JCPenney, in efforts to win male shoppers, have been buying male-oriented media (ESPN Radio, for example) and pitching a male-oriented tagline: "Get In, Find It, and Get Going." They obviously have identified how men prefer to shop (i.e. quickly), and even try to set apart the male zone as the Men's Department inside JCPenney.

Never mind that the Men's Department inside JCPenney is not noticeably different than the Men's Department inside many other department stores, but that's not the point.

Recently they have tweaked their tagline, replacing "Get Going" with something more benign. I guess "Get Going" sounded too much like "Get Out." Frankly, I don't think most men would be offended by that. I can't even remember the new wording! Ask my kids -- my wife has trained them that "when you're shopping with Daddy, you're on a mission." Hey, it works for me.

Now Ace Hardware has taken a strikingly similar line: "Get In, Get Help, Get On With Your Life." The theme is clear: men tend to view shopping as a task to be done but not savored.

These taglines are intended to reduce perceived risk -- the risk of having to spend a lot of time shopping when all they really want is to find something and move on. If you want to attract male shoppers, you need to cater to that desire and communicate it.

Have you identified what appeals to your customers? Are there obstacles in your customer's mind that delay visits or purchases? Speak their language and their interests -- you won't win them all, but you'll win more. And right now, that's a great start!

Labels: advertising, customer centered, differentiation, marketing, strategy, taglines

More and more I am believing that the strategic partnership is marketing's great frontier.

There is nothing new about two entities joining forces and collaborating in some fashion, but I'm seeing a lot more of it. And I'm recommending a lot more of it.

A strategic linking of complementary businesses is becoming an ordinary part of the planning process. Long gone are the days when we decided "what to advertise and where to advertise," and that's about it. We feast on companies that are stuck in that kind of limited thinking.

Creativity isn't just for graphic design, it's for finding ways your business can evolve to something more.

Of marketing's "Four P's," strategic partnerships are now a critical element of Placement. For a great read on where to find mutually beneficial relationships, read pages 49-80 of Blue Ocean Strategy. (Actually, read the whole thing.)

Who shares your same customer? Who shares your same image? Who can link you to higher visibility while you do the same for them?

Labels: marketing, planning, strategy

You're probably stronger than you think. You're probably better suited to compete for customers than you think you are.

Humility doesn't exactly abound in our culture, but I think many business owners sell themselves short. They see themselves as outmanned, outgunned and underqualified versus bigger competitors. But they're not.

Local banks and credit unions can often make a better case to customers than big regional or national players. Independent jewelers can differentiate themselves very believably against "the mall stores."

There are opportunities like this in almost every industry.

Owner-led businesses can respond quicker -- like now. As soon as an idea is ready, they can implement it immediately. No corporate approval needed. No passing it up the ladder to the franchise marketing department. This autonomy is the ultimate business version of "just do it."

Some built-in advantages follow the simple fact that you're local and in charge. What moves can you make that your larger rivals aren't flexible enough or fast enough to match?

Labels: management, marketing, planning, strategy

"Branding Only Works on Cattle" by Samuel Baskin is not a great read, but it is provocative. The primary point of the book is that your brand is not ultimately determined by anything you try to project, but rather by your behavior. Your behavior is your brand.

I agree with much of the premise. The premise would make for a very powerful article, but isn't developed enough to justify the length of the book. My review can be found on our website's Reading page: http://www.foxmarketing.us/reading.php

Having just returned from a Disney cruise, there are all kinds of business lessons percolating in my brain. I posted on Disney yesterday, here again today, and there will be more tomorrow and beyond.

I was reminded of Samuel Baskin's book multiple times on our cruise. Disney projects an image of "the happiest place on earth," a place where dreams come true, a place where magic happens. That's enough to get people to try you. That's the starting point of the Disney brand.

But it is the customer experience that defines the brand from that point on. And that is why Disney's brand is so strong. They live their vision. Every cast member embodies the vision in their interactions with you.

