Yaffe Tidbits

Ignite Detroit - A Real World Event For The Digital Age

If you haven't heard about Ignite yet, you probably will soon (well, technically you're hearing about it now). It's a growing global phenomenon and it came to Detroit two nights ago. I had the chance to go to Ignite Detroit and I have to tell you, it was an exhilarating evening. It was both entertaining and enlightening. If one comes to your city, I highly recommend you go. If you live in Detroit, the next one is in 6 months.

What is Ignite? Well, as their slogan "Enlighten us. But make it quick" proclaims, it's an evening of short presentations. Fifteen speakers get up and speak on whatever it is they're passionate about. Each speaker is given five minutes to make their presentation. A PowerPoint slide show put together by the speaker illustrates their points while they talk. The trick is, each speaker submits 20 slides that auto advance every 15 seconds. This keeps each speaker's presentation moving along. Speakers submit topics. Half the speakers are chosen by popular community voting online. The other half are chosen by the team running the event, to make sure they have a well-rounded program.

 At Ignite Detroit, we had some amazing presenters and presentations. We had the head of GM's social media, Chris Barger, present on how much he loves 80's hair bands and what businesses can learn from them. We had the co-founder of the Internet sensation site, Texts From Last Night, Ben Bator, talk about how they took a simple idea and turned it into a huge deal, not only with big name advertisers on the site, but a book deal and a TV show deal with Fox. University of Michigan student, Ryan Doyle, who has founded a charity call Live to Give, talked about the future of non-profits and how they need to give back to the individuals who donate to them. Charlie Woolborg gave a very funny, yet thought-provoking bacon-filled rant on how we've become a sound byte society. Presentations went from serious and scientific subjects like Mellisa Hui's presentation on how the food we eat changes our DNA to seriously unscientific subjects like Dave Murray's hilarious presentation on how the world will really end in 2012, with the rise of the cats. Dave's presentation had me laughing so hard, tears were streaming down my cheeks. He was voted the top presentation of the evening, by the way. The evening ended with Hajj Flemings, who helped orchestrate last summer's Brand Camp Detroit, giving an insightful presentation on reeducating the disposable worker, especially interesting for those of us here in Detroit. Once the Ignite Detroit presentation videos are uploaded, I'll link to them here. In the meantime, you can see videos from Ignite globally here. (photo by Jenni Murray)

Tickets for the event were gone in just over six hours after they became available. And this was with no advertising at all, just social media buzz. It helped that main sponsor, GM, made it possible to get the tickets for free, but that's still very fast. And they probably could have given out another 200 - 300 tickets if the Magic Stick in downtown Detroit had the capacity. I took some of my advertising friends who aren't into social media and hadn't heard of Ignite before. And they loved it, too. So, if you get a chance to attend an Ignite event, I suggest you do. You can find out dates of events around the world on the Ignite site. Locally, Ignite Ann Arbor and Ignite Lansing are next week as part of global Ignite week.

Brandon Chesnutt and his merry band of organizers did a fabulous job bringing Ignite to Detroit. If you'd like to bring Ignite to your city, here's a page on the Ignite site that tells you how. Or you could probably contact Brandon and ask him about how they did it.

This is just one example of the new kinds of events that are popping up all over, as a result of the connected digital world we all share. Contrary to popular theory, the Internet has not made us all sit in front of our computers alone. It's given us new ways to connect and come together in the real world. I can't keep up with all the events. This week alone, I had Ignite Detroit on Thursday, there's a meetup with social media rock star, Shannon Paul today, there's a send off tweetup for the Chevy SXSW Team Detroit in the Ren Cen on Monday, my regular Tweetup called Tweetea on Tuesday and an LLC launch party on Friday - all with people I consider friends who I didn't know a few years ago, before tapping into the Detroit Social Media scene.

It also has meaning for brands who are looking to gain customers. There are all kinds of new opportunities for companies to get involved and sponsor events like this. Or to have a presence in these strong online communities. You just need to keep your eyes open for what's going on and what's the next big thing. Or just ask someone like me.

Mike McClure, still soaking in the Ignite Info.

Is the bad economy or big competition killing regional chains?

