Mad 4 Blog

You may be surprised to hear the above statement, especially coming from us, but it is the simple truth. In good times and bad times, a large percentage of the marketing efforts you put out into the world won’t be as effective as you had planned. What makes marketing successful is the strength of your brand and the emotional connection of your unique message.

An important thing to keep in mind is that failure should not be seen as terminal. In the world of marketing, we tend to look at failures as part of a greater growth process. It’s important to understand what aspects of your marketing endeavors failed or succeeded and then analyze your results to discover why. Many marketing efforts are actually staggered, so that continual analysis/improvement is built directly into the process. Being able to adapt as you go is always a bonus, which is why we never recommend blowing your annual budget on any one tactic. Rather, you should seek cost-effective and well-rounded strategies that will allow you to explore multiple angles and make the greatest possible impact on your determined audience.

Good marketers know that success or failure can be measured in many different ways. For example, even if your conversions aren’t hitting the marks that you expected when you began your marketing campaign doesn’t mean that you haven’t connected with your audience. Every time you engage with prospective clients, you’re building up a bigger presence and allowing them to familiarize with your business and services. Naturally, we always want these impressions to convert to sales. However, the ultimate success of some marketing techniques may not be measurable in nickels and dimes; but by introducing your brand and opening a line of communication, you’re still accomplishing invaluable marketing connections.

As always, consistent and comprehensive marketing campaigns that approach niche audiences from multiple angles over time are the most surefire way to guarantee marketing results. At Mad 4 Marketing, we offer strategic insight that will allow you to enhance brand awareness and connect deeply with your audience through targeted messaging. To address every agenda–from rebranding your company to engaging in social media or even building a complete 360° campaign–we’ve got the talent and experience to help you achieve impactful, successful marketing.

A few weeks ago, we talked about Viral Marketing for Websites. But viral marketing, the art of using word-of-mouth buzz to spread your brand, can be used for more than interactive marketing; in fact, it has endless possibilities in the world of business. Here are a few popular examples you can use to inspire your own viral marketing strategies:

Movies:
• Blair Witch Project – This 1999 movie was produced on an extremely low budget. To get the most from their marketing investment, moviemakers hyped the film as footage from a real event. The intrigue caused by this theory, and the consequential debate over its authenticity, skyrocketed its popularity both before the movie came out and while it was in theaters.
• Cloverfield – In 2008, this scary movie showed teasers in its ambiguous trailer, which did not state the movie’s title or plot. This mystery instigated hype and drove curious throngs to the movie’s website for more information. Characters in the film each had their own social networking profiles, and companies mentioned in the film were also given their own websites, so that fans could investigate further.

Television
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 – When this show originally aired in the 1980s, fans had limited access to live viewings. However, at the end of each episode, they were encouraged to make videotape copies and pass them along to friends. The closing credits told viewers explicitly to “Keep circulating the tapes!” This encouraged hand-to-hand marketing and conversation about the show.

Web
• The Big Word Project – This project invited participants to submit their websites and blogs as entries in a “new” dictionary. Each entry linked a word to one definitive web page, which encouraged web participation via free promotion.
• The Mike O’Meara Show – Podcasters participated in an extensive viral campaign on Facebook, encouraging fans to visit their website to download and share radiocasts of the show. A click-through link made the message accessible.

Business
• The Pyramid Scheme – This widely used business technique spans many industries. Participants “higher” in the pyramid directly benefit from the success of those “lower” in the pyramid, which encourages members to recruit new candidates and allows incentives to flow seamlessly throughout the system as a reward for each person’s continued success in the viral marketing effort.
• Burger King – After a popular television commercial aired showing a man making a chicken do various outrageous activities, a website was launched where visitors could make a man in a chicken suit perform various actions, such as dancing and cartwheeling. This interactive campaign was so popular, it ran from 2004-2007. The tag line stated “Chicken the way you like it.”
• Blendtec – The speed and strength of this line of blenders is demonstrated by YouTube videos in which founder Tom Dickson blends various ordinary items. Viewers can comment on the results and share these videos with friends.

