Group Of Rogues

A Dangerous Marketing Disease: Over-Inflated Hyperbolic Assertion

Randy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:22:36 +0000

Photo Credit: Big Shoulders via Compfight

Is your marketing under the weather? Not performing very well? In this guest post, Andy M Turner identifies another serious condition that might be infecting your advertising. A serious condition that is, fortunately, very treatable. A condition known as Over-Inflated Hyperbolic Assertion.

Symptoms

Your marketing materials contain excessive wind. They feature vague, empty, meaningless or unsubstantiated claims. Bombastic, puffy bravado is rampant, with outbreaks of any of the following words or expressions:

Leading
One stop shop
Best in class
Unique
Value-added
Customer focussed

Customers don’t trust you, mainly because they’d don’t understand what you’re saying. Even if they do understand, they see no personal relevance because you are not connecting what you sell to anything important in their lives.

Diagnosis

You are not alone. Puffery in market communications has been around for at least half a century. It appears to be most prevalent in the information technology sector where even the largest and most successful companies like Microsoft have been infected; witness its recent campaign strap-line – “People Ready Enterprise Solutions”

Treatment

Take off your usual shoes and put on those of your ideal customer. They will probably appear a little uncomfortable at first and in extreme cases you won’t be able to walk for more than a few faltering steps. Eventually though, you’ll reach the place known as ‘Their Perspective’. From here you should just be able to see in the far off distance back to where you started out. The first thing you’ll notice is how that sunny, rose-tinted environment looks so dull and grey from your new vantage point. But the change of air will be invigorating and soon you’ll begin to see why ‘show and tell’ beats ‘heavy sell’ every time. Your hyperbole should deflate back to a normally acceptable level within weeks.

Outcome

Customers will start listening again. They will understand who you are and what you offer them. They will see a connection between what you offer and how that provides something valuable, interesting or entertaining just for them. There will be an outbreak of Restored Trust leading to an eventual uplift in general fiscal wellbeing.

By Andy M Turner – Andy is an independent public relations consultant and writer based in France. More of his blogs on the themes of public relations, reputation, business and corporate communications can be found at Six Sigma Public Relations. You can also follow him on Twitter @andymturner

Here is another list of symptoms you can check for, to see if your marketing is infected.

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A Dangerous Marketing Disease: Over-Inflated Hyperbolic Assertion is a post from: Group Of Rogues

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Why your marketing is failing: Your ads are suffering from Comparisonitis

Randy — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 05:21:10 +0000

Photo Credit: Adrian Clark

It’s a sneaky disease. Highly contagious. Many companies have it, and are unaware. It infects your advertising, crippling your marketing objectives. Not only can it be grossly expensive, it is also potentially terminal for a business.

You need to find out if you have it, before it’s too late.

Symptoms:

You’re doing a healthy spend on advertising, but your returns aren’t increasing. You have followed all the guidance, all the strategy for media buys, and consulted people who are experts at marketing your product. Yet you’re seeing minimal gains or none at all.

Diagnosis:

Your advertising has ‘Comparisonitis.’ It’s a common disease, and possibly the most contagious one in the field. Comparisonitis is a situation where your ad strategy, development, placement and execution is failing because it is based on a matching comparison to other advertising in your industry.

It’s insidious, because we are often unaware of it happening. Here are the stages:

