The Secrets of Successful Networkers
How to be at the top of your game.
By Christel Wintels, Executive Director – BNI Golden Horseshoe Region, Canada
* Stand up for yourself. Be willing to stand up for your goals and beliefs. If you don’t, no one will. Good networkers, like strong leaders, have the courage of their convictions. They know what they value and consistently express those values. Let your contacts know you value them and the opportunities they represent for both of you, and they will be willing to follow your lead.
* Inspire others. We can’t force people to help us. We can’t order people to be part of our network or demand referrals from them. However, we can inspire them to achieve greater goals by working together to achieve them. Great networkers get a true sense of satisfaction from helping others be successful. If your network contacts think of you as a person who inspires them, they will look forward to working with you as often as possible. And, by convincing others they have the ability to achieve greater things, they will help you do the same.
* Take risks. Successful people are generally those who take risks to achieve their goals. Getting out of our comfort zones and meeting new people is risky. They may not like us, and no one likes rejection. But, if we don’t make new contacts and don’t develop those contacts, our businesses certainly won’t thrive as they could. They might even fail. At the least, when we’re willing to try new, uncomfortable methods to achieve greater success we are just as likely to succeed as fail.
* Be innovative. It goes hand in hand with taking risks. We need to be open to new ideas and new ways of doing things if we want to see a change in our success. Nothing stays the same - you can always count on things changing. Because it feels like our competition is increasing daily, we have to be willing to try different approaches to attract new business. The more people talk positively about your business, the more new customers and colleagues you’ll attract. Positive word-of-mouth impacts your bottom line directly. Make sure you’re creating it all the time, through all the people you know.
* Do it now. A sense of urgency separates superior networkers from average networkers. Waiting until tomorrow to make that call or follow up with one of your contacts leaves the door open for your competitor. A sense of urgency doesn’t mean that everything is an emergency. It means that you make the effort required to service your network contacts – now. If they get that level of attention from you, they will do the same for you.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Bootstrap Your Dot Com
How To Make $1 Million Before You Graduate
Helen Coster and Melanie Lindner, 02.17.10, 06:00 PM EST
Valuable lessons from preternatural wealth builders.
In Pictures: How To Make $1 Million Before You Graduate
American philosopher Eric Hoffer said, "If a society is to preserve stability and a degree of continuity, it must know how to keep its adolescents from imposing their tastes, attitudes, values and fantasies on everyday life." Too bad Hoffer never met Jamie Murray Wells.
In 2004 while studying for final exams at University of the West of England, Wells, then age 21, went shopping for a pair of prescription glasses. Nonplussed by the $150 pound ($300) price tag, Wells decided to funnel his $2,000 student loan into what would become Glasses Direct, a London-based online retailer that now generates $5 million in annual revenue.
Wells is part of an elite club of preternatural wealth builders who managed to cobble million-dollar enterprises before they graduated from college. The "million-dollar" measure refers to either total revenue generated or the value of the enterprise built (as opposed to the size of the total profit pile). That's no mean feat for any entrepreneur, let alone one who can barely buy a drink legally in the States.
The nine entrepreneurs featured in our slideshow--six from the U.S. and three from the U.K.--started launching businesses by the tender age of 15, and one before he broke double-digits. Some of these wunderkinds, like Wells, identified problems and created companies to solve them; others turned their hobbies into money-making ventures. Some teamed up with friends, siblings and mentors; others plowed ahead on their own. Their common thread: singular focus, preternatural financial savvy and the optimism and confidence to wrest financing from seasoned investors.
Smelling Opportunity: Jamie Murray Wells
0216_jamie-murray-wells_170x170.jpgWhen Wells was bemoaning the price of his lenses, four retailers dominated the U.K. prescription glasses market; all relied on pricey retail stores to move their merchandise.
Wells figured he could move the entire purchasing process online. All he needed was a factory to make the lenses, assemble them with frames and package them. He would then ship them to shoppers, who would simply e-mail or mail in their prescriptions and pay for their glasses online. Without the costly infrastructure, Wells could sell glasses for about one-tenth the price of the established brick-and-mortar players.
Getting Started
A nifty new business model isn't nearly enough to launch a thriving company, let alone when you're 21 and have no track record. "I was knocking on the door of an industry, saying, 'The way that you're selling glasses is wrong, and I've got a better idea,'" says Wells.
Luckily he had friends and family members who agreed to put up a few thousand pounds to help him get started. Wells didn't disappoint: In the first year, Glasses Direct's revenue topped $2 million. And unlike many zealous entrepreneurs, Wells figured out how to manage his cash flow to bootstrap the business. The company took credit card payments upfront but didn't pay suppliers for another month. Wells used part of the float to hire a public relations firm to hype his low-cost strategy.
The next year Wells turned to professional angel investors. "With some investors, I simply walked in to a meeting with a sales graph and let that speak for itself," says Wells. As demand grew, Wells raised $34 million in venture capital from the likes of Highland Capital, Index Ventures, and Munich-based Acton Capital Partners. That should tide Wells over until he turns his first profit.
Asking for Help
Wells believes his age and inexperience helped him. "Having a young founder helps to add a lot of personality to a business," he says. Still, you can't cover payroll with personality.
Recognizing his limitations (yet another challenge for many entrepreneurs), Wells sought out mentors, including ophthalmologist Dr. David Spalton, and David Magliana, a marketing guru who helped bag the 2012 summer Olympic games for London. While Spalton lent credibility with the eye-care community, Magliana worked with Wells on getting the word out about Glasses Direct.
"As an entrepreneur, it's a lot easier than you'd think to reach out to people," says Wells. On the flipside, "entrepreneurs love to be written to and asked for their advice," he adds. "If your question is appropriate for them and they're emotionally interested in you, you will get a letter back, and you will get to meet them for coffee."
Running on Empty: Michael Furdyk
In 1996, as the dot-com boom started to simmer, Michael Furdyk started a Web site, called MyDesktop.com, an online computer magazine, in the basement of his parents' home in suburban Toronto. Furdyk was 16 and a bona fide computer geek. His site was filled with tips and advice Furdyk gleaned in online chat rooms, where he also came across fellow teenager Michael Hayman in Australia. The twosome figured they could turn their passion for technology into a paying business. Hayman was so convinced that he moved to Toronto to get things started.
Just one problem: Their only source of income was Furdyk's paper route. Solution: barter. In exchange for Web site storage space, they ran their host's ads on MyDesktop.com. They negotiated cheap rent on their modest office by designing their landlord's Web site.
Selling Strategies: Six New Ways To Make Money Online
Soon MyDesktop.com was bringing in $60,000 a month in advertising revenue from blue-chip clients like Microsoft ( MSFT - news - people ) and IBM ( IBM - news - people ). Furdyk and Hayman used some of their excess cash to scoop up smaller technology sites for $5,000 to $10,000 apiece. By 1999 the company was attracting 1 million unique visitors a month (serious numbers back then). Furdyk, Hayman and a third partner sold the company to Internet.com for "over $1 million," says Furdyk.
Absorbing the Blows
As part of the MyDesktop sale, Furdyk and company received a small amount of venture capital funding for their next project, a product review site called Buybuddy.com. They raised an additional $5 million and brought on an outside management team. But the good times were short-lived. In 2001 the tech bubble burst; Buybuddy suffered and shut down within three years.
