Remember Waterbeds?

Hey, check the internet, they’re still around. In 1985 they were big. The top and bottom waterbed sheets were sewn together at the foot, so they were really big too. Almost a laundry load by themselves.

Our smallish southern cut and sew factory client competed well in the bed covering business but waterbed sheets was a niche they had not penetrated. The large department store buyers wouldn’t give him the time of day. “We need something unique and there’s nothing special about two sheets sewn together” he said, “got any ideas?”  In less than three weeks we gave him the idea, name, logo and packaging concept that increased his sales by 35%. 

His response to our simple idea? “Why didn’t I think of that?” But what really blew him away was Macy’s stores buyer giving him an aisle kiosk for the exciting new “Button Ups” brand line of waterbed sheets.

Instead of a seaming them together, we suggested he sew buttonholes at the foot of one sheet and corresponding buttons on the other. You might think it was the mix and match tops and bottoms that made them an instant hit but it was the secondary sell point that really caught the female consumer – “May Be Washed Separately” clearly noted on the package cover. We designed it that way.

What could a fresh eye on an old problem be worth to you?

If there is a better way to market your company, we know it.

The Problem With Hog Hair

“The problem with hog hair is the awful smell when it heats up.” “Other than that,” he went on to say, “it is the best choice for high speed burnishing floor pads.” I overheard this at the Jan-San show. We were there in Chicago with our client. They manufactured the commercial cleaning pads he was talking about as did a half dozen others. For thirty years it had been a basic commodity in the trade. That was precisely the problem, commodity…along with the odor – especially noticeable in environments like medical centers. And that was the opportunity. Problem-opportunity, a perfect environment!

We gathered the client’s R&D team. Hog hair worked because of the texture and oily lanolin in the hair. “What if there was a similar product in the plant kingdom,” we asked? Our persistence led to coconut fiber, actually the strands inside the coconut hull. A few months later we introduced the coconut pad to the medical community. It was as good as hog without the smell and our client was the only one with it. Say goodbye to “commodity pricing.”

One final problem. Pasteurizing the fiber stripped away the delightful coconut smell. We suggested they add two drops of coconut extract to each pad when they packed them. “It will last long enough for the janitor to notice,” we reasoned, “he’s the one who will place the re-order anyway.” It worked. It’s still working.

If there’s a better way to market your company, we’ll know it.

A Real Estate Program that Turns “Leads to Yes™”

“Your prospect will willingly give us her phone number and we’ll call to set up the tour.” That’s how we described the “Leads to Yes” system to our client. Sounds too good to be true? Read on…

Every lead is precious, especially today, but unless there is pertinent contact information you bear the expense of the brochure, postage and time with absolutely no promise of a return. In many cases it can cost five to fifteen dollars or more. This is why we introduced the Leads to Yes (LTY) system to our clients two years ago.

LTY is not simply lead generation. It is a programmed system of “interest generation” and helps weed out the expensive “not ready for buy time” consumers while cultivating the more serious prospects. Moreover the associated database logs in all prospect information electronically and it is always available to sales via the internet and a personal log in.

When you calculate the cost, LTY more than pays for itself with money and time left over. This is a great example of marketing and sales working very closely for success. It’s the way we think.

If there is a better way to market your company, we’ll know it.

Communicating with Seniors

Mr. Collins was 72. The last thing he wanted was another operation. Around the table we went and not a single one of the ten seniors disagreed. The issue was they had all lived with bone on bone pain in hips or knees for years but joint replacement was not in their vernacular. The other commonality was each of them had been reached by a well researched and finely honed marketing program. 

A year later they were starring in a video that would reach many more folks with similar pain, encouraging…yes encouraging them to see our docs and get an assessment. 

Typical of Alison’s thoroughness, the campaign didn’t consist only of collateral materials and media strategy. It also evaluated the physician’s office capability to field calls and turn them into appointments. The screening and call back process were integral to our success. It was monitored and revised on the fly so no leads were lost to poor execution. 

The bottom line is this: If there is a better way to market your company, we’ll know it!

Radio Commercials - A Commentary

Radio is one of the most imaginative mediums to work in. Done well, radio commercials are talked about, shared and even e-mailed, transcending the medium itself to become an endorsement of sorts.

 But great radio commercials are harder to find today. Writers don’t give enough time and imagination to make them work. The result, a waste of air-time and money for clients.

 I have identified six no-no’s for radio script writers:

1. The radio commercial that should have been a newspaper ad. It is simply a verbal listing of services or goods and the writer is hoping to strike a nerve with any listener. My advice, buy a newspaper ad.
2. The radio commercial with the old style jingle package. The best branding in the world is blown when the “pepper-tanner” jingle kids open and close the spot with an “insert name here” music do-nut. My advice- Nix the jingle. Rewrite the spot.
3. The  “client” voice over commercial. Of course people will tell you they heard you on the radio but no one will tell you how really bad you sounded next to the national commercial. Especially in the south. My advice – Leave the voice over to a pro.
4. The commercial written and delivered in third person. This is the one that uses the term “They” for the client’s name. Example – “So give Joe’s Car Center a call. THEY are helpful with all types of blah blah.” My advice – If you can’t endorse it first person, it is probably not worth endorsing. Do-over.
5. The 60 sec commercial that should have been 30 seconds. Radio stations often sell time in 60 sec. blocks so the client feels obligated to use the whole minute. I have actually heard one commercial repeat itself again using the connecting copy line “as we said” to segue the same boring announcement. I didn’t listen to it the second time. No one does. My advice – If you must use the 60 but have nothing to say, play music for 30 seconds… but not the jingle.
6. The radio commercial featuring small children as the talent. Kids are great on TV because they are so animated and their actions help convey the words they say. On radio the joy of the visual child is not there. They are simply hard to understand. They sound like an untrained, diminutive voice that is neither cute nor convincing. My advice – Hire an adult child voice actor if you need a child voice or better yet, don’t do it.

Radio commercials are written and presented to clients in a non-competitive environment. But, when they air, they run in multi-minute commercial blocks and can be lost in the mayhem of  audio clutter.

When it is initially written and presented it has to be presented in that same environment to see if it holds up and gets noticed. All said and done; write it so sells the brand, it’s memorable and It speaks to the audience it was designed for.  If it doesn’t…rewrite it.

Will 2009 Be a Good Year?

One of our favorite clients is a very engaging person who always looks for the positive. His Christmas cards this year reads:

(Cover)  "Will 2009 Be a GOOD year?"

(Page 2)  "Some say they will believe it when they see it."

(Page 3)  "Some say they will see it when they believe it."

(Page 4)  "We say it is all in where you place your believe. Merry Christmas."

Thanks Greg for helping us remember that life isn't something that happens TO us but something that happens IN us. In these challenging economic times we can still choose to find optimism.

Happy New Year!