Stage One: A business owner looks at all their competitors’ ads and subconsciously thinks, “Oh, I guess that’s how it’s done. That’s the standard.” We see no overt symptoms of this stage, as it often happens without our conscious awareness. In fact, the only way we can be sure that someone isn’t in this stage is if they are quite vocal about their disdain for ads within their own industry. Someone experiencing this stage looks at ads for their competitors and ponders how those ads would look with their own logo. A sure-fire clue to diagnosis is when these individuals say things like, “We should do this ad, but better.”
Stage Two: Once the defenses are weakened by stage one, patients become susceptible to another infection. These bugs are called ‘Industry-Specific Marketing Services.’ They are usually the culprits behind your competitor’s advertising. They appear to be beneficial, arriving on the scene to help your advertising with the promise of special, industry-focused skills. But this is exactly where the infection takes hold. Instead of helping you distinguish yourself from your competition, they give you exactly the same tools and strategies they give your competition. They are an impressive creature, as they have evolved to do one thing, and do it incredibly well. The problem is, that once they’ve done that one thing incredibly well for one client, they weaken it by repeating the exact same procedure for everyone else in the industry. Imagine an organism that only has to hunt once to feed multiple times. They are terrifyingly efficient, and your first encounter with them is often very soothing and promising, thus they are very hard to shake.
Stage Three: Homogeny. After investing considerable time and expense into an advertising strategy, you now have an ambitious campaign developed. You are highly visible, and have a presence in many types of media. All the time, effort and money has landed you in a position comparable to your competition. You should be in perfect shape.The worst part about Comparisonitis is that this is the first stage where it becomes detectable. You have invoices for all the consulting, design, media buys and execution, which are an increased expense. But your revenue hasn’t increased by nearly enough to justify this expense. Some sufferers start to get a sense that their message isn’t reaching their customers, so, they simply ramp it up. They spend more, and shout louder. They try to outdo their competition at the same game. In very rare instances, one organization can actually reach success this way. However, it is very expensive, and the moment that organization reaches success, it instantly guarantees that every other organization in the same industry will never succeed with the same tactics.

Treatment:

Comparisonitis is challenging to treat, because an infected company will usually not be able to recognize the infection. Worse, if they start to see it, they have bills to justify so they will pretend the infection doesn’t exist. Sometimes they will turn to the Industry-Specific Marketing Services for a second opinion. It is clear to an outsider that this is a bad choice, but advanced-stage comparisonitis is often associated with “tunnel-visionitis,” a condition that makes it very hard to communicate to a patient unless you are saying exactly what they want to hear.

The cure is a strong, often unsettling dose of “ZigVersusZag-acin.” It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it basically takes the patient’s expectations of good marketing and reverses the polarity. All the points of comparison that informed their marketing decisions before, now become examples of what not to do. This medication cannot be administered by force, it must be taken voluntarily, and it is a very difficult treatment for the patient. We’ve actually lost patients who would not take the treatment, as their business health continued to decline until they reached a terminal condition.

Fortunately advance screening is available. A potential candidate can be shown their competitors advertising and their reactions can be measured. A neutral reaction means the candidate may have been exposed to the disease. Any level of admiration or jealousy for the ad will certainly be a sign that they are suffering from comparisonitis. Find out immediately if they have advanced to stage two or not, as this individual is now very susceptible to the Industry Marketing Specialist bugs, and may have already had preliminary contact with them.

Comparisonitis is a dangerous condition. It’s hard to detect, and advanced stages can be fatal to an organization. Get your business checked out regularly for symptoms.

There’s no cure like prevention.

By Randy Brososky – Randy is the “Chief Rogue and Bottlewasher” at Group of Rogues. He also blogs about marketing and behavioural economics on the Brososkablog.

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The Three Audiences Your Advertising Is Up Against

Randy — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:56:45 +0000

Image ©reverend†heef on Flickr

When we create advertising campaigns, we discuss our audiences. Marketers (myself included) babble incessantly about audience segmentation. How do you categorize your audience based on their likes and needs? What are their fears? What is their demographic, or if you want to really connect with them emotionally, what is their tribe? However, there is a preliminary way of separating everyone who will come into contact with your message into three, key audiences. It’s vital. It’s universal. It makes all the difference in the world to how well your ads will be received.

And many companies completely forget about it.

Before you even begin an advertising campaign, you need to understand that everyone who comes into contact with your message will be in one of the following three groups:

THE CHOIR

Image ©Dave Wilson Photographer on Flickr

The believers, the faithful, the ‘frothy.’ Your true fans. These are the Apple fanatics who proudly show the logo on all their iPads and MacBooks. These are the people who don’t even acknowledge the existence of stores other than the Sony Store. They are more than just ‘brand ambassadors’ for your company, they actually are helping to shape and define your brand. These are the ones who got their noses out of joint when Starbucks changed their logo. Advertising to them is preaching to the choir. Does Apple spend money advertising the next iPhone before its release? No – they don’t have to. The ‘Apple Choir’ researches, digs and fuels the rumour mills about the specs on Apple’s next product. These people pre-order as soon as possible, but they made their buying decision months earlier. These are the ones who already know they will be buying the iPhone 6, even before the 5 has been announced.

