Atomic Ideas - Helping You Sell More Stuff!

Friday FlashBack. OutPost.com TV Commercial Blasts Gerbils Out Of a Cannon.

Remember the heady days of the dot com explosion? I'm talking about the explosion before the implosion. The salad days, when money was being flung at any shiny new startup with a dot in its name, and millions were being spent on commercials and media to let us all know they existed.

Many of these commercials didn't have a whole lot to say about what the dot coms wanted to sell us, or why they could benefit us. But hey, this was the wild west. A brand new frontier! Marketing 101, schmarketing 101! Who the heck needs that silly stuff when you're all shiny and bright and have a dot in your name? Remember Pets.com, Webvan.com, Kozmo.com and a host of others? If you don't, here's a tattered, fading list of the top ten dot bombs here.

Then again, they were often entertaining while they lasted. And this classic of ambiguous advertising BS created by Cliff Freeman & Partners (also, by the way, out of business), with nary a marketable truth, feature or benifit from Outpost.com is indeed a clasic of the genre (unless you love Gerbils). I'm still chuckling after all these years. So Happy Friday, and enjoy!

 

A Lesson in Good Old-Fashioned Customer Service, Gone Bad.

Try getting an estimate from Hansons Windows here in Southeast Michigan without both the man of the house and little woman present and you'll be in for a fight.

Let's take a trip back to the 1950s.

When my wife Laura, Atomic Ideas' time-stressed, always working President, called to get an estimate to replace our gutters, they essentially (albeit pleasantly) refused to come out unless she could assure them I (the aforementioned man of the house) would be there, too.

Laura, dealing with impending deadlines to get the gutter job done, told them that would be unlikely and that dealing with her alone would be just fine. Hansons, in turn, still refused to come out unless the big guy (me) would be there, too. After several follow up phone calls from Hansons to see if she had arranged for me to be present, Laura politely (and repeatedly) told them it was her or nothing. After more rationalization and push-back from the Hansons rep., Laura was not only mad, she was insulted by their stubborn "Father Knows Best" attitude. She told the rep. she was no longer interested in talking to them.

Bottom line, In the time it took to get three other estimates, Hansons annoyed the heck out of Laura, refused to adapt to her needs, and therefore lost a potential customer... probably for life.

To us in the branding and advertising world, Hansons steadfast refusal to alter a business service model that smacks a little bit of the 1950s, seems a tad ridiculous. 

Sure, we understand that they probably have a higher close rate when both the husband and the wife are present. But let's face it, in the 21st Century, that's asking a lot. Business need to adapt to the circumstances of their customers.

Times have changed.

These days, women initate and make most of the purchasing decisions in the houshould. Then there's the fact that the number of dual income married couples is up to around 54%; households where the wife and hubby are both separately up and on the go from dawn until bedtime juggling work, kids, and what little free time they have left. Unfortunately, just trying to get mom and dad at the dinner table together with the kids these days is a tough proposition.

It's hard to believe that we're the only folks who have been put off by Hansons tactics. In our opinion, their model is flawed and just a little bit insulting. Laura, like all working women (and stay at home moms, too) is perfectly capable of handling the estimate and discussing the information with me so we can both make a decision. Honestly Hansons, that kind of thing really does go on in 2011.

In our case, you can be sure we'll never call Hansons again... a customer lost forever. With everything Hansons has to offer for homeowners, that's a potentially huge price to pay for being intractable. They are still calling us though, offering gift cards and all kinds of other things to try to get us both together for an appointment. Apparently, "too late" is something they don't understand either.

To Hansons we say adieu, and think on this... in today's global consumer landscape, women rule! In other words:

 It is better to have estimated than to not have estimated at all.

                                                                       ~ Anonymous Rocket Scientist

Top 8 Brand Attributes That Could Help Make Donald Trump President in 2012.

At Atomic Ideas, we're all about trying to take the B.S. OUT of brand strategy. But maybe we're blowing smoke. Because Donald Trump is living proof that you can be full of it, yet still rise to the top of the polls. Here we present 8 carefully cultivated brand attributes that are helping "The Donald" be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming presidential race.

