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
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
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
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
Embracing Your Inner Pirate
Jay Chiat’s revolutionary creed, “We are pirates, not the navy,” rocked the advertising world, and changed the ad industry forever. Since that time, countless agencies have modeled themselves after Chiat/Day.
We like to think of ourselves as the pirates too – pirates to the rest of the advertising navy. For us, being pirates means challenging worn out ad philosophies that no longer work in today’s world. It also means leading our clients into the uncharted seas of integrated branding strategies – something that only true pirates can do well.
Why pirates you say? Well, in today’s market, you have to be willing to accept that the world has indeed changed. You also have to be willing to accept that the traditional methods of reaching your audience and building your brand have changed as well.
The truth is, we can all benefit by embracing our inner pirate – whether it’s how we approach our advertising, our business, or our life.
Now, I am not suggesting we all start wearing puffy white shirts and bandanas – but it wouldn’t hurt to perhaps look at things from a different perspective than we are accustomed to.
(The advertising portion of this BLOG and the obvious plugging of The Russo Group branding and integrated marketing agency has concluded. We now return you to the regularly scheduled program entitled, Embracing Your Inner Pirate.)
Ok, so I’ve got your interest now and you’re intrigued by this whole pirate thing, right? So, what now?
Well, it’s simple actually.
All you have to do is raise your sails and set a course for the open seas. You see, one of the main reasons pirates choose to be pirates in the first place is the sea. It’s huge, dark, unpredictable and threatening to everybody but them. They understand the risks involved when dealing with the unknown, but they also understand the rewards.
Yes, the seas may be choppy, but if you have the courage and hold your course, I can guarantee the treasure will come, both metaphorically and literally.
And of course, it's alot of fun being a pirate too – which may be the best reason of all.
Michael J. Russo
Creative Director
The Russo Group
“Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates.”
Mark Twain
We like to think of ourselves as the pirates too – pirates to the rest of the advertising navy. For us, being pirates means challenging worn out ad philosophies that no longer work in today’s world. It also means leading our clients into the uncharted seas of integrated branding strategies – something that only true pirates can do well.
Why pirates you say? Well, in today’s market, you have to be willing to accept that the world has indeed changed. You also have to be willing to accept that the traditional methods of reaching your audience and building your brand have changed as well.
The truth is, we can all benefit by embracing our inner pirate – whether it’s how we approach our advertising, our business, or our life.
Now, I am not suggesting we all start wearing puffy white shirts and bandanas – but it wouldn’t hurt to perhaps look at things from a different perspective than we are accustomed to.
(The advertising portion of this BLOG and the obvious plugging of The Russo Group branding and integrated marketing agency has concluded. We now return you to the regularly scheduled program entitled, Embracing Your Inner Pirate.)
Ok, so I’ve got your interest now and you’re intrigued by this whole pirate thing, right? So, what now?
Well, it’s simple actually.
All you have to do is raise your sails and set a course for the open seas. You see, one of the main reasons pirates choose to be pirates in the first place is the sea. It’s huge, dark, unpredictable and threatening to everybody but them. They understand the risks involved when dealing with the unknown, but they also understand the rewards.
Yes, the seas may be choppy, but if you have the courage and hold your course, I can guarantee the treasure will come, both metaphorically and literally.
And of course, it's alot of fun being a pirate too – which may be the best reason of all.
Michael J. Russo
Creative Director
The Russo Group
“Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates.”
Mark Twain
Creativity Matters
Rather than picking a cause du jour and excoriating our industry’s practices, or writing some kind of know-it-all sales pitch about how YOUR AGENCY will be LEFT BEHIND unless you immediately implement PROGRESSIVE IDEA X, I’d like to tell you about something we’re doing right. Maybe it takes an outsider to see one of the real crowning elements of this industry with clear eyes.
You see, I’m a new copywriter recently come to the advertising world straight from my 3rd floor English Department office. That “Dr.” in front of my name isn’t some kind of nickname. And while I’m not the only one who has jumped off the good ship academe in favor of the more frenetic, yet greener, pastures of private business, there is one thing I’ve noticed that all my agency co-workers take for granted. People in advertising treat creativity seriously, like it matters, and are willing to give writers and artists the space they need to excel in their roles. I feel respected and appreciated. Daily.
I realize I need to clarify my position since so much of this is taken for granted around the office here. Some examples of what I mean: In a recent creative meeting, both the Art Director and the Creative Director said things like “Go wild” and “Really challenge yourself with this.” When I chimed in with some thoughts, everyone at the meeting looked at me attentively. It was a shocking moment as I slowly realized they cared about what I was saying. I tentatively let myself realize they were open to fresh ideas. About a week before that, my Creative Director asked for some copy that would really blow him away, and then encouraged me to take the time I needed to do it right. And these are not isolated incidents.
I’m imagining a sea of puzzled faces reading this article, so entrenched is the idea in the advertising world that creativity matters. But let me give you some more information. Not only was I a professor of English, I was a professor of Creative Writing, specifically poetry. I spent my days instructing students in the art of line breaks, alliterative structure, fluent thought patterns and vibrant language.
However, the last faculty meeting I remember attending was focused on how our classroom syllabi were all due on such-and-such a day and that these had to follow a departmentally approved format! Though we were obviously allowed to put our own personal “mark” on the material we distributed in class, this was not specifically encouraged. And while we were told we had to “produce”—meaning we had to publish articles, essays and creative work as a way to demonstrate our seriousness and commitment—when we did publish something, it was never mentioned or rewarded in any way.
When I broached the subject of developing a new class format to a colleague of mine, she politely explained how she had designed the old format and that it “worked well enough.” Ego aside, this clearly indicates the overall environment: zealously committed to the status quo, constraining us all to a system of stifling regimentation.
