Advertising in the Real World

This is to all of my friends who work in other fields (doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants, etc.) and read this blog to be supportive (and because I often question you to see if you read it thoroughly).  I know you often wonder EXACTLY what it is like at my job every day. 

Here you go.  

I think this vignette does a fantastic job of explaining what it is really like to work in the field of advertising right now.

Oh, you are going to call or email me later and tell me how funny that video is and secretly you will think that I am kidding.

I'm not.

This is really what it is like.

And to clients, current and potential, if (and when) you act like this, don't be surprised to find this video waiting for you in your email inbox.

Seriously.

Jaci Russo

Sr. Partner

The Russo Group

Don't Stop The Clock To Save Time

"The man who stops advertising to save money, 

is like the man who stops the clock to save time." 

-Thomas Jefferson

A number of companies have cut their advertising budgets during the economic downturn of the past year.

Obviously when sales are down, there is less money coming in, then there has to be less money being spent.

So, when you don't have money, you should be able to spend time.  Don't stop marketing just because you have stopped advertising.

Utilizing social media (most of the tools are free) only takes time.  Invest yours wisely.

Jaci Russo

Sr. Partner

The Russo Group

DIY Me

We are becoming a DIY Society.  

The Do It Yourself culture was kind of cute in the beginning.  

Frustrated ex-home-ec-ers and the "make it look so easy" guidance of Martha Stewart became the perfect storm luring moms, dads and homeowners into a world of weekend projects and making clothes out of pine cones.

It was all well and good, cute even, until this after hours home project mindset crossed over into business.  

Mortgage brokers think they can design logos.

Doctors think they can plan public relations strategies.

Lawyers think they can create television spots.

Entire hospital committees think they can develop advertising campaigns.

That makes as much sense as a Do It Yourself Vasectomy Kit.

Seriously.  Hire a professional.

I promise to never practice medicine, write a mortgage or defend someone in a court of law. Why?  Because I am not trained to practice those trades.  Believe it or not, those professionals are not trained to practice my craft either.  

Oh, I know.  You have a Mac.  You figured out how to copy and paste clip art.  You took a marketing class in college.  You even read blogs on branding.

None of those things makes you a professional.  Just because I know how to go to the WebMD website does not mean I should buy scrubs and wear a stethoscope around my neck.  

Please stick to your profession and I will stick to mine.  It might look easy.  The advertising professionals on TV might look they are just hanging around, drinking coffee and tossing ball back and forth in meetings.  

But real advertising takes real talent and real work.  We are trained professionals that take the investment of your budget very seriously.  The return of that investment is of paramount importance to us.  Determining the most strategic way to brand your company, the best way to change the conversation, these are not things we take lightly.

Yes, you can buy a logo online for $99, but should you?

Yes, you can do it yourself, but should you?

Jaci Russo

Sr. Partner

The Russo Group

Bring Back The Jingle

I had the opportunity to speak to Maggie's Kindergarten class during Career Day last week.

This is an incredibly humbling experience and I recommend it for every parent that wants to really appreciate how hard their teacher works. And how little their big important job is to a group of kids.

It started easy enough.

I went "on" after the nurse. Figure that she had probably scared the heck out of them with her talk of being sick and having to get immunized. Surprisingly, six year olds are actually not very fond of shots.

So, I thought I would have it made. Not so much.

First of all, the concept of branding is really hard for a six year old to grasp. I forgot the first rule in advertising - speak to your consumer in their language.

Luckily, we have done quite a bit of work for Feld Entertainment over the years so we started talking about Ringling Brother's Circus and Playhouse Disney as well as Disney on Ice and the Wiggles. Now I had their attention - as fleeting as that might be.

The merchandise seemed to really get their attention. When they could see and touch a dvd or blanket they were engaged.

Then the class really got interested when we talked about jingles. It was amazing.

This group of 19 excited and rambunctious kids all immediately sat still and started thinking of "songs" that they had heard on tv.

Now advertising made sense to them.

One by one they started naming different jingles and then singing them.

