Hi,
I met a man in Brisbane years ago. His father was mentioned in a Royal Commission as an organised criminal. (Not an efficient lawbreaker, but a member of an organised crime syndicate.) His name was Tony. Same as his father. Tony Jr was in the night club business legit. He was too smart for the crime business.
He told me a story. He opened a new night club in Brisbane, in the Valley. Didn't spend a cent on advertising, but the queues to get in on the first night of business stretched right around the block.
How did he do it? Well, Smart Tony (Big Tony's son) threw the best private party Brisbane had ever seen, two nights in a row before the opening night. And guess who was invited? Hairdressers. All the hip and happening hairdressers in Brisbane. They had a ball. And guess what they were talking about for days afterwards to those hip and happening girls trapped under their hairdryers? That's right: Smart Tony's new club.
And where do boys go? Where the girls gogo.
(This stuff is priceless. Tell your friends or they'll hate you.)
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Friday, June 30, 2006
Finding "Influentials"
Good morning,
Now we know that a small group of people within any community are word of mouth "nodes". Some call them 'influentials'.
Next challenge is to find them. There are three types of 'nodes' or 'network hubs': 1. 'Mavens' 2. 'Connectors' 3. 'Salespeople'
Mavens are information junkies. Connectors are highly connected socially and in business. Salespeople can't help selling their friends on the latest piece of 'the new' they have acquired.
A 'network hub' is usually a combination of all three.
How do you find them? They visit expos and trade shows. They volunteer for information, eg. sign up for updates. They subscribe to specialist magazines and websites. They join test panels and pilot schemes. They put up their hands for beta versions of product. They sign up for webinars. They go to networking functions. They are journalists and editors and event organisers and association executives and politicians and community organisations leaders and volunteers and church leaders...
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Now we know that a small group of people within any community are word of mouth "nodes". Some call them 'influentials'.
Next challenge is to find them. There are three types of 'nodes' or 'network hubs': 1. 'Mavens' 2. 'Connectors' 3. 'Salespeople'
Mavens are information junkies. Connectors are highly connected socially and in business. Salespeople can't help selling their friends on the latest piece of 'the new' they have acquired.
A 'network hub' is usually a combination of all three.
How do you find them? They visit expos and trade shows. They volunteer for information, eg. sign up for updates. They subscribe to specialist magazines and websites. They join test panels and pilot schemes. They put up their hands for beta versions of product. They sign up for webinars. They go to networking functions. They are journalists and editors and event organisers and association executives and politicians and community organisations leaders and volunteers and church leaders...
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
The networked consumer
Hi,
One-to-one marketing is an old paradigm because it fails to account for social context. The average funeral has around 200 mourners. This means the average person knows around that many people well enough for them to bother turning up to say goodbye.
Humans are hardwired with 'social channel capacity', says British anthropologist. Our brains have a capacity to maintain 10-15 'intimate' relationships, 150 or so 'social' relationships, and between 500 and 1500 'acquaintances'.
So each individual you engage is actually the centre of a network. How does this change your perspective?
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
One-to-one marketing is an old paradigm because it fails to account for social context. The average funeral has around 200 mourners. This means the average person knows around that many people well enough for them to bother turning up to say goodbye.
Humans are hardwired with 'social channel capacity', says British anthropologist. Our brains have a capacity to maintain 10-15 'intimate' relationships, 150 or so 'social' relationships, and between 500 and 1500 'acquaintances'.
So each individual you engage is actually the centre of a network. How does this change your perspective?
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Not all mouths are valuable
Hi,
Remember Pareto's Principle - the 80:20 Rule?
It applies to word of mouth. Not everyone feels confident enough of their opinions to want to share them with others.
In fact, it is less than 20%, according to experts in the area who put it closer to 10%-15%.
Now that makes word of mouth marketing manageable.
So now we have Kiely's WOM Rule No. 1 - target talkers. (Rule No.2 - give them something to talk about. Rule No. 3 - encourage them to talk about it. Rule No. 4 - keep your ear to the ground.)
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Remember Pareto's Principle - the 80:20 Rule?
It applies to word of mouth. Not everyone feels confident enough of their opinions to want to share them with others.
In fact, it is less than 20%, according to experts in the area who put it closer to 10%-15%.
Now that makes word of mouth marketing manageable.
