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What's Old Is New?

2010-06-10T13:33:37Z

What goes around comes around. How true it is, especially in distribution and retail circles. There never has been a retail/distribution that hasn't been redone and or recast in a different concept. As we grow older, we often yearn for the days of our youth. It has been said that it takes twenty years for something to become nostalgic.

]]> Being a boomer, there are many things I look back at fondly. I have fond memories of trips with my mother to the fish market, bakery and butcher where you knew everyone and everyone knew you. Mega supermarkets weren't even on the retail horizon. There was a personal connection, long before "engagement" became a marketing term du jour. The butcher knew how you liked your cut of meat. They cut and sliced it the way you wanted and didn't hide it along with waste in plastic wrapped containers. You knew and paid only for what you wanted. A trip to the butcher shop was a good experience. The prepackaged meat from a supermarket today just doesn't compare.

Couple the nostalgia for the butcher experience with the less than quality supermarket butcher experience and opportunity is created in this unfulfilled niche. Just recently, The Meat House opened here in Avon. The place has been hopping. Being marketing and advertising curious, I checked the market out. It works on so many different levels - from the customer experience to the product itself. Foodies and novices are equally welcomed by a zealous staff that aims to please - refreshing in today's "tip me" world.

The Meat House offers customers a diverse line of premium meats as well as proprietary marinades, cheeses, fresh produce, artisan breads, prepared side dishes, wines, beer and specialty foods. All are delivered with a pledge of "Unparalleled hospitality in a ten-minute shopping experience." What a great create dissatisfaction strategy against the mega-store food shopping experience where it might take you ten minutes just to park the car and navigate the trek into the store itself.

Tapping into the fundamental shift of people dining at home more often and the desire to eat locally sustainable foods, The Meat House's proposition of gourmet level foods and services in a convenient format is aligned for tremendous growth. This vision of the market is what motivated the startup of The Meat House by two partners, Justin Rosberg and Jason Parent, back in 2004. The growth has been explosive - 11 company-owned stores and seven franchise locations with another 20 being opened this year. They have territory agreements in place for more than 125 stores in 11 states. To say that the market is pent up for good, fresh butcher quality meat is the classic understatement. People are willing to pay for really good meat, especially for a particular occasion. The brand's revenue is testimony - $18 million, with a forecast of over $100 million with the expansion plans.

The mega supermarkets can't do everything well. Much like their meat, their bakeries are uniformly mediocre as well. It's a disappointment to pay top dollar for Boar's Head cold cuts and then put them on a tasteless roll from the supermarket. Panera Bread has tapped into this niche by fulfilling on the promise of a good bread experience. An entire generation has grown up not knowing bakery style breads, cakes, and cookies. The difference is immeasurable in taste and food experience satisfaction. It is no coincidence that there are now three bakeries in the town where I live and all are thriving as well.

It's an example of the death of the big-box/mega store concept. Being all things to all people means you do nothing extraordinarily well. Panera Bread understands this premise with a mission statement of "With the single goal of making great bread broadly available to consumers across America." This single-minded passion has been credited with driving the nationwide trend for specialty bread.

The Meat House is bringing back the butcher and also trying to tap into the community as well. They want you to have fun shopping - another novel concept. Shopping at The Meat House is an experience to look forward to almost as much as the entertaining and family event. In some ways, it emulates shopping in Europe, albeit in a very different setting.

Will The Meat House make a dent in the mega supermarket business? Yes, but will they care? It further points out the fact that there is white space in every category if you look hard enough for it. Not too long ago - butcher shops, bakeries and cheese shops were a dying breed. What happened is the retail replacement didn't replicate the experience, thus creating the opportunity for nostalgia marketing in a new concept. The butcher is back as is the baker. Candles anyone? What's old is new again.

Harman - Hitting New Notes

2010-06-04T11:47:06Z

Let's face it; branding is a challenge in whatever category you find yourself working. It's why we're all in the business that we are - we've chosen to work in the peak of elation and trough of despair world of the communications business. It's what drives us. Being a student of branding is a fascinating pass time for me, especially when you see an unexpected ad/brand campaign that leaves you questioning why they did what they did and what is the message? This happened recently while eating lunch and reading the Wall Street Journal. A full-page ad from Harman with the headline "Sound Matters" literally jumped off the page at me.

]]> I am vaguely aware of the Harman brand - something to do with audio speakers. I was going to merely dismiss it as just another corporate ad, but it started to grow on me. Harman was attempting to appeal to three different channels of sale in one creative execution - consumer, professional and OEM automotive. It was business to business, business to consumer and business-to-channels all rolled into one - a corporate campaign with vertical industry orientation. Talk about dueling audiences.

To further complicate the marketing effort, Harman features a deep house of brands portfolio that employs an endorser brand strategy - from AKG and Harman/Kardon to Infinity and JBL − brands with pockets of brand recognition and equity in their served industry categories. They are certainly hoping that this endorser brand architecture "by Harman" serves to transfer brand loyalty and trust to one another. They are searching for brand nirvana - encouraging purchasers of one consumer, pro-audio or OEM auto sound/infotainment brand to buy other Harman brands. It is brand bundling at its finest. But will it work?

Harman sure hopes so! They've increased their worldwide consumer brand-building budget by 45%. Ads are planned in the Financial Times, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. The tagline is a good one -"Harman. Where Sound Matters." The question is, will the ad matter with users and buyers of audio equipment?

Can corporate ads effectively reach multiple target audiences with multiple brands in both horizontal business publications and industry category trades? This is always the compelling challenge that corporate campaigns face. Is there enough media reach and frequency to appease each and every respective Harman "house of brands," especially if they're funding it through their own budgets? Being a business entity and/or divisional brand, they'll want the piece of the corporate communication spend. You can hear the arguments already - "I've got sales numbers to reach this year. I want my brand prominent. Corporate doesn't help my sales." Does the "by Harman" buy any good will with OEM customers and audiophiles alike? Do they even care?