Furdyk hasn't soured on entrepreneurship; indeed, he is promoting it via TakingITglobal.com, a nonprofit social networking site he launched for youngsters and educators interested in using technology to solve global problems. "Never be afraid of failure," says Furdyk. "Just learn from it. When you're young you have even less to lose."
Going With the Flow: Fraser Doherty
0216_fraser-doherty_170x170.jpgWhile his fellow mini-moguls were making a mint on the Internet, Fraser Doherty was doing things the old-fashioned way. In 2002 at the age of 14, Doherty started making jams from his grandmother's recipes in his parents' kitchen in Edinburgh, Scotland. Neighbors and church friends loved them. As word spread Doherty received orders faster than he could fill them, so he leased space at a 200-person food processing factory several days a month.
By age 16 Doherty left school to work on his jams full time. In early 2007 Waitrose, a high-end supermarket in the U.K., came knocking, and within months there were SuperJam jars on the shelves of 184 Waitrose stores. Doherty borrowed $10,000 from a bank to cover general expenses and more factory time to produce three flavors: Blueberry & Black Currant, Rhubarb & Ginger and Cranberry & Raspberry.
Spreading the Word
Last year Doherty ramped up the company's marketing efforts, printing 50 million coupons in newspapers across the U.K. He also ran a promotion in the Sun newspaper offering readers a free jar of jam. Good moves: SuperJam's revenue hit $1.2 million in 2009, flat from the prior year. Doherty's retailers now include U.K. chains Asda Wal-Mart, Morrisons and Tesco ( TESO - news - people ). This year he plans to introduce three new flavors.
Doherty remains the company's only full-time employee, although he hired three part-time staffers to hand out samples in grocery stores. Within the next four months, he hopes to produce mini jars for airlines, hotels and gift boxes. Based on a reasonable valuation multiple of one time revenue (jelly maker J.M. Smucker ( SJM - news - people ) generally trades between 1 and 1.5 times revenue), Doherty's debt-free stake is worth between $1 million and $2 million.
As for taking SuperJam up a notch, Doherty asserts that his supply chain and operations can safely scale to meet heavier demand. "We're sticking with what works," says the entrepreneur, now a seasoned 21 years old.
Helen Coster and Melanie Lindner, 02.17.10, 06:00 PM EST
Valuable lessons from preternatural wealth builders.
In Pictures: How To Make $1 Million Before You Graduate
American philosopher Eric Hoffer said, "If a society is to preserve stability and a degree of continuity, it must know how to keep its adolescents from imposing their tastes, attitudes, values and fantasies on everyday life." Too bad Hoffer never met Jamie Murray Wells.
In 2004 while studying for final exams at University of the West of England, Wells, then age 21, went shopping for a pair of prescription glasses. Nonplussed by the $150 pound ($300) price tag, Wells decided to funnel his $2,000 student loan into what would become Glasses Direct, a London-based online retailer that now generates $5 million in annual revenue.
Wells is part of an elite club of preternatural wealth builders who managed to cobble million-dollar enterprises before they graduated from college. The "million-dollar" measure refers to either total revenue generated or the value of the enterprise built (as opposed to the size of the total profit pile). That's no mean feat for any entrepreneur, let alone one who can barely buy a drink legally in the States.
The nine entrepreneurs featured in our slideshow--six from the U.S. and three from the U.K.--started launching businesses by the tender age of 15, and one before he broke double-digits. Some of these wunderkinds, like Wells, identified problems and created companies to solve them; others turned their hobbies into money-making ventures. Some teamed up with friends, siblings and mentors; others plowed ahead on their own. Their common thread: singular focus, preternatural financial savvy and the optimism and confidence to wrest financing from seasoned investors.
Smelling Opportunity: Jamie Murray Wells
0216_jamie-murray-wells_170x170.jpgWhen Wells was bemoaning the price of his lenses, four retailers dominated the U.K. prescription glasses market; all relied on pricey retail stores to move their merchandise.
Wells figured he could move the entire purchasing process online. All he needed was a factory to make the lenses, assemble them with frames and package them. He would then ship them to shoppers, who would simply e-mail or mail in their prescriptions and pay for their glasses online. Without the costly infrastructure, Wells could sell glasses for about one-tenth the price of the established brick-and-mortar players.
Getting Started
A nifty new business model isn't nearly enough to launch a thriving company, let alone when you're 21 and have no track record. "I was knocking on the door of an industry, saying, 'The way that you're selling glasses is wrong, and I've got a better idea,'" says Wells.
Luckily he had friends and family members who agreed to put up a few thousand pounds to help him get started. Wells didn't disappoint: In the first year, Glasses Direct's revenue topped $2 million. And unlike many zealous entrepreneurs, Wells figured out how to manage his cash flow to bootstrap the business. The company took credit card payments upfront but didn't pay suppliers for another month. Wells used part of the float to hire a public relations firm to hype his low-cost strategy.
The next year Wells turned to professional angel investors. "With some investors, I simply walked in to a meeting with a sales graph and let that speak for itself," says Wells. As demand grew, Wells raised $34 million in venture capital from the likes of Highland Capital, Index Ventures, and Munich-based Acton Capital Partners. That should tide Wells over until he turns his first profit.
Asking for Help
Wells believes his age and inexperience helped him. "Having a young founder helps to add a lot of personality to a business," he says. Still, you can't cover payroll with personality.
Recognizing his limitations (yet another challenge for many entrepreneurs), Wells sought out mentors, including ophthalmologist Dr. David Spalton, and David Magliana, a marketing guru who helped bag the 2012 summer Olympic games for London. While Spalton lent credibility with the eye-care community, Magliana worked with Wells on getting the word out about Glasses Direct.
"As an entrepreneur, it's a lot easier than you'd think to reach out to people," says Wells. On the flipside, "entrepreneurs love to be written to and asked for their advice," he adds. "If your question is appropriate for them and they're emotionally interested in you, you will get a letter back, and you will get to meet them for coffee."
Running on Empty: Michael Furdyk
In 1996, as the dot-com boom started to simmer, Michael Furdyk started a Web site, called MyDesktop.com, an online computer magazine, in the basement of his parents' home in suburban Toronto. Furdyk was 16 and a bona fide computer geek. His site was filled with tips and advice Furdyk gleaned in online chat rooms, where he also came across fellow teenager Michael Hayman in Australia. The twosome figured they could turn their passion for technology into a paying business. Hayman was so convinced that he moved to Toronto to get things started.
Just one problem: Their only source of income was Furdyk's paper route. Solution: barter. In exchange for Web site storage space, they ran their host's ads on MyDesktop.com. They negotiated cheap rent on their modest office by designing their landlord's Web site.
Selling Strategies: Six New Ways To Make Money Online
Soon MyDesktop.com was bringing in $60,000 a month in advertising revenue from blue-chip clients like Microsoft ( MSFT - news - people ) and IBM ( IBM - news - people ). Furdyk and Hayman used some of their excess cash to scoop up smaller technology sites for $5,000 to $10,000 apiece. By 1999 the company was attracting 1 million unique visitors a month (serious numbers back then). Furdyk, Hayman and a third partner sold the company to Internet.com for "over $1 million," says Furdyk.
