Posts Tagged ‘johns creek marketing’
Posted by Scott Dunn on April 20, 2009
Here’s the marketing outrage of the year. The Port Authority of New Jersey and New York has changed the name of the new signature building at the 9/11 terrorist strike from “The Freedom Tower” to “WTC I.”
Why? Because the word “freedom” makes it hard to sell, they say. They are trying to find tenants for the 1776 foot office/monument, and its tough sledding. But the rumor has it that China has popped for about three floors. Did China insist on the change? Why should they object? Are they afraid of the word? Or of the concept?
To me, “WTC I” invokes sad memories. It makes me think of bad, past days. Dark days of heroism, grief, and, yes, terrorists. But “Freedom” is inspirational and looks forward to days of light, progress and joy.
The old Twin Towers were not a raging success. I don’t think their occupancy was ever that great; I don’t know why. Maybe the new building will have a curse on it, and be hard to rent no matter what name it bears. If I were a salesman for the project, I know I’d rather be selling freedom than a tombstone.
There will be a brief chapter in my new textbook called “Courageous Marketing.” It will cover brands that survived the recession by plowing forward. It will describe the guts of taking uncertain paths. It will honor those who are single minded, despite pressure to diversify. It will not include the chicken-hearted politically correct sycophants like the Port Authority of New Jersey and New York.
The climate these days is to decry the greedy capitalists. The ones who make profits on the backs of the needy unfortunates. But they’re the ones who take risks for freedom, the brave people who aren’t afraid to step up with pride and say, “This is what I stand for. Want a piece of it?”
George Lemmond
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Posted in marketing | Tagged: ad agency, ad agency alpharetta, ad agency atlanta, ad agency johns creek, ad agency miami, ad agency New York, advertise, advertise atlanta, advertise in alpharetta, advertise in atlanta, advertise in johns creek, advertise in milton, advertise in north fulton, Advertising, advertising agency, advertising agency atlanta, advertising alpharetta, advertising alpharetta ga, advertising atlanta, advertising city of milton, advertising ga, advertising georgia, advertising in atlanta, advertising johns creek, advertising milton, advertising roswell, advertising sandy springs, alpharetta advertising, atlanta advertising, atlanta advertising agencies, b2b advertising, buckhead, city of johns creek, city of milton advertising, digital advertising, emory johns creek hospital, George Lemmond, Johns Creek, johns creek advertising, johns creek business, johns creek business association, johns creek chamber, johns creek marketing, print advertising, roswell advertising, Scott Dunn, small business advertising, small business advertsing, social media advertising, sonarconnects, Town Planner, Town Planner Calendar, Town Planner GA, townplanner, townplannerga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Scott Dunn on March 26, 2009
Be careful what you tweet! Twitter has been around for the last three years or so and has become all the rage with the Internet 2.0 crowd. One thing that I caution my clients about when they go onto twitter is this: Make darn sure you UNDERSTAND that anything you write can and will come back to bite you in your ass…so be very, very, very, very careful what you tweet about. For some strange reason many people think that because a few tweets a day are good, a tweet a minute must be better. Or because I have a thought right now, I must share it with the world. Not so says I. DO NOT tweet, just because you think you need to.
This Tweet came back to bite the person from Ketchum (New York office) who made some disparaging remarks about the city of Memphis the morning before he presented on digital media to the worldwide communications group at FedEx (150+) people. A Fed Ex employee found it, was offended by it (as well they should be) and responded as such. But wait, it gets better…they also copied the FedEx Coporate Vice President, Directors and all management of FedEx’s communication department AND the chain of command at Ketchum.
The tweet:
What not to say when your client is FedEx
The employee response:
Mr. Andrews,
If I interpret your post correctly, these are your comments about Memphis a few hours after arriving in the global headquarters city of one of your key and lucrative clients, and the home of arguably one of the most important entrepreneurs in the history of business, FedEx founder Fred Smith.