In advertising, being all things to all people is fraught with danger. Can Harman's multi-year deal as an official partner with the Grammy Awards be made meaningful to car manufacturers? Will the car manufacturers, in turn, promote sound systems in their ads touting the Harman brand? Can consumers be made to care about the plethora of "by Harman" brands? Brand synergy is a great concept. To be successful, the execution has to be impeccable.

The ads feature prominent quotes from the likes of Peter Frampton and Quincy Jones. The copy talks to Harmon's emotional impact on people - "We're proud to touch millions of lives every day. With millions more to come". It's a bold claim and statement about Harmon's future business intentions. Can Harmon achieve the lofty position of being a component brand? It's a big leap from where they've been - a house of brands that was more parts than sum.

You have to give them kudos for putting a stake in the ground and carving out a brand position. They're going to market as Harman with the communications money to back them up. They're stepping up and making a statement to the automotive, consumer and professional audio categories that they're going to be a player. It's a bold move and certainly one worth watching.

Take Time Out This Weekend

2010-05-27T16:00:23Z

It is finally here! The official start of summer begins with the three day weekend - Memorial Day. Barbeques, picnics, the beach, pool and summer vacations all await us over the next three months. Memorial Day is truly an American holiday where food, friends and fun reign supreme. Let the celebration begin as 28 million people travel to a get-together over the weekend. That's up 5% from last year. After two-plus long years of recession, it's heartening to see economic growth in any form.

]]> Over the course of my lifetime, Memorial Day has taken on a significantly different role in the nation's psyche. It is no longer so much the recognition and acknowledgement of those who served in battle and conflicts over the past 150 years. It's less about parades and patriotism. It's become more about relaxing and letting loose.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, commemorates U.S. men and women who died in our nation's service. It was first enacted to honor Union soldiers of the Civil War; it was expanded after World War I. It was formerly observed on May 30th, but changed in the 70's to create the three-day weekend. Many veterans argue that this has led to the nonchalant and ambivalent observance of Memorial Day.

All of us have been touched by military veterans in one shape or another. My grandfather, father and father-in-law all served when asked by their country. My friend's brothers went to Vietnam. Who doesn't know someone who's done a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan? It's now often as if we're falling into taking our freedom for granted again.

Will we see the flags on veteran's graves as we drive by cemeteries on the way to a party or the beach? How many people will proudly fly their flag? The tradition is to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff from dawn until noon. Will we buy one of the poppies from the members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars? Will we thank a veteran when we see one? We owe a lot to those who gave their lives so we can enjoy ours. Yes, we think it rationally; but do we live it emotionally by taking action?

In researching this post, I learned that as part of the Memorial Day celebration there is a National Moment of Remembrance. At 3 p.m. local time the remembrance takes place. It's a time for all of us to pause in national unity to give personal thanks by honoring those who served. The reason the 3 p.m. time was chosen is because that is when most Americans are truly enjoying the fruits of personal freedom on the national holiday. It demonstrates our gratitude and respect for those who died for our freedom since the founding of our Nation

If you want to be inspired over the weekend, tune into PBS on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. for the 2010 National Memorial Day Concert from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The concert focuses on three themes this year that touch a cross-section of our country - honoring the sacrifices, suffering and love of a new generation of young military widows and widowers whose spouses served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam; paying tribute on the 60th anniversary of the Korean War to the heroic service of the soldiers who fought and perished; and paying homage to the more than 125,000 WWI and WWII service members who did not come home but rest in 24 military cemeteries in the foreign lands where they fought for liberty. Having been to Normandy and walked the Utah and Omaha beaches, I stared in awe at the rows and rows of crosses marking the gravesites of American soldiers. I'm hard pressed to think of any place that moved me so emotionally. The concert at the Capitol affects me in the same manner. It will make you feel good about all that you have in a country where you are truly free. Take some time out this weekend and recognize our veterans, past and present. If you see a veteran, just say thanks, especially if they are family.

It's time that we all put "memorial" back into Memorial Day!!

Brand Verbs - Home Run or Strike Out?

2010-05-21T12:24:50Z

The financial news networks have been inundated lately with new Vanguard commercials heralding a new way of investing called "Vanguarding." The spots catch your attention because they are so different and unexpected for the category, and are in conflict with Vanguard's bedrock position of low fund management fees and sound investment strategies. Turning a brand into a brand action - transitioning to a brand verb is risky business.

]]> The brandscape is littered with more failures than successes that employ the brand verb niche strategy. When done right, brand verbs can be a homerun. FedEx, probably the poster child for how a brand verb strategy should work, immediately comes to mind. As does Xerox. Even if we have a DVR, the response is often "Tivo" it. Or even Rollerblading. Online searches are all about "Google It."

The common thread to all of these brand verb evolutions is that they were born out of user experiences, not a marketing campaign. They just happened organically on their own. No external orchestration was needed; users were the drivers behind it. It's hard to believe that at one point FedEx was known as Federal Express. Changing the name to FedEx took big money and guts. The threat of turning FedEx into a generic category like Kleenex was huge. The gamble certainly paid off. What a novel idea - a branding and naming convention driven by customers.

"Vanguarding" seems forced and contrived. The campaign tagline doesn't make any connection to the investor - "Stop just investing and start Vanguarding." Isn't the name of the game investing? Is "Vanguarding" the new way of investing post-recession?

The definition of "Vanguarding" has a lot of strategic elements to it. Here is how it is defined on Vanguard's web site. "Vanguarding is a different approach to investing. It's looking at the long term, investing at cost and choosing a company that treats you like an owner." It's asking a lot of the individual investor to grasp. Can Vanguard carve out this position so that it is believable? Are we truly owners, or just investors in a mutual fund? What's missing is the single-minded business premise that made Vanguard relevant and differentiated.

