Category: marketing

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Emperor’s new clothes

Spark - © Graham, Creative Commons licensed, via LfickrMarketing these days seems to be in a rut. I am amazed at the ideas some companies use to represent their goods and services.

Lexus, for example, has a new crossover vehicle that they are trying to sell with the slogan, “Go Beyond Utility.”

Meh.

The closing line of their ad says, “”Once you go beyond utility, there’s no going back.”

What does that even mean?

Lest you think I am saying that I’m a creative genius, I don’t have a quick and easy suggestion for a better campaign to sell the new Lexus NX crossover. And I understand that true creativity is an art more than a science. Great ideas don’t come always quickly to even the most creative person.

Footnotes:

  1. The Emperor’s New Clothes is a wonderful story from 1837 that illustrates how the ruler of a large land is swindled into believing nothing is the best something ever.
  2. The sparks photo is courtesy of Graham on Flikr, and is used through a Creative Commons license.
  3. The new NX is a repackaged Toyota RAV. Car and Driver magazine gives it 3 out of 5 stars. Maybe that’s why the creatives had a hard time coming up with a good idea to sell the car.
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It’s not worth it

nature box snacksFree is something that sometimes motivates me. Who doesn’t want to get something without paying for it, as long as it’s not stolen?

But few things are really free.

I subscribed to the snack service Graze for free. The snacks were OK, but were priced far more than the tastier (and less healthy) snacks I buy at the grocery store. Also, more than one-fourth were not tasty. So I unsubscribed before the trial period ended.

An ad for Nature Box on This American Life*motivated me to visit their site. I concluded that it was too similar to Graze to make me want to hassle with unsubscribing later.

– –

If you are a frequent reader of Shiny Bits of Life, you know that I love cars. And since car manufacturers have deep pockets, they throw the occasional free promotion at people like me. One of my favorite free things was a test drive of the latest 3-series, when BMW was doing a national promotional tour. No sales person sat next to me while I pushed the car to its limits. A free cap was waiting at the end of the ride.

Aaah.

– –

* This American Life is a podcast and radio show on National Public Radio, for people outside of the USA.

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Artisan lip balm and whiskey

Burt's BeesBurt’s Bees was sold to Clorox. Small distilleries may be selling you whiskey that was mostly made in a giant factory.

You already know that all is not as it seems. But we are susceptible to good marketing.

The Denver Post reported on September 28th that many craft distilleries are using whiskey that is made in giant factories.  It may be a little disappointing to someone who spends $65 for a bottle of “hand-crafted spirits” to find out that they have bought something made in a massive factory.

People with chapped lips wanting something better than Chapstick have turned to Burt’s Bees for a long time. They have (and do) buy that brand because of its more natural ingredients and the company’s environmental responsibility. But did you know that Burt’s Bees was bought by Clorox in 2007? That’s probably not surprising to you. But we still like the idea that our purchase will be healthier and more responsible than something we buy from a big corporate global manufacturer. We also like the idea that our product is made in a small facility by local humans, rather than on some anonymous assembly line.

The only way to truly buy local and artisan may be to visit the factory to see how they make what you want to buy. And be prepared to pay double (or more) than what the national brand might cost.

Being healthy and responsible is not cheap.

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I’m just glad it exists

The Vertu Signature Touch smartphone costs $14,100. It’s incredible that such a thing even exists. But I’m glad.

Vertu Signature Touch featureIt’s comforting to know that a few people in the world can experience Vertu’s largest ever ruby button. (I am not sure what it controls – maybe the ejector seat?) And it’s reassuring that one craftsman carries each object d’art from start to finish. (Their signature is on the inside of the battery cover.) However, vegans would not be happy with the seaspray lizard skin and black alligator skin cases. Vertu’s “focus on performance extends to the range of stunning ringtones performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.”

I am not being sarcastic when I say that I’m glad that such a thing exists. Though I honestly think a $649 (£549) iPhone is better in almost every way,* the fact that people are willing to spend their excess funds on such an obsessed-over creation is amazing. Somehow the ultra-fringe is appealing to me. Though I would not want a Vertu Signature Touch, even if it were given to me, I’m glad it’s out there. I picture a Vertu craftsman working away in a dim-lit basement in the depths of rural England, smoking a Meerschaum, whilst listening to Benjamin Britten. It’s comforting.

* 1) I think the Apple OS ecosystem is better than the Vertu’s Android ecosystem. 2) Even though the per-unit expenses involved in the Vertu Signature Touch project are far more than that of the iPhone, the amount of development hours and design time that went into the iPhone is vastly more than what was invested in the Vertu. This is similar to why the navigation system on a Ferrari is not nearly as good as that of a luxury Toyota. 3) An object’s rarity does not automatically equal it being the best in its class.

