Did you know that Albany is the #1 test market in the United States.  Correct-a-mundo.

According to Acxiom’s  last published study in 2004, Albany, NY was the market that best represented the United States population as a whole.

In other words – we’re the most average market in America.

That holds some real advantages for you as a marketer – especially if you market to consumers.  Rolling out new mass-market products in Albany is an excellent place to start.  The test results could well translate to the national market, and “amped-up” ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment)

If that’s you – be thankful we’re so average.

Google announced recently that after six months of negotiations by the FTC, they’ve purchased mobile advertising giant AdMob. In the same way that Google’s purchase of YouTube made them the De Facto owner of the huge majority of web video ‘eyeshare’, Their purchase of AdMob makes them the biggest player in the mobile phone marketing world. Their closest follower is Apple, whose recent purchase of Quattro Wireless has enabled them to develop the iAd, their own proprietary advertising platform that will power all the ads for iPhone, iPod and iPad applications.

What’s this mean for Albany? The potential for advertising innovation is right in the hands of savvy, forward thinking marketers.

Division of Attention

At Burst, we’ve noticed a drastic shift in attention share over the last 10 years. Suddenly, people aren’t as easy to catch. They’re not just sitting in front of the TV watching reruns. Now they’re checking facebook on their iPad while they ride the bus to work. If they’re like me, they’re using productivity apps to check their tasks for the day, and see what meetings they have scheduled for the day. Or they’re texting friends in between games of paper toss on their iPod (sounds dumb, but trust me – it’s super fun).

This all translates to less attention spent on each message, and a greater need for marketers to surround the customer with their message.

Mobile Advertising gives us an in. It allows us to get our message to the customer no matter where they go. By selectively targeting the right applications, and carefully crafting messages, marketers can “catch up” to their newly mobile audience. That’s only going to get more powerful as iPhone and Android (Google’s Mobile Phone Brand) sales keep moving up.

According to a recent web article in Britain’s Financial times;

“Sales of Android phones, which include Google’s own Nexus One and Motorola’s Droid, accounted for just under 10 per cent of all smartphones sold globally in the first quarter of 2010, up from just 1.6 per cent last year, according to figures from Gartner, the technology research group.”

The same article also had this to say:

“Android phone sales have also overtaken Apple’s iPhone in the North American market, accounting for 26.6 per cent of units sold, compared with 22.1 per cent for the iPhone.”

You read that right. Almost 50% of new phone sales are iPhones or Android Phones. With all that eyeshare being spent on only 2 phone platforms, expect mobile marketing to land on your doorstep soon. And if you want my advice, I’d say it’s a good idea to be ready.

Tens of millions will tune in.  Most for the game.  Regardless – it’s what they call “appointment TV.”  The Olympics start soon too.  American Idol is in full swing.  Fire up the DVR.

Pulling interest and creating loyalty to a group of stars or a certain concept is what network programming is all about.  They seek the magic formula that will get you coming back for every episode.  What gets you to care.

That’s your job too. What gets your customers to care about you?

The Albany Business Review has an article on Price Chopper’s (Golub Corp.) Fuel Advantage program this week.  That’s the program that gives you a discount on gas for shopping with them.  They’ve meshed two things you deeply care about.

Food and Gas.  Basic.

The equation is even clearer for them because local competition is among just a few major brands.  Although they are tough competitors – shopper in this market basically choose from Price Chopper, Hannaford, and WalMart when it comes to supermarkets.

You win the tug of war, more come to you.  Of course, there’s a new match regularly.  Each seeking that little edge over the other.

It’s more difficult to find the caring when you offer a product or service in an exceptionally crowded field.  Or if you’ve basically become a commodity.

Now what?

In this scenario, finding the caring often comes down to who’s the more relevant to the customer.  What are they looking for besides your offering?  Is it comfort and trust.  Personal relationship.  How green you are?  Convenience?  Who your other customers are?