Vanguard has owned the low-cost mutual fund position for years. It is the go-to mutual fund when low management fees are the priority investment selection criteria. Couple that with sound investment strategies and fundamental thinking and investors and financial advisors alike understood where Vanguard fit into their consideration set. Both distinctive and differentiated, Vanguard carved out investor mind space.

Does "Vanguarding" reach and address the truths of investing - risk, cost, time and emotion? To achieve success, "Vanguarding" has to become a way of investing life. It speaks to investors' hearts with the "guarding" element. Who doesn't want help protecting your assets today? From an overall perspective, it seems forced and contrived. "Vanguarding" needs to be the deliverable that audiences derive from investing with Vanguard. What happened to the simple premise of return on investment?

Brand verbs can't be manufactured. It happens through user experience, day after day. You can't force them. Will the term "investing" be replaced by "Vanguarding?" It's highly doubtful.

Friends for Life

2010-05-14T12:30:07Z

Think about the number of brands that we connect with early in our lives that stay with us year after year. A trusted friend that never waivers. Nothing can come between us and the brand. It is a part of who we are. No brand has a greater grip on our psyche than our sports teams. After all, "fan" is short for "fanatic." It's so true in baseball, where the day-in and day-out, up and down drama of navigating a 162 game season is both exhilarating and depressing. Yet, we keep coming back for more.

]]> The recent passing of Ernie Harwell, the great baseball announcer for the Detroit Tigers, got me questioning who our brand connection is really forged with - the team or the announcer. The outpouring of love and admiration for all things Ernie was incredible. You would have thought that some people lost a close relative or friend. Perhaps they did. It was as if he played for the Tigers, but, of course, he didn't. However he was the eyes and ears that brought the game to millions, not just across Michigan but also throughout the upper Midwest.

Ernie understood his "brand" place in an understated manner. It was best exemplified in his signoff farewell back in 2002. "It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure. I'm not leaving folks. I'll still be with you, living my life in Michigan - my home state - surrounded by family and friends. And rather than say goodbye, please allow me to say you thank you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your family. Thank you for taking me with you to that cottage up north, to the beach, the picnic, your work place and your backyard. Thank you for sneaking your transistor under the pillow as you grew up loving the Tigers. Now, I might have been a small part of your life. But you've been a very large part of mine. And it's my privilege and honor to share with you the greatest game of all." What an elegant way to pay homage to a brand relationship.

The best announcers hold a special place in the hearts of fans. Harwell may have been the last of a dying breed. Announcers who were literally connected to the team they covered. Vin Scully now carries the torch, but his days of holding court high over Dodger Stadium are numbered. We're lucky in the New England area to have listened to radio greats, night after night, season after season. I remember sneaking a transistor into bed in the dead of winter and listening to Boston Celtics announcer Johnny Most delivering the epic call of "Havlicek stole the ball." It was as if I were at the Boston Garden rather than in bed hoping my mother didn't check on me. Johnny Most was a homer indeed, but he was our homer. Much like Ned Martin's memorable call of the Carlton Fisk Game Six homer in the 1975 World Series - "If it stays fair, it going to be a home run." There is something magical about listening to baseball on the radio.

Baseball is a game that happens in between the actual action on the game. Soccer is often referred to as "the beautiful game," but baseball is magical in its simplicity and complexity. It's visually arresting and artfully presented. Announcers help paint this visual picture. They also become a part of our lives.

Every region of the country has its own sports announcer character. This is especially true in the NY Metropolitan area. The Yankees had their own folk hero, Phil "Holy Cow" Rizzuto. Their cross-town rivals, the fledgling Mets, featured the announcing tandem of Ralph Kiner, Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphy and his "Happy Recap" - a trio that survived together for well over 30 years. All were great story tellers and held court night after night. They were always part of the game but never bigger than it. They let the game breathe and left things to your imagination. The "Green Monster" and the "Pesky Pole." You saw the images in your mind.

Love them or hate them - which is dependent on the rooting interest of your team. Sports announcers, like great brands, inspire devotion. All my friends used to mimic Marv Albert's trademark "yes" call when they hit a jumper in a pick-up basketball game. Little did we know at that young age the bond that we'd form with our teams and the announcers who brought the games to life every day and night. That was long before 50-plus sports channels on cable and instantaneous score updates on our Blackberry's and iPhones which today masquerade as our new transistors.

Will new generations have the same sports announcer brand affinity or is that innocence lost forever? I think the sports announcer connection is alive and well, albeit in a different form and across a far more evolved and sophisticated sports landscape. Look no further than the RemDawg himself - Red Sox color announcer Jerry Remy. Based on an offbeat persona and love of all things Red Sox, he has built a brand empire. One that continues in steep ascent with the new Jerry Remy Sports Bar and Grill - a mega-pub tucked away behind Fenway Park. Judging from when I walked by his place after a game a few weeks ago, the Rem Dog is raking in the cash. This isn't the first time a sports announcer has cashed in on his fame to seek out fortune. Harry Caray, the Chicago Cubs long-time announcer, had his own Harry Caray restaurant in downtown Chicago where he was known to throw back a few cold ones. As Harry liked to say, "I'm a Cubs Fan and Bud Man." What a perfect brand tie-in - baseball and beer. What baseball fan hasn't forged that ultimate brand relationship - baseball and beer! Those are friends that you make for life.

If Something Works, You Stick With It

2010-05-07T12:47:49Z

This weekend marks the start of the summer blockbuster movie season. It's the time of year when anyone over the age of 30 rarely steps foot into a movie theater. Mature audiences follow the advice of "see you in September" when more serious, adult-themed movies return to the big screen.

