How much attention are we really giving what is on our screens?

Research conducted in the US by Burst Media has found that more than eight in ten internet users also do some offline activity while they are online. And topping the list of other activities, with three out of five internet users doing it? - Watching the television. I have to admit that this is something I do at home on a regular basis, and I know I’m not the only one.

After television, the next most popular offline activity to multi-task with was found to be job-related activities (with 33% doing this), then reading a book (31.1%), reading a magazine or newspaper (29.7%) and talking on a mobile phone (23.6%). Again, I can put my hands up to doing most of these, although I haven’t read a book at the same time since my uni days and I would usually only read something else at the same time if I was working on something, but it has been done.

What does all this mean for marketers who are using the internet as a primary channel in their campaigns though? Well, as Debra Williamson, senior analyst at e-marketer remarks, we should "Keep in mind that many of these activities are not representative of true multitasking", indeed "It's one thing to go online with the radio playing in the background, but it's all but impossible to read text on a Web page and in a newspaper at the same time. Consumers are switching focus, rather than multitasking." "Still, anytime your attention is divided, your ability to recall and comprehend ad messages is impacted."

So what can marketers do then to combat this lack of attention from those reading their messages online? The advice it seems is to tackle your target market from more than one angle, using different types of media. As Ms Williamson points out, "TV and the Internet have long been multitasking buddies," and so "It makes sense to create ad messages that resonate across media."

Although the data collected was from US online users, I would hazard a guess that the same type of data would be found here in the UK if online users were polled. And aside from these results having an impact on those using the internet as their primary channel of communication, it also has an impact on those using other channels such as newspapers, television, etc, as it also means that while they are engaged in viewing/reading those messages they are also turning their attention elsewhere at the same time.

I concede that this research isn’t actually telling us anything we don’t already know, but it’s always good to be reminded that your customers are going to have other messages vying for their attention at the same time, whether you are marketing to consumers or businesses. Because at the end of the day, ultimately you are marketing to human beings, who will have more to do with their day than sit down and digest the message you wish to send them.

So, lesson to be learned? Make your marketing as good as it can be and use more than one channel to put your message across. Otherwise it’ll get lost in the clutter of everyday life... Now, did your attention hold out this far?

100th Post

So, it’s our 100th post today. To be honest I completely forgot until I came to post it, so it’s not an all-singing, all-dancing breakthrough insight into marketing. Hopefully though, it will give you a little to think about though.

I saw this quote today on The Hidden Persuader, via Room 116 and thinking about adverts such as Sony Bravia and the recent Cadbury spot I found it quite interesting and quite apt in current times. It also made me question once again how much of advertising is about selling the product and how much is just sheer art. I would argue however that a healthy dose of self obsession is often required in art, and I’m sure is probably often prevalent in those working in the advertising industry also (but let’s not generalise here – in ANY industry).

Another reason it made me think was because, on a personal level, I always enjoyed art at school but decided not to pursue it because I didn’t fancy the life of a starving artist. Plus, truth be told I didn’t feel I was that fantastic at it that I could actually make a career out of it. However, I still wanted to do something creative and ended up choosing marketing as I felt it would give me the opportunity to use my creativity in a variety of ways. I wonder how many in advertising and marketing as a whole made that very same decision? Hmmm...

To everyone that’s been reading so far – thanks - I hope you enjoy the next 100!

Mission statements

Mission statements can be a good thing, a very good thing if you actually believe in them and follow them. Unfortunately though, all too often organisations come up with one that uses a lot of words to say very little which doesn’t actually mean anything to the company or its customers anyway.

If you want a mission statement that really does communicate what your company is all about, take the time to look at your objectives and goals and make it as simple as possible. If you just want something that sounds fancy however, why don’t you use this handy Mission statement generator.

Ours came out as “We are dedicated to helping the highest quality stakeholder value with expansion through added value second to none” – perfect!

Training your way to better marketing

A really great reason to love marketing is that it's not akin to brain surgery.

Sure, there's enough to know about to keep University lecturers in jobs. We're talking paradigms and models and theories which are overturned seemingly every fortnight with the newer, the more relevant and more innovative. Although in the grand scheme of things, the marketing which should matter to you, i.e. that which will make a big positive difference to the success of your business is very much something you can learn.

And we can teach you.

Not that I'd dare forget the brilliant creative people out there. Sure, great marketing also takes great talent, enthusiasm and commitment. The creative work we've showcased right here on this blog (and dare I say in AME Marketing's portfolio) is testament to our wonderful, vibrant, effervescent industry. But saying, "Oh I have no talent or creativity! Marketing is not for me!" is not a very good excuse. At AME Marketing we don't believe that such qualities are innate. Your latent abilities can be brought out, nurtured and developed.