Many of my peers and I feel this is inappropriate. We do not know the total millions of dollars FedEx Corporation pays Ketchum annually for the valuable and important work your company does for us around the globe. We are confident however, it is enough to expect a greater level of respect and awareness from someone in your position as a vice president at a major global player in your industry. A hazard of social networking is people will read what you write.
Not knowing exactly what prompted your comments, I will admit the area around our airport is a bit of an eyesore, not without crime, prostitution, commercial decay, and a few potholes. But there is a major political, community, religious, and business effort underway, that includes FedEx, to transform that area. We’re hopeful that over time, our city will have a better “face” to present to visitors.
James, everyone participating in today’s event, including those in the auditorium with you this morning, just received their first paycheck of 2009 containing a 5% pay cut… which we wholeheartedly support because it continued the tradition established by Mr. Smith of doing whatever it takes to protect jobs.
Considering that we just entered the second year of a U.S. recession, and we are experiencing significant business loss due to the global economic downturn, many of my peers and I question the expense of paying Ketchum to produce the video open for today’s event; work that could have been achieved by internal, award-winning professionals with decades of experience in television production.
Additionally Mr. Andrews, with all due respect, to continue the context of your post; true confession: many of my peers and I don’t see much relevance between your presentation this morning and the work we do in Employee Communications.
Wow!!!
Did I say content was king?????? You have the power to the information highway, what you do with it is up to you. What you tweet about, will be held against you.
By the way, this happened in January. Not only is it still being discussed at the major social media events (like the one last month at Kennesaw State), but it is also still being written about. I know I always say there is no such thing as bad press, but I might have to rethink that!
Bottom line: No mater what you think about the social media space , it is here to stay. So, learn how to use it to your advantage and create something good.
Scott T. Dunn
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Posted in Social Media | Tagged: ad agency alpharetta, ad agency johns creek, advertise in alpharetta, advertise in johns creek, advertise in milton, advertising alpharetta, advertising alpharetta ga, advertising city of milton, Advertising digital advertising marketing, advertising johns creek, advertising milton, Alpharetta, alpharetta advertising, alpharetta business, alpharetta marketing, appen, appen newspaper, city of Alpharetta, city of johns creek, city of milton, city of milton advertising, city of milton business, city of milton marketing, digital advertising, digital marketing, digital media, Johns Creek, johns creek advertising, johns creek business, johns creek business association, johns creek chamber, johns creek chamer of commerce, johns creek marketing, marketing alpharetta, marketing city of milton, marketing johns creek, milton, money mailer, moneymailer, Scott Dunn, Small Business, small business advertising, small business advertsing, small business marketing, Social Media, social media advertising, social networking, sonar, sonar connects, sonnarconnects, Town Planner Calendar, val pak, valpak | 8 Comments »
Posted by Scott Dunn on October 28, 2008
For those of you who missed my first blog about Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company, that blog can be found here: Joffery’s Coffee & Tea. In a nutshell, Joffrey’s sent out a free packet of coffee to anyone who would blog about them. I found out about it from a couple of other bloggers who found out about it from a couple of other bloggers, and so on and so on. Viral advertising at its finest!
A couple of days ago I checked my mail and found another package from Joffrey’s. This package contained Coffee 2.0, which was a great surprise. Thanks, Joffrey’s, for sending the package my way and for keeping me caffeinated.
Why am I taking the time to blog about this? Simple. Joffrey’s does not leave their success to viral advertising alone. Rather they use viral advertising as one way to touch their target market and gain exposure. Coupled with their viral marketing is their product. They do not rely on the internet alone. Instead they use the internet to connect with people, and in turn then send people their product. This allows Joffery’s the ability to measure their advertising. As most of you know, I am not a huge fan of viral marketing by itself. This is a great example of how to use viral marketing while getting your product in the hands of people who use it.
The other reason that I am blogging about this is that Joffrey’s does a GREAT job telling me a story. Let’s face it. You can buy coffee pretty much anywhere. Coffee is not a new concept and Joffrey’s understands this. They know that I will not buy their coffee because it is coffee; rather I will buy their coffee because of how their story makes me feel while I drink/purchase their coffee. They tailor their story to their target market.
