| When you hear the word "marketing" what comes | | | | muscle that Coke put behind it, the Coke- |
| to mind? More business or wasted money? If | | | | |
| your experience with marketing or advertising | | | | drinking public decided they were quite |
| has been less than positive your cynicism may | | | | happy with the old Coke. Another case |
| be well founded. Yet, have you ever noticed a | | | | |
| competitor with a mediocre product and a | | | | involves a new tropical hotel. Eager to |
| healthy business? The difference is often | | | | jump-start his business the owner got tour |
| marketing.Some say they've never done | | | | |
| marketing and don't need to because of good | | | | directors and travel writers to check it out |
| word- | | | | and hopefully generate some good buzz. |
| | | | |
| of-mouth. Positive word-of-mouth is great, | | | | Problem was, the hotel wasn't finished. Had |
| but not enough if you're serious about | | | | he waited a couple more months he |
| | | | |
| growing your business. Others do invest in | | | | would've gotten great reviews. Now he'll be |
| marketing yet treat it as a necessary evil. | | | | lucky if those tour directors and writers |
| | | | |
| The problem with that mindset is that it's | | | | give him another shot.If businesses spent |
| driving with the brakes on. Those people | | | | less energy trying to sell their product and |
| | | | more on improving |
| sabotage their efforts by making poor | | | | |
| decisions, taking half-measures and often | | | | it, they'd have more success in the long |
| | | | run.Follis Fact #3 Great marketing will make |
| resisting anything innovative.When asked | | | | a bad product fail faster.When product, |
| about the "one big key" to marketing success | | | | client, and marketing are all exceptional the |
| I reply that there's | | | | results can be a |
| | | | |
| nothing more important than a "marketing | | | | beautiful thing -- even if it doesn't start |
| mindset". A marketing mindset is an | | | | off that way."Let me get this straight...you |
| | | | want my commercial to start with my |
| attitude, a way of thinking, that values and | | | | competitor's |
| embraces the power of marketing. If you | | | | |
| | | | tagline?"That was the company president's |
| look at the companies and brands that are | | | | response when I presented the concept. I |
| most successful -- Nike, Microsoft, | | | | guess I |
| | | | |
| Virgin, Trump, Saturn, Kenneth Cole, etc -- | | | | couldn't blame him. Recommending that he put |
| you'll find someone at the top with a | | | | $350,000 behind a TV spot that |
| | | | |
| marketing mindset. People like Trump, Cole, | | | | began with his main competitor's tagline may |
| and Virgin's Richard Branson may have | | | | not have seemed like the smartest |
| | | | |
| it instinctively. For most, however, it's a | | | | idea. Yet, I knew my concept was strong -- |
| learned attribute. So, if you don't have a | | | | if I could articulate it. But, before I |
| | | | |
| marketing mindset yet, keep reading and | | | | continue, let me step back and explain the |
| start to get one.Follis Fact #1 You need a | | | | scenario.Sorrell Ridge Fruit Spreads was an |
| Marketing Mindset.Attracting vs. ChasingA guy | | | | unknown all-natural "spreadable fruit" |
| sees a beautiful woman in a bar, tracks down | | | | product |
| her name and number, calls her | | | | |
| | | | (ie. jam) that had been selling in health |
| up and says, "Hi, my name is Joe and I'm | | | | food stores. Now, the tiny brand was ready |
| great in bed." That's cold calling. Another | | | | |
| | | | to battle the big guys on the grocery |
| guy sees a beautiful woman in a bar and | | | | shelves of America. The main competitor and |
| gives her a napkin that says, "I'm Bill and | | | | |
| | | | undisputed leader in the category was |
| I'm great in bed." That's direct marketing. | | | | Smucker's. Smucker's had a 30-year history |
| A third guy sees a beautiful woman in a | | | | |
| | | | during which it built one of the strongest, |
| bar, has his ex-girlfriend go up to her and | | | | most positive brand images in history. |