So now we have Kiely's WOM Rule No. 1 - target talkers. (Rule No.2 - give them something to talk about. Rule No. 3 - encourage them to talk about it. Rule No. 4 - keep your ear to the ground.)
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Low trust drives word of mouth
Hi,
The reason Word Of Mouth is gaining traction in the marketing community is because marketers need more credible channels of communication, having polluted the others with spin and bulldust. People are less likely to trust companies now than ever before. US figures reveal the percentage of consumers who consider information from companies is believable hovers at 18% for automotive companies, 16% for insurance companies.
Who do people trust more than companies? Each other.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
The reason Word Of Mouth is gaining traction in the marketing community is because marketers need more credible channels of communication, having polluted the others with spin and bulldust. People are less likely to trust companies now than ever before. US figures reveal the percentage of consumers who consider information from companies is believable hovers at 18% for automotive companies, 16% for insurance companies.
Who do people trust more than companies? Each other.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Infectious ideas
Hi,
Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point talks of ideas spreading through society like an infectious disease. New ideas are like germs. Some of them reach critical mass and become epidemic. Some of them fizzle out and die.
Some products are more 'word of mouth worthy' than others. They include exciting entertainment products like books and movies, naturally innovative products such as new web tools, 'personal experience' products like hotels and airlines, complex products such as software and medical innovations, expensive products such as IT and electronics, and observable products such as fashion, cars, and cell phones (wearable technology).
If you need to be convinced, here is a selection of the evidence for word of mouth (WOM) that I have collected over the years:
65% of Palm Pilot buyers heard about it via WOM.
Friends and relatives are the No. 1 source for information about destinations, flights, hotel, etc., according to the American Travel Industry Association.
57% of one Californian car dealer’s customers heard about it by WOM.
70% of Americans rely on WOM when choosing doctors.
53% of US moviegoers rely on WOM recommendations.
In fact, movies live or die via early reports from friends and rels. It used to be that a dog of a movie could survive a week or so and make some money before the word of mouth tide came in. But now the 'dogs' die overnight in the US as viewers send text messages to their friends to give a bad movie the thumbs down while they watch it.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point talks of ideas spreading through society like an infectious disease. New ideas are like germs. Some of them reach critical mass and become epidemic. Some of them fizzle out and die.
Some products are more 'word of mouth worthy' than others. They include exciting entertainment products like books and movies, naturally innovative products such as new web tools, 'personal experience' products like hotels and airlines, complex products such as software and medical innovations, expensive products such as IT and electronics, and observable products such as fashion, cars, and cell phones (wearable technology).
If you need to be convinced, here is a selection of the evidence for word of mouth (WOM) that I have collected over the years:
65% of Palm Pilot buyers heard about it via WOM.
Friends and relatives are the No. 1 source for information about destinations, flights, hotel, etc., according to the American Travel Industry Association.
57% of one Californian car dealer’s customers heard about it by WOM.
70% of Americans rely on WOM when choosing doctors.
53% of US moviegoers rely on WOM recommendations.
In fact, movies live or die via early reports from friends and rels. It used to be that a dog of a movie could survive a week or so and make some money before the word of mouth tide came in. But now the 'dogs' die overnight in the US as viewers send text messages to their friends to give a bad movie the thumbs down while they watch it.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Will word of mouth work for you?
Hi,
Some categories are naturals for word of mouth. In fact, some have word of mouth built into them. Movies. Sports. Fashion. Pop music. These fields fuelled by and live or "the new". News is central to their essence. They are disposable. They have a use by date. Their uptake is nearly 100% driven by word of mouth. IT products come to life because geeks can't stop talking to each other about them. Some famous brands have been pure WOM, including Palm Pilot (very visible public usage), Walkman (ditto), HotMail (pass-it-on built in), Viagra (news for some), and Starbucks (a place to talk).
In fact a brand that relies on something as old-fashioned as advertising to launch it is as old-fashioned as advertising.
Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape, said: “The myth is that brands get built by advertising. The evidence is exactly the opposite. Brands get reinforced by advertising, but they get built by grassroots adoption and word of mouth. That was true of Amazon, AOL and Yahoo.”