"Give me that vanilla fish, give me that fish" (McDonald's Fillet of Fish)

"I can go go go on my hover round. Indoors out all over town." (HoverRound)

"Five dollar foot long. Five dollar foot loooong." (Subway)

They really came to life when we talked about these jingles. They knew the words (for the most part). They responded to the music. They knew the products.

What happened to jingles?

There were great ones:

"Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz. Oh what a relief it is."

"Rice A Roni. The San Francisco Treat."

"My bologna has a first name it O-s-c-a-r, My bologna has a second name it M-a-y-e-rOh I love to eat it every day And if you ask my why I'lll saaaaaaay,Cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-o-l-o-g-n-aaaaaaaaa"

What jingles do you remember? Which ones got stuck in your head and you couldn't get them out? Ahh, the good old days.

Jaci Russo

Sr. Partner

The Russo Group

Scripps Snips Daily in Denver

The closing of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colorado leaves a city of 2.7 million without a daily newspaper.  The following video delivers a very powerful and emotional view inside the newsroom and the reporters that have had their lives turned upside down.

Final Edition from Matthew Roberts on Vimeo.

Everyone in advertising is watching and waiting to see if daily newspapers will evolve and grow during this digital age or continue to suffer the wrath of the changing world.

 

Just as Adam Hartung explains in the following article, the Rocky Mountain News isn’t the first, and I don’t think it will be the last…

Is your market soft, or has it shifted? - Newspaper failures

by Adam Hartung   

The Rocky Mountain News has folded up shop.  After 150 years, no more newspaper in Denver, CO. (read article here).  This is newsworthy because of the size of Denver, but the trend has been obvious.  The newspaper's owner (Scripps) closed the Albuquerque Tribune and Cincinnati Post last year.  And this is just the beginning.  Hearst has already said it may well have to close the San Francisco Chronicle within weeks.  Tribune Company, parent of The Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times has filed for bankruptcy, as has  Philadelphia Newspapers which publishes the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily Journal.  The American Society of Newspaper Editors has cancelled its annual convention for 2009 (read article here.)...

Are You Cheap Enough?

Back in December, I wrote about the difference between Relational and Transactional customers.

Specifically discussing Best Buy's successful efforts to re-engineer their operations, process, advertising, sales training and even store layout to attract more relational customers and to actually deter transactional customers.  I believe that is why they have ridden out the economic downturn so much better than Circuit City was able to.  Their brand was strengthened by the relational customers that they attracted and they weren't caught in a price war that diminished value.

When the following appeared today with Roy Williams' thoughts on relational v. transactional and how the shifting economy is shifting our approach to purchases, I had to read it twice to see if I agreed with him. 

I do agree that most consumers have shifted to a transactional mode of thinking for products that used to be purely relational.  However, the consumer is not simply buying the cheapest price, there is still a relational tendency at play.  I would hazard a guess that the average consumer is still willing to spend a little more for a product that they think can provide the best value, even if it isn't the cheapest price.  Value is the focus now.

What do you think?

Please click the link below to read his article in its entirety...

The New Magic of the Wizard of Ads

by Roy Williams

A high percentage of relational customers have shifted to a transactional frame of mind.

In other words, the rules of marketing are changing.

The buying mode and mood of the general public has moved from Intuitive and Feeling (NF, right brain/right brain, pattern recognition) to Sensing and Thinking (ST, left brain/left brain, sequential reasoning.) Frosted Frank, not Monet, will win the heart today. Abandon fuzzy angles of approach. Be direct, clear, concise. Clarity is more important than creativity. But it’s also more difficult to achieve.

Ad writers, you’re going to have to work harder than ever but so are your clients.

Money is tight.
Unemployment is rising.
People aren't shopping.
Traffic is King.

Click for FULL STORY

5 Top Types of Subliminal Advertising That Influence Branding

brain by karmaOWL

Martin Lindstrom's article, How Subliminal Advertising Works, does a fantastic job of outlining the 5 Top Types of Subliminal Advertising that influence choices consumers make.

Weight - When faced with the choice of a heavy remote control or one that is lighter, consumers chose the heavier one because the lighter one felt like it was broken. Manufacturers know this and put filler into some electronics like MP3s to make them feel heavier.