Absorbing the Blows
As part of the MyDesktop sale, Furdyk and company received a small amount of venture capital funding for their next project, a product review site called Buybuddy.com. They raised an additional $5 million and brought on an outside management team. But the good times were short-lived. In 2001 the tech bubble burst; Buybuddy suffered and shut down within three years.
Furdyk hasn't soured on entrepreneurship; indeed, he is promoting it via TakingITglobal.com, a nonprofit social networking site he launched for youngsters and educators interested in using technology to solve global problems. "Never be afraid of failure," says Furdyk. "Just learn from it. When you're young you have even less to lose."
Going With the Flow: Fraser Doherty
0216_fraser-doherty_170x170.jpgWhile his fellow mini-moguls were making a mint on the Internet, Fraser Doherty was doing things the old-fashioned way. In 2002 at the age of 14, Doherty started making jams from his grandmother's recipes in his parents' kitchen in Edinburgh, Scotland. Neighbors and church friends loved them. As word spread Doherty received orders faster than he could fill them, so he leased space at a 200-person food processing factory several days a month.
By age 16 Doherty left school to work on his jams full time. In early 2007 Waitrose, a high-end supermarket in the U.K., came knocking, and within months there were SuperJam jars on the shelves of 184 Waitrose stores. Doherty borrowed $10,000 from a bank to cover general expenses and more factory time to produce three flavors: Blueberry & Black Currant, Rhubarb & Ginger and Cranberry & Raspberry.
Spreading the Word
Last year Doherty ramped up the company's marketing efforts, printing 50 million coupons in newspapers across the U.K. He also ran a promotion in the Sun newspaper offering readers a free jar of jam. Good moves: SuperJam's revenue hit $1.2 million in 2009, flat from the prior year. Doherty's retailers now include U.K. chains Asda Wal-Mart, Morrisons and Tesco ( TESO - news - people ). This year he plans to introduce three new flavors.
Doherty remains the company's only full-time employee, although he hired three part-time staffers to hand out samples in grocery stores. Within the next four months, he hopes to produce mini jars for airlines, hotels and gift boxes. Based on a reasonable valuation multiple of one time revenue (jelly maker J.M. Smucker ( SJM - news - people ) generally trades between 1 and 1.5 times revenue), Doherty's debt-free stake is worth between $1 million and $2 million.
As for taking SuperJam up a notch, Doherty asserts that his supply chain and operations can safely scale to meet heavier demand. "We're sticking with what works," says the entrepreneur, now a seasoned 21 years old.
Friday, February 26, 2010
10 Historic Marketing Breakthroughs and their Legacy
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35548850/ns/business-success_in_hard_times/?pg=11#BIZ_BrilliantMarketing_100223
10 of the most brilliant marketing ideas
From radio to YouTube clips, these firms changed everything
As every dedicated watcher of Mad Men knows, advertising is built on the genius of ideas. Inspiration can strike from any corner (and in every flashback). And beware: Even the greatest ideas are fleeting.
But every now and then, an idea comes along that changes the game for good. Yes, the campaign generates huge, instantaneous buzz and moves plenty of product -- but it also stands the test of time, infiltrating the culture in subtle ways for decades to come.
"It doesn't happen often," says Bruce Vanden Bergh, advertising professor at Michigan State University, "because it takes a combination of the right people with the right skills, the right climate and luck."
And sometimes, it takes nothing less than a breakthrough.
Selling diamonds during the Great Depression, charging more for a spirit no one can identify blindfolded, pitching a tiny car during the era of chrome and fins--all of these campaigns made Entrepreneur's list of 10 brilliant marketing ideas. The list spans more than 70 years--from pre-TV to the YouTube era. Just don't get upset when you learn how you've been manipulated. It's the nature of the business.
In the words of Don Draper, Mad Men's tortured lead, "What you call love was invented by guys like me," he says. "To sell nylons."
1. 'A diamond is forever'
Back story: Diamond prices were sinking fast in 1938, so De Beers mining company enlisted ad agency N.W. Ayer & Son to help reverse the trend. A year later, it launched the "diamond is forever" campaign and brazenly promoted the idea that every marriage required the gift of bling. And plenty of it: It also invented the "two months' salary" spending rule.
Breakthrough: A slogan that transcends the campaign. "It created sentimental meaning for the product that resonated with people," says Michael Cody, communications professor at the University of Southern California, adding that the phrase is so entrenched that some people don't know its commercial origins.
Legacy: Tapping emotions. Think Nike's "Just Do It" and Mastercard's "Priceless."
2. Marlboro Man
Back story: Incredible as it seems, Marlboro cigarettes were marketed for decades as a premium filtered cigarette for women. That all changed in 1955, when Leo Burnett's advertising firm reinvented the smokes with the most masculine of icons: an American cowboy.
Breakthrough: Image advertising. The Marlboro Man wasn't just a hugely successful trade character, Cody says, the campaign was also the first example of "image" advertising. "No attributes of the product were mentioned, but the campaign appealed to white, male individuals who perceived a connection with ruggedness and masculinity." Whatever controversy came later, the ads made Marlboro the bestselling cigarette in the world.
Legacy: If you're ever boggled by the behavior of brand-conscious youth, know that it started here. Those Abercrombie dudes could be the Marlboro man's grandsons.
3. 'Does she ... or doesn't she?'
Back story: In 1957, Foote, Cone & Belding invented the Clairol girl, a wholesome girl next door with a shocking secret: Her hair color might be fake. A series of ads for tints and dyes posed the titillating Q&A: "Does she � or doesn't she?" ("Only her hairdresser knows for sure.")
Breakthrough: The shock ad. Advertising Age columnist Bob Garfield calls it the birth of "shockvertising," campaigns that generated buzz by tapping into the sexual revolution. Of course it worked: Ten years later, annual sales of hair coloring rose by more than $160 million.
Legacy: Sex sells (no kidding--but someone had to figure it out). "Does she" paved the way for Brooke ("Nothing comes between me and my Calvins") Shields and Pam (naked for PETA) Anderson.
4. 'Think Small'
Back story: The diminutive Volkswagen Beetle wasn't an easy sell in 1960, the era of major chrome and fins. So the Doyle Dane Bernbach agency did something unheard of at the time: It paired a copywriter with an art director to create the campaign. Volkswagen's revolutionary "Think Small" ads featured a tiny image of the car surrounded by acres of white space and a few words about "our little car."
Breakthrough: Synergy -- and risk taking. "It showed how breaking with the norm could also change culture," says Michael Belch, a marketing professor at San Diego State University. "Small became sexy." Adds former Advertising Age editor Jonah Bloom: "It's about the guts to be different and take huge risks with your message."
Legacy: Embrace the product. Honesty and risk-taking can pay off big -- just ask Avis. Its "We try harder" campaign flipped a No. 2 ranking in its favor.
5. Beauty Mist pantyhose
Back story: To sell Hanes pantyhose, the Mullen agency famously recruited Hall of Fame quarterback (and playboy) Joe Namath. The 1974 TV commercial panned up a pair of smooth, nylon-clad legs that turned out to belong to Broadway Joe: "Now, I don't wear pantyhose, but if Beauty Mist can make my legs look good, imagine what they'll do for yours." It was just a matter of time before sales of pantyhose outran sales of stockings for the first time in the U.S.