]]> "Marketing redux" is running rampant in today's market climate. Brands are reluctant to change. If the formula is tried and true, why change it? Nowhere is this more apparent than in the motion picture business. A quick glimpse through a list of the summer movie line-up turns up nothing but sequels and remakes, week after week. It is late June, a full eight weeks into the blockbuster season (didn't that used to start on Memorial Day weekend?), before you find an opening Friday without the dreaded sequel or remake.

Risk is out in Hollywood. The trend is to bet on the sure thing. Creative be damned. Give audiences something they liked before and hope they'll like it again. After all, Hollywood has shareholders to look after and profits to realize. Story tellers are out. Risk aversion is the new paradigm.

Iron Man 2 kicks off the blockbuster season today. Robert Downey Jr. is back as the cool and smart superhero. How do you make it better - bring on more villains and mayhem? Mickey Rourke is cast as Whiplash (wasn't that a character on Masters of the Universe?), a Russian Iron Man.

The next week brings us Robin Hood - another reincarnation that features the Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe teaming. If it worked in Gladiator and L.A. Confidential, it will work again is the theory. It has to be better than Robin Hood - Men in Pants.

The green guy from the swamp is back on May 21 in Shrek Forever After It is a whole new generation of fans for Shrek, Fiona and Donkey as the franchise is closing in on 10 years. It's in the magical 3D format. Shrek is a franchise for Universal that keeps on giving. Why not milk it for all it is worth? The story premise of Shrek the Ogre being sucked into an alternative reality after making an unwise bargain with Rumplestiltskin seems forced. Dream sequences never work. It's the easy way out. It doesn't measure up to the creative brilliance established in the previous Shrek iterations. This is the fourth Shrek movie - too much of a good thing. Time for the Ogre to take some time off.

Sex and the City 2 opens on Memorial Day. Carrie and company try to replicate the smash hit of a few years ago. The trailer with the girls romping around the desert doesn't look promising. When the trailer doesn't pique that 'gotta see it' feeling, you know problems are lurking.

Remakes rule June. Marmaduke jumps from the funny pages to the big screen in CGI with Owen Wilson as the voice-over. Marmaduke really isn't very funny in papers; what makes studio executives think this will be a hit? Don't they know that no one under 20 reads the paper - the very audience that will make or break this effort? Does anyone care about Marmaduke?

The 80's TV Cult hit The A-Team is next up on the weekend of June 11th. They're making this a serious movie, not campy like the show. Bad mistake, although the casting of Liam Neeson as Hannibal Smith is brilliant. No matter who you cast, Mr. T is the only B.A. Baracas. This has got flop written all over it.

The very same weekend, the Karate Kid remake is being released. Time for everyone to visit the dojo! It stars Jackie Chan as the lovable maintenance man and master arts performer, Mr. Miyagi. He is now known as Mr. Han. Jaden Smith - son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith - plays the Ralph Maccio character. How could you possibly capture the same magic and emotion of the original? To be a hit, this is going to need some serious polish - wax on and wax off.

Rounding out the month of June, Buzz ("I come in peace") and Woody are back in Toy Story 3. Can you believe it has been 15 years since the original? A sequel every five years makes sense. Write a great script, show character development and appeal to all audiences. The premise - the owner of the Toy Story gang of toys is now grown up (just like the original Toy Story fans of the 90's) and giving the toys away to undisciplined kids at a day care. You can only imagine the mayhem possibilities. Can you say "blockbuster"?

Which formula, either sequel or remake, leads to box office success is anyone's guess? Movies, like any form of entertainment, need a story as a foundation. A connection to the characters/actors is a must. Movies are escapism at the very core. It just seems as though there is a rampant lack of creativity in today's movie industry. The formulaic approach is great for profits but bad for moviegoers in the long run. After awhile, the same old is just that - the same old. There is a very inherent risk of falling into the 'been there and done that' mentality. Sticking with a tried and true formula offers as much risk as reward. Here's hoping for something surprising this summer.

The Resurrection of BTB Print

2010-04-29T16:52:20Z

Much has been written over the past year and half about the death knell sounding for BTB print magazines. It seemed like everyday another BTB title was heading off to magazine heaven. It was a graveyard littered with venerable old titles that had served various categories with distinction for years. If you believed the pundits, BTB print was DOA

]]> Many industries go through being on death's doorstep at one point or another in their respective lifecycles but somehow managing to find a way of crawling back. TV was going to kill the motion picture business. FM signaled the end for AM radio. VCR's were forecast to end the dominance of TV and movies. Did any of these industries die out? No, they found a way to compete differently and better, albeit in a smaller way.

It may have been a coincidence or just a confluence of news coming together at just the right time, but last week there were several different declarative statements made that the predicted death of BTB print might be slightly overblown.

Bloomberg Business Week made a huge splash at a launch party of the newly redesigned Bloomberg Business Week last Thursday at Bloomberg's headquarters in NYC. It was a celebration that brought back memories of the old days in the business - pre-recession. Optimism was prevalent among staffers and advertisers alike. The April 26 issue features 136 pages - certainly a definitive statement that the publication means business and has advertising support.

Their plan is to editorially "make sense" of the plethora of news that we're exposed to daily and to "get people ready for the week ahead." In an industry where issues cutbacks are the norm, Bloomberg Business Week is increasing its frequency from 47 to 50 issues. Another small but noticeable change is the shift to a heavier page stock. This costs money but is a strong signal to advertisers that ads will look better and crisper in the new Bloomberg Business Week. There's nothing that matches the creative stopping power of a double truck, 4-color ad. Digital mediums just can't capture that magic.

It's easy to point to Bloomberg as a trendsetter leading the charge - they have the capital to make it happen. The real rebirth is coming from smaller BTB titles actually being resurrected from the ashes. A couple of weeks ago, Reed Elsevier announced the closing of 23 trade publications. Many were great names that BTB firms and agencies advertised in for years. They were the voice of insight, counsel and reason in the categories they served.

