Brand Dots

Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’

Months ago I was pleasantly surprised to discover Tim Burton, the notoriously strange mind behind films like “Beetlejuice” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” would be partnering with Walt Disney Studios to recreate the movie “Alice in Wonderland.”  To be honest, I was a little shocked to find out Burton would be partnering with the Disney brand.  But this match could be exactly what the doctor ordered if Disney plans to win credibility with a different market segment.

I found out about the movie’s release like most, by stumbling across sublime images of the movie’s characters on social media outlets and blogs.  As  the new “Alice’s” debut has moved closer, Disney has taken every opportunity to promote the new movie by releasing countless commercials, billboards, music videos, viral marketing campaigns, interviews – and the list goes on.  A number of other companies have decided to jump on the “Alice in Wonderland” bandwagon, which isn’t a bad idea, considering the massive amount of exposure the movie is getting.

Here are a few Wonderland inspired product lines that seem to be great choices for the movie’s existing target market – teen girls and young women who are into dark romance or those who are already fans of the uncanny world portrayed in Lewis Carroll’s books, Disney’s original 1951 animated feature, among other popular versions of the story.

• OPI Nail Polish announced a new line of “Alice in Wonderland” nail color, with the tagline “Color so fantastic, you’ll think you’re dreaming.”
• Urban Decay, which is sold at Sephora, has developed a “Book of Shadows,” showcasing a 16 eye shadows with names such as “White Rabbit, Jabberwocky and Oraculum” in a Wonderland inspired box.
• Hot Topic is selling all kinds of trendy “Alice” inspired gear.  From jewelry, to jackets, to Mad Hatter totes, they are fully committed to the newest Disney movie.

According to the Wall Street Journal article, “Disney Invites ‘Goths’ to the Party,” Disney doesn’t expect “Alice’s” merchandise sales to measure up to the $8 Billion “Toy Story” empire.  But connecting with a new segment of the market could be exactly what Disney had in mind when they hired Burton to work on their latest film.  By hiring an edgier director, they can focus on tapping into a market that isn’t traditionally targeted by Disney’s infamously juvenile and innocent brand.

I love music.  If I had my way, I’d listen to it 24-7.  Fortunately, I have the opportunity to surround myself with extremely talented musicians.  I go to concerts, shows and open-mic nights on a fairly regular basis.  The talent I see blows me away.  It’s a shame that the world is full of so many talented people and so few make it in the industry.  But there’s noting like a little controversy to get the attention of the public.

Take Lady Gaga for instance.  At 23 years old, she’s sold 15.3 million digital tracks, generated four number 1 songs from her debut album and is nominated for five Grammy awards.  Yes, she’s talented.  But how did she make it when there are so many other talented musicians that can’t seem to get a break?

It’s all about brand positioning and marketing.  Here are a few things that have propelled Gaga into super-stardom:

• Brand Positioning: Gaga holds a unique position in the mind of consumers in relation to competing artists.  When competition, like Taylor Swift and Beyonce, are appealing to audiences with an innocent, girl-next-door image, the only way to get ahead is by posing as the complete opposite.

• Timing: History repeats itself.  Lady Gaga isn’t the first artist to become famous by stunning her audience. Queen, George Michael and Madonna are just a few artists that have pushed the limits by not conforming to sexual and fashion boundaries.   But it’s tough to have more than one popular misfit in the industry at time so Gaga’s timed it right by entering the industry when other artists are mellower.

• Style: Her style has been described as risqué, wild, cutting edge, and cross-dressing.  Some refer to her as the Marilyn Manson of pop!  Whatever you want to call her style, it’s one of a kind.  She’s hired outlandish designers to fill her wardrobe and she’s not afraid to cover herself in blood to get attention.

• 360-Deal: According to the Wall Street Journal article, The Lessons of Lady Gaga, Universal Music Group’s deal with Gaga is the reason for her success.   Labels are slashing their artist rosters to invest more money in their high-ticket artists.  They invest tons of money up-front for marketing, in exchange for touring revenues, merchandise sales, and even celebrity endorsement deals.  Troy Carter, Gaga’s manger, credits the 360-deal for her success, stating, “Would she be in the position to play in front of 20,000 people a night if the record company had not put up the marketing dollars?“

• Embracing Digital Distribution: Consumers can download and share music for free, without having to pay for songs.  Many musicians condemn digital distribution because they think it’s ruined their chance at getting revenue from their music. Lady Gaga has done the opposite, making her music available to anyone who wants it.  The accessibility of her music has made more people want to attend her shows, purchase her merchandise and it increased her brand loyalty.

• Talent: She wouldn’t be where she is today without talent.  She writes her own music and her tunes alone have a style of their own.