Tradition - The old Mexican tradition of putting a lime into a Corona actually only dates back to 1981 and a bartender making a bet to see if he can start a tradition. Corona's entire business took off and many ads have been created celebrating this imaginary Mexican tradition.

Music - The beat of the music in the store greatly affects how quickly you shop and therefore how much you buy. The faster the beat, the faster the shopper and the less that is purchased.

Geography - Branding is how you feel about a product. If offered a choice between a car from turkey and a car from Switzerland, that is when branding kicks in and you go for the Swiss auto. Why? Your perception that the car from Turkey will be a turkey. Ask yourself, do you want perfume from Paris or from Detroit?

Shape - The shape of the bottle or the package determines a great deal about how you will feel about it. If the container of diet mayo is shapely with a narrow waist, women will choose it more often than one that is short and squat. We are drawn to the shape of products that reflect how we want to look.

Just as casinos pump oxygen into the windowless gaming area so players stay energized and don't notice the passage of time, so to do manufacturers use their knowledge of the consumer to assist with the best way to present their product.

The human mind is a wonderful thing.

Independent Ad Agencies Tapped in 2009

"There is no such thing as national advertising. All advertising is local and personal. It's one man or woman reading one newspaper in the kitchen or watching TV in the den." – Morris Hite

As 2009 begins, it is rapidly becoming apparent that there is a shift in the Advertising landscape. Clients are faced with much smaller marketing budgets.  Clients are preparing for a continued dip in sales. Global ad agencies are laying off large numbers of staff across the board.

All of these factors will add up to what will probably become one of the largest shifts in Advertising since the development of the computer.

Clients will begin to look beyond the large, slow, expensive agencies of yesterday and search firms will be told to procure new options for the list of consideration.

It seems that clients are starting to realize that their preconceived notions might not be accurate.  The quality of the work is not based on the size of the agency.  The strength of the message is not improved by the location of the agency.  The power of the creativity is not enhanced by the extension of the network beyond the borders of the U.S.

Clients are starting to look beyond the standard line up of agencies.  Clients are looking beyond agencies located in big expensive markets.  They will be surprised at what they find.  Great work for a good price.  Talented creative geniuses living in communities of less than 250,000 people because of the sense of community.  Account Planners that guide great strategy because they actually live next to and go to church with the people in the target audience.

It is a new day for Advertising and I think we will all be the better for it.  

Great Moments in Elevator History

Through it, Charlie broke out of Wonka’s factory. In it, babies have been born. And, occasionally, inside it – bow chicka bow wow – you get what I mean.

Ah yes. The elevator. Clearly, not simply a means of transportation.

In corporate America, business happens when people meet. And often, those meetings are more than informal – they’re accidental. They happen in places like hallways, stairwells, lobbies, restaurants, and your kids’ baseball games. They happen “on the elevator.” And so you must, you absolutely must, be fluent in elevator speak.

Rate yourself – When you bump into someone you’ve been trying to meet, do you stare straight ahead, watching the numbers slowly illuminate or make idle chatter about clandestine activity on the missing 13th floor? How about if someone bumps into you – do you fumble for answers to their on-the-spot questioning? Or, if a fellow rider inquires, “So what do you do?” Is your response confident, quick, deliberate?

It comes down to this – are you a victim of what we in the industry call Foot-In-Mouth Syndrome? And, more importantly, is it hurting your business? If so, I offer you the same advice I give my own clients.

In an elevator, you should know how to –

• Explain what you do in 30 seconds or less

• Direct rather than endure the conversation

• Avoid common talk pitfalls

• Choose the right word – and avoid the wrong one

• Determine what a person really wants to know – and if you want to share it

• Redirect a discussion

• Exit a conversation without giving offense

And, most importantly –

• Turn elevator conversations into opportunities for new business

That way, the next time you step in, you can step up too.

Don’t Blame the Billboard – When Outdoor Campaigns Just Won’t Work

Every day I drive past the same billboards, yet when I try to recall the messages of even a few – I get nothing. It’s sad really. Here I am, wanting to be affected by advertising, but poor graphics, small type, weak copy, or clutter prohibit me. Imagine how easily the average driver can dismiss even the most gaudy of signs. And haven’t we all dismissed gaudy at one time or another?

