Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Mike Sommers on why marketers love social media

  • Inexpensive publishing/distribution
  • Easier to find target audience
  • Enables content creation from the audience
  • Allows for immediate (actual) feedback
  • More quickly understand and respond to problems, deficiencies and annoyances
  • Learn firsthand about where competitors are winning

Thoughts from the audience

  • If someone mentions your brand, they become a quasi-spokesperson
  • See real people

But here's the downside (challenges)

  • Corporate rules often prevent them from having true, original personalities
  • Authenticity
  • Internal ownership
  • Defining the rules of engagement
  • Metrics are new

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Preview Wieden+Kennedy's Ken Smith views on Promoting Coraline and Branding

Wieden+Kennedy's Ken Smith recently worked on the campaign to promote Coraline, the first stop-motion animated feature filmed entirely in 3D, produced by Portland's LAIKA Studios.
He is currently the Account Director on Nike Golf, LAIKA and Oregon Tourism. Taste a preview before he speaks about reinventing movie marketing and how Wieden+Kennedy used new media to sell Coraline.

Describe the difference between advertising, marketing & branding?
At it's simplest advertising is paying to communicate a message about your product or service. It differs from PR and consumer driven content in that you, the advertiser, control the message. Marketing, to go back to the text book definition, employees the four P's: Price, Place, Product and Promotion. When you are marketing a product or service you need to make sure this mix is correct. You need to have a product people want in a place they can easily buy it for the right price and you need to tell them about it or promote it. Some people say there are five P's the fifth being people. The people you employ and your customer service is an important part of the marketing mix. Branding goes beyond marketing to give your product or service a personality. The goal is for people to have an emotional connection to your product, or even become fans.

In the words of former Coke-a-Cola Marketing Director Sergio Zyman, "Everything you do communicates about your brand." So going back to the five P's, if your product costs more than its competitors you better be selling it in more high end places or like Apple controls the retail environment and create the Mac Store. You also better consider where you promote your product. I always find it strange when local jewelers advertise Rolex watches on bus sides.

Why do people spend so much time and money building brands?
One reason that is painfully obvious to us all right now, is that a strong brand helps sustain you through hard times. When the economy is bad and people are watching their money they tend to stick to the brands they know and respect. Over the years Nike has seen sales decline much less in economic hard times than other competitors. A strong brand can make it easier to move into new markets and expand. ESPN is a great example. As a "sports authority," they were easily able to expand beyond one basic cable channel to ESPN news, ESPN Deportes, ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Radio and ESPN.com. If people like your brand and think you do something better, you can charge premium prices, even for commodities, such as the $4 cup of joe at Starbucks. The benefits of a strong brand can go beyond consumers. A strong brand can help you recruit and retain staff. Wouldn't you rather work for Pixar than Disney?

Speaking of movie studios, W+K recently did the marketing for LAIKA's first full length feature film Coraline.
One of the great things about this campaign is that everything we did not only got people excited to see the movie, it also helped to build the LAIKA brand. Every chance we got we played up the hand made craftsmanship and the skills that went into making this great movie. For example, we sent out 50 hand made boxes filled with movie relics that were stamped Made in Oregon. We looked for new and interesting ways to do things, but the look and feel was always consistently hand made and true to LAIKA's values. We were not afraid to say we are Hollywood outsiders. In fact we embraced it. I think if you were paying attention you'll hopefully have an idea of who LAIKA is now and what to expect from LAIKA when the next feature comes along. Of course an Academy Award would be great way to define your brand too.

How is branding changing in this world of new media?
I think all the common sense rules still apply. You have to think of all the new media as an opportunity not as a threat. So, you ask yourself, given all these new ways to talk to consumers and to have them talk back to us, how do we fit in given our brand personality. If we really think of our brand as a person, would we have a Facebook page? Would we Twitter? How would we interact with consumers and what are we open to hearing about ourselves? How much control are we willing to give up? I recently read a great post called Top Ten Reasons Your Company Probably Shouldn't Tweet, number two was, "Every tweet has to be approved by legal." Our Oregon Tourism client decided that is was a better overall consumer experience if they allowed posts from consumers about their visits to Oregon on their site even if some didn't have a great experience. If you are really smart, you're monitoring that feedback and look at negative posts as an opportunity to improve and possibly get a consumer back. Another big mistake is to think of digital marketing and social networking as a cheap alternative to traditional media. If anything it is going to take more of your time and effort to break through and do a good job. Finally you should remember that all these new media vehicles are tools, not strategies.

Is advertising dead?
No, but sometimes it seems like it's trying to commit suicide. We know it's not dead because millions of people go out of their way to download the things we post on YouTube, and I get sent links by friends every day of some ad they loved. That said, most advertising is really bad and there is way too much of it. It might be a good idea to begin regulating it a little more. Many countries have restrictions on the where and when you can advertise. If you are out there trying to figure out how to sell ad space in some unexploited medium, please stop. Let's spend our time and effort trying to make what we already have a little better.

Tree Top Inc. Taps Functional Fruit Beverage Market with trim®




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Allison McCormick, APR or Ashley Sherrick
Conkling Fiskum & McCormick, Inc.
(503) 802-4109 / (503) 802-4115
allisonm@cfmpdx.com / ashleys@cfmpdx.com

TREE TOP TRIM ADDS NEW SLIM CANS TO ITS PRODUCT LINE
Trim, an enlightened fruit beverage, is available now in new 8-ounce cans

SELAH-Wash. – May 20, 2009 – Tree Top trim®, the only functional fruit beverage of its kind in the juice aisle, takes on a new look. Trim is now available in new, svelte 8-ounce cans at local Sam’s Club retailers.

“Functional fruit beverages are in high demand” said Bryce Godfrey, business development director at Tree Top, Inc. “We wanted to provide our consumers with what they wanted most – a healthy fruit, low-cal, on-the-go beverage. Additionally, it is now available in a package that will conveniently fit into a tote or purse. Our new 8-ounce cans are an easy way to get a full serving of fruit and help curb your appetite, while still tasting delicious.”

In December 2008, Tree Top launched trim, the first beverage to provide one full fruit serving coupled with weight management functionality. The US Food & Drug Administration recommends that adults get at least two servings of fruit per day. Tree Top’s 8-ounce cans of trim® are the perfect way to get one of your daily fruit servings, without all of the added sugar, Pack a can of healthy tastiness in your purse or beach tote for a perfect, 60-calorie snack.

Each 8-ounce can contains:
  • One Full Fruit Serving
  • Fiber to make you feel full
  • Chromium to promote a healthy metabolism
  • L-Carnitine to help you burn fat
The new, easily transportable 8-ounce cans of trim® are now available in 24-packs at select Sam’s Club retail locations in the following flavors: Strawberry Kiwi; Mango Peach; and Tangerine Pineapple. To view additional information about trim’s health benefits, check out the Tree Top trim page on facebook.

About Tree Top, Inc.
Tree Top is a 1,300 member, grower-owned co-operative in the heart of Washington’s apple country. For almost 50 years, we’ve produced premium, quality juices, fruit based products and ingredients that reflect our passion, attention to quality and craftsmanship. We are committed to providing wholesome, quality products at the best possible value. Tree Top is all about Real Fruit from Real People.

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