Breakthrough: Celebrity endorsement. Namath wasn't the first celeb to hawk products, but the success (and controversy) the ad created showed the power of the right celeb
Legacy: Cue the athlete endorsement. George Foreman and Salton. O.J. Simpson and Hertz. Michael Jordan and just about everything.
6. Absolut Vodka
Back story: The product was clear, flavorless and more or less indistinguishable from any of its competitors. But the agency TBWA's clever use of the bottle's shape and name made Absolut the first breakout premium vodka -- and inspired barloads of imitators. After nearly 30 years, Absolut Vodka is one of the longest-running campaigns in history, and still going strong.
Breakthrough: The absolute power of advertising. It's stunning, actually, that these ads moved millions of Americans to pay more for a product they couldn't identify in a taste test. "It's also proof," Bloom notes, "of advertising's ability to create value in a commodity marketplace."
Legacy: Sometimes it's all about the sizzle. With a campaign that's infinitely riffable, Absolut continues to innovate with the times (there's an iPhone app)
7. '1984'
Back story: Apple's "1984" was a single commercial, broadcast during that year's Super Bowl. But Chiat/Day's interpretation of George Orwell's post-apocalyptic novel was more effective than most large-scale campaigns. The concept: A roomful of drones stares at a large screen where an authority figure bleats propaganda. Suddenly, a strange woman bursts into the room, hurls a hammer at the screen and smashes it to bits. The scrolling text: "On January 24, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984."
Breakthrough: The noncommercial commercial. It introduced Apple to the world as a rebel and game-changer, an identity that lingers despite its huge presence today. "The commercial didn't explain the product or any of its benefits," Bloom says, "but instead promised a lifestyle change, freeing you from the tyranny of your operating system." It also helped make Super Bowl ad time the most expensive on television.
Legacy: A new annual short-film festival (aka commercial breaks during the Super Bowl).
8. The Coke geyser
Back story: Drop Mentos mints into a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke, step back and watch the thing blow -- physics teacher Steve Spangler's hokey demo became an Internet phenomenon in 2005, spawning an unbelievable number of page views and copycat videos. A couple of guys even re-created the Bellagio fountain with Coke/Mentos eruptions. Thing was, sales of Mentos and Coke hit the roof, too.
Breakthrough: Viral marketing. "It was unexpected and unsponsored, but it opened up everyone's eyes to the potential effect of viral videos," says San Diego State University's Belch. Indeed: Saturation media coverage at almost no cost? We'll take it.
Legacy: Is it content or advertising? Come up with something cool (or crazy) enough, and customers will look for you. See Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign, or Burger King's "Subservient Chicken."
9. 'Change we can believe in'
Back story: Barack Obama's bid for the presidency was also a lesson in groundbreaking grassroots marketing. In addition to the instantly iconic poster and slogan, there was skillful use of the web and social media, from early discussions with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to responding to negative reviews online and uploading flattering clips to YouTube.
Breakthrough: Social marketing. AdAge readers voted Obama the "2008 Marketer of the Year"--before he won the White House. "It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that the campaign underlined the advent of a new era of social marketing," Bloom says.
Legacy: Twitter, Facebook and who knows what next. Whole Foods has 1.6 million followers on Twitter. Victoria's Secret used Facebook to promote its Pink line to college students.
10. Dancing in the Tube
Back story: In January 2009, Saatchi & Saatchi launched T-Mobile's "Life's for Sharing" campaign, which included flash mobs (that is, groups who assemble briefly in public to perform some kind of action). In this case, it was a smartly choreographed dance routine in the middle of a London Tube station. The video became a YouTube phenomenon.
Breakthrough: Too early to tell. But after tens of millions of page views on YouTube, there's no doubt that commercializing flash mobs works.
Legacy: YouTube required. But talk about knockoffs: Trident gum's flash mob did Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance in the middle of Piccadilly Square.
10 of the most brilliant marketing ideas
From radio to YouTube clips, these firms changed everything
As every dedicated watcher of Mad Men knows, advertising is built on the genius of ideas. Inspiration can strike from any corner (and in every flashback). And beware: Even the greatest ideas are fleeting.
But every now and then, an idea comes along that changes the game for good. Yes, the campaign generates huge, instantaneous buzz and moves plenty of product -- but it also stands the test of time, infiltrating the culture in subtle ways for decades to come.
"It doesn't happen often," says Bruce Vanden Bergh, advertising professor at Michigan State University, "because it takes a combination of the right people with the right skills, the right climate and luck."
And sometimes, it takes nothing less than a breakthrough.
Selling diamonds during the Great Depression, charging more for a spirit no one can identify blindfolded, pitching a tiny car during the era of chrome and fins--all of these campaigns made Entrepreneur's list of 10 brilliant marketing ideas. The list spans more than 70 years--from pre-TV to the YouTube era. Just don't get upset when you learn how you've been manipulated. It's the nature of the business.
In the words of Don Draper, Mad Men's tortured lead, "What you call love was invented by guys like me," he says. "To sell nylons."
1. 'A diamond is forever'
Back story: Diamond prices were sinking fast in 1938, so De Beers mining company enlisted ad agency N.W. Ayer & Son to help reverse the trend. A year later, it launched the "diamond is forever" campaign and brazenly promoted the idea that every marriage required the gift of bling. And plenty of it: It also invented the "two months' salary" spending rule.
Breakthrough: A slogan that transcends the campaign. "It created sentimental meaning for the product that resonated with people," says Michael Cody, communications professor at the University of Southern California, adding that the phrase is so entrenched that some people don't know its commercial origins.
Legacy: Tapping emotions. Think Nike's "Just Do It" and Mastercard's "Priceless."
2. Marlboro Man
Back story: Incredible as it seems, Marlboro cigarettes were marketed for decades as a premium filtered cigarette for women. That all changed in 1955, when Leo Burnett's advertising firm reinvented the smokes with the most masculine of icons: an American cowboy.
Breakthrough: Image advertising. The Marlboro Man wasn't just a hugely successful trade character, Cody says, the campaign was also the first example of "image" advertising. "No attributes of the product were mentioned, but the campaign appealed to white, male individuals who perceived a connection with ruggedness and masculinity." Whatever controversy came later, the ads made Marlboro the bestselling cigarette in the world.
Legacy: If you're ever boggled by the behavior of brand-conscious youth, know that it started here. Those Abercrombie dudes could be the Marlboro man's grandsons.
3. 'Does she ... or doesn't she?'
Back story: In 1957, Foote, Cone & Belding invented the Clairol girl, a wholesome girl next door with a shocking secret: Her hair color might be fake. A series of ads for tints and dyes posed the titillating Q&A: "Does she � or doesn't she?" ("Only her hairdresser knows for sure.")
Breakthrough: The shock ad. Advertising Age columnist Bob Garfield calls it the birth of "shockvertising," campaigns that generated buzz by tapping into the sexual revolution. Of course it worked: Ten years later, annual sales of hair coloring rose by more than $160 million.
Legacy: Sex sells (no kidding--but someone had to figure it out). "Does she" paved the way for Brooke ("Nothing comes between me and my Calvins") Shields and Pam (naked for PETA) Anderson.
4. 'Think Small'
Back story: The diminutive Volkswagen Beetle wasn't an easy sell in 1960, the era of major chrome and fins. So the Doyle Dane Bernbach agency did something unheard of at the time: It paired a copywriter with an art director to create the campaign. Volkswagen's revolutionary "Think Small" ads featured a tiny image of the car surrounded by acres of white space and a few words about "our little car."