| say, "See that cute guy over there? He's | | | | |
| | | | Their tagline, "With a name like Smucker's |
| my ex, his name is Tom, and he's really | | | | it has to be good", was famous and |
| great in bed." That's PR. Last guy walks into | | | | |
| | | | endeared by the American public. What's |
| | | | more, their ad budget was about 20 times |
| a bar, a beautiful woman approaches him and | | | | |
| says, "Hi, my name is Courtney and I | | | | that of tiny Sorrell Ridge. To say we needed |
| | | | a kick-ass campaign is an |
| hear you're really great in bed." That's | | | | |
| effective marketing.Attraction is the essence | | | | understatement. But Smucker's was |
| of marketing. When you create enough desire | | | | vulnerable. Their preserves were mostly high |
| to get your | | | | |
| | | | fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, and |
| prospect to come to you, they'll always be | | | | little fruit. Sorrell Ridge, on the other |
| more predisposed to buying. That bares | | | | hand, |
| | | | |
| repeating. When you create enough desire to | | | | was all fruit. It was a big competitive |
| get your prospect to come to you, | | | | difference and the stage was set for a |
| | | | classic |
| they'll always be more predisposed to | | | | |
| buying. The challenge, of course, is that | | | | David vs. Goliath battle. So, back to our |
| your | | | | meeting..."You want my commercial to start |
| | | | with my competitor's tagline?""The idea here |
| prospect is elusive prey. So, imagine the | | | | isn't to promote Smucker's tagline, it's to |
| first rabbit hunters. They'd exhaust | | | | dismantle it," I replied |
| | | | |
| themselves using spears and rocks until a | | | | passionately. The president's eyebrows |
| more evolved Neanderthal got the idea of | | | | raised. I then walked him through the simple |
| | | | |
| using carrots. Or, imagine the girl who | | | | 30-second TV spot which opened with the |
| desperately wants a date, but can't | | | | Smucker's tagline filling the screen...With a |
| | | | name like Smucker's it has to be good.The |
| understand why she scares guys away when she | | | | announcer began: "For 30 years Smucker's has |
| chases them. Unfortunately, too | | | | been telling us they have to be |
| | | | |
| many businesses act like that girl chasing | | | | good. But in fact, Smucker's Preserves is |
| for a date by putting lots into selling and | | | | mostly corn syrup, refined sugar, and only |
| | | | |
| nothing into marketing.Follis Fact #2 It's | | | | some fruit." At the mention of each |
| always better to attract than chase.Expense | | | | ingredient a pair of hands popped up from the |
| vs InvestmentThose who don't understand | | | | |
| marketing view it as an expense. Those with a | | | | |
| | | | bottom of the TV screen and patched over the |
| | | | last line of type, "it has to be good," |
| marketing mindset know it's an investment. | | | | |
| They know that, if done right, it can | | | | with a succession of modifications starting |
| | | | with "it's probably good", to "it might be |
| excite their prospects and produce a great | | | | |
| return. "Done right" means well- | | | | good," and finally, "is it really so good?" |
| | | | We then cut to the Sorrell Ridge jar as the |
| researched, well-managed, and generally | | | | |
| handled by someone who knows what | | | | announcer explained that "Sorrell Ridge is |
| | | | 100% fruit." The final stake in the heart |
| they're doing. Regarding expense, being a | | | | |
| small business is a bad excuse to do | | | | was our tagline which played directly off |
| | | | Smucker's:Sorrell Ridge. With 100% fruit, it |
| nothing. Start small, but do something. | | | | has to be better.Holding my breath, I glance |
| There are plenty of cost-effective, non- | | | | over at the Sorrell Ridge president who now |
| | | | looked like |
| traditional ways to do a test. So, if you | | | | |
| want to grow, you can't afford not to develop | | | | a kid on Christmas morning. I then presented |
| | | | a "50 cents off" coupon ad with side- |
| | | | |
