 There is one thing that I think separates good marketers from great marketers. It's actually very simple -- anyone can do it. It doesn't take a fancy education or even a whole lot of experience. All you need is a little imagination. (A bit of research helps too.) It's empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of somebody you're targeting. Speaking of shoes, we'll walk through an example as if that's what you sell. Close your eyes and imagine somebody wearing your shoes. What else are they wearing? Where do they go for lunch? What do they do on the weekend? What do they do for a living? Answering questions like these will provide insight that can guide you through everything else you do. Once you "know" this person, you can connect with them. Now... Let's dig a little deeper. Let's say you're selling these shoes. (below) Let's try to picture the person who is wearing them. In my mind, I'm thinking of someone who is interested in sports or fitness. Possibly running. If I were wearing these shoes, I may have had a smoothie for breakfast and will probably do a workout after work. This person is confident, disciplined, and has a lot of friends. They're 25 -- 34 years old and college educated. They're mid-level in their career with aspirations of growing professionally. They prefer to communicate through text message or social media. What you've done is begun to build a persona. Now take it one step further. Try to think of someone you know who is like this person and dig a little deeper into what makes them tick. Where do they shop? Do they consult online reviews? When they buy online, are they willing to pay for shipping? If you don't know, shoot your friend a text (because that's how they prefer to communicate) and ask them. Now that you've associated the person you're selling to with somebody you know, you'll have even more insight as to how to reach more people like them in meaningful ways. With the answers to all these questions, you can start to think about what to say to these people and where to say it. You will be able to say more with less. This is important because in our world, you only have a few seconds to capture somebody's interest.  If you don't take the time to think through who you're going to be talking to, you may be doing a lot of work and not getting your best results. I'm passionate about finding ways to connect with all kinds of people. If you're not interested in someone's life or you don't take the time to get to know them, you're not really connecting. The more you can connect, the more you'll sell. Tonya CardinaliPursuing the extraordinary with passion.
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 Recently I've been asked how to execute a marketing campaign. The answer is: There is no simple answer. Every campaign is different. In my attempt to help my friends asking for advice, I would begin to dive into several questions that I always ask myself. I thought these were simple questions because it has become second nature to me, but the reality is, it doesn't come so easy when you're not exposed to it every day. So that leads me to my first rule of thumb.
Rule Number One: Never assume somebody knows what you're talking about. Take it back a notch. Even though every campaign is different, there are some things that remain static. You're going to have to answer some questions before you get started. The answers to these questions will give you the guidance you need to nail down the details of your campaign. 1. Objective What is your goal? Sounds like a no-brainer, but it's not as easy as you may think. Oftentimes I find that people have a lot of goals. If that's the case, you may need more than one campaign. Break away your first objective, then go through the rest of my list and repeat with the rest. Once you've identified your most important goal, write it down. Refer back to it on a regular basis. Your goal may be: Build brand awareness, generate new leads, gain loyalty, increase sales conversions, etc. 2. Target Audience Who is your campaign talking to? A consumer? A company? A person within a company? Try to identify as many details as you can around your target market. How old are they? Where do they live? How many kids do they have? 3. Research Now that you know your goal and who you're targeting, it's time for the fun stuff! Think about your target audience. Pretend to be them for a moment. Maybe you're a Gen Xer, but you're targeting Gen Y. It makes it easier to put yourself in their shoes if you can think about a couple people you know in the category you're targeting. Maybe you're targeting a certain gender or people in a specific profession. Try to get in their head. Google your butt off. Take lots of notes. 4. Channels Okay, things are starting to add up. It's time to put your research to work. Now, make a list of all the places you can reach your audience. Online (search, facebook, website, blogs, etc.), mobile device, mailbox, restaurants, community events... Every time you're out somewhere and you see someone who fits the description of who you're targeting, add that place to your list. 5. Content Here is where you take all of the things you just put so much work into and put them together. What are you going to say to your audience so you can achieve your goal? Where are you going to place your content so it resonates? How are you going to position it so it's relevant within the channel? First, you'll have to determine the type of content you'll be creating. Are you going to write a case study? Create a template, infographic, video? To be more efficient, you can repurpose the same message for different channels. And don't forget rule number one (above). Here are a couple basic pointers you can use:
