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BEING IN CONTEXT.

MARKETING TODAY IS BEING AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME AND BEING A NO-BRAINER.

As much as I appreciate marketing messages in advertising that entertain and make you think, today it’s their context that can make them the most effective. What I mean by effective is that you act or respond to the messages based on the circumstances and situation in which you receive them.

Our behavior today from lifestyle habits through online and offline media channels provide opportunities with the right offer to act on a marketing message. But the right offer has to be a no-brainer. We can be intrigued by something, which I believe happens when an ad is appealing and gets our interest, but to close the deal and get someone to act, it has to truly affect who’s in control.

 Being in control is very apparent today because we, through the internet and social media channels, are in control of what we are interested in, care about, and want to share.  To be a part of this controlled environment a marketer’s brand and product message has to be in context with the controller.

The following are examples of marketing messages being in context with today’s controller:

1)    Content- This is a major area because of what we are interested in and why we peruse and surf the internet. If you can provide good content information on what someone is interested in with an offer they can’t refuse because of its context within the information it becomes a no-brainer. 

2)    OOH & POS- Out-of-home media such as billboard messages and transit on sides of buses can be very effective for not only directional reasons and knowing about a new product or upcoming event but with web address and Quick Response (QR) codes for connecting offers.  Point of Sale is still one of the original and most effective messaging in context for impulse buying. 

3)    Mobile- With the progress of the smart phone, the mobile media channel has taken the place of a laptop computer.  The advantage of this context is you have someone on the go out there with more new apps in their hands now ready to find out about and take advantage of offers.

4)    Radio & Video- Radio like OOH and POS canput one in context as a constant reminder of a location or event to get an offer but it also has a listener base to personally share things digitally through web and email. Video like TV ads get considerable attention because of the engaging action of the medium for content and offer which can be informative and entertaining to share.

So when you are embarking on your next marketing campaign don’t forget about the context in which someone will receive its messages. It may very well make the difference in your response and success.

  Steve Climons is Chief Brand Developer of Crossover Creative, a results-driven, award-winning marketing and advertising consultancy, and can be reached at sclimons@crossovercreative.com

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WHY POSITIONING YOUR BRAND IS IMPORTANT.

MAKING A STRONG POINT ABOUT YOUR COMPANY BRAND’S UNIQUE VALUE IS KEY IN ITS UNDENIABLE APPEAL FOR CUSTOMERS.

Your company strives to create a great offering for customers with products and services that represent its brand’s quality.  Your company's brand is how you’re selected and distinguished in the marketplace by customers over your competition. And how you develop a following and loyalty to your brand is based on your quality.

So what does this have to do with positioning? Well, positioning is determining the essence and benefits of what your brand’s quality represents to customers. This is an important criterion because this is essentially why they “buy you” and believe in that decision. It is at that decisive point of the sale you have convinced them that you could have the goods over others.

How do you position your brand? You distill in a statement what your positioning is and stand behind it in everything you do in regards to the brand. This establishes who you are to customers and they “get it” when they think rationally or emotionally about buying your brand. It has a message that connects with and reinforces a need that matters in their life.

The following are some steps to be taken in developing your company’s brand positioning: 

Determine brand core attributes. Find out what are the key things that make your product or service unique and why someone should buy it. This should include the following:                 

 -    What your unique value proposition is

 -    Who your competitors are and why you are better

-     Who or what’s behind your name

Identify your target customer. Recognize who that is in understanding your value and need including the following:  

-     Who they are? (Key demographics profile)

-     The main reasons why they like your product or service

-     What they say about your brand that identifies your value

Recognize product or service usage. This includes how customers would use your brand’s products or services to better understand their needs including:

-    The occasions that customers appreciate it most

-    If there is a favorite of the selection of products or services

Here are a couple of examples of brand positioning slogans for small businesses based on this process:

North Shore Dental is a hi-tech dental office that provides excellence in comprehensive dentistry that brings art and the latest technology to create dazzling smiles for the entire family.

“Your smile is our business.”

Sun Tropics Premium Nectars is a high quality juice company from the Philippines that focuses on being true to the fruit. The exotic line of nectars supports more choices and a taste that is like biting into fruit.

“Taste more fruit.”

In each of these cases there is a strong point being made about the brand that is undeniable based on the products and services they represent. This is important because it helps potential customers to want to try them.