What do you think your brand is? What do your employees think your brand is? (More on that tomorrow.) Follow through on your branding -- ensure that it is not just something you project, but something the customer experiences.

Labels: branding, customer centered, marketing, planning, strategy

Back to work, fresh off a 4-day Disney Cruise, I'm reminded yet again what excellence looks like.

(Some people are Disney people, and some people are anti-Disney people. We tend to be Disney people. It's possible to get too much of the Mouse, I suppose, but we're not there yet.)

There are many books on "The Disney Way," including one by that very name. How would Disney run a hospital? How would Disney run a school? And on and on. I haven't read any of them.

I have only gathered my observations and opinions by spending my own hard-earned money to do so. And having done so four times in the eleven years I've been a parent, I always come back impressed. Very impressed.

Disney does it right. If more businesses devoted themselves to making the customer's dreams come true or making the customers feel like princesses or making the customers believe in magic, Disney would be the patriarch of the movement.

Here are just a few Disney-esque principles I've observed in action:
1. Do nothing half-way. Every ride is a movie set and every employee is a cast member, and every theme is carried out to an almost ridiculous degree. I don't believe there is an organization anywhere that executes their vision more thoroughly than Disney.
2. Exceptional is the expectation. "Average" is not on their radar screen. The "minimum requirements" are not even a consideration. Maybe this point is the same as the one above. That's how well they execute.
3. Build in cross-selling. Every Disney property is littered (poor choice of words) with profit centers, all feeding one another. There are no "operational silos," at least as far as I can tell. Every piece of the business model is cooperative and synergistic.
4. Take pride. This is not a repeat of points 1 & 2, this is about profit. Disney is not cheap. Disney will never be cheap. We've all been to cheap amusement parks. By taking great pride and making points 1 & 2 a way of life, there really is no peer to drive their prices down. Pride is a profit strategy.

It's becoming clear to me that this post could get really long, so I'm just going to cut it off right here. How can you "Disney-fy" your business? Open your mind really, really wide for this one, because dreams really can come true.

Labels: branding, creativity, customer centered, differentiation, management, marketing, planning, strategy

If marketing is an expense, it's something that should be minimized. If it is an investment, well, that makes you look at it differently.

From a friend and client in the financial planning business, here are some fundamentals of investing. See if your marketing activities sync with this.

1. Accurately assess where you are today.
2. Clearly define where you would like to be (goals, objectives, etc.).
3. Identify the course that most effectively and efficiently get you there (remaining flexible in the process).
4. Align yourself with a professional familiar with that course to serve as your guide.
5. Allocate resources to areas or items that have historically helped others reach goals similar to yours.
6. Understand risks and rewards.
7. Maintain a proper time horizon in the realization of your goals.
8. Patiently stick to the plan and make slight adjustments as the industry or marketplace changes.

The only thing he left out was the principle of diversification. I will be speaking to him about this omission.

Of course, I am biased towards #4. #5 is also a favorite, but only once #1 & #2 have been established. All these things must mesh together.

The way financial investing works is very similar to the way your marketing investments work. If your money simply goes away, it's an expense; if it returns to you, it's an investment.

Make sure you're making an investment, not just paying an expense.

Labels: management, marketing, planning, strategy

I just ran across some research from Rutgers that reminded me of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs behavioral theory. (Yeah, this is heavy thinking for a Monday night, but there's no football on TV.)

Data collected over the past couple decades shows that environmental concern trends higher in periods of general economic strength. When there is job growth and a sense of economic security, people feel free to worry about things that less directly impact their daily lives.

The hierarchy of needs holds, for example, that people aren't too worried about their self-actualization when they're fighting to merely feed themselves for the day. "Higher" goals and ambitions don't kick in until the more basic needs are met.

When times are good, they have the energy and mental latitude to care about things higher up the pyramid like environmental consciousness.

The application for today, where the recent past has been a tailspin and the near future is uncertain at best, is to focus your messaging on your buyer's more basic needs and problems. Yes, if you're "green" or you offer some other self-actualizing benefit, that should come across -- but only after you've shown how you help them in ways that are a little closer to home.

