Did You Used To Do This At School To Be Cool?

A couple of posts I read earlier today got me thinking about “cool” and “brands”.

The first was Adam Ferrier’s post at Consumer Psychologist, “How Cool Are You?”, which talks about what makes people cool and and how he and team at Naked have built on some earlier work and developed a Facebook application (so you can take a questionnaire and determine how cool you are).

Then Dan Pankraz’s blog talked about Branding Bedrooms in Austria where he discovered that, despite kids living outside big cities, they loved urban streetwear brands and that both boys and girls often ask the staff in shops for stickers so that they can brand their bedrooms with their favourite brands.

Those posts combined to take me back to my school days …

I went to school about 2 hours from the ocean but one of the surrogates for being cool was surf brands - just like the Austrian kids living outside the big cities but still wanting to buy urban streetwear brands. We lived in-land but loved all the surf brands.

The other big thing that was a surrogate for being cool was how you branded your folder and you were only cool if you had a folder which you had covered with loads of surf brand logos. Truth be told we should have been studying but instead we would spend hours scouring our old surfing magazines for logos to cut out from their ads. We would take the logos and stick them on our folder and then apply contact (being so f#%&ing careful not to get bubbles in it!).

It might just be my perception and old memory but you wouldn’t have been caught dead without a great looking surf branded folder and we would often gather round when we noticed one of our mates had created a new folder (extra points if they put some bikini babes on it and the teachers never noticed!).

The thing that struck me today was that, back then when we were such avid fans on brands, the brands did absolutely zero to encourage and fuel this behaviour. Maybe they knew about it, maybe they didn’t. Maybe they weren’t worrying about the kids 2 hours in-land and instead concentrated their efforts on kids near the sea?

I wish I could find a post I read a few months ago that talked about consumers walking a path because my description coming up doesn’t do it justice. The post talked about how it isn't a brand’s job to create a path and try and make people go down it or to lead them in a certain direction. People are already on paths and journeys and as such it is the brands job to join them on their path, to pull in alongside the consumer, and help guide and make the journey more enjoyable (points for whoever can show me where that post is).

So do kids still do this sort of folder stuff? Or did you used to do it yourself?

If kids do still to it then it provides an awesome opportunity for popular brands to fuel this kind of brand love and surrogacy for cool. They could be giving kids the tools to create folders and they could run competitions for best folder design. Or are they doing this already and I am just too far removed from that market and don’t have sight of it? Does anyone have kids in this age group? Enlighten me …

This stuff was all happening before we really had the internet in our homes so maybe the surrogates for cool have shifted to iPhones etc. If so, does anybody have any great examples of how brands are engaging youth? By that I mean not creating events and sites that attract the kids but instead walking the path they are already following e.g. folder design, and getting involved an helping them

Man I wish I still had one of those folders …

Can You Guess The Famous Fonts?

On of the reasons I started blogging was because some of the feedback I wrote for the Marketing Today podcast gave me some great ideas for posts. My second ever post, and a post that was shortlisted for the 2008 Moggies, was all about how recognisable famous logos are once they are dumbed down to their basic shapes and colours. The post provided a spreadsheet that presented a whole lot of dumbed down logos and readers had to try and figure them out (as per the example on the right).

If you haven’t seen it then check out the original dumbed down logos here >>

I have wanted to write a second version of the spreadsheet ever since but it is hard work finding the right types of logos and since I have been looking it is amazing how many logos are just text and colour – but still instantly recognisable.

So I decided, that instead of logos, it would be easier to create a spreadsheet of famous fonts from brands, movies, TV shows etc. Click on the famous font below to download the spreadsheet and see how good you are at recognising the famous fonts.

Make sure you use the poll on the left of the screen and let me know how many you got correct. If you are struggling with any then let me know and I’ll give you some clues …

Big thanks to Jules Mann at http://www.soulmann.com for showing me a trick for hosting files and hosting the original dumbed down logos file.

