Yaffe Tidbits

Put a Little South on Your Mouth

In my inbox this morning was an email with the subject line reading, “Nice Stocking Stuffers”. As I clicked the email open, I was thinking I would find something Christmas-themed like a small trinket covered in red, green and gold tensile. Boy was I wrong.

Now before I tell you what the “Nice Stocking Stuffer “ is, here’s a little background. The email came from a Yaffe client that is a furniture retailer specializing in the selling of quality furniture. The company supplies customers with top name brand choices like La-Z-Boy, TempurPedic , Paula Deen and more.

From that description, I’m curious as to what you readers think the stocking stuff email was regarding. But if you guessed anything having to do with Paula Deen you are most likely close! Drum roll please…the nice stocking stuffer is Paula Deen Lip Balm!

The sweet southern gal many of us knows as a butter-loving cook not only has a TV show, restaurant and furniture line, but she now has a line of flavored lip balm. Since our client carries Paul Deen Home, Paula’s furniture collection, it was only fitting that we were enlightened about the array of flavors including Peach Cobbler, Banana Pudding, Key Lime Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie and of course, Butter.

I would have to agree that this is an epic stocking stuffer idea, as did many other colleagues in the office and I must have some! The flavors are daring and fun and hopefully quite tasty but I would have to say the lip balm’s tagline is the best of all - “Put a little south on your mouth!"

Would you purchase Paula Deen lip balm? What other celebrity-endorsed products would you give as stocking stuffers?

Jessica Mosley - Especially excited to try the Pumpkin Pie flavor!

 

Ad of the Week: Pepsi - Summer Time Dancing Santa

What does Santa do in the summer time? Well, it seems that he cuts loose - on the dance floor and from his brand affiliation contracts. At least that's the premise of the new Pepsi commercial featuring Santa, Mrs. Claus and some elves cutting loose an what seems to be a tropical island vacation.

The spot opens with Santa in his red and white Hawaiian shirt and Mrs. Claus (presumably it's her and not just some hot older chick Santa picked up) in her red halter top cutting loose on a crowded beach-side dance floor. Sweaty old Santa needs a break for some refreshment. The bartender, seeing him coming, hauls out a couple of Cokes for him. But Santa notes that it's summer and he's "on vacation, I wanna have a little fun!" So, he's set up with a couple of cans of Pepsi.

The spot is well done and has some fun with the juxtaposition of these winter icons in their summer, off-season personas. Not that this hasn't been done before and done often. But, here it is done well and given that Santa is a time-honored Coke icon that they really can't hold to a contract, it's fun. I like the end lines by the two elves. So, crack open your favorite in the Cola wars and enjoy. Oops, isn't "enjoy" a Coke line?

 Pepsi - Summer Time is Pepsi Time, Dancing Santa

I heard about this ad thanks to some buzz about it going through our office, typical water cooler conversation, which is a good indication the spot will do well. If you'd like to make a suggestion for Ad of the Week, just drop us a line here in the comment section, Or on twitter. Or Facebook. Or via email to info@yaffe.com. However you like.

Mike McClure, heading off on vacation & looking a little like Santa

Today is the first Lemonade Day Detroit!

For the first time, Metro Detroit will be participating in Lemonade Day Detroit, a free, community-wide program dedicated to teaching children how to start, own and operate their own business through the simple and time-honored act of building and running a lemonade stand.

Lemonade Day a great organization that started in Houston and now has spread to cities all across the country. Today, June 12, 2011, is Detroit's turn to shine. We are training the entrepreneurs of tomorrow today. These are the next great hopes for our area. We invite you to go out and support them in the best way you can: buying their product and giving them words of encouragement.

It has been a pleasure having Lemonade Day as a client. We really believe in their mission and thank the main sponsors, Huntington Bank and Art Van, along with all the other sponsors, media partners, area families, youth organizations and the kids themselves. We encourage you all to visit lemonade stands today across Metro Detroit.

Lemonade Day is a program allowing youth to learn great business and marketing skills, as well as valuable life lessons. Participants are encouraged to “spend a little, save a little and share a little,” getting the immediate gratification of buying something they want, then donating a portion of profits to a local charity and taking the rest to open their own youth savings account.

Visit Lemonade Day Detroit’s Facebook and Twitter to get fresh, lemony updates!

Thanks - The Team Yaffe Lemonheads!

Born Social: A Talk With Jim Hiller of Hiller’s Markets

 

Almost four years ago, I was sitting at my desk working on a project for a client and stumbled across area grocer Jim Hiller’s blog, A Message From The Helm. As a copywriter and recent college grad, I’d certainly heard of blogs before, but I’d never seen one attached to a business’s site written from such a personal perspective. 