Smart companies do everything they can to convert people to true fans, because then they don’t need to be advertised to.

THE HATERS

Image ©Darwin Bell on Flickr

There are some people that wouldn’t let themselves be taken into a Starbucks in a hostage situation. These are the ones you cannot please. It doesn’t matter if you come to their home and shower gold upon them. If you did they would probably sue you for trespassing and littering in their house. They are the trolls, the ones that go out of their way to share how much they don’t like your product. Think about how those same Apple fans react to PC’s. They have decided that your company does not match their values, and no matter what happens, it never will.

These people cannot be reached by your advertising, and if you do happen to connect with them, they will be offended. That’s because they’ve already chosen to be offended. The Choir defines themselves by their brand loyalty. The Haters define themselves by their brand disloyalty.

THE UNDECIDED

Image ©metimbers2000 on Flickr

Everybody else. The fence sitters. Those who have not committed so hard to a brand that they are immovable.

This is your market. The people who have not committed to an unshakeable level of brand loyalty (or disloyalty). These are the ones who know their values, and are on the hunt for a product or service from a company that shares those values. These are the people who are still making decisions based on convenience, or price or the flip of a coin. There is no brand loyalty in this bunch.

Yet…

Here is how you should approach each of these groups:

The Choir: Save some money. You don’t need to advertise to these people. Don’t get me wrong, you still need to market to them. You need to inform them of new product. You need to stay in touch and engage with them. But you don’t need to advertise to them. Think about how Apple advertises their upcoming products. Oh right, they don’t. Apple’s choir is so enthralled by the rumor mill that they advertise to themselves and each other. They do the work for Apple. Ads don’t hit the airwaves until the products are actually launched, but you can ask a die-hard Apple fan what is coming and they will have more information and excitement than can be conveyed by any commercial.

For this group, it’s not about advertising, it’s all about customer service. They are already coming in and buying your product. Reward them. Reward them with a good product and with excellent service when something goes wrong. In fact, reward them when everything goes right. And make damn sure that your product is worth their loyalty, because ‘frothy’ as they are, committed as they are, if you don’t keep earning that loyalty by fulfilling your brand promise to them, they will become fickle and change. They’ll skip straight over Undecided and move on to Haters.

But save your advertising budget. Don’t spend money preaching to the choir.

The Haters: Save even more money. You can spend Warren Buffet’s fortune on ads and you still won’t reach these people. They have already decided to hate you. In fact, your ads will just give them more reasons. This audience is bound and determined not to like you and you can’t do a damn thing about it. So don’t kill yourself or drain your resources by trying.

Also, don’t worry if they complain to you about your ads. If they file a formal complaint you may have to pull the ad, but if you get nasty calls, smile, agree, say ‘I thought so too but our marketing guy pushed for them. Now the airtime is bought and they’ll have to run their course. Thank you for your feedback.’ Then hang up, relax and forget about it. You’re never going to win the Haters, so if they complain it costs you nothing. Let them go. In fact, when the haters get upset about your ads, it usually means you’ve created excellent advertising.

The Undecided: There’s gold in these here hills. This is your target audience. This is the group that advertising can speak to. But here’s where your knowledge of the Choir comes in. Why are the choir members choir members? Your brand makes them a promise and fulfills it. So though you won’t advertise to the choir, find out what promise you are fulfilling for them, then extend that promise to the undecided. Those that find value in your promise may come over. Those that don’t, won’t. And that’s just fine. You can’t be all things to all people. So find out who you are all things to and then find more people like them.

What often gets missed in the beginning of a campaign is “Which one of these audiences are we talking to?” The answer to this will have a dramatic effect on your message. It may even determine the fate of your campaign before it’s launched.

Figure out who you need to reach with your advertising before you start crafting the message. You’ll save time, money and enjoy much more effective marketing.

By Randy Brososky - Randy is the “Chief Rogue and Bottlewasher” at Group of Rogues. He also blogs about marketing and behavioural economics on the Brososkablog.