Having been in BTB communications for over three decades, I had a very real sense of resignation and regret. Not just for the publications, but also for the editors and salespeople that I've met and worked with over the years. Good people doing the right thing. It didn't feel good or sit well.

Life is often about second chances and one by one many of the shuttered Reed business publications are coming back to life. Management teams of the publications are seeing the opportunity that still exists in BTB print. The group that ran Reed Business Information bought Logistics Management, Modern Materials Handling, Supply Chain Management Review and Material Handling News.

According to my industry sources, a small group made up of current management, editorial, sales, marketing and production staff is putting together a consortium to buy Consulting-Specifying Engineer, Plant Engineering and Control Engineering from Reed.

These smaller publishing groups can concentrate on the core elements of the categories that their publications serve without having to report to a corporate parent. They know the market and serve as the information resource. They'll put their lifeblood and savings into the ventures. Knowing these people like I do, they're certain to be a success.

Many of these publications came out of great publishing houses like Cahners, Chilton, Technical Publishing and others. Back in the day, print advertising ruled in BTB circles. Will it happen again? Maybe or maybe not. If you've been in the business long enough to have been personally connected to the publications and the people, it's certainly a rebirth that is worth celebrating!!

Brand Ingredient - A Recipe for Success?

2010-04-23T12:52:53Z

In most business to business circles, the OEM - the Original Equipment Manufacturer - is the big dog. OEM's bask in all the communications and marketing limelight. Being a component brand supplier to the OEM often means taking a back seat. Component brands have to fight to gain awareness and are at the mercy of the OEM's marketing and sales strategies. It's often only the OEM's way or you're banished to the highway. They have all the brand clout.

]]> Every conceivable category and industry has their own set of OEM giants. The majority of the consumer public flying today knows whether they are on Boeing or Airbus airplanes; but how many are aware that Pratt & Whitney provides the jet engines powering the planes or that Rockwell Collins manufactures the avionics in the flight deck? You might say that they are brand ingredients to Boeing and Airbus. Is there a reason for consumers to care?

It is interesting to see Briggs & Stratton's new "Engines Matter" campaign that is running in USA Today and in the digital ad world. Briggs & Stratton is a venerable engine manufacturer that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2008. Their engines are found in every piece of power equipment from lawnmowers to generators and snow blowers to pressure washers. They provide the power to get things done around the house and the job site.

The selling idea behind the campaign is that nine out of ten lawnmower brands use Briggs & Stratton engines. Did you ever give any thought to the engine when you were buying a lawnmower? Probably not. You just want the damn thing to start on the first couple of pulls before your back gives out. Briggs & Stratton wants you to start caring.

Brand ingredient programs promoting "components" functioning as an integral part of an OEM brand are nothing new. Think Nutrasweet, Teflon and Dolby to name a few that have been wildly successful.

None has been more successful than "Intel Inside." Who would have thought in their wildest imagination that you could get the public to care about microprocessors? The campaign rendered the brand attributes of Intel - technology leadership, quality and reliability - in a friendly way, "the brains inside the PC." Their three-second animated jingle is indelibly etched in the consumer's consciousness.

What made the "Intel Inside" program work was advertising and communications teaming with the PC manufacturers rather than going it alone. OEM's became an ally rather than an adversary. Getting consumers to care about microprocessors wasn't easy. Intel embraced what the PC OEM's could do for them by offering a lucrative Intel Inside co-op marketing program. Intel offered a percentage of the microprocessor purchase price and put it into a pool for advertising funds. The one caveat to tap into the funds - computer makers had to include the Intel logo in their ads. Their advertising programs went farther from a budget standpoint, while Intel rode the latest technology halo.

With the wild success of "Intel Inside" you'd think that there would be more programs like it. Yes, BASF's "We Don't Make the Products, We Make the Products Better" could be classified as a brand ingredient program, but it really is a corporate awareness effort. Will people care about Briggs & Stratton enough to make a difference? Check out www.enginesmatter.com and read their starting promise. They guarantee that any of their engines will start within the first two pulls for two years. If not, they'll pay for the maintenance. For anyone who has struggled to start their mowers and snow blowers, this is a powerful incentive to look for the Briggs & Stratton engine. I'm all in on that one!!

Find Your One Thing

2010-04-12T14:52:58Z

The news about Subway getting into the breakfast game made me question the move. Did they have to do this? Not everyone can do everything well. Five-dollar foot long sandwiches are working well for them. Why the need for breakfast game? It's because the quick service, aka fast food, category is ruthless. It never stops - morning, noon and night. Does it have to be that way?

]]> A scene from the classic movie City Slickers has always stuck with me as a metaphor for both business and life. Shot on a cloudless, blue sky day in the desert while riding on horses, the old salt cowboy, Curly (played in understated glamour by Jack Palance), lectures city slicker ranch hand, Mitch (Billy Crystal in one of his greatest acting roles), about life - "Find one thing, just one thing, and stick to it."

What great advice. Too bad many brands don't adhere to it. In business, you can't be all things to all people. You end up with a fractured personality. That's true of almost every quick service restaurant today. They stand for everything and stand out for nothing. It's a vast wasteland of fast food sameness. They don't subscribe to Curly's "one thing" philosophy.

It isn't true of all. Five Guys Burgers and Fries have perfected their one thing - burgers and fries. You could argue that their point of difference is being fanatical about freshness. You won't find anything frozen. Quality is more than a buzz word. The best salespeople are their customers. They don't play the discount game or cater. Want it delivered - nope! In a hurry? Sorry, you'll have to wait.

