Advertisement Ideas: Show Me The Money!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Show Me The Money!!!!

 

We all remember the scene from Jerry McGuire when Cuba Gooding Jr’s character tells Jerry McGuire(Tom Cruise) Show Me The Money. Well in advertising and marketing this philosophy is the same. The key is for your campaigns to show you the money. The initial ad or marketing project may not reap money right away as it takes 6-8 touches of the consumer before they make the decision to purchase your product or service.

Your advertising and marketing should compliment each other and convey a strong message that creates a desire in the consumer to do business with you.  I have encountered many business people who will cut back on their marketing and advertising when it appears things are slow  and then wonder why they lose market share or go out of business.  The fact is that at some point during your business you will need to effectively advertise and market.

 In the past Starbucks marketing department said that they would not advertise as their audience was finding them simply by driving by and word of mouth, well that recently changed as they introduced Starbuck’s Refreshers and are now doing a major TV Campaign to promote that line. As a result they have seen a spike in their daily sales again showing them the money derived from advertising. Starbucks continues to have a strong brand due to their consistent in-house marketing and now their outside marketing and advertising campaigns.

When deciding on doing a promotion you should analyze the cost as you also measure the value. Remember that marketing and advertising is an investment.  There are questions to ask like how many people will the promotion reach, what demographic will it reach, how long will the promotion last and how will I benefit by being part of the promotion. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Show Me The Money!!!

Advertisement Ideas: What Do You Mean No?

               

Advertisement Ideas: What Do You Mean No?

I can not tell you how many times I have wanted to verbalize the sentiment of what do you mean no?  This generally is a feeling when O am representing what I believe to be a great opportunity for a business like an opportunity to be part of www.forestofangels.com and be part of an event that is changing lives by creating an event where the Westfield Broward Mall in Plantation, FL will host Forest of Angels an event where businesses pay $1250 to sponsor and decorate a Christmas Tree and then choose the charity to be associated with the tree. The patrons at the mall then choose the best decorated tree and that tree’s charity is given $10,000 to further its mission and the remaining money is split amongst the other charities.  The mall anticipates that 1.1 million people will visit the mall during the event.  I was told I don’t have a budget to do this by a very large assisted living facility. I felt like saying you charge $5000 a month for a person to live at your facility and you can not see your way clear to invest $1250 in the community, what do you mean no?  Then I realized this is why their occupation is down and their revenue is down and why they are on a downward spiral.It is not that the economy is down it is that they keep saying no to opportunities that are presented. If a new client represents $60,000 a year and you don’t spend at least $6,000 a year to attract that ne client you may remain stagnant because you said no.

         

I used to hear no a lot about advertising and marketing when I would sell print advertising as many business owners simply did not understand that advertising is an important aspect of their business. They would make all types of excuses and in many cases I would go back to visit only to find their business closed and boarded up with no forwarding information. I would thing again to my original question what do you mean no?  I am not saying to say yes to everything but to look at things that make sense like www.forestofangels.com. www.feelthehugs.com, www.relayforlife.org, and other opportunities that may be synergistic to your business. It is when you are open to receive that great things begin to happen.

              

You can choose where to shop and where to spend your advertising dollars and many times you may say no only to realize that you should have said yes. Imagine your name on the speaker next to the choir, or your name on the table, or a poster above toys for tots or your name on the shopping cart. These are a few out of the box methods that work as everyone stopping by Macy’s or the food area, or dropping off a toy, or shopping would see you. Now take it a step further when people walk through Forest of Angels at The Broward Mall and see your competitor and shop your competitor because you turned down a great opportunity. So think about it and ask yourself  what do I mean no?

 

 It is proven when you give you get. People love to do business with those they perceive to be giving back to the community so supporting Forest of Angels makes sense. Visit www.forestofangels.com

 

 

 

Advertisement Ideas: Olympics, Jesus, Penn State, and More Lead to Creative Marketing

Advertisement Ideas: Olympics, Jesus, Penn State and More Lead To Creative Marketing

 The Spice Girls Reunited for The Closing Ceremony of The 2012 Olympics held in London. As I watched I began to think how can a business truly capitalize on the closing ceremonies and then it hit me, have a contest where you would give away Olympic related items. You could secure items relating to The 2012 Summer Olympics and also secure items relating to The  2014 Winter Games to be held in Soji, Russia. You would collect name, address, phone number, and email from the entrants and every month send out information about your business with a special Olympic Related Theme. This could be the way to spice up your sales.

 Imagine being able to create a spectacle that would draw the attention of millions like The Olympics did? Well you can with a bit of creativity and the right promotion. I remember an event That The Pompano Beach Jaycess hosted many years ago called The Zanny Olympics and it was covered be local radio, TV, and newspaper outlets because of the many double entendre names events and the fact that it was also for charity. The businesses that participated all benefitted greatly by gaining brand recognition which also translated into more sales. The bottom line is getting to be known in the community and to build the reputation so people want to do business with you. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Olympics, Jesus, Penn State, and More Lead to Creative Marketing

Advertisement Ideas: Overcoming Branding and Image Obstacles

Advertisement Ideas:Overcoming Branding and Image Obstacles

As I read the article about The Aurora Colorado shootings that took place at a movie theater I kept thinking I would hate to be the marketing director of that theater, then I thought perhaps with the right program I would overcome the branding and Image Obstacles.