Another good company, Snyder’s Drug Stores, announced a couple of weeks ago that it is closing. I know because we sent out the press releases. Each press release listed my name, Michael Morin, as the contact for more information. We do crisis management for our clients, but this is one you hope you never have to do – going out of business. It resulted in a grueling couple of days on the phone with radio, TV and newspaper people throughout Minnesota, the US and Canada.

The whole ordeal was physically draining. But, it was more than that; it was sad… really sad. Snyder’s was a vital part of the neighborhoods where they had stores. Some of the calls I got asked me where the local seniors were going to turn to for their prescriptions. Another call talked about how Snyder’s had been delivering prescriptions to a paraplegic veteran. Now, what was he going to do?

In most of the areas, Walgreens bought the prescription lists and will take care of those who were loyal Snyder’s customers. In many markets, Walgreens is even taking over the existing store and will convert it. But, some neighborhoods will be without. And the big national chains won’t deliver the kind of personal service that took care of a local vet who couldn’t make it to the store. Many people won’t have the trusted pharmacist they’ve had for years. It’s a sad story that’s told over and over these days as regional chains fall by the wayside.

So, how did this happen? Was it a product of the recession that has hit small to mid-size companies especially hard this last year? Or was it part of the trend this past decade with larger competitors gobbling up the smaller chains all across the country? We’ve seen this happen to many Yaffe & Company clients the past 10 years. Michigan based Perry Drug Stores, a Yaffe client, was bought out by Rite Aid and then their local competition Arbor Drugs was bought up by CVS.

Snyder’s Drug Stores were founded by Max Snyder in downtown Minneapolis in 1928 and grew to become a formidable player in the drugstore category with over 80 stores in the Twin Cities, plus dozens of franchise stores in many other states. A merger 8 years ago turned out to be a bad move, resulting in bankruptcy. Then, in the past five years, three big competitors (Walgreens, CVS and Target) opened 60 new pharmacies in the Twin Cities. So, the weakened Snyder’s now had to compete against the big national players who opened stores at all the best intersections.

So, if Snyder’s had been able to stay relevant, adapt and remain financially strong, would they have been able to overcome these obstacles? It’s hard to say. If they had been strong enough to weather the economic storm that was 2009, who’s to say they might not have still been bought out by one of the big players like so many regional chains before them. The end result would have been better for the Snyder’s people, but would have been the same for the neighborhoods who believed in their local drug store chain.

Small and mid-size chains are disappearing all over the place. Is it the economy, the homogenization of America, merger mania or some combination of all? I’d be interested in hearing what you think.

Michael Morin, EVP, Client Services

How Technology & New Media Helped Haiti. What It Means To Marketers

We all witnessed an interesting phenomenon last week.  The U.S. rallied it’s political strength, emotional celebrity clout and its spirit of giving to raise close to 54 million dollars for Haiti.  In one week the U.S. orchestrated this massive relief effort: raising funds, getting water, food and supplies, medical doctor expertise including surgical theaters and expediting delivery of orphaned children who were mid-process of the adoption process.  

Our participation in the Haiti disaster over the last week was truly remarkable.  The U.S. television media organized multi-channel interactive access in presenting the real time situation, the pleas for help, the organizations where money should be sent and summarized how the money would be used, in graphic detail. Through the on-going media exposure using the most heart felt, engaging reportage, a stabilizing effort of relief and medical care was brought about out of complete chaos and disaster. We were even able to witness how the aid was beginning to repair the overwhelming damage.

But it wasn't just about mass media. The organization of new media channels for reaching out to each and every U.S. household with compassion and dignity brought the disaster vividly into all of our lives in a whole new way. Social media and the Internet have personalized the involvement among all of us.  By connecting through these online channels, all of us could feel we were personally a part of the relief efforts and the aid given. Even children and young teens were establishing organized efforts for relief. 

 This event crystallized in my mind the future role of the United States in a global community. Utilizing our creativity, intellect and technological reach, as a nation we have the capacity to lift third world communities into self-managing democracies by empowering individuals with the tools for on-going sustenance. 