Marketing Shots – Man U, AFL, Detroit Lions and Fitness First Update

This not one of my traditional posts where I try and encourage comments and discussion but I have a few little “Marketing Shots” that I wanted to share with you …

EPL Ambush Marketing Opportunity

I was watching the Man U vs Arsenal game at Old Trafford on the weekend. Have you seen the plush seats that the subs, coaching staff et al get to sit on? They are basically leather car racing seats. Nice big red ones with Man U logo and the Audi logo on it. Sneaky thing is that they also make the visiting team sit on the Man U/Audi branded red seats as well. Bet Wenger, Benetiz and co hate that!

So why don’t the opposition take their own club branded covers to slip over the top. Bet that would piss off Man U! They’d probably get in trouble but geez it would be funny and the visiting club’s sponsor would get heaps of publicity (and probably a round of applause from everyone that hates Man U).

Noel Gallagher would probably be impressed by this tactic. Gallagher said, after the Arabs bought Man City, that “Every time a Manchester United supporter fills up their car with petrol, they put a little more into Manchester City's transfer budget”.

The AFL Thinks I Shouldn’t Miss a Game of NRL

I was looking up the broadcast guide the other day for the AFL and a banner ad for Foxtel IQ was running at the top of the page. Here are two screen shots of the dynamic banner ad. Anything strike you as odd?

I would have at least thought the AFL would think its own product was more unmissable than a rival codes.

Over Paid Graphic Designers

Saw this snippet in the SMH the other week … talk about crazy!

Fitness First Case Study Update

Thanks to Hayley_Gleeson, poptrashmusic (do you have a link?), James Duthie, Hayley_Gleeson (again :), Matt Moore, Zac Martin (barely) and Rowan Wilde who all provided great comments, and very lengthy ones at that on my post about Fitness First and Can You Force Word of Mouth. It looks like it is a great way to get you all involved rather than the deliver a “sermon from the mount” which might not leave much room for you guys to add yours smarts to.

No word from Fitness First yet so they either don’t monitor this space or don’t care. Anyway, I am going to make sure they have seen all your comments as they are very insightful and they might just learn a thing or two.

The only thing I want to add is that they should put the power of recommendation more in the member’s hand. They present themselves as a polished brand, and even go to great lengths and cost to create a flashy magazine, but they don’t even email me with updates, newsletters, offers etc.

It doesn’t take much to promote the refer a friend scheme (with all your comments taken on board) through email and provide me with the ability to send it on to people who I think might be interested who could then contact Fitness First if they wanted. It would certainly get the relationship off on the right foot.

Plus, with the technology available today (e.g. www.emma.com which I use at work) they could track which members were forwarding on their emails and to who.

Thanks also to Mumbrella who provide some link love for the Fitness First post.

Wanna Know Some More About Oyster?

A few months ago I got one of those emails that went around where you were suppose to blog 7 things that you guys didn’t know about me. Obviously I didn’t write it. Dunno why. Just didn’t seem like me.

Zac Martin often bangs on about uni and how it is out of touch and recently Simon Oboler has started blogging again and his first post back was along the same lines. Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with that, after all, they are the uni’s customers and their views are those of a customer. I’ll stop short of saying “the customer is always right”.

You are probably wondering where I am going with these opening two paragraphs … stay with me.

Last week I graduated from a Master of Marketing. After the ceremony, while my wife, Mum and Dad were taking more photos than were necessary, a couple of marketing officers from the uni approached me and asked if I would be willing to have a photo and a follow up testimonial for marketing purposes. I obliged. They had me at “marketing”.

So I thought that I would share the testimonial I provided as you guys will learn a bit more about me and maybe those who are still studying will take something from someone who is on the other side of the fence e.g. graduated and working in marketing.

Plus I have been sick the last few days and need a nice easy topic that won’t make my brain work too hard.

I have edited out some of the questions that weren’t really relevant e.g. Where did you live while studying?

What course did you study? Master of Marketing.

Please outline the factors you considered when choosing to study CSU. My old boss Lou Mayo recommended it because CSU has a great reputation for Distance Education.

