Stymied: Marketing

testiMONEYals

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:36:47 GMT

The hottest trend in marketing right now is testimonials. With the popularity of Wikipedia and YouTube and other user-driven websites, companies have found the best sales results come from customers who have been referred by other satisfied customers. These references can come from either friends and family, or from general "buzz" online or around town.

But can you fake it? Some companies want to think so. Nissaan's latest ad campaign puts a "customer" in his new Sentra to live for a week. They document his week and pick highlights for ads (one being a date, most including places he showers). Other companies have simple customer testimonials with snazzy camera work that makes the commercial more exciting to the eye than just a normal person standing and talking, and usually opening or closing with "I'm Mark Smith and this is my [whatever they're selling]." This sort of campaign could potentially work. However, it could also backfire very easily. If the customer believes (even if they already know) for even just a second that the testimonial isn't legitimate, they immediately distrust the company as a whole.

Dove had a very successful campaign a year or two ago with a group of "normal" women (meaning not models). Showing people who truly are from all walks of life being happy and beautiful (despite not necessarily adhering to societal norms of beauty) created a positive link between Dove and positive self-image. The emotional connection Dove created to their own product helped bolster sales. But the key thing to remember before using customer testimonials or other emotional appeals is that people are fickle, and emotions can change dramatically with one false move. Be careful.

luxury bullets

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 20:27:36 GMT

Let me begin by pasting an IM conversation between myself and a coworker from earlier today:

[14:34] ty: im reading a white paper for josh since he's above reading all 49 pages and prefers bulleted lists
[14:34] scott: bullets are better
[14:35] ty: i mean, they are
[14:35] ty: we should all be so lucky to have that luxury
[14:35] ty: bet you've never thought of bullet points as a luxury item before
[14:36] ty: trust me, sooner or later there'll be high end bullet points that you read about in the robb report that only the top 1% of the top 1% can afford
[14:36] ty: they're the hood ornament of the future
[14:39] scott: i think you're on to something...good work.
[14:39] ty: gracias
[14:40] ty: i'll be the first to take it to market. i'll make enough money to afford my own product.
[14:42] scott: a sure sign you've made it

Now, at first I just thought I was being funny, but there's definitely a lesson from this. As the world gets faster and there are more and more demands for time, the most efficiently effective marketing wins out. Nobody's going to take time out of their day to listen to your 30 minute PowerPoint without knowing what they're getting into.

Thus, you have to make a fast, hard pitch that makes the consumer want to explore more. This is why a great website has become so vital for businesses these days. It's not simply a factor of "everyone's got one;" rather, it's probably better to not have a website at all if you cannot provide a level of functionality and usability that will give the consumer the best possible experience with your product before, during, and after purchase.

A well designed and utilized website can serve as the hub for business. The move to the internet is no accident. Online ordering can help streamline production and shipping, and is far easier on the consumer as well. Even before purchasing, however, a consumer visits a company's website becuase he or she has been referred to it from some other source. That source could not possibly contain the amount of information that a website can.

A website is a continuous ad that is far more effective than any tv or pop-up, not only because of the amount of information readily available, but also because it was the consumer's choice to visit the site (whether referred via business card, Google AdWords, TV ad, whatever). By visiting, they have already crossed the threshold of interest in your product. Use the website to seal the deal. It's the most powerful tool you have in your garage of marketing tools.

know yourself, according to the statistics

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 21:23:54 GMT

The first key in building any marketing scheme is to know your audience. For those of you seeking to have an impact with "Generation Y," you may want to skip on over to Josh Thomas's blog (who also just happens to be one of my bosses). He and the other higher-ups are (presenting) at the Cause Marketing Forum annual conference in NYC. Josh's most recent blog is a summary of Carol Cone's presentation on the demographics and interests of Generation Y. The summary: it turns out we care. Unlike some other generations, we care tremendously about how corporations handle themselves in the community. We are also demanding. We have high expectations for our employers, vendors, and selves.

What does this mean for you trying to get to us? Get involved in the community, make a damn good and forward-thinking product, and keep us engaged. We don't ask much.