  Steve Climons is Chief Brand Developer of Crossover Creative, a results-driven, award-winning marketing and advertising consultancy, and can be reached at sclimons@crossovercreative.com

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OBJECTIVITY IN DEVELOPING YOUR BRAND APPEAL:

THE NEED FOR SMALL AND LARGE COMPANIES TO LOOK OUTSIDE THEMSELVES FOR A REALITY CHECK IN MARKETING THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.                                                             

                     It is very hard when you start a business or create a product to not get caught up in developing every aspect of its existence. This can become a day in and day out job that constantly focuses on executing everything from research, testing, packaging and ultimately branding for the marketplace.

Along the way you create checks and balances that you and your team adhere to as your “standards for excellence” in understanding what your business or product’s brand represents to you and your potential customers. You make those standards stick in the minds of your team because it represents the quality of your brand’s offering and what you want the marketplace to experience and believe     as well. 

But when it comes to marketing what you believe and what the marketplace believes may be two different things. And when you are caught up in the checks and balances of creating your brand’s standards of excellence you may not see it. This is where you need to look outside yourself and your company for someone to give you objectivity in how your brand appeals to the marketplace.

The following are four areas where someone qualified can objectively help in developing your company or product’s brand appeal:

1.  Understand the category and competition. This is where experience comes in to recognize the principles and value of the business in the marketplace. Having some background and knowledge that relates to a business category gives credibility in understanding how to   distinguish a brand.

2.  Understand the need. For every company’s product or service there has to be a need. Knowing how to recognize why a company’s brand product is needed is critical to understanding its value in the marketplace.

3.  Understand the audience. Who buys and why they would buy your company’s brand comes from experience in knowing what motivates people logically and emotionally. Today’s audience is evolving to be more tech savvy and diverse.

4.  Understand your quality. This is where someone has to have experience in knowing how to truthfully distill the benefit of the essence in what your brand stands for in appealing to potential customers. And this should be undeniable.

By having someone outside your company helping to market your brand’s appeal you get valuable objective opinions beyond yourself and keep in touch with the reality of the marketplace.

Author 

Steve Climons is Chief Brand Developer of Crossover Creative, a results-driven, award-winning marketing and advertising consultancy, and can be reached at sclimons@crossovercreative.com

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BEING UNDENIABLE.

HOW YOUR BUSINESS AND PRODUCT’S BRAND BECOMES YOUR BABY.

  At the beginning of every company’s or products inception there is an offering.  This is the nucleus of what you sell and the driving force behind its survival. The quality of this is ultimately what you stand for as a brand and your development of that becomes your baby.

Each facet of your baby’s brand development is and should be a major concern in which you’ll want to take great care in its growth, strength and most importantly appeal. The appeal has to be undeniable to not only survive but to be truly successful. 

So what are your baby’s brand first steps? Getting it to stand for something in order to grow. This is about how others recognize what your brand is made of and worth. This is a major step because it requires integrity and for someone to believe you have that is critical for your baby to be able to walk on its own without struggling.  Integrity comes from being able to deliver on your promise without question. It is here that you need to nourish your brand to represent something that people don’t just need but want.

The nourishment will give your brand strength to walk and eventually run. Strength comes from recognizing and understanding your value to customers. This becomes real when you demonstrate what your brand’s product can do for them and it is evident that you can grow.  Muscles are developed for growth by exercising this repeatedly so that the marketplace notices it and you start to create a solid foundation to become appealing. And you want this to be undeniable.

To have undeniable appeal really supports your brand’s recognition as something that defines a special identity. Here is where your baby takes on a life of its own because its brand integrity is not questioned but redefined by customers who love it. Every step it takes, every move it makes, is welcomed and supported because it matters to people.

For those responsible for current or potential brands of businesses and products who recognize the importance of their baby’s brand success in the marketplace, remember it’s one thing to be cute and another to be undeniable.

Author 

Steve Climons is Chief Brand Developer of Crossover Creative, a results-driven, award-winning marketing and advertising consultancy, and can be reached at sclimons@crossovercreative.com

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WHY HARMONY IS NEEDED.

WHEN IT IS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO AGREE TO ACHIEVE A CONSENSUS.

  In our life experiences we as individuals have been put in situations where we are part of a group or team that has to make decisions together.  We may not realize it at the time but our input and participation is important to the group and consequently affects the outcome of the decision.

In these situations we have to weigh things to the best of our abilities and evaluate their merit to give an opinion or a vote for or against. Along with our evaluation is the concern for others within the group whose opinion and backgrounds may be different from ours but from their point of view is the right way to go.  Based on that it is critical that we truly listen, understand and if need be challenge because it could make the difference in a group decision.

This is where we need to recognize our freedom and rights as individuals to voice our opinions even if they are contrary to others. But it is also very important in this situation that we recognize others rights as well and the consequences behind not resolving a matter or issue.