Breakthrough: Synergy -- and risk taking. "It showed how breaking with the norm could also change culture," says Michael Belch, a marketing professor at San Diego State University. "Small became sexy." Adds former Advertising Age editor Jonah Bloom: "It's about the guts to be different and take huge risks with your message."
Legacy: Embrace the product. Honesty and risk-taking can pay off big -- just ask Avis. Its "We try harder" campaign flipped a No. 2 ranking in its favor.
5. Beauty Mist pantyhose
Back story: To sell Hanes pantyhose, the Mullen agency famously recruited Hall of Fame quarterback (and playboy) Joe Namath. The 1974 TV commercial panned up a pair of smooth, nylon-clad legs that turned out to belong to Broadway Joe: "Now, I don't wear pantyhose, but if Beauty Mist can make my legs look good, imagine what they'll do for yours." It was just a matter of time before sales of pantyhose outran sales of stockings for the first time in the U.S.
Breakthrough: Celebrity endorsement. Namath wasn't the first celeb to hawk products, but the success (and controversy) the ad created showed the power of the right celeb
Legacy: Cue the athlete endorsement. George Foreman and Salton. O.J. Simpson and Hertz. Michael Jordan and just about everything.
6. Absolut Vodka
Back story: The product was clear, flavorless and more or less indistinguishable from any of its competitors. But the agency TBWA's clever use of the bottle's shape and name made Absolut the first breakout premium vodka -- and inspired barloads of imitators. After nearly 30 years, Absolut Vodka is one of the longest-running campaigns in history, and still going strong.
Breakthrough: The absolute power of advertising. It's stunning, actually, that these ads moved millions of Americans to pay more for a product they couldn't identify in a taste test. "It's also proof," Bloom notes, "of advertising's ability to create value in a commodity marketplace."
Legacy: Sometimes it's all about the sizzle. With a campaign that's infinitely riffable, Absolut continues to innovate with the times (there's an iPhone app)
7. '1984'
Back story: Apple's "1984" was a single commercial, broadcast during that year's Super Bowl. But Chiat/Day's interpretation of George Orwell's post-apocalyptic novel was more effective than most large-scale campaigns. The concept: A roomful of drones stares at a large screen where an authority figure bleats propaganda. Suddenly, a strange woman bursts into the room, hurls a hammer at the screen and smashes it to bits. The scrolling text: "On January 24, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984."
Breakthrough: The noncommercial commercial. It introduced Apple to the world as a rebel and game-changer, an identity that lingers despite its huge presence today. "The commercial didn't explain the product or any of its benefits," Bloom says, "but instead promised a lifestyle change, freeing you from the tyranny of your operating system." It also helped make Super Bowl ad time the most expensive on television.
Legacy: A new annual short-film festival (aka commercial breaks during the Super Bowl).
8. The Coke geyser
Back story: Drop Mentos mints into a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke, step back and watch the thing blow -- physics teacher Steve Spangler's hokey demo became an Internet phenomenon in 2005, spawning an unbelievable number of page views and copycat videos. A couple of guys even re-created the Bellagio fountain with Coke/Mentos eruptions. Thing was, sales of Mentos and Coke hit the roof, too.
Breakthrough: Viral marketing. "It was unexpected and unsponsored, but it opened up everyone's eyes to the potential effect of viral videos," says San Diego State University's Belch. Indeed: Saturation media coverage at almost no cost? We'll take it.
Legacy: Is it content or advertising? Come up with something cool (or crazy) enough, and customers will look for you. See Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign, or Burger King's "Subservient Chicken."
9. 'Change we can believe in'
Back story: Barack Obama's bid for the presidency was also a lesson in groundbreaking grassroots marketing. In addition to the instantly iconic poster and slogan, there was skillful use of the web and social media, from early discussions with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to responding to negative reviews online and uploading flattering clips to YouTube.
Breakthrough: Social marketing. AdAge readers voted Obama the "2008 Marketer of the Year"--before he won the White House. "It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that the campaign underlined the advent of a new era of social marketing," Bloom says.
Legacy: Twitter, Facebook and who knows what next. Whole Foods has 1.6 million followers on Twitter. Victoria's Secret used Facebook to promote its Pink line to college students.
10. Dancing in the Tube
Back story: In January 2009, Saatchi & Saatchi launched T-Mobile's "Life's for Sharing" campaign, which included flash mobs (that is, groups who assemble briefly in public to perform some kind of action). In this case, it was a smartly choreographed dance routine in the middle of a London Tube station. The video became a YouTube phenomenon.
Breakthrough: Too early to tell. But after tens of millions of page views on YouTube, there's no doubt that commercializing flash mobs works.
Legacy: YouTube required. But talk about knockoffs: Trident gum's flash mob did Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance in the middle of Piccadilly Square.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Being Your Own PR Agent
Being Your Own PR Agent
Visibility is critical to any brand or company. But building your buzz doesn’t have to cost you. It starts with developing a public relations plan.
“A PR plan is your road map to where you’re going,” asserts Jennifer Fortney, President of Chicago-based Cascade Communications. “You wouldn’t take a cross-country trip without a map, so why would you not plan out your marketing efforts? Moreover, a well-thought out plan can help you see the PR opportunities for your business and set deadlines to get those stories out in time to make media deadlines.”
In terms of moving the needle regarding awareness of your company and brand, and building a good PR plan foundation, Fortney outlines a range of sound tactics:
* Use social media—Facebook, Twitter and other social media collectively represent a quick way to increase awareness for your business. Although it does take some time to develop social media, it’s free and gives you the chance to interact with media, and potential partners, in a way never available before. “The key is being interactive and providing good content,” Fortney adds. It can’t be all about you. It’s called ‘social’ media for a reason. I always say it’s like being at a party filled with people you want to meet.”
* Be the expert you are—“One of the most important things you can do for business success is to differentiate yourself from competitors,” says Fortney. “Once you’ve defined that key difference (and benefit to your customers), make yourself an expert. Media are always looking for fresh expert sources for stories. You aren’t always going to get a full-page feature on your business so you might as well be quoted as an expert in a trend piece. This is especially true with national media.”
* Utilize media networks—There are resources that specifically help get your message to the media. For example, Help a Reporter Out is a service that provides emails with direct queries from media members seeking sources, ideas and products. MyStorySource.com is a free service that compiles up to 30 story pitches daily from small businesses and nonprofits into one email for media representatives. Others include Reporter’s Source and PitchRate. All of these are free to join and use.
* Become a local news source—Local media are local for a reason. They want interesting stories and ideas on local businesses. If it doesn’t have a local angle, they aren’t interested. “Don’t be afraid to tell the story of you behind the business—what made you start the business, the story,” she notes. “Media and the public love human interest stories.”
* Craft solid press releases and send them out at intelligent intervals—Among the key problems business owners have with do-it-yourself PR is that they don’t know what their story is or how to tell it. Or they may think they have a story in their mind but it won’t be of interest to media, who produce stories based on reader interest. “It can be tough to learn to think like a reporter, but that’s exactly what you have to do to create a compelling and interesting news story,” adds Fortney. “It can be worth it to find PR pros that specialize in small business to help write your press release.” The amount of press releases you send out should be relative to the number of events, promotions, compelling stories you have to tell. If you don’t have news, don’t send a press release out. It’s sort of like crying wolf. One day you will have an incredible story, but media may be turned off and not open your email. Fortney calls this “the Bowl of Spaghetti Theory.” “Take a bowl of spaghetti—press releases—throw it up on the wall and see what sticks. PR is about news. It’s about great and interesting stories and it’s very proactive. At the end of the day, success comes from follow up with media.”
