Zazou Marketing

Good writing is getting its due once again. Every year Advertising Age publishes an issue called the “Book of Tens,” in which they create lists of everything from “Ad Songs of the Year” to “Dubious Attempts at Public Relations.”

This year they are planning to add a new category: “the 10 most intriguing, funniest, scariest, most compelling or most surprising magazine cover lines of the year.”

Ad Age’s 2008 “Book of Tens” included a list of “Covers We Loved,” which included this coverline-less Willie Nelson cover. Now a new category will celebrate the power of coverlines.

While coverlines are not written by copywriters, they do require the same skill. In order to write a cover line that sells a magazine, it needs to grab your attention and get you interested enough to pick up the magazine and buy it — usually in just a handful of words.

Yeah for Ad Age for recognizing the power of a few well-written words!

Tell me the truth: Are you more likely to buy a camping chair because it is made of polyester/nylon mesh or because the fabric dries quickly and won’t puddle water when left out in the rain? If you chose the latter, that’s because you are like everybody else in the world — you like to know how a product will benefit you.

Luckily for REI, I got this example from their website, where they did it right: Their description focused on the benefits of the chair (that the material dries quickly), instead of just listing the features of the chair (that the material is polyester/nylon mesh).

REI successfully touts this chair's benefits, not features, on its website

But just because REI succeeds in giving benefits over features, doesn’t mean that all the big companies do so in their marketing materials. In fact, the New York Times just ran a blog posting about how Ford forgot this very important aspect of marketing and copywriting.

The posting is about the company’s new van that gets 22 to 25 miles per gallon, and it’s being marketed as a small-business delivery van. Here’s a portion of the blog:

“When I looked over the marketing sheet for the trucks before they got here, I couldn’t help but notice that Ford’s marketing people don’t really know how to talk to their customers — they don’t speak “entrepreneur.” It was a classic case of selling the features instead of the benefits….

For instance, they say, “The power train was upgraded to include a proven Duratec 2.0 liter dual overhead cam (DOHC) I-4 engine …” What does that mean? But then I drove the truck and noticed the pick up. Me understand. Me go fast. Me want. How many people even know what a power train is? Or a dual overhead cam? Oh, excuse me, a DOHC.”

The posting goes on to cover point by point how the brochure fails to sell this van to its customer.

Luckily for Ford, the writer actually saw the van in person and didn’t have to rely on the marketing materials to discover that it’s a perfect fit for his needs (and then went on to write about that in the New York Times).

But how many of their potential customers are going to have that same opportunity? And how many of their potential customers will have the chance to tell so many people about the vehicle’s benefits?

According to the NY Times, Ford's brochure for this new van fails to tell its potential customer how he or she will benefit from buying this vehicle.

So take this as just another reminder that if you offer a product or service, you need to find out how it benefits your customer — and then tell your customer all about that in your marketing materials.

Imagine how powerful a message could be created by some of the worlds’ most creative minds. Specifically, imagine what kind of a message the United Nations, the International Advertising Association and some of the world’s greatest advertising, marketing and media agencies could create…

Well, they have done just that with the launch of Hopenhagen, or hopenhagen.org, “a global marketing and communications initiative that will inspire and generate mass activation around the world,” according to the press release. Yep, we’ve got big names, big ideas and big, lofty goals all converging with this marketing campaign.

What exactly is Hopenhagen? Here’s the opening copy from the website:

“Welcome to Hopenhagen.
On December 7, 2009, leaders from 192 countries will gather at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark to determine the fate of our planet. Let’s turn Copenhagen into Hopenhagen.”

The focus of the climate change conference is to solve our environmental crisis, explains the copy.

And accompanying the marketing campaign copy is a place to add your own thoughts on what gives you hope. The ideas that people have input then run as a scroll on the bottom of the web page.

The focus, then, is clearly hope. And here’s what the press release says about what inspired the idea:

“Hopenhagen stemmed from the idea that the UN Climate Change Conference is an opportunity to protect people and the planet, while powering global green growth. The campaign will emphasize a shift from “coping” or ignoring to “hoping” and ultimately acting to create a new reality.”

What I find most interesting about this marketing campaign is that in today’s world of flash and design-driven advertising and marketing campaigns, it’s primarily copy driven. Even more, it’s effective: the campaign is simple; the copy is creative; and it gets you engaged and thinking.

So, what gives you hope?

A couple of weeks ago I was driving on the freeway and a billboard caught my eye. There was an elephant walking out of a tar pit. The advertising copy read, “Elephant Odyssey. After 12,000 years, they’re finally back. San Diego Zoo.”

My immediate thought? “I need to go see that.”

And guess where I found myself this morning? Yes, at the zoo. In fact, when I arrived, I bypassed the flamingos, the panda from China and the aviary — my usual favorite. Instead I made a beeline for the Elephant Odyssey.

This is one of the few times that I can directly connect an advertisement to my behavior. And here’s how it worked: The ad design caught my attention; the advertising copy got me intrigued; and the total effect then got me to act on that interest. Bravo to this ad campaign!

Santa Monica, California just launched an example of an advertising campaign that does it right: It has good copy and good design. The campaign plays off the children’s game of “One of these things is not like the others” to remind/teach people about the city’s no-smoking laws.

According to the New York Times, the advertising campaign is extensive, including ad wraps on the beaches’ garbage cans and posters at bus stops and A.T.M.s.

The advertisements all have three or four images with the words “One of these doesn’t belong …” or “One of these doesn’t belong here.” The best part — the images change according to where the ad is placed.