| a marketing plan.Determine your Objective | | | | by-side visuals of each jar positioned under |
| and BudgetLike building a house it starts | | | | their respective tagline. Like the TV, it |
| with a solid foundation. Start with a clear | | | | |
| objective. | | | | was simple, but compelling, and he loved it. |
| | | | But now came the legal questions. |
| The more specific you make it, the better | | | | |
| you can develop an effective plan to | | | | Could we even do it? After some nail-biting |
| | | | delays, and a few minor copy changes, |
| achieve it. If your company has no marketing | | | | |
| director to create a plan, get help. A | | | | the lawyers gave us the green light. But not |
| | | | without stern warnings that there was |
| marketing plan is critical and it involves | | | | |
| the analysis of key market factors such as:- | | | | no guarantee that Smucker's wouldn't sue. To |
| the nature and traits of your product.- the | | | | the president's credit, he pulled the |
| exact audience you're targeting.- the | | | | |
| competitive environment.- the traits of your | | | | trigger on the campaign and we held our |
| industry/category.- the maturity of your | | | | breath.We didn't have to hold it long. Sales |
| business.- timing.Your marketing budget | | | | spiked and within the month were up a full |
| depends upon the analysis of these factors as | | | | 90%. |
| well as your | | | | |
| | | | Our thrilled client immediately doubled his |
| short and long term objectives. For some | | | | media spending by scraping together |
| businesses, 5% of annual sales is plenty to | | | | |
| | | | every dime he could muster. When the dust |
| invest. For others, 10% may not be enough. | | | | finally settled 12 months later, Sorrell |
| Once the marketing goal is determined | | | | |
| | | | Ridge had a 50% national increase while |
| it's easier to determine the budget needed | | | | sales for the entire jams category increased |
| to achieve it.Have a Great ProductAt the risk | | | | |
| of stating the obvious, a big key for | | | | only 3.5%. The Harvard Business Review wrote |
| marketing success is having a great | | | | it up as a case study and Forbes |
| | | | |
| product. In his best-selling book, Purple | | | | wrote it up as a 2-page feature. My partner |
| Cow, marketing guru Seth Godin calls it, | | | | and I got covered in a dozen trade |
| | | | |
| "being remarkable." It's about having a | | | | publications and appeared live on CNBC. And, |
| product or service that's exceptional.Though | | | | despite all our legal fears, Smucker's |
| many non-remarkable products may seem to do | | | | |
| well because of great | | | | never did take action. Everything we said |
| | | | was true and obviously Smucker's knew it. |
| marketing, no long-term success can be | | | | |
| achieved without a great product. In fact, if | | | | Though they probably could've tied us up in |
| | | | court, the last thing they needed was |
| | | | |
| a product is not great, great marketing will | | | | more press. We simply had a better product |
| usually make it fail faster. People will | | | | and we got the message across in an |
| | | | |
| buy it, not like it, and never buy it | | | | exciting way.Follis Fact #4 The better your |
| again.Case in point: Ever see an exciting | | | | product, the better your marketing can |
| teaser for an upcoming movie? It can make a | | | | be.© 2005 John Follis. All rights |
| lot | | | | reserved.John Follis is one of the 12 "Best |
| | | | Advertising Minds of New York" as voted by |
| of people run out and buy a ticket. The | | | | The |
| problem starts a couple of weeks later when | | | | |
| | | | New York Ad Club. His campaigns are in 3 |
| folks see the movie, hate it, and then | | | | college textbooks, he has written for |
| spread the word. Before you know it, the | | | | |
| | | | ADWEEK, and he has taught at 3 New York |
| movie's gone. Here's another case. Remember | | | | universities. Currently, John works on |
| New Coke? If not, you're not alone. It | | | | |
| | | | select projects, consults, and speaks. |
| didn't last long. Despite the marketing | | | | |