Ron Burgundy - Master content Marketer?

We all saw the Dodge Durango commercials, the incessant teasers of the Anchorman 2 movie, the guest Anchor spots on ABC and a North Dakota news program - Ron Burgundy was all over the place.  The movie was a success, generating over $100 Million in domestic ticket sales, and inevitably creating new movie quotations for years to come.  Over the top - yes.  Borderline obnoxious, some would say yes as well.  But... a marketing genius?   I would absolutely say yes!

By blurring the lines between comedy and advertising, the content strategy used worked across several media platforms generating enormous buzz for the movie - AND created key advertising and product opportunities for brands like Dodge, Jockey, and Ben & Jerry's (who doesn't like Scotchy Scotch Scotch ice cream?)  Ron Burgundy, the Movie character, became a brand ambassador for several key retail brands!

So, do you have what it takes to create a viral buzz across multiple media platforms a la Ron Burgundy?  Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have created a "sucker punch" advertising platform, can you?  Read More

Here's one of Will Ferrell's original commercials for Old Milwaukee:

Brand Positioning: Getting your startup's name out there

So you have this great product, a slick website, and an ad budget with plans for global domination.  Your logo is spectacular and inventory is in the warehouse - you are ready to make a name for your Brand.  The social media is up and running, and you are pinning that fantastic product to various boards.  You are ready to go, and then...poof.

That's what happened to me, and is still a constant struggle, getting the brand out there for more traffic - and more sales.

How do you get your brand discovered by the mainstream - one word is needed... Articles.  Posting articles to media outlets - both online and hard copy - is an effective method of brand discovery, followed closely by the tried and true method of referrals.

Check out this article to see what the stats say on effective brand discovery.  Read More

Ditch the Pitch? Why the Elevator spiel falls short

It used to be an old adage - can you make an impression on someone in the time it takes to go up a floor in an elevator?  Well, unfortunately with the need-it-now mentality of today's instant access crowd, an elevator ride is pretty much a yawn-fest.

So, how do you get your point across quickly to the millennial crowd?  Try throwing a Memory Dart - a phrase that will be short, sweet and to the point - pun intended!  You want to get your point across in under 10 seconds with something that won't come across like a poot in church.

Think of your Memory dart as a verbal business card y'all, and make that impression!

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What do Walter White and Steve Jobs have in common?

Hmmm, now that's an intriguing question to ask on a Wednesday.  How can a science teacher turned meth kingpin have anything in common with the Apple guru?

In actuality - quite a bit!  You think about how Apple came on to the computer scene in the 70's, how it's design techniques and customer-driven laser focus created several industries, and then apply that to the drug business, and well you have synergies that can be applied to basic branding principles.

1. Market recognition:  Steve Jobs saw the future of personal computing very early, and recognized the vastness of the emerging market.  Jobs also was able to hone in on what the end user wanted, and simplified it so that it applied to everyday life - i.e. creating the MacIntosh desktop graphical interfaces that, well mimic someone's desktop.  Very simple, yet applicable to everybody's life!  Walter White saw that Methamphetamine was rapidly becoming huge, and took his expertise in chemistry to a new level by developing a better product which his market truly wanted.
2. Product Integrity:  Walter's formula in the show is a 99% pure product - well above anything in the marketplace, and its distinctive blue coloring made it easily identifiable.  To the consumer, it was a mark of drug excellence and created a huge demand for the Blue.  Jobs created a closed product, so that anyone who wanted to create an application or software had to utilize Apple's parameters, thereby ensuring that any software or hardware component worked seamlessly with Apple products.
3. Distinctive Design:  From the branding to the packaging, everything that Apple creates has a distinctively clean and intuitive design.  The iPod/iPad/iPhone have limited product directions as earch are easily implemented - kids can operate them without any real instructions.  Walter White's Blue meth is completely different than anything in the fictitious marketplace, and it's brand name of Heisenberg appeals to the end user, and strikes fear into the competition.
4. Market Dominance:  Apple has revolutionized 4 industries, and in each has been an industry leader, leaving competitors, particularly in the cellphone industry lagging behind.  Walter White's ruthless attention to his marketplace has placed his product as the standard, and his competition has not been able to copy and/or destroy it's way back.

Yes, we're talking fiction vs. reality, but these four principles can be put in to your own branding culture.

Brand Messaging: Common mistakes that deflate your Message

Any fighter will tell you, if you want to win - you have to come out swinging and make a solid connection quickly.

This is the same with any product or service - you want to make a solid connection quickly with your audience - and that is done with a powerful brand message that empowers action.  Yet, this is a constant struggle with today's marketers.

Brand messaging doesn't have to be all about the Pro's of your product or service - rather it must embody your target audience's core values.  That old adage, sell the "WHY" remains somewhat true in this respect - if you don't zero in on what your audience cares most about in relation to your Brand, then you risk inauthenticity, or basically pissing off your key demo.

Read more to avoid the 5 common pitfalls of brand messaging so that your Brand scores a knockout in its next campaign!

The Umbrella - a timeless brand opportunity

Yesterday was the first day in quite a while here in Atlanta where that big yellow thing in the sky was visible all day.  We had soggy fireworks and the ducks were quite happy for a good long time.

Which brings me to the Umbrella - yes it was a valuable commodity for us in the past week, but I do think it doesn't get the proper branding respect it so deserves.

Originally, umbrellas were made to ward off the sun - not rain.  The Chinese started to apply wax for waterproofing purposes, and the trend migrated over to Europe, where it evolved in to a fashion item for the elite.  Nowadays, you can get one on any NY corner for $5-10.00, but utilizing it to market your brand has now gained a better following.

Yes, it's old school, but at an outdoor event, on the city streets, or in your car, the reliable umbrella is a fantastic brand vehicle.

The modern Storyteller - YouTube!

Storytelling.  We all do it, heck we've all heard a tall tale or two hundred - and in my family that is one holiday meal!  So, what does that mean in the times of instant gratification and social media?

Our Facebook and Twitter feeds - along with every other social outlet - are full of videos that our friends, family, co-workers, etc. have posted at one point or another.  The bottom line is that people post videos and pictures for three core reasons:

1.  To amaze and entertain our friends
2.  To reveal aspects of our true selves to our network in order to build stronger relationships
3.  To help people by providing meaningful information and insight

Now think about it, who hasn't posted some crazy video of some person doing a stunt gone horribly wrong?  I am a consistent poster of articles and videos that relate to organ donation, or of positive affirmations.  And, who didn't receive some sort of political video/joke/picture during last years elections?

Great, you've nailed exactly why I post something on a personal level, so what does that mean for my brand?  It goes back to the first word in this post - Storytelling.  We are social creatures, and social media, particularly YouTube and Facebook, allow us to share the stories that Uncle Jack told us from back in the day, but utilizing visuals and acoustics to enhance the social experience.

Brands have been making TV ads for years, which is great for the Super Bowl, but otherwise you end up taking a shotgun to an archery contest.  Social Media allows a Brand to fine-tune its message on a personal level - by bonding with the recipient through those core reasons.  Creating a Brand Story that relates your product/service/mission/values to the individual promotes not only the Brand, but the social aspect that we all have to share.  You may have 100,000 twitter followers, but release a YouTube video that grabs your audience on a personal level, and that tweet may explode to Millions of people - and potential customers.

Read more on how to create a Storytelling experience with your Brand videos

Winning tips for Pinterest

Hey, we all know that Pinterest is huge, we've talked about that before.  But how can brands, especially brands who are targeting women, utilize this social tool to drive business?  Here are 4 tips that will do just that!

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