This year, AME Marketing will be delivering a series of marketing training workshops to teach you about marketing, in the areas we believe you'll receive most benefit. We're talking about building marketing strategies, researching your customers and obtaining valuable insights about them, promoting your web presence, communicating benefits to customers creatively and promoting your business in ways that don't require you to spend a huge advertising budget.

All the workshops are free to attend and will be taking place right here at AME Towers, aka our offices in Prestwick. You'll get to come along for a morning, see a marketing agency "in action", learn something useful for your business and leave with enough information to put what you've learned into practice.

Want to know some more about the workshops? Well, have a gander.

Workshop 1: ‘Copywriting Masterclass’ – Tuesday 4th September 2007
Want to multiply the selling power of your marketing communications? This enjoyable and interactive workshop will show you how to market your business the ‘write’ way!

Workshop 2: ‘A guide to Search Engine Optimisation’ – Tuesday 9th October 2007
Got a web site? Want to increase its ranking on search engines? We tell you everything you need to know. Receive a comprehensive report on your site, covering search engine and web site functionality!

Workshop 3: ‘Market research, do or die!?’ – Tuesday 20th November 2007
Want to know why research is essential for your business? We show you how to properly research your market with any budget, and what might happen if you don’t!

Workshop 4: ‘Strictly Come Marketing’ – Tuesday 5th February 2008
Discover how marketing is like any good dance routine! You can learn and master it in just ten steps!

Workshop 5: ‘Promotion, beyond advertising!’ – Tuesday 11th March 2008
Save your marketing budget by introducing yourself to the wider world of promotion! We show you the methods that will save you money and, ultimately, increase your chances of success!

Workshop 6: ‘All the signs tells us you need a marketing plan!’ – Tuesday 29th April 2008
Why is marketing planning so important? We show you how, with smart objectives and a clear set of marketing activities in place, your business can meet and even exceed its targets!

Attendance at the workshops is open to any shape or size of business, but places are limited. If you'd like to attend any of the events, all you have to do is call us on 01292 678920 to book your place.

So, just to remind you, reason 14 to fall in love with marketing is this one. Marketing has much to teach you and you can develop your skills and talents in the area with just a little time, effort and training. And the icing on the cake is that you'll use the skills and talents you've learned to make a real difference to the fortunes of your business.

Mary, Queen of Marketing

Thanks to the wonderful invention that is the PVR, over the past two weekends I've been indulging in a little retail marketing therapy. Mary Queen of Shops is the BBC2 series during which celebrated retail clever-clogs Mary Portas takes four down-in-the-dumps boutiques, gives them a proper shake by their shabby lapels and transforms them into bustling fashion emporiums.

"I'm Mary," narrates the show's star consultant at the beginning of each episode. "What I don't know about shops isn't worth knowing." With this in mind, I must admit I wasn't too sure how I'd get on with Mary. I know that some business owners don't take too kindly to consultants who are too quick to profess their superior intellect and my first instinct was that I'd dislike her know-it-all attitude.

The big surprise then was that I instantly fell in love with her no-nonsense but caring approach. Sure, she's met with the typical brick walls - no belief in the marketing function, zero budgets, marketing myopia, etc. - but she excels at overcoming them by communicating her unwavering belief in what she knows is right. What she might be saying is, "it's my way or the highway," but she also manages to convince her clients that she only has their best interests at heart. It's a powerful motivator.

Whilst I wouldn't dare belittle her achievements in the fashion retail industry (after all, her reputation in the sector speaks for itself), I'd argue that what Mary really knows about is marketing. In the two episodes I've seen so far, what's common is that the retailers are missing a proper understanding of their customer needs. Indeed, without a clear and resolute focus on customers and their unique tastes and habits, these businesses have dangerously lost their way in the jungle that is the fashion market. As Mary teaches them, all they need to do to turn their businesses around is obtain some insider information about what makes their customers tick, then aggressively deliver exactly that.

And it works. With some clever market segmentation - customers are described as "Disciples of Beckham" and "The Forever 40s", for example - some real insights into what makes these segments unique and some inspired marketing communication, these boutiques see sudden and often dramatic turnarounds in their fortunes.

The truth is that what Mary is teaching them isn't rocket science. But she's brilliantly showing us all how marketing can take a tired old business and transform it into a powerful, dynamic and ultimately more profitable one. Need a reason to love marketing? Personally, I can't think of a better one.

Quote of the day

"I have always believed that writing advertisements is the second most profitable form of writing. The first, of course, is ransom notes..."

Philip Dusenberry

Some favourite International blunders

Many of you will already be aware of some of the blunders large companies have made when entering new markets abroad. But, for those of you who are not I thought I’d share a few of my favourites.

Firstly, product names:

- Clairol had a curling iron named the "Mist Stick." They introduced the product in Germany, to later find out that "mist" was German slang for manure.