What career, personal development and life skills did you learn while at CSU? In terms of personal development, I really enhanced my critical thinking, which was further enhanced because I work in marketing and therefore had relevant work experience to relate my studies to. In terms of personal, I am not sure I learnt anything new but it certainly reinforced my time management skills and I enjoyed achieving my goals and doing well.

Do you feel like your course has prepared you for the workforce? I already worked in marketing but it absolutely made me better at my job. I often found myself writing as many work related "notes to self", about an idea that my study had generated, as I did notes for assignments and revision.

What’s your most memorable CSU experience? I'll brag about this one but it would have to be getting 100% for an assignment (but I will be honest, I think the lecturer felt sorry for me because I put in so much work into it and didn't have the heart to take marks off - because it definitely wasn't perfect!). Graduation with Distinction was also a highlight after I only just passed my very first unit and was wondering what I had gotten myself in for!

What was the best thing about graduation? The sense of achievement. I'll be honest. I wasn't going to go to graduation because I thought "yeah, whatever, it's just a ceremony" but my parents and wife made a big deal about it so I kept quiet and we all went to graduation. Having said that, I couldn't have been more wrong. I am so glad I went as it was a great opportunity to reflect on where I had come from and the University really did a great job of reinforcing that I (and all the graduates) had really achieved something special. My advice is not to miss graduation for anything!

If you could describe CSU in 3 words they would be? A great opportunity.

How did you fit study into your life? Definitely hard. I got married in the middle of my studies so that was a nice distraction but a distraction nonetheless. I didn't really give up too much and maintained sporting activities and socialising. In reality, I just stopped doing those things that were "nothing activities" e.g. watching t.v. (you don't realise how boring and mind numbing it is until you stop watching it!). An understanding and supportive wife and employer helped immensely.

Where did you study? E.g. at home, local library, a study centre. Home and at work. I would often get up early and study for an hour or two before anyone turned up to work ... very peaceful. In saying that, for anyone else it is about finding your groove. If you are a morning person then work with that. If you are a night owl then work with that.

What are the advantages of studying by distance education? The flexibility of being able to do the work when I wanted. It meant I could maintain other activities (sport etc) and that it didn't really impact my employment e.g. can't make a lecture because I have a work deadline or meeting.

What are the disadvantages? Having direct contact with lecturers. However, this often taught me to be more self-sufficient rather than relying on their help all the time.

Was it easy to make friends and will you keep in touch with them? Why or why not? It was difficult being mature age and distance education. The tools were definitely there (forums etc) and I wish I had of made more of an effort to connect with people in my area who were also studying. I am not sure it would have helped all that much with my study but I am sure I would have met some great people.

What would you say to someone considering study at CSU? Do it. Especially if you are mature age. It has opened up so many doors for me and really ignited my passion for marketing.

Can You Force Word-of-Mouth?

This week I want to take a little bit of a different approach with a marketing issue. Instead of telling you about an issue then offering my two, or maybe 10, cents worth, I want it to take a bit of a group case study shape. Hopefully it is a post that all you “lurkers” who read the blog but don’t comment will feel you can contribute as well.

The other week I walked into my Fitness First gym (what? you couldn’t tell I work out?) and could see it coming a mile off. Fitness First’s sales approach is known around the place as being pretty strict and I have heard of sales staff not being allowed to go home until they had made their quota of sales bookings (I am not even sure this is true but that is what someone told me) as well as them making it as difficult as possible for people to cease being a member. For the record, I am very happy as a Fitness First member.

What confronted me as I made my way to the change room was 3 of the sales staff and a small display. You know the feeling you get when you are at the shops and that annoying credit card bloke tries to catch your eye? Same feeling here. I just prayed they wouldn’t say something to me. But resistance is futile … you know you can be 10 meters away and they will call out to you.

As I tried to get past they asked me if I had any friends who would be interested in joining the gym. I kind of feel sorry for the situation the company puts them in (with unimaginative ways of finding leads) and so I didn’t want to just say “No” and keep walking. So I offered something like “I don’t have any friends who would be interested thanks”. But that didn’t appease them.

