On mascots, characters and spokespeople.
In the heyday of the “Burger King” the fast food franchise managed to take creepiness to a whole new level as its vaguely disturbing mascot jumped out at you from behind doors, disrupted football games and showed up in your
Ubiquitous Branding
I recently acquired a new Toyota 4Runner. While admiring its clean lines and snappy red color, I noticed something: nowhere on the exterior of this vehicle does the word Toyota appear. The word 4Runner is displayed prominently, as is the
Is it Raining?
So, here she is: the perfect paragon of the target audience, perkily bouncing around her living room, engaged in what appears to be a highly satisfying conversation with . . . . . . her iPhone. “Siri?” she chirps. “Is that rain?” At
Increase Email Marketing Response With More Powerful Subject Lines
So I have this spam filter, cleverly designed to recognize, weed out and capture emails from people I don’t know, selling me things I don’t want. Every day I get a report from spam central, showing me a list of
Going Primal
It's early in the morning and the believers have arrived. They reverently line up to await their turn, surrounded by the icons of their faith. Outside, the pagans scurry by, disinterested in the ritual within. The believers utter the sacred
Television Basics
In today’s blog we’re going to skip over the nuanced strategies of buying television advertising with its gross impressions, rating points, day parts, cost per point, reach, frequency, blah, blah, blah and go right to the fun stuff: production! We’ve all
How to set an advertising budget
One of the most common questions we are asked is one that has no absolute answer: “How do I set an advertising budget”? The funds designated for marketing and advertising comprise a key factor affecting your marketing strategy, but most
It’s still not about you.
Last time we talked about new customer acquisition and the importance of keeping your selling message focused on your customers’ needs, not the features of you. Now let’s talk about customer retention where it’s even more important to maintain a
It’s not about you.
So you’ve been in business for three generations, you’ve invested in all the latest equipment, you have a spiffy new website and you’re involved in the community. Those are all good things, but guess what? Your customers don’t care! If you’re
On kids, pets and advertising.
So here he is, the four-foot frontman for a local advertiser, leering at you from your flatscreen while the sound track rolls, the graphics pop up, and you reach for your remote. But wait! Here it is now, the payoff: “Muhsthke chmegk