Whatever one has to say about the all-encompassing and imposing nature of technology and media in our lives, we clearly saw how we can use our creative assets to further the benefit of global mankind. Technology allows for distribution of wealth in the most specific one-on-one terms.The scope of audience privy to the information is so vast because of technology, the burden in no longer on a select few. 

As marketers, it is our responsibility to harness this power in the most effective ways for building brands and making a difference. Cause related marketing is such a powerful magnet with the appropriate strategic partners. It takes creativity, imagination, intelligence and humanity. It can only serve to make all of us look good and feel better - about ourselves and about the companies we do business with.

Guest blog by Joanie Abraham, Partner at Style Branding.

"How Do I Monetize My Blogs & Podcasts?"

It's a question asked more and more. Businesses and individuals are putting more time into blogs, podcasts and other digital media. And they want to know how this is going to make them money. You know it's something you should be doing in this digital age, but you wonder just how are you going to monetize it.

The short answer: you don't. At least not in the traditional media/marketing model. Sure you can add Google Ad Words to your blog and when you get big enough, have sponsors and paid ads on your digital material. But that's not going to get you the value you put into your company's blog or podcasts. The real value is in increasing your company's and your personal standing as an expert - the kind of people that other companies want to do business with.

In his book, Six Pixels of Separation, Mitch Joel says, "Anyone who creates content is creating media. That is the advertising. Everyone keeps searching for the ad model in blogs and podcasts, not realizing that the content and the individual producing it are the media. People see you as an expert and want to work with that expert."

That's the point. How you monetized your digital content is through the business that results from people knowing you, your expertise and wanting to work with you as a result. There are countless examples of companies getting business through this method. We ourselves had two potential clients call us wanting to know more after listening to a recent podcast by the head of Yaffe Direct, Michael Morin.

You don't ignore ROI. To the contrary, you need to think about it - a lot. You just need to look at it differently. In her blog post "10 Crucial Roles of a Social Media Director" Liz Strauss puts "be about ROI" fourth on her list. She goes on to say, "ROI is so important. If we don’t sell things, no one has a job. For years, we’ve known the value of conferences and trade shows, yet no one knows exactly how to measure their return. I’m thinking a certain similarity applies."

The long and short of it is this: you need to be out there in the digital space building your expertise. You just need to look at the value of doing it differently. What do you think? Have a success story of your own? I'd love to hear it.

Mike McClure, Yaffe ECD & Social Media Guy

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.

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

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

6 ways the decline of newspapers & magazines can hurt your business

I'm a newspaper guy. Been one all my life. Love my morning paper. Except now it only comes 3 times a week. And then, it's thin. I've already bemoaned this fact in a previous blog post. But, I hadn't given a lot of thought to what the decline of papers and magazines meant to business. UntilI read an article from Strategy + Business online today, called "What a Declining Business Media Means to CEOs" They listed 3 ways it hurts business:

1. More negative press about profits and enterprise. They said that as more experienced journalists (read: more expensive) are cut, younger ones come in. These less savvy journalists are more likely to be swayed by negative talk they hear and less likely to dig for evidence to the contrary.

2. Less of a platform for companies to spread their message/strategies. With fewer business publications and pages, along with fewer reporters. Companies just don't have as many outlets to tell their story. And we're not hearing about the innovative things they're doing.

3. Fewer opportunities to learn from each other. With less being reported on, companies don't have all these free case studies to read and learn from. They see less new ideas that could spur on new ideas of their own. The business press used to act as sort of a focus group of new ideas, but they are much fewer now.

To their list, I'd like to add a few more, focused on regional/local business news outlets:

4. Less distribution vehicles for circulars. A number of our clients put out weekly sale circulars, which have been traditionally stuffed into the newspaper. Now, some of the papers have gone away, others are offering limited days, but circulation is down, too. Mailing circulars is expensive. Stuffing them in other delivery methods, such as Advo, have their own problems. We've even started experimenting with digital circulars online.

5. Less co-op, added value benefits. Media outlets have always worked with businesses, especially on a local level, to give them added value through their media buys. Often they would partner on a joint venture in a marketplace or help with sponsorships for special events. They were also a sure place where retailers could get co-op money from manufacturers for ads. But, less space means fewer ads.

