Hasta La Creative!

MarketingAnd is an eclectic mixture of product and service — part software-developer, part consultancy, part provider, and part business partner. It is capable of working within an established agency-client relationship and can also provide its own expertise to clients.

What do they do exactly?

MarketingAnd organically augments the number of business leads a company receives and then increases the conversion rate from lead to sale. The main difference between MarketingAnd and other lead/conversion companies is that MarketingAnd doesn’t broker lists or teach sales tactics. Its strength lies in converting visitors into leads, and leads into sales. Think of cultivating the low-hanging fruit.

Why go out and buy leads when you can simply convert the ones you already have?

Most of the time, consumers are researching due to their lack of knowledge towards specific products or services. For example, if I move from a condominium to a house, I’d have a lawn to care for. My limited knowledge in lawnmowers would lead me to various home improvement websites where I would be known as a prospect, or lead.  This is where MarketingAnd comes in, providing the necessary tools to engage visitors like me one-on-one.

Sammy James will be the first to tell you that he is a huge advocate of accountability. Thus, it’s no surprise that MarketingAnd’s suite of tools measure, qualify, and quantify. As the company expanded, it partnered with larger institutions (universities, health care companies, automotive dealers) that possessed their own marketing capabilities but didn’t track leads, cost-per-call, cost-per-sale, call volume, or closing ratio. MarketingAnd has the tools to address these issues.

One of these tools is called Form to Phone. In an Internet sales cycle, leads go from extremely hot (ready to buy) to ice cold in a very short time.  Form to Phone helps establish a quicker response time. Here’s how it works:

1. As soon as a prospect fills out a form and hits the submit button, your phone rings (wherever you are) and you’re given the person’s name and the reason for his or her inquiry.
2. You press “1″ and are instantly connected to the prospect via the number he or she provided on the form.
3. You engage the prospect in dialogue – before your competitors even have a chance.

Form to Phone also alleviates what is known as call reluctance. Call reluctance is a phenomenon where a salesperson experiences a heightened level of anxiety or apprehension before calling prospective client.  It could be so overwhelming that it decreases the total number of sales calls made and can render the salesperson useless. Because the sales cycle depends on volume and repetition, every call not made is a potential loss. Form to Phone is effective because it calls the salesperson with a lead. All the salesperson has to do is hit “1.”

Is MarketingAnd successful? According to Mr. James, its client-retention rate is between 90%-95%, and some clients have seen sales increases in the 300% range. If this seems like an appropriate fit to your business, research MarketingAnd first-hand. If you are in the higher-education business, its sister company, Get Starts, specializes in educational system needs.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, blogger and aspiring writer. To contact Jeff, leave a comment or contact him on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Despite the fact that Newsweek boldly claimed that the recession was over, it’s really not: On July 31st, Verizon Wireless reported a 21% decline in profits, which, as we all know by now, means massive lay-offs. In this case, 8,000 more employees, the largest lay-off since the GM debacle.  And just to keep things on the up-and-up, Verizon has already cut 8,000 jobs in 2009. It’s my guess that Verizon employees are thinking that the recession lives on…

So, not only must we disseminate information gathered from online sources, it would seem that we must do the same for magazines, newspapers, and TV newscasts; nothing can be taken at face-value.

Which brings me to Forbes and their haphazardly scattered reporting on Google. In the past 10 days, Forbes has printed stories ranging from Google being on top of the SEO game, to comparing Google to newspapers, printing a story titled, “Why Google Won’t Last Forever.” Forbes either does not understand Google’s business plan, or they’re simply pounding out headlines to gain readers. In a single week, they reported the Google demise story and a separate story on how Google Wave and Android will revolutionize telecommunications, e-mail, chat, blogging, archiving and file uploading.

By now, most people have heard of Google Voice, although relatively few know what this new offering will provide. Luckily, I signed up to test Voice, and just received my “approved” email, so I’m not certain what it does either…but I’m eager to find out. Google Voice, formerly known as GrandCentral, was a company that Google acquired in 2007 for just over $50 Million. Despite the nearly two-year wait, the bugs have supposedly been put to rest and the service is ready for beta testing. Below is Google’s video explanation of Google Voice.

