Yaffe Tidbits

The Magic of Macy's Outshines the Rest of the Best

I was reading through Ad Age's list of best Christmas ads for the year and noticed that all of them other than Macy's focus on the stress of the season, and how they can make it better. Best Buy actually takes it to a whole other level by trying to out do Santa. Sorta funny, but all of them left me feeling like the person who bemoans what the holidays have become—stress-o-shop-o-mania. All of them except Macy's, that is. I re-watched this spot several times after finishing the others, trying to wash the cynicism away, and it worked. 

This spot reminded me that though it's our job as advertisers to solve customers' problems, there's a fine line between solving a problem and exacerbating the problem by embellishing it over, and over, and over again.

Sometimes we shop because we have a problem that needs solving. That's generally true everyday of the year. But that's not how any of us really want to think about Christmas. Even though Macy's campaign evokes the magical spirit of Christmas for children, it inspires all of us in the process to WANT to buy. Not have to. And under which circumstance would you prefer to bring people into your store?

The fact that they also built in an in-store magical red box that brings the inspiration (and customers) into the stores AND gives back to charity—win, win, win.

Watch, be inspired, shop, and Happy Holidays, all!

  

 

 Jen Wright, Inspired Yaffe Account gal

 

 

 

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!

 

Have You Thanked a Writer or Editor Lately? Now is the Time

The communications field is very broad in that it reaches industries such as PR, Marketing, Social Media, Journalism, Advertising, HR and more. Here at Yaffe we know the hard work that goes into those fields and we want to wish all of you a happy Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month!

In 1894, Lone Star Publishing, a Texas publishing company, deemed September Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month in order to create awareness and appreciation for the hard work that goes in to writing and editing. Being communicators ourselves, we know lots of writing and editing happens in our everyday lives, as well as our professional lives. So we'd like to celebrate both our work and the work of others. You can too!

Here are some ways to be kind to editors and writers this month:

1. Share their work: by retweeting their links on twitter, by creating Facebook updates that include their links and by leaving comments on blog and article posts.
2. If you are in a gift-giving mood, pitch in on buying a writer the newest edition of the AP stylebook. It’s under $20!
3. Offer writers ideas on what they can write about next. There’s a term called writer’s block and it’s never fun. Getting ideas from others is always helpful and it also helps a writer figure out what their audience is itching to read about.
4. If a writer asks you to proofread their work, even though you aren’t familiar with the subject matter, still proof it. Writers love feedback!
5. Were you touched by a written piece? Send a note to the writer about how you were moved by their words.

There are plenty of other ways to be kind this month like getting writers a fresh set of pencils and red pens for editing, or a box of chocolate, because who doesn’t love a good snack, right?

To everyone who has ever written a book, article, blog post, script or proposal, we salute you. Enjoy your month, editors and writers!

What other ways can you think of to say thanks to writers and editors? Or if you've received a special thanks as a writer/editor, share your story with us. We'd love to hear it.

Jessica Mosley, writer of this blog post. You're welcome. :)

Happy Valentine's Day (.QR)

This video is dedicated to all our kindred brothers and sisters who agree that . . .

Love is getting to spend your days playing with toys and finding new ways to reach out to people.

 

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at The Yaffe Group!

Our 11 Bold Predictions for 2011

I asked some of the staff around here to give me some bold predictions for the New Year. They could be business-related, work-related, general or just plain absurd. Here are some of the predictions The Yaffe Group has for 2011. Enjoy.

1. People will tire of texting and Facebook, start dialogues instead, and rediscover the art of relationship building... the essence of 1 to 1 marketing. - Lisa, Account Manager

2. 2011 is going to be the year where we make first contact with beings from another world (and that does not count whatever is living under our office fridge) - Sheila, Office Manager

3. Collaboration with communications tools will deepen and develop into really cool, innovative service offerings for our clients. Everyone is finally getting that the tools we offer our clients, no matter the mix, are vastly improved if they aren't created independently - Jen, Public Relations

4. Most web sites will do away with Splash pages and Flash heavy sites in efforts to become more SEO friendly - Kyle, Sr. Art Director

4. Detroit Lions don’t lose any games in 2011 - Lauren, Eternal Optimist

5. Yaffe will continue to boldly go forward into the unknown with the positive can-do attitude that has carried us through the worst of times.  I think 2011 is going to be a very good year, full of a lot of firsts - Sheila, Office Manager

6. Entrepreneurs will lead the charge into a new economy where ideas come from many places and the best ones will take root, building a strong, more diversified base of business in the area - Mike, ECD

7. Tablets will continue to grow in popularity and new name developers will pop up out of nowhere. Some magazine and ads will be tablet exclusive - Kyle, Sr. AD

8. Grand Home Furnishings (client) sees major success in 2011 due to the unbelievable 100^th Anniversary.  - Lauren, AE

 9. Flat Screens will continue to drop in price and increase in sales as 3DTV sales remain idle. The rise of interactive TV will almost combine TV’s with computers, we are pretty much there already with Apple and Windows TV - bald guy in office next to mine

10. Leak site like “wikileaks” may become the new craze that blogs were a decade or so ago - written in the goo leaking under the Yaffe fridge

11. Movies will start to look at video games for cinematic concepts and executions. Call of Duty Black ops just hit the Billion mark in sales. Can’t argue with success like that - Kyle again, feeling especially prophetic

What predictions do you have for 2011?

