The Responsible Marketing Blog

Coke v. Pepsi: Refreshingly irresponsible

January 2nd, 2009

Coke and Pepsi are at it again.

They battled it out on New Year’s Eve in Times Square with Pepsi revealing it’s new Refresh Everything campaign while Coke introduced it’s Refresh. Recycle. Repeat. green campaign, wind-powered billboards and all.

Here’s Pepsi’s New Year Eve video:

Both campaigns are refreshing, but that’s the problem.

By using the word “Refresh,” either Pepsi or Coke is breaking rule #6 of the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Two companies cannot own the same word in the prospect’s mind.

I don’t know who claimed the word “refresh” first, but the company that claimed it second is guilty of irresponsible marketing.

If you know who claimed “refresh” first, or if you just want to show your Coke or Pepsi allegiance, comment below.

Subscribe to this feed.

Tags: Coca-Cola, Coke, Pepsi, Pepsi Cola, Refresh Everything, Refresh. Recycle. Repeat.
Posted in competition, strategically responsible, videos | 6 Comments »

10 of my favorite lists from 2008

January 1st, 2009

Happy New Year!

I know. I’ve ranted about lists before, but to start off 2009, one of my resolutions is to lighten up (a little) about lists.

Here’s a list of 10 of my favorite lists from last year, in no particular order:

The 10 most admired companies of 2008
Fortune Magazine

50 ideas on using Twitter for business
Chris Brogan

One resolution to keep: A marketing plan in 2009

December 31st, 2008

A resolution to keep: A marketing plan in 2009

I often ask audiences “Are you happy with your marketing results?” Regardless of the number of people in the audience, nary a hand will go up.

Later, when I ask “How many people are working from a marketing plan?” about the same number of people raise their hands.

It’s no coincidence that of those that do raise their hands were among the few that said they were happy with their results.

I’m not saying having a marketing plan is the path to marketing success. But I will say, without one, you’ll fail.

That’s why I’m using the last day of the year to nag those of you that don’t have a plan, and share The one resolution marketers must make. I’ve shared it before, and I’ll probably share it again next year about this time.

If you are still putting the finishing touches on your 2008 marketing plan, take a quick gander. And if you haven’t started your planning yet, give it a good read.

It will be worth your time.

So, what are your marketing resolutions for 2009?

Subscribe to this feed.

. . .

Image: Savage Chickens

Tags: marketing plan, planning, resolutions, responsible marketing, strategy
Posted in strategically responsible | 5 Comments »

Responsible or not? Using the dead to sell

December 30th, 2008

On Christmas Day, John Lennon returned from the dead.

Well, his image and voice were resurrected to help the One Laptop Per Child Foundation “OLPCF” and it’s raised a few eyebrows (and hackles).

If you haven’t heard about the OLPCF, here’s a summary:

It’s an education project, not a laptop project. Inexpensive, durable, networked laptops are important to better education everywhere in the world, empowering children and communities, and sharing access to modern skills with every child on the planet.

And a short video:

View OLPCF Mission on YouTube

It’s an ambitious and noble cause and an idea that’s easy to support.

So Yoko Ono granted the OLPCF the rights to use John Lennon in the following ad, released on December 25:

View A message from John Lennon on YouTube

“John Lennon’s vision of a better world aligns perfectly with the mission of One Laptop per Child,” says Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the OLPC.

But his opinion isn’t shared by all. An article in Ad Age sums it up well:

Still, the ads have mostly been polarizing. Comments at the YouTube page where the ad has been posted by the foundation range from “It’s a good message, but this is too far” to “This is an abomination.” Writers on the popular website Boing Boing said, “Resurrecting the dead to shill modern products is not going to catch on,” adding, “Digitally, it’s creepy.”

Bill Boyd puts it this way:

I always view the use of images of dead celebrities—digitally enhanced or created from scratch—as irresponsible. They’re simply not here to let us know whether they’d approve.

To me, it’s partly about casting responsibility. I couldn’t see Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne or W.C. Fields saying this. But John Lennon feels like a nice fit.

But what do you think?

Do you view this as an innovative and eye-catching way to get attention?