What is at stake here is “justice for all” in hearing opinions that could be different or complementary to others. We live in a democracy where you have the right to agree to disagree as long as your opinion can be resolved with others to determine a consensus. This could be for anything from a product’s brand, jury verdict, to a decision by the U.S. Congress.

So what do we do in this situation in order to come to some agreement that will add up to a consensus? Find harmony.

Harmony is when someone says something that you may not agree with but you suggest one word or thing that is acceptable to him or her and it changes it for the better. It is liken to music when two different instruments or voices come together playing or singing different musical notes that sound pleasing together.

When this harmony occurs amazing things can happen like (no pun intended) sound decisions.

Author 

Steve Climons is Chief Brand Developer of Crossover Creative, a results-driven, award-winning marketing and advertising consultancy, and can be reached at sclimons@crossovercreative.com

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THE PROBLEM WITH PROFILING AND STEREOTYPING

The unfair assumptions can be setbacks for progress in America’s evolution. 

        America in its most densely populated areas is changing. It is much more multicultural with most of its growth coming from the immigration of Hispanics and Asians. These in addition to the nation’s second largest racial and ethnic minority, African Americans, you now have majority-minority populations in major cities across the country.

For some reason in spite of this country’s original population of various immigrants that migrated from Europe, the disrespect for these new immigrants has a stigma that goes against its history. This is the same stigma because of slavery that has long challenged African Americans with discrimination.

Why is it even after electing the first African American president twice, America is struggling with its new evolution of color by profiling and stereotyping minorities? This is supposed to be the land of the free and the brave. And yet today not only law enforcement but also modern day neighborhood vigilantes assume that primarily black and brown people are suspect and responsible for any wrongdoing.

What about anything right? And their pursuit of happiness? Or in modern terms their infinite possibilities. America is about liberty and justice for all. This is what makes this country great.

To discriminate against, racially profile and stereotype minorities, who now in some cities are the majority, you are limiting that big time.

This is not to advocate not prosecuting criminals but rather to recognize that stereotyping and racial profiling can have deadly consequences. Look at two cases of young black youths that were both subject of profiling and stereotyping. One, in the case of Oscar Grant in Oakland, CA deemed a troublemaker who was killed by an inexperienced police officer and two, Trayvon Martin killed because of his wearing a hoody that was thought to be suspicious.

In both of these cases there were perceptions about these two young men that went too far.

Assumptions made that are now setbacks in relationships with communities. And let us not forget the victims who are missing now from America’s progress in evolving that should be based on recognizing and accepting its heritage.

Author 

Steve Climons is Chief Brand Developer of Crossover Creative, a results-driven, award-winning marketing and advertising consultancy, and can be reached at sclimons@crossovercreative.com

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NOW WILL WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

CONGRESS AS WELL AS CORPORATE AMERICA MAJOR BRANDS AND PRODUCTS HAVE TO REALIZE A DIFFERENT AMERICA AFTER THE 2012 ELECTION AT THE DECISION TABLE.

It's clear after the 2012 election that we have turned a corner on the new voice of the American people. Minorities, women, youth and independents spoke out and their opinions could not be denied in spite of the defeated Republican Party claims that they "speak" for America.

No longer can the Republicans with their conservative perspective try to speak for America on issues such as birth control, same sex marriage and immigration as well as global warming, gun control and tax rates. Also, the corporate America that funded Super Pac campaigns, which represent major brands and products in need of the support of all Americans, now have to recognize what their current and potential customers don't agree with.

What does this mean to the Republican Party in Congress with regards to the new outspoken America who doesn't agree with it? Evolve and change. Compromising is a good thing when the end result benefits America and shows you care about its people's issues. And it's inevitable based on future elections.

What does this mean for major brands and products in corporate America? You now have a new mainstream to deal with. One that has evolved to a variety of tastes that represents what America stands for: freedom and liberty. Today's America has the freedom to choose the brands that matter to them and the liberty with today's media to be vocal or not with their choices.

Acknowledging this new mainstream is not easy especially with an election that seemed to divide the country. But there are benefits and opportunities for getting along that can make a difficult situation for America better, or at least more productive. The following are worth considering:

Based on the elections, the country has spoken. Republicans and Democrats need to recognize where both of their values stand in America and should not fight the election results. Getting past denial and ideology is critical for creating solutions together.

Open and responsive minds for America make the difference. It's called give and take and sometimes that can be very special when there is inclusion instead of obstruction.

