Go For the Gold, Not the Gold-Rush.

The Gold Rush

In 1848 James W. Marshall discovered gold near the American River. What he and his boss (John Sutter) wanted to keep secret soon leaked and news spread quickly. In less than a years time more than 24,000 people had poured into the area to make themselves rich. Of course, the first to arrive and get working ended up making a substantial profit, but what about those late comers? Do you think they made any money at all? Our history shows us the people to arrive late, accounting for costs, ended up losing money.

That same year, a few parties on their way to the California Gold Rush, made a stop in modern day Colorado. After some panning, they too found gold, but distracted by the hysteria further south in California, they moved forward and forgot about their discovery. Not until a decade later (1859) did people finally return to this area, sparking the Pike's Peak Gold Rush (or Colorado Gold Rush).

Looking back, it's easy for us to point fingers and laugh at these goofy prospectors – what fools! They were sitting on a fortune, but were clouded by the activity further south, already being picked over.

What About Today?

In business, gold rushes are still happening and your marketing department isn't immune. Do their concepts and ideas reflect everyone else, or are they truly blazing a new trail? The businesses to start these rushes are making out like bandits (or prospectors) but those late comers are barely sliding by, or going backward. Maybe they are even losing money. Why? Because if you look like everyone else, people assume you are like everyone else, and this is always bad. Think about the body spray commercials Tag vs. Axe. Can anyone actually remember which commercial goes to which company?

Create the Rush, Make that Stop in Colorado

So, what can you do to avoid getting trampled in modern day gold rushes?

• Truly listen to your clients or customers, get their insight. If you send them more than a survey, and spend a significant amount of time with them, chances are you will be blown away by their amazing insight.
• Avoid your competitions marketing campaigns like the plague. Phrases like "I really like this ad, let's do something like this," and "we have always done it this way" are red flags.
• Look at emerging trends from different industries. Why are they working / failing.
• Accept discomfort.

Just like the prospectors in Colorado, trying something different may feel like a risk, but it is a bigger risk to try the same thing that has already permeated the marketing fabric. Go for the gold, not the gold rush!

Getting Bad Mileage Through Word of Mouth?

No one will argue that referrals and "word of mouth" are the best way to get business. But maybe they should.

Here is a scenario for you to chew on:

Friday night has arrived, and you and your comrades are itching to try something new, rather than the same old pizza place or restaurant you are all accustomed to. Your brainstorming quickly leads to everyone pulling out their iPhones / Droids ( it's "digitally PC" to include both) to search Yelp, Foursquare, UrbanSpoon or maybe just good "old fashioned" Google. Finding a new Caribbean restaurant with 5 stars on Yelp seals the deal, taking less than 2 minutes.(3 cheers for the internet!)

What would this scenario have looked like 50 years ago?:

No one could search the web for new businesses, instead your friends would discuss restaurants that they came upon through Word Of Mouth (WOM). Why? Because other than the yellow pages and news papers, no other factors influenced major buying behavior.

Traditional WOM Advantages.

Not too long ago traditional WOM marketing was the gold standard. Here are two reasons:

1. It is a personal recommendation from a trusted source.
2. People naturally desire the greatest result from the smallest time investment.

Although option 1 still plays a role today, option 2 is less of a factor. WOM was the easy road, and offered the least amount of time on your end. Today however, industries are saturated and the consumer can do their own research.

No longer are your prospects dependent on traditional WOM. Even if your business is lucky enough to be passed along this way, there is still a chance you won't get the biz. Why?

Traditional WOM ≠ Biz.

Close your eyes for a moment and think back to your latest incoming referral up to point of purchase. When you got this referral, did you write down a phone number or even a website? Of course not! You simply remembered the name with the company with the intent of looking them up later.

Upon your search, finding nothing will you call the original referrer? Will you even remember who the referrer was? Will you search for more than 5 minutes? Unless the original WOM source was zealous in their approach, you will most likely abandon your search, in favor of "easier" or better marketed options. Although, WOM is still trustworthy, it may not be the most convenient.

