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I was flipping through my April 2007 Bon Appétit (the one with the yummy lemon meringue ice cream pie in toasted pecan crust on the front cover), and noticed that several of the ads didn't include the companies' URLs. One was an upscale line of cookware, and the other ads were for food products. I was really surprised that a couple of Kraft ads, one for their new Grate-It-Fresh product and two Philly cream cheese ads (the first featuring a cheesecake recipe and the second a salsa dip) didn't include a Web address. What a perfect spot to include a link to more recipes or a coupon! (Although, oddly enough, the Canadian version of the same Kraft Philly cream cheese ad that appeared in Canadian Living Magazine included the kraftcanada.com/cheesecake address…)
As I started to go through other magazines, I noticed the same thing. It seemed inconceivable that in 2007, that this oversight would be missed.
Then, and bear with me for a little bit, earlier this week JWT International announced that it had launched JWT BOOM: Boomers & Beyond, an integrated agency that specializes in reaching consumers in the 40+ age. The agency’s former Mature Marketing Group becomes part of the new group, as well.
[As a tangent rant, the new JWT BOOM site seems quickly cobbled together… nice writing on the homepage, but the sidebar contains only PDFs and links to the Beyond The Numbers Summit in Las Vegas. As the oldest and largest advertising agency in the U.S. and the 4th largest in the world, you'd think the Web design folks at JWT could get it together for the big launch.]
Anyhoo, all my grumbling aside, the reason I am bringing this up is that to coincide with the launch JWT BOOM and strategic partner ThirdAge.com conducted an online survey with over 1,210 adults 40+ years of age designed to help marketers understand the current interests, preferences and habits of Boomers and their use of online media. There are lots of interesting results in the press release, but what caught my eye was this:
- 79% would respond to promotional e-mails about products and services
- 92% have read about a Web site in a print article (magazine, newspaper) and then visited online
- 89% have seen a print ad and later visited the online site
- 83% have seen a Web site advertised on television and later visited it online
- 65% will visit a Web site address after hearing it on a radio commercial
Now, remember those absent Web site addresses I was babbling about earlier? Think about those statistics and then consider this:
In the US boomers earn $3.7 trillion each year and spend over $2 trillion. Their median household income is approximately $64,167, and median net worth is $107,000.
Wow. This is a huge online opportunity that marketers - large corps & organizations as well as SMEs - cannot afford to overlook.
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It's true. That world-famous search engine algorithmist Kevin Federline has launched his own search engine last week. Search With Kevin allows people to search the Web, images, news and shopping with a chance to win prizes like an autographed 8 X 10 glossy, a K-Fed t-shirt or autographed CD.
Obviously Google isn't doing a good enough job for K-Fed... So in a move that makes no sense at all, Federline has inked a deal with Prodégé, a company in Redondo Beach, California, that creates private label search sites for "celebrities" such as Meatloaf (Yes, Virginia, there is a Search With Meatloaf site), Andrew Dice Clay and Wynonna.
The world of search engines just got a little weirder.
The other day I was talking to a colleague who was waxing poetic over MOO.com, a groovy online tool that allows users to create affordable mini-cards using their images from Flickr, or avatar from SecondLife, etc. It's easy to use, and --coolio plus!!-- every calling card can have a different image! What's not to like?
However, my friend didn't just rave about MOO's cards, she was ecstatic about the confirmation letter she received from them. Nope, your eyes are not deceiving you - the confirmation letter.
It's very rare that anyone even comments on an automated confirmation, let alone is over-the-moon about one. I asked her to send it to me and here it is:
I'm Little MOO - the bit of software that will be managing your order with us. It will shortly be sent to Big MOO, our print machine who will print it for you in the next few days. I'll let you know when it's done and on its way to you.
In the meantime you can track and manage your order at: http://www.moo.com/account
Remember, I'm just a bit of software. So, if you have any questions regarding your order please contact customer services (who are real people) at: http://www.moo.com/serviceThanks,
Little MOO, Print Robot
MOO "We love to print"
Of course it was personalized to include her name in the opening salutation as well as including the order number and shipping details, but the elements that really crank this confirmation letter up to 11 are:
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It's got personality, a very subtle sense of humour that is reflected throughout the MOO brand.
