Atomic Ideas - Helping You Sell More Stuff!

iCarumba, a free iPad!! (It just took two years of patience)

Roughly two years ago (April 2010) when the first iPad came out, I suggested that instead of buying the entry-level iPad for $499, you could buy two shares of Apple stock at the then-current price of $242.  http://www.atomicideas.com/atomic-inkspot/2010/04/heres-an-idea-to-help-you-ipad-your-wallet.html

The theory being, that you wait six months and the stock would  have appreciated and provided a profit of  close to 30% of the price of an entry level iPad. Well, we missed that mark six months later by about 8%. BUT...if you had hung onto those two shares until today (roughly one month short of two years), the shares would have appreciated a whopping 144%. Which means your original investment of $484 (2x$242) would now be worth $1184 (at current stock price of $592). Which means you could sell one of your shares, buy an entry level iPad 3 (or add $7 from your pocket and get a 32GB iPad3), and still have one share of Apple left to appreciate further! Or wait three more months and pocket another quick $5.30 from the just-announced new quarterly dividend of $2.65 a share!

Either way, it supports a wise piece of advice I heard about investing a few years ago. When faced with a great item, you can choose to buy the product or buy (a piece of) the company. If you have a little bit of time, it's often better to buy the company!

 

Happy Holidays!!!

Where are your best customers? (Maybe not on Facebook or Twitter!)

Where your customers are is an important question. As the articles below point out, nearly 25% of Americans still don't use the Internet. Only about half use Facebook and only 7% use twitter. That's why we at Atomic Ideas continue to bang the drum for starting with a sound strategy. Even the right message is wasted if you're not using the right media. Just because everyone else is using a specific medium doesn't mean it's right for your brand...or maybe it is! 

Nearly Half of Americans Use Facebook; Only 7% Use Twitter [STUDY]

February 24, 2011 by Jolie O'Dell195

 

A new report from eMarketer finds that most adult Americans with Internet access use Facebook at least once a month, and a full 42.3% of the entire American population was using the site as of this month.

By contrast, Twitter‘s penetration rate was much lower, sitting at around 7% of the total population and 9% of the Internet-using population, according to the report.

Late last year, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company saw around 250 million daily users of its 500 million-strong user base. The young exec made the point that Facebook’s products — including Photos, Places, Groups and Messages — are features that people use more frequently than they use other, more established services with similar features because Facebook’s products are inherently social.

Twitter, on the other hand, is driven largely by so-called power users, and only 21% of registered users are actually active on the site. Another interesting and related Twitter usage stat: 22.5% of users are responsible for 90% of all tweets.

One important stat to note, however, is Twitter’s year-over-year growth. Last year around this time, Twitter’s penetration rate was around 7%, and by the end of this year it’s expected to be at 11% for American Internet users, or 16.5% of the population that also uses other social networks. In terms of the overall U.S. population, the numbers are still small, but the growth is steady.

An analyst for the firm said, “eMarketer’s new Twitter usage estimates are lower than our April 2010 forecast. Since then, Twitter has continued to gain traction but at more moderate levels than we had expected.”

The microblogging service celebrated 100 million new accounts created in 2010, and a lot of that growth was due to the company’s investment in official and device-integrated mobile apps.

What do you think it’ll take for Twitter’s growth to really skyrocket and reach more of the population? Or will this service remain a niche product for the web-using elite? Let us know your opinions below.

