DECEMBER 17, 2008

Have you ever left a store and suddenly found yourself singing a song that you don’t remember hearing – perhaps one that you haven’t heard in years? “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier / I got soul, but I’m not a soldier…”

What about in the morning, after you’ve hit the snooze button a dozen times and finally dragged yourself out of bed and into the shower: do you ever start humming a familiar tune, but have no idea why? “I used to rule the world / Seas would rise when I gave the word… Dum, dum, dum de dum dum dum.”

Well, chances are that The Killers’ 2005 hit song, hypothetically speaking, was actually playing in that store you were in - your conscious mind was just too busy searching for a smaller size to take notice. (Meanwhile, your subconscious mind was having a jam-session with itself!) In addition, Coldplay’s latest single was likely one of the first songs your radio/alarm clock played when it first woke you up this morning. You just weren’t quite awake enough to realize it consciously .

Remembering something without being aware that we are remembering it is a consequence of priming and implicit memory- two relatively harmless psychological phenomena. But a problem arises in the artistic world (music, film, literature) when an artist subconsciously adopts someone else’s work while believing it was actually a product of his/her own creative powers.

Earlier this year, for instance, musician Joe Satriani accused Coldplay of lifting elements of his song “If I Could Fly” for Coldplay’s hit song “Viva La Vida.” Immediately, I was inclined to believe that Coldplay’s Chris Martin (creative genius) may have subconsciously copied the beat, chords and melody of Satriani’s song. As Wired’s Eliot Van Buskirk explains, it’s not uncommon for musicians to hear something and “regurgitate” it later without realizing it. Considering all of the songs we have access to in the digital music era, I would have to agree with Van Buskirk.

To complicate things further, however, it appears that videos depicting similarities between the two songs have been disappearing from YouTube, courtesy of Coldplay’s label, EMI, which claims that the videos infringe on its copyright.  (One of only a few surviving videos can be found here.) A legitimate claim on the part of EMI, or a clever attempt at a cover-up? You decide.

Either way, Van Buskirk finds it interesting that EMI is using copyright as a way to remove one version of a Coldplay song while allowing other versions to remain online.

It’s a useful reminder of the ways in which copyright law can be used for purposes other than thwarting the infringement of copyright. In this case, it’s a somewhat useful tool for downplaying plagiarism accusations directed at one of the world’s top acts.

We already know priming agents can influence cravings and the consumer decision-making process - that’s been the aim of marketing and advertising gurus for years. In an over-saturated society, however, I wonder: have priming and implicit memory lost their touch, or are their influential powers yet to be tapped?

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NOVEMBER 25, 2008

In 2004, vintners and wine store owners commonly referred to the “Sideways effect,” whereby the Oscar-winning film directly influenced consumer impressions and purchases of pinot noir, a once relatively obscure red wine.  According to ACNielsen, sales of pinot noir reached an impressive 370,000 cases between October 24, 2004 and January 15, 2005, an increase of nearly 16% from the same period a year earlier.

It still came as a surprise last week, however, to learn that the “Sideways effect” may have actually reached Japan. Seriously. In an article in Variety magazine, I read that Fox Japan and the Fuji TV network recently announced the details of their joint Japanese remake of Alexander Payne’s 2004 hit movie.  “Wait,” I thought.  “Japan remaking Hollywood?  Usually it’s the other way around!”  This time, though, it wasn’t.

Curiously, as Cinematical’s Peter Martin reports, Japan doesn’t have a native wine culture equivalent to that of the United States, mostly due to weather and soil issues, not to mention a scarcity of land.  In the past year, however, California wine imports have significantly increased in Japan.  Martin writes, “And the comic Kami no Shizuku (translated as The Drops of God; pictured) has become a phenomenon over the last couple of years, read by 500,000 Japanese weekly, according to Telegraph (UK), and sending wine sales skyrocketing across Asia.  The series details a young man’s quest to identify the 12 wines described in his father’s will.”

Set to release in Japan next fall, the remake, which is already shooting on location in California’s Napa Valley, will likely spark a new Asian interest in American wines.  And, if I were a Napa Valley vintner or wine seller, I would already be personalizing my website and my shop for the massive wave of Japanese tourism that is sure to seek my business next winter.

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NOVEMBER 24, 2008

There’s no question that the pizza industry is clamoring for our business by creating new ways for us to order and promotions to entice us to choose their pies.

TiVo in your pizza order from Domino’s

Order online from Pizza Hut and get free music

Friend Papa John’s on Facebook for a free pizza

However, getting pizza online by text message or through TiVo seems a little overboard. Call me old school, but I actually prefer looking up the the nearest pizza place and phoning in my order. I wonder if the chains are giving us what we really want, or are these just gimmicks that will soon go away? I’d choose lower prices and better quality over convenience any day.

