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Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category
Second Screens
Friday, February 3rd, 2012 by David MorganSeventy to Eighty percent of those who watch TV, also are watching a “second screen” during the same time. That second screen is a smartphone, Ipad, or laptop. And what are we doing? We’re checking email, surfing the web, and looking up material that has to do with the show we’re watching! This weekend will be no exception. During the Super Bowl, there will be “calls to action” by many advertisers to take their commercial message one step further– to watch that second screen. Viewers will be able to see “the real story” behind the commercial, see “what happens next”, and participate in polls.
The “second screen” will be with us (at home at least…) for a long time. There are apps that “listen” to your TV, determine what episode you’re watching, and give you more information about the show. And this weekend, we can watch the Coke bears–(one bear per team) watch and react to the game!
(so, instead of watching the game, we can watch bears watching the game…hmmmm)
Marketers will have to consider second screens in the future. Are they distracting, adding, or just complicating the message?
Have a great time this weekend—whatever screen you use.
Second Visit Treats!
Friday, January 6th, 2012 by Jason StrattonOne Sunday last month, I started my day off with a vente iced vanilla latte with soy and double shot at 7:45am. Yes it’s true; I am the only farm boy I know that loves Starbucks and all things gold card. To my surprise, the cashier asked if I had heard about “our Treat Receipt?”. The bottom of my receipt read “Your cold grande drink for $2! Show this receipt after 2 p.m. and get any cold grande drink for $2 (+ tax if applicable.) Participating stories. Same day only.)” So of course I took them up on the offer at 2:15pm for a second wind caffeine fix. The Sunday to do list practically checked itself off with that much caffeine in my system.
Bottom line, Starbucks got $2.00 more out of me because of the treats. Just imagine if you could get the same customer inside your location twice in one day or twice in one week or even twice in one month. How much would it cost you to invite them back? How much incremental revenue could you gain? How much do you stand to lose over the lifetime of a customer who feels un-welcomed in your location?
The idea is simple, but developing and implementing the plan can be a challenge. In this case, the cashier knew the program, engaged me by asking “Have you heard about our (fill in the blank with your treat).” and most importantly, she took ownership with a smile. I was already a Starbucks lover and now it’s gone to the next level. If you would like a partner to help you develop and implement your “treat”, you know who to call – Force 5.
Can you Insure Me from Myself?
Monday, November 7th, 2011 by Jason StrattonSetup Picture – I am sitting at the Apple Genius Bar, ya I know they call it a “Bar” but not a drink in sight, working through my iPhone issues with the savvy, half shaven, twenty something, blue t-shirt wearing apple genius who is just about finished with my antenna issue. When to my surprise the next customer introduces himself to my genius with the problem of “Dude, my iPhone was only in the washer for just enough time for me to realize it wasn’t in my hands” – Yes, I am quoting his first sentence, I can’t make this up any better than reality. These folks really are geniuses of not only apple stuff but of multi-tasking, the proof is that my genius finished my issue while keeping a straight face and not laughing at the laundry dude. I have to admit that for the sake of all our Force 5 readers, I just had to stick around to hear the rest of the laundry story – You’re sitting on the edge of your office chairs, Right?
Laundry dude continued to explain how his iPhone was in his favorite jeans pocket and probably didn’t get that wet. He showed some smarts and called Apple before turning on his now sparkling clean iPhone. Apple instructed him to go to the nearest store and ask the genius to turn the phone on for him – Do Not Try This At Home should apply here. The genius listened and was very sympathetic to laundry dude. But, when the laundry dude finally confessed and said that this was his “THIRD” iPhone within the past year, the conversation was at a cross roads. In my opinion, the genius could have said “Sorry Charlie” and had every right to do so. But, to my surprise he offered laundry dude a new iPhone 4 at a greatly reduced rate of $199.00. Of course, laundry dude asked “Isn’t there any kind of insurance or care plan I can purchase that will cover me from stuff like this?”
Lesson of the story, we all have done some silly things in our lives and careers. So, what makes you different is the ability to ask yourself “Ok, that marketing effort was a flop and WHY?” If you can’t ask the question, you can’t learn the answers of tomorrow’s successes. Need someone outside of your organization to ask that tough question? Force 5 can help and we promise not to wash your cell phone.
What’s Your Voice?
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 by Jason StrattonWe have all done it, you see a cute puppy or kitten or any kind of baby animal. Your voice changes to that of a 4 year old as you try to talk and make this adorable creature smile – “hello little puppy”, “Your soooo cute”, you get the idea. You’re probably saying it out loud right now as you read this – I did every time I proofed this post. This honest voice is to be pleasant, soothing, trusting or to just share a smile. Usually the response is great, you get a purr or a wagging tail or even some polite slobber if you’re lucky.
