feature a snarling, heavily accented spokesman who triggers every Gestapo storm trooper image in my head into overdrive. I can't be the only person with this reaction. I feel like I'm watching a negative political ad of the worst kind. I realize it's intended to be humorous, and people under the age of 25 may take it that way. For me, it evokes the movie "The Producers", but only the negative parts.

If Citibank is aiming at a young market (skinheads?) the ad may work - it certainly is memorable. For the rest of us, and I assume that includes an older market segment with more disposable income, the ads are a definite turnoff. What on earth were they thinking?!?!?

Bottom line: developing an effective marketing message demands testing, testing and more testing. Don't just ask your yes-men for their opinions. Ask your mother.

The 3 secrets of marketing; exposure, exposure and exposure.

The weather has finally gotten cold enough to force me into that most hated of fall tasks: taking in the air conditioner. There's nothing like crumbling foam, spiders galore and stinky water sloshing around in the bottom tray to bring joy to the process.

However, even this cloud had a silver lining. Our A/C unit is a Fridgadare. It says so on the panel, on the instructions, and even on the plug. You can't ignore it.

I just noticed that the name is printed in large, black letters on the outside of the unit. Brilliant! Everyone walking or driving by outside sees our little billboard hanging there from the window. A defacto recommendation, free advertising, and perfect product placement.

Bottom line: unlike car makers, put your name and logo everywhere - on all 6 sides of your product packaging, on your shirt, on your car, on your hat. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Kinda like that tree in the forest...

Sometimes your best marketing solution walks through the door, disguised as a customer.

I recently helped a local optometrist improve an ad for her local newspaper. She had created one with the help of the paper's staff, and it said all the "right" things: Great selection, great service, all insurance accepted, etc.

She showed me the copy and my first reaction was "so what?". Every optometrist claims great selection and service, and none would be in business without accepting insurance.

She needs our old friend competitive differentiation.

We chatted about why she was advertising. She had just moved her business across the river (a very small river) and was worried about her clients following her to the new location. It's about 8 miles as the crow flies. But then she mentioned that one elderly client had just come in and commented that after trying the closest optician, he decided to make the drive due to the fabulous personal care he felt he received from this doctor.

Eureka - a testimonial and a reason for being all in one! Testimonials are vital to small business advertising and competitive differentiation. I suggested she call him and ask if she could use his statement in her ad. I also suggested accentuating the "fabulous personal care" he spoke of - something that is sorelyy lacking these days in health care.

Souped up with the testimonial and a new focus on personal care, the ad hit the streets shortly thereafter. Many of her old customers saw the ad and realized what they were missing - just 8 miles "across the river". They started coming back, and new customers perked up too.

All based on a chat about someone she had seen that day. Sometimes the best solution walks through the door. Watch for it.