Labels: advertising, marketing, messaging, research, strategy

Crayola means crayons. Crayola is the crayon king more than Google is the king of search or Coke is the king of pop. Crayola means crayons like Kleenex means facial tissue.

Over the past few years, Crayola has taken over more and more shelf space in the art and craft aisles. And from my vantage point, secondarily as a marketer but primarily as a parent of creative kids, they've done an excellent job of it.

The hot item for Christmas this year -- this year's Cabbage Patch Kid, as it were -- turned out to be the Crayola Crayon Maker. When the full line of 100+ Crayola crayons isn't quite enough, the new Crayon Maker allows you (or your child) to take the scraps and broken pieces to mix and match and make your very own new creations.

My poor kids still don't have one. They were sold out everywhere!*

In a smooth way, without sacrificing their landmark product line, Crayola now means more to the same set of customers than it did just ten years ago.

When you think of crayons, you think of Crayola. But now you can also find the Crayola brand on a much wider variety of creative product lines. A crayon maker by any other name may not trigger interest or a purchase, but because it says Crayola on the package, you sense that you know what you'll be getting.

I think that's what separates a typical product line extension from a "blue ocean strategy." Is it just a new product or service, or does it expand what your name means to customers?

What does your name mean? What else could your name mean to the very same customers? If it's something that solidifies and expands your relationship with those customers, make it happen!

* Christmas is over, and their birthdays are in June, August and September. I may have to simply splurge on this and just buy it as soon as I find one.

Labels: branding, creativity, differentiation, management, marketing, planning, strategy

Any chance you can name the current tagline for Wendy's? If I asked this just a month ago, you would have correctly said, "It's waaaay better than fast food, it's Wendy's." But what was correct a month ago is not correct now.

Wendy's, like most large corporations, no doubt reviewed several campaign themes before settling on the "waaaay better" idea. And like most large corporations, Wendy's probably did some follow-up research after launching and executing that campaign for a few months. Apparently, the results were less than spectacular, because the tagline abruptly changed.

Now, in the same media and same frequency of advertising as before, we hear a jingle saying, "You know when it's real."

What to learn? If something's not working, pull the plug! But don't leave a vaccuum, fill the void with something better!

Wendy's no doubt had the "real" theme waiting in the wings, a second choice in case of emergency. And based on audience response to their previous theme, they decided they had to change course.

I'm not going to do an autopsy on their "waaaay better than fast food" theme, other than to say Subway has pretty well established that same positioning ("Eat Fresh"), and a burger joint was going to have trouble inhabiting the same property.

The lesson for us is to be aware when our efforts are falling flat, and have a backup plan so one stumble doesn't lose you too much ground. I have a vibe that Wendy's latest campaign will work a little better for them. Is your backup plan ready too?

Labels: advertising, management, marketing, messaging, strategy

Southwest Airlines is currently running TV spots where baggage handlers remind us Southwest doesn't add fees for checking luggage. At one point out on the tarmac, they yell at a competitor's plane, "Why are you charging for luggage?!"

The airline industry is perpetrating this nuisance almost unanimously right now, with Southwest being the notable holdout. Kudos to them for pointing it out!

It's not always this easy to find a point of differentiation that really resonates with your customers, but it's worth a few minutes of your time to find one. Think of something that really irritates customers in your marketplace, something widespread that has always been considered "normal" but frustrates customers.

Does that irritant exist with you? If not, follow Southwest's lead and boldly point it out. If so, find a way to get rid of that bug in your system, and then let everyone know what you've done.

If "industry-standard" means irritating to customers, defy the standard -- and don't keep it a secret!

Labels: advertising, customer centered, differentiation, marketing, messaging, strategy

Lushin and Associates is still proudly advertising their "expensive and difficult sales training." Doesn't the tough economy mean they should scale back their advertising, or at least scale back their emphasis on "expensive and difficult?"