I’m forced to conclude – most boards do nothing for the companies spending top dollar to purchase them. But why? The truth is billboards are to image building what Reebok high tops were to the eighties – essential. So what’s the problem?

I’ve named them.

1. The Average Joe – a board that does little to break through the litter along America’s byways. It could be mistaken for a large tree or, worse yet, a very ugly telephone pole.

2. The Lone Ranger – a board completely independent of a larger campaign. Even Batman had

Robin.

3. The Ugly Betty – really, it’s too painful to detail what’s wrong with Betty.

4. The Lost Lucy – a board misplaced. You can’t advertise clean restrooms and hot coffee after your customer has passed you – it’s just cruel.

5. The Generation Gap – neon boards with bawdy copy will annoy your grandmother. Why place it in front of her nursing home?

6. The Chatty Cathy – the board that says everything except what the customer needs to hear.

Because the outdoor market is so saturated, billboards are best used to create buzz for a new product, guide customers to a location, or embed a message through frequent, clever repetition.

Don’t botch a board.

Branding: The Promise

The Argument for Branding

It’s 10:31 on a lovely winter morning, and I was just overcome by a strange and very unusual feeling.

It wasn’t deja vu, or what some call a frisson*. But it was an epiphany of sorts:

How do you sell a product or service to those whose mission in life is to sell a product or service?

I mean, shouldn’t someone like myself, a devout, practicing, art director-type guy, be totally immune to “the pitch?” Did I not take the Marketing Pox vaccine back in 4th grade?

I made a promise to the Blog gods that I would never talk about myself, but this is important.  No; this is monumental, and it will now have a profound effect on everything that I come in contact with. Well, at least for the next hour so.

Here’s how they (and by they, I mean us -- the ad peeps) got to me folks:

It was that damn branding. Branding, with a little touch of price-pointing thrown in for good measure.

When I wasn’t looking, or had my back turned to the TV, someone representing a brand made a

promise. More importantly, they kept that promise. Even more importantly, they kept that promise time and time again.

Sorry, about breaking the ad-guy code of silence, but how else can you explain the reason that my family is on its fifth Honda (quality and reliability), or that I only use Colgate toothpaste (never a cavity and totally fresh breath)?

No one “sold” me on those two products, or the countless others, but I vaguely remember a promise those brands made to me, that I bought into that promise, and that I was not disappointed with that buy.

Sure, the term “branding” has been tossed around over the last decade like some two-year-old’s Elmo doll, but when branding is executed by a professional team, and is executed consistently over a period of time, it can be a thing of beauty. And beauty sells, man.

It’s all quite simple really and bears repeating:

A brand is a promise and promises should be kept. A kept promise is a form of trust and once someone trusts you (or your product or service), they’ll beat a path to your door every time.

Make that I’ll beat a path to your door every time. Because even jaded, seen-it-all ad-guys have to buy stuff now and then.

A Strong Brand:

• Enables you to better match your capabilities, services and products with current and future customers

• Enables you to consistently sell your products

• Allows you to control price because of your perceived value

• Helps you to stand out from the competition and competitor brands

• Is more internally efficient because everyone is focused on the same vision

• Focuses how you hire key people—in fact, how you hire everyone

• Enables you to build on what you do best

• Enhances innovation, discipline and strategic focus”

*a sudden, passing sensation of intense emotion

Gary LoBue, Jr.

Art Director

The Russo Group

Putting your Creative Campaign out to Pasture

Remember your favorite childhood pet, that beautiful Golden Retriever named Lucky?

What a good friend and companion.

And remember when you came home from school one afternoon and your parents told you that they took Lucky to old-man Vernon's farm. They said it was a wonderful place for a dog like Lucky. A place with wide open fields and pastures; a place where he could chase rabbits and take nice long naps under an old oak tree. They said it was for the best, and somehow it all made sense.

Well, I'm here to tell you that your ad campaign is probably ready for Old Man Vernon's farm. Just how old is your current campaign? One, almost two years running? That's nearly 47-years-old in marketing years.