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Help Stop QR Code Abuse

Randy — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:05:55 +0000

Be honest, have you seen a QR code somewhere and thought, “Hmmm, that’s one of those QR things. We should probably be using them.” And did you then decide that you would, assigning someone to get them on your advertising, without actually scanning the code you just looked at?

This is a perfect example of a “Me too!” strategy. “Other people are doing it, so we have to do it too, to prove we’re modern and hip.” The irony is that businesses and organizations stand out when they are not like their competitors. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use QR codes. But because so many people are using them badly, you have an opportunity to stand apart by using them really well.

I’m not the first to rant about this. Scott Stratten (who wrote Unmarketing) has spoken about this many times. You can find others who say it too. But the abuse is still going on so we have to get the word out.

Think about the customer experience. What is the person who’s going to see the QR code going to do? Big tip: QR codes are always scanned with a smartphone. So remember, after the user scans the code, their next step, their next experience with your brand will be on their phone.

Keeping that in mind, here’s the top five ways that people commit QR code abuse.

Sending people to your non-mobile website. Ever try to read a regular website on a phone? Sure, smartphones are getting more powerful and their tiny little web browsers are getting better all the time, but it’s a different experience. You’re using your finger on a 3.5″ screen, not a mouse on a 21″ screen. Linked text or small menus on a normal screen become impossible to interact with on a phone. People are also on the move with their phones. They want shorter, simpler bites of information. They are not going to spend 5-10 minutes pouring through your site on their phone. You’re lucky if you hold them for 60 seconds. The mobile browsing experience is different than the desktop experience, so when you use a QR code to send someone online on a phone, you have to send them somewhere that is smartphone friendly.
Sending people to a page with Flash. This is not the place to argue whether Apple products should or shouldn’t be supporting Flash. The fact is they don’t. So, since a significant portion of the mobile market is using iPhones, if you send them somewhere with a QR code that uses Flash, they can’t see it. There’s no better way to show your customers that you are not in touch with them.
Putting QR codes in bad places. Ever see a QR code on a subway platform? It’s either too far away to scan or you see it when you’re moving. Or both. There’s no way to scan it. It takes a moment or two for someone to grab their phone, find the scanning app, open it, line it up with the picture, and let the software recognize the code. By this time you’re half a mile away. So, know ing that, now you tell me how silly it is to put a code on a billboard.
Sending a QR code in an email. If the user reads the email on his phone, there’s no way to scan it. (Think about where the code is and where the camera is on the phone.) If they read the email on their desktop, you’ve just given them a really convoluted, time-consuming way, to follow a link. Which can be text. In the body of the email. Like this one.
Offering no good reason to scan the code. Most of the codes I’ve seen are just slapped into the ad by themselves, with no further information. Sometimes, there is a call to action, saying “Scan this code!” I will scan them, because I do marketing, and I want to see if they are using the code properly or not. You might scan them, because you are curious about how they are being used (if so, kudos to you.) But no one else does. Because there is no real call to action, no offer, no perceived value. The message from the advertiser is “Dig out your phone and use it to visit our site. Just ‘cus. Do it for me.” People don’t do anything for advertisers. They do things for themselves. So if there is no clear, valuable reason for a consumer to scan your code, they won’t.

The real danger? You are inviting someone to have an experience with your brand. If you have used your QR code poorly, then you have repaid the effort of getting the app open on their phone and scanning your code, with a negative experience. The last thing you want is for people to have a negative experience with your brand.

So please, don’t use QR codes without a proper strategy. It’s abuse. QR codes can be very powerful marketing tools if used right. If used wrong, it’s like pounding a nail with a chainsaw. That’s running. While wearing a blindfold. There’s a chance it might work, but odds are it will be a bad experience for everyone.

Full disclosure with gratuitous plug: We can help you tap the power of QR codes, if they are right for your audience. Drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do.

By Randy Brososky – Randy is the “Chief Rogue and Bottlewasher” at Group of Rogues. He also blogs about marketing and behavioural economics on the Brososkablog.

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Help Stop QR Code Abuse is a post from: Group Of Rogues

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Shocking Ads – Why Some Work and Others Don’t

Randy — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:15:34 +0000

In the never-ending battle to gain our attention, advertisers often try to be startling, abrasive or shocking. It makes sense. There is a lot of competition for our attention. I’ll be the first to endorse a well-crafted, shocking ad, for many reasons. But there are some shocking ads that work, and some that backfire hideously on the business or organization. What makes the difference?