Embarking on a new relationship with customers isn’t all that different from starting a courtship with a new girlfriend or boyfriend. You begin by trying to catch their attention, and then slowly build upon mutual interest with the hope of turning it into a long-term engagement. There’s a lot of give and take. Communication is optimal. And of course, both parties have to be honest and uphold their end to make things work. This Valentine’s Day, think of the ways you can romance your customers to achieve a lasting relationship.

First Impression
A first encounter is your chance to make one amazing impression with the person you’re hoping to woo. In marketing, this refers to the initial point of contact between your business and your prospective customer. Before you can ask this person out to dinner—or even ask for a phone number—you need to be sure that you’re ready to put your best foot forward. Your first point of contact should be an accurate reflection of who you are and what you can provide, so that they can make up their mind if they want to learn more. Bold, memorable creative is also a key aspect (it always helps to look your best). Your call to action should also be a highlight of your first impression. If you want to make future contact and set up that pivotal first date—if you want to get your foot in the door—then you’ve got to get your customers invested and curious to learn more.

Dating
Once you’ve started going out on dates with your object of affection—or in this case, once you’ve gotten past the first point of contact and initiated a relationship with your customer—the next step is to begin to get to know them, and let them get to know you better as well. It’s not enough to achieve one transaction one time from an interested party. You want to take the successful sale and turn it into a deeper familiarity with your brand, and a deeper investment in your company. Throughout point-of-sale interactions and beyond, you must continue to show your customer that you are committed for the long-haul. That you appreciate their former business with you, and welcome its return. Reminders of prior interactions while keeping your line of communication open are vital at this stage. And to be perfectly honest, it wouldn’t hurt to send flowers. Small tokens of continued interest and gratitude go a long way in nurturing a growing relationship.

Engagement
Okay, so you’ve made it through the trial-and-error period (perhaps provided some products and services to your target audience) and now it’s time to get serious. You want to exclusively supply your products or services to them from now on. This might entail developing incentives for customer loyalty, such as additional discounts or benefits for long-term users. It may also mean that your customer has been invited to register for further information and involvement, such as through a newsletter or subscription. Either the promise of future business or a well-established opportunity to embark on future relations is the equivalent of engagement between you and your customer.

Marriage
Between businesses and their target markets, a marriage is achieved when your customer decides that your brand is the best choice for their continued patronage. They are very familiar with everything you can and will do for them, and they are no longer shopping around. This marriage may come in the form of a contract, or it may be a far less tangible connection. Whatever the terms and conditions may be, this promise of fidelity is never simply cemented with an ‘I do.’ It takes ongoing effort and continued work to ensure that your business stays top-of-mind and best-suited for your betrothed. As you both grow over time, communication and flexibility may be necessary so that the relationship remains mutually beneficial.

If you’re thinking that a baby in a carriage is what comes next, you’re absolutely right. The offspring of your business/customer relationship are the referrals and reputation that you earn through your ongoing trustworthy performance. The longer you maintain satisfying and strong relationships with choice consumers, the stronger your brand will grow and the more rewarding contacts you will gain throughout the life of your business.

Television advertising is far from dead. Although viral marketing via website banners and streaming video is the new bandwagon in media placement, a well-executed TV commercial is still a guaranteed way to increase your company’s sales while expanding brand awareness. But only if you do it right. Here are five tips for successful television advertising:

1) Entertainment is essential. Let’s face it, no matter how smart and practical your products or services are, when people are facing the television screen, they’re expecting some form of entertainment. This doesn’t mean comedy; serious spots work just as well. But from start to finish, it’s important to keep a viewer engaged so that they’ll remember your message and absorb all of the information your commercial is seeking to convey.

2) Be brief. Televised ads traditionally average 30 seconds in length. Identify a key message or a few main points and make sure that your advertisement explicitly features these elements. Because television ads aren’t something that prospective customers can reference at their leisure, your message must be clear-cut and easy to understand on the first viewing. Clouding your message with too many other details or off-topic iconography can strongly undercut your ROI. However, even the most concise commercials may take several impressions per viewer to create a lasting, measurable impact, so be patient rather than worry that your message didn’t take hold.

3) Visuals are vital. While print advertising allows you to outline facts about your business, and radio focuses on speaking directly to the potential buyer, television is about conveying a message primarily through pictures. Your goal is to create visual impact that enforces your key messaging and leaves a strong impression with the viewer. Advertising agencies that specialize in storyboarding and graphic messaging will help elevate your commercial content; you’ll also want a knowledgeable director on your set when filming.