Google Voice has a singular main idea: “one phone number for all your phones, for life.” This single phone number will, in essence, combine all your phone numbers, including cellular, office, home, vacation home, etc. To use the service correctly, the phone number provided by Google Voice will be your main phone number. Depending on the party calling, Google Voice will route the call to the appropriate telephone, or even ring all of the phones simultaneously. Thus, calls coming from family members can be set up to ring your mobile and home phone; business calls, depending on how easily you want to be found, can ring both your office and your cellular (or your office, cell, home and vacation number). If your Google Voice number receives a text message, it automatically routes to your cell phone.

Google has also enhanced the original service by adding a transcription service which transfers all of your voice mails into text which users can then append, adding notes or tags for future searching. Voice will also include a friend setting, which routes calls from designated people straight to voicemail, home phone, cell phone, etc. Users can access Google Voice via computer or telephone, and the system tracks all received calls, missed calls, text messages, placed calls, and will even record phone calls. Although not “live” at this time, Google Voice and Gmail will be fully integrated in the future, providing a single source point for all personal and business communications. As an added benefit, if you happen to receive a text message while on your computer, you can simply use the Google Voice interface on your computer to respond.

Google Voice includes a teleconferencing feature for calls of up to 6 people, plus the ability to record the teleconference. International calls can be made at about the same rate that Skype currently offers.

As for costs, with the exception of International calling, the service is very affordable: It’s free.

With Android, Wave, and Voice all nearing release stage, it would seem that Google’s position is where it’s always been…in front of the competition.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, blogger and aspiring writer. To contact Jeff, leave a comment or find him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Approximately 80% of a corporate, or brand, identity is defined by either sight or sound. Yet, out of the five senses, these are but two. Although debatable, smell may be our most powerful sense (others argue that it’s sight). Without smell, our sense of taste is diminished because smell and taste combine to define flavor. Smell is invaluable for detecting danger such as a fire, or easing into a state of calm such as aromatherapy.

The sense of smell is so powerful that memories long-past are instantly recalled when a particular odor is encountered.

“A certain smell can invoke the memory of a particularly good time or remind us of a time when we were at our worst. Smells help make up our everyday lives. The wearing of body fragrances is just one of the ways that people present themselves to the world.”

Due to its ability to affect us, marketers and advertisers can strategically use a particular scent to build (or reinforce) a company, brand, or product image in the consumer’s mind.

Singapore Airlines, an early-adopter of Scent Marketing, incorporated a single smell into its branding efforts to aid in forming positive consumer associations with the brand. Martin Lindstrom, author of Brand Sense, attributes the addition of this scent to the airline’s marketing arsenal as the defining difference that led Singapore Airlines to rank as one of the “most important brands.” The airline has garnered a 5-Star Rating, won “Passenger’s Choice Airline,” “Airline of the Year” in 2007, Travel & Leisure’s “Best Airline” award in 2008, and the “Top Customer Satisfaction” honors in 2009.

The sense of smell is already so ingrained with certain brands that when that scent is unwittingly altered, consumers take notice. Rolls-Royce consumers, who invest anywhere between $100,000 and $500,000 per car, lost their love for the Rolls-Royce brand in the 1990s, claiming that the newer models did not meet the high-quality found in legacy models. This surprised the automaker; it had not made any significant changes to production methods other than upgrades in safety and technology. Technically, the new cars should have been better than the older models. The automaker invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in research and, in the end, determined that the differentiating factor was scent. Rolls-Royce then took one of its elite models, a 1965 Silver Cloud, and analyzed the Rolls-Royce smell. The researchers determined that over 800 elements combined to form the fragrance. They duplicated this branded aroma and incorporated it into every new car built from that point forward, indicating the luxury carmaker’s dedication to its brand:

“Today, our brand means more than engineering excellence. It is a standard of quality across all our activities. Our brand guides our actions and behaviors and the way we present ourselves to the world…”

Many other companies also use Scent Marketing. GM, for instance, began adding scent to the leather of its Cadillacs in 2003 (ironically, Cadillac just announced it would be launching a fragrance line to celebrate its 100th birthday with GM… certainly it isn’t using taxpayer bail-out dollars). Sony and Samsung have already instituted scents for their company stores. Also, luxury hotels are investigating various fragrances that will create an emotional connection with their guests.