It’s somewhat different in each market category.  Each geography.  Your job is to find it.  Find what’s most relevant to your targets and ensure that your businesses authentically offers it.

For years, saying something is the “Cadillac” of [insert type product of service] said it was the best of the best.  A “Chevy” or a “Honda” (sorry Toyota) means affordable and/or reliable.

Find the caring.  Be real.  And find your customers.

Everything from dancing babies to the Obama girls made its way across millions of screens across the globe.  And the word viral went from an adjective to a noun.  As in, “it went viral.”

Now everyone tries to figure out that one elusive quality that make their message go viral.  But unless you can “force” viral on people with a big bucks campaign, then for most of us, chasing viral is like catching lightning in a bottle.

In 2010, go back to the original viral.  Infect people.  Viral will still work for you, but it will start with a few small sparks here and there – not the sweeping brushfire everyone wants.

If your message and methods are infectious…then look for patient zero.

Posted by: Steve Banis

One thing I really want to know is what makes people tick after 18+ months of this oppressive economy.

So I spent a couple of hours in Borders and picked up a few books to start with.  The one I started this morning already has my mind reeling.  And I’ve only read the introduction.

Here’s why I’m a little freaked:

Greed (money, offers of discounts or “free” things, etc.) may actually interfere with getting a target to do what you want them to do.

Again.  Paying Money or giving something for Free won’t work.

As I find out more I’ll keep you in the loop.  Stay tuned.

Posted by: Steve Banis

It seems that many were taking advantage of discounts not necessarily to buy fun gifts for those on their lists, but rather were buying more expensive necessities that they couldn’t afford without the discounts.  For example, sales of vacuums are up.  As are towels and sheets.

Sure there are plenty of LCD TVs moving, but entry-level sets can be had for 50% of what they were last year.  So the splurge is relative.

For current marketers, the implication seems to be that consumer (and most business) purchases will remain in the arena of “gotta have” vs “wanna have.”

Spending is slogging back – so long as interest rates and inflation don’t begin to spike.  Your marketing message ought to emphasize the pent-up demand for obtaining the items that keep things running.  Greater efficiency is nice too, but not at exorbitant cost.  Some reasonable upgrades will makes sense too.

We’ll see how things develop.  But start making plans to come out from your hiding places and keep it down to earth.

Posted by: Steve Banis

I heard a discussion on NPR last Friday that should cause anyone interested in Social Media to reflect on its use.  The maelstrom of information and ‘expert’ opinions out there casts doubt on their voracity, and drives people to seek the opinions of friends and others they trust.

Motion picture promoters spend months and millions carefully crafting their campaigns.  They rely on the buzz they generate to translate into good box office results – even if their movie is a bit of a stinker.  They hope the receipts are in before word get out.

Enter Twitter.

Today’s hip moviegoer starts tweeting minutes after the opening credits.  By the time the movie is over, hundred if not thousands of opinions are scattered about to followers everywhere.

Sorry Sacha.  But I guess Bruno stinks.  Because business dropped 40% between Friday and Saturday night.

So yeah, properly done, your message will probably get out.  Guess it better be a good message.

“That’s the way it is”

I was too young to remember Walter Cronkite in his heyday.  At the time of his signature television reports of the JFK assassination, Vietnam, Apollo 11, and Watergate, among others, I wasn’t yet 10.

But that doesn’t prevent me from knowing and understanding his primary legacy – truth, trust, consistency, and character.  He wasn’t called “Uncle Walter” or named the most trusted man in America without good reason.

Although those of us in the marketing business are often charged with helping to shape public perception – Walter Cronkite stood for ensuring that the basis of our perceptions was reality.

Posted by: Steve Banis

How about a tag line?

You know, the short snappy little phrase that makes everyone remember you. Millions of people remember the big ones:

Just do it. The right choice. The king of beers. I’m loving it.

Sure, these are good tag lines.  Even more importantly, these guys also spend mega millions on advertising to put them in front of your face. It makes it a little easier for people to remember if they hear it in the first place.