If you want to learn more, you can download the brochure.

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Secret combination

rexona soap from kenyaAlmost twenty years ago, Heather and I lived with a very gracious family in rural Kenya, for two weeks. Learning how real people lived was part of a training program to orient us to life there. (We went on to live in East Africa for five years.)

Peter, our main host, was on break from college. He served as our translator and cultural broker, fluently speaking English, Kikamba and Swahili. He loved to listen to Kenyan radio, powered by a large car battery. I will never forget the Rexona commercials. We heard them every morning, whether we wanted to or not – the walls weren’t very thick.

The commercial was totally in Swahili – except for the slogan, “Rexona – Secret Combination!” Rexona was a brand of soap, with touted qualities to make your skin amazing. The “R” at the front of the phrase was always trilled.

Why do I bring this up? Food Babe got Budweiser to list their popular beer’s ingredients for the first time. Rice might not be on the top of everyone’s list for what makes a quality beer, but then again, Budweiser is probably not on the top of everyone’s list as being a quality beer.

Mystery in ingredients can be a good thing or a bad thing. For Rexona, it was good. For Budweiser, maybe not so good.

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I will not lie for you

Blu e-cigarette adIt is amazing to think that electronic cigarettes will allow you to take your freedom back. Nicotine addiction is a prison, of sorts. Yes, e-cigarettes will allow you to smoke in public (though that is being debated). They will allow you to have freedom from the poisons of tar and some of the other harmful toxins in tobacco smoke. But are they a path to freedom? I don’t think so.

I’m not here to tell you that tobacco is evil. I know it brings pleasure – and yet it kills you. My coffee each morning is laced with a minor toxin, caffeine. And since my mother and several of her brothers died from heart diseases, if I were only concerned about my health, I would kick that habit. Alas, I choose pleasure.

What I am here to say is that if I have a choice, I will not spend my hours marketing something that I could not sell to a friend. I also know that not everyone has the luxury of choosing how they spend their working hours. And I do not condemn those who spend their hours working on something they don’t totally believe in. As a friend said a long time ago, “Why do you think they call it work?”

If you are curious, I do spend my working hours on stuff I believe in. And I definitely consider that to be a privilege.

(And the title of this post was inspired by a song by James Taylor.)

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I Love Whole Foods

Forager ProjectWhere else can I go to spend $6.99 on 16 ounces of juice?

I didn’t buy any Forager Project juices, but the very fact that they are available at Whole Foods makes me happy. I’m sure there are some amazing health benefits, but I am not willing to spend that amount to discover them.

If you are willing to offer something that no one will buy, it could benefit you – if only to show your customers that you think outside of the box. So go to Whole Foods today to discover a new amazing product that you won’t buy. Chances are, you will buy something else. I did.

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Some things should not be combined

Angry Birds Cheese NipsAngry Birds was huge, at least a few months ago. Kraft decided to make an Angry Birds edition of their Cheese Nips crackers. Not surprisingly, it instantly made its way to the shelves of Big Lots, a store specializing in rejected products. (I love Big Lots, if only for the opportunity to see things like Angry Birds Cheese Nips.)

What product have you seen lately that lost before it even started the race?

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Investing in cash register tape

My next investment will be in a company that produces cash register tape. Their profits must be growing as fast as the length of tape I get with each new purchase. Print may be dying, but not in that area of the paper marketplace.

I am glad that many store sales people ask whether I want a receipt. I love it when they ask before printing one out.

Companies are fooling themselves in thinking many people will read cash register tape marketing messages. Today’s marketplace is so crowded with information that it’s good to be as strategic as possible in where you put your messages. This throw-away item is not one of the best marketing message channels.

By the way, this receipt – over 18″ long – was for just one item. And to set your mind at ease, I won’t put my money in cash register company stock.

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How pure are you?

cigaretteWhen you put money into a retirement fund, do you check if that fund supports the tobacco industry?

If you buy baby formula, do you check if that company markets their formula aggressively to new mothers in developing countries – at the expense of their children’s health?

It’s hard to be pure in this world. Most decisions end up being the best of the mix we can find. Or we may not examine all the factors that go into a decision.

I’m often too lazy to examine my decisions. And sometimes I know the potential downsides to a decision, but I make it anyway.

My friend Tim Gier, a vegan, makes most of his decisions with a very focused approach. I admire that.

What’s a decision you made that you later regretted?

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