The new medium is social networks and you must learn how to use them if you are to remain relevant.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Some categories are naturals for word of mouth. In fact, some have word of mouth built into them. Movies. Sports. Fashion. Pop music. These fields fuelled by and live or "the new". News is central to their essence. They are disposable. They have a use by date. Their uptake is nearly 100% driven by word of mouth. IT products come to life because geeks can't stop talking to each other about them. Some famous brands have been pure WOM, including Palm Pilot (very visible public usage), Walkman (ditto), HotMail (pass-it-on built in), Viagra (news for some), and Starbucks (a place to talk).
In fact a brand that relies on something as old-fashioned as advertising to launch it is as old-fashioned as advertising.
Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape, said: “The myth is that brands get built by advertising. The evidence is exactly the opposite. Brands get reinforced by advertising, but they get built by grassroots adoption and word of mouth. That was true of Amazon, AOL and Yahoo.”
The new medium is social networks and you must learn how to use them if you are to remain relevant.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Running off at the mouth
Hi,
In 1984, when I was looking for a first computer to buy, my friend Andrew showed me his 128k Apple Macintosh. I was captivated. It was so easy. I bought a 512k "Fat Mac". I took it to work in an multinational ad agency and, when the boss saw I could turn out presentable documents, they got all the copywriters Macs and "restructured" the typing pool who took the copywriters' typewritten copy and retyped it into a Wang word processor. When the President of the company from New York visited and saw our system, the company adopted it worldwide. Apple made millions and my friend Andrew never saw a cent for it. But he made the sale.
Word of mouth is the best advertising. People have been saying that ever since I can remember. But it's only recently that word of mouth has become a discipline and a channel of communication.
I collect data on word of mouth. In every case when it is measured fairly, it outperforms any other communications channel, including television. Word of mouth is powerful because it spreads rapidly, gets into places other media can't, carries with it the credibility of a personal endorsement.
But here's the rub. While every organisation doesn't have advertising, everyone has word of mouth. Because people talk. Word gets around. You can manage word of mouth, or you can let it manage you.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
In 1984, when I was looking for a first computer to buy, my friend Andrew showed me his 128k Apple Macintosh. I was captivated. It was so easy. I bought a 512k "Fat Mac". I took it to work in an multinational ad agency and, when the boss saw I could turn out presentable documents, they got all the copywriters Macs and "restructured" the typing pool who took the copywriters' typewritten copy and retyped it into a Wang word processor. When the President of the company from New York visited and saw our system, the company adopted it worldwide. Apple made millions and my friend Andrew never saw a cent for it. But he made the sale.
Word of mouth is the best advertising. People have been saying that ever since I can remember. But it's only recently that word of mouth has become a discipline and a channel of communication.
I collect data on word of mouth. In every case when it is measured fairly, it outperforms any other communications channel, including television. Word of mouth is powerful because it spreads rapidly, gets into places other media can't, carries with it the credibility of a personal endorsement.
But here's the rub. While every organisation doesn't have advertising, everyone has word of mouth. Because people talk. Word gets around. You can manage word of mouth, or you can let it manage you.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
A short, personal note
Hi,
One of the most effective mail pieces I have ever seen was created by my ex-partner Barry Groom. A postcard from Cannes, with handwriting in blue, including crossed-out mistakes, from Steve Visard, was sent to members of the Screen Producers' Association to goose numbers attending the annual conference. It had humour and personality, and the impact of 'faux' personalisation which wasn't hard to see through. But a personal post card is the first thing you look at when collecting your mail. Short. Personal. Usually from someone close.
The conference had its attendance records broken.
Do you see the theatre and dramatic potential of direct mail?
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
One of the most effective mail pieces I have ever seen was created by my ex-partner Barry Groom. A postcard from Cannes, with handwriting in blue, including crossed-out mistakes, from Steve Visard, was sent to members of the Screen Producers' Association to goose numbers attending the annual conference. It had humour and personality, and the impact of 'faux' personalisation which wasn't hard to see through. But a personal post card is the first thing you look at when collecting your mail. Short. Personal. Usually from someone close.
The conference had its attendance records broken.
Do you see the theatre and dramatic potential of direct mail?
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Direct mail doesn't work
Hi,
Direct mail doesn't work if... IF...
1. You send it to the wrong people.
2. You don't have a compelling proposition to deliver.
3. You don't spend enough on compelling creative.
4. You don't compare the cost per sale arising from mail with that achieved by other channels.
Targeting will account for around 60% of the outcome of your mailing campaign. The Offer you deliver will account for around 30% of your outcome. And the creative around 10%.