Have a happy and prosperous New Year - all of us here at The Yaffe Group

Mike McClure, Yaffe ECD & Sr. blog editor

 

 

Best Holiday Ads of 2010

For this week's ad of the week blog, we're looking at some of the best holiday ads out right now. The first one, is Coca-cola's "Snow Globes" ad. Coke always does a great job with their holiday ads and this is no exception. They found a live action Santa that looks like their long time Santa drinking a Coke icon. And he shakes up a snow globe of a city. When he tilts the snow globe, the city also tilts, letting Santa move people and animals and objects around, bringing them together for Christmas. All to a great soundtrack by Train. Enjoy.

 Coca-cola "Snow Globes"

Next up is probably the best ice sculpture contest holiday beer commercial ever. Three finalist start with blocks of ice and create some amazing pieces. But, of course the one who creates an inviting bachelor pad serving our product hero (Stella Artois beer) to the female judge, gets the nod. I especially like the live fish in the ice carved fish tank. Good times are had by all, except the poor sport in the middle.

  Stella Artois: "Ice Lounge"

I also really like Verizon's "Jingle Bells/Our House" mashup commercial. It has a very catchy mashup of a modern take on "Jingle Bells" and Madness' "Our House" with a visual story that is fun and shows off many uses of the product in the meantime. I like some of the interesting angles, like the inside the car shot as a person wipes the snow away, only to find it isn't their car.

 Verizon: "Jingle Bells/Our House"

I hope you enjoyed this holiday version of Ad of the Week. What are your favorite holiday ads?

Mike McClure, fan of ads, holidays and holiday ads.

How Retailers Can Profit From Natural Holidays Like Memorial Day

Everyone expects there to be good deals on the "natural holidays" like Memorial Day. We've trained the consumer over the years that these are prime shopping times. They go out in large numbers to shop whenever there's a three or four day weekend holiday. But, if you're a retailer that doesn't mean you can just sit back and let them come to you. If you do, you could be missing out on a lot of sales. We're talking the difference between a good weekend and a "make your quarter" weekend here.

Yaffe has 'worked with a lot of retailers over the years. During that time we've amassed a lot of data, along with some good experience. The data shows time and time again that the more marketing channels you use, the stronger your presence and the more you give your customers, the better your weekend will be. Not just in gross numbers, but in profits and ROI, too.

Here's some tips we've learned over the years:

Give Your Customers More: Part of the reason consumers shop on the natural holidays is because they have the extra time to shop. But a big part of it is that they've learned from experience that many retailers give their best offers during these times. You need to make sure you're giving the public some of the best offers in your arsenal. You can bet your competition will be making their best offers, so you need to be out there with yours, too. It can be better financing, better overall savings, special deals on categories or individual items, free gifts or refreshments for customers who come in, early bird specials to get them in first or some other offer or combination of offers. 

Give Your Best Customers More: One thing our research and data has shown most strongly is that marketing to your best customers gets the best ROI, every time. In a natural holiday shopping frenzy, you want to make sure these customers feel special and have additional incentive to remain loyal. Send them a direct message through mail, email, social media or SMS and give them a little something more than what you're giving the general public. It will pay off nicely.

Maximize Your Share Of Voice: Whatever media you're in, especially TV, you should try and get the largest share of voice for your category in your markets. You can't just advertising at the same level you always do. Your competition will be stepping up their media buys, you need to at least keep even in share of voice by stepping up your buys. And if you can be the dominant player in your markets, it will give you a stronger position in the consumer's mind.

Do Multi-Channel Marketing: Add more channels to your marketing mix. If you don't normally do direct mail, email, texting, digital marketing or some other media - this is the time to add one or more to your mix. It will broaden your reach and increase the amount of touch points you have with your consumers.

On a side note, make sure your messaging is appropriate for the channel you're in. Here is a link to a web video we produced for one of our furniture retailer clients who does fairly aggressive TV on the holidays. It was embedded in an email message. On the web, you need to be more engaging than on broadcast TV (being a pull medium vs. a push one). So, the web video had a different tone than the TV, while still tying in with the overall campaign. The email told the rest of the story pertaining to sale and offers.

