CS2 Live

BY: Amy Sharp

It’s 2012 planning time! We recently sat down with one of our clients for their yearly budget review.  This usually involves wading through a 3-ring binder of the previous year’s activities to discuss what worked, what didn’t, etc. – not exactly riveting material but always a good exercise. So as we began the meeting, I was startled to hear our client say, “DON’T OPEN THE BINDER.” He wanted to take a different approach and start off discussing the state of his business today and hear everyone’s off-the-cuff thoughts on the future of it without being distracted by all the detail of last year’s plan. The thing that I found so enjoyable about the conversation that followed was that it immediately put me in a different mindset. It kept me from whining about why we didn’t do this or that, wondering if we actually reached our prospect audience with the media we chose for “x, y or z” campaign, or immediately stressing over ever-decreasing budgets. It also made it much easier to propose “what ifs” without being saddled with the intricacies of how we could reallocate this or that part of the existing budget to make room for it. An article I read this summer in Fast Company (I haven’t plugged it in months!) about Conan O’Brien explained it a different way. In the article, Conan explains the process of creating his nightly comedy show and the incredible pressure that goes along with it. “The formula is to prepare like crazy,” O’Brien says. “But then, just as you’re heading out, forget all of it.” A little schizophrenic, one might think, but in today’s ever-changing advertising landscape, it’s incredibly important to be flexible, willing to try new things, always ready to adapt to what is happening today. The industry just isn’t the same anymore. If you aren’t capable of evolving with it, you’re going to get left behind.

If you’re interested in reading more about the Conan O’Brien article or the other “100 Most Creative People in Business,” go to http://www.fastcompany.com/most-creative-people/2011.

BY: Brian Sullivan

I think it is funny how much I have been reading lately about the persuasive power of recommendations from friends and family.  People are acting as if this is some new phenomenon that has just occurred in the millennial generation (ages 16-34). People have been asking their friends and family about the quality of goods, services or entertainment options probably since the beginning of time.

Q: Hey, should we go to the gladiator fight at the colosseum tonight?

A: I went last night and it was pretty boring.  These new prisoners are too weak for the Lions.

I am probably not going.

I read a great modern day example today that a movie production company could spend $100 million on producing a movie, $50 million on marketing it and if my friend says it sucked, I am not going.  If I am looking for anything from a washing machine to a car, I am asking people for their recommendations and experiences.

So, what does this mean to a marketer?  It means that if you provide forums for people to share insights and comments on your product or service, these comments could act like the recommendations from friends and family.  They are not quite as influential because there is no true relationship with the people making the comments but still effective.  This could come in the form of a facebook page or providing a way for people to leave comments on your e-commerce site.  Either way, it is the power of this persuasion that every marketer should be thinking about how to tap into.

For example, I recently was looking for a pair of trail shoes.  I don’t spend a lot of time on trails, but I like the way they look and feel. As I scoured the Zappos website, I read every comment about each pair of shoes I considered.  Some were talking about the shoes giving out after a 100 miles or so, some were talking about how great they tackled uneven surfaces, some were talking about how great they felt just walking around town.  All good information which was presumably from actual users (personally, I believe I can spot planted comments pretty easily).

Ultimately, I decided on a shoe based on my preferences supported by the comments by those who owned the shoes.  For the record, I did my research on the internet, but bought the shoes locally in an effort to support local retailers.  Those comments helped me make a decision.  Some were positive and some were negative giving me all the real world information I needed to make an informed decision.

Do you pay attention to comments online?  Do you make comments online?  If so, do you have to feel really strongly one way or another to take the time to make a comment?

BY: Brian Sullivan

There is an old saying attributed to a senior marketing executive that says…I know 50% of my advertising doesn’t work, I am just not sure which 50%.  Since then, the industry has found many new metrics to help judge the effectiveness of marketing efforts, and  the world of online advertising has taken tracking to a whole new level. Even with all these new metrics, we haven’t gotten to that utopian place where we know that 100% of our budget is working.

I read the attached blurb recently in ADWEEKMEDIA and thought it did a good job of explaining the value of ad impressions online.  Impressions aren’t new and they aren’t the end themselves.  As I have stated many times before, and is echoed in this blurb, whether you are talking about social media, online advertising or television the thing we are all after is consumers.  This new research helps us get a step closer.

According to research done by MediaMind, an online advertising solutions provider, you can take the number of unique visitors you are after and multiply it by 10 to get the equivalent impressions.  This holds true up to a target of about 18 million unique visitors.  Above that, the ratio changes to around 15 impressions per desired unique user.

It’s time to start impressing.

BY: Kate Metcalf

Earlier this spring, Miracle Whip launched a campaign to stoke the debate between those who can’t live without the sandwich spread and those who find it an affront to condiments everywhere (full disclosure…I fall in the latter camp).  The campaign features well-known personalities including Amy Sedaris, James Carville and the Jersey Shore’s Pauly D expressing either their love for or hatred of the brand. The campaigns feature a call-to-action to consumers to voice their own opinions on the brand’s YouTube page.

Acknowledging that some consumers hate your product is nothing new. You don’t have to go too far back into the recent past to find examples of other companies airing their dirty laundry to regain public credibility (see Domino’s admission of subpar pizza for proof).

But this is different. This isn’t a mea culpa for a product gone awry. Miracle Whip is drawing a definitive, creamy line in the sand, saying that though it might not be for everyone, the spread has a place in the hearts of plenty of sandwich lovers out there. The brand has carved out a special niche for those who truly get their product and provided those brand loyalists a forum to share their preference with the world. They have stoked the competitive fires, and their loyalists have responded to the challenge – it must be noted that those in favor of the spread currently outnumber those opposed by a margin more than 17 to 1 on the official YouTube page.