 The first thing I would do is to issue a statement of condolenscences and then to say we will be helping the victims of this shooting through special promotions at the theater with proceeds from all screenings of all movies being donated to a special fund to offset funeral and hospital costs of the victims.

 The next thing I would do is print up a shirt with The Colorado Flag and put a slogan like Aurora and Century Theaters Standing Together in remembrance with the date of the shooting and again collect donations for the victims families.

 The third thing I would do is to host a gun Buy Back Program with everyone receiving a free movie pass.

 The fourth thing I would do would host a blood drive.

In the face of adversity come opportunity to Overcome Branding and Image Obstacles.

 

Advertisement Ideas: Branding Ideas and Images Gone Bad

 Remember this car it was very popular her in The United States but not so much in Spanish Speaking Countries as NOVA translates into NO GO. The lesson learned here is to know the culture of the countries where you are going to promote your brand and build your image.

 The Adult Literacy Coalition was trying to get their message out, however if the audience they are attempting to reach can’t read the bench ad what good does it do for them. The lesson here is when you are spending your marketing dollars on Branding and Image Building use it wisely where it will be most effective.

 This ad was placed on the escalator of a local mall.Can you see the problem? Ad placement must be well though out when doing a branding and image building campaign, Had it been reversed it would have made more sense.

 I have a question. Would You Shop Here? remember sometimes using an abbreviation creates a branding and Image Obstacles.

   

 

When naming your business think about the perception of your business. Would you do business with any of the above businesses.

 

Advertising Ideas: Branding and Image Building Tips

Many times we may think something is clever and creative however the general public may not think so thus it is important to take into consideration the idea of what are you trying to portray and what is the objective of the branding program. When building your brand and image it is imperative to remember:

1: Be consistent across all platforms of marketing – Develop a logo that will be used on everything related to your business, the tag line should represent who you are and what you do.

2: Position yourself as the best at what you do by being an information  source – For example if you are a pizza place explain the difference between certain cheeses that you use.

3: Place your brand in places that are synergistic in reaching your target audience.

4: Build a following that will become unsolicited spokes people for you. For example you create customers that recommend others to you and thus when someone sees your logo they will immediately have a positive feeling about your business. A great example of this is IKEA who does a push when they open and then as a result of delivering good quality products, good customer service, and a shopping experience people line up overnight for their grand openings.

5: Use social media effectively by using key words and creating a buzz about your business. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Overcoming Branding and Image Obstacles

Advertisement Ideas: Navigating The Public Relations Maze

Advertisement Ideas: Navigating The Public Relations Maze

 Jonathan JDOGG Lederman accepts a Certificate of Appreciation from Paul Spence, President of The Lauderhill Broncos, in recognition of his announcing services that he donated during the season.

This is an example  of a great Public Relations Opportunity if you know how to navigate the maze and reach the right people. In many occassion people doing public relations for their business or non profit organization find themselves in a world that is confusing and hard to understand that they haven’t been exposed to in the past. The world of public relations can be comlicated at times, howver with this blog entry I hope to simplify it so that you can maximize your message.

Advertisement Ideas:  The Steps to Effectively Navigate The Public Relations Maze

One key element to remember when doing public relations is that it is not a sometime thing it is an everytime thing. This means that everything you do in your business or with your non-profit should encompass some public relations aspect. There are many steps to navigate the public  relations maze:

1: Know the message you want to deliver- What is your objective in promoting and giving information?

For example if your purpose of your message is to drive more people to your web site you want to give people a reason to go to your website. For example you are giving away a free study about something in your industry that will help your current clients and potential clients thus announcing the give away in an enticing way and then capturing their email address you can build a list to send more valuable offers. You can also then send out media releases to your media list announcing how you are being of service and value to those you serve. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Navigating The Public Relations Maze

Advertisement Ideas: Miyagi Says Focus!!!!

 Pat Morita  (Mr. Miyagi) teaches Ralph Macchio (Daniel Son) an important life lesson about focusing. The scene that is very poignant is Miyagi says wax on wax off focus.I used to walk around my office sharing this with my fellow staff members so as to motivate them. It worked as a great strategy.

Advertisement Ideas: Miyagi Says Focus!!!!

I was out in the community representing Life Publications today and  realized just how many people couldn’t answer the question of who their ideal client was. I began to think if you do not know who your ideal client is then how can you stay focused and build your brand and increase your revenue. One particular business  asked me what I was selling I said eventually I would like to put together an advertising program for you but first I wanted to know who your ideal client is so that I can see if my magazine would be a good fit for you. I was told I am not interested to which I replied sorry to hear that because outside of the advertising I believe I could have been of service and value to you.  I continued to stay focused and use this approach as I continued to peel back the onion by asking questions of the potential advertisers that I was calling on. I was doing the sales calls cold, which is not something I recommend, however those that I have relationships with are already in the magazine working with other reps. As I finished making the sales calls I began to realize that their must be a focus on marketing so as to create top of the mind awareness with those that are in your ideal client profile.

Advertisement Ideas: Strategic Focus

When was the las time you sat down and  did a real introspection of where your focus is and what strategic partnerships I should be focusing on?  Have you looked for a strategy focus that will build your brand? Have you sat down with others to get their input on strategies? Have you sought out groups or organizations that are synergistic with your focus? Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Miyagi Says Focus!!!!