Yaffe Tidbits

Marketing Musings on a Thanksgiving Morning

Sitting at home watching the Thanksgiving parades on TV, I'm struck by how much marketing has changed in recent history. Sure, that's something I've known for some time, but watching the parade has crystallized how different things are, all in one little microcosm. I've worked with large retailers here in Detroit before, planning their Thanksgiving marketing. It mostly consisted of running their image and customer service type ads during the family ordinated parade and then hitting the rest of the day hard to with their ad to drive sales on Black Friday. It's much more complex today. Here's some of the trends I've seen:

Product Placement. The first thing that struck me this morning was the more integrated use of product placement. Corporate sponsorship has always been part of the parade experience. But today, I think Hoover took it to another level. They had a dance team featured in the parade. One of the professional dancers from Dancing With The Stars lead local dancers in a routine where they each were dancing with the newest high tech Hoover vacuum cleaner, much like the Fred Astaire spots they did a few years ago. The parade announcers spoke about the dancers and Hoover for at least 3 minutes. They talked about the features of the vacuum and how everyone wanted one. One announcer talked about how he had just gotten one at home and it was amazing. That's a lot of good value for Hoover - and no one was flipping away during a commercial break, because it wasn't one.

Multi-Media Rules. It's no longer sufficient to just run TV spots. You need to operate in multiple mediums at the same time. Honeybaked Hams had a good example of that working today. They had a promotion with the local TV station that was running during the parade. It involves TV, web, customer generated content, a contest, engaging their customers - all the things you need to do these days. They ran an ad that said, "When families get together for holiday hams, fun things happen." and then invited people to take fun or funny pictures of their families at the holidays and post them on their site.

Mobile Tie-Ins. Detroit's most upscale mall, The Somerset Collection, had an on-going text contest along with running their regular TV spots during the parade. it was also tied into the local TV coverage. The announcers encouraged people to text in to win gift cards to the mall. Then, throughout the parade they would put up people's names and the Somerset name as they gave away each gift card. Again, it got their name out there in a positive way over and over again, without being in a commercial break.

What did you see this Thanksgiving that illustrated the way marketing is changing? I'd be interested to know.

Mike McClure, waiting for turkey.

Ad of the Week: National Geographic "Live Curious"

National Geographic is launching a new global campaign called "Live Curious" that coincides with the second year of Expedition Week. The imagery is rich and global, as you'd expect from National Geographic. it's beautifully shot around the world. An emotional, very human, story is told in the voice over, by people that reflect the international, full human experience of the ad. If you'd like the full story on the ad, check out the Brandchannel article on it.

National Geographic's "Live Curious"

If you'd like to submit an Ad of the Week, leave your suggestion in a comment here, send us a tweet on Twitter, a post on Facebook or email it to us at fans@yaffe.com. See you next week, Happy Thanksgiving!

Me and My Magic Mouse

Guest blog by Joanie Abraham, Partner at Style Branding.

I was having trouble with my track pad on my MacBook and decided I’d rather break down and buy a mouse rather than part with my Mac for a week. They showed me a picture of the magic mouse online and as soon as I laid eyes on the new magic mouse there was no turning back. The design and function of this product so took over there was never any decision as to which one to buy; the more reasonably priced mouse or the magic mouse for another $20.

From the moment they grabbed the product from the shelf I was completely smitten with this mouse. I love looking at it, holding it, and even working with it. I can’t wait to pull it out at meetings. It completely intrigues me. All of a sudden it hit me that this is how people must feel about getting an iPhone. And it is surely how I feel about my MacBook

Everything Apple makes is just a little better looking and a little more expensive than it’s competitors and you can walk into any Apple store any time of day and you will see people from every walk of life and all different income levels. This demonstrates the power of style and design in action.

I covet my new mouse and it actually makes my hours at the computer much more appealing. It makes me feel good, and smart working with it. It glides around the desk following my instruction with such grace and precision. And everytime I glance at it I marvel at its incredible design.

I am grateful to Apple for imposing an awareness to style in our society. When you buy an Apple product, taking it out of the package is a thrill. To make people feel so good about a product, so devoted, so thrilled with every use, so empowered, is an objective every brand desires. That’s the power of style. Even Hewlett Packard realized you can charge more money and sell more product if you incorporate a sense of design and style.

Good design adds a layer of desire. You are proud to have the product serve as a reflection of who you are. You feel good around good design. Style makes us smile once we learn to see it. It’s what I call the SWOON factor. It speaks volumes so subtlety about what you stand for as a brand. In a virtual universe a sense of trust is a valuable asset. Style and design are universal with no language issues. It’s your unique sense of distinction worth it’s weight in gold in a world of abundance.

Ad of the week: the original Apple "Think Different"

This week's featured ad is actually 12 year's old. It's the first ad the proclaimed the Apple was for those who "think different." This was a good ad when it first ran, but what makes this really our ad of the week is that not only does it hold up, it touts a brand position that Apple owns today. 12 years later, it's even more true than it was then. They have consistently build up that brand persona and moved it into other product offerings: iPods, iPhones... anything electronic with a small i followed by a capital letter.

