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Aug

“We’re number 18!” Do rankings matter?

By Kirk Closed

Categories: advertising, book reviews, brand essence, education and health care

I recently saw an outdoor board in another city touting a local hospital’s heart program as one of the 100 best in the nation. 100? Cleverly, I deduced there are 99 better ones.

When my kids were visiting colleges, I subscribed to the online edition of U.S. News & World Report‘s America’s Best Colleges rankings. It seemed important at the time that whichever schools they chose be somewhere on the list.

But, as with most consideration sets, there is first place and then there is everything else.

Among universities, the best, according to the rankings, are Harvard and Princeton (tie). The best cancer center is University of Texas M.D. Anderson. The best heart center is the Cleveland Clinic. And so on.

However, not being number one hasn’t stopped most of the others from promoting their also-ran standings.

Ads, TV spots and billboards proudly proclaim various institutions as “one of the top 25″ or “one of America’s best.” U.S. News & World Report badges are prominently displayed.

If you were planning to have your kidney removed at University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill (#28 in kidney disorders), would you instead drive to Winston-Salem to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (#26)? After all, it’s two positions “better.”

A major premise of brand positioning, as explained in Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, by Al Ries and Jack Trout, is that no one remembers more than the top couple of brands in a particular category.

Twenty-fourth best orthopedics program? Forget it.

Rankings may matter to employees, prospects, and referring physicians, but most institutions would be better served to find more unique ways to stand apart in the minds of health care consumers than proclaiming to be “one of America’s best.”

Disclaimer: This post was written by an employee of one of America’s best branding and marketing firms.

Nov

Absolut Strategy.

By Kirk Closed

Categories: book reviews

BrandSTOKE Book Review: ♦♦♦

The Absolut Vodka ad campaign is so well established and formulaic that it now seems as if any art director could develop a new ad in the series. Even Richard W. Lewis, author and account director, says, “Some people say we had an easy time.”

Which is to say the campaign is brilliant.

What is obvious when reviewing the beautifully reproduced ads in Absolut Book.: The Absolut Vodka Advertising Story is how well crafted they are, featuring interpretations by renown artists (Warhol), photographers (Newton), fashion designers (Piccone), and many more. (Some of the ads are featured in a video and .pdf file here.)

What is not so obvious until one looks behind the sheen is how brilliantly strategic the campaign is.

Absolut was unavailable in the U.S. before its launch in 1981. Common practice would have indicated a national TV campaign, but the Absolut brand was built with magazine advertising. The ad format was simple, a “bottle and a two-word headline.” No copy. The ads never addressed the attributes of the vodka itself, but rather focused on building awareness of the name and package.

Absolut was positioned as a premium brand and placed in trendsetting magazines. Only ad topics associated with “high value or an upscale activity” were selected.

Lewis’ team reached audiences demographically through their careful selection of publications, including some belonging to the counterculture. They targeted markets geographically by featuring cities in ads. They stayed fresh by commenting on current events such as Glasnost and the MLB strike.

The production team experimented with special-effect inserts, such as microchips, records, puzzles, postage stamps, scents, and snow globes. They developed custom ads for targeted publications, such as a digital-art interpretation of the Absolut bottle in Wired and a centerfold in Playboy. They “crowdsourced” ad ideas from readers before the practice had a name.

Still, after marveling at the stunning elegance of this campaign as presented in the book, there’s not much to learn — except that simplicity works.

The most successful communications tend to be the most concise, an opinion I have expressed in previous posts, “Less isn’t just more — it’s omnipotent,” “Speak less. Say more.” and “Why strong design is always on Target.” It’s a pleasure to see a brand stick with a simple recipe for nearly 30 years.

Disclaimer: This title links to the Amazon Associates Program.

Sep

The 4 mutable laws of branding

By Kirk Closed

Categories: book reviews

BrandSTOKE Book Review: ♦♦

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Captain Barbossa informs Elizabeth that the Pirates’ Code is “more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.” And so it is with The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding.

A better title might have been The 4 Occasionally Mutable Laws of Branding and Several Rather Obvious Observations.

Six of the laws (Expansion, Contraction, the Name, Extensions, Consistency, and Singularity) address essentially the same theory: extending a brand weakens it, and conversely, focusing a brand strengthens it.