Lindstrom, in a widely distributed research paper, highlighted that “… 99 percent of all brand communication today is focused on two senses: what we hear and see. In sharp contrast, 75 percent of our emotions are generated by what we in fact smell”.

Although Scent Marketing is not quite accepted as the norm for marketing practices due to the difficulty of measuring ROI, it is beginning to gain respect for its ability to evoke deep feelings between companies and their consumers.

The Scent Marketing Institute provides both companies and individuals “an independent resource for understanding and leveraging the power of scent applications in business and public environments.” The Institute offers everything from newsletters and suggestions for Scent Marketing programs to benchmarking standards and ROI measurement programs.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, blogger and aspiring writer. To contact Jeff, leave a comment or find him on www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.

I am going to use an example involving polar bears to start out this conversation on agency/client relationships. It may seem like non-converging subjects, but it will come around.

I like polar bears. I don’t want to own one or anything, and I’m not part of the PETA-Elite, but as bears go, they seem like simple animals to me… and I like simple. For example, we have documented evidence that polar bears attack and kill humans. My simple advice? Steer clear of polar bears, even the ones at the the zoo.

Yet, polar bears are an endangered species. Thus, there are organizations fighting for their survival. Noah Wyle, an actor from the TV show ER, is the World Wildlife Foundation’s spokesperson for the “Save the Polar Bear” campaign. The advertising spot began in December 2008.

Unfortunately, every time I see the commercial, I say to myself, “I can’t believe they’re asking for money at a time when people are losing their homes.”

Yes, it pisses me off. Polar Bears won’t be receiving a check from Jeff Louis very soon. The vital point is that I have now formed a negative brand association with the WWF subconsciously, even though it has done nothing wrong.

I also wonder why the responsible agency hasn’t had the foresight to mention the possible negative aspects of asking for money in our current economic climate. Even if the spots are free of charge (PSAs), is the WWF willing to risk its brand for the sake of a single message? The polar bear’s won’t be extinct tomorrow… why not hold off a bit until things improve?

This is the point where client/agency relationships are defined. Is your agency a true partner, or is it simply a paid service provider?

Think about the differences for a second:

• A partner has a vested interest in the relationship — its success stems from the success of those it serves
• A service provider conducts business by taking orders and providing service — its success is based on $$
• A partner would rather keep a relationship than commissions from a TV spot
• A service provider is interested in the bottom line; there are other fish in the sea
• A partner would say, “The economic climate has changed. I think we should reevaluate.”
• A service provider would never voice that thought

True partnerships are forged by a mutual commitment to honest, often merciless assessment of what is best for the brand and the business, even if it means losing a few dollars along the way.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, Writer & Blogger. Unlike the other bloggers/writers for Talent Zoo, Jeff Louis is both cute and nice. Contact him on Twitter @jlo0312. Just kidding about the nice part.

Can you feel it? Probably not…it’s much like the spin of the Earth. E-v-e-r  s-o  s-l-o-w-l-y, we’re being herded by unseen forces swirling about; price, comfort, security, and laziness. Why fight the crowds or the traffic when it can be done from home? If you don’t have to leave the house, then don’t.

Massive online sites such as Ebay and Amazon make shopping online simple. Well, prepare to add another couch magnet to your arsenal: NoitWorld.com.

Before you ask:

In the US Military, the term “NOIT” is used to describe something as “cool” or “hip.” This Military slang term served as the impetus for the creation of this website, which combines the variety and diversity of a true online marketplace with the cool, hip world of social media.