So, advertisements for restaurants show wheat, asparagus, breadsticks and cigarettes — each tied together in a similar manner. The ad copy? “No smoking in Santa Monica’s outdoor dining areas.”

Ads at the beach show a palm tree, a surf board and a cigarette. The copy says, “No smoking on Santa Monica’s beaches.”

Ads at bus stops show a wheel, a sign for a bus line, a bus token and an ashtray with a cigarette. “Please keep Santa Monica’s bus stops smoke-free,” the copy says. “It’s for our environment. It’s for each other. It’s the law.”

Ads at A.T.M.s show an A.T.M. screen, an A.T.M. keypad, a bank card and a stack of cigarettes. “Please keep Santa Monica’s A.T.M. lines smoke-free,” the copy requests.

The creative copy and design in this campaign together make a point quickly and easily, while being memorable — all things we strive to do in a good ad campaign.

Toyota’s marketing campaign for the 2010 Prius includes advertising on Gas Station TV — you know, those TV screens at the gas pump that show news and ads. I for one hate those TV screens and do everything I can to avoid going to gas stations that have them. I simply resent being forced to watch and listen to whatever is being blasted during the time that I pump my gas.

Assuming I am not the only one who feels that way, I might discourage Prius from using this marketing medium. However, a new study shows that this may just be the perfect venue for Prius to market to those unfortunate people who do have to watch ads while they are pumping.

Why? Because relevance is key. A generally known concept in marketing circles, there is new data to further back it up:

Ads on websites with content that related to those ads were 61 percent more likely to be recalled than those on websites with unrelated content, according to a study from CBS Vision, as reported by MediaPost’s Online Media Daily. Interestingly, social networks, shopping sites and food sites created the best recall rates (29 percent to 39 percent). And non-topic-specific search and portal sites had the lowest recall rates.

While this study is website specific, the results just back up what has already been proved by other studies. So, Prius may actually be smart to advertise to people who are pumping gas (and would rather not be). And you should definitely figure out who your target market is and where they are — and make sure to market to them there.

As the future of our country’s health care is debated, the health care insurance companies look like they are getting nervous — or at least preparing for the worst. What’s the indicator? Health insurance companies have increased direct mail offers by 18% in the past year, according to Mintel Comperemedia (as reported by MediaPost’s MarketingDaily).

The reason I mention it here is because I find it interesting how they are using their copy to differentiate themselves from one another. According to MarketingDaily:

United Healthcare advertises affordability and choice in its new UnitedHealthOne brand, while Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia’s SmartSense plan focuses on low costs for the unemployed. Taking a slightly different angle, Kaiser Permanente’s direct mail emphasizes general health and well being, claiming “we’ll help you live well, be well, and thrive.”

No matter what you think about healthcare reform, we could probably all learn a bit from their savvy marketing efforts and attempts to grab some of the market by setting themselves apart from each other.

This morning I got a newsletter in the mail from a company that I have hired in the past. I scanned it quickly and immediately threw it in the recycling. Such a waste — a waste of people’s time and a waste of resources. As you know, this is a very common experience. But then, once in a while, you get one that you actually read. Why? Because it’s interesting and relevant.

Yes, a newsletter that is actually relevant may take more time to create than just spitting out some words to keep on people’s radar. But wouldn’t you rather put your resources toward something that gets read, rather than toward something that is just discarded?

So, when you write your next newsletter, whether for snail mail or e-mail, make sure to do the following:

• Write about something relevant to your customers. Think about what problems your customers call you about and give advice to help solve those problems.
• Tell real stories. Even better, use real customers to illustrate your story — there’s usually no better way to sell your service or product .
• Minimize the sales-y copy. Yes, you want to give your company a plug, but keep it short and sweet. Instead, put the focus on good information — it will be much more effective than focusing on a sales pitch.

If you’re launching an ad campaign, you certainly want a return on your investment. So it’s nice to know that research shows how to make your ad campaign increase sales or profit.

Here are the results of a study done by The Journal of Advertising Research, as published in Ad Age today, which found that the following strategies are most likely to increase sales or profit:

* Focus on hard objectives, such as specific market-share gains, rather than soft ones, such as brand awareness
* Focus on price, not volume
* Focus on penetration (winning new consumers) rather than loyalty
* Influence consumers emotionally rather than rationally
* Create ads with “talk value”
* Have a high share of voice relative to brand market share
* Include TV in the mix
* Include a small number of media channels with a concerted message

Source: Les Binet & Peter Field, June issue, Journal of Advertising Research.

While some of these elements are part of an overall marketing strategy, many of them are very much intertwined with your copy. So remember, for instance, to consider keeping your focus on specific objectives that win new consumers.

Of course, each advertising campaign is different and some “rules” are meant to be broken, but the above list is certainly a good guideline when mapping out your ad campaign — or, for that matter, any marketing materials or marketing campaign.

Advertising campaigns inevitably responds to the times. And, as we are all very aware: The times are now tough. Which is why some brands have eschewed upbeat ads that dominated the boom times, opting instead for sober messages that harken back to the Great Depression.

Here are a few examples, as covered in a New York Times article that ran yesterday:

• A Farmers insurance ad campaign talks about how the company was started “a year before the crash.”

Farmers insurance ad campaign refers to the Great Depression

• Retailer Brooks Brothers is reprinting advertisements from the 1930s.
• Print ads for Soyjoy bars describe how “the Great Depression turned the land of opportunity into a land of despair.”

The effectiveness of these ads will inevitably run the gamut. But I do wonder about the wisdom (not to mention the relevance) of talking about the Great Depression in relation to a food bar. Though, to be fair, I should reserve my verdict until I actually see it.