So how in the world does this relate to marketing? Ask yourself this – “What is our company’s “customer” voice?” I’m not saying to talk to your customer like a puppy, unless that’s your customer, but to force yourself into that state of being the most honest and polite voice you can. By honest, I mean that your voice, or the voice of your employee is the voice of the brand, and your staff are the ambassadors of that brand. The way we speak to a customer, the way we “handle” them are reflections of the brand. We’ve seen it time and time again—we approach a sales counter—no eye contact, no hello, just “what can I do for you” in a monotone. That is your first impression of the brand. On the other hand, the glad-handing, high energy sales rep with a commission gleam in his eye is also a reflection of the brand. So if the brand experience, not to mention the product, falls short of your expectation, are you going to purchase from that company again? Not likely. That’s because those companies don’t care, or are talking to you in the voice they think you want to hear. But when the voice and the product live up to or exceeds your expectation, you become a repeat customer.
When you get to your true voice, your honest voice, then you are showing your brand, your identity, who you are and why it matters. Those who take the risk of being out there for the world to understand receive the largest gains. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to build more likes on your Facebook page or selling million dollar yachts’, your voice needs to say who you are in the most honest way possible.
Here is a portion of the definition for “human voice” provided by Wikipedia:
“The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds, a body part, for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc.”
So you see, we are born with the ability to change our voice, but can you speak to your customer, your staff and/or your investors in your best brand voice? Do you need help with your Brand Voice? – Force 5 can help. Oh, we can help with the puppy voice too. Our staff members, Brady and Sophie can be ready at a moment’s notice!
The SPAM Litmus Test
Friday, July 15th, 2011 by Butch Whitmire
As part of my role here at Force 5, I make unsolicited contact with potential clients almost every day. I do this through a variety of means - letters, phone calls, emails – to let people know about the great things our company can do for them. I realize my activity can be an invasion of a busy person’s privacy, so I always do my best to be courteous, professional, and respectful in all my communications.
Force 5 was recently contacted through our “contact us” page on our website. The email tone was friendly enough, but it appeared to be cut-and-paste and was written using bad grammar. At the bottom of the email was the following disclaimer:
Note: This email is not spam, it was manually sent by us, our sole purpose being to introduce ourselves to you with no obligation on your part. Your email address was found to be publicly available on your website and it has not been added to any list. We consider this to be a polite way to contact you and apologize sincerely if you have been inconvenienced in any way. We are obliged to offer you an ‘OPT-OUT’ from future mailings from us; should you wish to exercise this right, please reply with “OPT-OUT” in the subject field.
Polite enough, I think. So, what do you think? Was this SPAM or not?
My litmus test: if you have to explain to someone why it’s not SPAM then it probably is.
Pricing That Shapes Reality
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 by Butch WhitmireI read a great article yesterday, Why it Can Feel Good to Overspend, and it challenged my thinking. Several months ago I wrote a post on the Force 5 blog saying that marketing promises set customer expectations; and that unless the customer’s experience meets or exceeds those expectations, customers are not satisfied.
However, according to a study conducted in 2008, when it comes to setting high expectations based on price, customers can actually experience more satisfaction. Researchers placed the same wine in two different bottles. One bottle was a $90.00 label, the other a $10 label. When the volunteers were told the prices of the wine they were drinking, they ranked wine from the $90.00 bottle as twice as good.
Volunteers were not simply tricking themselves. Brain scans of the drinkers showed the areas of the brain that detected pleasantness being activated while consuming the $90 bottle. This meant that the drinkers we actually experiencing a better-tasting wine from the $90 bottle even though the two wines were identical.
So, what do you think? Does setting high expectations for customers have greater potential to increase their experience with your business or diminish it?
Too much of a good thing?
Monday, July 11th, 2011 by Deb DeFreeuwI am a red-blooded American gal and I love to find things on sale! Who doesn’t? I have started to wonder, can a retail business have too many sales?
I get an e-mail almost everyday from Lands’ End. I love Lands’ End, I think they have a great product. I am so conditioned to buying when there is a sale offer, that I don’t really consider buying otherwise. The same goes for Macy’s, it seems like every weekend “the sale of the season” is happening at Macy’s. I am to the point now where I just expect a sale every weekend and two things happen. First, the sales loses it’s impact, heck there will be another next weekend. The other thing that happens is that I don’t purchase until something I want goes on sale.So, finding that perfect balance is the key. Have just enough special offerings or sales to keep people interested and create that sense of urgency to purchase, but not so many that a “sale” is the norm.
Bringing Next Generation to This Generation
Thursday, July 7th, 2011 by Butch WhitmireForce 5 remains steadfast in its commitment to be a “next generation brand development and marketing communications firm.” Determing what that next generation technology is and how to bring it to clients in an effective and practical way is the real challenge in fullfilling our commitment.
One next generation technology is mobile. Today, all indicators show that in the foreseeable future, mobile will play a larger and larger role in marketing strategy. As mobile continues to expand rapidly, enabling clients to embrace that technology in a manner that delivers a solid ROI is crucial. Recently, Visibility Magazine published a case study about Force 5′s client, Starcraft Marine. To help starcraft more fully embrace mobile technology and utilize their existing marketing collateral, Force 5 developed a practical mobile interface. (detailed info can be found here.)
The interface utilized MicroSoft TAGs, and Starcraft Marine’s existing video and web to leverage the growing power of mobile. Because it continues to utilize effective legacy strategies, this Force 5 solution brings clients closer to the next generation today.