1. BRAND IDENTITY: He has a really ritzy logo which clearly and
quickly informs us of his ritziness.

2. BRAND MISSION: Make money. Lose money. Lose other people's money. Go bankrupt. Fix bankruptcy. Marry beautiful women. Divorce them. Lose money. Be a master of spin. Say things I couldn't possibly believe are true... with conviction. Make it all sound like the American dream come true. In other words, strive to be pretty much just like the government and many politicians without ever having been either.

3. UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION (USP): All the others are stupid. Plus, no other Presidential candidate can uncover a birth certificate like I can.

4. VALUE PROPOSITION: "It's better to be a billionaire... Nah, na, na, nah, nah!"

5. BRAND ICON: His hair has become synonymous with success (and bad hairdos), not just in America, but around the world! More recognizable than Nike's swoosh.

6. BRAND FILTER: His brand embodies four Focus Words that are the foundation for his succes;  "You're Fired!" and "F*%K You!" The first two words will rock the White House; the other two (which he tends to toss around like hand grenades) will put all those other pesky nations he'll have to deal with in their place. 'Nuff said, Mr. President!

7. BRAND VALUES: We (me) are (is) driven to buy things that are under-valued and quickly turn them around for profit (including Democrats, if possible).

8. TAGLINE: Don't Miss Celebrity Apprentice. Sundays at 9:00 pm on NBC!

Clearly define these 8 brand attributes for yourself or your business and you too could sell igloos to Eskimos.

Of course, if Trump does trump all the other candidates despite himself, Air Force One and the White House are going to get the best makeovers they've ever had. We can't wait to see the results!

* Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are by no means meant to be a political statement. As an entity, Atomic Ideas is not partisan, bipartisan, Republican, Democrat, Plutocrat, Conservative, Liberal, Independent, or Tea Partyish. Nor do we mean to be inflamatory, wishy-washy, obtuse, esoteric, intellectual, or even believable. So there.

To Bun or Not To Bun, the KFC Question

 

I saw this KFC spot the other night. Yeah, it has all those typical young people with incredulous looks talking about KFC food. It’s all about KFC using a new kind of bun for their Doublicious Chicken Sandwich: they use a Hawaiian Sweet Roll. It’s not a plain hamburger bun (which, apparently, should only be paired with a real hamburger). The Hawaiian Sweet Roll bun’s different shape is what makes KFC’s Doublicious Sandwich a taste sensation in the spot. That’s KFC’s handle- “Never seen a sandwich like this before!” the woman in the spot claims. It seems a unique look is just what was needed, needed to “...make those eleven herbs and spices really come to life.” Yes, looks are everything. 

Now, just when I thought this bun was everything, I discovered this KFC spot on YouTube:

   

Well, how ‘bout that? It’s the KFC Double Down Chicken Sandwich. It features no bun at all. It’s made up of two boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and the Colonel's Sauce (whatever that is). KFC says, “The Double Down is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!” 

These KFC marketers are incredible. They’ve covered it all. The Doublicious is all about how the bun looks. The Double Down, is all about not being able to look at the bun. By the way, they do provide a little grease-proof half paper bag to hold the sandwich’s ingredients together. 

After watching these two spots I’m still left with the impression that they offer little, if any, real consumer benefit. I still think KFC sandwiches are high in calories, high in fat and very high in sodium - all the things most of us need to avoid. And what's with those sandwich names? "Double Down" Is that some kind of bet on whether you'll need bypass surgery or not? What do you think?

On my Steeb-O-Meter, (a rating system for evaluating projects on film, video, music, television and print on a scale  of 1 - 63) I'm giving each spot a 27.

 

Could you just make the logo bigger?

My friend Russ pointed this story out to me last week from Ad Age: apparently The GAP redesigned their logo and slipped it onto their site last week. It seems, the online public noticed it quickly and vigorously voiced their opinion of the change: they hated it. People thought it was uninteresting, average, uninspiring and lacking in any direction. Also, the question of “why?” came up a lot. What was broken that had to be fixed?

Well, since that story broke, The GAP listened and pulled the new logo and returned to the familiar white type in a blue box logo. GAP North American president Marka Hansen admitted, in so many words, they had made a mistake. She also said that they would not evolve a new logo through “crowd sourcing,” – a plan that was initially offered last week to help ease Gap fans’ logo dislike.

How does something like this happen? Why change the company logo that’s been around for over twenty years? They changed it to an upper/lower helvetica bold in black and floated a small gradated blue box to the right, behind part of the p. (see above) On the Gap site last week they said, "We chose this design as it's more contemporary and current. It honors our heritage through the blue box while still taking it forward." Talk about gobbledegook- the little blue box represents heritage? Heritage?