4) Call to action is critical. Give your captive audience a valid reason to call or visit your website to make further contact and begin developing a relationship. Provide viewers with a strong impression of your brand and let them know what sets you apart from the competition—this will serve as a reminder when they’re ready to commit or seek more information. Remember, if a television viewer goes to bed humming your theme song but doesn’t know what you do or how to reach you in the future, then even the biggest blockbuster commercial won’t actually improve your bottom line over time.

5) Seek out specialists. Consult with an experienced media buyer to help you ascertain the correct locales, stations and times for airing your ad within your budget. Media buyers have access to comparative data about viewer demographics and reactivity, and they can offer valuable insight to the logistics and statistics of when and where your ad would make the greatest impact. Then, of course, they can help you purchase those time slates. Working with a comprehensive advertising agency that has plenty of experience with purchasing, designing, creating and tracking commercials is the best way to ensure that you’re on the most surefire path to successfully advertising on television.

Mad 4 Marketing has always emphasized the importance of marketing to women, who are often put in charge of budgeting and spending in a family scenario. In fact, more than 80% of all consumer purchases are made by women. This holiday season, we’re keeping an eye on the shopping trends of female shoppers, to see how the recession is affecting annual gift-buying practices. As guessed, this year may show some changes in trends.

Three marketing analysts recently conducted a study to see how women plan to accomplish their holiday shopping after this rough economic year. Mary Lou Quinlan, Jen Drexler and Tracy Chapman—partners at the consultant agency Just Ask a Woman—surveyed 2,000 females for their thoughts and feelings about shopping for gifts in 2009. Based on those results, here’s what to expect in coming months:

•    Women have started shopping earlier this year. Spending gradually throughout the year means women may have accomplished most of their shopping, and may not be drawn to last-minute sales with the same fervor of previous seasons.

•    Women are eyeing deep discounts. Even those with bigger paychecks may be feeling cautious in this economic climate, and may eschew any full retail pricing. Many say they’ll shop with cash rather than credit, which can also cap spending.

•    Gift cards are a hot item for 2009. They’re convenient to purchase, easy to wrap and less likely to be returned. Items that share such traits may share in popularity; women are looking for an easier, more predictable shopping season this year.

•    Yes, women will be cutting back this year. Spending will not only be more conservative, but the amount of presents bought may be cut back overall. Women may buy single, special gifts with more meaning rather than buying in bulk.

Despite survey results, analysts agree that by the time the holidays come around, women may be sick of perpetual frugality. While spending on others this season, it’s likely female shoppers will look for excuses to treat themselves. Offers which include something extra for the spender may be especially well-received.

Ready to plan your end-of-year marketing strategies, and start out on the right foot with female consumers in 2010? Contact Mad 4 Marketing to learn how women save, spend and shop—and how to advertise to ensure their needs will be satisfied by your business.

The late and great WC Fields once said, ‘Never work with children or animals’, and while some may believe that to be good advice, you might want to think seriously about employing them in your advertising.

Emotion is a very powerful tool and using it to create a connection with the consumer is, in the long term, even more important than behavior triggering marketing tactics such as free trials and price-cut incentives. When your customer relates to the brand, rather than just to an offer, that is the basis for developing brand equity, which manifests as customer loyalty. Coca-Cola loyalists do not choose Coke over Pepsi by price. In fact, one way to look at brand equity is the degree to which customers will pay a premium for a particular brand, over the brand’s competitors.

For the creative team here at Mad 4 Marketing, evoking consumer emotion has always been a top priority, both in B2C and B2B markets. Experience shows that connecting emotionally has a quantifiable dollar value.

Think about the many forwarded emails featuring babies or animals that land in your inbox every week. People like the stuff. Truthfully, they go a bit nuts. There are even websites like Cuteoverload.com devoted to cute imagery where thousands of people go every day to get their daily dose.