* Work with the media—Respect their deadlines and ensure that they cover your type of business or story. Also, Fortney warns, don’t send large file attachments in email, as it bogs down inboxes. And if a reporter calls you, get back to them ASAP.
“The reason PR works is because of the credible third-party endorsement it offers,” she points out. “Imagine you pick up the paper and read your favorite columnist and one day he/she mentions a product or company. You’re almost 10 times more likely to seek out that product/service because a perceived reliable source has given you the information. Much like you’d ask a trusted friend or family member to refer a doctor. Because of this, PR tends to be seen as less intrusive then advertising. Just bear in mind that your PR must be strategic; you need to understand where PR fits in with other marketing tactics and build a plan that supports each tactic with the next.”
Visibility is critical to any brand or company. But building your buzz doesn’t have to cost you. It starts with developing a public relations plan.
“A PR plan is your road map to where you’re going,” asserts Jennifer Fortney, President of Chicago-based Cascade Communications. “You wouldn’t take a cross-country trip without a map, so why would you not plan out your marketing efforts? Moreover, a well-thought out plan can help you see the PR opportunities for your business and set deadlines to get those stories out in time to make media deadlines.”
In terms of moving the needle regarding awareness of your company and brand, and building a good PR plan foundation, Fortney outlines a range of sound tactics:
* Use social media—Facebook, Twitter and other social media collectively represent a quick way to increase awareness for your business. Although it does take some time to develop social media, it’s free and gives you the chance to interact with media, and potential partners, in a way never available before. “The key is being interactive and providing good content,” Fortney adds. It can’t be all about you. It’s called ‘social’ media for a reason. I always say it’s like being at a party filled with people you want to meet.”
* Be the expert you are—“One of the most important things you can do for business success is to differentiate yourself from competitors,” says Fortney. “Once you’ve defined that key difference (and benefit to your customers), make yourself an expert. Media are always looking for fresh expert sources for stories. You aren’t always going to get a full-page feature on your business so you might as well be quoted as an expert in a trend piece. This is especially true with national media.”
* Utilize media networks—There are resources that specifically help get your message to the media. For example, Help a Reporter Out is a service that provides emails with direct queries from media members seeking sources, ideas and products. MyStorySource.com is a free service that compiles up to 30 story pitches daily from small businesses and nonprofits into one email for media representatives. Others include Reporter’s Source and PitchRate. All of these are free to join and use.
* Become a local news source—Local media are local for a reason. They want interesting stories and ideas on local businesses. If it doesn’t have a local angle, they aren’t interested. “Don’t be afraid to tell the story of you behind the business—what made you start the business, the story,” she notes. “Media and the public love human interest stories.”
* Craft solid press releases and send them out at intelligent intervals—Among the key problems business owners have with do-it-yourself PR is that they don’t know what their story is or how to tell it. Or they may think they have a story in their mind but it won’t be of interest to media, who produce stories based on reader interest. “It can be tough to learn to think like a reporter, but that’s exactly what you have to do to create a compelling and interesting news story,” adds Fortney. “It can be worth it to find PR pros that specialize in small business to help write your press release.” The amount of press releases you send out should be relative to the number of events, promotions, compelling stories you have to tell. If you don’t have news, don’t send a press release out. It’s sort of like crying wolf. One day you will have an incredible story, but media may be turned off and not open your email. Fortney calls this “the Bowl of Spaghetti Theory.” “Take a bowl of spaghetti—press releases—throw it up on the wall and see what sticks. PR is about news. It’s about great and interesting stories and it’s very proactive. At the end of the day, success comes from follow up with media.”
* Work with the media—Respect their deadlines and ensure that they cover your type of business or story. Also, Fortney warns, don’t send large file attachments in email, as it bogs down inboxes. And if a reporter calls you, get back to them ASAP.
“The reason PR works is because of the credible third-party endorsement it offers,” she points out. “Imagine you pick up the paper and read your favorite columnist and one day he/she mentions a product or company. You’re almost 10 times more likely to seek out that product/service because a perceived reliable source has given you the information. Much like you’d ask a trusted friend or family member to refer a doctor. Because of this, PR tends to be seen as less intrusive then advertising. Just bear in mind that your PR must be strategic; you need to understand where PR fits in with other marketing tactics and build a plan that supports each tactic with the next.”
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Leadership
When The Boss Is A Complete Jackass
Shaun Rein, 12.22.09, 02:28 PM EST
How not to put up with it.
More from Shaun Rein
Judging from the reader response to my recent article "Why Men Don't Promote Women More," far too many people have bosses who are jackasses. You know the type. They don't recognize and reward hard work. They rant late into the night. They send messages to your BlackBerry on weekends. They constantly set impossible deadlines. They torpedo confidence. And for the most part they are incorrigible.
Jackass bosses can be the worst people in our lives. After all, we may well spend more waking hours with them and our co-workers than at home. They exist in every organization, big or small, in every part of the world. Only the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries can love them--anti-anxiety prescriptions and anti-baggy-eye cream sales would plummet without them.
Most people try to work harder to please their jackass bosses, but that rarely succeeds. Have you ever seen a jackass boss change into a reasonable, competent manager, without going through a heart attack or some other life-changing crisis?
Under them your career gets derailed, unless you take control of your destiny. And the stress spills over into your personal life, poisons your marriage and turns your children into budding Britney Spearses and Lindsay Lohans. Once that starts to happen, you need to do something fast. Not even a Goldman Sachs ( GS - news - people) bonus is worth such a price.
Here are two tips for dealing with jackass bosses (and see also my article "Get Rid Of Jackass Clients"):
First, figure out if your boss really is a certifiable, irredeemable jackass or just an incompetent one who can be saved. A large part of getting ahead is managing your boss. A true jackass boss won't change, but many bosses who act like jackasses really are not. You can help reform the latter type.
Many incompetent bosses are so scared of failing that they don't take a step back to recognize how their own behavior hurts the people around them. They micromanage. They yell at you out of frustration at themselves and out of sheer fear. Confronting them directly doesn't work; they get threatened and lash out. They head toward becoming genuine jackass bosses.
If your boss is edging toward the dark side, one strategy is to get your human resources department to e-mail your entire office links to columns like this one. Leave a copy of a must-have book like Robert Sutton's The No Asshole Rule or Will Bowen's A Complaint Free World anonymously on the boss's desk. Persuade human resources to organize a team-building exercise. If your boss isn't a full-fledged jackass, he or she might recognize the need to change.
You have to be careful with this strategy, however. A true jackass boss won't take it well and will know that someone is opposing him. He may become even more vindictive and turn against you in particular. In that case, be wary of going on the ropes course with him.
Second, make sure you continually network outside your company. No matter what you do or how hard you try, it is virtually impossible to get a jackass boss to like your work. Even if you get along with a perfectly decent boss and are valued by your company, you should constantly network. Good bosses get fired or promoted and replaced by jackasses all the time.
