Burke Media Marketing

Imported from Detroit

Dave — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:49:00 +0000

Did you see this commercial for Chrysler during the Super Bowl? In my opinion, it was one of the more memorable, powerful ads aired in recent memory. Not just because it featured gritty scenes from a city much of America equates with poverty, crime, and despair. And not because it showcases the famous, and the not so famous, from a genial hotel doorman to much maligned rap star Eminem. Oh, yeah, it also featured the new Chrysler 200, the replacement for the much maligned Chrysler Sebring.
The power of the ad goes deeper. It’s about the rebirth of a city and the rebirth of an industry. One line in the ad says “the hottest fires make the hardest steel”. Detroit wants you to know it has been through hell, and they’re stronger for it. Even though it’s a Chrysler ad, it’s really an ad for all the domestic auto makers. We equate Detroit with the domestic auto industry. It’s bigger than just Chrysler.

There’s a pride in American resilience that resonates through the ad. A sense that even though the economy has knocked nearly everyone senseless, it’ll take more than that to defeat Detroit. They’re up off the mat, and ready to compete.
This ad seems to have done more than just make a statement for domestic autos. I believe it may have touched a cultural nerve. There might be a sense among those who watched this spot (and 111 million people watched the game) that like Chrysler, like Detroit, they’ve had enough. They’re fighting to get back on their feet, they know they can rebuild their lives, and they’re going to do it. No blaming circumstances, no wallowing in pity…time to get this thing turned around.
That’s the inspiration I took from this spot. If any city in America has the opportunity to point a finger at others for their own misery, you could argue that Detroit gets the award. But with this ad, they resolutely turned it down. No thanks. They have work to do. And it makes me want them to win. We almost always cheer for the underdog and Detroit has been a classic example.
Did the ad work? After all, one of its goals was to drive interest in what Chrysler is selling. Traffic searching the Chrysler brand on Edmunds.com was up 267% in the hours following the airing of the ad, with searches for the Chrysler 200 up 1619%, all according to the Detroit Free Press.
Chrysler still has a lot of work to do, but this was a great big step in getting prospective buyers to look at their brand again. Congratulations to Wiedan+Kennedy of Portland, Oregon and to Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne for making a gutsy ad that I believe captured the right message at the right time.
Now, if I could just get a t-shirt that says “Exported from Boston”…

Great Seth Godin Segment

Dave — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:22:03 +0000

Here’s a great bit by marketing guru Seth Godin. It’s a few years old but it’s as relevant as ever. Take a listen and let me know your thoughts.

http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_sliced_bread.html?awesm=on.ted.com_8pOj

Numbers Game

Dave — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:15:35 +0000

More than ever, marketers are expecting immediate results from their advertising. Like right now. Part of this originates from on-line marketing metrics that allow us to see how many page views, unique visitors, and click-throughs our websites have received. Some marketers have extended these metrics to other parts of their marketing plan, and have aligned these expectations with broadcast media.

That’s why so many advertisers now use broadcast media strictly as a direct response outlet, measuring it’s success on a daily basis. It seems the data they receive (number of calls, number of orders, cost per call, etc) is their only measurement to determine the campaign’s value. If they don’t get enough calls today, something’s wrong. For some businesses, this model works just fine. For many others, it can be a business killer.

In my experience, better response to a call-to-action ad happens when someone is selling a well know, well regarded brand. Make me a deal on something I know and like, and I’ll give it some consideration. Ask me to buy something I’m not familiar with and I’ll likely defer. That is, until I get to know why I need it and why the product can help me. Does advertising do that even though people don’t call and order the product? Sure. But it’s still difficult to measure, so it’s value isn’t nearly as high in the immediate results expectation world. Pity.

This is how great brands and long lasting profits are built. And it seems to me that many companies are missing the long term home run trying for today’s base hit.

