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Burst Marketing: Best Buy – Dead Cow Alert

July 13, 2010

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Categories: Brand/Reputation, Customer Focus, Management, Marketing Message

Best Buy obviously hasn’t read Seth Godin’s Purple Cow.  The book’s treatise is that a company’s marketing is most effective when it’s true.  Actually being remarkable translates to marketing at its best.

My partner Dave recently had trouble with his iPhone.  As great a gadget as the iPhone is, neither Apple nor AT&T Wireless offer insurance on the iPhone.  Best Buy stepped in offering the only insurance available on the product – serviced by its Geek Squad.

Oh oh…dead cow!

After 2 years of paying $11+ per month, Dave needed service.  He dropped it off at the Geek Squad – “it’ll be ready and back here by Friday.”  Friday comes…and an hour of voicemail hell later…”sorry, maybe tomorrow.”  Saturday…no answer at the Geek Squad all day.  He left a message with the store’s customer service to please call him back.  Sunday…another hour of the run around, “sorry, there are no deliveries on Saturday or Sunday.  Maybe Monday?”

“I didn’t even get a call from you guys, isn’t there a message for you?”  “Truth is we’re really busy, and there’s a whole pile of messages sitting on this desk.  We don’t look at them.  We just wait for the customer to call back.”

Okay – get the picture?  Now ponder this:

Best Buy is in the electronics business.  Why can’t they put your order status online for you to check?  Or shipping status?  Especially when the Geek Squad desk is too busy to even look at the pile of messages on their desk!

Best Buy promised a service that made them unique – but the promise turns out to be pretty empty.  That’s a dead cow.  That’s utter brand destruction.

Comments (1)
Steve Bannis

 

Don’t Make This Common Social Media Mistake

February 28, 2010

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Categories: Brand/Reputation, Courage, Marketing Message, Social Media

[By: Braden Russom, Senior Project Manager for Burst Marketing.]

In a recent article on Mashable.com, Christina Warren made a mistake that I hear all the time. She writes:

“Social media does inherently mean that you are giving up the ability to centrally control the message.”

While her article is interesting (it’s about social media and the Grammy awards), I think she’s a bit off base on that point. Getting involved in social media does not mean giving up control of your message. It means accepting that you weren’t in control to begin with.

She goes on to talk about why companies who do ‘give up control’ tend to succeed in social media:

“However, what is interesting is that the companies that embrace and accept that grain of truth are usually those that are most successful with social media.”

It’s no mystery why this happens. It’s the same reason that a person who can admit his or her weaknesses is the one who eventually overcomes them. Once a brand accepts that the message is beyond it’s control, it can begin to influence the conversation in the right direction. It can begin taking steps to get people talking positively.

It’s not about giving up control. It’s about giving up the illusion of control. And the sooner a brand can do that, the better they’ll leverage new media.

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Steve Bannis

 

Many Hands

February 22, 2010

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Categories: Management, Marketing Message, Startups

You may have recently seen the news about the official public launch of Burst Marketing.

We’ve been operating for months as Burst Marketing and doing strategy and Burst campaigns for many clients.  But often, we advise firms with a new offering or business structure to do some learning following a “soft launch” to work out some of the bugs inevitably present in a new venture.

Burst Marketing brings lots of talented folks together under one roof.

And so many of them put me to shame in what they know.  So, why would I deprive our friends and customers of their fresh viewpoints on the marketing life?  It takes many hands to build a village.

And we’ll be bringing some complementary voices to this page.  We hope you find them enlightening.

I’m sure there are many talented people in your organization.  When customers and targets hear the many voices that make up your company – everyone can benefit.

Once you articulate a clear vision and your core message across your company…let those around you spread their wings.

You’ll see how they, and you, will fly.

Comments (0)
Steve Bannis

 

Where’s The Caring

February 7, 2010

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Categories: Ad/Marketing Agencies, Advertising, Brand/Reputation, Customer Focus, Marketing Blueprint, Marketing Message, Strategy

They may as well go ahead and declare today a national holiday.  As I write this, Super Bowl XLIV kicks off in a matter of hours.

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.

Comments (0)
Steve Bannis

 

I Will Never Fly

January 24, 2010

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Categories: Brand/Reputation, Business Development, Marketing Message, Strategy

It’s almost Olympics time…and American’s are getting back in touch with the sports they never much care about during any other time.

So during last night’s figure skating tuneup (for watching it on TV), my friend asked me an interesting question -

“If you could be any Olympian, in any sport, what would it be?” “I’d like to be able to fly on my feet”, I said, “to win the 100 meter dash and be the world’s fastest human!”

Cool huh? Never happen. But ain’t it fun to dream?

Some businesses though, seem to confuse their dreams with reality.

One research project we completed on the Albany contractor market revealed this example:

This company, a top 5 player, is in on all the major bids in the market. They do good work and win their fair share. But, somewhere deep inside, they dream of being a beautiful showroom, dazzling the public with their offerings rather than embracing the hardhat that pays the bills.

That disconnect between who you really are and who you really want to be can create confusion among customers.

This firm did open a showroom, and our research showed that some of their commercial customers became confused about who they were. And, it cast doubt on whether they were focused enough on their core business to be awarded the next bid – regardless of their pricing. True or not – that’s not the type of doubt you want hanging out there.

There are many, smart tactical approaches you can follow to spread your wings into new markets.

Dreams of being a butterfly can provide ample motivation.  Be sure, however, to first embrace your inner caterpillar.

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Steve Bannis

 

“Viral” Comes of Age

January 10, 2010

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Categories: Advertising, Blogs, Marketing Message, Social Media, Strategy

The last decade saw the word viral go from “you need chicken soup” to yeah, cool – I saw that too!

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

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Steve Bannis

 

Does “Free” Really Work?

January 3, 2010

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Categories: Advertising, Customer Focus, Marketing Message, Strategy

Over recent years I’ve taken to reading a few business books that I think might be relevant over the coming year.  Sort of a way to get the mental matter primed and ready to rock in 2010.

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

Comments (2)
Steve Bannis

 

Early Results on Holiday Spending

December 7, 2009

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Categories: Advertising, Customer Focus, Marketing Message, Strategy

Reports of consumer spending over the Thanksgiving weekend, including Black Friday, noted that overall spending was slightly above last year’s.  However, before we get all giddy, the numbers also showed that spending per person was down quite significantly.

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

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Steve Bannis

 

It’s What You Say

July 12, 2009

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Categories: Blogs, Marketing Message, Social Networking

This marks the 1 year anniversary of the Burst Marketing Blog. If you’re still here, it’s due to one thing – content.

Content is king, now more than ever. In the May 29th, 2009 edition of the Albany Business Review, I mentioned that distribution of content is separating ever more quickly from the production of content.

Traditional electronic and print content mediums are joined by mobile broadcast and by websites, blogs, social media outlets, email, video and audio streaming and other online content distribution channels to blur the focus of where people get their content.

As the where becomes more fragmented, the what becomes the central hub of your communication plan.

To put a spin on a piece of advice mom may have once given you…

‘it’s not how you say it, it’s what you say.’

Targeting is still important – very important. But the reasons for that and the execution of it are different than they used to be not so long ago. Targeting now comes first in the form of content and next in the area of placement. Cost per 1000 or GRPs are too misleading today to be reliable measures of spending effectiveness.

Your target may be listening or watching something one moment and then seconds later be somewhere else. Trying to hit them in a single spot is like tracking a mirage in the desert. Don’t try.

Content is the one constant you can control.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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Steve Bannis

 

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