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It's honest, short and to the point.
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It explains the process simply and effectively - letting you know that "Big MOO" will be doing the printing, and "Little MOO" will contact you again when the cards are on their way.
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It's informative and lets you know how track your order or how to get in touch with a customer service agent.
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It includes the company name and tagline.
Other companies should take some tips from Little MOO's letter. Does your order confirmation letter make someone's day a little cheerier?
Have you received a fabulous automated letter lately - or an absolutely abysmal one? Send them to me!!
I have to say a hearty thank you to one of my clients, Karen from Curiosity Inc., for recommending that I read Bruce Nussbaum of Business Week. He writes about design, design thinking and design-driven strategy.
This is an utterly refreshing article, with the provocative title Are Designers The Enemy?
Listen to this:
We design stories with our audience. As John Battelle said recently, the conversation now is the content. It’s not about the finished story but about the ongoing story. It’s the conversation. And since most conversations don’t have a conclusion, they are ongoing. We live a life in beta.
What a divine little piece of writing. For me, and what I do, the ability to connect with my clients' audience through the power of story is imperative. Far more compelling than just relaying information, facts and the odd clever marketing phrase, stories have a life of their own that continue on after the telling.
The Dove campaign is a terrific example of storytelling; they've successfully framed stories around women's feelings and concerns about beauty. The product hasn't changed from what it was a few years back. But the story sure has.
So, how can you incorporate story into your company? Not only through media releases, sales collaterals, blogs and Web site, but as the backbone of your company - its beliefs and goals. Internal and external marketing needs to be collaborative - a message we can believe in, share in something we can get behind and support.
Be sure to read Nussbaum's follow-up article as well.
Thanks to Tim Nudd from adfreak for this...(who in turn thanked Silent7Seven) The comments are, as to be expected, worth the read.
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In the immortal words of the Spice Girls: "So, tell me what you want, what you really, really want..."
Yesterday Marketing Sherpa took them up on that and released some of the results from a February 2007 survey on content development and targeting. The survey comprised 3,979 responses collected from end users (3,257) and marketers (722). (The article, entitled New Research Data: What Content Do B-to-B Customers, Prospects Want to Read?, has open access for 7 days only.) For any B2B marketers, it is a must read. Mark the week of March 19th on your calendars, as that is when the full results from the survey will be released and available as a free download at KnowledgeStorm’s Web site.
Matt Lohman, Director, Business Development, KnowledgeStorm Inc., is quoted as saying: “The quality of the leads has everything to do with how the message, positioning and format of the content resonates with their target audience, in addition to when and where marketers engage them.”
When marketers and end users were asked to rank what content interested them most, the results were thought-provoking:
While many respondents from both camps said case studies on how a product improved a company’s business process are the most interesting type of content, marketers picked such case studies by a 2-to-1 margin over the next most popular choice.
Contrast this with end-users: nearly as many said case studies, industry research, how-to guides and top-10 lists for improving their business were the most interesting type of content. This means that marketers might be seriously underestimating the value of research data, how-tos and other business advice as part of their content mix.
Something to think about when reviewing your B2B site's content...
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[[image:spice-girls.jpg:What you really, really want...:left:0]]In the immortal words of the Spice Girls: "So, tell me what you want, what you really…&topic=Copywriting Online Content Selling){kind=small}
International Women's Day seems like as good a time as any to talk about Dove. Unless you've been living under a rock, you can't have missed Dove's highly successful Campaign for Real Beauty, which was launched in 2004. Then came Dove's Evolution of Beauty video which garnered praise from marketers and consumers alike, picking up a heap of awards and accolades along the way. And last month Dove's pro-age site launched. It's aimed at the 50+ women's market. It's a strong campaign, once again. (I find the site a little wanting, but perhaps more on that another time...)
Okay, to be nitpicky, as a copywriter I do take exception to this section of the FAQ section of the pro-age site that says:
Why nude women? Was it really necessary to show so much skin?
The advertising campaign is about real honest beauty. The statement we clearly wanted to make is that it is time for women to stop hiding the signs of aging, and instead, be proud of how they look—even in their later years. We didn't want to cover these women or enhance their appearances because they are beautiful just as they are. We believe it was necessary to show skin, age spots, wrinkles and grey hair to show women are stunning at any age.