(By the way, all these principles apply online as well as offline.)
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Direct mail doesn't work if... IF...
1. You send it to the wrong people.
2. You don't have a compelling proposition to deliver.
3. You don't spend enough on compelling creative.
4. You don't compare the cost per sale arising from mail with that achieved by other channels.
Targeting will account for around 60% of the outcome of your mailing campaign. The Offer you deliver will account for around 30% of your outcome. And the creative around 10%.
(By the way, all these principles apply online as well as offline.)
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Why such a small list?
I promised to tell you why we chose to only mail 550 company directors to launch the Park Hyatt Sydney. They were mainly Sydney based as well.
We did our homework and at the time the cross-board membership in Australia's top echelon companies was so strong - everyone sitting on everyone else's board - that we calculated we could hit 2000 boards by targetting 550 directors. As the senior corporate traveller (inbound) was our core target, we felt the local senior corporates would WOM (word of mouth) them for us. And they did. The Hyatt opened at 75% occupancy during the "Recession We Had To Have" - ahead of the Regent's suite levels in both occupancy and rack rate. Unheard of.
The night we were assembling the mail pieces - at a total cost of $120 per impact - I took the client (Willi Martin) aside and confessed to him that I didn't think it was going to work. (What ad agency would do that?) I'd spent his budget on 550 people. And I was afraid it wouldn't work.
"Oh, it will work, Michael," he said in his melodic Swiss-German accent.
"I know it will work.".... And willi was right. Three mail bags full... And an award from the US direct marketing association (who cares?)
(For those who have joined us in the last few days - and new members are coming in at a dozen a day - I reproduce the episode below.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
We did our homework and at the time the cross-board membership in Australia's top echelon companies was so strong - everyone sitting on everyone else's board - that we calculated we could hit 2000 boards by targetting 550 directors. As the senior corporate traveller (inbound) was our core target, we felt the local senior corporates would WOM (word of mouth) them for us. And they did. The Hyatt opened at 75% occupancy during the "Recession We Had To Have" - ahead of the Regent's suite levels in both occupancy and rack rate. Unheard of.
The night we were assembling the mail pieces - at a total cost of $120 per impact - I took the client (Willi Martin) aside and confessed to him that I didn't think it was going to work. (What ad agency would do that?) I'd spent his budget on 550 people. And I was afraid it wouldn't work.
"Oh, it will work, Michael," he said in his melodic Swiss-German accent.
"I know it will work.".... And willi was right. Three mail bags full... And an award from the US direct marketing association (who cares?)
(For those who have joined us in the last few days - and new members are coming in at a dozen a day - I reproduce the episode below.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
"Send 'em one white sock"
Hi,
Direct mail pioneer Stan Rapp wrote a book called "Send 'em one white sock", the title referring to a mail campaign conducted in Australia. Single socks were sent out to prospects with the promise of a matching sock if they responded. This is yet another talent of old fashioned mail: you can send objects.
And objects can carry so much meaning. I achieved a 55% response to a mailing which launched The Park Hyatt, Sydney, aimed at 550 company directors of Australia's 200 largest companies. That mailpack - which cost $60/unit - included a slide viewer and 10 slides, a walkman-style audiocassette player with a 10 minute audio tour of the hotel, and a blank cassette on which they could dictate their answers to a survey. The survey results appeared in Australian Business magazine (a competitor of BRW) was launching a body we invented called The Australian Business Leaders' Forum. The surveys and reports were arranged through a partnership with the magazine which became a co-sponsor of the Forum. The surveys became quarterly. Members were rewarded with 2 free nights at this spectacular new hotel on Sydney Harbour, just beneath the Harbour Bridge.
This is why were went to such lengths. We had a 6 star hotel beneath a suspended railway bridge. How could we demonstrate the silence behind the double-glazed doors leading out onto the balconies looking over the bustling waterway? They had to hear it to believe it. Hence the cassette, etc.
The intrigue and interest of the various objects appealed to the child in our prospect.
Why such a small number of recipients? Tell you tomorrow...
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Direct mail pioneer Stan Rapp wrote a book called "Send 'em one white sock", the title referring to a mail campaign conducted in Australia. Single socks were sent out to prospects with the promise of a matching sock if they responded. This is yet another talent of old fashioned mail: you can send objects.