This was before terms like social media marketing and transparency were regular parts of our vernacular. It was also before I’d ever shopped in a Hiller’s and experienced the culture of genuine community and small-town hospitality that comes with every purchase. Now I do daily and every time I fall more in love with my market. Sometimes the wonderful gentleman in the produce section encourages me to try something new. "You always buy the purple grapes. Try the green this time. Live a little." Over the holidays I was baking some Creme Brulee French Toast and needed a loaf of Challah. After the woman in the bakery and I searched high and low without success and I'd moved on, she tracked me down four aisles away, giddy, holding a loaf she'd just gotten off the truck. "Tell me how the recipe turns out," she said.

Some of the shrewdest people “selling social” these days understand that in order for it to work, the company must behave socially in their DNA, not just online. Even six-year-olds know when people are being friendly just to get something. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s discovered that some companies knew this before we sent them a Tweet telling them so. I had the very real pleasure of speaking with Jim Hiller in attempt to learn more about the uncannily social behavior of his company that seems to run much deeper than online platforms and into the core of the Hiller’s philosophy. 

In 1941 Sidney Hiller, Jim’s father, opened his first market at Michigan and Central Ave in the heart of a Polish neighborhood in Detroit. “There he was, a Jewish man learning to speak Polish. He became part of the community and he hired people from within it. He set the path for us and that ethos has stayed with us,” said Hiller. 

As for how that path lead to using social platforms in their marketing, Hiller explained, “I think this term we call social media is simply a euphemism for person-to-person marketing.” And though that may seem like a simple analogy, I believe that it is his ability to see the very human side of what many companies are approaching as “new technology” that has made Hiller’s social media foray mirror the success he’s had in his seven stores. “We listen to people. We listen to every person.” 

Though we often claim that social media has opened opportunities for businesses to actually listen to their customers, Hiller’s has always built their business around the customer. Their Commerce Township location services Detroit’s Japanese community by stocking a large number of Japanese products and produce and hiring Japanese-speaking employees to serve as cultural guides. Hiller’s is also the nation’s largest carrier of gluten-free products due to their quick response to customers asking for it when they couldn’t find it anywhere else. 

As for the social media mantra of “helping other businesses is good business,” again, nothing new to the Hiller's philosophy. If he loves a business, he gets behind it. Just ask Garden Fresh Salsa and Velvet Peanut Butter about the Hiller’s Touch.

When I asked him what prompted him to begin living out loud by starting a blog on his company’s site, he said simply, “I’ve always loved to write.” Not a marketing ploy. Not an attempt to increase SEO. But like his stores, just another way to connect with his community around something he loves. If you visit his blog (and I highly recommend you do), you’ll find a fabulous recipe for building a community —one part great food, one part passion for helping others and one part being real. 

For a girl who spends her days preaching the merits of Social DNA, it’s nice to spend some time talking to someone who could teach me a thing or three. I look forward to watching one of our most socially savvy businesses continue to grow community, online and off.

Jen Wright, Yaffe Social Media Strategist and Daily Hiller's Patron

 

Good promotion, bad promotion

In today's tough economic times and fragmented consumer market, companies need to find new ways to attract attention to their products. Last Sunday's Super Bowl brought us two interesting ones. One that I believe will be an overwhelming success, the other - not so much. Denny's was advertising that if you come in today between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. you will get a free Grand Slam breakfast. NBC and Pepsi  hyped the show "Chuck" in 3D, saying you could pick up your 3D glasses at Pepsi displays in a store near you.

First, let's look at the good promotion. I think the Denny's promotion is brilliant. Yesterday in our weekly status meeting we talked about how could they afford to just give away all those breakfasts? We all agreed lines would be long and many would be given away. Then we took a quick poll of the people in the room. Of the nine of us there, one person had gone to a Denny's back in November. For the rest of us, it had been years. One guy thought they had all closed in Michigan (not true). I don't know how many of us will actually go today, but we all were thinking about it. More than a few of us looked up Denny's online to see where the nearest one is. And that's the point of their promotion. Get people talking about them. Get people to find out where the nearest one is. And get people who haven't been to their restaurant in years to come in and try the product. With people looking for low cost alternatives, Denny's should be a natural. Reminding people that they exist and have a good product at a good price is, in my mind, a good idea.

NBC/Pepsi on the other hand, didn't seem to execute their promotion very well. The show "Chuck" was on last night. It's a decent show that my wife and I enjoy. 3D episodes aren't a new promotion, but I figured, since I was going to watch it, I should get the glasses. So, on the way home from work I stopped at 4 different stores and looked at their Pepsi displays to find the glasses. None had them. They weren't out, they never had them. People at Walgreen and Rite Aid told me they never got their shipments of glasses. The guy at 7-11 said I was the 15th person to come in looking for them, but they never had them either. So, people were looking, but they just couldn't find them. Watching the show without the glasses just reminded you that you couldn't find them, because it's not a very good picture if you don't have the glasses.

