However, according to Claire Bradley on Investopia in her article “7 Products Under $5 That Made Millions, “the odds are not in your favor as an inventor – 99.9% of inventions never see a successful product launch…”  To give yourself a fighting chance, start by writing a powerful elevator pitch — a short story (30-seconds) that tells a big story about your invention. At Buzzuka, we believe, “If you can’t say it, you can’t sell it!” Strip your story down to the bare basics and reveal what’s at its core. It’s easy to do when you use the Buzzuka Elevator Pitch Studio, optimized to discover the Facts, Feelings and Finishing Touches that make your message stand out in a sea of sameness.

Photo courtesy of kaitesklaykorner – clay girl pet rock

No matter what you thought of  this year’s crop of Super Bowl ads, you’ve got to love this fast and furious barrage of branded sights and sounds. It’s entertaining, exciting and downright hysterical along with being a wonderful demonstration of the power of the editing process.

In this spirit, when you visit the Buzzuka Elevator Pitch Studio, pay attention in Step 3. That’s where you edit your 30-second pitch and make “pitch perfect.” If your elevator pitch is the short story that tells a big story about you, enjoy the editing process, keep it simple and remember that the best works are created “on the editing room floor.”

Keep on pitching!

Photo: AdWeek /YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/adweekdotcom

Give Your Career A Fresh Start
Just like resolving to improve your diet or exercise routine, the new year is a great time to improve your career aspirations as well. Poise yourself for greater success by taking a new spin on your old work experience. Encapsulate your strengths and unique value proposition in a personal elevator pitch that helps set you apart from the rest of the pack. Then, integrate your new pitch in an updated resume for an interview with a potential new boss or for a career discussion with the old boss.

Get A New Business Off the Ground
We’re already 11 years into the new millenium so it’s not a moment too soon to embrace the micropreneurial spirit of the new age and launch the small business of your dreams. With the world (and the world wide web) at your fingertips , there’s no better time than the present to spin up a new elevator pitch to help you spin out a great new business and make yourself the boss.

Mint your new 30-second elevator pitch in the Pitch Studio at www.Buzzuka.com.

Ringing In Photo courtesy Tom Bricker at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tombricker/3155746863/

That’s why I love sites that offer free productivity forms. They’re always at the ready to save us all a ton of time and effort so we can move on to bigger and better things.  Check out the ingenious Formnet® from Entrepreneur Magazine where you can download forms that help you do everything from  monitor a six-month Twitter campaign to  monitor the competition. And Office Depot generously offers a ton of downloadable business forms including how to prepare a business plan.

Imagine the productivity savings if everyone on the planet started sharing their favorite forms.  We could finally get on to new business at hand instead of wasting so much time and effort on the old. How about it…are you ready to share your favorite forms?

When you’re ready to create an elevator pitch about your business or idea, don’t start from scratch. Start at Buzzuka, The Pitch Place, where you can use our on-line form to ponder and produce the best elevator pitch you ever wrote.

Photo (c) Giant Geckgo on Flicker http://www.flickr.com/photos/giantginkgo/69237905/

I’m referring to Drake University’s D+ ad campaign. While it’s true that being unique and “edgy” is good when it comes to brand marketing, it’s not so good when it’s achieved at the expense of a clear, positive vision. In my view, this brand campaign is remarkable while missing the mark.

Designed to attract new students to this 125-year old Iowa university, this well-meaning campaign is more likely to make people “wince” than  “wow.” That’s why, no matter how unique, I give Drake’s D+ campaign a D-minus.

To me, the campaign falls short when it comes to the most important ingredient of any branding message…VISION. Vision is about the possibilities of a place…in this case…the message that would naturally attract students, staff and community and make them feel good…proud…make them relate to the institution instead of repel away from it. I like how AdFreak‘s Tim Nudd weighs in on the subject.

The next move? Change from “D” for “Denial” to D for “Distinction” and create a  new campaign — one that’s edgy without going over the edge.

A great way to discover the vision that drives your organization is the Buzzuka Elevator Pitch Studio. In three easy steps — FACTS, PASSION, POLISH — you can define the wow and the wonder that’s you!

To explore a new idea that’s germinating in your head, the first step is to capture it in a powerful elevator pitch at www.Buzzuka.com. Then, you can share the passion.

Photo by Pinehurst19475 at Flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/71288712@N00/340203584/

• starting a new company (a.k.a. solo-preneur)
• boosting a career with new opportunities (a.k.a. career builder)
• fostering a new business or idea within the structure of an existing company (a.k.a. intra-preneur)

If you’re wondering whether or not you’re an micropreneur, try this pop quiz.