It shows both discipline and persistence that the brand image still embodies this position today. How many other brands can you say that about? Enjoy

Email Marketing – A Great Way to Get More Customers

There are many ways to communicate with customers, but email is one of the most effective and yes, even cutting edge, ways available today. Not only can you use it to get people excited about your brand and your products, but it can be used to get more people into your store.

One of the keys to attracting customers is relevancy. Your email communications should be only be sent if they give people relevant information. If you have a great sale or a special offer that is only available to them, that is relevant and likely to elicit a response.

We send out email campaigns for our clients only when they have something worthwhile to say to their customers. Which is why many emails correspond with the bigger holiday offers, because that's when we really have something of value for the customer. In fact, we usually email the segment that represents the best customers and offer them something above and beyond the public offer. So, with most of our emails, we are giving the customer a reason to come in and buy now. Most customers appreciate it when you let them know there is going to be a great deal, especially if it's on something they want.

Another key is frequency. You have to be careful not to send too many emails. No matter how relevant your message is, if you overload the customer's in-box, they will start to ignore you. So, you need to keep increasing your email list so you can have larger numbers with each email. That's why it's so important for retailers to develop methods of collecting email addresses from their customers.

Email marketing is also very cost-effective. The cost associated with emailing all of these people is low per person, but can add up. However, the revenue generated is proportionally higher, creating very good ROI (return on investment).Over the past year, for one of our retail furniture clients, we sent out just over 4-million emails to their best customers. of the people that were emailed, about 4500 came into the store and purchased. Since this past April, these email customers have spent of $4-million on new furnishings.

Combining media is also very effective. We see dramatically increased response rates when we email people who have already received a direct mail piece for our major sales events. Adding video to the emails, creating an "Advercast" has raised revenues even further, creating at least a 34% lift in sales.

Customers want to know what ways you offer them to save money on the things they want and they want to know that you care about them.

If you address them with respect, give them relevant information and great value - communicated in a format they respond to - you can lock them in as long-time customers.

Lauren Cavanagh, Account Coordinator

What language truly speaks to your Latino target market?

Guest blog by Michelle Martinez, a Detroit-based business writer and editor,

My name is Michelle Martinez, and if you’re an advertiser, you want me.

OK, not me, but my demographic: I’m a young(ish), educated Latina. Like 80 percent of every other Latino in the United States, I was born here; I make many of the buying decisions for my family, as most women do; and I’ll listen to you in either Spanish or English, as long I sense that you know me.

And that’s hardly easy.

It’s not because I’m such an international woman of mystery (although it makes me feel better about my minivan to think so), but because to speak to Latinos, you need to speak to them in the language that occupies their day-to day lives.

But tread carefully. For many of us, language is personal.

For plenty of Latinos, language and how we use it, changes with whether we’re at work or at home, whether we’re talking to our grandmother, our child or our neighborhood friends. For many of us, communicating at home has long involved a mix of English and Spanish.

About 56 percent of Latino households are Spanish dominant; but 26 percent speak English and Spanish equally and 18 percent either speak English only or are English dominant. Collectively, Latinos have about $862 billion of disposable income; more than any other U.S. ethnic group.

Advertisers have caught on to this and dutifully launched "Spanglish" ads, although with mixed results. The most well-known campaigns include those from the U.S. Army, Toyota for its Hybrid Camry, Dr. Pepper and McDonalds. I’ll confess that hearing Spanish on primetime mainstream TV makes my ears perk up, but I’ll also confess that some of the ads I referenced produced plenty of eye rolls and sighs.

Click play to see Toyota Camry Hybrid ad

I admit, I’m no stranger to the "carro," or the "washeteria," or starting a sentence in Spanish and finishing in English. But that’s at home. Hearing Spanglish in the public sphere can range from annoying when used by strangers trying to "connect" with me, to off putting when it comes from a model or actor that probably doesn’t talk that way when they’re not in front of a camera.

And that would be because like many people in the U.S., I’m more interested in authentic voices that reflect natural contexts than in heavy top-down messages produced by the best demographic information available

—could be my Gen X’er status flaring up…but that’s another conversation.

Advertisers have, for the most part, figured out that Latinos are a diverse community with different histories, cultures and yes, even languages. Some have even figured out that communities in Tejas are quite different from those in Los Angeles, or Chicago, or Miami. But here is the next hurdle; figuring out how to talk to those of us that are as conversant in Seinfeld and Gray’s Anatomy as "Manana es para Siempre."

Figure out a way to speak to the many voices that I use in my life, and I’m more apt to listen, and maybe, buy.