I'm not talking about a reinventing your brand, your brand identity, or your company's positioning statement or tag line. If carefully crafted and executed by a professional creative team, those have a shelf life and can almost be carved in stone.

What I am talking about is a reassessment of your advertising and marketing initiatives. Examining the current marketplace – more specifically your marketplace, determining where the void is, and changing the market's conversation. The topic of conversation will be your product or service. And the void will be filled with the same.

You can skimp on your marketing budget if you'd like, leave your clients and customer base to gnaw on those old print ads like ol' Lucky chewing on a bone, but that will come with a higher price. Flat sales, flat leads, or an even flatter company "wallet." And that's a hole you don't want to dig yourself out of.

I know it can be a hard thing to do, saying goodbye to that good friend and companion, "the old ad campaign." So I'll leave you with this: Like a new puppy, a new ad campaign will generate excitement, run constantly for the first few months, be friendly to all, but most importantly – be devoted to one.

So rest in peace, Lucky. I'll always remember you, but now I know, it was for the best.

The Olympics, Awards and Basketball

The advertising industry is based on golden moments – golden moments and awards. There are more awards programs for advertising than any other industry (movies are trying to catch up but we still have them beat). Some of our biggest golden moments though aren’t always on stage, accepting an award from our peers. Yes, at times, we triumph as an industry by producing work that actually affects American culture, while helping our clients succeed. These great moments of recognition used to occur in living rooms on a regular basis, but today, they only seem to come during a great event, such as the Super Bowl, the Oscars, or even the Olympics.

Thanks to DVR technology, I have been able to catch pretty much every Olympic event, along with many of the commercials that seemed to air each time Michael Phelps grinned at the camera. At times I was tempted to fast forward to the next Gold Medal being placed around his neck, but instead, was drawn in to one commercial after the next. Take Nike for example – beautiful graphics, combined with an inspirational music bed, reminded me of why the athletes just do it. Or Home Depot spotlighting their employees worldwide, that are competing on this most noble of battlegrounds, and Visa, featuring a fallen track runner being picked up and helped to the finish line by his father – great moments that brought a tear to my eye every time.

The spot that really caught my attention though, was again from Nike - retro footage of Marvin Gaye singing “The Star Spangled Banner” while the USA basketball team warms up on the court. The ad is fantastic. The integration of old and new footage is so well done, and the emotional connection is evident.
It almost makes me forget about the fact that these are over-paid professionals competing in an amateur competition. (Seriously, could we not have at least sent one of the final four teams from the NCAA Championship to play? Has no one thought of this?) But I digress.

The point of my ramblings here – is to ask the question of why? Why is it that only ad awards and major events bring out the best creative? Are we only able to produce great work and take chances when there is hardware on the line? I thought our job was to grab the world’s attention, regardless of the media vehicle, budget, client and audience size.

Instead we are left with mind numbing commercials and advertisements that continually water down our industry and our profession.

In the end, not everyone will have the Olympics and Super Bowl to feature their brands – or the budget that goes with them – but that does not mean we can’t strive to make the same emotional impact on the consumers we are trying to reach. That doesn’t mean it has to be funny or make you want to cry. It does mean though that some thought should be put into how ads are created, executed and delivered to the public, regardless of if they are Nike or Bob’s Plumbing on 4th street. As an advertising professional I require it of myself, and as a consumer – I demand it from those who seek my attention.

Jaci Russo
Sr. Partner – The Russo Group

Theme Song

Have you ever thought of what your theme song would be? You know, your own personal soundtrack as you moved through life. Perhaps in sad times it would be something dark and reflective, or for more joyous occasions, something edgier and uplifting.

Now, think about how awesome it would be to have the power to simply flip the channel at any given moment, effectively changing your mood as easily as changing a song on your iPod. The truth is, music possesses the power to do just that. It can affect how we feel and act by connecting with us on an emotional level – in many ways, just like a strong brand. I know, it sound like a stretch, but let me explain.