Or is using the dead immoral and just plain wrong?

Comment below to share.

Subscribe to this feed.

Tags: John Lennon, Nicholas Negroponte, OLPCF, One Laptop Per Child
Posted in advertising, casting responsible, cause marketing, creativity, execution responsible, message responsible, morality, responsible or not?, socially responsible, videos | 1 Comment »

To print or not to print. That is the question.

December 29th, 2008

To print or not to print? The Miehle Printing Press via Wikipedia Commons

At least, that’s the question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately.

We printed and mailed holiday cards to key clients and sent digital versions friends of the firm and the folks we communicate with regularly in social media circles.

But I wasn’t sure if should send printed holiday cards.

Every card we sent had a carbon footprint: Printing uses energy, and though we print green every one of those cards traveled by truck, and some by plane to ultimately end up the reception desk somewhere, to be ~~hopefully~~ recycled sometime between today and January 2nd.

Still, digital holiday cards just don’t feel as usable or special to me. Even the really cool ones. Color me old-fashioned.

When we’re doing marketing strategy and planning for our clients, we ask the same questions. With shrinking budgets, should we consider a simple PDF instead of that printed brochure or flyer? At certain volumes, multimedia and video are an option, as well.

But if you are trying to build trust, just how permanent does a PDF feel?

It would be easy for me to create a table that lists the advantages of print vs. digital—and I’ll do that eventually.

But I’d like to know what you think.

What do you believe the advantages of print vs. digital are, and vice versa.

Comment below to share.

Subscribe to this feed.

. . .

Image: Wikipedia Commons

Tags: digital, eco, environmentally responsible, green, print, printing
Posted in environmentally responsible, strategically responsible, usability | 5 Comments »

Why you can’t trust anyone in marketing

December 26th, 2008

In The Night After Christmas, Jonathan Salem Baskin waxes poetic about the excuses marketers will make when retailers realize their marketing efforts (especially their holiday sales) weren’t what they hoped for this year:

The marketing had failed, the sales not triumphant,
The guy sneaking away was the company’s consultant.
More rapid than eagles his course was quite plain,
A getaway with successful branding he would claim.

“Now Viral! now, Social! now, Awareness and Retention!
On, Creative! On, Catchy! on, seeking only mention!
The brand was made memorable, I won’t take the fall!
Didn’t they know it wasn’t supposed to sell at all?”

After getting past the fact that Baskin’s poem is better than the ditty I wrote for the Outsource Marketing Holiday ‘08 card, I realized what he’s saying is what most business people assume about marketers:

We can’t be trusted.

It’s not just the fact that it’s our responsibility to persuade. From all corners of our society, we’re let down by people in sports, pop culture, government, business and religion.

We can’t trust our leaders—our heroes, even. Why would anyone trust someone in marketing?

Since 2006, the Edelman Trust Barometer has found a “person like yourself” is the most trusted person in the U.S. Not analysts, experts, educators or the government. People trust people that share their common interests.

I’ll be curious to see if this holds true in the 2008 Trust Barometer results released next month. I bet it will.

Since a “person like yourself” is who people trust most, it’s good to see social media is finally gaining acceptance and adoption by marketers.

Done right, social media can be a powerful tool to help build trust. Done poorly, it can have the immediate opposite effect.

Obviously, there are other things marketers can do, and we’ll tackle those next week.

It’s time to raise our game, folks. Marketers face a crisis of consumer confidence, and we have a lot to prove.

So, what do you believe marketers can do to help gain the trust of consumers?

Comment below to weigh in.

Subscribe to this feed.

Tags: Edelman Trust Barometer, marketing, social media, trust
Posted in no trust, social media | 10 Comments »

Three fun marketing videos for the holidays

December 25th, 2008

Happy Holidays!

Here are three entertaining holiday-themed marketing videos for your viewing pleasure:

View Happy Christmas from AKQA on YouTube.

View View Simon’s Sister’s Dog in “Fed Up” by the RSPCA on YouTube.

View “Marketing Tips for Tough Times” by S. Claus on YouTube.

Enjoy.