NoitWorld, launched on June 1, 2009, heralds itself as the  ”newest, coolest, and most consumer friendly online marketplace for buying and selling new and used merchandise. Although I have never used the site I did peruse it extensively. Very simple to navigate, users have the ability place products  in more than 100 categories, such as Anything Goes, Motorcycles, Cars, real estate, etc. Depending upon the item being sold, ads are posted for 30 days and are either free, $20, or $25 per ad. The site is actually global in scope although most items listed currently are from the US or Mexico.

Noitworld.com, however, is not “just another sales site.” It is the first site of it’s type that allows users to re-post listings on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, and more. Todd Foret and Sean Legros, both of Yuma, AZ, developed the sites unique strategy:

“With so many internet users spending a majority of their time on their social media sites, it only makes sense to provide a buyers and sellers market that can interact with these sites,” said Foret.

Although “in business” for just over a month, there are plenty of items available, from a classic Styx CD to a beach home in San Felipe, Mexico. As the economy doesn’t seem to be immediately bouncing back,  maybe it’s time to start “Noiting” all stuff.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner & Brand Project Manager for B2B and B2C clients, he is fascinated by innovation in the face of adversity, branded creative that is on-strategy, and past participles. He can be contacted via  Twtter or LinkedIn.

Talk about shock and awe.  No corporation over the past few months has produced ads as controversial and interesting as the self-described King.  Unlike its previous outrageous ad, its aim here is not gratuitous sexuality.  Instead, BK goes straight for the cultural throat – satirizing sacred religious imagery.  Brash, offensive, over-the-top?  Absolutely.  Entirely successful?  Yes, and let me tell you why.

First of all, this was a calculated risk.  Released in Spain, where Hinduism is a minority religion, it ran little risk of creating major backlash.  The threat of a national release only encouraged BK.  Had the ad run in India, it would come across as an overt attack on Hindus.  In Spain, it’s only a comical ad that perhaps went too far.

Secondly, the proof is in the numbers.  Burger King reported a 1.6% increase in sales in May.  So, despite the outlandish, offensive nature of the ad/apology campaign BK has run the past few months, its numbers are increasing.  An established product , BK isn’t likely to attract copious amounts of new customers through trendiness.  It can, however, absorb the consciousness of the consumer base and attract from there.

Thirdly, there’s enough humor to the ad that many, if not most, people will at least get a mental chuckle out of it.  The sense of self-deprecating humor the ad portrays strikes a chord amongst many of the Seinfeld generation.  The notion that a Hindu deity would declare fast food a sacred snack packs plenty of sardonic humor.

I would not be surprised to see BK run controversial ads, apologize, run them again, and apologize ad infinitum.  Whereas in many cases an over the top approach can back fire upon a company, Burger King has the right confluence of circumstances for this to be a highly effective ad campaign.

I do like my eggs and ham, Sam I am.

Dan Davis is a Freelance Writer carving out his growing resume, specializing in copy writing, and subjects from sports to the arts.  Contact him on LinkedIn.

AdWeek and Harris recently released a poll asking those not involved in the advertising trade what they thought of advertising’s “relevancy.”

The results show that most find that our jobs, as a whole, are rather irrelevant.

Advertising’s down, no doubt, and now Adweek’s heaping salt on the wound!

Well, Mr. and Mrs. America, let’s look at a life without advertising. A life of relevance.

First of all, without advertising, we would not have free access to television. Advertisers in essence pay for the shows we watch by running commercials. By the same logic, the web in that state would not be as comprehensive as the one we experience now. Radio would be a paid service with subscribers. Programs and shows with relatively lower ratings would be immediately slashed since they would no longer be able to support themselves.

The cultural art form of advertising would be lost.  The circle of life would be disrupted.  Just as life influences advertising, ads influence culture.