Today, you have to do the unusual to get customers attention and get them to act. We've promotions for our furniture retailer like sending preferred customers a $50 gift card with no minimum purchase. Give someone $50 to spend in your store with no strings attached definitely get them to move. And since the average amount these customers end of spending is close to $1000, it really only costs the client around 5%. But, whatever promotions you do, you need to execute them well. I think Denny's has the right idea. NBC and Pepsi dropped the ball. What promotions have you seen that deserve a pass or fail?

Mike McClure, Executive Creative Director

New Trends Innovative or Disruptive?

Given the influx of tourists in New York City, Saks Fifth Avenue's campaign "Want It!" is targeting tourist-centric locations. The campaign is set to launch next month on double-decker tour buses, which will take customers from Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store to the Upper East Side. The tourist will receive free admissions to several of the museums, which will also be featured in the campaign’s ads. I think it’s interesting how Saks added themselves as a major tourist attraction. Innovative, since tourists spend a significant amount. Also, the tour guides on the bus will wear and feature some of the fashions from Saks. They will talk about the latest fashion trends of the season and the history of Saks Fifth Avenue. A captive audience will be dropped off at Saks after the presentation. Wait, there's more… nine or ten customers will accompany Saks chairman CEO Steve Sadove to the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell, very New York. Others will have the chance to take private museum tours of the Whitney Museum of American Art; private museum tours are a great.

Another way advertisers are capturing audiences is through mobile devices. Mobile devices are capable of much more than just making phone calls. Akoo International, a small privately owned company based in Chicago, IL., is tapping into today's instant gratification market by setting up a network of digital screens for consumers to receive messages of their choice. With Akoo network (named m-Venue) cell phone users receive coupons for using the service at specific locations. For example, a customer at a restaurant might select a text message displayed on their big screen. A new music video for instance. A message sent back may say "Thanks! your music video will play shortly. Show this text to your server and receive $1 off your appetizer." I wonder how much the phone companies charge for this service or what additional charges apply. Music downloads aren't free, this is a collaboration with Sony BMG Music Entertainment. You can also request a music video, sports clip or fashion shows. Akoo currently works with many local Chicago area restaurants, Bob Chinn's Crabhouse, the Cubby Bear, a Chicago sports bar with live music and Ala Carte Entertainment. Marketing executives claim this is a good initial idea in attracting consumers’ attention, but is this just a novelty effect? It'll be a challenge to keep them fresh. So the idea is to get a $1 discount, but doesn't it cost more to send the message than the actual coupon savings? A free appetizer sounds better. This sounds disruptive at restaurants, but could be fun while stuck in an airport.

The company is aiming to use mobile devices as universal remote controls. Other companies are doing similar activities, but Akoo allows consumers to have all the control on digital advertising screens, to see what they want and when. Andy Stankiewicz, VP for Marketing Akoo states, "This is the only digital out-of-home billboard network that's fully interactive with mobile phones." Cell phone users can register online for the service and choose which offers they want to receive. The user can send a text and the billboard shows up on their cell phone screen. For more information, just visit their site.

I’m not sure I'm willing to add additional cost to my already high cell phone bill. It’s an innovative use of mobile devices for marketers, but the incentives need to be there for consumers. What do you think?

Karen Dabish

D’Oh!

You’d have to be completely cut off from the world not to hear bout the upcoming release of the Simpson’s movie.  The buzz generated from the Simpsons/7 Eleven partnership has made headlines for multiple weeks.  What’s surprising is that 20^th Century Fox has lined up only four tie-in partners for what is considered to be one of the summer’s biggest films.  And only one partner—Burger King—will be buying television ads to support the film.  The other three partners—7-Eleven, JetBlue, and Vans shoes are running nontraditional promotional programs that, while they generate headlines, are not the multimillion-dollar media buys typical of much-hyped films.

Compare this with the other blockbuster films of the summer.  For instance, Sony Pictures lined up seven partners for “Spider-Man 3” that reportedly spent more than $100 million on co-branded media alone.  Disney teamed up with 13 partners for “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” the most partners for the studio to ever have for one film.  And DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures partnered with eight brands for “Transformers” that reportedly spent $100 million-plus in media and marketing support.