Does The Gap Inc., which is part of Banana Republic and Old Navy, do any market research? Couldn’t they have done a focus group to see if logo change was even warranted? And most importantly, will a new logo help them sell more stuff? 

Tell us what you think?  

Here are a few big companies that have made logo changes over the years, (they’re usually quite gradual).

 

 

 

Friday Flashback -- Emo Phillips 1987

At Atomic Ideas, we believe that working with your advertising agency should be the most fun part of your week. But we have yet to work with some of our loyal blog readers, so we bring you something to make your work week more enjoyable. It's our Friday Flashback featuring one of the funniest and most original comedians of the 1980's, Emo Phillips.  Enjoy....then get back to work! 

 

 

Pure Help

 

This has been on my mind for a awhile, I was driving the other day and heard another Pure Michigan spot on the radio. It reminded me - it really is good stuff. It’s a simple idea with great execution, radio and tv. And it has proven to be very extendable as an on-going campaign. I don’t want to talk about why it’s good stuff, it just is. I’m not saying these things because I had anything to do with this campaign; I’m saying these things because this campaign simply helps all of us in Michigan. Michigan needs a lot of help and here’s a big part of the solution.

So, I don’t get it. Why can’t the state of Michigan help fund the Pure Michigan campaign? It is such a good tool for helping our struggling economy. Not only is it good for our tourism, it’s also good for helping out-of-state companies to consider Michigan as a place to operate. We really need that. I know there’s a lot of state legislators who want to see the Pure Michigan campaign continue, but finding enough support is hard. I guess it shows just how bad our economy is these days.

Meanwhile, here’s some Pure Michigan spots you can view and send to out-of-staters to help keep the campaign afloat. Of course you can also go to you tube and vew all you want.

 

 

 

 

Proof Positive... Wow Your Customers and They Will Pay More.

As Steve Curtin, "Customer Enthusiast", points out in a recent article on his site (lots of good stuff there), several recent studies prove that if you can delight your customers, they'll be willing to spend more money on your product or service. Who would have thunk it?

Some research highlights from the Steve's article: 

• A 5 percent improvement in customer satisfaction leads to an increase of over 35 percent of future operational cash flow. American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)

• According to J.D. Power and Associates, hotel guests who rated their overall satisfaction with a hotel a 10 (or Very Satisfied on a 10 point scale) spent, on average spend $12 per day more on hotel services than guests who rated their overall satisfaction as an 8 or 9 (or Somewhat Satisfied on a 10 point scale).

• Consumer research firm PeopleMetrics, surveyed 1,250 customers on their experiences at restaurants Customer engagement was measured by four factors: customer retention; the extra effort a customer was willing to make for a return visit; whether a customer would recommend the restaurant to a friend or family member; and passion—whether the customer “loved” the restaurant. At the end of the study, the restaurants were divided into two groups: those with low customer engagement scores and those with high scores based on the survey results. When year-to-year financial data for the two groups were compared, the group with high customer engagement scores had an average increase of 29 percent in gross margin versus a 12 percent decline for those restaurants with low scores.

• American Express and Echo Research compiled research that revealed American consumers are willing to spend, on average, 9 percent more with companies that provide excellent customer service.

Improve customer service, improve your bottom line! Seems obvious doesn't it? Something every company should be striving for, every day.  But do this simple exercise. Think about the last businesses you "engaged" with; stores, restaurants, credit card companies, insurance companies, you name it. Now think about how many of them provided you with outstanding service and a memorable customer experience you'd be willing to share with your friends and family. I'm betting not many. Many companies just don't think about customer service enough. 

In fact, according to Steve, many companies are doing more to annoy customers than delight them in their quests to boost profits in the face of price competition, and a still lousy economy (I'm a pessimist). Airlines, hotels, credit card companies and many others are lowering prices to compete, but adding fees for the most inane things to your bill to make up the difference. 

Curtin mentions a hotel charging a $2.95 minibar "restocking" fee, and an airline seriously considering charging for the use of toilets on their planes. Of course, making customers think they're being ripped of (even if that's not the underlying strategy) is a whole lot easier than investing in employee training to create a culture of wow. Or figuring out what it is that makes their company special and adds value their competition does not offer.