Without advertising, creatives would be cubicle-bound and non-imaginative. Serious. Boring. Sex would not sell, and neither would honesty. No one would fight for the cause. PETA would consist of two guys fighting for animal rights, and no one would care. Animals wouldn’t be cool to wear. Or not wear. Or own.  Times Square would be dimly lit. Your favorite beer would be just “BEER,” as the term ‘generic’ would dominate store shelves. Color would be sparse. Trendsetters would be trend-less. No brands, no logos, no icons or spokespeople. No sexy models, sexy shows, or suggestive commercials. We wouldn’t know who to vote for, or why. Four hour erections? Who’d need the pills, let alone use them? No body-image, no silicone implants, no tummy-tucks. No Jon & Kate. Michael Jackson would just be another singer. No Hollywood trailers, stars, starlets, tramps, red carpets, or blockbuster openings. No E! TV, no TMZ. No Paris, Lindsay, Nicole, or reality TV. No Tila Tequila.

No PSA’s warning that your brain on drugs was scrambled. Or that kids shouldn’t smoke crack and that crack kills. Rather than axing the marketing budget first, corporations would axe employees. And that would be just fine, because there would be no PR effort, no big news story, therefore no downside.

Life would go on, but it would be bland and tasteless. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and MySpace: no need for them.

Take a picture of the Cold War-era Russia and apply it to a life without advertising. Cold. Drizzling. Muddled.

The link to this study is now unavailable.  Was the issue so unimportant that Adweek pulled the article? Or was the study published on the wrong day?

Luckily, I printed it:

In an AdweekMedia/Harris Poll last month, respondents were given a chance to say they don’t feel strongly about the industry one way or another, and nearly half of them took it. Asked to characterize their overall impression of “the advertising industry in general,” 47 percent said it’s “neither negative nor positive.” Predictably, those with a negative view of the business (9 percent “very,” 28 percent “somewhat”) outnumbered those with a positive view (2 percent “very,” 15 percent “somewhat”). (The total exceeds 100 percent due to rounding.)

If such numbers count as not-so-bad news for the ad business, responses were less positive on the question of whether consumers find advertising relevant to their lives (”By relevant,” Harris told respondents, “we mean how it connects to things that are ongoing in your daily life”). Given the effort put into aiming the right ad at the right target, the numbers here were pretty lackluster. Eight percent of respondents said advertising is “very relevant” to their lives, and 42 percent said it’s “somewhat relevant.” Thirty-two percent termed it “not that relevant” and 14 percent “not at all relevant,” with the rest unsure.

Can you say “OUCH!”?

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. Reach out and touch him: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.

Last summer, the price of gas skyrocketed through the roof. At one point, in Chicago, the cost to fill up my little car was $4.60 per gallon for premium. Thankfully, the price cooled down as the recession heated up, leaving lower prices for gasoline and less buying power for the dollar. Hmm.

Although prices have risen somewhat this summer (at least here in Chicago), it doesn’t seem to have quite the impact. This is partly due to the absence of media coverage that pounded the cost of gas into our heads every day, just to let us us know how bad the situation had become (and I’d like to thank the media for that). This year, the media has moved on to focus on the economy, Iran, Obama, and other “newsworthy” items.

Yet, with the economy slumping, travel plans for the summer are being cut short, or just cut out altogether. Don’t the economic forces know that now is when we most need a vacation? Obviously not. However, there’s one company that does.

Chevron announced the Summer Road Trip Giveaway taking place now at stations nationwide, and ending on July 12, 2009. Entrants not only have a chance to win free Chevron gas for a year, but also new cars, hotel stays, GPS units, and Chevron gift cards. There are 40,000 prizes in total, which means that plenty of them remain.

To enter, go to a local participating Chevron station and pick up a game card and register to play online. After entering the game card code, the winners will be notified via e-mail. In addition to the instant prizes, entrants can also join in the Chevron Car Hunt Contest. Using online clues, users are to track down hidden “virtual cars” in various cities. The person that tracks down the highest number of virtual cars in the least amount of time is eligible to win a 2009 Chevy Corvette 1LT Coupe.

For updates on the Summer Road Trip Giveaway as well as prize winners, follow Chevron on Twitter or go to chevrongiveaway.com. More information on Chevron is available at Chevron.com.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. Reach out and touch him: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.

What do you call a company with agency capabilities that is not an agency, but only offers “agency services” as part of a whole range of other services? Enter Active International, a “Corporate Trading Company.” If your company happens to be within the Forbes Top 1000, you may know it by name.