WOM 2.0

Word of Mouth 2.0 is the process of better equipping your customers to be your advocate. To fully equip them, you need to give them channels to pass referrals through. How do you that? Unless you have a sales force that follow up on every customer, design (among other avenues) is a great option. Design is a great option primarily because people can retain images and concepts better than data or descriptions. Maybe it takes the form of customer advocate "pocket cards". Perhaps a clever splash page will help. Perhaps a well thought out logo is the answer. Maybe, just maybe, a unique business card is the answer.

Wouldn't it be ridiculous if you lost customers simply because they couldn't recall your name, or got distracted? Wouldn't it be nice to empower your current customers with the tools to spread your name like the plague? It's time to increase your mileage and make the upgrade to WOM 2.0.

Why Are You Addicted to the UPS Whiteboard Ads?

When do you know your ad has surpassed "marketing tactic" status and has become a pop-culture icon? When SNL makes fun of you, of course!

In 2007, UPS launched a 34 million dollar campaign, called the UPS Whiteboard. With TiVo stopping power, the whiteboard artist, Andy Azula, seems to have a knack for entrancing all people that watch these ads, getting the message across in a very memorable "goal-oriented" fashion.

So what's the process?

UPS understood they offered an oil-tanker full of great resources, but had no clue how to communicate all these ideas to their target market, and at the same time keep brand consistency. Enter the Martin Agency. Their solution? A whiteboard, a brown marker and a "man in a lady wig." (Watch the SNL clip and you'll understand) So, why is the Whiteboard campaign so effective?

The Keys

The Whiteboard Ads combine three elements. Narrative, Illustration and Simplicity. The ads are quite easy to understand and follow, which is a big part of the success; but they also use a "hidden" tactic.

The Hidden Tactic:

Intentional, or accidental, UPS and the Martin Agency have taken your brain hostage. With a whiteboard setup typically found in learning environments, your mind interprets the ad as a "learning opportunity." It is also helpful that the very concept being illustrated (literally) is also audibly communicated to you at the same time. In other words, all areas of your noggin are lighting up with delight, therefore you are more likely to recall this experience. (See BusinessWeek's findings on this)

The Goal-Oriented Result!

By exercising what we believe is a great example of "Goal-Oriented" Design, UPS has taken you to school and they are confident you learned your lesson. Can you easily recall many of the major selling points of UPS service months after seeing the ad?

How about at your company? Are you using pretty designs or goal-oriented designs?

Image credited to NewsWeek http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/feb2008/ca20080220_798280_page_2.htm

If Google Jumped Off A Cliff...

If Google Jumped off a cliff, would you? If your answer is no, you should probably think again. Chances are there is a pile of cash over that cliff.

Google Knows You!

No one will argue that Google has the most accurate and efficient market research information on the planet. Because a majority of people use their search engine, email, free apps, and even their own web browser (Chrome) they have some serious insights into your behavior. Have you ever noticed the ads on the right column of your mail that just so happen to coincide with your mails content?

Google, Don't Jump!

Businesses are jumping onto the Twitter, Facebook, and SEO bandwagon at a break neck pace. They believe these avenues hold the keys to new marketing efforts, without traditional cost. These companies should take notice, however, that Google doesn't agree. As a matter of fact, in a move to fully promote their ad words service, Google has turned to direct mail! In the words of Nathan Kring over at Catchfire Media, these digital avenues aren't "the Whole Enchilada"

Traditional Avenues Actually Work?!

Like Nathan, Google understands that people still react to these traditional marketing avenues. That is why they spent thousands upon thousands of dollars to send business owners print-it-and-put-a-stamp-on-it mail. Paper and Ink are certainly not dead, and when Google in all their superiority launches a direct mail campaign, that alone should confirm that maybe web advertising avenues aren't quite the "magic bullet"* we are looking for. At least not by themselves.

Take The Leap

It feels odd to say, but for the businesses who arrived to quickly into the social media soap opera, or those who are considering joining in, don't forget the good ol' printing press; Google certainly hasn't...

*Magic Bullet reference also taken from Nathan Kring's article.

Defeat The Villain!

Victorious Villains?

