We try harder. Not.

Quick!  Who's the advertiser??

After 50 years of service, the Avis Corporation is retiring one of the most memorable positioning lines in advertising:  We try harder.  It's always puzzling when a proven, successful campaign is yanked.  Quick ... who is the advertiser for these lines?:

• Fly the Friendly Skies
• When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight
• They're grrrrrrrrrrreat!

Great taglines not only position the brand, they become part of the brand personality.  

The new Avis tagline "It's your space" is meant to convey the sense that Avis has roomy cars that allow “business professionals [to] use the space inside the rental vehicle to be productive and recharge when traveling,” according to the company.  I'm not sure that I've ever really felt productive in a car, but maybe that's just me. 

Hmmmm.  "It's your space" is a concept that can be copied.  "We try harder" is a concept that Avis owns, lock, stock and barrel.  In my estimation, this is not a good trade.

Further arguing against the change in lines is the fact that very strong positioning lines don't die easily.  I expect that, for years, people will associate "we try harder" with Avis, probably much more than they ever will with "It's your space."  I still hear pilots and flight crews on United refer to the "friendly skies" even though that line hasn't been the official tagline for decades. (Can anyone recite what the current United tag line is?)

Oh, yes.  There's one more thing.  When you walk away from a positioning line like "We try harder" it leaves the customer to wonder if the company still does just that:  try harder.

All in all, this is a head scratcher.  However, I have seen these types of iconic marketing campaigns get tossed out simply because management is bored with them ... or there's new management ... or a new agency ... or there is some temporary dislocation in the marketplace.

Smart marketers understand the value of brand equity and take a long term view of brand development. 

An Oreo Appliance

Just when you thought everything that could be invented had been invented ... along comes a tool to address the age-old problem of properly dunking an Oreo cookie into milk. 

There are two essential motive forces for human behavior: obtaining a benefit or solving a problem.  For those who have had a problem dunking Oreos ... the inventor is hoping that they'll shell out for this innovative device.

For creative people, hope springs eternal.

Buggy Whips

A true anachronism landed on my doorstep yesterday - a big, thick edition of the Yellowbook "Yellow Pages."  There was a time many years ago when this type of publication was indispensable.  When I was director of marketing for Hawaii Pizza Hut, a significant part of our advertising budget went to the Yellow Pages ... and it would be unthinkable not to buy a large display ad.

How things have changed.  The internet has transformed (and enriched) the way we find information about businesses like pizza places.  Do a search for pizza in any geographic area and you'll find all the relevant telephone numbers and addresses.  What's more, you'll find maps and directions.  Click on their websites and you'll find menus.  Go to Yelp and you'll find customer reviews.

So why does anyone buy an ad in Yellowbook?  I don't really know.  I checked the pizza section and Pizza Hut was smart enough to confine its presence to free listings.  Papa John's bought a fairly large display ad.  I wonder if Papa John's will try to estimate a return on that investment.

Companies in categories like phonee directories that are experiencing radical transformation don't have to die, but they do have to figure out how to live in a new environment.  Remember Darwin?  It's all about adaptive evolution.

There are some examples of successful adaptation.  The railroads have basically gotten out of the passenger business (handing that over to a gullible federal agency) and now profitably concentrate on bulk commodities like coal along with innovative modular transportation container products.  Travel agencies have gotten out of the business of booking tickets.  Admittedly, the travel agency business has contracted significantly in the past twenty years, but the ones that survive have re-figured their business model.  They've become travel experts in specific market niches, selling their expertise on a fee-for-service basis.

I don't know how Yellowbook can transform its business.  For now, it is a two pound anachronism, contributing a lot of volume to our landfills, but not much value to its customers.  The company probably doesn't have long to figure out how to evolve ... or go the way of the dodo bird.   

Product Improvements??

Let me start by saying that this post is an expression of my opinion.  I haven't seen any of the research or the marketing presentation decks that must have been developed around a product improvement introduced by Coors brewing.

The improvement?  Beer cans with a resealable screw cap.  Hmmmmm.

I just have to wonder how many beer drinkers out there don't finish a brew once they open the can.  And I have to wonder what the beer tastes like once its been opened, re-sealed and served again the next day.  I would have really enjoyed sitting in on whatever focus groups Coors conducted on the subject because this just doesn't sound like an idea that would resonate with real beer drinkers.

Miller brewing famously built its "lite" beer based on a deep understanding of the mindset of beer drinkers.  They didn't position "lite" as low-calorie, but as "less filling."  Because what beer drinkers want to do is drink more beer.  Which is why I have a hard time imagining them recapping the can and putting it the fridge.

When I teach marketing, I tell my students that in order to be successful a product has to be unique and relevant.  These beer containers are unique, but I doubt that serious beer drinkers will find them relevant.  

I will watch the developments of this product improvement with great interest. 

Delusions of Brand-eur

Newsweek, the brand, has lost its way, becoming a mish-mash of different genres and thereby losing its brand image as a premier weekly news magazine.  As a result, I decided not to renew my subscription.

In an increasingly pathetic torrent of mailings, Newsweek has attempted to convince me to renew.  I finally received the "last issue notification" warning me that my subscription has expired.  The delusional marketing comes into play in the text of the mailing:  "As a subscriber, you know Newsweek delivers the news as no one else does ... "  I guess the folks in the marketing department haven't read the magazine lately.  If Newsweek did, indeed, deliver the brand promise, I would probably remain a subscriber. 