Yelling Louder isn’t the Only Answer

Dave — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 17:04:09 +0000

The Holiday season is in full advertising throat right now. National retailers in particular are running saturation schedules on TV and radio that are hard to miss. But generally, I find them easy to forget. There are two ways to get noticed with your advertising. One is to buy “tonnage” so that people can’t miss you. But what if you’re a business that doesn’t have the money to buy that way? How do you compete, and more importantly, get noticed? You can compete through creative messages. If your message is entertaining to watch or listen, people will notice your ad. Better yet, you’re likely to be remembered. As I point out in my copy-writing seminar “Ten Rules for Writing Killer Copy”, obey the “First Five, Last Five” rule , as the most important elements of your on air message are the first 5 seconds and the last 5 seconds. Creative messages alone can win in a crowded marketplace. But when you add creative messages with saturation schedules, magic can happen. Just ask any woodchuck chuckin’ wood, or back seat piggy named Max.

Sell what people Buy

Dave — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 01:16:40 +0000

If you work in media sales, are you selling what your customers want to buy? You may believe it’s your job to sell media. That’s what you’ve been hired to do, and that’s why your sales goal is a big part of your weekly one-on-one meeting with your manager. I get that. But it’s how you get there that matters. Business owners come to you, not for media per se, but for more customers, better awareness, higher traffic counts, to differentiate from a competitor, and more. They use media as the vehicle to get them to their destination. But buying media is not the reason they buy media. Local businesses almost always buy media for a specific strategic advertising or marketing purpose. They need ideas and tactics to run on your media. That’s what and why they buy.

Be good at advertising and you’ll be great at selling.

Fearless

Dave — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:20:31 +0000

Ever had a good idea that you did nothing with? Maybe it was an idea for starting a new business, or an out of the box idea for a client of yours. If you’re like a lot of people I know, you have a lot of good ideas. Yet not many are ever acted upon. Why is that? There are lots of reasons with most being based in fear. We’re afraid the client might think the idea is wrong; we’re afraid our business idea might fail; we’re afraid we’ll look foolish; we’re afraid we’re taking too big a risk. I could go on. But nothing great was ever accomplished without putting fear aside and taking a risk. The businesses you work with all took a chance to get started. Some didn’t work. Some did. But if you don’t act on your idea, you’ll never know.

Good ideas don’t fail if they’re not acted upon.

Using Sense Makes Sense

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:35:52 +0000

I was filling the gas tank on my lawnmower last week preparing to cut the lawn, when an aroma of cut grass from the mower and gasoline hit me. It brought me right back to the summertime of my youth, spent mowing lawns for extra money. All at once, it made me feel happy, nostalgic, energized, and youthful. What a powerful sense of smell can be. Experts say it’s the most powerful of all our senses in triggering memory.

When we write copy, we very often overlook the power of the senses. I believe this is something we need consider more carefully. If you’re writing an ad for a restaurant, shouldn’tyou include the sizzling sound of something on the grill, or an evocative aroma that transports the viewer or listener to a particular place? You could even use a smell memory in an ad for a shoe store. Who doesn’t have a memory of the smell of new sneakers fresh out of the box? Of the smell of new leather being slipped onto your foot?

Our memories are everywhere and can be powerfully triggered by our senses. Don’t overlook this important part of your creative process. You’ll be surprised on you can create ads that resonate deeply with your client’s customers.

Why do “Flash Mobs” Make me happy?

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:14:33 +0000

Are you familiar with Flash Mobs? These are groups of people who organize throughFaceBook or Twitter to surprisingly do something as a group in a public place as anapparently spontaneous event. Maybe you’ve seen the Flash Mob dance party on theOprah show during a Black Eyed Peas performance. Or maybe have seen the Grand CentralStation “Freeze Mob” video on You Tube. Another just took place at the Des Moines ArtFestival in my hometown, where 50 people danced a choreographed number to a pre-arrangedsong, then disappeared into the audience.

There’s something about these events that touch me. It might be the element of surpriseand pleasure that others enjoy when these groups perform. I appreciate the work that thesepeople have put in ahead of time to make the event look completely spontaneous. (The leadmember of the Des Moines Flash Mob says her back yard has no grass now due to all thedance rehearsals before the event.)

It’s not unlike a sales presentation. Ideally, you rehearse your presentation to have it appearnatural and spontaneous when you are with the client. Only you know the work you’ve putin to make it appear natural. And if you’re well rehearsed, the presentation is usually a hit.Maybe that’s why Flash Mobs make me so happy.