Too often executives, especially in big multinationals, forget that there are other companies out there. They spend all their time politicking internally, trying to get ahead. That can be dangerous, especially in this season of mass layoffs. Very often those executives get let go and find they have no ties on the outside. Once cut off from the pride, they get lost and confused and roam aimlessly.
The key to networking is to start when you don't need anything. If you're looking for something specific, it becomes obvious, and your efforts are unlikely to work very well.
Going to industry conferences and using social media sites like LinkedIn are great for keeping in touch, but the best way to network, especially for younger people, is through your school's alumni network. Your fellow alums are more likely to help you out than someone you meet at a conference. Most conference attendees are looking for a job, to sell something, or, especially, for an excuse to get out of the office. Why else would so many conferences be held in Las Vegas and Hawaii?
Your best networking might be through your university or graduate school alumni association. Or it might be through your high school. Wherever it is, make sure you keep in touch. For me, it was my boarding school, St. Paul's School. For years, even after I started working, I made it a rule to contact at least 10 alums every week for informational interviews. I asked for advice on how they had achieved success and what they wished they had done differently. I never asked them for anything but information. Those discussions taught me invaluable lessons about trends in the business world and how to develop my own career.
Every year I send long, personal thank-you notes to my mentors. I update them on how I'm doing. One recently introduced me to former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Another helped me land my biggest client ever, another a prestigious speaking engagement. Most of all, they have provided great advice. Sometimes you need to hear perspectives from outside your own company.
And, by the way, make sure you pay this advice back to young ones who come up the corporate ladder behind you. Give them a helping hand. What comes around goes around. When job-hunting or looking to get out from under a jackass boss, remember that the best jobs are almost never posted on online sites like Monster.com or Dice.com. Most are found through trusted personal connections.
People who think bosses automatically execute the management expert Peter Drucker's tenets for leadership--always respect the worker, always think before acting, and so on--are living in a fantasy land. Most managers don't know how to manage, and people working under them need to help them make better decisions or, if that won't work, need to look for opportunities elsewhere. You must not let a jackass boss derail your career. Working for a jackass is hell.
Shaun Rein is the founder and managing director of the China Market Research Group, a strategic market intelligence firm. He writes for Forbes on leadership, marketing and China. Follow him on Twitter at @shaunrein.
When The Boss Is A Complete Jackass
Shaun Rein, 12.22.09, 02:28 PM EST
How not to put up with it.
More from Shaun Rein
Judging from the reader response to my recent article "Why Men Don't Promote Women More," far too many people have bosses who are jackasses. You know the type. They don't recognize and reward hard work. They rant late into the night. They send messages to your BlackBerry on weekends. They constantly set impossible deadlines. They torpedo confidence. And for the most part they are incorrigible.
Jackass bosses can be the worst people in our lives. After all, we may well spend more waking hours with them and our co-workers than at home. They exist in every organization, big or small, in every part of the world. Only the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries can love them--anti-anxiety prescriptions and anti-baggy-eye cream sales would plummet without them.
Most people try to work harder to please their jackass bosses, but that rarely succeeds. Have you ever seen a jackass boss change into a reasonable, competent manager, without going through a heart attack or some other life-changing crisis?
Under them your career gets derailed, unless you take control of your destiny. And the stress spills over into your personal life, poisons your marriage and turns your children into budding Britney Spearses and Lindsay Lohans. Once that starts to happen, you need to do something fast. Not even a Goldman Sachs ( GS - news - people) bonus is worth such a price.
Here are two tips for dealing with jackass bosses (and see also my article "Get Rid Of Jackass Clients"):
First, figure out if your boss really is a certifiable, irredeemable jackass or just an incompetent one who can be saved. A large part of getting ahead is managing your boss. A true jackass boss won't change, but many bosses who act like jackasses really are not. You can help reform the latter type.
Many incompetent bosses are so scared of failing that they don't take a step back to recognize how their own behavior hurts the people around them. They micromanage. They yell at you out of frustration at themselves and out of sheer fear. Confronting them directly doesn't work; they get threatened and lash out. They head toward becoming genuine jackass bosses.
If your boss is edging toward the dark side, one strategy is to get your human resources department to e-mail your entire office links to columns like this one. Leave a copy of a must-have book like Robert Sutton's The No Asshole Rule or Will Bowen's A Complaint Free World anonymously on the boss's desk. Persuade human resources to organize a team-building exercise. If your boss isn't a full-fledged jackass, he or she might recognize the need to change.
You have to be careful with this strategy, however. A true jackass boss won't take it well and will know that someone is opposing him. He may become even more vindictive and turn against you in particular. In that case, be wary of going on the ropes course with him.
Second, make sure you continually network outside your company. No matter what you do or how hard you try, it is virtually impossible to get a jackass boss to like your work. Even if you get along with a perfectly decent boss and are valued by your company, you should constantly network. Good bosses get fired or promoted and replaced by jackasses all the time.
Too often executives, especially in big multinationals, forget that there are other companies out there. They spend all their time politicking internally, trying to get ahead. That can be dangerous, especially in this season of mass layoffs. Very often those executives get let go and find they have no ties on the outside. Once cut off from the pride, they get lost and confused and roam aimlessly.
The key to networking is to start when you don't need anything. If you're looking for something specific, it becomes obvious, and your efforts are unlikely to work very well.
Going to industry conferences and using social media sites like LinkedIn are great for keeping in touch, but the best way to network, especially for younger people, is through your school's alumni network. Your fellow alums are more likely to help you out than someone you meet at a conference. Most conference attendees are looking for a job, to sell something, or, especially, for an excuse to get out of the office. Why else would so many conferences be held in Las Vegas and Hawaii?
Your best networking might be through your university or graduate school alumni association. Or it might be through your high school. Wherever it is, make sure you keep in touch. For me, it was my boarding school, St. Paul's School. For years, even after I started working, I made it a rule to contact at least 10 alums every week for informational interviews. I asked for advice on how they had achieved success and what they wished they had done differently. I never asked them for anything but information. Those discussions taught me invaluable lessons about trends in the business world and how to develop my own career.
Every year I send long, personal thank-you notes to my mentors. I update them on how I'm doing. One recently introduced me to former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Another helped me land my biggest client ever, another a prestigious speaking engagement. Most of all, they have provided great advice. Sometimes you need to hear perspectives from outside your own company.
And, by the way, make sure you pay this advice back to young ones who come up the corporate ladder behind you. Give them a helping hand. What comes around goes around. When job-hunting or looking to get out from under a jackass boss, remember that the best jobs are almost never posted on online sites like Monster.com or Dice.com. Most are found through trusted personal connections.
People who think bosses automatically execute the management expert Peter Drucker's tenets for leadership--always respect the worker, always think before acting, and so on--are living in a fantasy land. Most managers don't know how to manage, and people working under them need to help them make better decisions or, if that won't work, need to look for opportunities elsewhere. You must not let a jackass boss derail your career. Working for a jackass is hell.
Shaun Rein is the founder and managing director of the China Market Research Group, a strategic market intelligence firm. He writes for Forbes on leadership, marketing and China. Follow him on Twitter at @shaunrein.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Marketing Highlights
Make 'Em Laugh
"Most marketing campaigns fall down because they're specifically designed to sell products and generate leads," says David Meerman Scott, viral-marketing strategist and author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR. A better plan, he says, is to back off the sell and amp up the entertainment.