Just a Poor Little Brand That Has Lost Its Way ... bah, bah, bah

Newsweek.  One of the world's great brands ... and one of the great examples of how to mismanage a brand.

Newsweek built its brand by focusing on its essential benefit:  it was, as the name implies, a news weekly.  Not a newspaper.  Not a celebrity magazine.  Just a magazine that thoughtfully featured news stories with a depth and perspective that isn't possible for daily newspapers or television news programs.

Like every other communications medium, Newsweek has bee n deeply affected by environmental change and new technology.  Twenty-four hour news channels and zillions of internet sites can get the news out in a way that was unthinkable when the Newsweek brand was born.  So, clearly, Newsweek had to change and adapt.  But in responding to change, Newsweek seems to have abandoned its brand and "thrown the baby out with the bathwater."

Rather than finding ways to enrich and evolve what the brand stands for (news analysis and news features), Newsweek began a desperate chase of circulation by trying to become something that is really inconsistent with its brand.  Consider the current cover ... a provocative (salacious?) photo of female model and asparagus promoting a story on the "101 best places to eat in the world."  Playboy does a better job with salacious photos ... and if I want a story on good eats I've got a variety of magazines to choose from including Saveur and Bon Apetit (which I already subscribe to).  People magazine does a better job on celebrity news.  Another story is "College Rankings."  US News and World Report is known for that.  Inside there are stories on celebrities, fashion, the media and more but no real news or analysis.

By trying to become something it isn't, Newsweek is becoming irrelevant. I let my subscription lapse, but they keep sending me the magazine.  I guess they're really desperate for circulation.

Don't Forget About Internal Marketing

Management tends to spend a lot of time and a lot of money on external marketing.  Advertising, promotion, public relations, sales and other marketing activities is the focus.  Too often, there is a lack of focus on internal marketing.  But, if your own staff is disaffected or uninformed, all of that effort on external marketing can be wasted. 

Effective internal marketing comes down to motivating and informing your people ... and aligning their activities with your brand.  One easy way to think about doing this is the "3 Rs" of internal marketing:

• Respect
• Reward
• Reinforce

Treating your staff - especially your front line staff - with respect is too often ignored.  I've heard staff describe themselves as "mushrooms" ... kept in the dark and knee deep in manure.  Respect them enough to communicate with them and share meaningful information about the company and its direction and you'll go a long way toward increasing productivity.

Try to catch people doing right.  When I worked at Hawaii Pizza Hut, the CEO would visit the restaurants with a stash of $20 dollar bills in his wallet.  When he saw examples of great customer service or excellent teamwork, he would hand the employee a $20 bill as a cash reward on the spot.  It ended up being a couple thousand dollars in the marketing budget for the year, but it was a great investment for employee morale.

Don't expect that a single training session or employee bulletin will result in effective communication.  Reinforce your message by repeating it ... and delivering it different formats.

There are great books written on this subject so there's no excuse for ignoring this powerful concept. 

Too bad that internal marketing often takes a back seat to "sexier" external marketing activities.  

Saying so ... Doesn't make it so

I'm always amazed at people who think that by simply saying something people will believe it.  In my advertising career, when presented with advertising concepts I always asked whether the message "rings true."  Unfortunately, much delusional marketing communications comes from people and organizations that ignore the reality of their brand and believe that if they just say something they would like to be true, people will believe it. 

Communications, though, is, as educators say, summative.  That is: what people "get" is the sum total of the brand ... the product itself, any history with the product, what other people say about the product, the packaging ... along with conventional marketing communications.  Changing the ad doesn't necessarily change how people perceive the product.

I was prompted to post this based on a recent advertisement by a politician in Hawaii.  Politics aside, the communication didn't "ring true," and, as a result probably isn't very effective.  This politician's supporters would describe him as "a forceful personality" or a "decisive leader."  His detractors would probably describe him as an "egomaniac" or a "bully."  In any event, he is not a wimp.  But in his TV advertising he ends the ad by meekly turning to camera and saying: "I humbly ask for your support."  Humbly?  I don't think so.  He's never been accused of being humble. 

I'm sure his advisers told  him he should tone down his "bully" image.  But unless there's tangible evidence that the "bully" brand has changed, the message won't "ring true."

Can you imagine Chicago's mayor Daly in his prime saying "I humbly ask for your support"? 

The lesson here is that you need to truly understand your brand and make sure your marketing messages are consistent with your brand in order to create effective communication.   

Thinking big ... or thinking B I G !!!

I had the opportunity to facilitate some strategic planning sessions for a small Roman Catholic college.  The trustees were a lively bunch including college administrators, community leaders and brothers from the governing church order.

To encourage "out of the box" thinking, I conducted a pretty standard planning exercise.  Imagine, I said, if we are incredibly successful, what will the headlines about the college be in the next 25 years.  There were some predictable responses:  Enrollment doubles; The budget has a surplus; We win prestigious awards.  When challenged to go further outside of the box, one of the brothers said:  The 25th reunion of the class of 2012 sets a record for attendance ... including the pope."  Wow ... the pope is an alum!!  Then one of the other brothers piped in "... and she's really glad to be here."

So ... there's thinking outside the box ... and there's thinking waaaay outside the box.  Dreaming big is a precondition for obtaining big results.

At Leo Burnett Advertising, the first company that I worked for, there was a famous saying that Leo often quoted that became basis for the company motto:  "Reach for the Stars."  As the full saying goes, 'Reach for the stars. You may not get one, but you won't get a handful of mud, either.'