Granted you can get hot dogs and grilled cheese (for the kids), but it's all about burgers and fries. The beef is 80% lean, the buns are toasted on the grill and fries are northern Idaho potatoes noted for their density. 17 topping offerings are a plus. They don't cut corners. Today, they have 570 stores across the U.S. and Canada, with new stores opening at a rate of about four a week. Sales are close to $500 million and climbing. That's a lot of revenue for being true to one thing - burgers and fries. Being rated ten years straight on the Zagat's survey says something for a simple burger shack with red and white decor.

At some point after growth stops it will be interesting to see if they have to get into the brand extension game, especially if they get acquired and become a public company. That's when the year-over-year sales game starts to be played.

The FAQ section of the Five Guys Burgers and Fries website gives a glimpse into how adamant they are about staying true to their one thing.

Q. Does Five Guys plan to add any menu items (i.e, milkshakes, chili, etc.)?

A. Five Guys does not currently have plans to add any items to our menu. We follow the philosophy of focusing on a few items, and serving them to the best of our ability. If we were to add to our menu, then you can guarantee that we would only do so if we could serve the highest quality product possible. For example, there are a lot of great milkshakes out there, and at this point we think that others are doing it better than we could!

Isn't that a novel marketing and sales admission? Someone does something better than you. How many people or businesses are willing to say that? What they don't boast about is that they do burgers and fries better than any competitor. There is real money to be made doing something really well. Whether it's in business or your personal life, seek out the one thing that you do well and better than anyone else. Find your one thing.

You're Free to Compete - Don't Let Yourself Become a Commodity

2010-04-06T13:56:14Z

Having traveled extensively recently, I feel there is not much worse than air travel today. The joy of flying is a long forgotten memory. You just want to get from point A to point B in the quickest time at the best fare with minimal hassle. What happened to what United used to refer to as the "the friendly skies"? The travel category is the very example of look and sound alike sameness with little differentiation. It is a homogonous mess!

]]> That's why you have to admire how Southwest Airlines won't let their business get swept up in the marketing morass called commodity. They are the beacon in marketing and communications excellence in the airline industry. They're proving that you can outmarket and outwork the competition. They execute flawlessly. They make it look easy, which it is anything but. Being distinctive is hard work.

"Bags Fly Free" is a manifestation of executing a selling idea - a true point of difference. While all the other U.S. airlines exhibit copycat behavior and charge for bags, Southwest took a stand. Airlines aren't wrong; baggage fees helped drive revenue to the tune of $740 million in the third quarter of 2009 alone.

Southwest is bold in everything that they do. What makes the "Bags Fly Free" commercial work (and all their commercials, for that matter) is the genuine nature in which they're creatively executed. Using real employees helps. Not trying to do too much is another key facet. The Southwest selling idea is always rendered well. The "Ding" - "You're Free to Move About the Country" is indelibly etched in the minds of airline passengers across the U.S. 86 million passengers flew on Southwest last year alone. That's a lot of moving around the country.

Southwest works hard to please passengers - the way you want to be treated as a person. It starts by branding inside out with the 35,000 plus employees that help make 3,200 flights happen daily. The employees emulate what you see in the commercials. The brand delivers on the core promise. Many brands expose an "open and approachable" brand personality; Southwest delivers on it.

Not playing the commodity game takes conviction and money. While other airlines cut back on their advertising spending, Southwest invests more. They've seen a 1% market share gain. That's metrics proof beyond just feeing passengers to death.

Southwest doesn't play the discount travel site channel game. You won't find them on Expedia or Travelocity. Want to check fares - www.southwest.com is the only place you'll find them in the digital space. They pioneered "Ding" - a desktop widget long before widgets and apps came into vogue. Great brands can afford to dictate the terms with their channel partners. Commodity brands are at their mercy.

What makes the Southwest brand great is the execution and rendering. You connect with them with both your heart and mind. It's the space the airlines used to own before flying became equated with having a root canal. The likeability of Southwest is an appealing proposition. You want to see them succeed. It follows the old adage that people buy from people. Yes, the schedule and fares have to be equal. But Southwest has that covered in spades - flying to 68 cities in 35 states. That's a lot of the country.

Southwest refuses to let their business be a commodity. There is always a way to distinguish who you are and what you do. It's too easy to fall into being a commodity, whether it is personally or professionally. Don't let it happen to you or the brands that you work on and represent.

The End of TV's Golden Era

2010-03-29T13:10:21Z

I've come to believe the axiom that things happen in threes. How often does it happen? Within the past week, three venerable TV legends that were synonymous with great TV characters passed away. You likely knew all three if you grew up watching TV in the 60's. That era featured three networks with hour-long dramas ranging from westerns to police shows. They were our reality - you lived a fantasy through the characters in the program that were larger than life.

]]> Fess Parker, aka Daniel Boone in the Daniel Boone TV program, was the first to leave us. Who didn't want to own a coonskin cap like him? You dreamed of wilderness life and living off the land, if only for that hour. Parker was type cast and never really achieved another career milestone, but he always had time for his fans. He understood the fame game, unlike stars of today. Parker went on to new heights in the wine business and won a supporting role in "Sideways" with his Fess Parker Family Winery and Vineyard.

There will be no more 'missions' for Peter Graves as he passed away last week. Who could forget the great opening trailer of Mission Impossible with the tape recording of instructions for the great Jim Phelps? You knew he would always accept the mission and the tape would self-destruct. There was comfort in that weekly predictability. His team was the 60's precursor to the A-Team. It was an action drama that was appointment TV, long before the term came into vogue in the 80's and 90's. Imagine today a drama opening with a theme song lasting a minute or two? Theme songs were memorable and helped you engage and identify with the show. That last opening theme song I can recall was for the Soprano's series. If done right, it still works.

This past Wednesday, Robert Culp of I Spy fame died. I Spy was another great show in the spy genre that featured great back and forth exchanges with Culp's partner, Bill Cosby. Yes, the comedic actor who has had a distinguished career, including his run as Cliff Huxtable in the Cosby Show. Like the others, Culp was type cast. But is that such a bad thing? Being remembered is a great thing. It's better to be a has been than a never was.