Our ability to connect with emotions, whether it be through a song or brand, represents our desire for things that make us feel good about ourselves, our decisions and our lives. It also motivates us to act in a certain manor. Think of George Gershwin, Jimmy Hendrix, or Bach. Each possesses a unique sound that is theirs alone – with each provoking an emotional reaction from within. Whether you are fan or not, simply hearing their music will intuitively cause an emotional response.

Now think of Coke, Nike and Apple. What mental real estate do they own within your thoughts? Chances are they are firmly established in your emotional database.

So, do you remember where you were when the music died? Will your customers remember where they were the first time they realized your brand was a recognizable, unforgettable part of their life? If not, perhaps it’s time to give some thought to what your theme song might be. And to be clear, by theme song, we are not referring to a jingle, but rather, the essence of your brand.

Stacey Boudreaux Grow
Account Executive
The Russo Group

When a Good Idea Goes Bad

As I was driving home last night I looked up to see a billboard that had me wondering, did anyone truly think this was a good idea?

In order to protect the innocent, I will not give names, but in all honesty, I was shocked that this particular piece of advertising made it through both "creative" and corporate approvals to see the light of day.

Now, I could easily spend several pages describing what was wrong with this board, but there is plenty of bad advertising out there, and my ranting about it here will do little to change that. What I would like to focus on however, is the power of good advertising, and why it is important to always strive for the best.

I guess the obvious benefit of good advertising is a positive return on investment – otherwise, why do it at all? But deeper than that, a good campaign reflects on the essence of the company that it represents. It is in so many ways a direct reflection of the brand itself. Ah, that branding word again. Seems to come up a lot these days doesn't it? The problem is, I think many of the people who use it still don't have a complete understanding of what it means, or how powerful it can be when used properly.

Truth be told, the actual advertising portion of a branding campaign is one of the final pieces of the puzzle, which is why it so often ends up being the most neglected. I say neglected because it is generally the first thing businesses and agencies focus on. It's like trying to discuss global warming with a baby. Sure, it might be entertaining, but a baby is hardly prepared to speak, much less articulate thoughts on such matters. Kicking out an ad campaign without properly developing a company's brand message is pretty much the same thing.

So, until there is a brand police established to fight bad advertising, I will continue to do my part in helping those who will hear. My advice is to make sure you know yourself first, your audience second and your advertising third. Only then can you communicate the right message to the right people, with the right vehicle.

Michael Russo
Creative Director - The Russo Group

Staying The Course

Maintaining your brand through difficult times
(Pulled from the June 2008 Russo Group Newsletter - Revelations)

Chances are good that you’ve noticed the recent changes in our economy. Perhaps it’s the queasy feeling you got this morning as you filled up your car with gas, or maybe it’s the nightly news that works very hard to terrorize us all with forecasts of doom. Either way, we have all felt the pinch these last few months with no real end in sight. It is during these times that special attention must be paid to maintaining the integrity of your brand. Unfortunately though, most businesses forget about their commitment to building and maintaining brand equity and head directly into crisis mode.

Crisis mode generally results in discounts, sales and an attempt to attract transactional customers. While this may help to maintain the status quo, it won’t lead to long term gains. More importantly, you begin to slowly water down your message, losing the relational clients you have worked so hard for. This loss of brand loyalty is difficult if not impossible to regain once it is gone.

Think about it. Has your product or service declined in value since yesterday? No, of course not? Well then, why would you even think of not charging what your product or service is worth? Your brand is worth more than that, and it is vital that both you and your customers regard it as such. Truth be told, once you head down the road of price point marketing, you will soon find yourself chasing after a dog that will never be caught.

Strong brands understand the difference between transactional and relational consumers. Transactional consumers are going to drive to the end of the Earth, or at least the State Line, to get the lowest price (please disregard the amount of gas and time spent on this transaction). They will always make you work harder for less. Relational consumers on the other hand, will always want YOUR brand because of the promises you have made regarding quality, service, and overall awesomeness. They provide you with both loyalty and, wait for it – advocacy, the single most powerful form of advertising available. They rarely look for the best bargain, but rather, the best quality. These are the customers we all want.