“What about work colleagues?” they pressed. “Just give us their names and numbers and we will get in touch with them and if they join you will get $5 a month of you membership”. I mumbled something dismissive and kept walking.

Ok, so now comes the hard bit. I really want to tell you exactly what I think of this approach, its chances of success and what I would do if I was in their situation and was looking to generate new leads. But instead I want all you smart readers to tell me what you think and contribute to a group case study.

Do you think Fitness First’s approach to generating word-of-mouth is a good one?

Would you offer up the names and numbers of your friends and work colleagues for a cheaper gym membership (or discount of any product for that matter)?

How would you change or improve this approach?

I will follow your comments and contribute my thinking as well. Who knows, we may come up with a win-win where Fitness First get some new ideas for generating leads, or harnessing word-of-mouth, and gym members won’t feel uncomfortable when all they want to do is get in, get change and get started on their workout.

Over to you … I am looking forward to hearing what you think.

Remember When Your Parents Yelled At You?

I was reading the blog Dan Pankraz vs. Youth and the post Start Whispers … never Yell. In the post his 25yo cousin says of brands “Whisper don’t yell at me…if you whisper, i’m more likely to listen to what you’re saying and tell my mates”. Dan goes on to note that “the more intimate gestures we provide to youth via a ‘whisper’ the more likely they are to listen”.

It reminded me of a meeting I was in the other day. There were 6 of us and one of the people at the meeting was one of those people who seemed to just command respect in the conversation because when he spoke we all listened and no one jumped in before he was finished. Why?

Because he whispered.

We’ll he didn't exactly whisper whisper but he spoke really softly. He certainly didn’t yell. It seemed to me that he was deliberately speaking quietly so that people would listen.

Some people are just quietly spoken, never wanting to be in the spotlight, but there are others who use it as an effective tool to make themselves heard. Sounds like a contradiction right? Speak quietly so that you are heard!

What can actually happen when someone, in a conversation, speaks quietly, is that others have to stop an listen otherwise they may miss something important and it may be hard to continue the conversation.

It means that the others have to slow their thoughts down (instead of rapidly thinking about what they can say next) and it means the speaker can command respect and make sure their point is made. The flip side is that if they spoke really loudly, aggressively and never let you finish your points then you would get the impression that they didn’t really care what you had to say and they didn't really want to have a proper conversation with you.

It reminds me of one of Hugh MacLeod’s (GapingVoid.com) cartoons which reads “if you talked to people the way advertising talked to people, they’d punch you in the face”.

Remember when you were a kid and your parents yelled at you? Well, because you didn’t have the guts to punch them in the face you next option was to not really listen. Instead you just nodded begrudgingly and waited for them to finish. You didn’t really take in anything that they were saying (which probably explains why I was in trouble half of the time).

Are brands really that different especially when a lot of us talk about having conversations with the market?

Think about it. Does the brand you work for feel as though you are yelling at people all the time? Maybe not as extreme as yelling but does your brand just broadcast at people? If so, chances are, just like when you were a little kid, your customers are not listening.

Are there brands that you feel yell at you all the time and could take a softer approach to get your attention?

Oyster’s Favourite Blogs

I thought I would share with you the blogs that I currently have under my “Favourites” folder in Google Reader.

If I am strapped for time then these blogs always get read first. No offence to any of the other great blogs I read but you can’t all be favourites (so please try harder). If you don’t already read these blogs then I highly recommend them. The blogs are in alphabetical order so I am not playing any favourites – besides, asking me to put them in favourite order would be like asking a father to pick which one of his kids he likes better (we all know that Dad’s like the eldest the best).

