Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications

So, What Are You Doing For Mothers Day?

Insight Advertising - Our Business Publication

Now THAT might be a loaded question but I've got a reason for asking especially if you live in Central Iowa.  This is special...

We've teamed up with The Embassy Club and Dondino to bring to Des Moines a great Mother's Day Event.  Something really, really different!

An Elegant Mother's Day Event for mothers of all ages.  (Maybe even a great "date night" for you and your wife!)  Here are the details (well ahead of general publicity) so you can make plans now.

Saturday Night - May 10th (the night before Mother's Day) there will be a Dinner and Las Vegas Style Show in The Grand Hall of The Temple for Performing Arts.   This will not be like anything you've experienced before.  It is a great meal, gifts for all the ladies and a fantastic full blown show...Vegas Style.

The meal, according to our friend, General Manager and Culinary Director, Michael LaValle will be something very special.  "The Embassy Club is known for excellent food and top notch service.  Our goal here is to extend our reach into the community and build a series of special events at the Temple.  It will be something truly unique."

Headlining the evening will be the elegant, professional crooner Dondino.  An Italian native, raised in Brooklyn, Dondino spent years perfecting his show in Las Vegas.  Ten years ago Dondino moved to Des Moines where has been active in the Variety Club of Iowa.  While he continues to travel his home base is right here. "I love it in Des Moines", says Dondino.  "We've put our roots in one of the best cities in the nation and it's been very good for us."

Dondino will be doing the romantic standards of Sinatra, Martin, Davis along with his own compositions.

Make plans now for a very elegant Mother's Day Evening with the music of Dondino the fantastic food from The Embassy Club set in The Grand Hall of the Temple for Performing Arts.  Tickets can be purchased through the Embassy Club and major credit cards are honored.

• Dinner & VIP Stage Seating for the show - $65 each
• Dinner & Show - Tables of Ten - $50 each
• Show Only - $25 each

Dust off the "fancy duds".  For reservations - 515-244-2582

Michael P. Libbie - Now doesn't this sound like fun?

Hy Vee - When You're the Face of the Company

Sure, it's a goofy name if you're not from the Midwest.  But, HyVee has been a tradition here in Iowa for over 70 years.  Their age old slogan, "There's a Helpful Smile in Every Isle" (Did I really type Isle rather than Asle?  Must be my "English as a Second Language" class ain't working!) has been sung by scores of folks...and now with over 220 stores in the Midwest this privately owned chain is iconic to many.

But HyVee is experiencing a problem. 

You see, we think that many of the children that HyVee employs simply are not keen on being friendly.  Let alone smiling.

The most bothersome thing is that after the young man or woman says, "Did you find everything?" the conversation with the customer stops.  Dead.  And often, like this past Monday night, the young lady continued her conversation with the other young lady who was bagging.  They had some very important evening plans.  I did try, once, to engage...but I was ignored.  She did stop her co-worker conversation long enough to say, "Here's your receipt, have a nice day."

If you are a first time reader you need to know that we are not always critical of companies we come across.  In fact, we often lift up those excellent experiences and tell others about them. 

We're not sure what's up at HyVee...maybe we need to bring back a friend who really understood customer service.  Who?

Ron Pearson.

I've met Mr. Pearson at several events over my 20+ years here in Iowa.  It used to be that Ron was the "face" of HyVee.  He was in countless television ads, you would see him at the State Fair, he would go and visit stores, without notice.  At least that's what my old friend Dick Handy once told me.  (Dick was the store manager in Fort Dodge...  He loved the customers and once told me Ron Pearson demanded everybody work hard at "treating the customer like family".) It made a difference...to Dick and his crew.

I last saw Mr. Pearson a couple of years ago when he and his wife attended the wedding of Fred Schneider's daughter at the Wakonda Club here in Des Moines.  That's when he was CEO.  Now he's the Chairman of the Board and no doubt out of the loop.

I don't know, nor have I ever seen Richard Jurgens, the current CEO.  I suspect he's a nice enough guy but...something is missing.

Sometimes when you brand a company with a person there is a "go to" feeling...somebody that talks and walks the program.  Maybe Mr. Jurgens does...  But, then again, maybe that's why the entire brand has changed.  It's about food...not about the customer?

Maybe some of the kids could use a refresher course of the "old school"?  Maybe the design and PR firm they own...could help?

Michael P. Libbie - Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications

Wine Making...In Your Own Winery?

The advertising agency business can be fun.  New, innovative and different is what we live for.

There are many things we enjoy.  Among them is finding new and exciting ways to build a business and then passing that information on to like minded individuals (You!).

Here's one that we thought was very clever.

There is a section of Des Moines called "Sherman Hill" that was once a blight on the city.  Today that same area has dozens of restored Victorian Era houses.  It's now a tourist destination.

This past Sunday the Sherman Hill Neighborhood held a tour of homes.  For $10 you could walk the route and visit homes that were being restored or had been completed.  Fun stuff.

