Hertz vs. Avis
Coke vs. Pepsi
Apple vs. Microsoft
That cute, spiky-haired Alltel dude vs. the Cingular, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile dorks
It doesn't matter how it started. I hear tell that back in the ‘50s some CEO sloshed a very dry martini on another CEO's wife during a benefit dinner. I'd like to think that in the bowels of some dark and smoke-filled Madison Avenue agency, someone yelled, "screw 'em" and pressed the little red button; effectively launching a pre-emptive strike against a nation of fanatical car rental dealerships. Either way, a line in the sand is drawn, and it's winner take all.
Or is it?
In this polarized land of everyone loves a winner, but roots for the underdog, a very strange thing happens when the Brand-X battle lines snap to attention -- both sides seem to prevail.
Call it the tag-along-effect or compare it to the Nascar driving technique of drafting, but when one company takes the offensive and attacks the value or benefits of their competitor's product, both companies get pulled into the mass media spotlight. And, if the competitor's product is not inherently flawed (and at the highest level it usually isn't) – ka-boom – free exposure, front-of-mind name recognition and a measurable sales spike.
Sure, the company that takes the strategic initiative will ultimately gain those few precious percentage points of market share, but at what cost? Allowing the other agency to easily engineer a defensive roll-over minutes campaign? Allowing the legions of the competitor's opposing cola army (the product fans) to initiate
a flanking viral or grassroots campaign? As a passionate nation of consumers and brand loyalists (Red vs. Blue anyone?), we love to take a stand, and we'll stand on the other team's throat to let them know it.
The fact is an advertising and marketing war is an end game and a war of attrition. The only loser will be the company that literally gives up, shuts down or is purchased for a cash/stock deal and the assumption of its debt. These "wars" are really an endless series of market share battles that can easily run the course of decades.
So dear client, before you start firing your Kalashnikovs up in the air with the rallying cry of "Give me market share or give me death!" listen to your agency professionals' advice. Cold war or cola war, taking that path commands a very high price. Trust us, we've pulled many a tour of duty and have the medals to prove it.
Gary LoBue Jr / Art Director / The Russo Group
* Divide and conquer
Showing posts with label image. Show all posts
Showing posts with label image. Show all posts
My Mom Just Created My Website…and Other Disasters in Programming
You may not know it, but a fierce debate rages in cyberspace – is web design an art or a science? Webbers get really heated about it, writing blogs entirely in programming languages, staging virtual strikes, and threatening viruses upon each other.
Juvenile? Absolutely.
But these testy interactive types do have one thing going for them – at least they know how to spawn viruses, blog in programming, and threaten virtual silence. What I’m saying is, at least they’ve a bit more interactive training than a late night read of Websites for Dummies.
Because in theory web design is “easy,” companies, we’re talking reputable companies, entrust everyone from local college kids to their aunt’s son’s best friend’s brother with design of their website. True, amateurs can probably get you an address and a brightly colored banner, but without advanced training, they’re unable to offer you search engine optimization, dimension expertise, language options, and other elements critical to securing a professional web presence. There’s a real chance that the company image you’ve worked hard to manicure will be suddenly reduced to all that is crude and kitschy.
Yes, it’ll cost you more to program professionally. But like everything else in business, initial investments result in long-term profitability. The free, “my mama did it” websites look and act the part. And as we all know, if customers struggle even a little with a site’s navigability, they’re gone. Another vendor is literally a click away.
You’ll do better letting mom design the Family Reunion Summer 2008 site, and a professional the site of your company.
John Rockweiler
Interactive Director
The Russo Group
Juvenile? Absolutely.
But these testy interactive types do have one thing going for them – at least they know how to spawn viruses, blog in programming, and threaten virtual silence. What I’m saying is, at least they’ve a bit more interactive training than a late night read of Websites for Dummies.
Because in theory web design is “easy,” companies, we’re talking reputable companies, entrust everyone from local college kids to their aunt’s son’s best friend’s brother with design of their website. True, amateurs can probably get you an address and a brightly colored banner, but without advanced training, they’re unable to offer you search engine optimization, dimension expertise, language options, and other elements critical to securing a professional web presence. There’s a real chance that the company image you’ve worked hard to manicure will be suddenly reduced to all that is crude and kitschy.
Yes, it’ll cost you more to program professionally. But like everything else in business, initial investments result in long-term profitability. The free, “my mama did it” websites look and act the part. And as we all know, if customers struggle even a little with a site’s navigability, they’re gone. Another vendor is literally a click away.
You’ll do better letting mom design the Family Reunion Summer 2008 site, and a professional the site of your company.
John Rockweiler
Interactive Director
The Russo Group
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