Except that two of the laws (Siblings and Change) say it’s okay to line-extend under certain circumstances. Which makes the forgoing six laws not exactly “immutable.”

Seven of the laws (Word, Credentials, the Name, the Generic, the Company, Shape, and Color) discuss the role of various brand properties in claiming ownership of a niche.

Rather obviously, the laws of Publicity and Advertising observe the importance of those tools in building brand awareness. Really?

Yet a couple of the laws (Quality and Category) are more substantive, including advice such as “A leading brand should promote the category, not the brand.” And given the constant drumming of “Best Quality! Lowest Prices!,” I appreciated the observation that quality is not a believable differentiator for a brand unless one charges extra for it.

Numbering the laws and claiming they are immutable was likely a promotional device. Overall, however, the “guidelines” are insightful, even if generally accepted. Every chapter brims with examples, many of which are still valid ten years later.

Al Ries, along with Jack Trout, advanced the concept of brand “positioning” and many of their basic theories are repeated here. Still, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, written with his daughter Laura Ries, remains a very accessible read on the basics of brand building.

Disclaimer: This title links to the Amazon Associates Program.

Aug

Is Ogilvy still relevant in the Interactive Age?

By Kirk 1 Comment

Categories: book reviews

BrandSTOKE Book Review: ♦♦♦♦

“When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.”

As one might expect from David Ogilvy, the iconic ad man and copywriter, this quote from the opening paragraph of Ogilvy on Advertising largely sums up his philosophy. Sometimes called the “Father of Advertising,” Ogilvy created several successful and legendary campaigns for Hathaway, Schweppes, Rolls-Royce, Dove and Shell.

While many of the ads used as examples in the book look dated by today’s design fashions, the strategic thinking behind them is anything but.

Ogilvy’s preferred nomenclature for “creative” was “the big idea.” His developed his big ideas following extensive research. He regularly applied direct marketing techniques, which he believed were more effective at selling.

Most of his “hints” (He bridled at the suggestion that he imposed rules.) are relevant today, though not often followed. Here are a few:

Don’t use celebrities as spokespersons.
Don’t use sex to sell unless it is relevant to the product.
Don’t set text in reverse. It’s hard to read.
Use long copy. It sells better than short if it tells a compelling story.
Emulate the look of editorial.
Don’t attempt humor unless you are actually funny.
Demonstrate the product in use.
Use the product name within the first ten seconds of a TV or radio spot.
Show the package.
Avoid committee decisions on campaigns.
Advertise through recessions.

The book addresses everything from hiring (“Never hire your friends.”) to word-of-mouth advertising (“… nobody knows how to do it on purpose.”).

Of course, marketing techniques and channels have changed significantly since 1983, most notably as a result of the impact of digital technology. What would Ogilvy have thought of interactive marketing?

Given his strong advocacy for research and direct response, I imagine he would have embraced using a medium where targeting, customizing, and tracking are advantages. I think he would have delighted in engaging the customer directly.

What do you think? Are Ogilvy’s “hints” still relevant?

Disclaimer: This title links to the Amazon Associates Program.

Aug

Which are the best books on marketing?

By Kirk 3 Comments

Categories: book reviews

istock_000002664817small Every year more books about branding, marketing and advertising are published. Incredibly, entering “branding” into Amazon’s search function generates 55,990 results. “Marketing” generates considerably more.

I’m not sure why there is so much proliferation on the topic except that apparently professional communicators just can’t shut up about their craft.

Some of the offerings provide how-to advice. Some are textbooks. Others recount famous campaigns, pitches, or careers. Some float new hypotheses. Predictably, some are written by consultants with nothing new to say for the sole purpose of giving credibility to their consultancy. (Is there anyone on the speakers’ circuit that hasn’t written a book?)

I’ve read my share of marketing books over the years, some good and some bad, and thought it may be worthwhile to embark on a re-reading and review of the best. Practical advice will earn good marks; esoteric theories will not.

Take a look at the list of possible candidates for the Best Branding & Marketing Book List below. How many have you read? Which ones inspired you? Which ones have you found helpful? Which important books are missing? Which do you recommend … and which should I ignore?