Marobella's Branding SoapBox

Account Planning Wiki'd

Great new entry on Wikipedia about Account Planning and it's role in the creation of marketing and advertising communications. I am a huge proponent of a smart and integrated planning function in an agency. Basically, every agency has access (more or less) to the same research and data. The secret sauce is in how that data is assimilated and the key truth is extracted. This goes beyond being a 'google-jockey' but requires a curious, deep knowledge of the customer.

Account Planning on Wikipedia

Saw III Creates YouTube Specifc Content

Pretty cool YouTube specific, interactive spot created for the new movie Saw III. Very clever. Not sure where the number leads but I better figure it out quickly.

Give Your Customers A Chance To Spend More

and they will. Or, at least some of them. Brands seem to be gun shy about offering a selection of their product set that allows their customers to reach deeper into their pockets for an exclusive package or service. People have shown, maybe a small sub-set, but enough to make it worthwhile to do that they will spend.

The most recent example of a brand that is allowing their customers to spend more is DirecTV with their $7,500.00/yr Titanium Service Package. I think the most important thing here is that its now if people will sign up for this service, but who. People will buy it. Think about all the pro athletes, rappers, hedge fund managers around the country that have way too much money and want to show their friends that they are the shit. This is a perfect way for them to do that. What's the incremental cost for DirectTV? Marketing costs? A new shiny Titanium remote? They are going to pipe the service no matter. All they have to do is flip a couple extra switches and they have created incremental value. Its almost that easy.

Lesson: No matter your category, there is an opportunity to get your customers to trade up. Ask them and they will tell you what it is.

Having A Strong Brand Goes Beyond The Logo - Apple

Guest blogger today on brandsoapbox. Paul Terhaar from the Wirestone/Boise office weighs in today:p>

This is Steve Jobs addressing the Cupertino City Council - not asking them for anything, just letting them know that Apple has purchased a bunch of land in Cupertino, and they're planning to develop it into a new Apple campus.

Here's a billionaire - one of the most powerful and influential business men in the world not sending a representative, but showing up personally, and taking the time to start a dialogue with his local community. In one small move, he completely wins over the city council, and you know that later on when Apple has some special requirements for the new campus that this little trip will pay huge dividends.

I see a lot of symbolism in this act, and can draw a lot of parallels between this act and what they sell. From a branding perspective, a business perspective, and even an interpersonal perspective you can learn a lot from Apple and Jobs. It's all about relationships and details, and it shows in the products and services Apple offers.

They sweat the details. They make it beautiful. They make it intuitive. They make it personal. They give more than you expected, and more than you ask for.

No wonder they have such a strong brand, and such a loyal following.

Harley-Davidson Brand Community Development

Was reading my friend David Armano's Blog Logic+Emotion and he had a brief post on this brand essence video from Harley-Davidson that portrayed their new brand promise, Live By It. Harley has created a community page off of their main site that links people together based on the creed of not only Harley ownership, but their take on the world. Harley Live By It Page .

The brand knows how deeply they connect with their customers, they dont stop there. They are linking their customers together knowing strength in numbers. I have been debating on a Harley for years and I must say after seeing this video, I am ready to go get one again. Hurry, somebody talk me out of it.

Kudos to Harley on continuing to show us how to properly build a brand community.

Good Idea, Bad Execution - Toyota Yaris

The new campaign for the Yaris is actually quite clever and cool. It definitely gets the value proposition of gas economy and uses the fact that it isnt the coolest looking car to its advantage, a la the Prius. I heard that Yaris had set up a page on MySpace and was starting to garner some interest for the brand, so I decided to check it out.

As of right now, it has almost 80,000 friends. The idea around the page is a viral video contest where you get to submit funny videos about absolutely anything to win some cash. I think this is a missed opportunity to immerse consumers in the values of the brand. The videos should have to play into the idea and proposition of the current ad campaign. Toss the challenge to consumers to interpret what a Yaris is and why its cool and then set them loose. Offer to run the winning ad on prime time TV, plus the cash reward. Not only would this be a cool effort, but the research alone into the minds of young consumers would be enough.

You can check out the Yaris Page here: The Yaris MySpace Page.

Some of that High Speed...