Have you ever ordered pizza in any of these non-traditional ways?

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NOVEMBER 18, 2008

When I was in high school, I shopped at the Gap… a lot. Most of the kids in my high school did.  It was actually considered a “hip” store in 1995.  I’m not exactly sure when or why I stopped shopping there – maybe it was because my style changed over the years and Gap’s didn’t – but, apparently, I’m not the only one.  A recent article in The New York Times discussed the troubles Gap is facing, and questions whether the clothing company, famous for its holiday commercials, has lost its edge.

I think that Gap’s troubles extend beyond losing its edge; it appears to have lost its focus too. One thing is for sure: when I was a Gap shopper, the chain was not attempting to sell $6,000 Vespas or $500 bicycles!

Last year, Gap partnered with Vespa to offer consumers the “Crazy Stripe” Vespa LX50 for $6,000. And this year, I suppose in an attempt to be “greener”, it decided to partner with Electra bikes and sell “The Gap Argyle Cruiser” – an actual bicycle with a blue argyle pattern – for $499.  Wait…what?!  I don’t get it.  I mean, I’m all for companies branching out, reinventing themselves, and being open to change, but this just doesn’t make sense to me.  A bicycle does not scream “logical extension of a clothing brand” to me.

At TMG, we believe that the most important thing a company can do is listen to consumers, in order to design and offer products and services that meet their wants and needs.  I’m not so sure that Gap is listening. What do you think?  “The Argyle Cruiser” - good idea or bad idea?

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OCTOBER 9, 2008

WARNING!  Your computer has been infected with a Trojan virus.  Critical files could be lost.  Click HERE to download an anti-virus program that will fix your system!

This is just one of a slew of pop-up warnings that spyware and malware creators use to try to mislead unsuspecting Internet users into downloading potentially harmful software.

A new study by researchers at North Carolina State University shows that most Internet users are still unable to distinguish genuine pop-up warnings from fake ones – even after repeated mistakes.  (Is there a Pavlov in the house?)

The study examined the responses of undergraduate students to real and fake warning messages while they conducted a series of Internet searches on a personal computer.   The real warning messages simulated local Windows operating system warnings, whereas the fake messages were from an external source and designed to trick users into downloading a harmful virus or malicious software.

Participants were fooled by the fake messages 63 percent of the time, hitting the “OK” button in the message box when it appeared on the screen despite being told that some of what they would be seeing would be fake.

“This study demonstrates how easy it is to fool people on the Web,” says study co-author Dr. Michael S. Wogalter, professor of psychology at NC State.

Most telling of all, however, was that, after interviewing the participants, researchers found that the students were so eager to get the pop-up boxes out of the way that they clicked right through obvious warning signs.  In other words, after being saturated by so many advertisements and marketing tools, the students had become too desensitized to notice the actual risks - and perhaps even the benefits - associated with the ads.

You should know that the most prevalent scareware program in circulation today is called Antivirus XP 2008.  Often installed on a PC without proper notification, the software bombards victims with fake security warnings, trying to convince them to buy worthless programs that sometimes even harm their PCs.

The good news is that Microsoft is working with the state of Washington to sue companies that exploit Windows to deliver these misleading popups.  Microsoft, after all, has a strong incentive to curtail spyware: about 50% of its customer-support calls come from spyware-related crashes.  A few times a year, I too am forced to spend an uncomfortable evening resolving a spyware problem.  What about you?

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OCTOBER 6, 2008

Technology is awesome – and at the same time, technology wears on me.

Most days I am grateful for all the ways I’m connected — however, there increasingly more moments lately when, like Gayle with her email, I’m ready for a break. Tools meant to make my life easier leave me feeling overwhelmed; social bookmarking is amazing, but I tag more articles and posts than I could ever read, and my Google Reader is overflowing with unbelievable art, can’t-miss events, insightful stories and statistics - if only I could get to all of it.

Which is exactly why this advertising campaign by Dentyne is brilliant.

It’s not very often that I see an ad and want to put it on my wall, but when I saw the entire collection for the first time on AdFreak, I immediately wanted a copy of them. Something about their straightforward simplicity perfectly captured exactly how I felt.

Several years ago I wrote a post about wondering if my generation, Gen Y, would eventually shift away from technology and into lifestyles that do not revolve around constant connectivity. I’m certainly not the first or only person to ever suggest that too much technology might lead a generation to say we’ve had enough, but several reactions to this campaign brought me back to that post from three years ago. And others, like Columbia grad student Kate Rosenbloom, are wondering if the ads might be an indicator of that larger phenomenon:

[T]he ads and the reading do make me wonder if we are reaching a saturation point in terms of people’s willingness to embrace the idea that technology equals progress. What does it say about the state of American minds today when the advertising industry, which has been so eager to embrace new technology, is encouraging people to ‘log off’ and ‘power down’ (and chew gum)?

