Notes from the Field

06 December 2006

The Onion's take on this year's hot demographic

Warning: Language may be found offensive, but also very funny.

The Onion has a great article on this year's hot holiday demographic and their relative spending power.

Holiday Advertisers Seek Coveted Dicktard Demographic

Rebounding Brands

I received this link from my Fast Company email update. I’m interested in brands. Rebounding brands, even more interesting. But then the “be sure to drink your Ovaltine” moment. Loading, loading… C’mon, who put this schlocky thing together? After it loads, I’m told that Ford and Firestone are on the rebound after the SUV rollovers and the finger-pointing (scapegoating, rather than accountability) that dominated the media a few years back. Ford is hemorrhaging, losing billions. That’s not really a brand on the rebound is it? As my uncle says, even a dead squirrel can bounce.

05 December 2006

Wii're #3!!

Surowiecki (The Wisdom of Crowds) has an interesting article in a recent issue of The New Yorker. It is about Nintendo and their profitable position in the home gaming market. They're not trying to be all things to all people, like MS with Xbox360 or Sony with PS3. They focus on games and are able to acutally make money on their consoles. After reading Surowiecki's article, check out the Fast Company research on all that Sony has at stake when it comes to the PS3 and the PS3 economy.

I have to admit that I'm a sucker for the PS3 campaign, especially the thirty second spot with the baby doll that comes to life as it controls and is controlled by the PS3. A very post-modern (dare we say high modern) ode to structuration and a great awareness campaign.

Thanks to Pam for the article.

Wii: Or the profitable strategy of third place

29 November 2006

It’s about people.

Remember, when it comes to brands and cultivating unique identities:

It’s about people -- it’s humans, in human systems, pursuing human endeavors.

24 November 2006

NY Times on WOMM

An interesting article about word of mouth marketing in today's New York Times.

Obviously, researchers want to better understand how people really feel about brands, products, and/or services. Are people advocates for their product? Are they aware of the service? As a side note, from the vantage point of my soapbox, remember awareness (buzz) does not mean advocacy.

I found the article interesting, but would like to know more about the connections one makes with a product or service – what’s driving meaning, motive, identity, or emotion for those keeping a diary? Are WOMM firms looking at that or are they providing a slightly more sophisticated version of Yahoo Buzz or Google Zeitgeist?

I still see some potential after we have filters that can change data-driven noise to actionable information and knowledge. Until then:

BoldMouth has joined with a software company, BuzzLogic, to create a product available in January that will help companies monitor what people say about them on Internet sites. Tracking consumer chatter, though, does not always provide companies with solutions, said Heather Dougherty, senior retail analyst for Nielsen/NetRatings.

“Everyone knows that word of mouth is important, and it’s something that goes on all the time,” Ms. Dougherty said. “But being able to really harness it can be very difficult.”

21 November 2006

Holiday Branding

As Thanksgiving rapidly approaches and we’re deep into the throes of the holiday season, the topic of holiday branding or brand modification came up. Jason and I started discussing holiday/seasonal branding. Jason seemed to have a bit of a bah humbug attitude towards it. I have to say, that I’m for it when it is done well. In this case, done well means:
- it doesn’t send a competing message (devalue the core brand identity)
- it doesn’t generate noise and interrupt the desired customer experience
- it doesn’t violate “here and now” phenomena
- it provides complimentary novelty – keeping the identity and experience fresh
- it positively reinforces the brand and, wait for it… creates value.

Some examples of companies that do it well:
- Caribou Coffee – they utilize snowflakes that involve their Caribou icon and the online store has holiday lights in the header that match the rustic feel of their stores.
- Google – they do a great job of modifying their logo on special days (holidays, the Olympics, etc.) with what they refer to as Google doodles. CNN had a piece about Dennis Hwang, Google’s logo artist, last summer.
- Amazon – which may modify their header but doesn’t change their IA or target area is another good example.

I think part of the success and appeal is that it connects many of us. Alone, it won’t create community, but it is a bit of wink or a tip of the hat that says we’re in this together. In some ways this is like breweries offering seasonal beers. It's the same/comfortable brand year 'round, but there's something special to help mark the seasons. In the case of Summit, I’m a big fan of their IPA and Grand, which are available year ‘round. I really enjoy their Mai Bock, which marks the start of Spring, and their Winter Ale, which helps get you through a long Minnesota Winter. Summit modified their labeling recently and now uses a standard logo and only modifies the name banner. I was a fan of their old Winter logo (pictured above) as that met my criteria for effective holiday novelty.

Have a great Thanksgiving!