And objects can carry so much meaning. I achieved a 55% response to a mailing which launched The Park Hyatt, Sydney, aimed at 550 company directors of Australia's 200 largest companies. That mailpack - which cost $60/unit - included a slide viewer and 10 slides, a walkman-style audiocassette player with a 10 minute audio tour of the hotel, and a blank cassette on which they could dictate their answers to a survey. The survey results appeared in Australian Business magazine (a competitor of BRW) was launching a body we invented called The Australian Business Leaders' Forum. The surveys and reports were arranged through a partnership with the magazine which became a co-sponsor of the Forum. The surveys became quarterly. Members were rewarded with 2 free nights at this spectacular new hotel on Sydney Harbour, just beneath the Harbour Bridge.
This is why were went to such lengths. We had a 6 star hotel beneath a suspended railway bridge. How could we demonstrate the silence behind the double-glazed doors leading out onto the balconies looking over the bustling waterway? They had to hear it to believe it. Hence the cassette, etc.
The intrigue and interest of the various objects appealed to the child in our prospect.
Why such a small number of recipients? Tell you tomorrow...
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Happy Birthday Yr Maj
Hi,
Today is the Queen's Birthday. Well, it's not really Her Majesty's real birthday. It's the official day set aside in Australia - once called "The Land of the Long Weekend" - to celebrate. Largely nothing of a 'birthday' nature occurs in Australia on this day. In fact the Queen hands out the gifts in the form of 'gongs' - Orders of Australia, remnants of the knighthoods and damehoods the British Monarch used to bestow on her grateful subjects her in the colonies. They are handed out to a few high profile achievers to boost the publicity value of the gongs, but mainly they are bestowed on elderly members of the community who have done good works.
Every community has decaying remnants of the past that pass unnoticed. They can be very useful in a marketing calendar. Throw a Queens' Birthday Sale. Give away photos of the Queen and copies of the words of the National Anthem and little Australian flags with every purchase. SO what if it appeals only to monarchists. It creates energy around your outlets. No one else is likely to do it, and you can bet at least half the population would lie to celebrate the holiday by going shopping.
Another event-related strategy could involve our organisation announcing its own community service awards. No one could complain about that, and the publicity a local level would be positive.
Every social institution can be used to develop marketing ideas.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Today is the Queen's Birthday. Well, it's not really Her Majesty's real birthday. It's the official day set aside in Australia - once called "The Land of the Long Weekend" - to celebrate. Largely nothing of a 'birthday' nature occurs in Australia on this day. In fact the Queen hands out the gifts in the form of 'gongs' - Orders of Australia, remnants of the knighthoods and damehoods the British Monarch used to bestow on her grateful subjects her in the colonies. They are handed out to a few high profile achievers to boost the publicity value of the gongs, but mainly they are bestowed on elderly members of the community who have done good works.
Every community has decaying remnants of the past that pass unnoticed. They can be very useful in a marketing calendar. Throw a Queens' Birthday Sale. Give away photos of the Queen and copies of the words of the National Anthem and little Australian flags with every purchase. SO what if it appeals only to monarchists. It creates energy around your outlets. No one else is likely to do it, and you can bet at least half the population would lie to celebrate the holiday by going shopping.
Another event-related strategy could involve our organisation announcing its own community service awards. No one could complain about that, and the publicity a local level would be positive.
Every social institution can be used to develop marketing ideas.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
You got mail
Hi,
I can remember when direct mail was sexy and new. (I'm that old.) Now email and the Internet and all that jazz is centre stage... Now mail might be as old as Adam and Eve, but so is sex and that still has its uses.
Snail mail has one unique capability that no other medium can equal - it can deliver tactile experiences, objects, into the hands of your prospect. Unfortunately this talent is rarely used.
Rich media email cannot have the same impact on the sense of touch and smell that snail mail can deliver. Email can deliver sight and sound. Snail mail can deliver sight and sound and smell and touch.
As such, snail mail can deliver far more emotional impact. Think of an invitation delivered by both channels. The tactile dimension of the snail mail piece - simple by the choice of paper stock and inks - can say more about the event than all the words.
More on this next week.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
I can remember when direct mail was sexy and new. (I'm that old.) Now email and the Internet and all that jazz is centre stage... Now mail might be as old as Adam and Eve, but so is sex and that still has its uses.