- Over in Italy, Schweppes Tonic Water’s campaign found that the name translated into Schweppes Toilet Water. Maybe not the most desirable of soft drinks.

- And in China, the most famous product name blunder of them all – Coca-Cola. When it was first introduced there in the 1920s they wanted to have the English pronunciation of “Coca-Cola”. A translator used a group of Chinese characters that when pronounced sounded like the product name. They were promptly put on the cola bottles and marketed. But they never sold well. Why? The company later discovered that when the characters were translated they meant, “a wax flattened mare” or “bite the wax tadpole.” Yea, I wonder why it never sold well? Needless to say, Coca-Cola changed the characters and the new characters translate to “happiness in the mouth.” A bit better than a tadpole in it.

Next, packaging:

- Apart from the connotations of colours in different countries, for example, white symbolising death in Japan, green representing danger or disease in Malaysia, sometimes the actual pictures on packaging can cause problems. One such example of this was when a baby food manufacturer tried to sell jars of baby food in an African country using a label showing a happy baby. Seems fine? The problem was that most of the prospective customers were illiterate and could only determine the contents by looking at the label. The picture gave them the impression they would actually be purchasing bottled babies. Probably not what most were planning on buying.

Lastly, and my favourite, slogans:

- Coors beer slogan "Turn it loose" didn’t quite translate so well in Spanish, it meant, “Suffer from diarrhea" – nice!

- The Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux also used a catchy slogan in an American campaign: - "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux." I don’t if this was a complete blunder however, as there’s certain irony to it. I doubt they were trying to be ironic though.

- Salem cigarettes tag line "Feeling Free" was roughly translated in Japanese to mean "feeling so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty." Was it just tobacco they contained?

- An American T-shirt manufacturer printed shirts for the Latin market commemorating the Pope's visit to Miami. Instead of reading, "I saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read, "I saw the potato" (la papa). No difference there.

- Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" translated in Chinese to "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave." No mean feat.

- Perdue Chicken's had a slogan "It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken" when read by Spanish audiences it translated as "It takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate." Hmmmm.

- Finally, Spanish-speaking audiences in Southern California were asked, "Got milk?" To them it meant, "Are you lactating?"

And now I’ve provided you with a little amusement to make your Friday pass a little quicker, I’m off for a wax tadpole…

Thought for the day

I read this in Research today and thought it was a very interesting statistic. A case of extreme double standards, but then, I have to admit I’ve been guilty of the same:

“87% of Brits and 89% of Americans believe firms should behave in a responsible manner, but only 4% and 5% would refuse to buy a product because of poor company ethics, according to a study from Millward Brown.”

Research, May 07

Good old Powerpoint

Powerpoint seems to get a hard time of it and some of my fellow bloggers of late have been sticking up for the medium. I thought I’d also throw in my tuppence worth.

Don’t get me wrong, I have watched many a poor Powerpoint presentation and in my earlier days produced a few bad presentations myself. Too much information per slide, text too small to read properly, complete lack of any excitement in the slides, a template that takes away from what is actually being said. I’m sure many of you have committed the same crimes.

But, as I produced more presentations and actually started to research what makes a good presentation and put some planning in beforehand, my presentations improved. Surprise, surprise. I wholeheartedly agree with my more experienced bloggers – blame the presenter, not the medium. I mean, do we blame cinema as a whole for a rubbish film? Powerpoint is only what you make of it. And while I have admitted to seeing some very poor presentations, I have also witnessed many excellent presentations.

Dan Taylor writes a great article in defence of Powerpoint which offers 8 golden rules for your presentations. Some may seem quite simple or obvious, but it’s often the most obvious things that we ignore or forget. And for me at least, the most difficult thing is trying to be ruthless. As Stan points out though, the use of the notes section in Powerpoint can help surmount this problem.

Funnily enough, as with almost any marketing activity you conduct, by planning and considering who your audience are, you can produce something very effective. I know I’m just reiterating what others have already said, but it still amazes me how often these two important points are overlooked. Then, instead of blaming ourselves or the creator, we blame the media. Granted, Powerpoint has provided us with the tools to produce monstrosities, but it has also provided us with the tools to produce something spectacular. The finished product is down to us. Damn.

Thoughts on promotion

“Being noticed is not the same as being remarkable. Running down the street naked will get you noticed, but it won’t accomplish much. It’s easy to pull off a stunt, but not useful.”

The Guardian, January 2007

Do I agree? Well, yes and no. Is it important to get noticed – of course and I would say it is also useful to get noticed. If your potential customers have never heard of you, they are never going to buy your products. But, yes, I would agree that running down the street naked is not going to do that job for you.