Be a Guru: Part I
Whether you sell real estate or fix teeth, you know a whole lot more about your business than your customers do. Attract attention by sharing that expertise.
Stick to a Shtick
Some brands are so dialed in to a customer base--its history, interests and aspirations--that the marketing effort smacks more of a celebration.
Connect With Customers by Making Them Stars
This is a less costly twist on MicroBilt's make-a-video strategy, with a dash of social-networking spice thrown in. Talented or not, people want to share their art, stories, even their hopes and dreams. Give them an outlet in exchange for sampling your product or service.
Connect With Customers by Making Them Stars
This is a less costly twist on MicroBilt's make-a-video strategy, with a dash of social-networking spice thrown in. Talented or not, people want to share their art, stories, even their hopes and dreams. Give them an outlet in exchange for sampling your product or service.
Tweet (No, really, we mean it.)
By now you've heard about Twitter--that curious, strangely addictive social-networking technology that facilitates the exchange of torrents of severely truncated messages (140 characters max) among millions of users. You may have read that it's a waste of time--and in many respects, that's true. What's also true is that Twitter can be a powerful marketing tool. Here are 21 compelling ways to use it.
Work the Press
Mentions in the news media offer what traditional marketing and advertising can't: exposure with implied credibility. While PR is nothing new, plenty of companies (and PR agencies) still don't get it.
Be a Guru: Part II
Disseminating data and white papers is nice, but ultimately connecting with customers is what counts.
Get on the Menu
If you can, let others do your marketing for you.
Host a Virtual Trade Show
Traditional trade shows are a convention-center-sized hassle--and they cost a lot to boot. Add up booth rental and presentation time-slot fees, advertising, promotional doodads and travel expenses (never mind the lost time away from the office), and a company's tab can rocket up to $100,000 per show. Hence the rise of virtual trade shows, designed to look and function like the real thing but that play out in real time in cyberspace. Entry fee: just $3,000 to $8,000. Better yet, you don't need to be a computer wizard to participate. Here are nine steps for getting the most out of them.
Meet the Neighbors
The rise of online networks plugged into specific local communities is a huge marketing opportunity for small businesses.
Build a Board to Buff Your Rep
Small businesses are short on a lot of things, credibility included. The higher your profile, the more clout you'll have with suppliers, partners and customers. A board of advisers can help.
Light up Their Inboxes
E-mail marketing has been around for years, but the tricky part remains getting people to open the messages in the first place.
Bake It in
Marketing shouldn't be an afterthought--it should be an integral part of the business concept and execution strategy.
Barter for Exposure
By now, everyone knows that the more people who link to a Web site, the higher it appears in Google's search results. That's where all those trigger-happy bloggers come in.
Cozy up to Celebrities
Think celebrity sponsorship is the solely province of companies with huge marketing budgets? Think again.
Wipe Off the Lens
If all else fails, take another hard look at the market and its willingness to pay for your product or service. Cost: Market surveys can cost up to $10,000, but there are some cheaper online options. Zoomerang charges $600 for a year subscription to its surveys service; Survey Monkey offers subscriptions starting at around $20 per month or $200 a year. Focus groups? Perhaps $100 for food and drinks.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Fool article October 2009: Power of Influence
The Power of Influence
A Southern comedian of the 1960s, Brother Dave Gardner (not Tom's brother, David Gardner!), said that you can have a great product and the public might beat a path to your door -- but advertising helps. And advertising is marketing.
A company can produce a good product, but if it doesn't market it well, the product could be a flop. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), for example, along with Coca Cola (NYSE: KO) and Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL), are smart marketers.
Robert Cialdini, who recently visited Fool HQ, says we need to get real when it comes to how we're marketing our products -- and part of getting real is admitting weaknesses upfront.
Cialdini was the regents' professor of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University, founder and president of consulting firm Influence at Work, and author of the book Influence. His latest book is Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive.
In his well-known book Influence -- a book about influence and marketing -- Cialdini lays out six principles of influence as they pertain to the psychology of marketing:
- Reciprocation
- Commitment and consistency
- Social proof
- Authority
- Liking
- Scarcity
During Cialdini's visit to The Fool, we delved into the principle of authority -- the notion that we defer to people with authority. Someone who has expertise -- credentials, background, or experience -- that one can use to take shortcuts to make an informed decision.
But it turns out that expertise alone doesn't define the "optimal authority," according to Cialdini. The optimal authority is defined not only by expertise and knowledge, but also by trustworthiness. "It's very important to try to establish both of those components in the eyes and minds of an audience before we try to be influential," he said. "If those two things are present in the way someone registers us, we have become the single most powerful authority, or communicator that social sciences has ever uncovered."
Establishing trust
Cialdini points out the obvious: that the first is easier than the second. You can represent your background credentials, experience, and years on the job fairly quickly. Establishing trust can take a period of time traditionally. But what if you don't have weeks, months, or longer? Is there anything you can do to produce instant trust? Cialdini says there is.
The secret is to produce your weakness before your strength. The concept was developed by the advertising community, which has to introduce new products or services to markets that have no history with those products and services.
The most savvy of them will mention a weakness in their case before they present the strongest argument in favor of their case. As counterintuitive as it might sound, Cialdini says it establishes them immediately as being credible and trustworthy. "There's no special reason for people to believe our most positive claims unless we've demonstrated our trustworthiness," he said. "So the place the moment of power actually exists most propitiously for us is in the moment after we mention a small drawback or a weakness."
Cialdini points to Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-A) letter to the shareholders as an example. He notes that in the letters, Warren Buffett first describes something that went wrong, but then follows that with the things that went well.
The power of 'but ...'
According to Cialdini, the word "but" says to recipients in all human languages to take the information they just received, put it away and focus your attention on the next thing I'm about to say. "This is why we want our weaknesses before the word 'but' and our strengths after," he said. "The weakness has to go first, otherwise you don't get the proper focus on the strength."
The top marketing campaigns of all time employed this strategy. He points to Volkswagen as an example. Each ad began with the same statement "We're ugly, but ..." Then they talked about gas economy, reliability, and availability of parts through a network they had set up. Other examples, according to Cialdini, include, Avis' "Avis, we're No. 2, but we try harder;" and Loreal's "We're expensive, but you're worth it."
Madoff's use of Cialdini's principles
Oddly enough, Cialdini's six principles can be applied to Bernard Madoff's $50 billion Ponzi scheme.
Madoff used several of Cialdini's principles, but for evil instead of good. He used the authority principle because he established himself as an expert in the area of investing. Madoff presented himself as trustworthy through serving as chairman of the Nasdaq stock exchange.
He also used the principle of social proof, that people want to follow the lead of those around them like them. As Cialdini points out, the recruiting always took place among individuals in their own network groups where people knew one another and let the message come from their colleagues instead of from somebody who is trying to sell a product or service. Finally, Madoff used scarcity, says Cialdini, noting that there were limited availabilities to gain access to investing with Madoff, which made those opportunities seem more valuable and exclusive.
Cialdini says there are two lessons can be learned from the Bernie Madoff saga. One is the power of these rules. The second is that if you used them the way Bernie Madoff did -- dishonestly -- the whole thing crashes down. "It's not sustainable if used that way," he said.
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