While not the right note for every company, you just can’t deny that adorable images arouse our emotions. In doing so, they also help to build brands. Ameritrade cashed in on ‘cute’ with its series of talking baby commercials – one of the most popular spots of this year’s Superbowl. Geico also knows about the competitive advantage gained by cute things – not to mention that fact that cute things are memorable. Who could forget that cheeky little green gecko?  The brand equity associated with Geico’s gecko is $4.5 Billion. They’ve tried to repeat that success by personifying a stack of money in their new campaign.  By making a stack of money cute, it’s instantly recognizable. Brand awareness is a step on the path towards brand preference.

But whether or not puppies or babies are featured in your advertising, an emotional connection is key. A powerful, emotional bond with customers can take your relationship to another level. If you’re lucky, it could turn into one that makes consumers your own brand champions – advocates so passionate about your message (or the delivery of that message) that they actively broadcast or webcast it themselves by posting a link to a commercial on YouTube or on their Facebook page.

So, ask yourself, do your marketing messages communicate with your consumer on an emotional level?

When times are hard and budgets tighten, the first thing most businesses think to do is pursue new clientele. But don’t be surprised if marketing agencies remind you to redirect some resources toward client retention, rather than client acquisition. Putting aside part of your budget to nurture existing client affiliations is a trustworthy investment in today’s economic climate. Here, we have identified five key elements of relationship marketing:

1. A Little Goes A Long Way.
The clients and customers who have a home in your digital rolodex are those who already know and like your business. When you take the time to reach out to your mailing list, a little goes a long way. You don’t need to woo them or explain your services. Marketing to existing clients can be just a friendly way to maintain a connection, get back in touch and keep contacts up-to-date about your company’s latest developments.

2. Extend Brand Familiarity.
Brand awareness goes beyond a brief introduction to your company. In fact, though awareness develops the moment a prospective client learns about your brand, it must then be grown by repeat encounters with your business’s name, logo and services. Over time, a mere recognition of your brand will deepen into familiarity and trust. Not only will clients return time and again, but they may even spread positive feedback to others.

3. Get to Know Your Clients.
By cultivating long-term relationships with existing clients, they’ll come to trust your company—but you’ll also be able to get to know them. A long-term relationship means that you can study customer likes and dislikes by welcoming feedback and collecting data about how they interact with your brand. As you learn your client base, you can tailor future marketing endeavors toward them for even greater response. You can also target new audiences who share the same needs and preferences.

4. Take Advantage of Social Networking.
By using the social networking platforms that are already in place—such as Twitter and Facebook—you can easily stay in touch with clients and customers. As soon as you build a relationship, you can open a line of communication and create a reciprocal pathway for feedback and the exchange of ideas. You can also share updates about services, specialties and successes within your industry. Clients will never feel like you’re out of reach, and you’ll be easy to access when they’re ready to buy. Letting people feel connected to your company is an easy way to create dependable, long-lasting relationships.

5. Show Your Appreciation.
Always remember to show gratitude for ongoing patronage. November is an excellent time of year to show your appreciation, before your gesture gets lost in the chaos and solicitations of the holidays. Just saying ‘thank you’ with a small gift or postcard can show that you value your client’s consideration, serve as a reminder of your existing relationship and greatly increase your chance of working together again in the new year.

Picture the bright ambiance of a hospital waiting room.  There are a handful of individuals seated awaiting the low pitched call of a nurse into the doctor’s sterile office.  Most of the patients look toward their cell phones, some making wistful swipes with their fingers while others type feverishly.  They share a common goal.  Finding alternative health information, diagnoses, and help online using their smart phones.  Cell phones contain the World Wide Web in a compact device.  The mobile internet has a whopping 2.1 million users.  Experts believe by 2012 more individuals will use mobile internet than those that use computers.  How many Healthcare providers or businesses actually use this medium? Out of 115 health systems 19% have a mobile websites while 43% have plans but have not initiated action.  A mobile website is simplified with content and links that make it easier and faster for users to use on their mobile phones.  These sites are cheap and efficient costing on average of 4,000$ and 62 internal hours to make.  So what is keeping so many healthcare centers from having a mobile site?  They believe it isn’t a priority for a healthcare center to have a one.  Many hospitals computer technicians engage in planning strategies, and documenting visits. To free up enough time for something, to them is not at the top of the totem pole, could be applied to other necessities needed for their prosperity online.