I would argue though that stunts and indeed any promotional activity, if appropriate to your products / services can be effective in raising your profile and getting press coverage. But the key is making sure that it is relevant. And as with any marketing activity, planning will help to ensure success. Consider what your target audience is interested in, where you are likely to find them and make sure that any communication you send your audience supports what you have sent before. By all means try a (relevant) stunt every now and then if you wish, but don’t rely on them.

I’ll leave you with the thoughts of the Chartered Institute of Marketing:

“Promotion must gain attention, be appealing, tell a consistent message and above all else give the customer a reason to choose your product rather than someone else’s.”

Inspiration

I read two interesting posts yesterday on the subject of culture jamming. The first can be found at wowee, wow, a lovely blog from a copywriter in Germany, written in English and the second from she sees red, a blog from an instillation artist from Australia that I only discovered yesterday through Seb’s blog. Check them both out.

Although the posts were not exactly on the subject of inspiration, it got me thinking about how people are inspired, especially in marketing. Although much of our work here may be strategic, we do get to work on creative projects as well, and especially in my case, I look to many different sources each week to find subjects to write about in our blog.

According to Wikipedia, the word inspiration literally means ‘breathed upon’ and has its origins in Hellenism and Hebraism. It is a sudden burst of creativity which is irrational and unconscious.

So, where do I look when I want such a revelation?

Well, unsurprisingly, often my first stop is the Internet and the posts of my fellow bloggers. I always like to see what has caught people’s attention this week and what their take on it has been. Other sources of inspiration, and what led me from the above posts to my current train of though, is art. Art in its traditional sense, street art, art in advertising, architecture, performance art, cartoons (yes, I’m counting this in the same category), photography, fashion… Some people get excited about words. I get excited by images. That’s not to say though that I don’t gain inspiration from the words I read, many an ad headline has spurned me on, books that I may have read, news stories, either in the marketing world or just in general. And music. How many compositions and songs have inspired generations of other creatives?

What else? Places I have visited, people I have met, the people I have yet to meet. And, through the wonders of the Internet, people who I am never likely to meet but have struck up correspondence with through blogs and social sites. Things that have happened to me through the week that have made me smile or made me fume, and everything in between. Nature and all its glories… I could go on and on.

There are of course countless other things that inspire people, but I thought I would just share a few that inspire me on a frequent basis.

I started an inspiration pinboard a while ago beside my desk. I’ve been neglecting it a bit of late – other things get in the way and you don’t make time to nurture your creativity. I think I will get back to filling it up once again.

But, linking back to the posts which started off this train of thinking (slightly), where art and marketing / media is concerned, who inspires who? How much does art inspire marketing, in particular I suppose, advertising, and how much in turn does marketing and the media inspire art? And with user-generated content increasing so rapidly, how much in the future will creatives outside the marketing industry shape the industry?

?

I think the next stage of evolution in marketing will be very interesting to watch.

Relationship Marketing?

My apologies for the lack of posts in recent weeks. I was unfortunately struck down with the dreaded lurgy last week and as a result have been a busy bee since I’ve been back. But back I am. So, what’s been on my mind this week? Something I found in an old textbook from University while searching through for some nice quotes on marketing:

“[T]he computer and modern data processing provide the refinement – the means to treat individuals as individuals rather than parts of a large aggregate… [T]he treatment of individuals as individuals will not be an unmixed blessing. Problems concerning the protection of privacy will be large” (Shubick, 1967)

As the book points out, and I will now do the same, the date above is not a misprint; it was in 1967 that this prediction was made. And since that time, ‘relationship marketing’ has increasingly become data driven. Being able to track individual customers and their buying behaviour, calculating lifetime value and producing personalised marketing communications is now very much a reality for companies, allowing for much more targeted and as a result, effective marketing.

So, everything is great for those conducting this “relationship” marketing, but what about the customer? Later on the same page another quote caught my attention, which I feel sums up where a many of the problems of privacy stem from – the lack of permission in this type of marketing:

“[Relationship marketing… requires a two-way flow of information. This does not mean that the customer has to give you this information willingly, or even knowingly. You can use scanners to capture information, you can gather telephone numbers, conduct surveys, supply warranty cards, and use data overlay from outside databases to combine factors, about lifestyle, demographics, geographics and customer purchases.” (Schultz, Tannenaum and Lauterborn, 1993)

And 14 years on not much has changed.

I’m of course not telling you anything new here. And, I’m clearly focussing on the negative, projecting an image of relationship marketing as a fallacy. This is obviously not the case… well at least not all the time.

I’m not suggesting either that every time you want to use technology to inform and drive your marketing you attain the permission of everyone you are going to target with your message. With the very nature of a great deal of marketing, it would be near impossible to gain permission from everyone you are marketing to. However, if you truly want to conduct proper relationship marketing that is exactly what you should be doing - gaining permission from those you want to market to and building a relationship with them.

Because relationships do need two people actively participating to work. Not a revelation I know, but all the same, I think it's worth pointing out.