One of the homes on the tour also had a business that hit our passion for innovative.

"Vines to Wine" is all about having individuals make their own wines from juice imported from California.  We're not talking sweet grape juice but some of the finest varieties available.

Here is how it works:  Get a group of friends together, make a reservation, decide on what type of wine the group would like, pay the money, sit around learning about wine while "making" your own.  Slap your own label on the bottles two months later and vola!  You've got wine!

Marketing the unique idea has not cost much and word of mouth has brought dozens of groups to the home.  Wines cost between $10 to $12 a bottle.

Neat idea and kudos to Eric and his family for bringing this idea to Iowa.  So, what do you think?

Michael P. Libbie - Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications where we're always looking for innovative ideas...and we share.

Does The Image REALLY Matter?

You are really going to like this one...  It's an interesting story about consumers and how they react to image as reported by Science Daily.

According to a Cornell University study released last week, the simple changing of a wine label increased the consumers positive dining experience AND resulted in a diner being more likely to book a return reservation to the restaurant.

Forty-one diners at a restaurant in Urbana, Illinois were offered a free glass of Cabernet Sauvignon with their up-scale meal. Half of the wine was poured from a bottle that was labeled, "Noah's Winery of California" while the other half was poured from a bottle labeled "Noah's Winery of North Dakota".

Those folks who were drinking the "California" wine rated the wine AND the food as tasting better.  They ate 11% more of their food and were more likely to book a return reservation.

The kicker?  The wine was the same.  An inexpensive wine, in the $2 a bottle price range, from Charles Shaw.  All that was different...was the label.

It was all about expectations.  But in this study it was a "triple whammy" of sorts.  Not only was the "North Dakota" wine disliked more but so too was the food and the consumers were less likely to come back to the restaurant.

As a business owner...are you paying attention to things like "image" and "perceived image"?  Think your "logo" doesn't matter...or your business cards, letter head or website won't make a difference?  How about your print advertising message...does it drive folks to you...or away?

What does your label say?

Michael P. Libbie - Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications where we're in the labeling business....

What's The Difference? McAdvertising!

I've had this conversation with hundreds of people over the years...now...finally...proof!

Our advertising agency has long held to the belief that we can help good products become great products through proper marketing and advertising.  Now a study funded by Stanford University and the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation seems to confirm our "semi-slogan".

The study, released this week, was about the food preference of pre-school children aged 3 - 5.  It found that kids favored hamburgers, chicken nuggets and french fries that were wrapped in paper with McDonald's labels.  Even though that food was NOT McDonald's!

In fact, the study went further.  When store bought milk, juice and even CARROTS were placed in McDonald's cartons the kids preferred them to unmarked foods.

How could this be?

The answer is simple.  McDonald's has, for decades, continued to advertise and market their LOGO and used advertising tools to increase the awareness of their entire brand.  Even when you would think that selling 40-Bazillion Burgers would have been enough.

I realize...YOU do not have that kind of budget.  But...you do have a marketing and advertising budget, right?  And, in your business you are not targeting the entire WORLD with your advertising message, right?  You know your primary demographic or target audience...don't you? And, you are spending your budgeted dollars in the right place and using the right medium...right?  Or are you swinging blind?

THAT...is the difference,  McDonald's knows...many others have to guess.  The other difference?  They are steady.  Even when owning the market...they continue to advertise and market their products.  Often in new ways.

The truth is...nearly anybody can McAdvertise, if they have the right tools and knowledge.

Michael P. Libbie - Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications where we help clients better understand the who, what and where of marketing and advertising.

The Market at Jordan Creek

About a week ago there was an article about this high end grocery store called The Market at Jordan Creek.  The headline was not encouraging.  Seems that after four months in operation the owners are considering closing "the struggling market".

My friend, Doug Mitchell already did a short piece on this and his insight is worth a read.

I'm not wanting to "pile on".  My job is to offer another question.  Do you really think the folks that are being targeted to shop at this "high end grocery store" really have the cash to spend on specialty items? And, the second question...are there enough of them?

It's an honest set of questions.

Over the past six months two "up scale" wine shops have closed.  Victim, it seems, to poor management...not experience or desire.  But, here again we've got to ask the question, "How many upscale wine shops can a metro area of 500,000 have?  Especially when now even the supermarkets and Target have better products and produce on their shelves than they had ten years ago.

In his post, Doug has a solid suggestion to help pull out the people and get them to this market.  I'm all for it...and hope it works.  But, you've got to wonder if the ground work was done in the beginning. 

Frankly, I know plenty of "upscale folks" who might shop at this store...but are struggling to make the payments on their 5,000 square foot house and the two BMW's in the garage.  Bet they buy their wine and produce at Target...

The reality is no matter if you are selling farm equipment or $75 bottles of wine...you can never do enough advance work to make sure what you have...people can/will buy.