Snail mail has one unique capability that no other medium can equal - it can deliver tactile experiences, objects, into the hands of your prospect. Unfortunately this talent is rarely used.
Rich media email cannot have the same impact on the sense of touch and smell that snail mail can deliver. Email can deliver sight and sound. Snail mail can deliver sight and sound and smell and touch.
As such, snail mail can deliver far more emotional impact. Think of an invitation delivered by both channels. The tactile dimension of the snail mail piece - simple by the choice of paper stock and inks - can say more about the event than all the words.
More on this next week.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
"I am dying"
"I am dying"
This was the headline of the best ad I have ever seen in a newspaper. It appeared up the back in an evening tabloid called The Mirror. No more than 10 centimetres by 2 columns. It had the headline in large capitals and wavy line around the borders. But it wasn't the border or the typesetting that made it stand out like dogs. It was the words.
"I am dying" Who's not going to look at that. Someone is telling us their tragic story. We love tragedy. That's what we buy the newspaper for, to see what terrible thing has happened to some poor victim today...
But wait. When we read the copy underneath the headline, we find it's talking about us.
"So are you. So is everyone reading this advertisement. If you have any money left after a lifetime of paying taxes and bills, don't let it end up in the pocket of an expensive undertaker. Tear this ad out and hand it to the most sensible member of your family.
"Labor Funerals
(Phone number)"
The perfect ad. It starts with 'news'. Then it includes you in the story. As an individual. Then as part of a larger group so you don't feel alone. Then it hits a nerve - a lifetime paying taxes and bills. Everyone is chained to that wheel*
Finally the call to action. Always tell the reader what to do. Make the decision on appropriate action for them.
This is an elegant solution. Not one word more than is needed. No puns or creativity. Just body punches, one after another.
Amen.
Michael Kiely
*Except Kerry Packer. You can bet he didn't have to use Labor Funerals, because The Prime Minister decided that, after a lifetime of watching the Big Fella avoiding taxes, the taxpayer could foot the bill for his funeral - $80,000. That's a good reason to go into mourning.)
This was the headline of the best ad I have ever seen in a newspaper. It appeared up the back in an evening tabloid called The Mirror. No more than 10 centimetres by 2 columns. It had the headline in large capitals and wavy line around the borders. But it wasn't the border or the typesetting that made it stand out like dogs. It was the words.
"I am dying" Who's not going to look at that. Someone is telling us their tragic story. We love tragedy. That's what we buy the newspaper for, to see what terrible thing has happened to some poor victim today...
But wait. When we read the copy underneath the headline, we find it's talking about us.
"So are you. So is everyone reading this advertisement. If you have any money left after a lifetime of paying taxes and bills, don't let it end up in the pocket of an expensive undertaker. Tear this ad out and hand it to the most sensible member of your family.
"Labor Funerals
(Phone number)"
The perfect ad. It starts with 'news'. Then it includes you in the story. As an individual. Then as part of a larger group so you don't feel alone. Then it hits a nerve - a lifetime paying taxes and bills. Everyone is chained to that wheel*
Finally the call to action. Always tell the reader what to do. Make the decision on appropriate action for them.
This is an elegant solution. Not one word more than is needed. No puns or creativity. Just body punches, one after another.
Amen.
Michael Kiely
*Except Kerry Packer. You can bet he didn't have to use Labor Funerals, because The Prime Minister decided that, after a lifetime of watching the Big Fella avoiding taxes, the taxpayer could foot the bill for his funeral - $80,000. That's a good reason to go into mourning.)
Use news
Hi,
Last thoughts about newspapers:
When you advertise in a news environment, it helps if what you've got to say is "news". Newspapers were first used for announcements. Make your ad an announcement. It's what people are looking for.
David Ogilvy tells the story of a time way back when he looked in the 'paper and saw the most excruciatingly bad ad. It simply read "H. Smith & Co. has time available of its screw-making machine".
DO rang the guy and told him: "That's not how you advertise. You should focus on the benefits of the product for the user."
"Mate," came the reply. "There's so much demand for those damn screw-making machines I only have to say we've got some time available and they come running!"
The power of announcement.