The shocking ads that work are based on relevance. In a book called “How To Do Better Creative Work” by Steve Harrison, the author uses the phrase relevant abruption. Sure you want to catch people, that’s the ‘abruptive’ part. Something that stands out, something that is eye-catching. But it has to be relevant. The reason it’s shocking has to be the point you’re trying to make. An ad that jars us on an emotional level, and makes us think “I feel terrible about this” only works if the advertiser’s message is “That’s the point. You should feel terrible about this. Our product is all about making sure the terribleness of this situation doesn’t occur.”

The image above is a good example. The idea of being imprisoned in a hole in the ground for having the wrong faith is abhorrent to many people. Amnesty International wants to prevent this from happening. If you are the sort of person who is shocked by this idea then your values are in line with the advertiser’s. They want to stir you up and get you onside with them.

This, however, is a bad example. I won’t go into great detail here, because this ad from Fluid Hair has been discussed to death, and I’ve already blogged about it. However, this is abruptive but not relevant. The presented idea is that abuse is fine as long as your hair looks good, and we can help you with that. We’re pretty sure that’s not how the salon owners really feel, but that is what this shocking ad presents as their values, which don’t align with most customers. The backlash was astronomical.

One of the most shocking ad campaigns of all time comes from United Colors of Benetton. Over the last few decades they have presented us with many images that have stirred the outrage and anger of viewers from around the world. But if you look closer, you realize why the campaign has merit. With a few exceptions, as you look at the ads in their historical context, they are shocking about things we shouldn’t be shocked about. Ads portraying black and white toddlers playing together stirred people up, yet in a world of equality, they should be a non-issue. That was the point. And it fits. There’s a reason the company isn’t called the Segregated Colours of Benetton.

This is not to say that every Benetton ad was perfectly executed. Many ads conveyed messages to different audiences that were very poorly received – just check out their death row inmates ads to see how things can go south quickly, or the Vatican’s response to their new Unhate ads. But when you go out on a limb to shake the tree, sometimes that limb cracks under you. Attempting shocking ads is not without risk. The difference is that in a good ad, the shock is the point. It is inextricably linked in a good way to the benefit of the product. A candybar company in Romania proved this with a brilliant campaign that you can see here, or dissect and discuss with us on our Facebook page. (Yep, blatant plug. Shocking, isn’t it?)

Bravery is essential in good advertising. Without risk there is no reward. But never forget to do the calculations in a calculated risk, and be prepared for potential backlash with humility, honesty and apology.

What do you think? Are there any shocking ads that you think work? Any that backfire? Do you think ads should never be shocking? Let us know in the comments section below!

By Randy Brososky – Randy is the “Chief Rogue and Bottlewasher” at Group of Rogues. He also blogs about marketing and behavioural economics on the Brososkablog.

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Shocking Ads – Why Some Work and Others Don’t is a post from: Group Of Rogues

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15 Things You Can Never Say in Your Ads

Randy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:01:31 +0000

There are shocking words and phrases that show up in a tremendous amount of advertising. They might not be shocking to you. In fact, you see them so often that you’ve become immune to them. Seeing them is like listening to a sleep-tape. You tune right out, ignoring the rest of the message. That’s why they are shocking to me. Advertisers spend a lot of money to get in front of you and grab your attention. Then they use these words that subconsciously force you to ignore them.

So here it is. The words and phrases you are no longer allowed to use. Nope. Uh-uh. Not even “just this once.”