TV in the 50's, 60's and 70's was innocent and brought a fantasy world into your living rooms. There was no 'reality' TV and maybe that was a good thing. You used your imagination and were transported to different places. Say what you want about how the shows hold up today, but you have to admit that there was certainly more creativity then.

Today, network TV is formulaic with very little originality. Do we really need four Law & Order shows or three CSI offerings? Reality TV rules because it's cheap to produce. The lack of good dramas is appalling. There is no risk being taken and networks wonder why audiences have moved away in droves. Make a better product. Cheaper isn't always better. Demand great scripts and plots. The easy way out is the path to ruin. NBC experienced that with the Jay Leno experiment.

As you grow older, you get nostalgic for your youth. You can't replicate your youth, but sometimes you like to go back for a little bit. Give me the Cartwrights riding in on the Ponderosa, Frank Cannon and Robert T. Ironside, Herman Munster and Jed Clampett any day. I can just see the boys from Hawaii 5-0 - Chin Ho, Kono, Danny and Steve McGarrett wrapping up an episode - "Book em Dano, Murder One." Cue the Ventures and their great Hawaii 5-0 theme song!

Rest in peace, Jim Phelps, Daniel Boone and secret agent Kelly Robinson. Your passing marks the end of a great TV era.

Tickets Anyone?

2010-03-12T13:08:06Z

To me, the month of March means one thing - March Madness, the basketball crazed time of wall-to-wall college basketball with hours spent fretting over filling out multiple NCAA championship brackets. The NCAA basketball tournament is a magical sporting event, and especially so for those lucky enough to score tickets. Getting tickets to an NCAA Final Four game is reputed to be one of sports toughest tickets. You get entered into a lottery for tickets a year in advance

]]> For years, if you wanted tickets to a high profile or sold out event you had to deal with shady characters who camped outside the arena selling tickets to a wary public. Known as scalpers, or vendor guys in some circles, it was buyer beware. The experience was fraught with haggling and uncertainty, always on the look out for police - in uniform or plain clothes.

Just ten short years ago all this changed. Ticket reselling became a channel game changer through the introduction of StubHub. Started by Eric Baker and Jeff Fluhr, two Stanford MBA graduates, they reinvented the channel in the form of ticket reselling. They were upfront in their "scalping" fees - 10% from the buyer and 15% from the seller. Sellers, most notably season ticket holders, had a place to unload unused tickets and the public had an online marketplace to search for tickets. Need meets opportunity, all without the unsavory scalper shakedown in the shadows of ballparks and arenas across the country.

The ticket reselling industry has gone through a tremendous growth spurt this decade. Rather than fight the shear magnitude and reach of StubHub, many professional sports teams and college sports programs have formal programs with them. The ticket reselling market is estimated to be well over $25 billion. Everyone wants in to claim their share of market.

I did an on-line search for Red Sox tickets, a tough ticket, as they've sold out every game since back in early 2003 and going strong into 2010 at 550 straight sellouts. Yes, the channel giants StubHub and TicketsNow have strong natural and paid search positions, but it is the channel wannabes that catch your interest. Want to sit close to the field? Vivid Seats or TicketZoom are great choices. Want to follow your team on a road trip? Check Out of Town Tickets or Coast to Coast Tickets. If you're feeling lucky, go to Ace Tickets who is a strong regional player in the New England market. They've carved out a niche in Boston against the behemoth StubHub.

It's another lesson that business opportunities are all around if you look hard and deep enough. There is always a new channel to be discovered or improved upon. For years, scalpers had the ticket reselling market pretty much to themselves. They haven't been eliminated, but their presence has been diminished. Ebay and Craigslist haven't helped them either. It's all about finding a market niche and securing your place. A quote by the aforementioned Eric Baker sums it up best. "I'm probably the one person from business school who decided to take his MBA and become a ticket scalper." That's certainly an education that paid for itself. Anyone can be the next StubHub. It's a matter of finding the undiscovered or underserved channel.

Sailing Away

2010-03-05T14:56:11Z

It hardly received nary a mention, but the America's Cup was held a couple of weeks ago in Valencia, Spain. Call it the race of the billionaires. Oracle Corporation founder Larry Ellison was victorious in BMW Oracle over the defending champion, Alinghi, led by Swiss entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli. You had to look far and wide to find any coverage, an average of about five lines of agate type in local newspapers.

]]> What happened to this sporting world institution? Greed and money. They truly killed the golden goose that was the America's Cup. It's hard to believe that at one time it was the world's third largest sporting event, trailing only the World Cup and the Olympics. That certainly is heady company. It used to deliver billions to local economies. Today that impact is estimated at one-tenth of what it once was.

Always a sport of the rich, as most are in today's times, it became a sport of the uber-rich. The cost in the 2010 America's Cup was so prohibitive that long time sponsors UBS, Nestle and Banco Santander took a pass. When sponsors drop out you know you are in a world of hurt! This year the qualifying races - the Louis Vuitton World Series - was canceled as countries like China, Spain, Germany, South Africa, Italy and New Zealand said no mas!

The last twenty years of America's Cup history reads like ten miles of bad road. Bad decisions followed by worse decision making. Millions spent in court. The shift from 12 meter class boats to 110-foot trimarans with 223-foot hard wind sails. Technology ruled the day and fans rued the day it happened. They took the sport out of the sport of sailing. Money was the ruination of the America's Cup.

At one time, personalities like flamboyant Australian Alan Bond, Ted Turner on his boat Courageous in 1977, and skipper Dennis Conner ruled the seas off Newport and Freemantle, Australia. It was fun and made for great theater. You cared about the competitors and the competition.