And their choice of celebrity spokespeople, although bizarrely varied, serves a purpose too. The always classy Pauly D appears on camera declaring, “I hate Miracle Whip so much. I tell you. If I had a girlfriend who liked Miracle Whip, it’s a deal-breaker.”

Congratulations, Miracle Whip, you might have just given me a reason to purchase your product.

BY: Brian Sullivan

I learned a new term today, m-commerce.  Yep, commerce done on the mobile web.  Each year the behavior on mobile sites and online more closely mimic each other.

It seems people are quick to adopt new methods or sources to research purchases but opt to make purchases in the manner in which they always have.  They will eventually change their purchase behavior but much slower than their research behavior.

As you can see in the attached graph, people are researching and booking more and more travel on mobile devices.  EMarketer projects about 20 million mobile phone users will research their trips on their phones this year, but only 9 million (44%) will actually book via their phone.  Additionally, they suggest the percentage that book will increase to 51% next year which still lags the 84% of researchers who buy online.

The gap is closing making mobile an even more important consideration for marketers.

BY: Kate Metcalf

There was a lot of buzz in this office about The Bachelor, especially as Brad got closer to picking his “true love.” I’ve never really been a fan of the show, as I find the idea of picking someone to spend the rest of your life with out of a pack of 25 people on national television a little unsettling. But while reality show matchmaking may not be my scene, I am totally fascinated with the upcoming reality of the royal wedding.

I come from a long line of Anglophiles. In fact I vividly remember the sense of panic I felt when realized I taped an episode of Dawson’s Creek over my mom’s prized recording of Charles and Diana’s wedding (Mom, if you’re reading this, sorry about that). And I really cannot tear myself away from the hoopla surrounding William and Kate’s wedding. Not only is it a present day fairy tale of love between a prince and a normal girl who seems to be grounded in everyday life, it is also a marketing wonder. And the commemorative items run the gamut from high brow to low. As Amy Wolfe (follow her on Twitter @cs2AmyW) pointed out, you can purchase a commemorative crystal shot glass, or you can sample the latest draft on tap in pubs in merry old England – “Kiss me Kate.” Tours of Kate’s hometown are on offer, and every time she steps out in public, whatever she is wearing quickly flies off the shelves of her favorite designer’s stores. I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of it.

I can’t figure out why this love story has me wanting to know everything about it. Is it that I remember idolizing Princess Diana as a child and crushing on both princes? Could it be that it is the real-life embodiment of every Disney movie ever made? Could it be because the bride has such a great name (Kate with a K and Catherine with a C is really the way to go)? Or is it possibly because it is a great PR event with lots of marketing dollars behind it? Whatever the reason, I am all in. Where’s my invitation?

BY: Eric Melkent

“I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing.”

I don’t quite remember how I came across this quote, but it is the title and theme of a song from a somewhat obscure Broadway musical entitled [title of show]. That’s the title. [title of show]. It’s a show about a group of people writing a show, hence the name [title of show]. Go figure.

Anyway, this line comes at a point of self-examination and broaches the dilemma of either trying to be “all things to all people” or being faithful to your true self and, in turn, finding your core group of diehard fans. It’s a really interesting thought, and one that has strong application to branding, marketing and product differentiation.

Stop for a minute. Now try to think of what your ninth favorite thing is. You may  absolutely love Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate ice cream to the point of being rabidly fanatical about it, but I bet you’d be hard-pressed to tell someone what your ninth favorite flavor is. It’s probably Neapolitan. Neapolitan couldn’t possibly be anyone’s favorite flavor. In fact, it’s not really a flavor at all. It’s a perfect example of trying to appeal to a wider audience by throwing more variation into the product – trying to provide “something for everyone.” It’s like the manufacturer was trying to make their inferior quality vanilla ice cream more appealing by adding chocolate and strawberry. Think about it. Does anyone ever eat all three flavors together? All at the same time? When I was growing up, there was always one strip left, long after the others had been scooped away. This was the strip that eventually got gooey and grew those freaky ice crystals and ended up looking like the inside of a geode until Mom bought another half gallon and threw this one away.

I can assure you, the strip that resembled Carlsbad Caverns wasn’t the chocolate one.

In case you are wondering, my favorite flavor is Haagen-Dazs^® Pralines and Cream. It’s awesome. That stuff’s never in my freezer long enough to adjust to its new surroundings. If you haven’t tried it you should. It’s available exclusively at Walgreen’s^® of all places — it must have some powerful stuff in it. Soon, you’re probably gonna have to start showing your i.d. to buy it — like when you buy pseudoephedrine. But it’s some powerfully good ice cream. Well worth the hassle.

And my ninth favorite flavor? Well, I forgot.

BY: Walter Rose

There’s been a lot of reality in the mediaverse over the last decade or so.  In that time span we’ve been immersed in virtual reality and been subjected to a seemingly inexhaustible supply of reality TV concepts. We can now add to that the latest member of the buzzword family of reality products, augmented reality. Continue Reading »

BY: Amy Sharp

In case you missed it (one of our Art Directors, made sure none of the ladies at cs2 did), the ‘it’s just a robe turned backwards’ SNUGGIE has introduced a new product.

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BY: Eric Melkent

It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about the start of the Christmahanakwanzika holiday season. According to most retailers, that started sometime between Valentine’s Day and Easter.

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