Thursday, June 24, 2010…..Arbitron activated more than 700 Portable People Meters around the Triangle.  This day officially launched the era of electronic radio measurement in North Carolina.  It is a day that will live forever in the minds of media buyers throughout the area.  Really?

PPM is a system developed by Arbitron to measure how many people are listening (or at least being exposed) to individual radio and television stations as well as cable TV.  The PPM is worn like a pager and picks up on hidden audio tones within a station or networks audio stream, logging each time it finds a signal.  The system was designed to replace those antiquated written diaries that many in the industry had issues with.  Issues such as sample size and response fluctuations that led to ratings wobble, certain demo and ethnic groups were over- and under-represented, reported listening was exaggerated in certain dayparts, and a good deal of cumulative listening was not reported at all.  Still, this was what we, as media buyers, had to “trust” when putting radio buys together.

I for one am excited about this way of measurement.  I hope that it truly makes a difference in how radio is bought in this market.  While I believe that a lot of buying is based on gut instinct and knowing the market, numbers have to play a part in it.  I have always marveled at how every radio station can position themselves as #1….we are #1 in reaching boys 12+ after midnight….we are #1 in reaching adults 65+ on the weekends.  I want to know who is #1 in reaching my demo, whatever it happens to be, during the dayparts when they are listening.  I hope that this new PPM will help me decipher that a little better.

I wonder what will be next?  Perhaps we will all wear some type of tracking device that will pick up on every message that is sent to us.  I have read that the average American is exposed to between 850-5,000 messages on any given day.  There doesn’t seem to be an exact number that I can quote.  Either way, there are a lot of messages being drilled into our brains constantly.  How many do we actually remember?  Well, at least with the PPM not only will Big Brother be watching us he will be listening to us as well.



I’m not a fan of the NBA.  I’d rather watch college basketball any day.  And I’m certainly not a fan of LeBron James.

Do I care where he decides to play next season?  Absolutely not.

Have I been following the media blitz surrounding his “big decision”?  Who hasn’t.

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that his publicist should be applauded for a job well done.  The LeBron James brand is currently one of the most widely discussed topics in the world, in great part due to social media.

In the past 2 minutes alone, 199 people have tweeted the name LeBron and he continues to top the trending topics.

“KingJames” as his twitter moniker says, already has more than 300,000 followers after less than 48 hours as a member of twitter.  And he already has his own hash tag (#lebrondecision) which is averaging about 40 tweets a minute.

I won’t even try to keep tabs on the number of blog posts penned about tonight’s press conference (I guess this one adds to that tally).  The bottom line:  LeBron’s publicist did something that any good public relations specialist should do.  He used social media in calculated and deliberate way to promote his client and create an ongoing conversation about his upcoming press conference.  And not just a conversation, but genuine suspense and anticipation.

Tomorrow morning I’ll be interested to find out not where LeBron’s going, but how many people tuned in to see.

As social media continues to play a bigger role in the world of advertising and PR, I have a feeling this story will find itself on the pages of a textbook one day soon.

On my way to work I heard a song on the local country radio station by Tim McGraw called “I’m Already Home”.  The song is a letter written by fallen soldier to his wife before he died.  The lyrics were emotional and moving in that particular way country songs can sometimes do:

‘If you’re reading this halfway around the world
I won’t be there to see the birth of our little girl
I hope she looks like you
I hope she fights like me
And stands up for the innocent and the weak
I’m layin down my gun and hanging up my boots
Tell dad I don’t regret that I followed in his shoes’

Hearing that song, and with the Fourth of July coming up, I got to thinking.  War is no beautiful thing and it must be hard convincing the masses to go and enlist.  With the war our country is fighting these days, it’s no easy or simple decision for a young man to decide to leave his family, friends, loved ones, comforts, and conveniences to go and fight.  I also wondered, what is the military’s strategy when trying to recruit?  How do they position their advertising knowing that many of those they are trying to reach through their TV ads and online ads will end up dead?

All those questions are hard and not easily answered.  I’ve seen recruitment campaigns ranging from video game type stimulation to heart-moving pieces all with the goal of persuading individuals to selflessly fight for their country.

One thing is certain, however, there is something to be said for the unsolicited advertising received through songs like the one above.  The patriotic songs written by many artists over the years move listeners and frame the job of giving your life to your country as one that is heroic and to be coveted.  The lyrics move the heart and may even move some towards a decision to enlist.

Happy Fourth of July and thanks to all our brave soldiers who fight to keep us free!

Last week’s launch of the iPhone 4 was a success, selling more than 1.7 million units in 3 days. How on Earth does Apple continually launch products to so much fan fare and surprisingly high sales? A large part of it has to do with the extremely high quality of their products. Their team definitely knows what they are doing, despite those reception problems that are hanging out there. But there’s more to the story and it has do with Apple’s strong branding.