6. Less localization. As local business magazines and newspaper business sections shrink or disappear, there is less or even no local coverage to connect with the local/regional business scene. If a company is doing a local promotion or a local charity event to be a good corporate citizen, it's a lot harder to get those messages out.

What other ways to you see the decline of business journalism affecting business today?

Mike McClure, Partner, ECD

Today's Transparency: They Are Watching You

They are watching. And they are talking. They told everyone what I did after dark in the Walgreens parking lot!

In this age of transparency, you never know who is watching, what they will say and what impact it will make. Whether you are a company or an individual, your actions are public knowledge more than ever before. You’ve probably heard that before. You may not know just how true it is. I do now.

It happened a couple weeks ago. I was working late and finally left for home around 10:30 that night. I stopped at the 24-hour drug store on my way home. While shopping, I kept passing this homeless man dragging all his belongings behind him in a little suitcase on wheels. On the way out, I went to grab an Arizona Iced tea. Turns out they had a two for one special so I grabbed two.

When I left, I noticed the man was now outside, talking to a store manager type. I didn’t know if he’d been ushered out or the manager was trying to help the dude. But, as I was putting my things in the car, the Walgreens lady went left the man outside. I looked at my free second tea and thought the guy might appreciate the cold drink. So I walked back across the parking lot and handed it to him. He smiled and mumbled something. No big deal. It was dark. It was late. I didn’t think anyone saw me.

When I got home, my wife yells from the computer room, "hey, Mike, do you know so-and-so?" "Yeah" "Well she says she saw you with that homeless man."

Sure enough, at the beginning of this long day I had posted an article about a homeless blogger who had gotten hired by Elle magazine on my Facebook page. Over the course of the day had completely forgotten about it. But, there, attached to that post, was a comment from someone I worked with 15 years ago, "So, Mike... was this the inspiration for you handing a returnable to the homeless man at Walgreen's just half an hour ago? I caught you out of the corner of my eye as I was leaving the lot. It was truly a sweet gesture"

Even though I wasn’t seeking any attention, it was a nice to see my efforts noticed. But, what if I was doing something bad? What if, instead of helping, I’d had taken his jacket thinking no one would be the wiser?

That’s the world we live in today. And companies need to realize that too. It’s an added incentive to be a good corporate citizen. It's even more of a reason to make sure you go above and beyond to make your customers happy. There are no shadows to hide in anymore. The world is a much more open and public place. You can pretend not to notice, but chances are you’ll hear about it anyway.

Mike McClure, ECD & SM Guy

Strong Winds of Change Are Blowing through the Retail Industry

Guest blog post by Joanie Abraham, president of StyleBranding, Inc.

Two major market forces are blowing their weight around the retail industry:

- Retail brands are slowing their store expansion plans, modifying their assortments, cutting their stock substantially and becoming more focused in their offering to consumers.

- Social media and the technology available to us today are resulting in enhanced customer experiences and engagement with the brand. Video merchandising is the new buzz word on the web.

This impact on the industry is putting even more importance on the website as brand representative or "brand central" as I refer to it; how the retailer or designer presents the brand to the global public. It is becoming even more influential now that store expansion is slowing because it offers access to the brand to a much broader audience.

The experience the consumer is offered within the "selling environment" of the web is what engages the consumer both emotionally and financially. For the last couple of weeks, I have received a white paper a day talking about the enhanced response rate and increased sales retailers are getting from using video on their websites. Video merchandising is going to put the creativity back into retailing.

Video creates the experience on the site. The myriad of technological offerings from apps on iPhones to YouTube to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace allows for customer involvement. Our job is to use the technology to create the aspirational fantasy your brand represents to the consumer: the fantasy that style and product acquisition are all about.

If major retail brands with dozens to hundreds of store fronts, would take half of their real estate budgets and apply them to online advertising and site enhancement, the sales would keep the brand active and alive in the minds of a much broader audience than one store possibly could.

The sooner the retail industry adapts these trends into their business model the sooner the energy will begin pouring back into the brand in the minds of their consumers and the general web world at large.