6. Frequency Frequency is so important because you don't want to become a nuisance. If you're annoying somebody, it becomes highly likely they will tune you out. Then when they're ready to buy, they'll remember that you annoyed them and they may go with a competitor instead. The tricky part is to find a balance because you don't want them to forget about you either. Frequency is a lot easier when your content is relevant. If you're giving them information they want or need, at a time they want it, they're much more likely to pay attention. You can use a marketing calendar to help you with your frequency strategy. 7. Tracking Make sure you have a way to track the success of your campaign. There's always a way. Try to think about how you're going to report the value, preferably in dollars. Bosses always equate value to dollars. 8. Budget Don't forget to look at the budget. I put this down here, rather than at the top, because I didn't want the budget to limit your creativity. If you can't afford to implement all your ideas, save them for later. Pick one, make it successful and then maybe you'll have more money to spend later. 9. Launch Now you launch your campaign, but the work doesn't end there... 10. Analysis You already implemented a way to track this thing. Good job! Now take a look at the data. Celebrate your return on investment (ROI). Put it in a format that others understand so you can communicate what you've done and where you want to go from here. 11. Continuous Improvement If you're happy with your results, you don't have to do anything different. I almost always find one or two things I could have done better. If the first attempt isn't perfect, improve it the next time around. You can even A/B test different colors, subject lines, form fields, CTA's, etc. Oh and by the way, if your campaign ends up sucking after all, don't be afraid to kill it. You've already got plenty of ideas from going through this process, so go ahead and try another one. By Tonya Cardinali [email protected] 
When I was in 6th grade, I read Subliminal Seduction by Wilson Bryan Key. That was the beginning of my interest in Advertising. It was the point at which I realized there is so much more behind an ad. An ad is not just an ad; it's art. There are hidden messages in advertisements and logos that we oftentimes don't see up front.
With Mad Men on AMC, my interest in vintage advertisements has been rekindled. First, let's take a look at a couple logos we see on a regular basis. Tostitos for instance, did you notice the two people eating chips and salsa in the "tit"? 
How about the FedEx logo? Did you see the arrow between the "E" and "X", indicating movement?
If you look at the "our", combined with the yellow dot, you'll see a cyclist in the Tour de France logo.
Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors. They tell you so in the pink part of the "B" and the "R".
Hmmmmm... Owls eyes? "O"'s? Or.... Hooters?
This post wouldn't be complete without mentioning the new Wendy's logo. Wendy's claims it was unintentional, but the word "mom" is spelled out in the logo on Wendy's collar.
Advertising agencies learned a long time ago that sex sells but rules banning certain subliminal messaging have been put in place. Some brands still find a way to incorporate it, but let's take a look at some of the advertisements before those bans were in effect. These brands were true innovators in setting the stage for what advertising has become today.
We'll start with a couple easy ones. See the "Sexplosion" on this Skittles package? 
How about a Hiney? Don't see it? Flip this ad upside-down.
This one becomes quite a bit more promiscuous...
...when you flip it upside-down.
Land O' Lakes uses a technique called displacement to play tricks on your mind.
Here's what you see subconsciously.
Palmolive uses a different technique. If you look closely at the arm in this image, it is a man's arm, not the woman's arm, as you initially think. The man is out of the image otherwise, but the ad is subliminally implying there is more than meets the eye.
Absolut vodka isn't so subliminal...
This one is a little harder to see. Let's start with the second ice cube from the bottom. Do you see the letter "E"? Now look at the ice cube above it and you'll be able to make out the letter "S". Of course the "X" is a little more difficult to distinguish, but I bet you'll never look at this ad the same.
I remember this one from back in high school. The Camel logo has been known for being controversial for quite some time now.