In a press release announcing 7-Eleven’s promotion of the movie, Lisa Licht, the studio’s executive vice president of global marketing partnerships, said the promotional strategy was to “partner with companies that would execute programs that have never been done before. This decision may reek of missed opportunities to some, but this decision keeps true with the spirit of the Simpsons.  The show, since it’s inception has frequently and consistently taken jabs at corporate America.  What credibility then, would the movie have, if Fox had taken twelve partnerships and bombarded consumers with Simpson’s-related media?

In a true example of life imitating art/pop culture, 7-Eleven made national headlines when it announced that it had transformed a dozen of its stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the convenience store frequented by the Simpsons in the show, and that it would be selling real-life versions of such fictional “Simpsons” product favorites as KrustyO’s cereal, Buzz Cola, Squishees (Slurpees), pink frosted Sprinklicious donuts and a special edition of the Radioactive Man comic book read by Bart.  7-Eleven believes that this promotion marks the first time a “major company has partnered with a fictional entity to bring it to life.”  So far, the 7-Eleven promotion has been a huge hit, with many Kwik-E-Mart/7-Eleven stores reporting a doubling of traffic and sales, according to a company spokeswoman. 

Whenever you watch The Simpsons, you see Bart Simpson skateboarding his way across Springfield in the opening scene. After watching this for so many years, it seems that skateboarding has become an integral part of The Simpsons. Vans shoes, the iconic shoes of skateboarding, has also partnered with the Simpsons Movie and hired 12 underground artists, including David Flores, Futura, Gary Panter, Geoff McFetridge, KAWS, Mr. Cartoon, Neckface, Sam Messer, Stash, Taka Hayashi, Todd James and Tony Munoz to design 14 styles of limited-edition “Simpsons”-inspired sneakers depicting their own interpretations of the animated characters.  In total, only 1,400 pairs of shoes will be created.  They will go on sale July 14 for $100 a pair at 10 boutiques in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, San Diego, Long Beach, Calif., Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Honolulu.  Vans expected to sell out of the shoes the weekend after the shoes are released.

Simpson’s Move partner JetBlue, labeling itself “the official airline of Springfield”, and also noting that the discount airliner “shares a sense of humor” with the Simpsons.  The JetBlue campaign is slightly more traditional, including an online sweepstakes and direct mailings, but will also be devoting an entire in-flight channel of their airline television to play only Simpsons for the month of July.  But don’t let their strategy fool you—the site http://www.jetblue.com/ has integrated the Simpson’s characters and motifs into their website, including character-recommended destinations and a Mr. Burn’s “flightlog.”

Liz Kerner (that's me as a Simpson Avatar, you can do the same at the movie's site)

Destination: Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts and several other retailers have recently invaded yet another tech gadget you may own with marketing messages! A recent article of Brandweek reported that GPS systems, previously known as handy tools for driving directions, are now handy tools for advertisers. While the market is still small, it is projected to reach $5.4 billion globally by next year. In the example of Dunkin’ Donuts, owners of a particular brand of GPS system can download logos onto their devices or program it to alert them via a flashing icon or beep when they approach a store location.

The company that publishes “Entertainment Books” has also partnered with a top manufacturer of GPS systems to develop a program of its own. Owners sign up to be directed to participating merchants and then present a membership card to receive the discount at the location. Sounds worthwhile, since my coupon books usually collect dust after the initial excitement wears off, but I don’t actually own a GPS system.

There is concern that these beeps and alerts will distract drivers from the important task of watching the road and other vehicles around them. But we’re all eating and talking on our cell phones while driving anyway, right? And couldn’t we all use another reminder that donuts are delicious and conveniently on the way to our next destination? (Not to mention you can get 6 free with the purchase of 36 Munchkins!) I think so.

Sara Wojdacki

Account Executive and Donut Lover

I can't believe that I'm writing a blog!

So I've finally given in and started a blog, but it's not of my own will!

I have been thinking about what to write for a long time now and now it’s come down to it and I still have no idea what to write about.

My life and job are both very busy and with either I get very little time to do the things I like to do. I start out my day with every intention of getting through my list of things to do and figure out what I’m going to cook for dinner.

I love to get recipes on-line. (I have 2 3” binders full). I receive e-mails from http://www.recipe4living.com almost everyday and some are good and some I have no interest in. My favorite site for recipes is http://www.kraftfoods.com and www.allrecipes.com. The recipes here are easy enough and I usually have most of the ingredients on hand. But here still lies the problem, getting home in-time to actually cook the meal and have the motivation to do so. I do enjoy going out to dinner and having time for quality conversation without the TV and kids.

If I cook at home one day out of the work week I feel that I achieved something for myself.

Here’s a link to a recipe that I have made and is quick and easy (and my family liked it): recipe

Karen Jameson: Yaffe Direct, print production mgr, chief cook, and now, blogger