So, don't miss out. It's an old cliche but it's true: make sure you're fishing when the fish are biting. That way you won't go hungry.

Mike McClure, Yaffe Exec Creative Director

FedEx "Lucky" - the perfect St. Patrick's Day Ad of the Week

This week we honor a very funny, but understated (until the end, anyway) TV ad for FedEx shipping. In it, a group of business people are sitting around a conference table. They are worried about a presentation getting to someone in time today. Then the person who sent the package says he didn't use FedEx to ship it. They tell him that he better cross his fingers then.But, he can't because his hands are in casts.

The spot then goes through a series of "good luck" cliches, none of which work in today's politically correct, "make the world a better place" environment. He can't knock on wood because the office went green and has no wood furniture. He can't throw salt over his shoulder, because it's a healthy salt substitute. He goes through a series of these things, ending up looking for the office "leprechaun" - which is today's St. Patrick's Day tie-in. The spot is fun to watch, well paced, well acted and put together well. So, without further adieu, here it is. Enjoy!

FedEx "Lucky"

This week's Ad of the Week was discovered by our CFO, John Cassidy. Thank's for sharing, John. Got a suggestion for Ad of the Week? Leave your comment here, send us an email at fans@yaffe.com, send us a tweet or post on our Facebook page.

Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director & Social Media Guy

Phone Calls For Soldiers: a Social Media Valentine's Story

I've talked before in this space about some of the things you can do to create social media success for your company. Here's a can't fail tip: create a community around something people are passionate about. The non-profit organization JoeOnTheMove has had phenomenal success as one of Facebook's quiet giants. In just 5 months, their cause page (Free Phone Calls For Soldiers) membership has grown from around 100,000 to just shy 1.5 million.

How did they do it? JoeOnTheMove is a charity who's sole purpose is to provide free or affordable ways for soldiers deployed overseas to have a few moments on the phone with a loved one back home. There are a lot of people who have a loved one in the services and each of them has a circle of influence in social media. So, when they join, it's not hard to get friends and family to join. Most of us know somebody who has somebody deployed overseas. And even if you don't, you can relate to the true human emotion of wanting to connect to a loved one that you are separated from. Tapping into human emotions is a key to any social media success. Just read some of the stories:"I want to hear my husband’s voice. It kills me everyday not to hear my best friend's voice. To hear him laugh, to hear him upset, even just to know that he is right there listening to me is all I need some days. And there is nothing ruining a moment like not being able to call. If I could have just five minutes without worrying about a penny for every second I would cherish it." - Chris Snider

"As I fight to win the war my body is raging against cancer, my son fights in the war against terrorism and those who are against the freedoms all people deserve. We draw strength from each other, knowing that family and their love is the backbone and the core of what is important in our struggles. A terrorist is like a cancer that is trying to spread through the body of the world, and as my son fights that I want to be able to listen, share and support him in his challenging battle." - Debbie Peterson.

Right now, JoeOnTheMove is in the final stages of their Operation Valentines Connection campaign to raise $50,000 to provide free 5-minute phone cards to thousands of soldiers, so they can call their loved ones. It's a good cause and a good lesson in what makes social media work well. If you can tap into human emotions in an honest way and are truly looking to help someone out, you're way ahead in the social media world.

To donate, go to JoeOnTheMove.com or join their cause page on Facebook.

Mike McClure, ECD & Social Media Guy

Have You Had Your New Year's Freak Out Yet?

It's a condition people who work in business, especially business owners, are prone to: The New Year's Freak Out. You know, that moment when all the festivities are over and you realize that a lot of things have been piling up on your plate while you enjoyed your holiday. Now they need tending to, because business never really stops. It's kind of a "holy crap!" moment.

I had that moment early the morning of January 2nd. I woke up and was lying in bed thinking about all the stuff I need to accomplish over the next few weeks. I have two big presentations in two weeks, regular work staring me in the face and all the social media for the company, including editor/writer of this blog. Plus, a guest blog I'm working on and some stuff with Blog Off II, an international competition I was a judge for. Anyway, you get the picture. After the Christmas holiday, New Year's and my daughter's birthday (she's a New Year baby, now 19) were over, my business person brain clicked back on. And I had a little freak out moment as my brain started doing complex calculations of work divided by hours avialable to me. How about you, have you had your "freak out" moment yet?

I found that making out lists and spending a few hours putting together a plan of attack eased my mind, or at least lulled it into momentary silence. Spending a little time over the weekend just sorting through some of the smaller stuff and getting it off my plate helped to. 2010 is off and running. I look forward to seeing what it brings. But, I can't sit and watch to see what happens. Because, as it happens, I gotta run! How did you handle your New Year's freak out? Or are you still in vacation mode?

Mike McClure, Partner, ECD & Social Media Guy On The Run