Superlatives – Best. Fastest. Friendliest. Most efficient. You cannot guarantee that you are the best, and even if you are, no one is going to believe you.
“All Under One Roof” – We’ve heard it before. Too much. We’re tuning it out now. Besides, it implies that you are a jack of all trades, master of none.
“One-Stop-Shop” – We’re sick of that one too. Same reasons.
Anything about “Customer Service” – Are you Nordstrom? Can you beat that level of customer service? Then don’t even mention it. Of course you have good customer service. If you didn’t you shouldn’t be open. Besides, telling people you have good customer service makes people wonder why you have to tell them this. Is it because you don’t? This one can actually backfire on you.
“For all your _________ needs” – What we need is to stop hearing that line.
“Satisfaction Guaranteed” – It better be or I’m not buying from you ever again, and neither is anyone I know. Another example of something you shouldn’t say because you shouldn’t need to say it.
“The Only Source for…” – Nope. You’re not. Don’t try to kid me. Unless you are literally the only one in the world that sells your product or service.
Product Features – No one cares about what your product can do. They care what it can do for them. There is a big difference between those two things.
Clichés – Please, just don’t.
“We” – Every time you use this word, you push your customers a little farther away. (Hint: Every time you use the word “You” they get pulled a little closer in.)
Best Prices (AKA: Cheapest) – Never compete on price. If your price is fair for what your customers get, then it’s no longer part of the equation. Let it go.
“Expect the Unexpected” – Then it won’t be unexpected, will it? I want an ad to set me up with realistic expectations that will be met. This is a cop-out.
“We Think Outside the Box” – Do it, yes. Say it, no.
“A Once In A Lifetime Opportunity” – Your competitor is having an even better sale. Tomorrow. So only use this if you have ordered a hit on your customers, because that’s the only way you can guarantee it.
“We’re Different” – Don’t say it. Show it. Prove it.

So there you have it. Now, look at the picture at the top of this post again. Once you have eliminated all the phrases you can no longer say, what’s left? Not much. And that’s what the ad says. A whole lot of not much.

Are there any other cardinal sins you know of? List them in the comments below.

Have you been using these phrases in your advertising? You might have a case of Over-Inflated Hyperbolic Assertion. Fortunately, we know all about it and how to cure it!

By Randy Brososky – Randy is the “Chief Rogue and Bottlewasher” at Group of Rogues. He also blogs about marketing and behavioural economics on the Brososkablog.

15 Things You Can Never Say in Your Ads is a post from: Group Of Rogues

This is a post from Group Of Rogues - Marketing, Advertising and Communications in Edmonton Alberta

The Universal Secret of Advertising

Randy — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:13:13 +0000

Okay, here it is. The universal secret. How all ads work. Or how they function, rather. Whether or not they work is based on how well the creator understands this.

We’re slammed with ads. You’ve heard the statistics about how many ad messages we receive every day. People trying to get our attention. And an ad always has one purpose: to get the customer to spend money at the business.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Businesses survive or die based on customers spending money. But when you’re slammed with thousands of ad messages per day, you get resistant. Defensive.

So when a person encounters an ad, at some level, no matter the media, no matter the message, there is a buried message that the customer sees first.

“I want your money.”

It’s there. It’s implicit. It can’t not be there. And we get tired of hearing that message. Because, subconsciously, we are hearing “I want your money” thousands of times every day.

Our reactions will be varied, some conscious and others unconscious, but they usually run the gamut of “No!” or “Screw off, get your own money!” or “Why should I?”

Actually, if you’re lucky, the reaction will be “Why should I?” The rest are non-starters. They’ve tuned you out before you can even connect with them. But “Why should I?” is something you can work with. How?

By answering that question. Immediately. Honestly. With value.

This is why ads that talk about the business fail. Because the question is not answered. Ads that list a thousand product features fail. Because they say “Here’s why we think you should.” They don’t speak to the customer’s needs, wants, values or beliefs. Ads that make outlandish claims fail. Because no one believes that your company is the best, fastest, cheapest, friendliest, awesomest company in the history of free enterprise.

Customers want a benefit. They want to know what’s in it for them. The answer to “Why should I?” is because they can get that benefit. That answer needs to be immediate. That doesn’t mean the ad can’t be clever. Creative. Unexpected. It just means that the entire thrust of the ad has to make that promise. So really, there is no secret to advertising. If your business has a valuable emotional benefit, and you share it honestly, then the customers will see that and respond.

If your business doesn’t have a valuable emotional benefit, your advertising is the least of your worries.

By Randy Brososky – Randy is the “Chief Rogue and Bottlewasher” at Group of Rogues. He also blogs about marketing and behavioural economics on the Brososkablog.

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The Universal Secret of Advertising is a post from: Group Of Rogues

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