Granted, I’m having trouble finding someone around my office who will discuss the intricacies of Coleridge’s poetry with me. But I’m still convinced I’ve made the right choice and I think the industry as a whole should take a minute to realize that we’re doing something very and impressively right.
Any agency that realizes the value of the creative staff and embraces the full extent of what they need to do and what they can do, is creating an environment that will ensure delivery of the best materials to clients. You’ll have a happy creative staff, working in one of the few industries in which creativity still matters.
Dr. Nate Pritts
Copywriter
The Russo Group
You see, I’m a new copywriter recently come to the advertising world straight from my 3rd floor English Department office. That “Dr.” in front of my name isn’t some kind of nickname. And while I’m not the only one who has jumped off the good ship academe in favor of the more frenetic, yet greener, pastures of private business, there is one thing I’ve noticed that all my agency co-workers take for granted. People in advertising treat creativity seriously, like it matters, and are willing to give writers and artists the space they need to excel in their roles. I feel respected and appreciated. Daily.
I realize I need to clarify my position since so much of this is taken for granted around the office here. Some examples of what I mean: In a recent creative meeting, both the Art Director and the Creative Director said things like “Go wild” and “Really challenge yourself with this.” When I chimed in with some thoughts, everyone at the meeting looked at me attentively. It was a shocking moment as I slowly realized they cared about what I was saying. I tentatively let myself realize they were open to fresh ideas. About a week before that, my Creative Director asked for some copy that would really blow him away, and then encouraged me to take the time I needed to do it right. And these are not isolated incidents.
I’m imagining a sea of puzzled faces reading this article, so entrenched is the idea in the advertising world that creativity matters. But let me give you some more information. Not only was I a professor of English, I was a professor of Creative Writing, specifically poetry. I spent my days instructing students in the art of line breaks, alliterative structure, fluent thought patterns and vibrant language.
However, the last faculty meeting I remember attending was focused on how our classroom syllabi were all due on such-and-such a day and that these had to follow a departmentally approved format! Though we were obviously allowed to put our own personal “mark” on the material we distributed in class, this was not specifically encouraged. And while we were told we had to “produce”—meaning we had to publish articles, essays and creative work as a way to demonstrate our seriousness and commitment—when we did publish something, it was never mentioned or rewarded in any way.
When I broached the subject of developing a new class format to a colleague of mine, she politely explained how she had designed the old format and that it “worked well enough.” Ego aside, this clearly indicates the overall environment: zealously committed to the status quo, constraining us all to a system of stifling regimentation.
Granted, I’m having trouble finding someone around my office who will discuss the intricacies of Coleridge’s poetry with me. But I’m still convinced I’ve made the right choice and I think the industry as a whole should take a minute to realize that we’re doing something very and impressively right.
Any agency that realizes the value of the creative staff and embraces the full extent of what they need to do and what they can do, is creating an environment that will ensure delivery of the best materials to clients. You’ll have a happy creative staff, working in one of the few industries in which creativity still matters.
Dr. Nate Pritts
Copywriter
The Russo Group
Radio Renaissance
If you’d asked me about radio advertising a few years ago my response would have been, well, it’s less than stellar. After all, radio isn’t nearly as sexy as television and print, right?
But over the years my views of radio have changed considerably, both strategically and creatively. Radio is so often abused and misused, it’s no wonder it has gained such a horrid reputation in the advertising world. Sure, you’ll get plenty of station reps telling you it’s the best thing on the planet, but few agencies regard it as an optimum creative choice.
Chances are if you turn your radio on right now, you’ll probably hear some wacko screaming at you about the big sale on Monday. Or better yet, you’ll find someone who read a book on how to advertise on a budget, who will repeat his company name and phone number at least 5 times within a 60 second spot. Soon you’ll either be tuning him out, flipping the station, or kicking on the ipod.
The thing is, people still love the radio, no matter how bad the advertising is between songs. It’s basically environmental noise to them. It’s soothing in an odd way. The problem – it’s not advertising.
In order to break free from the clutter, you have to dig deep. You have to capture your audience’s attention, and yes, you have to make them interested in what you have to say.
Humor – maybe. Drama – perhaps. Tell their story – always.
Now this part may hurt a bit so prepare yourself – If you are not a trained professional then perhaps it’s time you find someone who is. Yes, I know it’s harsh, but if I don’t tell you, who will? There are people out there who can help. Just pick up the phone and make the call.
Talented copywriters will be standing by.
Michael Russo
Creative Director
The Russo Group
But over the years my views of radio have changed considerably, both strategically and creatively. Radio is so often abused and misused, it’s no wonder it has gained such a horrid reputation in the advertising world. Sure, you’ll get plenty of station reps telling you it’s the best thing on the planet, but few agencies regard it as an optimum creative choice.
Chances are if you turn your radio on right now, you’ll probably hear some wacko screaming at you about the big sale on Monday. Or better yet, you’ll find someone who read a book on how to advertise on a budget, who will repeat his company name and phone number at least 5 times within a 60 second spot. Soon you’ll either be tuning him out, flipping the station, or kicking on the ipod.
The thing is, people still love the radio, no matter how bad the advertising is between songs. It’s basically environmental noise to them. It’s soothing in an odd way. The problem – it’s not advertising.
In order to break free from the clutter, you have to dig deep. You have to capture your audience’s attention, and yes, you have to make them interested in what you have to say.
Humor – maybe. Drama – perhaps. Tell their story – always.
Now this part may hurt a bit so prepare yourself – If you are not a trained professional then perhaps it’s time you find someone who is. Yes, I know it’s harsh, but if I don’t tell you, who will? There are people out there who can help. Just pick up the phone and make the call.
Talented copywriters will be standing by.
Michael Russo
Creative Director
The Russo Group
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