I feel like I know more and more people who are refusing to join social networking websites, use instant messaging services, or text message friends. Could these Dentyne ads be just another sign of an impending backlash?

And while we’ll have to wait and see if this larger shift materializes, this thought-provoking campaign has one major shortfall.  MediaBistro hits the nail on the head when it wonders how Dentyne could create a campaign encouraging people to connect offline, and then support it by creating a website:

[W]hy didn’t you just go all real world? Do nothing online. Perhaps you create flash mobs of hugging via snail mail. Perhaps you hold spontaneous concerts on college campuses or bike rides though small university towns at midnight. How about a real world choose your own adventure game?

Dentyne may not be perfect in its execution, but it did successfully create a series of ads that captures my sentiment of the moment. I’m tired of technology controlling my life… and this company beautifully acknowledges — and encourages — my life beyond Facebook. I only hope balancing it all turns out to be as easy as buying a pack of gum.

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AUGUST 22, 2008

I recently went out to dinner at a relatively upscale restaurant in the area.  My husband and I were leisurely enjoying our dinner when I looked up and noticed that there was a TV directly in my line of vision, broadcasting a baseball game.  While I have nothing against baseball or TV in general, I was annoyed by the fact that there seems to be no way to avoid it. It used to be the only place to watch TV was at your house or maybe local sports bars — now, there is no escape.

And it’s not just restaurants.  Have you noticed that everywhere you go these days there seems to be a TV blaring the latest advertisements, infotainment segments or election news?  TV screens are now ever-present at airports, doctors offices, gas station pumps, grocery store check out lines, the gym, the office, and definitely restaurants.  Can you even remember the last time you ate at a restaurant that didn’t have a TV on at the bar?

A recent study by Arbitron media found that one in three people watch television outside of their own home on any given day.

Is it that we are so used to being bombarded with information and entertainment that we can’t tolerate being alone with our thoughts?  Or perhaps marketers and entertainers feel they have no choice in today’s saturated society but to try and reach us at all times and places.  Do we really need to be entertained for the three minutes it takes to fill up our gas tank?  Will we lead a less fulfilling life if we aren’t aware of the latest Hollywood breakup immediately via the mall TV channel?

A recent Fast Company article touches on this phenomenon, stating:

In a DVR world, advertisers are reaching outside the home for today’s most desirable audience: a captive one. Anywhere people might be waiting equals an opportunity to air short-form content and advertising.

And according to a recent New York Times article:

There are at least 37,000 shops, offices and health clubs across the country that broadcast ads on TV screens…and are also in 20 percent of all groceries and 11 percent of all office  buildings.  The Wal-Mart TV Network now includes more than 125,000 screens in 2,850 Wal-Mart stores.

What do you think?  Does it bother you to have TV programming everywhere you go in today’s society? Or do you welcome the distraction and entertainment?

I, for one, could do without it.

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AUGUST 7, 2008

Blame it on my Italian-American upbringing where family wine is made to our liking in my grandfather’s garage and using Prego is like using a four-letter curse word, but if there’s one thing I take seriously, it’s food.  I realized this on a deeper level when it came to food shopping and making decisions on buying generic versus brand name products.  No matter the cost (to an extent) I rarely compromise when it comes to food products.  For example, lunch meats and cheese always come from the deli counter, never prepackaged, and I’ll only buy the Skippy brand of peanut butter.

For most consumer products, I never considered myself loyal to any particular brand.  I can’t tell you what kind of toothpaste I use other than it starts with a “c,” I buy clothes from stores with sales and the right fit, and I purchase gas usually from the most convenient station.

But food, food makes a difference.  For me, food more than serves a nutritional purpose.  Preparing it can be an art and eating it (especially around the holidays) can bring much joy to your life.  And when it’s unsatisfactory the experience of food and the activities surrounding it are spoiled as well.  Any food marketer who knows this and reaches me on this level may have a chance of selling me their product.  The key here is the ability to know these small individual details about a consumer’s buying preferences.  Sure, Google can track my searches and Facebook can record my applications and border my email and profile pages with related ads, but identifying what I’m interested in is only half the battle.  Why I’m interested is the more important question to answer.  This requires what we at TMG Strategies call Deep Listening. 

Want to know what consumers really care about?  It’s going to take more than tracking their search histories.  There are personal, tangible, reasons why I purchase what and how I do and those reasons exist for every consumer – getting to the bottom of them, making the extra effort to truly listen to what consumers want and why they want it will ultimately sell the product.

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JULY 29, 2008

How many different brands would you guess that you personally use in a typical day?  A few may jump to mind immediately- like that cup of Starbucks so many of us start the day with.

But when you stop and think about every single brand name product that you use, the results are startling. For me, before I even leave my house in the morning, I use over 20 different brands.  I think most of us would be surprised at how strongly brands are ingrained in our daily life.

