Insight on Business - August 30, 2011

Insight on Business News Hour with Michael Libbie is our look at a number of stories that cross our  desks revolving around advertising, marketing and consumer trends.  Our goal is to share with you our experience and point out what works...and what needs more work.  Perhaps we'll be able to give your business an idea or two...and you'll sell...more.  Thanks to NatraTurf and Bindery One for their continued support of this project.  Let's go:

If The Economy Stinks...

Smart marketers are paying attention to who is working...rather than who isn't.  We wrote about that last week (Focus on These People) and we're continuing to see movement among higher end brands that also believe it's better to build a better market base than to contract.  The latest piece of news is that our friends at Starwood Hotels and Resorts and their upscale Luxury Collection are going to launch a global campaign that talks about the "little things" that make a hotel stay...memorable.  In print you'll be seeing them in Forbes, The Financial Times and others.

Sometimes Odd...Wins

In that same post from last week we mentioned that all marketing doesn't need to be...serious.  KIA thinks so too and later this month it's the return of "The Hamsters" as they kick back and promote the SOUL nameplate.  I dunno...maybe I'm out of the demographic but I found it odd...sort of like the ads for Quiznos.  Since they aired...I never went back.  Odd...just...odd:

 

Stuffed and deformed "Spongmonkeys"...  Odd...

Vehicle Wraps - Drive By Ads

They are all over the place.  Folks are finding that in a saturated world of marketing why not add...something else like rolling billboards.  We see them all over the metro but...you want to be very careful.  The other day we saw a vehicle wrapped with Kosama logos.  The guy driving it exited a Kum & Go with a Twinkie and a fountain  drink.  And...he looked more like me...than a Kosama Guy".  Might that be called... "Brand Confusion" or maybe it was the "before" image?   Anyway, the cost for what are called "Drive By Ads" is low ($200 - $400) and that's what is fueling the local...trend.  Here is a story from our friends at Media Daily News.

So, How Is Business...HP?

One of the interesting things to watch is how some companies...self destruct.  Or how some companies change their entire market focus...because???  Usually it's a new VP of Marketing who comes in and must put his or her "stamp" on the company and changes stuff that doesn't make sense.  Or, in the case of Hewlett-Packard it might be "knee jerking" and silly moves.  Textbook case on leadership gone...wrong from our friends at The Wall Street Journal. The lesson here is stay focused...focused...focused and don't let outside/inside silly ruin your business model.

Thanks And...Connect

Thanks for coming by for a quick read.  If you wish to leave a comment here, feel free.  Or...let's connect on Twitter @MichaelLibbie (personal & business) or @InsightADV (all business baby) and there is always our advertising agency Facebook Page where folks get this...first.  Have a super Tuesday! - Michael

 

Comments

[Ferlyn]

Thanks for putting this together - this is a great article for those of us with our heads buried in the keyboard all day.

[Cassandra Marcole]

On Vehicle Wraps - Drive By Ads:

It's okay to use cars as moving billboards on public roads as long as the safety of the drivers and passengers are not be compromised. An owner should use vehicle wraps in moderation so that people would see the important details such as the plate numbers of cars and the bus numbers of buses.

[Michael Libbie]

Cassandra - True...the same logic applies to moving and stationary. So...are we close with the cost of an "entry level" rolling billboard/wrap? - Michael