If you are an avid reader of our writings here at Russo, you’ll notice that we talk about advocacy and results quite a bit. The reason? They are what we strive for with every branded touchpoint we develop. They are also unattainable as soon as you lose focus on your core promise and begin discounting the value of your product or service. Remember, your promise is your brand – and as soon as you begin slashing prices you lose credibility. So, before you run to the weekly paper and begin announcing the fire sale, think about the ramifications of those actions. Yes, there may still be difficult times ahead, but those who stay the course and remain true to their promise, will find their brand is not only intact, but stronger than ever.

Michael Russo
Creative Director
The Russo Group

Last Man Standing (Writers' Strike Aftermath)

Now that the writers' strike is over, every media buyer is climbing out of their foxhole to survey the damage and determine who is left standing. It was an interesting time that was filled with uncertainty and a bit of chaos.

You see, media buying requires two basic elements – clients with products and services to advertise and programming in which to place those advertisements. As with any good capitalist society, too much supply and not enough demand or too much demand and not enough supply leads to a multitude of problems. It has resulted in a perfect storm of media nightmares all thrown into the mix at once.

An example of this is the projected $4 billion dollar ploitical infusion of media buys that will most certainly saturate the market with not nearly enough supply to even out the playing field.

This is causing some interesting changes to the business, not all of which is bad. Due to the supply and demand imbalance, NBC is looking at a 52 - week season rather than the traditional fall and spring schedule – which means more opportunity for the buying public. Unfortunatly, networks are also looking at less scripted programming and more reality TV - and I am having a hard time seeing the positive in that.

In the end, as with any good vacation – self-imposed or not – the writers, producers and casts will come back refreshed and ready to work. I think it will result in one of the best seasons of television in recent memory.

Watching late night talk shows struggle without writers was entertaining enough, but now I am ready for my favorite television programs to return.

Jaci Russo - Sr. Partner
The Russo Group

The Effects of Branding During a Slowed Economy

By now I’m sure you’ve heard that our economy is a bit on the sluggish side. Some say we are on the verge of a recession, while others assume it has already begun. For businesses it is an anxious time that often leads to price reductions and short-term solutions. The problem with this philosophy is that it can also lead to their brand’s long-term demise.

Effective branding can help get a business through a slowed economy, as well as help it emerge as a category leader.

This is true for branding giants like Nike and Budweiser, as well as local and regional businesses.

The simple truth is branding builds value, and value builds brand loyalty and brand advocacy. The key to discovering and then establishing your value is to first define your point of differentiation. This is where great brands are made. Car dealers, health clubs, public golf courses, homebuilders, local banks, colleges, architects, law firms, widget manufacturers, you name it -- everyone has a unique essence just waiting to be discovered.

Once discovered, it is vital that all touchpoints associated with your business or organization reflect this difference at all times. We like to call this your “promise.” It connects you with your consumer, building both trust and confidence. A strong brand influences consumer behavior over time. With consistency branding can:

* Increases customer usage. Companies enjoy higher sales because more consumers choose a company’s brand over the competition, and their brand leads consumers to try and grow loyal to other of the company’s brands.

* Lessens the likelihood that consumers will migrate to competitor brands.

* Reduces a company’s marketing and sales expenditures. The more loyal a brand’s consumers are, the less a company needs to spend to maintain market share or sales momentum.

Proper branding delivers future revenue for lower effort and cost. It improves new product sales within a brand family and builds long-term customer relationships. Branding efforts, however, must be supported by the business or these benefits will fail to hold up over time. If the consumer becomes disenchanted or dissatisfied with a brand due to poor customer service, unreliable product quality, or other changes that reduce the value to the consumer, the power of the brand will fade.

Michael Russo
Creative Director
The Russo Group

Your Friendly Neighborhood Branding and Integrated Marketing Agency

Growing up, my favorite superhero was Spiderman, hands down. I’d particularly love it when he’d bag a group of robbers and web them up for the police to find later. He’d leave a simple note – “Compliments – Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman.”

No matter where he was – fighting the forces of evil in New York City, Los Angeles or some planet in a different solar system – he was always from your neighborhood, the guy next door. There’s a lot of appeal to this. You want to imagine that the person who’s going to save you, who’s going to protect you at all hours of the day or night, is somewhere close by.