	A Digital Perspective (Jye Smith) Got to meet Jye when catching up with Julian Cole for a beer one day when I was visiting Sydney. Jye’s posts are always interesting and sometimes slightly controversial (I like that though). I like Jye cause he said my jokes are funny. He also ran an interview of me on his post here.
	Acidlabs (Stephen Collins) Canberra (and even Tuggeranong) based so he gets points. Started the Social Media Breakfasts in Canberra but gets testy if you turn up without RSVPing :) Stephen doesn’t mind being forceful when writing his posts which usually gets some feathers ruffled.
	Adspace Pioneers (Julian Cole) Met Jules for the first time a few months ago when visiting Sydney. Gave my blog a kick start when he listed it on a “new blogs to read” post on his blog when I first started. I returned the favour by sticking up for him on YouTube when some clowns took offence to his Samboy entry.
	Another Advertising Wanker (Nathan Bush) Despite being a Raiders fan I still like him. His blog and mine are fairly similar in that we don’t always write about the current popular topic but instead relate our own day-to-day experiences. Haven’t had a beer with him yet but not keen to go to Brisbane because XXXX beer stinks. Come to Canberra Nathan!
	Brand DNA (Stan Lee) I always liked Stan’s articles in Marketing Magazine and his blog is short, sharp and interesting (definitely not the “sermon from the mount” style that a lot of blogs deliver). I think he is a Scouser (but don’t hold that against him).
	Canadian University Marketing (Morgan Coudray) Morgan is a bit like Nathan Bush and myself in that he often writes interesting posts that aren’t always about the current popular topic but instead relate his own day-to-day experiences. His blogs often make me leave a comment (which I believe should be a goal of most blogs).
	Consumer Psychologist (Adam Ferrier) Adam’s take on marketing is grounded in psychology and I always like blogs that can comment on current issues while linking them back to theory. I almost met him when in Melbourne last time but the timing was out – it was a shame because he strikes me as the sort of bloke that you could have some really interesting conversations with. Keep your phone on Adam …
	Current Issues in Marketing (Josh Strawczynski) One of the first blogs I started reading. Invited me to be a guest commentator on this Red Bull Post. Has been very quiet of late … Josh, come on mate, don’t make me move you out of my Favourites folder.
	Marketing Today, Monash University Australia (Peter Wagstaff) A podcast rather than a blog but Wags is the man I credit for inspiring me to blog, particularly one of my most popular posts – the one that got listed as a finalist in the Moggies.I now provide semi-regular social media reports for the podcast.
	Pigs Don’t Fly (Zac Martin) Has the honour of being the first person to leave a comment on my blog. Since then I have become an avid reader of his blog which is typically youthful and irreverent.  He was kind enough to write a post about what brands can learn about my entry into blogging (which was very humbling).
	Servant of Chaos (Gavin Heaton) Is it just me or does Gavin Heaton feel like the “Dad” of Aussie Blogging? (no offence Gavin, it’s a compliment). A wise head among young and enthusiastic bloggers? His posts are wide and varied but always provide great detail and thinking where applicable.
	The Zeitgeists (Kate Kendall) Online editor of marketingmag.com.au and recently asked me to participate in the first “Moment with Marketers” interview. Didn’t get a chance to catch up with her when in Melbourne last time but is on my list for coffee for my next visit.
	Zakazukha Zoo (Matt Granfield) Once described me as his favourite Canberra blogger (awww shucks). Always writes posts that seem to have a deeper level to them than most – might be because he works in a social media marketing agency. As per Nathan Bush, I haven’t had a beer with Matt yet but not keen to go to Brisbane because XXXX beer stinks. Come to Canberra Matt (bring Nathan)!

The thing that struck me about this list is it is almost exclusively Australian (except for one blog). I wondered why this was and I think it is because the Aussie blogging community has been very supportive and encouraging since I joined its ranks late last year. Often they are only too willing to lend a hand, some advice or encouragement. I wonder if this is because we don’t really have too many bloggers in Australia that are “too big for their boots”?

For example, I sent an email to a very prominent American blogger asking for a favour, and I regularly leave comments on his blog (so it is not like he wouldn't have seen my name before), but I never even got the courtesy of a response (negative or positive). Anytime I email or Tweet any of the people in the list above I always get a response. Now I am loyal to their blogs.

To a certain extent I think that social media should be used to meet people and it is certainly a pleasant result of starting to blog as I didn’t really think far enough ahead to think that I might meet so many new and interesting people in the marketing profession. It also seems that once I meet people (and spend a little time with them) then I take a keener interest in their blogs – not sure why this is. Maybe the Adam Ferrier can dissect that for us.