Ad of the Week: Cullman Mobile Homes

With great copy lines like "some are stained, we cover that up" how can you not like this ad for Cullman Mobile Homes, the Yaffe Group Ad of the Week? It's a brutally honest look at one Southern mobile home sales organization. It's created on-the-spot by two guys as a part of a larger campaign being run by Microbilt focusing on local commercials. You can read more about why microbilt is doing it by reading the Advertising Age article about it. Also, it's kind of fun to watch the "making of" video after you're watched this. Enjoy.

Cullman Mobile Homes is our Ad of the Week!

Using our powers of persuasion for good, not evil

Am I evil just because I'm an ad guy? I don't think so. But, much of the world does. I can't tell you how many times I've been someplace and the evils of advertising come up. I've been a youth counselor at my church and taken my youth group to a big rally where a video presentation on a giant screen talks about how advertising pressures you to be this kind of person or look like this or do that - DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THEIR EVIL MANIPULATIONS! I've been at group weight loss sessions (yes, I'm a fat ad guy) where they start talking about how evil advertising portrays the ideal body or makes us eat unhealthy food. Even some of our own (Dove's beauty campaign comes to mind) have turned on us, using advertising to decry the evils of advertising

Inevitably, when these outbursts of anti-advertising occur, the heads of those who know me swivel in my direction. I just give them a grin and move about my day. I'm sure there are evil plumbers and evil short order cooks out there too. They just don't get the publicity evil ad guys do. A few bad apples quietly spoil the bunch. A few bad apples with a camera loudly spoil an industry. Or something like that.

Truth is, most of us believe in our clients and try and put a positive spin on humanity in general. And we usually jump at the chance to use our powers of persuasion for good. It's rare that a good cause can't find some ad folks willing to promote their cause pro bono. We've done it over and over. Many of our corporate officers have been chairs of multiple charities. We've done scores of ads for charity, including this one for Forgotten Harvest.

Most recently, our Detroit office was involved in creating the theme and all the materials for the Capuchin Soup Kitchen's big annual fund raiser. SOCK (Support Our Capuchin Kitchen). The event was a big success, connecting emotionally with those in attendance and helping convince them to give a lot more than they did last year, even in this down economy in Detroit. You can read the full story here and see some samples of what we created for them.

Here's just one of the warm comments we got from SOCK committee member, Cathy Schmitt, "The Yaffe Group exceeded expectations. Never have all the parts of this event looked better. The theme was inspiring, and I felt as though the guests connected intellectually and emotionally with all of the services provided through the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. The video The Yaffe Group prepared truly captured the work of this extraordinary mission. The visible spirit of giving and receiving brought tears to my eyes."

Beats the heck outta being call an evil SOB. What have you done to use your powers for good?

Mike McClure, good guy, ad guy, ECD

Relieve stress, gain ideas in 40 minutes.

If you're like me (and most of the work force today, really) you're wearing a lot more hats at work these days. Seems everyone's taken on extra responsibilities so their companies can do more with less. In addition to my "normal" duties as a partner, writer, producer, executive creative director and department head, I've added social media director duties. This includes leading the team on developing social media plans and ideas for our clients and our own company, running this blog, our Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, podcasts, eNewsletter and a whole host of other things. This is not to say, "poor me." I'm sure you have a lot of extra things you're doing that you didn't do two or three years ago, too.

Whether you realize it or not, having more to do in your limited time builds up a layer of stress over you like plaque on teeth. You don't notice it until there's already a lot there. Today, I forced myself to go outside and take a brisk 40 minute walk at lunch. It's a beautiful, if somewhat cold, day in Detroit. And somehow the random play on my iPod knew just the right songs to play for a sunny day walk in November.

I always hate to take the time away, because I always have so much to do. Even if it's just catching up on online articles I plan to tweet during my lunch hour. But, the break was well worth it. Not only did I come back refreshed and with more energy to face the afternoon, I came back with a lot of ideas. Allowed to float along on song and sunshine, my mind pried loose all sorts of fresh nuggets from the crevasses of my brain. I came up with 6 blog ideas, a new system for tracking our social media programs and several ideas for client creative projects we're working on. And with my Blackberry's voice recorder I made sure I didn't lose any of them.

So, take some time off during the middle of your day. You may be surprised by how much you get done.

Mike McClure, man of many hats

Ad of the week: Black Jack Taco

This week's ad of the week was suggested via our Twitter feed by @Quinnkathner. She said, "Check out my favorite this week? I'll give you a hint: black eye." She was talking about the new Taco Bell ad for their black pepper jack taco. It's done as a spoof on high fashion commercials that don't always have much substance behind them. And they did a good job of ingraining the word "black" into our heads. There's a nice juxtaposition of a slightly disheveled "every man" who shows up holding the black taco and those who represent the high fashion imagery in the rest of the spot. Nicely done, Taco Bell. And thanks for the suggestion Quinnkather!

The name's Black... Black Taco.

If you have a suggestion for ad of the week send us a tweet, comment here or on our Facebook page or email us at fans@yaffe.com