Well, times have changed. We have a different kind of web these days that we like to call, the internet. The internet brings us all closer together and makes it possible for people thousands of miles away from each other to have a close and prosperous business relationship. It’s no different with an advertising agency.

Believe me, I know there are benefits to doing business with the shop down the street. But these days, every shop is “down the street.” Between email, IM, video conferencing, streaming audio and a host of other methods, you can and should expect the same kind of service from any advertising agency you partner up with. Because whether it’s defending your brand against a horde of mutant copycats or guaranteeing safe passage of your newest message right into the hands of willing consumers, what matters is the agency powering those solutions. In many cases, an out of market agency can also bring fresh ideas and approaches that can actually change the conversation and get you the results you are looking for.

Our agency? Well, like Spidey, We’re always on duty, ready to fight the good fight wherever it may be.

Compliments – Your Friendly Neighborhood Branding and Integrated Marketing Agency – The Russo Group.


Michael Russo
Creative Director
www.TheRussoGroup.com

Working on a Mac in Starbucks*

* A Blog About Product Placement


It’s another Tuesday morning and I’m clicking away on my Mac, hard at work on a new series of ads. This early, I can only go about 5 minutes between sips from my Starbucks Frappuccino. But it’s alright. Before long, it’ll be lunch time – I’ll go for a ride in my Honda CRV, maybe pick up a Snickers candy bar...

Ok. You caught me. That whole scenario was made up. (Confession #1: I don’t really drink Starbucks Frappuccinos and actually had to look up how to spell it. I take my coffee strictly no frills.)

But what’s been on my mind lately is the idea of product placement. We’ve all seen it – the big screen star that leisurely reaches for a Coke can at just the right moment, or the McDonald’s sign in the top right corner of the shot. Remember E.T. with his fixation on Resse’s Pieces?

After I saw Smokey and the Bandit, I spent all my hard earned cash on a 1978 Pontiac Trans-Am, and spent the rest of the summer trying to convince my friends to call me “Snowman.” But it’s no laughing matter - Smokey and the Bandit is the Grail of product placement. Pontiac reported an increase in sales of 400% after the movie came out.

(Confession #2: I also tried to cultivate a Burt Reynolds mustache to no avail. Who else could pull that off?)

Sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle, always devious – product placement is an interesting marketing technique that has captured a market estimated in the billions of dollars and that is only increasing in our entertainment-driven culture

When it’s done wrong…well, let’s just say that I’ve avoided products that were too heavy handed in their attempts to catch my interest. Maybe my one-person boycott didn’t really affect the big corporation, but I was proud to stand on principle.

However, when it’s done right it can be sublime & surprisingly successful. Imagine droves of people, pouring out of the movie theater and heading right to Taco Bell, or seriously considering buying a Mini Cooper without even knowing why. The thing to remember is that you’re not really placing a product; you’re placing a brand. And as the controller of that brand, you have to make sure that the placement doesn’t demean your brand, doesn’t drain the equity you have and instead helps create a new and energized sense of the possibilities of your brand promise.

The thing that interests me the most in product placement advertising (let’s call it what it is) is that it pretends to be without artifice – as if this is how actual consumers interact with actual products. And all of us actual consumers think, “Hey! Me too!” Rather than being told to buy into something, we get to see the positive effects of having bought into it. In reality, there’s probably no greater artifice than having an actor, who is reading scripted lines, pull on his L.L. Bean jacket before saving the world from aliens. Fake aliens.

But still, as I said, it does work. Puzzling. This leads, though, to only one logical conclusion - the idea of identification. Help a consumer to actually see themselves doing something, and they just might do it. That’s what branding is really all about. It all points back to people – not technical mumbo jumbo coded into an ad, not complex strategies about demographic buying patterns. People create the brand and they do so almost without really thinking about it. It just happens. A real story, true emotion, and a touch point for the viewer – these are the things that fuel brand. That’s how total brand advertising works – whether it’s product placement advertising, or a good old fashioned print ad.

Time to go fix my morning snack – Peter Pan Peanut Butter on Wonder Bread.


Gary LoBue, Jr.
Art Director
The Russo Group