People tuned in on TV. In 1987, with Dennis Conner trying to win back the cup down under, EPSN signed an unprecedented deal to air 70 hours of coverage of what was at that time yachting's premiere event. They sold out all the time and averaged 1 and 2 ratings even though the events were aired live - which meant they went off around midnight to 2 a.m. on the East Coast. The America's Cup helped validate fledgling ESPN network. In 2010, there was no media coverage in the U.S. or Canada. It was reduced to coverage on a YouTube channel. Talk about irrelevance.

There is no debating that sponsors and money were always a part of the America's Cup and always will be. What's missing today is a brand value return for fans and sponsors alike. From a product life cycle perspective, the America's Cup is far past decline. It's essentially in the brand graveyard, being rendered meaningless in the sporting world.

Can it experience a brand renaissance? There is talk of going back to monohulls again. With Ellison and his Golden Gate Yacht Club in control, there is initial talk of bringing the America's Cup races back to Newport, R.I. and returning to a best out of nine races rather than best of three. Branding history tells us that it is hard to return to your roots. With the America's Cup brand having already been washed away to a great extent, it is a sail worth taking.

Good for Women. Good for Men?

2010-02-25T17:03:23Z

Out of a myriad of ads that I've seen recently, one especially caught my attention - Dove Men+Care http://content.dove.us/mencare/TV.aspx. Set to the tune of the William Tell Overture, the premise is about men getting comfortable with who they are, i.e., in their own skin. The spot certainly grows on you both on TV and radio. The question is will it make a connection with the male audience?

]]> Dove has long had breakthrough advertising that stands out in a category that is synonymous with a sea of creative sameness. The Campaign for Real Beauty, http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com, was brilliant in its execution and the simplicity of honoring the inner beauty of all women, not just waif-like size zeros. Women recognized themselves in that campaign and related on all levels. Dove products flew off the shelves. The campaign was the impetus behind the Dove Self Esteem Fund that has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of young women.

Dove is tapping into the territory that Nivea for Men has owned for a long period of time. The opportunity is ripe. Men are spending more money on themselves and their personal grooming. Hair removal products for men is one of the fastest growing niche segments. According to the International Spa Association, one-third of all customers are men. Men- only spas, like Nickel Spa in NYC and the Grooming Lounge in Washington D.C., are springing up to meet this new demand. Men are realizing that good grooming means good living. Women certainly take note as well.

Women are still the principal shoppers for consumer products packaged goods. Will women buy Dove Men+Care products for their significant others? Transitioning traditional women's products and brands over to men is tricky and littered with failures and missteps.

Does anyone remember the ill fated Talbot's for Men stores? Believe it or not, there were twelve of them at one time offering high quality men's clothing in traditional fashions. It was thought to be a great strategic brand extension strategy. Why is that? The overwhelming percentage of shoppers in men's stores is women shopping for men (greater than 60%). Apparently they didn't frequent Talbot's for Men, now in the retail graveyard.

The same holds true for Liz Claiborne. The Liz brand has tried for years to sell to men. Claiborne Men, "Claiborne" and Claiborne by John Bartlett are just a few of the men's brand incarnations, none of which have gained appreciable traction. The crossover from women to men isn't for the faint of heart from a branding or strategic orientation.

Dove Men+Care is entering the market at the right time - the climate is right and the interest in men's grooming has never been higher. To be successful, the product needs to sell to women and men equally. It needs to be distinctive and stand on its own merits, not just tap into the halo of the Dove women's products.

Dinner Time Is Family Time

2010-02-18T14:11:56Z

Having grown up in the 60's and 70's, family dinner was just that - dinner. Everything revolved around dinner in the Field household. We ate at a certain time, and as children we were called in by a ship's bell mounted on the back porch. You could hear that bell from anywhere in the neighborhood. God help you if you were late. Many of my best, and also many not so fond memories, were of dinners at home. You felt protected and secure in that setting.

]]> Family dinners seem to be a thing of the past for many families today. Usually both parents work, commutes are longer, and organized sports including travel teams have replaced pick-up games. Multiple dinner shifts, take-out and fast food are the new norm. It makes marketing food products a challenge. How do you remain relevant and appealing in a changing world?

Stouffer's is taking a bold public stance with a retro appeal called Let's Fix Dinner.
It makes perfect sense, both emotionally and rationally. It starts with a strong no-nonsense positioning premise - "Stouffer's is helping to build strong families around the dinner table, one meal at a time."

There is strong evidence that eating dinner together makes a difference for families and couples alike. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University studies show that children in families that eat four or more meals together each week have lower obesity rates, are less likely to abuse drugs or suffer from eating disorders and have higher graduation rates. This is compelling evidence that sitting down and teaching children communication and listening skills has value to kids and parents alike. It's a great time to share the events of the day, discuss news and ideas, or just be together enjoying each other's company. What better place to broach difficult topics than over dinner!

Stouffer's has tapped into something here. Call me old school, but eating dinner at home as a family makes a difference. The web site www.letsfixdinner.com is well done and doesn't preach or lecture. It is open and approachable, letting the user engage on their terms. The webisodes feature real people with real life situations that mirror what families face in 2010 in trying to sit down for dinner. You feel for these people as they struggle with making it in today's economy. Users have the opportunity to join the challenge of eating at home, with hundreds of prizes available weekly. Did I mention a $1.00 coupon as well?

Yes, Stouffer's is trying to sell more product by reaching deeper into the consumer's consciousness. According to their web counter, dinners served were 19,600 at the time I write this blog post. If Stouffer's helps to bring families together, that is great! It is social engagement in the truest form. They are connecting the brand with families in real time with honest to goodness face time. Yes, you can connect with Let's Fix Dinner via Facebook. But for families and friends, there is no better way than face to face over dinner. Kudos to Stouffer's!