Apple’s strength is that they don’t do everything…but everything they do is done very well. The brand is presented through quality marketing, the passion of their employees and a great product offering. They have extremely sharp advertising, great PR, responsive support (Steve Jobs is know to reply to consumer emails on occasion) and some of the best products in the market (that just work). Along with building such a strong consumer base comes lots of support from the media, because people are interested in Apple’s latest stuff. Whether it’s a headline on cnn.com, the lead story on the Today Show or an unpaid placement on Modern Family, Apple shows up everywhere.

Apple consumers aren’t just buying the products, they are acting as advocates for the brand. They are extremely loyal and trust that whatever the company offers, it will have some of the magic that all their other products have. Apple has built a consumer culture that still challenges people to think differently. The iPad wasn’t supposed to be a success when it launched because no one understood its purpose. Same with the iPod. And now the iPhone 4 is a success, when it’s not really that different from last year’s model.

A lesson learned from Apple is that you don’t have to do everything well. Choose what your company does well and do it better than everyone else. After that, the rest will fall into place.

What does it take to make good advertising?  Does having someone yell at you from inside your television about low rates, fast service or convenient locations make for good advertising?  Does an ad that drives you to turn the radio off every time it comes on make for good advertising?  Does a stupid photo or a silly headline make for good advertising?  I have to say no to all of the above.

Good advertising, in my opinion, has to make the consumer say “Wow”.  It has to connect with the audience in some way.  It must be memorable and easily recalled.  It needs to provide information quickly and it needs to call the consumer to action.  Easy enough?

Check these out…

Promoting the Sopranos in NYC

Promoting the release of Finding Nemo 2

Gillette Ambient Ad

Did any of these ads actually work for the clients?  I don’t know the answer to that but I would have to say they at least got the audience talking about them and that can’t be all bad…right?

As a client for nearly 20 years, one of my responsibilities as a marketing director was to select the company’s advertising agency. Oh goody! I must confess…it was a hard job…one of the hardest jobs I tackled during my time as a client. And I managed to tackle it three times! Each time got better because I refined the technique.

Then, for whatever reason (it had to be something weird that I ate), I decided I wanted to own an agency. And over the past 17 years, I’ve learned the other side of the selection process. Having seen life from both sides of the relationship there are some things we can all do, clients and agencies, to improve on what sometimes feels like a prehistoric process.

The following five tips have come to me over the years as both a client and an agency owner.

1. Narrow the field – Don’t invite 10 agencies to pitch…narrow the list to no more than four or five. Every agency’s chance of winning just got better and, as a client, you managed to protect your sanity. A good thing!

2. Communicate - If you, as a client, are asking for spec work or some other type of assignment, make yourself available to your prospective agencies to answer questions. Nothing is worse, from an agency perspective, than developing an assignment from a cold brief without the benefit of some client involvement. Besides, as a client, you’ll get to see how each agency works, up close and personal. As for spec work, I would always build a certain amount into my agency search budget. Each agency got a little something for the trouble. No one likes to work for free…not even ad agencies.

3. Be even-handed – Every agency should get the same treatment…everything handled the same way, the same assignment, the same expectations. There should be no “grey area”.

4. Get to know each other – No matter how good an agency’s creative product or credentials, this is still a “people” business. Clients work best with people they like and trust. And agencies do, too! Think of ways to meet away from the office during the evaluation process… even to the point of sharing a beer or two. Basing a decision of this importance on the personality of the pitch team during an hour-long presentation isn’t necessarily the best way. Take a little time to get to know your prospective agency. It will pay dividends in the decision-making process and in the working relationship to follow.

5. Treat the losers with respect – It’s bad enough to pitch and not win. Add to that not knowing why you lost! Taking the time to tell an agency why they didn’t win leaves everyone on a positive footing. For the client, it elevates them in the eyes of the agencies that didn’t win. For the agencies, it helps to know where they were weak and how to fix what didn’t work. In that respect, even the losers get to win.

These points are really nothing earthshaking, but simply things I’ve learned on both sides of the client/agency relationship.

Besides, they are so simple that even a caveman could do it.*

*(I think someone else already uses that line!)

Currently, Coke is dusting of the one time neglected image of Mello Yello. They are taking it “old school”, and returning the citrus drink to its original 1979 logo.

Coke sold 27 million cases of Mello Yello last year versus 630 million for Mountain Dew, according to Beverage Digest. Coke is very smart to focus on the sector of their product line that is clearly not competing well, this will be the first major marketing attention the brand has gotten in years.

Will the revamped look alone renew consumer’s interest in the product? Most likely not, but the buzz about the new (or old) facelift most likely will remind people that the product is actually still out there. The nostalgic look will also fall in line with a new trend, where consumers gravitate to thing that they are familiar with. Coke hopes that the throwback look will do just that, and cause older consumers to “retreat” to what they remember. While,also, using the colorful fun graphic style to is appeal to teens and young adults that haven’t yet experience the citrus refreshment of Mello Yello.