America is evolving and major brands and products from corporate America can benefit from understanding America's new appreciation of ethnic and global cuisine as staples, reward programs that recognize diverse needs that matter for survival and growth, and the social needs we cannot live without.

Being respectful of a new America with different points of views has got to be the primary responsibility and value for both its governing leaders as well as its major brands.

Is this not achievable? Are we to be a country that continually fights, antagonizes, obstructs or constantly annoys one another? Do America's governing leaders resolve things by, like a bad TV commercial; force their unforgiving message down their opponent's throat? America said "no" in November 2012.

So isn't it time we all just get along? America needs to in order to survive. Based on our history of challenging each other's perspectives for the greater good, this is inevitable.

Author 

Steve Climons is Chief Brand Developer of Crossover Creative, a results-driven, award-winning marketing and advertising consultancy, and can be reached at sclimons@crossovercreative.com

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ADVERTISING DOES HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY

Getting beyond: the shocking, frivolous, obnoxious, forgettable, irritating,meaningless and god-forbid fake ads

Or

GETTING AN ROI (RETURN ON ADVERTISING)

With marketing budgets being scrutinized today for ROI, advertising has been taken out of its primary position. A lot of that has to do with alternatives today and an apparent concern that advertising isn’t necessarily the answer. Worst of all based on some of today’s advertising solutions there is a big push back to whether it is accountable, giving way to it becoming devalued and something people don’t trust or feel good about spending money on.

WHY?

Look at it. For the most part, it has become a wasteland of frivolity. With the advent of the internet in the nineties, (for some reason) today cynicism has set in big time as supposedly the mindset of consumers. So the answer now is to entertain with humor and shtick to get people’s attention forgetting about informing them about the client’s unique brand or product difference and benefits. This isn’t the case for every humorous effort by agencies but it has become today’s advertising execution for getting attention and making noise for a client without recognizing that people now can voice objection. Unfortunately a lot of ads created to get attention or entertain people become forgettable when it comes to remembering the client’s brand or product significance. Where’s their beef? Unfortunately this creates an acceptance of bad advertising that influences the schools and training grounds for individuals coming into the marketing and advertising business. And they wonder why when something doesn’t work after spending millions. The worst part is advertising at its best is being reduced to Saturday Night Live parodies leaving in question if you had any knowledge or experience in the industry, what happened to its integrity?

Some will argue that it’s the times, the information age, which is the cause for the way we create advertising today. Consumers control and you need to satisfy them. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY THAT WILL AND CAN SATISFY CONSUMER? Is the advertising industry incapable because of what happened in the nineties? Is there no longer a need to be informed well in spite of the internet? Do we all just blog now to find a great brand or product? Do consumers no longer want to understand the cache of a brand or to be identified with its quality? Has advertising now become a joke or something you don’t talk about as your profession today for fear of appearing to be a schiester? Is it dead because of the new digital age and potentially no longer needed as Bob Garfield wrote in his visionary The Chaos Scenario 2.0 in Ad Age? Is it really not accountable anymore? Should the content for advertising be created by the target audience instead of advertising professionals? I say no.

WHAT YOU NEED TO BE SAYING

Yes, the information overload age is upon us and you have to deal with people watching a computer or cell phone instead of watching TV. But the ROA and ROI opportunity is still there to say something that will and can satisfy people in spite of the today’s circumstances. Resonate. It’s like a good book, conversation, movie, live concert, theatre, house party, or anything else you can seriously relate to. (Example: Chrysler’s “Farmer”)

Marketing is multi-faceted today with events, word of mouth, and online/offline social networking and yet still there needs to be a communications point made. Concepts with content that will satisfy people’s curiosity and make them think if they have a pulse.

Today advertising now has a wealth of creativity to draw from individuals within this country’s diverse mass markets that should be representing the marketplace change. If you look at the major markets in this country there is a profound minority/majority. Twenty years ago that wasn’t the case. Is this reflected in the development of today’s mainstream advertising campaigns? I am not referring to just utilizing more people of color in subordinate roles but rather incorporating their perspectives in the development and output of advertising messages. Here’s an opportunity for credible new work that would be really driven by the marketplace’s perspective.

The bottom line is the billions spent on advertising could be working a lot harder for clients and consumers. Every time an ad is created is an opportunity to say something that will and can satisfy consumers instead of being irritating, obnoxious or something to avoid. To not recognize this is to continue to devalue what advertising stands for, which is good information and ideas for the people by the people in today’s digital marketplace.

Author 

Steve Climons is Chief Brand Developer of Crossover Creative, a results-driven, award-winning marketing and advertising consultancy, and can be reached at sclimons@crossovercreative.com