Did you catch it? The word "even"… as in "-even in their later years." Hmmm, I'm surprised that one slipped by.
I was also a little surprised that I couldn't find any reference to International Women's Day on any of the Dove sites today… But, all of my petty grousing aside, the whole campaign has been pretty much letter-perfect.
There are a lot of lessons here for the small and medium sized business marketer:
Even the most conventional product can take a provocative stance. It wasn't advertising so much as it was politics. The brand quite literally "outted" the reality of beauty product marketing. As Shelley Lazarus --the chairman-CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide-- said, "The question is: "Can you have your brand lead a movement?"
Marketers need to tap into culture's zeitgeist. Dove separated itself from the pack by being authentic and connecting with women in a way that was real. All of my girlfriends have mentioned the Dove video or various advertisements to me, commenting on them. I can't think of another campaign that has had that effect.
Depth! - The emotional depth of the campaign is pretty astounding. One of the drivers behind brand loyalty is emotion, so when you can stir the heartstrings it also fuels consumer-fortified media. It was this intensity of emotion that engaged the viewers in a discussion, and ultimately the reason why the Evolution of Beauty video was embedded into countless blogs.
Make it easy to share the message. Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty took advantage of new media tools like few other companies, implementing viral techniques, mobile marketing, an interactive web site with discussion forums, downloads, e-cards, and of course, a tell-a-friend tool.
I know there are lots of other lessons to be learned here, but a girl's gotta work. If you have some insights you want to share - leave a comment!!
It's been talked about for the last four or five years now, but I'm sure you're hearing more and more about it - personalization and its effect on search and online marketing. Many people in the SEO industry are in a bit of a kerfuffle. Why? Personalization means that search results are altered user by user based on history and searcher profile. So, your #1 result for a particular search and my #1 result may be completely different in the future. It's sort of the TiVo approach to search: delivering results that it thinks are most relevant.
Erik Dafforn over at Clickz has written a wonderful article that ends with a sentence that is utterly brilliant in its simplicity:
"...designing sites for users has never been more important for search marketers than it is today, if for no other reason than the single algorithm you're chasing now will soon be 500 million little ones."
And Gord Hodgekiss (who has been talking about personalization for eons) interviewed Matt Cutts on the topic. In their conversation Matt says:
I think the SEOs that adapt well to change and are optimizing for users are going to be in relatively good shape, because they're already trying to produce sites that are really pleasing and helpful to users. It's definitely the case that if all you care about is an algorithm, then the situation grows more complicated for you with personalization. But it's also an opportunity for people to take a fresh look at how they do SEO.
This is wonderful news for SEOs, SEMs and Web designers who are dedicated to providing the best-possible user experience. In Gord's summary of the interview on Search Engine Land, he wraps up the conversation by saying:
There is an opportunity to move beyond the black box tactics that has typified our industry for the last decade and truly become experts in understanding how people search for and connect online with products and services that they're interested in. But the rate of change that's going to be required to stay on top of this is not insignificant. Personally, this is something that's interested me for the past four to five years and I have continually been trying to push more search marketers to look at people, not tactics.
As someone committed to quality, audience-focused content I'm very excited about this new era of personalized search. It's about content and usability, not just how people find your site, but how they interact with it once they are there.
While there are some legitimate personalization issues relating to limiting the choice searchers have when conducting similar queries over time, but I'm sure Google will be working this out in its usual efficient manner. There are also privacy issues that need to be addressed.
But, if it helps to get rid of those nasty keyword-stuffing, duplicate page, sneaky-trickin' black hat SEOs... all the better! 
This is very, very cool. It's a keyword tool from MSN's adCenter Labs - Keyword Forecaster. It's a fantastic little tool for comparing keywords, and it gives a monthly history trend as well as impression prediction. Keyword Forecaster also provides a breakdown by age and gender. Sure, it's anecdotal. Sure, it's MSN and not Google. But it is a very cool tool to add to any online marketing arsenal.
This is what the monthly historical and predictor tool looks like:
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