Subscribe to this feed.

Tags: AKQA, gotham, RSPCA, Santa Claus, Simon's Sister's Dog
Posted in advertainment, creativity, socially responsible, videos | No Comments »

The evolution of church marketing

December 24th, 2008

Believe in evolution? That’s your business.

Let’s talk marketing—the evolution of church marketing.

For obvious reasons, a lot more people will go to church today and tomorrow than usual. But religious institutions aren’t just looking for members in December.

More and more churches are realizing that a good location and word-of-mouth alone won’t always fill the pews.

So they’ve resorted to—gasp!—marketing, and some of it ain’t half bad.

Here’s an ad for the Collegiate Church in New York:

The ad was produced by Gotham, the agency serving corporate clients such as Remington, Newman’s Own and Lufthansa—and it shows.

Their campaign bridges television, radio, web and outdoor. Here’s a phone booth ad:

Mosaic Seattle, a local church near my home in Issaquah, WA is no stranger to offbeat marketing: Many services are thematically packaged, and feel more like a movie or event promotion than something you’d see for a church. All of pastor Barry Odom’s services are recorded and available as podcasts, and I have a number of their printed pieces in our ‘idea box’ at Outsource Marketing exemplifying interesting print communications executions.

Mosaic realized that a lot of people only make it to church once a year—Christmas, so instead of promoting one service, they promoted four related ones:

This is smart marketing regardless of category. Get people to come more than once, and you might get them to form a habit.

So, what are your thoughts about the evolution of church marketing?

Subscribe to this feed.

. . .

Source: Churches Welcome Quirky Approaches to Spread Their Message, New York Times

Photo of phone booth credit: New York Times

Tags: church marketing, Collegiate Church, gotham, Mosaic
Posted in advertising, strategically responsible, videos, word of mouth | 3 Comments »

Marketing, advertising and PR are not equals

December 23rd, 2008

I love and hate this:

I love it because of it’s simple, it’s funny and it’s true.

But I hate it because it perpetuates the myth that marketing, advertising and PR are all in some way equals. They aren’t.

Let me explain:

You meet two people at a holiday party: Beth works in the marketing department of a mid-sized business focusing mostly on public relations, and John is sales rep at the same company.

Here’s how they introduce themselves:

John: “I’m in marketing at ABC Widget.”
Beth: “I’m in marketing and PR at ABC Widget.”

One of introductions above is technically incorrect. Can you guess which one?

Did you guess John?

Sorry. Wrong answer, and here’s why:

Marketing is the interdisciplinary umbrella advertising, public relations, direct marketing, sales promotion and direct selling—the five elements of the promotion mix—all reside under.

So the fact is, John is technically right—Beth isn’t.

John is in sales, and personal selling is one of the elements of the promotion mix. It’s the equivalent of saying “I’m in law,” when someone is an attorney specializing in estate planning. That works.

But when Beth says, “I’m in marketing and PR…” it’s like saying “I’m in law and estate planning,” “I’m in medicine and cardiology,” or “I’m in accounting and auditing.” That doesn’t work.

This is a common practice. When I instructed the IMC course at the UW, I was surprised how many marketing practitioners cobbled together discipline and sub-discipline.

Perhaps from the standpoint of explaining what you do, it’s not that important.

But each element of the promotional mix plays a different role in making marketing work. Without an appreciation of the differences or promotional cost effectiveness of each element, your marketing won’t work—no matter what you call it.

Thoughts on this? Share them below.

Subscribe to this feed.

. . .

Image courtesy of Neutron, LLC via Ads of the World.

Tags: advertising, direct marketing, P.R., personal selling, promotional mix, Public Relations, sales promotion
Posted in branding, broken marketing, strategically responsible | 2 Comments »

An inside look at the birth of the Obama brand

December 22nd, 2008

More Barack Obama? I know. I know. Even some Obama supporters suffering from Obama overload.

But you don’t need to be a lover of marketing, history and politics to appreciate the following videos describing the birth of the Obama brand by Sol Sender, the creative director who led the team hired to develop of the brand.

View Obama logo design, part 1 on YouTube