Remember the last action flick that you watched? The villain and hero have been battling it out, and both are tired and near collapse. The villain pathetically delivers blow after blow, but the tired and breathless hero just seems to sit there and take it -- lacking the energy to defend himself. Sitting in your easy-chair, you clearly see the villain is close to defeat. If the hero could muster just enough energy to finish him off, the world would be rid of evil forever! Instead, the hero has to journey through a 2 hour series of events to finally come to the same situation as before, where NOW he has the energy to win. "Well Batman, we meet again"

What about you?

Even though you aren't Batman and don't parade around in spandex, has your company found itself in this same situation? Maybe you feel weakened by the economy, and your competitors are delivering blow after blow. Maybe times appear hopeless, but are you finished?

Are you going to take that?

One national trend we have taken notice of in this questionable economic time, is a significant decrease in a company's will to keep fighting. The marketing budget has been cut. By cutting marketing budgets, they find themselves acting like our hero: curling in a ball and trying to survive. What would happen however, if they fed more money into their marketing budgets and gained just that little bit of additional energy to defeat the villain, once and for all?

Your foe is weakened. Are you going to sit there and take it, or are you going to put the proper marketing in place to defeat the villain?

Great Design + Inconsistency ≠ Revenue

For almost a year, Dahl's Foods has been re-building its Ingersol location. The final result? A staggering display of produce and grocery utopia, hailing such names as "Ingerdahl's" and even "Taj-ma-Dahl's." As you work your way around the store, the great appeal only gets better as you come to the 35th Street Café. The interior is attractive, and truly entices customers to sit down with a beverage and cajun shrimp salad.

If you are like most people, you are approaching the Café because you are enticed by the attractive layout, texture and color. You are most likely starting to salivate and can't wait to munch on that salad. Like most people, however, your trip may stop at the Café entrance. Why?

The expectation you have just developed in your mind is crushed when you see the cheap diner-style menu with glue stick moisture wrinkles mounted on an old metal presentation board (pictured below). Upon examination, you don't find the Cajun Shrimp Salad that you assumed would be available, but in its place, Chicken Fingers, fries and A1 sauce. The expectations that brought you in the Café have been shattered and your cash will probably find its way into one of the many other lunch spots on Ingersol.

The Problem? The 35th Street Café successfully pulled you in, but they were not able to get your business. Was there a problem with the diner style menu and the chicken fingers? No. Was there a problem with the great interior design? No. The problem was inconsistency. When customers expectations are not met, the result is a confused customer (and less revenue for you).

The Conclusion? Great Design + Inconsistency ≠ Revenue. Great design is only one piece of the puzzle. If you lack the drive or the budget to keep everything consistent, you are flushing money down the toilet. Your marketing or design doesn't need to be the hottest thing or most incredible display known to man. All your customers need is consistency. If you serve diner-style food, use diner-style interior design or advertising. If you have high-end interior design, serve high-end food on a beautiful menu. Your customer's brain (and wallet) will thank you.

If your brand was a crime, would witnesses be reliable in the re-telling of your story?

Walking down the street with two sacks of groceries in your arms, you hear a loud scream and turn just in time to see a man running at a woman. You watch in complete horror as he assaults the woman shoving her to the ground, taking all her things. Not until it is too late do bystanders come to this woman's aid. Fast forward a week or so, you find yourself being questioned by detectives about specific details of what you witnessed. Even though you watched the entire crime play out, other witness' statements are very different from your own.

This is a very common problem with eye witnesses. Even though they should be the most reliable source, history has proven they are far from it.

Various factors play a role in the inconsistency of an eye witness. The biggest factor is life experience or culture. Because each eye witness has a different life experience, they will recall the crime filtered through the perspective their life experience has brought them. All the witnesses are united in a common goal to bring the man to justice, however, this automatic bias has led to countless errors and mistakes in our court system, ultimately sending innocent people to prison. If witnesses' perceptions are altered at this magnitude for serious matters, how much more are their perceptions skewed during every day tasks?

What about your customers? Don't they come with the vast majority of cultural variance and life experience that our global economy provides? Do you think every prospect and customer will react the same way to your company's marketing design? No matter what decision you make in the design of your collateral, logo, or website, the customer or prospect will view your marketing materials through their own life experiences. These hidden perceptions could make or break your incoming revenue.

If your brand was a crime, would witnesses be reliable in the re-telling of your story?