Michael P. Libbie - Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications where we've actually seen $75 bottles of wine.  Ahh...no, we didn't make the buy.

Random Sunday Morning Thoughts

Business Thoughts on Sunday Morning

A weekly smattering of short thoughts and comments that you can take with your Sunday morning coffee.

What a busy week gone by and even more stuff coming up.  First a big "thank you" to a couple of guests on our weekly radio show, "Hwy. 6 - Your Road to the Country.  Brian Seymour from the Indianolia, Iowa Fire Department and Mike Sansone from Converstations a business blog site.  Read more on our radio show blog...just click to go.

I got a call this week from my friend Chubby Checker.  Yes, that Chubby Checker.  We've had a personal relationship going back several years and wanted to share a brief story:  Chubby and his wife Catharina have a great food business based in Pennsylvania.  Products include The Last Twist Jerky, Candy, Girl of the World bottled water, steaks and popcorn. 

Quick sidebar...did you know Chubby's wife was Miss World from Holland?  Wonderful woman and they have been married since 1964...to each other!!  She truly is a Girl of the World...his!!!

Anyway, Chubby calls and asks me a question about another party whom we've both done business with.  Seems this third party won't answer or return phone calls  Chubby asks, "So what is his deal?"  I say, "You've got me...because he won't return my calls or e-mail either."  Chubby, "So you are used to that?"  Me, "No some people are just plain rude and obnoxious, maybe we should be fortunate we're not doing business with him."

So it goes...and I don't get it.  How come some folks are so self-centered they can't pick up the phone or answer the e-mail...even if the answer is "no".  Drives me nuts and it's becoming more and more an issue.  Stop it...please...or we start naming names?

MISSING IN ACTION:

If you are invisible...are you really in business?    Last week I saw an old friend whom I had not seen in over six years.  We visited about family, friends and business.  I asked him about his...he had purchased a farm supply and equipment business several years ago.  Anyway, we exchanged business cards.  Got home and thought I'd drop him a line.  No e-mail address on his card.  There was a website so I tried that.  Doesn't work.  I had to send Bruce a paper letter.  If you know Bruce Vandagriff from Fort Dodge, Iowa and Brokaw Supply...get him hooked up will ya?  He's a great guy and more folks should know about him!

Thanks for reading...now let's strap in for the week!

Michael P. Libbie, Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications

Customer Service and Rules

Break the Rules...And Win!

by Michael P. Libbie, Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications

Customer Service shouldn't be about rules, it should be about winning.  Everything is fair game!

This past week I was traveling and had the chance to experience both repulsive and exceptional customer service.   I thought it might be a good time to dust off a presentation I give to large and small corporations and offer up the high points.  I call it "Break the Rules...And WIN!"

The major focus of this presentation is that individuals, not corporations, create the non-rules of exceptional customer service.  The company may set the need for the culture shift...but we (the employees) make it FUN!  So, let's break some rules:

Rule One:    "The Customer is Always Right."  WRONG!  Throw that out...now!  The customer is always right in his/her mind.  Sometimes the customer is so far off base with their request or issue it is laughable.  BUT, who cares?  To them it is a major issue. It might not be a major issue later in the day, or tomorrow or even next week.  But right now it is.  Our job...fix it.    Then, write down the problem, complaint or trouble and at the next meeting with your boss...bring it up.  Maybe there is a way to fix the problem for everybody.  But, if you don't talk about it...nobody else knows.  Here's a bonus...if you fix the issue...the customer will talk about it for days.  If you don't...they may never talk to you again.

Rule Two:     "Ask Permission Up the Ladder."   So, you want to torpedo your customer service?  Alright...go ahead...take that customer problem, issue or complaint to your boss for action.  While you are doing that...let the customer stand, sit or wait on the phone for an answer.  Break this rule now.  Guess what...you get the problem...you get to fix it.  And, if for some reason you can not take ownership of the problem...ACT LIKE YOU CAN!  Remember, the customer doesn't care who does the fix...they just want it fixed.

Rule Three:   "Create a "Customer Service Department"."   Stop me...I am laughing so hard right now...I am about to fall off the chair!  Don't you love it when you call a business and ask for "Customer Service" and you get anything but?  Yeah...it's great when the phone rings and the person says, "Customer Service, how can I help you?"  I usually start out by saying, "Hey there Customer, how the heck are you doing today?"  At this point the phone goes dead....  This is too fun and I encourage you to try it.  Bottom line....use your NAME and never say, "Customer Service".  The "Customer Service Department" is usually a stall or a place where somebody can sell you something else.  Sucks.

Cut to the chase...this presentation runs an hour and you ain't got the time right now.   So, here you go....  When dealing with the public you will run into all kinds of wacky issues and you'll find that most of them can't be handled with a three inch thick procedure manual.  (By the way, find the company that has one of those...and you will find a company that is sinking.)  Rules no longer matter...action does.

Come on...prove me wrong?