Whether it be a soft drink or a hospital, revamping a brand can help renew consumer awareness. Many times people just forget that you’re even there. Maybe a note can be taken from Mello Yello’s advertising playbook…maybe the idea doesn’t always have to be new, perhaps just dusting off an old look can re-familiarize consumers with a brand.

Last Wednesday, the AP Style Book released its 2010 edition.  The biggest difference between this edition and its predecessors:  42 social media guidelines.  Another blatant reminder that ready or not, and like it or not, social media has forever changed the landscape of marketing.

And it’s not just the big brands using social media as a means of marketing.  As of January, more than 700,000 local businesses had facebook fan pages.

Meanwhile twitter continues to grow in popularity, with an estimated 180,000,000 unique visitors each month.

As more and more businesses and individuals delve into the world of social media, one sector continues to lag behind in involvement: healthcare providers.  And considering the demographic that social media reaches, this could be a mistake.

Huffington Post released a study today indicating that women (the primary healthcare decision makers) are tweeting 12% more than men.  And 55% of facebook users ( 56 million!) are women, with the fastest growing age groups being 25-34, 35-54,and 55+.

What are women looking for in social media, and how can hospitals reach them?

• Relationships.  By nature, women are relational creatures.  They want to interact with, get to know, and trust the brands that are a part of their lives.  You may not be able be able to form a relationship through a print ad or a billboard, but the interactive nature of social media builds relationships, which in turn builds trust.
• Tips for Simplifying Life. What busy on-the-go woman couldn’t use some tips to make life a little easier?  Whether it be tips for fitting fitness into a busy lifestyle, healthy cooking advice from the hospital chef, or general pieces of information that motivate women to live healthier lifestyles, healthcare providers have a valuable opportunity to offer advice through daily tweets, text, or facebook fan page updates.
• Freebies. Groupon continues to grow in popularity, and many brands offer discounts through twitter and facebook.  Hospitals aren’t in the position to offer buy one, get one services, but you can offer free branded swag (t-shirts, water bottles, etc.-be creative!) You can also announce free healthcare screenings or other hospital events through social media.

Your target audience is using social media to interact with brands.  Is your brand interacting?

Working can make it difficult to plan and cook well-balanced meals.  When being healthy is a priority, well-balanced meals are key.  Even though cooking from home takes a little more effort, it’s worth it.  In addition to saving money, one can also make sure to have healthy balanced meals with a little planning.

I’ve found that there are some things out there to make cooking from home easier.  One saving grace is a crock-pot.  A crock-pot is a one-stop shop, as you can throw many different items together and come out with a versatile and balanced meal.  Vegetables, meats and starches all cook well in a crock-pot.  Leaving a crock-pot full of food sitting and slowly cooking all day means you don’t have to rush home to slave over the oven.  You can, in fact, walk into the house knowing your meal is ready.  Clean-up tends to be a breeze with crock-pots as well.

Planning ahead for the week’s meals makes it easier.  You’re less likely to run to the convenient restaurant or fast-food stop if you know you’ve got all the ingredients to make a great meal already at home.  It’s also important to find recipes that are easy and fun.  If you try and cook a complicated four-star entre every time, you may wear yourself out and find no time to do other things.  The Internet has many sites dedicated to easy meal ideas that are useful if you are just starting out.  There are even places dedicated to meals for one or two if you don’t have a big family to cook for.

Eating from home doesn’t always have to be a full, multi-course deal.  It’s also handy to pick up a few easy and quick things (like a frozen pizza and vegetables or salad) to have available when you just don’t feel like doing the work.

Eating from home is great in many ways – it may mean leftovers too!

After stumbling upon this video (which is amazing that someone had the time to get this good at throwing business cards), I began to wonder if business cards were even relevant in today’s world. Are they a token identity tool that is easily dismissed? Are they just a way to win a free lunch for your entire office?

I often empty my pockets in the evening, find a business card or two from whatever salesman I came across that day, and throw them away. If I needed something, why wouldn’t I look through my Yahoo contacts, my v-cards or my iPhone “Bump” contacts? With all of today’s technology, what purpose does a business card serve?

A business card should be a seed for a relationship. The best way to give a business card is in person. Afterwards, it is a tangible cue for a person to remember you and what you are offering. The seed then grows into a phone call, which could lead to great things down the road. The trick is you must give people a reason to keep your business card. This rolls into the importance of a thoughtful and well executed design.

A good business card not only contains all of your contact information, but it should represent what you do and how you do it. Some instance require the content to be fun, some need a little more structure and some need almost nothing at all. The end result should be appealing, memorable and hard to throw away. When I sit down to design a business card, I aim to make something that people will keep, no matter if they are looking for that product or service now. One day they might and will know who to call.

Despite all of the technological methods of keeping up with contacts, nothing beats personal communication to form trust in a relationship. Well designed business cards plant the seeds of personal interaction and hopefully grow into successful results. And it’s good to know that with enough practice, they can be used for protection as well.