TOP 20 COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF INTERNET USERS

TOP 20 COUNTRIES WITH HIGHEST NUMBER OF INTERNET USERS # Country or Region Population, 2011 Est Internet Users Year 2000 Internet Users Latest Data Penetration (% Population) World % Users 1 China 1,336,718,015 22,500,000 485,000,000 36.3 % 23.0 % 2 United States 313,232,044 95,354,000 245,000,000 78.2 % 11.6 % 3 India 1,189,172,906 5,000,000 100,000,000 8.4 % 4.7 % 4 Japan 126,475,664 47,080,000 99,182,000 78.4 % 4.7 % 5 Brazil 203,429,773 5,000,000 75,982,000 37.4 % 3.6 % 6 Germany 81,471,834 24,000,000 65,125,000 79.9 % 3.1 % 7 Russia 138,739,892 3,100,000 59,700,000 43.0 % 2.8 % 8 United Kingdom 62,698,362 15,400,000 51,442,100 82.0 % 2.4 % 9 France 65,102,719 8,500,000 45,262,000 69.5 % 2.1 % 10 Nigeria 155,215,573 200,000 43,982,200 28.3 % 2.1 % 11 Indonesia 245,613,043 2,000,000 39,600,000 16.1 % 1.9 % 12 Korea 48,754,657 19,040,000 39,440,000 80.9 % 1.9 % 13 Iran 77,891,220 250,000 36,500,000 46.9 % 1.7 % 14 Turkey 78,785,548 2,000,000 35,000,000 44.4 % 1.7 % 15 Mexico 113,724,226 2,712,400 34,900,000 30.7 % 1.7 % 16 Italy 61,016,804 13,200,000 30,026,400 49.2 % 1.4 % 17 Philippines 101,833,938 2,000,000 29,700,000 29.2 % 1.4 % 18 Spain 46,754,784 5,387,800 29,093,984 62.2 % 1.4 % 19 Vietnam 90,549,390 200,000 29,268,606 32.3 % 1.4 % 20 Argentina 41,769,726 2,500,000 27,568,000 66.0 % 1.3 % TOP 20 Countries 4,578,950,118 275,424,200 1,601,772,290 35.0 % 75.9 % Rest of the World 2,351,105,036 85,561,292 508,993,520 21.6 % 24.1 % Total World - Users 6,930,055,154 360,985,492 2,110,765,810 30.5 % 100.0 % NOTES: (1) World Internet User Statistics were updated for June 30, 2011. (2) Additional data for individual countries and regions may be found by clicking each country name. (3) The most recent user information comes from data published byNielsen Online, International Telecommunications Union, Official country reports, and other trustworthy research sources. (6) Data from this site may be cited, giving due credit and establishing an active link back to Internet World Stats. Copyright © 2000 - 2011, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved.

 

 

When buying desire meets an obstacle, it can be funny. (But also means lost sales.)

Face it, there are people out there who are clamoring to buy your product or service. Or at least they would if they knew your "marketing truth" (the one true thing about your product that will make their personal lives easier or better). Your job is to remove obstacles in the way of that desire to buy.  

The attached video illustrates in a very funny (and slightly disturbing) way, just how powerful the desire to buy can be.

 

Remember this type of desire when you market your product or service. At Atomic Ideas, we can help you get your marketable truth out there to attract customers who want to break down your doors to buy more of your stuff!

 

Now You Can Pitch David Ogilvy On Your iPhone!

Ever wondered how your pitch would stack up if you made it to the legendary adman David Ogilvy of Ogilvy & Mather fame? If you have an iPhone you can now find out. Of course David himself has expired and gone to that great sweatshop in the sky. Which makes the "portrait" of him on the screenshot here seem all the more creepy. It sort of reminds me of the reanimated Orville Redenbacher campaign (see video below).

Regardless, here's your chance to see if you have the right stuff according to Ogilvy. Download the app and you'll be prompted to actually give David a call for a "video conference." Pitch your brilliance and see what he has to say.

It's all part of celebrating the big guy's 100th birthday, courtesy of Ogilvy China. So give him a hip, hip, hooray, download the app and good luck. And remember, the dude had some damn fine quotes:

"In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create."

Smart indeed. How can we help you sell more stuff?

PS. Here's Orville reincarnated for your viewing pleasure.

 

Friday Funny - Talking Dog - Casting is Everything

This is the perfect definition of a viral video. So funny. So spot on, that people play it over and over again and send it to friends.  What is it selling? NOTHING. Advertising clients often ask agencies to "Make a Viral Video" then force them to cram all kinds of sales points into it. And god forbid anything in the video make the client or product look the least bit goofy, or in any way be "edgy." As so...it never goes viral.

But that's not what I really wanted to talk about today, which is: casting! Take a look at this talking dog video. The voice used for this dog is perfect. It fits the character of his actions and the dialog. So many clients want a "funny" radio spot but want to cast "straight-up" announcer boring voices. Or vise-versa, they will only buy a straight script but then want to put a "funny" voice in it "to make the spot funnier." Neither works. A spot needs the proper synergy of character, delivery and dialog. Screw up any of these and a potential customer's BS meter goes off and you've lost them (ie you've thrown your money away).

I know, I know, it's Friday and I promised you "funny" in the title. So enough pontificating. Here's the video. Enjoy!