Not if they believe in it. And not if they are committed to the value their services provide. Not if they can prove their services are worth a premium. Surely they can argue that sales excellence and effectiveness are more valuable now than ever.

Times are tight and customers are cost-sensitive in every market, but that doesn't always mean an automatic price concession. Just thought I'd say publicly that I respect them for holding the line.

Labels: branding, differentiation, messaging, pricing, salesmanship, strategy

I was reading an enjoyable article today about John Swisher, founder and president of JBS United, a producer of nutritional livestock feeds.

Mr. Swisher's company has always incorporated more science than most in that industry, which is a differentiating factor in their sales. They do a great deal of testing to get nutrient content right, and closely measure animals' responses.

"We let the pigs tell us what they think, and pigs don't lie," says Mr. Swisher.

Which reminded me of marketing research and getting feedback from customers. But not just verbal feedback in response to surveys or questionnaires -- you can get vital information by watching their behaviors in and around your business and products.

Sometimes their words are softened to give you the response you want in a survey, but behaviors aren't. Watch where they stop, where they look, what they touch, what they pass by. Those behaviors will tell you what they think without even being asked.

Labels: customer centered, marketing, research, strategy

While purchasing some photography for a client yesterday, I noticed a special offer on my receipt. It was from a related design business, providing me a special discount code for my first purchase with them. And this: "Offer good through December 31, 2020."

That's pretty amazing. I have eleven years to check out the site, see what I might need, and save a little. In 2020, I'll have two kids in college, so I think I'll hold onto that discount because I'll need it more then than I do now!

Special offers are good. Promotional tie-ins with complementary businesses are good. But I'd encourage you to inspire a sense of urgency. Positive urgency, of course -- curiosity, excitement.

With eleven days to check it out, I probably would -- at least to see what it's all about. But eleven years? I'm not driven to action quite so much...

What timelines could you use to your favor? Create urgency to invite that first visit, or even to encourage a repeat purchase. Customers are "in the now." Make sure you are, too.

Labels: advertising, creativity, differentiation, marketing, planning, strategy

I'm really, really proud of the Fox Marketing Group business model. I love what it is and what it is not. Yet ultimately I didn't really design it -- you did.

We handle advertising, but we're not an ad agency. We do graphic design, but we're not a design shop. We direct internet marketing, but we're not a web firm. We work with media companies, but we're not media salesmen. We handle printing and signage projects, but we're not a print shop or a sign shop. The list goes on.

What the business is not frees us up to do things in a dramatically different way. A way that suits our customer, the business owner, in ways they've never seen.

All those other things are selling something to the business owner. No matter how good or consultative or thoughtful they are, they still answer to someone else besides the business owner. They answer to their own boss, and try to beat their own quota.

I get the privilege of being at the owner's side. I get to think like an owner, yet bring to the table some skills and ideas the owner doesn't have. If someone has to sell to win, they can't really align themselves with the owner. I do, and I love it!

Take some solid research, for example, like the fact that the number one factor in a customer's judgment of a business is the restrooms (especially among female customers.) If I sold advertising or printing, I wouldn't know that information and wouldn't care! In fact, the truth might actually get in my way -- the owner might decide (correctly) that the investment in their shopping environment is more important right now than the investment in whatever I happen to be selling.

But since I'm on the owner's side, we can make facilities part of the overall marketing plan.

I'm free to act like I own the business myself, instead of figuring out ways to merely sell to it. And that makes all the difference.

Labels: customer centered, customer service, design, differentiation, management, marketing, planning, research, signage, strategy

You have 20 years' experience in the industry. Yay for you.

You have three locations. You have a well-trained staff. You have extended hours. You have done 700 similar projects. You have a wide selection.

Yay for you.

I can find what I want quickly at your store. I can ask questions and get helpful answers without initiating any arm-twisting from you. I can find guidance from you towards the best purchase for the specific purpose I'll be using the product for. I can schedule the next contractors because I have confidence you'll have your part done properly and on time. I can find you easily when I need you.