Being retail mavens, we've have had a lot of conversations about this in an era of deep discounting and price slashing by some of our clients and retailers in general. We typically pose these questions: 

"Why would your customers come to you if your products and services and those of your competitors were free?" What would they be willing to pay for then?

Intriguing questions, aren't they? They force you to think about the things you do, or the things you could do, or should do to differentiate yourself and add distinct value that truly wows your customers.

The bottom line? Before you cut prices, consider adding value. 

What are you doing to delight your customers? 

Oh, and check out the Customer Enthusiast for lots of great info on the art and science of brand fandom.

Atomic Ideas on Marketing Calories and Cancer with Cardio

I’m a big fan of working out, especially from all the benefits derived from it. I work out every other day. But when my fitness center provides offerings that counter health, I have to scratch my bicep in wonder.

 

I belong to Planet Fitness and am a very happy member. I’ve worked out at facilities in Michigan and North Carolina, and they’ve been consistently clean with friendly employees, and offer very extensive equipment to fit your exercise regimen.

 

But why oh why does a fitness center offer ‘pizza night’ every month, where you can eat unlimited slices of pizza? Anyone working out and watching their weight knows that pizza is a guilty pleasure food. They used to offer, and maybe they still do, bagels once a month. Pizza and bagels from a fitness center?

 

And why the ever-present candy dishes filled with Tootsie Rolls? The cardio equipment is painted purple, the Tootsie Rolls are grape. I get the subliminal connection, but still…

 

Planet Fitness advertises on their web site that they “give away 400,000 slices” of pizza every month, and they “hand out more than a million Tootsie Rolls every month”.

 

According to www.fatsecret.com, there are 310 calories in 1 serving of Fazoli's Pepperoni Pizza Slice, and 280 calories in 1 serving of Tootsie Roll (Mini-Midgees).

 

That translates into my fitness center supplying 124,000,000 pizza calories and 200,000,000 Tootsie Roll calories to their members every month.

 

To top it off, they have tanning booths. The July 20, 2010 Wall Street Journal noted that “…The World Health Organization’s International Agency on Cancer last year classified tanning as a definite human carcinogen, putting it in the same group as smoking”.

 

Calories and cancer. Compliments of your fitness center. What next, Kool-Aid in the drinking fountains?

 

Staying true to their fitness brand, instead of a pizza slice, what if they offered a free bottle of water every month, branded with the Planet Fitness logo? Or an apple or banana, with a PF sticker on it. What if instead of a 280-calorie purple Tootsie Roll, they had a candy dish filled with sugar-free purple suckers? And a sign that says "Sugar-free Suckers", reminding the consumer that Planet Fitness is all about healthy eating.

 

As far as the cancer/tanning booths, maybe they could provide a smoking lounge, where you could take a ‘Winston Workout Break’.

 

Seriously, it seems like a fitness center would market health, not only with its exercise facility, but in the support to their members. The consumer experience going into a fitness center should be around fitness, and staying true to that experience in all the consumer touchpoints.

 

Of course, if you keep filling your members up with pizza, bagels and Tootsie Rolls, they’ll have to keep coming back to burn off those calories. Hmm, crafty...

 

What's your take?

 

If Your Products Were Free, What Would You Have Left To Sell?

It's an interesting thing to think about, isn't it. And if you think "nothing" is the answer, it isn't.

With last years economic woes and a slow recovery, many retailers, and businesses of all types really, have been forced to become more competitive as customers look to stretch every dollar.

The simplest strategy is to cut prices. Then when the competition catches on and matches you, to cut prices again. On and on until, one day, you can't go any lower without seriously impacting the profitability and stability of your business.

And that's what got us thinking... what if you're products were free, and so were your competition's. What would you have left to sell to set you apart from them? What would customers pay for?

The answer is value, it's the only thing you have left. And value is everything.

Value is the complete, total experience you offer your customers.

Value is what people get for their money when they buy from you; the whole shebang. Not how little they pay. 

So the real question becomes, how much would your customers be willing to pay for the experience of coming to you for your free stuff?

We're not saying don't fight on price. Sometimes you have no choice. But at some point you have to think about the alternative... something we call Customer Experience Optimization.

Figure out what you can do to exceed customer expectations and optimize your business to make value happen. People will pay more for an exceptional experience. Better yet, they'll tell their friends about it!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0