  

Happy St. Patrick's Day

From all of us at Atomic Ideas -- Cheers!  

Even though some of us are not Irish, there is still probably some reason each of us can think of to celebrate on such a nice (near) spring day.

For me, personally: One of my favorite Uncles, who fought at Iwo Jima and Guadal Canal with the U.S. Marines in World War II, was injured and shipped home on St. Patrick's day  in 1944. Of course,  I was born decades later, but I heard the stories and I really enjoy the freedom he fought for! To my Uncle Lee -- "Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

                                                  

"Hey good-looking, we'll be back to pick you up later!" - Friday Flashback

Ronco practically invented the direct response and "info-mercial" genres. And although you probably wouldn't call these spots exceptionally creative or well produced, they did supply a level of campy-ness that people liked to mock and imitate -- and as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of advertising. The more that people made fun of the spots or did impersonations of the stilted lines, the bigger a place Ronco occupied in consumer's minds. Sometimes bad can be good -- at least for sales.

 

However, we at Atomic Ideas caution marketer's to use this technique carefully, because while the cheap spots DID result in sales it also communicated the "cheapness" of the materials and construction of Ronco products. So if you want to generate a lot of sales but project a "cheap" image, you can emulate Ronco. But, if you need to communicate a different brand attribute like quality, you should consult with experts in brand building and retail advertising. Agencies like Atomic Ideas can turn even modest budgets into quality advertising. Just because you don't have a lot of money to spend on production, doesn't mean you have to come across as cheap.

 

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.

 

"If you come to a fork in the road..."

In this hectic, crazy, out-of-control world we live in today, isn’t it great that the World Series is back. Why? Because it’s something we can make sense out of. The timing is good for this age-old tradition of baseball to let us escape from the current irrational world of mud-slinging politics and other mindless stuff. It restores a bit of humanity. Just a bit -

As the 2010 World Series begins, here are some inspirational words from some well-known players, writers and thinkers on our great American pastime. - If we could just get them to help us sell stuff.

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“I called off his players’ names as they came marching up the steps behind him. All nice guys. They’ll finish last. Nice guys finish last.” -Leo Durocher, 1946, casual remark at a practice in the presence of a number of journalists.

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.” -Yogi Berra  

“You don’t save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it might rain.” -Leo Durocher, 1965.

“We made too many wrong mistakes.” -Yogi Berra 

“He could throw a lamb chop past a wolf.”  -Westbrook Pegler, on Lefty Grove, 1894-1969: Baseballs Greatest Quotations, 1991

“The future ain't what it used to be” -Yogi Berra

“I broke in with four hits and the writers promptly decided they had seen the new Ty Cobb. It took me only a few days to correct that impression. -Casey Stengel

“It ain't the heat, it's the humility.” -Yogi Berra 

“He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious.” -Yogi Berra 

 “Ninety feet between bases is perhaps as close as man ever come to perfection.” -Red Smith

“Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.” -Yogi Berra

“I'm glad I don't play anymore. I could never learn all those handshakes” -Phil Rizutto

“In baseball, you don't know nothin'.” -Yogi Berra

“Good pitching always stops good hitting and vice versa.” -Yogi Berra

“It's a mere moment in a man's life between the all-star game and the old-timer's game.” -Vin Scully

"The hardest thing to do in baseball is to hit a round baseball with a round bat, squarely.” -Ted Williams

“So I'm ugly. So what? I never saw anyone hit with his face.” -Yogi Berra

“We was going to get you a birthday cake, but we figured you'd drop it.” -Casey Stengel to Marv Throneberry

“Anyone with talent can play in the Major Leagues; for someone like me to stay around as long as I did, I think that's a much greater achievement.” -Bob Uecker

“Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of the hit-and-run.” -Branch Rickey

“Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.” -Yogi Berra

“A well-run restaurant is like a winning baseball team. It makes the most of every crew member's talent and takes advantage of every split-second opportunity to speed up service.” -David Ogilvy

“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept destructive criticism. Without 100 percent dedication, you won't be able to do this.” -Willy Mays

“If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” -Yogi Berra

“Aw, who gib a damn.” -Willie “Pops” Stargell responding to an audio engineer’s direction during a radio commercial recording after the 1979 World Series.

“You can observe a lot by just watching.”  -Yogi Berra

With thanks and credit to: BrainyQuote.com, Sports Quotations by Carlo DeVito, and The Oxford Essential Quotations Dictionary