Below you will see the contents of the package Joffery’s sent out. Playing off the Internet 2.0, they have Coffee 2.0, complete with UPDATES and info on HOW TO INSTALL (where do you usually see updates and info on how to install?).
Joffrey’s - all I can say is keep up the good work. Continue to grow your business virally while putting your product in the hands of your target market. Thanks for connecting with me and I look forward to your next product.
Please click on the images below and they will open up for you to read the information on the paper and on the bag. Use your browser back button to come back to this page!
I look forward to your comments.
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Joffrey’s Coffee 2.0 update instructions
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Here is to drinking Coffee 2.0 from Joffrey’s
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Posted in Advertising | Tagged: about u, ad agency, ad agency alpharetta, ad agency atlanta, ad agency johns creek, ad agency miami, advertise in atlanta, advertise in johns creek, advertising agency, advertising agency atlanta, advertising johns creek, alpharetta marketing, atlanta marketing, b2b marketing, city of johns creek, city of milton marketing, county line, county line magazine, coutnyline, direct marketing, dunn's den, dunnsden, google, Johns Creek, johns creek advertising, johns creek business association, johns creek chamer of commerce, johns creek marketing, marketing, marketing atlanta, marketing city of milton, marketing ga, money mailer, points north, points north magazine, roswell marketing, Scott Dunn, scott t. dunn, small business marketing, sonarconnects, target market, Town Planner, Town Planner Calendar, Town Planner GA, townplanner, townplannerga, val pak, valpak, viral marketing, yahoo | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Scott Dunn on September 29, 2008
Any good manufacturer would deep-six a brand that has a 17% approval rating.
Any good retailer would show it the door.
Any good consumer would return it and demand a refund.
Unfortunately, congress is a brand that has tenure. We can’t get rid of it. We can only change its members every two or six years.
The current economic bail-out mess has been described as:
A failed administration, and a failed congress,
bailing out failed businesses that have failed the country,
yet we are assured that it cannot fail!
Our constitution guarantees legislative continuity, but it is silent about competence.
The market is brutal for brands that fail. Over ninety percent of new products and new stores are gone after two years. Here are some reasons why brands fail. One could only wish that our leaders would pay attention:
- They don’t stand for anything in particular
- They don’t listen
- They don’t keep up-to-date
- They think they are bullet-proof
- They think they are above the laws (of marketing that is)
I think that politicians should take Marketing #101. (They obviously skipped Economics and History.) Good marketers live by these rules:
- We exist because of our customers and survive at their pleasure
- We offer a promise and we keep it
- We aren’t the boss
- We are trustworthy
- We are accountable, right now, every day
We have term limits for our president, for good reason. Why not for congress? Sure, we would give up some experience, but we would gain more from fresh air.
I tell my students that if they want to succeed in marketing they should first go out and sell something. That is a humbling experience. They would learn how to fail—graciously. They would have to experience the real world. Politicians—likewise?
“Public Service” is a noble calling. But where has it gone wrong?
George Lemmond
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Posted by Scott Dunn on September 23, 2008
An opponent called Lincoln a baboon and a senator hit another with his cane. Not too long ago we saw legislators duke it out in Japan, and Google reports statesmen’s physical bashings in Jakarta, Taiwan, and the Czech Republic.
Are those good ole days gone forever? The worst I’ve seen lately is, “My opponent’s campaign has reached a new low with his lies and half-truths.” Really—how about really low blows with the gloves off?
I’d favor capital punishment for attacks on anyone’s family. Otherwise, let it rip.
Aren’t you sick of hearing, “My distinguished opponent, with whom I have the highest personal regard, is somewhat misguided on this issue.” That is a non-Freudian slip. What he was thinking was, “He is a bumbling fool and I question his ancestry and the circumstances of his birth.”
We need a police force that enforces non-civility in all political ads. No gentility, only verbal body slams are allowed. Politeness is very boring. Good ads are intrusive. Old-fashioned boxing (under the Marques of Queensbury rules) is being swamped by Ultimate Fights, where the only thing it seems you can’t do is disembowel. Hockey fans want fistfights, Nascar thrives on wrecks. Gladiators win with blood, toreadors earn ears. Americans want a (fair?) fight.