There have been several theories as to what subliminal messaging is on this cigarette pack. Here is one of them.
Even the more modern version of Joe Camel is considered to be controversial.
I couldn't really see it until the author of Subliminal Manipulation blog Photoshop-ed a Michelangelo's David.
By the way -- Click the image to find even more examples. 
Coca-Cola? No! Really?!
Yep.
Take a look at this vintage Australian ad by Coke. The messages are difficult to notice but when you blow up the image, they are definitely there.
Here is a more recent example. Starting with the second bottle from the left -- Pomegranate. You can make out the yellow letter "S" near the top right of the label, mixed in with the green. The flamingo's head and neck, on the third bottle from the right make a lower case letter "E". You know what's next... See the "X" in the windmill on the fourth bottle from the left?
If you need a gag gift for your friend's birthday, get them a bottle of Pomegranate, a bottle of Acai Blueberry and a bottle of Dutch Caramel Van Gogh vodka. It'll be a fun gift to explain! By Tonya Cardinali [email protected]  This post by @AHaleyBoutique wins the prize for me. It's clever and attractive. It caught my eye right away, drew me in and told me what it wanted me to do all in about 3 second's time.  If you're not following @coffee_mate, you should be. We can all learn from their creativity. Their posts are upbeat, aesthetically pleasing and well branded. Easier said than done.  How about Clear-Channels' billboard campaign, #United4th? From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream Waters these signs sing the National Anthem.  @BarackObama's post was a little risqué but relevant in multiple ways. I dig it.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium (@MontereyAq) goes for cute-factor.  New York City goes iconic. These are just a few that caught my eye. What other posts/ads did you see over the Fourth of July weekend? By Tonya Cardinali [email protected]  I watch Gordon Ramsay in Kitchen Nightmares and he’s not only a genius in the kitchen, but also an incredible businessman. In almost every episode, he goes out and talks to the locals. He learns what they know about the restaurant he’s working in. He learns what they like, learns what they don’t like. Sometimes he even takes food samples around to get peoples’ opinions on what to serve. Then he takes all that information back and implements changes to reflect the feedback he’s collected; changes that cater to his audience. This is marketing. The biggest mistake we make as marketers is not understanding our audience. Oh, we think we do. We think we know what our buyers want from us. The fact is we’re oftentimes couped in the office. Sure, we’re reading every article online about our products and services. We know the trends; we can recite every industry statistic there is. However until we get out and talk to the people who are, or should be buying from us, we’re only making assumptions about what they want. There is an immense amount of value in talking directly to your customers. Surveys are great – take surveys – but they limit our opportunity because the feedback stops at the end of each question. With surveys, you don’t have an opportunity to ask follow-up questions to get more information about a response. Having an honest, open-ended conversation with someone who is buying your product, or someone who isn’t buying your product but you want them to, is the absolute best way to learn how you can get their business. Talk to them, learn what they want and then, most importantly – give it to them. Five Back-to-the-Basics Marketing Reminders 1. Find out what your target audience likes How do you do that? Ask! 2. Find out what concerns people have when making buying decisions related to your product or service Use your sales and marketing messaging to address those concerns up-front. Be honest. 3. Find out how you can give people a “What’s in it for me” or a “WIFM” Aim to understand how your product or service can help people. You may help them make more money. You may make their business run more efficiently. Perhaps you make them feel better in some way. In evaluating the responses to this question, you could come up with ancillary products that would be a great fit for your company. You may learn you need to narrow your focus. Whatever you find, be open-minded about the changes you’re about to encounter in order to achieve success. 4. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes Use whatever it is you’re selling yourself. See how you like it. Think about: If you were your customer, what would you want? What features would you be looking for in your product or service? How would you want to feel? How would you want to be treated? Our emotions play a large part in our decision-making process. 5. Implement. Implement. Implement. Now that you’ve done your research and you know what your customers want, you know what messages you need to send out them. Cater to them. We all like to be catered to. By Tonya Cardinali [email protected] |
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