(Tomorrow I will tell you about the best advertisement I ever saw in a newspaper. Pure gold, and no bigger than 4 postage stamps.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Last thoughts about newspapers:
When you advertise in a news environment, it helps if what you've got to say is "news". Newspapers were first used for announcements. Make your ad an announcement. It's what people are looking for.
David Ogilvy tells the story of a time way back when he looked in the 'paper and saw the most excruciatingly bad ad. It simply read "H. Smith & Co. has time available of its screw-making machine".
DO rang the guy and told him: "That's not how you advertise. You should focus on the benefits of the product for the user."
"Mate," came the reply. "There's so much demand for those damn screw-making machines I only have to say we've got some time available and they come running!"
The power of announcement.
(Tomorrow I will tell you about the best advertisement I ever saw in a newspaper. Pure gold, and no bigger than 4 postage stamps.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Powerful print points
Hi,
They might not be hip and happening (more like hip-replacement). But newspapers are cool if you think successful communications is cool. Newspapers represent the end point of the survival of the fittest in all things to do with how humans in the western world like to have pages designed for reading. Newspapers which have defied the "Rules of Reading Gravity" (as codified by Colin Wheildon in "Communicating or just making Pretty Shapes") have failed to survive. Editors know what people want on the page to gain access to the information within. Advertising designers often don't or don't care, thinking that by breaking the rules they will attract more readers and therefore help their clients achieve their communications goals. WRONG.
For instance, why are the headlines in the articles (the things the readers by the papers for) always above the copy when headlines in ads often appear below the copy? Why is body text in articles set in 10+ point serif fonts when advertising designers prefer tiny san serif fonts? (Serifs are the little lumps at the ends of some letters like with Times Roman. Univers is sans serif.) Why do all photos in the newspapers always have a caption to explain what is going on in the picture? Advertisers don't bother with them. But then the punters don't vote with their coins everyday for the advertisers. They vote for the articles. And they've trained the editors and designers of the newspapers how they went to receive information.
There are a lot more secrets to communications success hidden in newspapers. Just look at what their designers do everyday, with boring repetition, and ask yourself, "Why?"
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
They might not be hip and happening (more like hip-replacement). But newspapers are cool if you think successful communications is cool. Newspapers represent the end point of the survival of the fittest in all things to do with how humans in the western world like to have pages designed for reading. Newspapers which have defied the "Rules of Reading Gravity" (as codified by Colin Wheildon in "Communicating or just making Pretty Shapes") have failed to survive. Editors know what people want on the page to gain access to the information within. Advertising designers often don't or don't care, thinking that by breaking the rules they will attract more readers and therefore help their clients achieve their communications goals. WRONG.
For instance, why are the headlines in the articles (the things the readers by the papers for) always above the copy when headlines in ads often appear below the copy? Why is body text in articles set in 10+ point serif fonts when advertising designers prefer tiny san serif fonts? (Serifs are the little lumps at the ends of some letters like with Times Roman. Univers is sans serif.) Why do all photos in the newspapers always have a caption to explain what is going on in the picture? Advertisers don't bother with them. But then the punters don't vote with their coins everyday for the advertisers. They vote for the articles. And they've trained the editors and designers of the newspapers how they went to receive information.
There are a lot more secrets to communications success hidden in newspapers. Just look at what their designers do everyday, with boring repetition, and ask yourself, "Why?"
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Read all about it
Hi,
News. The best advertising is news. News captures attention because it's new. Consumers live for "the new", the latest thing. The original news media was a tomtom drum. Then came the town crier. But shortly after him came the newspaper. And it's till with us today.
Why would such old technology survive in today's hyped-up, hooked-up world? One word: convenience. You can take it anywhere. You can change the screen size in a second merely by folding it. It's always easy to tell where you are and go from section to section without getting lost. There's no download time. (It's still faster to find a phone number in the phone book than online.) It allows the reader to view short summaries and drill down to longer items. It delivers a balanced diet of entertainment, news and important information. It is edited for you by the best in the business. It is written by skilled writers (unlike the crap that appears online sometimes).
It can't beat radio for immediacy or television for movement or the Internet for diversity. But newspapers have a special place in our society that defies explanation. Perhaps it's the only medium you can wrap things up in and throw them away.
Whatever it is, don't underestimate the power of the press.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
News. The best advertising is news. News captures attention because it's new. Consumers live for "the new", the latest thing. The original news media was a tomtom drum. Then came the town crier. But shortly after him came the newspaper. And it's till with us today.