I want to hear what they really think about issues, and what they know about the other guy’s deficiencies (read dirt). Here’s a format that will work for any televised debates:
- In an isolation booth with one mike
- Just the two of them, seated facing each other, three feet apart
- They take turns asking any question they choose
- The other one has one minute to answer, then the first one can shout over
- After five minutes a bell rings and the other guy asks his question
- Two hour limit
All’s fair in love and war. Why not in elections? Let’s fight!
George Lemmond
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Posted in Advertising | Tagged: about u, advertise, advertise in north fulton, Advertising, advertising alpharetta, advertising ga, advertising georgia, advertising johns creek, advertising roswell, advertising sandy springs, alpharetta advertising, alpharetta marketing, atlanta advertising, b2b advertising, b2b marketing, city of milton advertising, city of milton marketing, county line, direct marketing, George Lemmond, gnfcc, greater north fulton chamber, jcba, johns creek advertising, johns creek chamber, johns creek marketing, marketing, metro atlanta chamber, metro atlanta chamber of commerce, money mailer, print advertising, Scott Dunn, small business advertising, small business marketing, sonar, sonar connects, super coups, Town Planner Calendar, townplanner, townplannerga, valpak | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Scott Dunn on August 7, 2008
“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another—–”
This Declaration of Independence applies to employers, clients and customers as well. When you’ve had enough of a tyrannical boss, a recalcitrant client, or a thieving customer, it is your right and duty to say, “I’ve had enough. YOU’RE FIRED!”
Who ever said “The Customer is Always Right” was a fawning, sycophantic wimp.
I was with an ad agency that had a big profitable account where the ad manager was a moral deviant. He delighted in making us miserable. I talked with our president, who wrote this on his pad as he was making the decision:
As I sat lone and musing, a friend came up and said, Cheer up, things could be worse. So I cheered up, and sure enough, Things got worse.
So he got the account group together and said, “He who angers you controls you.” He made the hard but joyous call and severed the relationship. We replaced that account very soon with a better one.
I was the head of customer service at Target Stores. They are very kind to their customers, meeting them more than half way on their problems. The benefit of the doubt is theirs.
But Target is not a jerk. While we took back almost everything, we drew a line; we recognized the repeaters and told them politely that they would be happier not shopping here any more. (“Try Kmart—”) I saw a lot of sweat-stained garments that “were never worn.” My favorite was the unused crock pot that began to reek from the chicken inside.
Small firms can be devastated by the loss of any client, so it’s understandable that they endure untold miseries. It’s a quantum leap when they first stand up and say,
“No more. There is some crap I will not stand.” Bite the bullet and get rid of the problem. Freedom comes next, and more business.
George Lemmond
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Posted by Scott Dunn on June 3, 2008
Traditional textbooks cite the four essential “P’s” of marketing:
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
I would add “Perception” to the list, but maybe that’s just a sub-set of promotion. Also, “Place” used to have retail connotations, but that’s been augmented by catalogues and direct mail, and now of course by the internet.
Since “P” is a useful letter, I make it the key to successful advertising as well.
Here’s my formula:
P(1) plus P(2) times P(3) equals P(4)
P(1) is Promise. That is the benefit a brand stands for. That’s its positioning, its reason for being.
P(2) is Proof. Why should customers believe the promise? That adds to its believability and acceptance.
In the old days, that would be enough. At P&G I learned to just “show and tell,” and users will flock to the brand. But now everybody understands there is a vital ingredient, and if it’s missing, it won’t work.
People buy from people they like. Today’s great ads have charm and likeability.
P(3) is Personal Contact. This is a great multiplier. It tells people that you are just like them, that you have something special for them.
So if you have the right mix of those three “P’s,” you’ll have the potential of a great campaign—
P(4) is Powerful Advertising.
Successful brands and memorable advertising are not only products; they have a personality and a built-in trustworthiness. They have a fulfilled promise, not only for now, but for the future. They are a friend.
George Lemmond
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