Comcast should take their own advice. I must say, I really dig the new Comcastic TV that creatively portrays the idea of high-speed internet service. But, I have Comcast at home - and every experience I have with that brand makes my head hurt. Unlike, my experience with Geico - like I wrote about earlier - Comcast TV and some of their marketing is the only thing about their brand that makes any sense. They obviously have not conducted a touch point analysis to determine how this new attitude can be infused into every key stroke. First, their website is the most awful experience - the year is 2006, the technology exists. Second, their customer service has to be the absolute worse in the industry bar none. And, I wanted to share this email I received about my statement that was available for viewing. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy doesnt it? Especially, the large capital letters that greets you when you open the email.

Lesson: branding is not just how things look - it is the attitude and feeling that every key stroke creates.

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL. THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS IS USED BY COMCAST
AUTOMATED SYSTEMS AND IS NOT MONITORED.

Dear PAUL MAROBELLA,

Your Oct 10, 2006 Comcast billing statement is ready for viewing. To view your
bill, go to http://www.comcast.com  Enter your User Name and
Password, and from the next screen select GO from the VIEW YOUR BILL option.

If you would like to discontinue receiving a hard copy billing statement in the
mail, you may do so by selecting the UPDATE STATEMENT METHOD link once you have
logged into your account. From there, simply select the option for Electronic
Statement Only.

Sincerely,
Comcast Customer Care

Any Wonder Why Target Dominates?

A message to retailers: Target is still beating you.

It's funny, every meeting that I have been a part of with a retailer with regard to marketing - the client always points to Target as the best-in-class marketer, merchandiser and store experience. They pull out their ads, talk about their trend leadership and other things they do great like private label brand development. But the funny thing, is that it is almost like being able to taste Coca-Cola, but no matter what they do, not being able to duplicate the formula.

One thing that I love about Target is that they make it fun to shop their stores. They dedicate areas of the store to seasonal merchandise (like most retailers), but they make it an experience for people of all ages. The age old adage, its all in the packaging also applies to destination development in retail stores. I mean, look at this picture of their Halloween store shop that is basically selling the same mini-chocolates that are sold at Walgreens. What person wouldnt want to shop at "Scare Central" vs. their local Walgreens?

Like many of you, I call Target the $100 store. I cannot get out of that store for less than a $100 bucks, even if I try - (for record, I call Costco the $200 store). Kudos to Target for continuing to innovate and shame on the rest of the retailers for just thinking all we care about is price.

It's The Little Things

Tip of the ol' hat to my friend Travis Dryden in the Wirestone/Boise office for this nugget:

This is a nice promotion that is repeatable in any ballpark or stadium It is also someth ing that the brand can "own" and that competitors would have a hard time duplicating. In a YouTube, MySpace world, its nice to see a brand doing something small, but really effective offline. And, imagine the fun stuff you could do with those additional 4 minutes... I wonder who would sponsor the Cubs moving their start time from 1:20 to 4:20???? Hmmm.

Later games in store for White Sox with 7:11 p.m. starts

October 11, 2006

CHICAGO (AP) -- The White Sox will start weeknight home games at 7:11p.m. as part of a sponsorship deal with the 7-Eleven convenience store chain.

White Sox spokesman Scott Reifert would not disclose the value of the three-year deal with the Dallas company Wednesday but said the revenue probably will be reinvested in the team or ballpark.

The new start time hardly represents a significant change since many weeknight games at U.S. Cellular Field already start at 7:07 p.m.

"We're just talking about four minutes, so it's not much of an inconvenience for the fans," Reifert said.

Margaret Chabris, a spokeswoman 7-Eleven, said the company has been trying to develop sponsorships with other teams and entertainment venues. The Chicago area was targeted because of its more than 180 7-Eleven stores.

"Every time the media announces the game's start time it will be a gentle reminder of our sponsorship," Chabris said.

Two Kings On YouTube- BK and Diddy

I was just wondering the other day where the heck P. Diddy has been. He has been radio silent, which for him means he is brewing something. And, wouldn't ya know it? He comes out and announces Diddy TV in conjunction with Burger King on YouTube. Will the madness ever end? Enough already with YouTube and MySpace. But as of writing this, almost 600,000 people had viewed the video and its been up for a day. It is an interesting development on an underground network through a free medium - although he does say he "bought" the channel from YouTube.

The best part of the video is that he had to pay for his Whopper. Who negotiated that contract? LOL. Now, I would like to see Diddy riding the Subservient Chicken in a rodeo - now that would be funny.