Why would such old technology survive in today's hyped-up, hooked-up world? One word: convenience. You can take it anywhere. You can change the screen size in a second merely by folding it. It's always easy to tell where you are and go from section to section without getting lost. There's no download time. (It's still faster to find a phone number in the phone book than online.) It allows the reader to view short summaries and drill down to longer items. It delivers a balanced diet of entertainment, news and important information. It is edited for you by the best in the business. It is written by skilled writers (unlike the crap that appears online sometimes).
It can't beat radio for immediacy or television for movement or the Internet for diversity. But newspapers have a special place in our society that defies explanation. Perhaps it's the only medium you can wrap things up in and throw them away.
Whatever it is, don't underestimate the power of the press.
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
In your face outdoors
Hi,
Outdoor can be shotgun. But it can also be very contextual. Jon Maxim provides the following examples of outdoor used with sniper-like accuracy.
"Outdoor is an interesting one from a DM position.
My example of outdoor as a 'directional', response driven medium is
McDonalds.
How often have you been on a long trip, driving to (say) Canberra. A poster
says '145km to Maccas', and you think "Yeah, I can wait...!"
I also remember going to the Volkswagen headquarters in Sydney. Arriving
early, I parked my bum in a bus shelter to have a cigarette. I looked up,
and there was a poster saying 'Welcome to Volkswagen's Australian
headquarters'.
Singleton's also use the bus shelters outside their offices to showcase
their latest campaigns.
Finally, I remember a story about a client who wanted 10 new customers. They
had $100k to spend.
So they bought billboards opposite the offices of the ten clients they
wanted. Imagine the power of 'Michael Kiely: we want your business' in your
face for a month!"
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Outdoor can be shotgun. But it can also be very contextual. Jon Maxim provides the following examples of outdoor used with sniper-like accuracy.
"Outdoor is an interesting one from a DM position.
My example of outdoor as a 'directional', response driven medium is
McDonalds.
How often have you been on a long trip, driving to (say) Canberra. A poster
says '145km to Maccas', and you think "Yeah, I can wait...!"
I also remember going to the Volkswagen headquarters in Sydney. Arriving
early, I parked my bum in a bus shelter to have a cigarette. I looked up,
and there was a poster saying 'Welcome to Volkswagen's Australian
headquarters'.
Singleton's also use the bus shelters outside their offices to showcase
their latest campaigns.
Finally, I remember a story about a client who wanted 10 new customers. They
had $100k to spend.
So they bought billboards opposite the offices of the ten clients they
wanted. Imagine the power of 'Michael Kiely: we want your business' in your
face for a month!"
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
Snipers outdoors
Hi,
You'd imagine that putting a few billboards and posters up around the place would be a pretty haphazard way to target particular consumer groups. But it is actually finely tuned. Outdoor advertising companies learned to do their homework in the bad old days when it was considered the leftover medium - outdoor and direct mail got what was leftover from the budget after tv, print and radio (a little leftover itself) took their slices. Outdoor companies researched who travelled where and when until they can now deliver targets with as much accuracy as television (that's not saying much), pritn or radio. You can buy shopping centre catchments. You can buy commuter routes. This is why you see so much FMCG advertising outdoors. It's almost the only way to get your message in front of shoppers, that category having been exploded by the discovery that men can emerge from a supermarket with a trolley of groceries as easily as women can, (though it takes a little longer and they forget important things and buy rubbish at times).
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
You'd imagine that putting a few billboards and posters up around the place would be a pretty haphazard way to target particular consumer groups. But it is actually finely tuned. Outdoor advertising companies learned to do their homework in the bad old days when it was considered the leftover medium - outdoor and direct mail got what was leftover from the budget after tv, print and radio (a little leftover itself) took their slices. Outdoor companies researched who travelled where and when until they can now deliver targets with as much accuracy as television (that's not saying much), pritn or radio. You can buy shopping centre catchments. You can buy commuter routes. This is why you see so much FMCG advertising outdoors. It's almost the only way to get your message in front of shoppers, that category having been exploded by the discovery that men can emerge from a supermarket with a trolley of groceries as easily as women can, (though it takes a little longer and they forget important things and buy rubbish at times).
Cheers!
Michael Kiely
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