Not me. While talking to them on the phone, I felt like a complete idiot. Active International has made significant media buys, ranking them with, or close to, the top media spenders in the industry. Not only did I not know what it is, I had not the slightest bit of familiarity with its business model.

So, feeling like a dolt, and yearning to find out how uninformed I was compared to my peers, I sent e-mails out to a number of my contacts to see if they had heard of Active International. Out of twenty, sixteen came back negative. The last four did not reply. Feeling a bit better about myself, I started to do a little research that led to my understanding.

Active International functions as a corporate trading partner. Corporate trade is loosely based on the concept of barter, exchanging one commodity for another much needed commodity. Barter sounds relatively archaic; something used in feudal economies. Corporate trade, however, is commonly used in many companies among the Fortune 1000.

EXAMPLE

Megalithic Foods has a line of products that is doing very well in the market. However, its Rhino Buddy Crackers, in production for the last two years, isn’t very popular and the factory has been operating poorly. Thus, Megalithic plans to shut down the factory and take a loss. At this point, Active International enters and assesses the situation. It looks at the distressed assets (the factory and remaining inventory) and determines if there is a potential for redistribution. Let’s say that in this case, the potential exists, and Active makes an offer to Megalithic Foods to take the factory and the inventory.

If the offer is approved by both parties, the deal is finalized and Active acquires the distressed inventory. In Megalithic’s accounting books, the income is listed as a “trade credit” to be used as needed. After employee wages and benefits are paid, the next largest expenses for corporations are advertising and promotion. Megalithic decides to pump up its ad expenditures via the trade credits. Luckily for Megalithic, Active International has an elite team of media professionals available to easily implement a large-scale media buy.

How large? Past transactions show that Active International has placed spots in high profile shows and special events such as the Super Bowl. Although it continues to acquire assets, it has evolved into a diversified marketing and business solutions provider.

Active International is not only able to provide its clients with a solution to a problem, but it is also available to reinvest those trade credits where the client needs the most help, including media, supply chain, storage, etc. This is a fantastic example of a company that has based itself in solutions, and not problems. Foresight and progressive thinking enable them to provide clients with services an agency cannot: fulfilling one goal while eradicating another.

If you’d like to find out more, there are websites available that will provide basic information, such as Corporate Trading Tips. Adweek also ran an article regarding corporate trade that can be found online in its December issue, called “Tricks of the Trade.”

Or, contact Active International directly via its contact page.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. Reach out and touch him: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.

Google, the leader in Search Engine technology, handles approximately 66% of all search engine traffic. So much, in fact, that when Michael Jackson died and his name spiked, Google thought that it was a coordinated attack.

Much like AT&T did two decades ago, Google is fighting back over anti-trust allegations although no formal investigation is underway.

Dana Wagner, the Googler known as “senior competition counsel” explains in the New York Times that “competition is just a click away.”

Google has been on the PR warpath, partially due to regulators watching its every move. Other tech companies such AT&T, IBM, Intel, and Microsoft suffered much of the same thing when it became apparent that there was no “real” competition. Google is clearly the leader in the search category, and it’s possible that the only “competition” may be from the US Government’s possible intervention. In November of 2008, the Justice Department killed a deal between Yahoo and Google due to concerns over market domination. But who is kidding who, right? Google already owns the market.

There are other investigations taking place. The Justice Department is investigating Google’s hiring practices and the Federal Trade Commission is researching the ties between the boards of both Google and Apple. But nothing’s been aimed at the heart of Google.

…unlike other technology giants in years past, Google has not been accused of anti-competitive tactics. But the investigations and carping from competitors and critics have Google fighting to dispel the notion that it has a lock on its market, even as it increases its share of search and online advertising.

However, Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, stated;

“Google search is an absolute must-have for every marketer in the world.”

Google’s lawyer, Mr. Wagner, agrees that the company is a great success. He also noted that the environment is turbulent and highly competitive. Further, he said that Google wasn’t looking for sympathy, but simply telling its side of the story.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. Reach out and touch him: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.