Fun Fakes: Obama and His BlackBerry (Ads)

The NY Daily News asked advertising agencies to mock up fake BlackBerry ads featuring President Obama, who loves his BlackBerry. This is one of my favorites, but they're all worth a peek.

Talk about testimonials! Research in Motion doesn't even need to run any of these ads--its product has a glowing halo from association with the new president, worth millions in advertising time in any medium.

Social Media Marketing 2009

Thanks to Valeria Maltoni of Conversation Agent, you can download a free ebook (in .pdf format) about social media marketing trends in 2009. She asked 12 experts about how, exactly, marketers can use and should use social media.

They responded with great advice (in just 30 pages!). Three quick quotes:

• "Start with measurement, create content for the open Web and for mobility"--Matt Dickman
• "Goals absolutely must be built on business objectives"--Amber Naslund
• "The foundation and core of what social media is, consists of the five C's. Conversation, community, commenting, collaboration and contribution"--Mike Fruchter

Used Games Boost GameStop's Sales

GameStop's strong revenue growth (during a period of grim retail results) is not just a sign of the economic times--it's a nod to consumer behavior, especially that of young gamers who tire of favorite games and crave novelty. GameStop accepts old video games as trade-ins for new and used game purchases. This provides extensive inventory of used games for sale to bargain-hunters . . . and it fuels sales of all the retailer's games.

Amelia B, who's 11, recently mentioned GameStop to me when thinking out loud about saving her allowance to buy a game she wants. She doesn't care if the game is new or used--either way, it would be new to her. Saving money would be even better.

Of course, game marketers are not as thrilled because they don't make money on the resale of previously purchased games. Book publishers don't make money on the resale of used books, either. But that's the way of the future as consumers look for savings and make more of what they own.

clipped from www.gamestop.com

Hydrox Hits 100

Hydrox vs. Oreo? Hydrox sandwich cookies disappeared for some time but Kellogg recently brought them back with special marketing support (and an updated, healthier recipe). A quote from Kellogg's news release:

"Limited Edition 100th Anniversary Hydrox cookies will follow the original, beloved Hydrox cookie recipe, though they will contain zero grams trans fat per serving."

Not all repackaging projects turn out well. In this case, the new anniversary packaging is a good way to call attention to an old product. Instead of "new, improved" or "new packaging, same great taste," the message is "celebrate 100 years of Hydrox." Why not?

Layaway Makes a Comeback

Layaway is returning to the retail scene as an alternative to the "charge it, take it, pay later" mentality. The Internet has also prompted an update, as you can see from the eLayaway site.

It's difficult to know exactly how popular this payment method is becoming. According to MSNBC, "Burlington Coat Factory said its layaway sales made up 5.3 percent of its business in August [2008], a 15 percent increase over the same month last year." No word yet on Christmas 2008 layaway figures.

One concern: Will customers use layaway to "reserve" products, make a few payments, then drop the layaway if the products go on sale/clearance--and buy at the new, lower price, knowing they've had that item put aside for weeks?

clipped from www.kmart.com clipped from www.elayaway.com

Buckle Bucks Downward Trend

BusinessWeek says that Buckle, a retailer serving 15-25-yr-olds, is doing very well despite the economy that's taking down many store chains. Its merchandising strategy is to have different colors and styles in replacement stock shipments so customers don't see their choices on everybody else. Customers want to be individualistic yet wear the same fashions as their best buds. Makes sense (cents!).

clipped from www.buckle.com

Dell Gets Social Media Marketing

I'm always interested in Dell's marketing, not just because I write about it but also because I buy its products. I recently discovered its YouTube channel and found a number of interesting videos, including this 50-second one (without narration) that shows how a customer suggestion submitted to Dell's IdeaStorm site was transformed into a product feature. Customers talk, Dell listens--that's the message.

Dell learned its lesson after the Dell Hell crisis. Now Dell people blog, they're on Twitter, they're on YouTube.

clipped from www.youtube.com Adblock

"Color Is Pure Emotion"--Benjamin Moore

That's the headline on one of the main color pages on the Benjamin Moore paint site. Naming colors can be tricky: You want to evoke positive response and distinguish one shade from another, even when the differences are minute. So here are some of the paint names I found on this site:

- Genesis White
- November Rain
- October Sky
- August Morning
- Cloud Nine
- Minced Onion
- Timid White
- Spring Dust

Imagine you've just redecorated and friends ask, "What color paint did you use?" and you answer "Timid White" or "Minced Onion." Maybe you'd get a better reaction if you say, "Cloud Nine."

Seriously, visit the Benjamin Moore site for a wonderful interactive opportunity to click and try out different colors in different rooms before you head to the paint store. And check out the site's videos for helpful how-to info.

clipped from www.benjaminmoore.com

Texting without Permission

Millions of AT&T Wireless customers recently received texts about the season premiere of American Idol, says the NY Times. Since millions vote via cell phone (AT&T is an Idol sponsor), this probably didn't sound like a bad idea to the AT&T people who decided to send the texts.

But lots of AT&T Wireless customers were unhappy. Although they didn't pay for the texts, many viewed the messages as spam because they hadn't granted permission. The FTC said the texts didn't appear to violate regulations or legal restrictions. But who wants to alienate the very people you count on for revenue, especially in an industry known for high customer churn?

Better idea: Invite voters to sign up for "updates" and then, with permission, send information that will be welcomed and discussed, building positive word of mouth. A growing number of TV programs offer this option and it makes more sense than pushing texts on people who haven't opted in.

clipped from www.americanidol.com

Software as a Service - Everything Old Is New Again

Remember time sharing? Your company bought X number of hours on some distant mainframe (sometimes for heavy-duty processing in the middle of the night) and sent your data via phone lines. It was a big deal in the 1970s.

As soon as companies could buy software licenses and have programs customized to their specs to run on their machines, they did. Processing on your own schedule and in control of your own equipment became more and more popular.

Software as a service (Saas) is a different twist, in that you or your company gets to your data and programs via the Internet. You don't have to worry about updates (the software provider does that) and the software is ready and waiting when you need it. You pay for what you use. No more site licenses or worries about incompatibility with different computers. Oracle and others are busy helping get SaaS programs off the ground. Some media are hailing the environmentally-friendly aspects of SaaS.

But what happens when an outage prevents you from using the service, as DM News reports happened to Salesforce.com not long ago? The outage lasted less than an hour but Salesforce's users must have been biting their fingernails every second, unsure when access would be restored. And what happens when (not if) a SaaS provider raises its price? What options do users have if they want to quickly, safely, securely switch? These kinds of questions are likely to keep SaaS from widespread acceptance for now, IMHO.