Does your business have the money to communicate on a massive level like that?

Even if you gross over $100+ million a year, I doubt you could put your message in front of your entire target market with enough frequency for it to be remembered.

Are tag lines important?

In Marketing 101, you learn the 4 “P’s” – Product, Pricing, Placement (distribution) and Promotions.

Your company’s name, logo, tag line, and key positioning statement (what I consider as your Brand’s Opening Statement) should work together through pictures and words to explain what’s unique about your business when it comes to these 4 “P’s” (your USP).

While it’s nice and extremely useful to have a memorable tagline – I wouldn’t knock myself out trying to come up with the magic words. One short phrase can’t do it all.

I know that some of those big guys pay marketing consultants millions to create and test the ultimate memorable tag line.

That’s Grrrrrreat! (no offense Tony). But as I said, tens of millions will be spent to support the new tag.

If you’re like 95% of all businesses, your most important task in this area is to create a clear and persuasive case for your business – your Brand’s Opening Statement.

It’s that combination of business name, logo, tag (if needed) and positioning statement designed to provoke a reaction in your target audience.

Of these four, the tag line is the least important element. Depending on the type of business you have and the market in which you compete, either your name or positioning statement are your most important, followed by your logo.

Sometimes, location might be all the positioning statement you need. Just look at your dry cleaner.

Chances are, you use them because they’re close to your home or office and they haven’t ruined your stuff. It’s also likely their name is just something like “Cleaners” or “Joe’s Cleaners.”  That’s it. No fancy logo. No tag. No positioning statement.

Just simple, reliable, convenient, and the comfort of the same friendly face.

Now that’s marketing.

Posted by: Steve Banis

One pathway that’s gotten a bad rap is the telephone. Too many pushy telemarketers have spoiled the bunch for those who want to use the phone in a responsible way as part of their communication mix.

For B2B targets, all’s still fair game. For B2C customers, the Do Not Call registry and the CAN-SPAM act have done a fairly good job of closing down that channel.

There is, however, a growing technique for integrating voice into your campaigns. And it is proving to be extremely effective even with individual consumers.

Recent case studies are showing that a relatively small investment can yield big returns.

Boston College achieved a 2000% return by generating a $200,000 profit from a $10,000 investment in a voice-based campaign.

Next week, I’ll tell you how they did it.

Posted by: Steve Banis

A giant peanut may not be your definition of fun, but for many others it may be just the right fit.

Millions of Americans take in one or two of the hundreds of quirky roadside attractions each year. The family roadtrip wouldn’t be the same without it. Neither would sales at the gift shops and local merchants surrounding these landmarks of kitschy architecture. They bet their livelihoods on it.

Business owners are often worried about alienating some portion of the marketplace. “If I focus my marketing towards older customers, that’ll put off the younger end of the market, won’t it?”

Maybe, maybe not.

One thing’s for sure though. If you try to be all things to all people, then you’ll be nothing to nobody. To be successful in your marketing efforts, you’ve got to stand for something. It takes a little courage. But think of it this way.

Square peg, square hole

If you were looking for the best steak in town, would you think first of your local diner or of the place with the picture of a cow out front? Diner’s have huge menus – there’ll be a steak there for sure. But the place with the cow and all the cars in the lot tells you that this is where your red meat craving will be satisfied.

Creating a business of excellence is naturally exclusionary. Developing your detailed expertise, your customer service, even your accounting process is all tailored to fit the unique relationship you have with your customers. It’s not meant to fit every type of customer.

Competing in a crowded market, especially in more difficult times, requires you to focus on the segment of the market that’s the best fit for your business. There are 300 million people in the United States. Almost 30 million businesses. And a couple more outside our borders.

For most, capturing even a small fraction of their market will constitute a huge success.

So don’t worry about pleasing everyone, it’s not possible. It’s not even desirable.  Be who you really are. Be authentic. Strive for excellence – and you’ll attract your kind of people.

You’ll be more profitable and happier for it too.

Posted by: Steve Banis