Yay for me . . . the customer.

Listen to any typical radio or TV ads, and focus on the claims. There's a lot of advertising that is little more than the business patting itself on the back. Yay for them.

Wouldn't it be better to translate all that fluff into something meaningful and motivating for the customer? Give the customer something that makes them say, "Yay for me!"

Labels: advertising, customer centered, marketing, messaging, strategy

My last post was about how getting too comfortable will hold you back. This is a spinoff point, namely, your customers' discomfort is your opportunity.

If your prospects are comfortable, they don't need you. If they're comfortable with the status quo or their current suppliers or their current results, there's not much room for you.

But that's where the current climate can be your friend. Lots of folks are uncomfortable right now, which gives you the chance to ride in on the white horse and solve their problems, allay their fears, give them peace, reduce their risk.

Here's a great chance to make them comfortable again -- with you.

Labels: customer centered, customers, management, marketing, strategy

"You are exactly where you want to be. If you really wanted to be somewhere else, you would do the things it takes to get you there."

Those are the words of Michael Crisci, sales and management expert (and one of the most influential people in my career to date). In those two sentences, he nails the one thing that holds back so many people across all types of businesses: comfort.

People may say they want something different, but in the end they are too comfortable where they are to pursue any type of meaningful change.

Comfort is the enemy of innovation. Comfort is the enemy of problem-solving. Comfort is the enemy of the next great thing. Comfort steals more profit from you than any thief or corporate espionage. I hate comfort.

This recession is going to spawn some really great things in the near future, because it's making a lot of people uncomfortable for the first time. It's my personal mission in the next 18 months to help business owners translate their discomfort into entirely new prosperity.

Uncomfortable yet? Good. Call me.

Labels: creativity, differentiation, management, marketing, planning, strategy

I just received another telemarketing call from our newspaper publisher. It will probably be the last, but not for the reasons they think.

Since we've gotten quite a few of these benign but bothersome calls, I politely declined as usual and then expressed to the caller my desire to, um, never get one of these calls again. The caller was considerate and responsive, and replied, "OK, sir, we'll take you off the list for five years."

I figure that's just about perfect, because most newspapers won't be around at all in five years.

I'm not the first to say this, and I won't be the last: newspapers are dying. Barring a government bailout (and don't put it past them), newspapers will soon be history. The lesson is in the why.

To this day, even making solid advances in online content, most publishers view themselves as newspaper companies with an online version. What they're wasting is the tremendous advantage they could have if they would only view themselves as the premier local information portal.

That way they could reduce their print publishing and retool their selling proposition without feeling like that's suicide. In truth, it's their only hope for survival.

The question is, how many will get it before a savvy startup plunders the market and takes that position? If you were starting up today, would you make massive investments in office space and printing presses? Or would you find a more streamlined way of gathering, packaging and distributing local news and information?

The need for local businesses to target local customers is not going away, but the newspaper is.

If a company wants to be the cornerstone of local advertising, it will have to provide those customers. And the best way is to be the first resort of local folks seeking local news and information. Just not predominantly in print.

Labels: media, planning, strategy

I don't know how much this post is actually going to help, but I have to write it. If only I could impart some reproducible tactic, it might have more practical value.

You've heard the phrase, "I could do that in my sleep." Well, I can do marketing in my sleep. I do it all the time.

No, I don't take naps after a client briefing. (Or during.) What happens is, after spending time on a particularly engaging or even difficult project, I'll go to sleep but my mind will keep working on the problem.

Yesterday, I had been working on copywriting for a pool management company. We had rephrased their mission statement as a promise to consumers, but had to take a different angle on that statement when addressing business-to-business (B2B) prospects. I had the wording down and really liked it -- except for one small phrase. It just didn't click like I wanted.

I finally had to shut it down for the day, with the resolve to tackle it again this morning when my mind was refreshed. Well, it didn't take that long. I hadn't been asleep for more than an hour or two when I jolted awake with the exact phrasing I needed!