• Initiative: She’s a workaholic.  She is 100% devoted to her music, speaking engagements, concerts, fans and the team of people that supports her.  She shows the drive and determination that it takes to make it in the industry!

Lady Gaga’s got all of these things going for her, however, her long-term success will hinge on evolution.  She may be on top of the world now but her image wont keep up the momentum for long.  Like all life-long musicians, she will have to reposition her brand to achieve long-term success.

Good luck, Gaga!  Can’t wait to see what you morph into next!

Understanding the consumer is more important now than ever. So why not focus on our most profitable patrons?

The classic 80/20 principle claims 20 percent of all customers generate 80 percent of the demand. For example, heavy users make more than 60 percent of fast-food visits, but they only account for one of five fast-food patrons. If we can understand what these super-consumers want and then offer it to them, it will be mutually beneficial.

Tap into Your Super-Consumers reinforces this philosophy. Some of the examples provided by author Eddie Yoon boast a 20% increase in sales and a migration to the top spot within the respective industry. If companies keep brand-loyal customers happy, they will continue to come back for more.

Research can help us make informed decisions. Interviews, focus groups, surveys, questionnaires, and observation can all be useful tools. However, knowing the right questions to ask is equally important. It’s important to ask your best customers what matters most to them.

Are your star patrons looking for additional features, distinctiveness, better quality, improved service? Most consumers will pay a premium for their ideal product. It’s up to us to give them what they want.

Boone Oakley is an advertising agency that has created brilliant campaigns for clients, such as MTV, Carmax, and Ruby Tuesday.  Their work is hilarious and their cutting-edge tactics have earned them Ad Age’s title of Southeast Ad Agency of the Year.

Boone Oakley uses a YouTube video for their main website.  It’s interactive and fun!  Check it out.  It’s very clever.

The video above is their homepage.  It shows an innovative and humorous brand story.  Storytelling is a common thread in their advertisements and viral campaigns.

My favorite video on their website can be found under “News,” where they thank Obama for naming his dog Bo after the company.  They make the connection between their initials and the spelling of the pooch’s name.  They also reveal that they share a name with Bo Derek, whom they refer to as a dreadlocked white girl, forever connecting their brand with sexiness.  It’s pretty funny.

The dawn of social networks has undeniably created new opportunities for marketers. Consumers have an opportunity to share opinions about anything and everything they purchase. A reported 50 million Facebook users are currently sharing their thoughts about brands on a regular basis.

According to Reuters, earlier this year social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, were struggling financially. They have been trying to find a way to capitalize on their massive and rapidly growing consumer base. Like most websites, advertising revenue seemed to be the most logical way to generate a profit.

This week, the NY Times reported that Facebook is now selling advertisements that display people’s profile photos next to commercial messages that are shown to their friends about the brands that they purchase or register an opinion about. Consumers that participate will have the opportunity to share their online purchases with their friends. For example, if you buy a new CD from iTunes, you can add it to your Facebook profile and let everyone know how you feel about the new album.

From a marketing perspective, this is the perfect marriage between understanding consumer behavior and advertising. Every profile contains demographic information about each consumer. This tool could shed light on who is really purchasing products and why they make the purchase decisions that they do – marketer’s dream!

But not so fast; the Federal Trade Commission sees the risk associated with protecting the privacy of consumers. So for now, Facebook has promised to keep these details to themselves.  Oh…to be a fly on the wall at Facebook.

I’ll be honest. Radiohead is one of my all-time favorite bands.  I found a keen fascination with the band years ago, when they released the album “Pablo Honey.”  And I have been a huge fan and admirer ever since.  I’ve bought every album and listened to them religiously over the years, and now I can add one more reason to love them to my list.  They are marketing masterminds!

Last year I was blown away by the huge success of their “In Rainbows” album.  With industry album sales in decline, largely because of the expansion of digital distribution and piracy, Radiohead decided they would try something new.  They marketed their “In Rainbows” album in a fresh and controversial way.  Fans could download the album from their website and name their price.  The “pay what you want” price strategy, intrigued consumers and in one year, the band sold more than three million copies.  The buzz helped move them and keep them at the top of the charts.

According to the NY Times, Radiohead didn’t stop there.  They have more contentious and cutting edge marketing tricks up their sleeves.

Here are a few marketing concepts that Radiohead has mastered:

• Create buzz-worthy material: They continue to release great music that speaks to people of all ages and social classes.  It gets people talking and makes them want to share it with everyone.
• Viral vitality: They’ve embraced technology.  Internet videos, blogs, digital downloading, and forums are all part of Radiohead’s marketing vocabulary.   They start rumors about new releases and encourage consumer connectivity.
• Fan interaction: They ask fans to participate in their success.  They hold contests, ask fans to create their music videos, and get consumers involved.
• If you can’t beat digital distribution, join ‘em: Recently, Thom Yorke, the band’s lead singer, announced that the band has plans to start releasing singles as opposed to albums.  This strategy goes against the music industry’s traditional distribution strategy.  This is generating more buzz about the band…maybe the industry could learn a thing or two from the group.

