Tip of the Week

At MB Piland, we know that deep, strategic thinking is imperative to success—not just marketing success—but business success. And we know that thinking on its own isn’t enough. It also has to be paired with smart, targeted tactical executions by some extraordinarily creative people. When you put it all together, that’s the killer combination.

Maybe that's why we love Angy Birds. Here are four things we admire about them (and attributes we strive to share!):

Ford is taking its iconic Crown Victoria out of production. This is probably not big news to consumers who are looking for greener options. But for law enforcement, losing the big, rear-drive sedan is a major problem. Sure, they care about fuel economy. But they also have particular needs that many think only the Crown Vic can deliver.

A story on npr this morning reports that some police departments are "stocking up" because they don't want to part with these powerful, roomy vehicles. It makes me wonder if Ford even took the time to ask this important customer segment about this, or even cared to listen?

MSNBC reports that Ford has assembled an advisory board to help develop a new car for law enforcement. That's so late in the game, it almost feels criminal. We'd rather see the execs at Ford listen and think first—then act on what they offer.

The “Beauty Spy” feature in a recent issue of Lucky gives a thumbs up on a new hair color product from John Frieda. The way the writer describes the product, you know John is doing something right—really right. Though the article is pretty short, half of it is devoted to talking about the gloves that come in the kit. Yes, the gloves.

Lucky says: “We also super-appreciate the real, colorist-quality gloves that come in the kit (instead of the standard miniature-trash-bag-like ones) that make the whole process about 100 percent easier and more precise.” And they're right about the other gloves—trashy at best!

At MB Piland, we’re pretty passionate about thoughtfully designing all customer touchpoints so they create buzz, build brand loyalty and increase sales. John and his people get it—they thought about this

Anyone who watches the USA Network—even casually—has heard its "characters welcome" tagline. USA has become a powerful brand partly because it's developed a theme that's genuine and all-encompasing of the network, the types of shows it airs and most importantly, its viewers.

In a flash, you can easily picture some of the famous (or infamous) characters on USA. Shows like Monk, Burn Notice and Royal Pains have almost rabid cult followings. Bonnie Hammer, the head of USA is credited with its huge successes. Part of her strategy was devising what she calls a "filter" for determining the programming USA will air. Her filter is really a short, but pretty specific checklist:

• The show must star an offbeat lead with a moral center,
• be fun and lighthearted,
• have “blue skies” (i.e. hopeful and aspirational.)

Everyone at USA knows what that stands for. Fans identify with those characters, and that keeps them coming back. Advertisers know it, too.

A true brand isn't just about a logo and tagline. It's about that certain "something" that permeates everything the company is. At MB PIland, we help many clients who often haven't stopped to think about their "filter," or just haven't been able to crystallize it. What's your filter?

Earlier this week, I phoned for someone at a company and got the third degree from the receptionist. This was after I'd already identified myself, given him my company name and said that I was returning a phone call from the boss. "Will she know who you are?" the receptionist asks. Yes, I say politely (while I think "duh"). "Will she know what this is about?" Hmmm, I'm pretty sure she knows why she called me in the first place.

After the interrogation, I'm put on hold to be transferred. The person answering the phone seems to have no idea the screening has taken place—I can tell by the way she answers the phone. This has happened to all of us on more than one occasion.

Marketing 101 has taught us that getting input from target audiences is important to developing sound marketing strategy. (At MB Piland, understanding the target audience is a key part Audience Intel™ that we conduct.) But like anything else, if you want quality results, do your due diligence as you plan and develop your instrument. Put another way: garbage in, garbage out. So make it good in order to make it count.

A wise tidbit from our friend Shari Wilson at Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education:  "Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them." —Alfred North Whitehead

Today, almost everyone I've talked to has told me that this week went by in about an hour. Or at least it's felt like that. Technology has allowed us (forced us?) to do so many things so rapidly, that it can be really easy to get sucked into just "doing." There's nothing wrong with being productive. In fact, we have to be. A lot of people rely on you to accomplish tasks, to keep things moving. But are you really thinking while you're busy doing, or are you actually on auto-pilot?

 

We're fanatics about branding and consistecy in communications. Why? One obvious answer is that since your brand is your most valuable asset, you have to be sure you're really protecting the investment you've made. Developing, building and maintaining a brand costs time and money. Everything—and I mean everything—you do and say around your brand can strengthen or weaken the story you want to tell.

It's the season for a lot of trade shows. Shows specifically for the trade, or for the consumer are everywhere.  At MB Piland, we've been helping a number of clients get ready for the big shows in their industries... and we've attended a few shows lately, too. What's very apparent is that some exhibitors have arrived at the show with a plan. Others merely arrived at the show. Some will pack up and go home, excited about all the new orders, or new prospects they've met.  Others will go away scratching their heads—or worse—saying the event was a waste of money. And they may have a point. But they might also have just failed to plan.

There are lots of ways to do a show "right" and "wrong."  If you're exhibiting somewhere soon, here are just a few few DOs and DON'Ts.

Almost every day, we're exposed to multiple enticing discount offers from Groupon, Deal of the Day, Retail Me Not, FourSquare and practically zillions of others. About 15 years ago, Payless ShoeSource pretty much pioneered "Buy 1 Get 1" and internally referred to it as BOGO. Now, many retailers are offering BOGO and most consumers understand what that means—and take advantage of it.

If you have't yet stumbled across Soul Pancake, you're in for a treat. It's a website with lots of tips, thought-provoking questions and kick starts for new ideas. This week, some questions posed are "What should the 11th commandment be?" and "What risks do you take when unleashing your creativity?" Answering questions like these is a great way to start an internal brainstorming s

The Associated Press reports that Downy is doing a cross promotion with Macy's, pitching the fabric softener as a sleep aid—all via displays in Macy's windows. P&G will promote the product with a 7-day live window display featuring comic Mike Birbiglia in one of its stores next week. Birbiglia talks about sleepwalking in his routines, so it sounds like a good fit. He's set to interact with fans and actually sleep there for a week!! The effort will be supported with Twitter and Facebook and television ads.

I'm not sure, but I'm assuming Macy's expects to sell some beds or linens from the promotion, and certainly drive traffic. This is a great example of a well-integrated, well-strategized marketing campaign that uses a mix of traditional, non-traditional and social media. And in this case, stands to benefit more than one advertiser. You can expect there will be a lot of earned media, too, becuase this has some sensational news opportunities.

At MB Piland, we always look for ways to stretch our client's budgets to the max—at the same time, we make sure the efforts have a strong strategic foundation. I think this promotion could be a winner.

We have some killer ideas that would help them get even more mileage from this promotion:

• Though I'm weary of flash mobs, they might stage impromptu public pillow fights.
• Or what about fans that  blow the fragrance of the Downy out to people walking past the windows?
• Could they have a contest to see who could snore the loudest?

We're curious about the results and we'll be watching. You can read the story here.

—Martha

4 Things About New Year's (Business) Resolutions

It's barely mid-January, and I'm hearing some people have already let their fresh, new plans for self improvement fall by the wayside. Some have jokingly told me that they've resolved not to make any resolutions so they won't have any to break. And then there are the over-achievers who make a bunch of resolutions and keep them all.

Let me be the voice of moderation. Resolving to stop swearing or drinking Diet Coke really doesn't amount to much in the scheme of things. But have you stopped to think about a resolution (or two) for your marketing? Here are four suggestions to get you started that could add up to a lot.