I solved a messaging problem in my sleep -- now that's effectiveness! If only I charged by the hour, I could have billed for my sleep last night!

At one point last year, I had been pouring myself into the business plan of a bold new startup. Not just marketing plans, but the whole enchilada -- operations, staffing, financials, everything. The numbers for feasibility weren't making sense to me. Until one night, that is, when I woke up with the corrected numbers and projections right at the top of my mind.

How do I do it? I really don't know. I suspect this occurs more often for creative people than analytical, but I tend to be a mix of both.

Nor do I know how to repeat it on purpose. When it has happened, it just happens. But I'm sure that part of it is pure enjoyment of the work I do.

So maybe that's the point -- find the pleasure in your business, and it might just become easier to succeed at it.

Labels: creativity, marketing, planning, strategy

If we didn't have enough on our plates already, now we have to watch out for symptoms of swine flu. But that's not really my topic here. My goal is to give a little encouragement in generally discouraging times.

You don't have to go far to find bad news today. You don't have to go anywhere at all. The bad news will find you. Economic duress, political friction, and now pandemic disease potential. Nice.

But in the midst of all this, some companies are growing. It can be done! In the past week alone, I've been in contact with three businesses in three different industries who are all expanding -- a pool management company, a commercial roofing company, and a lotion manufacturer.

By all indications, companies like these should not be growing. Economic pressures and tightened budgets should be causing customers to lay low.

These three have a common trait, however. They're all spinning off new divisions to serve different customers or serve existing customers in new ways.

Think things are tight? Take a fresh look at customers in your marketplace and you might find opportunities to grow despite a general atmosphere of recession.

Is there something you can add to your offering that creates new value for existing customers? Is there a similar type of customer you could target with only a slight change in your product or service lineup? If so, you can invigorate your business during these leaner times, and emerge with gusto when times improve.

It's being done already. Maybe it's time you did it too!

Labels: customers, differentiation, marketing, planning, strategy

In the book How to Get Your Competition Fired (which I've just reviewed -- check it out at http://www.foxmarketing.us/reading.php), a survey of marketing from insurance agencies nationwide shows that they all say pretty much the exact same things about themselves. Not an effective strategy for standing out.

There is a remarkable sameness in many industries. Most, in fact. Everybody wants the sale, and everybody says the same things to get it.

The very topic of differentiation makes a lot of business owners uncomfortable.

I remember one business owner, when the topic of differentiation came up, leaned across the table and lowered his voice as if confessing some horrible sin: "Look," he whispered, "our business isn't really different. It's just ours. We do a good job, we treat people right, we play by the rules, but there's nothing really special about it. We just need more customers, that's all."

He thought he was speaking for himself. He may have been revealing the unspoken feelings of most business operators.

I wouldn't want to change any of the things you do well. And I obviously want you to correct or minimize any areas that are lacking. But primarily, I want you to add just one extra thing. Something that customers will think is cool -- and different.

There are lots of ways to give extra. Do your customers fear risk? Add your own twist on warranty protection. Are your customers in a hurry? Add free delivery options or quicker turnaround or faster setup. Are your customers intimidated by complexity? Simplify, demonstrate for free, or show ease of use.

In an incredibly commoditized automotive supply business selling to manufacturing facilities, one company promoted "The Fives." As in five-minute response to faxed or emailed requests for information, five hours to pricing, five days to delivery, and so on. It was different from their competitors, and it was succinct and specific. Their product was essentially the same as everyone else's, but their way to market was distinctive and helped them remain a player against bigger rivals.

For financial institution auditing, CPA firms follow the same protocols and ensure conformity to all the same laws. So how to stand out? I can think of one that is launching a key differentiation -- me. With every completed review, the bank or credit union will receive a free marketing audit to ensure their promotional programs are on-target. Quite a perk these days when dollars are precious.

If you're competing in a "same old same old" market, let's talk. We'll help you find your special place in the minds of those who matter -- customers.

Labels: customer centered, differentiation, marketing, planning, strategy