Building a website for mobile users is NOT a painstaking process.  When created correctly it can enhance web strategy, and broaden your patient base bringing your brand name to a higher level.  It accentuates your marketing activities and creates another outlet for marketing strategy.  Cell phones have become a virus only curable by harnessing its potency.  Marketing strategies push forward. Mobile websites are here to stay.

In advertising, there’s nothing like grabbing people’s attention with something a little bit different. When we began work on the campaign for the first Baptist Medical Plaza in Broward County, we knew we had to do something out of the ordinary. After all, Baptist is no ordinary healthcare provider; it’s the largest faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region, and just as it treats its patients with care, we had to do the same with its brand.

Some of the hundreds of pineapples that were given away at the Grand Opening Health Fair in Coral Springs.

While the whole of Miami-Dade County is familiar with Baptist Health and its logo, Broward County is not, so it was like starting from scratch. The campaign had to be educational and inform consumers of the top-quality urgent care and diagnostic imaging they could receive at a Baptist Medical Plaza. As well as this, we had to familiarize consumers with the Baptist pineapple logo, a symbol of hospitality and one they could begin to trust.

The 360 degree campaign began by introducing the pineapple in small teaser ads on consecutive pages of community publications and then went on to full page ads, a pay-per-click campaign, banner ads, mall signage, a series of direct mail postcards, outdoor billboards, sponsorship of various community events and a grand opening health fair.

To further illustrate and encourage community involvement at the health fair, we enlisted the help of ‘adbikes’. For miles around, cyclists rode around Coral Springs on bicycles with integrated A-frame signage that carried graphics of big white pineapples and invited families to the health fair for free health screenings and family fun.

Adbike cyclists before they set off, outside the Baptist Medical Plaza at Coral Springs.

The riders wore branded t-shirts, were briefed to answer questions about the event and the plaza itself, and also handed out flyers. The eye-catching mobile billboards delivered high-impact impressions at a relatively low cost. And the best part? This unconventional community advertising is environmentally friendly and promotes health and fitness. This was healthcare marketing with a different spin.

With more plazas planned to open throughout Broward in 2010, Broward County certainly has something to be excited about. For more information about the new plaza, please visit www.BaptistHealthBroward.com.

When we first learned we would be working with Baptist Outpatient Services marketing team on their new Breast Center campaign, we were extremely excited. The center was to be the very first Baptist Health facility of its kind and was eagerly awaited. We had the utmost belief that our client would create an exceptional center and we were privileged to help in its branding and promotion.

This was a chance to help those with suspected or diagnosed breast cancer to, as the tagline suggests, get treated better at a place that would provide the respect and compassion they and their families deserve. We needed to create a look and feel that would separate itself from the competition, provoke an emotional response from the target audience and encompass the center as a whole.

Creative concepts began by a review of the facility’s interior swatches. The center’s bamboo floors stood out from the start as something to bring to the foreground. We started to see the center as a place to go for healing and soothing during a very difficult time and we wanted to reflect this in the creative.

Once the campaign’s ‘zen’ look and feel was established, a double page spread was created for placement in high-end lifestyle magazines. This was intended to resemble magazine editorial. Its title was ‘5 Reasons Why Not All Breast Centers Are Created Equal’, and we saw it as something our audience would read while relaxing on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon.

Elements such as white orchids, sage green bamboo leaves and the tagline treatment with a pink ribbon, a recognizable symbol of breast cancer awareness, all worked in conjunction to communicate the peacefulness of the center while also appealing to our target market.

The team at Mad 4 Marketing worked hard to make this a campaign of which to be proud. Spanish and English materials included a direct mail postcard, VIP invitation, physician preview reception invitation, mall signage, event banners, print ads for various community and regional publications, and collateral such as a breast health brochure, scheduling cards, thank you cards and a breast cancer information binder cover, as well as a landing page with banner ads on various geo-targeted websites.

Residents of the South Miami area were invited to tour the beautifully appointed facility at the grand opening, held on Saturday, June 27. People received free health screenings and witnessed a dedication ceremony with a live butterfly release, as well as dance performances from a local high school. They also enjoyed tea stations from around the world and snacked on dainty finger sandwiches.

The campaign was, and continues to be, a great success and we are glad to be involved in the creation of such an excellent resource for breast health. For more information about the center and to view the campaign’s landing page, visit www.BaptistHealthBreastCenter.com.