If you to have a blog or two that you really like, and it isn’t listed above, then please make sure ou let us know about it by leaving a comment.

 

The Real Reason You Got Sucked In To Buying Bottled Water

This week, 60 minutes claimed that all of us that have bought bottled water have been conned. Charles Wooley said “I don't know it might be just a matter of perception but the heart of the whole argument is a public belief that somehow or other bottled water is purer and somehow safer than this water I just poured from a tap.”

Charles continued “Jon Dee, founder of the environmental campaign group Planet Ark, believes we've fallen for one of the biggest marketing scams of all time.” with Jon adding “The simple fact is we've been conned by the bottled water industry and they're laughing all the way to the bank.”

What a load of rubbish! Here’s why …

Often I leave comments on people’s blogs which try to take conversations bake to some basic marketing theory. Theory that as far as I know has never been disproved. It is important that we often re-set to some of this theory because they are the absolute building blocks of the marketing profession. One of my favourites is value.

The 60 minutes story took the basic and ignorant line that anyone who buys bottled water is doing so because they believe the value in drinking bottled water, over tap water, lies in the claims made about bottled water being better for you.

Marketing is about exchanging value and the value in this exchange, for the majority of us, does not lie in receiving the claimed health benefits of bottled water. The value lies in the convenience of obtaining bottled water.

Most of you would know about the 4 P’s of the marketing mix – Product, Price, Place, Promotion – if you don’t, Google it.

Now, before I get into this please note that I know the 4 P’s never work in isolation however the story basically pushed the line that the main reason we buy bottled water is because the product and the promotion are what sucks us in. In fact, it is the opposite.

The least important element of the marketing mix when selling bottled is Promotion. Closely followed by the Product (enhanced/purified water). More important are the Place and Price elements.

That’s why we don’t actually see that much advertising for bottled water. It’s because the manufacturers know that they should be concentrating their marketing dollars on the Place and Promotion elements.

Question: Would you buy a bottle of water for 50c - $1 if you knew it was just tap water? I would, because it is convenient and I see value in not having to carry my own water bottle with me everywhere I go and trying to find a tap to fill it up from. For the record, I always drink tap water if it is easily accessible and that is why the Place element is also more important than the Product and Promotion elements.

However, I know a sample size of 1 is dangerous so I would like you to take 2 secs and let me know on the poll on the left hand side which of the 4 P’s is most important to you when you buy bottled water.

Cartoon courtesy of - The Far Left Side by Mike "nature boy" Stanfill

For free: a multi-media course on blogging

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Drink Drivers – Blame Advertising

60 Minutes ran a story a few weeks ago titled “Killer at the Wheel”. It was a story on drink drivers and how it has ripped apart families in a heart beat because some moron was drink driving. You can see the whole story by clicking on the link below (not sure why I couldn’t embed the video but it just wouldn’t work).

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-AU&brand=ninemsn&vid=1b87f28f-9209-4075-9989-9cd7eacda282

It hit me pretty hard, being a new dad of a 4 month old boy, and I found myself fighting back a few tears as I wondered what it would be like for a drunk driver to take him from us. I even have a lump in my throat and watery eyes as I write this now.

The story talked about how the law is too soft. While I agree that the law is too soft I also think advertising is to blame. Lately there has been a significant move away from shock tactics in campaigns against drink driving. An example can be seen in this ad.

This ad is not shocking. Sure it might be emotional but it is not shocking. This ad tells me that if I drink and drive and kill a child then I will at least get to spend the rest of my life with my family and lead a pretty normal life (albeit with guilt). It is just not a strong enough message.

If you saw the story on 60 Minutes, or watched the story above, then you probably felt sick listening to the mother talking about how she held her daughter’s decapitated head in her hands after a drunk driver hit them head on. Just stop for a second and imagine what that would actually be like.

It made me feel sick to my stomach. This is the feeling drink driving ads should be aiming for. And I think advertising companies should take the high ground and insist on stronger messages.