Dearjanesample recently did a little experiment to track the different brand name products she used on a typical day in her life.  The results were fascinating: she used over 70 different brand named products in one day.  And that doesn’t even count the other products she was exposed to - either through advertising or observing other people use.

I think many people think they are immune to the impact that branding has on our decisions as consumers but in reality, when it comes to making decisions, a brand’s reputation definitely impacts whether or not we buy or use it.

One area in my life where this is very relevant is baby products and gear.  A few months ago, I knew next to nothing about baby gear and which brands are considered to be the best.  I have been doing a lot of research since then trying to decide what to buy for my upcoming arrival.   These are the factors that have most impacted my purchasing decisions:

1.   Safety.   If a brand has a reputation of having had recalls or posing dangers, then it’s eliminated.

2.  Quality.  Babies are expensive and I only want to buy products that will last as long as possible.  Brands that seem “cheap” won’t make my list.

3.  Design.  As much as I hate to admit it, design and looks do count.  The products need to be visually appealing while also maintaining functionality.

4.  Usability.  I don’t want to buy products that are difficult to use, require too much maintenance or don’t adequately serve the purpose for which they are intended.

5.  Overall Brand Reputation.  Certain brands are just known to be overall leaders in their industry.  In this case brands like Fisher-Price and Johnson & Johnson are known to be child-friendly and I feel like they won’t let me down.

All this leads to the question of which brands are replaceable, and which do we use because we actually admire the brand and/or the product?  BrandAutopsy has an entire series of postsasking if we’d miss certain brands if they were to disappear tomorrow.  I think for the most part, all of these  - Pizza Hut, CostPlus World Market, Wells Fargo - are replaceable.  They offer products that aren’t differentiated among their competitors.  As much as they may try to stand out, in the end, their products can be easily obtained elsewhere with little effort, for a similar price.

What do you think?  Is it surprising how many different brands we all use in a single day? Are there any brands you absolutely would miss if they were to disappear tomorrow?

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JULY 22, 2008

Nike’s Just Do It turns 20 this month. 

And I bought Nikes before they had the slogan? What was I thinking? Now the slogan has become part of everyday parlance. Why does that matter?

Nike practiced something many companies forget: message simplicity and message consistency.

For twenty years, we’ve heard mostly one thing from Nike: Just Do It. You may love it or you may hate it. Like vanilla or chocolate… everyone has an opinion, but at least they have one. In the case of Nike, it’s mostly favorable.

To me, the phrase embodies a can-do attitude. It is about the art of the possible. It is about making things happen, rather than waiting for life to happen to you. I want to believe in a product, a company, that espouses those values.  And it is, in part, because of Nike’s investment in this brand image that the negative issues the company encountered along the way could be addressed – the Nike way.

An example of Just Do It’s opposite, or “message complexity,” was Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention four years before he ran for President. In reflection he said, “It wasn’t my finest hour. It wasn’t even my finest hour and a half.” His was the classic case of an intelligent person who didn’t want to say the same thing in the same way twice, much less in a succinct way. It was supposed to be Clinton’s national coming out, but the only thing people remembered was that he spoke too long. There was no message, no story.  He learned this lesson before starting his campaign for the Presidency.  During his Presidency, proof of his message consistency could be heard when the traveling press corps would groan and even recite some of his repeated stump speech lines. For Clinton, who was seeking to persuade new audiences, message consistency and simplicity was the goal. Repetition of simple messages gave Clinton a chance to have his message, his story, heard. 

Paul Begala, in making the point for message simplicity, asked Clinton “Do you know what John 3:16 says?” Begala’s logic is if the Bible can explain the reason to believe in God in less than 30 words, then their White House team should be able to explain to the American public why its economic plan made sense without giving long speeches or showing mind numbing charts. It’s hard to argue against.

Whether it’s political campaigns or athletic apparel, the landscape is always changing and the competition always trying to win - a marketplace, a consumer or a vote.  Today, Under Armour is the Chihuahua (or maybe it’s a Terrapin) sneaking into Kruger Reserve and eating next to the lions, Adidas and Nike. The latter both know they must continue to fulfill and enhance their brand images. Nike is launching a new campaign called Courage. Smartly, consumers are asked to engage. Nike understand that a conversation can enhance its brand. Adidas is investing millions in global advertising that is meant to sweep the Beijing Olympics. And the Chihuahua, Under Armour, is plotting its next moves. It’s even hired a new CEO who is familiar with the lions.

As we talk about at TMG, the message is part of the mix, but innovation and leadership are also essential. Under Armour has had a surprisingly strong start. But can it keep it up and build a global brand? Can it harness the power of message simplicity and message consistency? This Chihuahua (Terrapin) fan hopes so.

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