No doubt, Radiohead has found a way to stand the test of time through great musicality and notable marketing practices.  Here is the winning video from one of Radiohead’s recent contests.  Rock on, Radiohead.  Rock on!

Check out this video of one of Seth Godin’s TED speeches.

I’ve become a huge fan of Seth over the years.  I have found that his blog is one of the best marketing resources online these days.  His posts are meaningful and thought provoking.  In addition to creating the amazing new website called Squidoo, he has written books that include Purple Cow, The Dip, and more recently, Tribes.

Sean John Combs has created one of the strongest entertainment brands of this generation.   He is involved in hip-hop’s Bad Boy Records, has two clothing lines (Sean John and Sean by Sean Combs), a film production company, and two restaurants.  There is no question that he has built an empire out of his personal brand.

The world’s most powerful brands typically align themselves with a well-known archetype.  This is true for all types of brands, including celebrities.

I’ve enjoyed watching Comb’s celebrity evolve over time.  He started his rapping career as Puff Daddy.  People nicknamed him Puff or Puffy.   In 2005 he decided to change is name to P. Diddy, which eventually was changed to plain-ole’ Diddy.  This guy has had more names than I can count on one hand.  Through all of these name changes, you would think that Comb’s brand would be worthless, but quite the opposite happened.  With every name change, he worked toward reinventing himself.

In the beginning Diddy personified the outlaw archetype.  He was born in the Harlem projects, his father was shot and killed when he was a small child, and when he started the Bad Boy label, he became involved in the East-Coast/West-Coast Hip-Hop Feud.  In true outlaw form, he eventually faced gun possession and bribery charges.  Combs and his brand embraced the outlaw archetype.  He was a rebel, completely outrageous, and eager to start a hip-hop revolution.

Combs knew he couldn’t maintain success if he continued to embrace the outlaw persona.  He had to change his image.   This is where the name changing began.   Diddy’s new name, or maybe I should say names, were an attempt to reinvent himself as the ruler archetype that he is known as today.

Sean Combs has been able to reposition himself as the king of hip-hop, fashion, and all things entrepreneurial.  This is evident through his I am King fragrance campaign, Sean John ads, Ciroc commercials, and every interview that he is in.  He is an empowered, successful leader.  He’s gained credibility by showing the public that he can be a trusted, responsible, and dependable role model.

This rebranding strategy has worked for him.  He has taken control of his image and has acquired overwhelming success.  His net worth is currently estimated to be more than $346 million and will only continue to grow.

Celebrities reinvent themselves all the time.  Can you think of any good examples of celebrities that have switched from one archetype to another?

Laura Reis’ article, The Demise of Dell, provides a great example of why expansion is NOT the answer. 10 years ago, Dell was the best selling personal computer brand in the world!  They were focused on one thing: selling personal computers directly to businesses.  And then they decided to expand to the consumer electronics market.  They even started selling their PCs in retail stores, such as Sears and Walmart.

What were they thinking? Dell was known for having a direct to business sales/distribution model. They sold their souls, thinking that they would be able to capture more customers if they found new ways to sell and distribute their product. This change turned their tried-and-true business model on its head. It confused consumers and made people wonder what their brand really stood for.

History repeats itself and this is one example that proves that brands can’t be everything to everyone.  Stick to what you know and what you’re known for!

The graffiti revolution was born in New York City subways in the 1960’s.  Over the years, tagging became more and more prominent.  Artists were determined to 1) get their name out as much as possible and 2) compete against each other in terms of style and recognition.

Is it just me, or does this sound like two of the most important goals for brand managers?

There is no question that our society is bombarded by advertising.  You can’t leave your house without seeing slogans, brands, logos, and subliminal messaging.  It’s a form of “style wars,” in a sense.  Marketers and graffiti artists are trying to accomplish the same thing.

Graffiti and marketing share a common goal.  They both strive to grab their audience’s attention and make them yearn to learn more about who they are.  They strive to reach as many people as possible, while focusing on the ability to leave a lasting impression on others.

It’s all about branding!  Taggers understand branding.  They sleep, eat, and breathe branding.  In my opinion, graffiti is art and brand managers would be smart to hire accomplished graffiti artists.

Web Urbanist shows some excellent examples of 3D graffiti and traditional graffiti that has been or should be used in guerrilla marketing campaigns.  Artists like Shepard Fairey, who created the famous Obama campaign HOPE poster, have already proven that graffiti art can be used to promote brands.  So, since we share the same vision, why not unite to reach a common goal?