1. Do you sketch on the back of envelopes and draw on a whiteboards?
2. Do you think up new ideas that you think will make money and add value?
3. Do you imagine yourself doing more with your life or career in the future?
4. Do you believe you shouldn’t take “no” for an answer when it comes to turning possibilities into realities?
5. Do you feel satisfaction when you create something from the ground up?

If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, you may be a budding micropreneur and the time to get started is now. Create an elevator pitch at www.Buzzuka.com and jump in. If you’re truly a micropreneur, there’s no stopping you.

Resources:
Are you a micropreneur? Angee Robertson, WebProNews
Urban Dictionary definition for micropreneurship
Webdoh definition for micropreneur

Photo from Flickr: The Starting Line – Direction by emOrix http://www.flickr.com/photos/em0rix/590998423/

Brand Birther – Someone who, like me, passionately believes that a brand is not born at the moment it is named or when its name is launched but rather at the moment it is conceived by its owner.

So, to create a brand, it’s important for the brand strategist to coax the message from the messenger’s mind. That’s where the real story resides. That’s the truth that needs to be told. The heart of the story is in the heart of its owner(s). Why did they start their company? Why did they create their products or services? That’s where the real meaning is — the authenticity that will drive its success.

When you’re having trouble creating a brand, try the Buzzuka Pitch Studio. Here, you can find the facts of your story, add in the passion and integrate it all into a clear 30-second elevator pitch. Then, and only then can you say…

Congratulations, it’s a brand!

Photo by Terri Kessler at Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/tkcakes/3821459939/

There’s a lot of magical thinking in the world of marketing.

• If we create a Facebook account…then everyone will want to be  our friends.
• If we spend a lot of money to promote this product, then everyone will want to buy it.
• If we get this celebrity or that politician to endorse our service, then everyone will want to use it.

But, the bottom line is that sooner or later, reality sets in and no amount of fanfare or fluff is going to change the fact that your value proposition is weak or your message is missing the mark.  No matter how much marketing muscle you have behind your company or offering, you still put your pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us.  You still need a simple, clear and powerful pitch to capture your market and convince them that what you’re selling is something they want to buy.

Try Buzzuka’s elevator pitch studio at www.Buzzuka.com and get real.

For example, check out these most excellent elevator pitches created on and featured at Buzzuka:

Singer Construction
MyWClub
The Martin Agency, Allstate Insurance
Bob Downs, Desktop Publisher
TMA Risk Services

Flickr photo> Shawnathan, The Magician and Actor,  http://www.flickr.com/photos/bframe5/3859221466/

When I worked at Intel, arguably one of the most successful ingredient brands in history was launched — Intel Inside — by one of my executive managers, Intel VP of Marketing, Dennis L. Carter. The inside story (pardon the pun) bandied about at the time was that the original idea for Intel Inside was actually a mind-meld of  (a) the “Intel In It” brand message picking up steam in IJKK (Intel Japan) and (b) an epiphany Carter experienced at the grocery story when he eyed a box of  Kellogg’s Pop Tarts with “Smucker’s Jelly inside.” Since Carter was generous enough to recognize and credit the merit of another’s ideas and insightful enough to experience valuable epiphanies on a regular basis, I came to believe both of these stories.

If you think a component of your product or service might constitute an ingredient brand, there are several ways to approach it along a continuum of visibility:

1. Low visibility: Think of this as the “Coca-Cola” strategy.  Keep your component or unique combination of components a deep, dark secret so your competitors don’t even know what they’re fighting against no less how to copy it.
2. Medium visibility: File a patent so your ingredient can be protected as yours and yours alone. By the time your competitors read up on it in your patent filing, it’s too late for them to do anything about it.
3. Medium-high visibility: Give your ingredient a descriptive or trademark name and a story along with it so that customers clearly understand its value and competitors wish they had it too.
4. High visibility: Shout it from the rooftops with a formidable (albeit pricey) ingredient brand marketing program like Intel Inside or Gore-tex.

Or try some combination of the above. The main thing is don’t forget to be on the lookout for an ingredient brand that may be hidden in your product/service offering. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your secret sauce.

More reading:
Ingredient Branding: The Secret Ingredient to Growing your Business: David Meyers & Kathy Hall, Microban International
How to Brand an Ingredient: John Quelch, Harvard Business Review
Branding, What’s Inside: Allen Adamson
Ingredient Branding: Time to Check that Recipe Again – Joe Traddii, BrandWeek

Photo by Chotda at Flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/santos/2252824606/