Mad 4 Blog

Those hoping to snag an affordable floral bouquet delivery in time for Valentine’s Day were about to have their hopes dashed after trying to purchase a coupon from Groupon.com. Groupon is an enormously popular website (and mobile app)  that allows visitors to buy very steep coupons for their favorite products and services, ranging from pet groomers to salons, from restaurant gift certificates to concert tickets.

The original V-Day deal was that customers could buy a coupon that gave them $40 worth of FTD flowers for only $20—an excellent steal at half-off. However, first buyers were told as early as Feb. 10 that they couldn’t get their flowers until Feb. 15—after Valentine’s Day. Those that forged ahead would discover that when they visited the designated website where they were supposed to shop, they noticed that the prices were higher on their options than on the actual FTD site. For example, a dozen roses through Groupon might have been $40, while the same bouquet was only $20 elsewhere on the site. That means the customers saved…nothing. They were simply directed to marked-up wares in return to buying coupons through a third-party site.

Furthermore, the Groupon deal description stated that on-sale flowers were not purchasable with the coupon; what actually happened was that when customers clicked on some low-priced bouquet, the website then tried to charge them $5-$10 more than the price as shown, claiming that the displayed cost was “on sale” and they needed to pay “full price”—meaning that the same floral bouquet could be bought cheaper on FTD, and they were being charged surplus for being Groupon customers—some deal!

Originally, Groupon was claiming that the numbers on the site were an accident, but the deal was soon taken down—after selling $20 vouchers to more than 3,000 money-savvy romantics (that’s over $60,000 for those keeping count). Now, Groupon is embroiled in controversy and struggling to make amends with those who purchased coupons for FTD.

Who’s at fault here? Is it FTD, Groupon or both? Of course, it’s now probably up to the courts to decide, but let us know what you think! And feel free to share any of your own horror stories about false advertising.

Naturally, Mad 4 Marketing is strongly against any deceptive marketing practices, and we will help you steer clear of any possible message entanglement to provide your clients and customers with informative, attractive, appealing and honest advertising.

This Valentine’s Day, we’re going to talk about…what else? Love. But not just any love–the very special kind of love that can only be properly conveyed through social media.

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are often used to launch campaigns based on popularity, encouraging page visitors to tweet with a certain hashtag, “like” a page or post a status to show support and solidarity. The success of such campaign is used to measure the strength of demand for a certain agenda–much like door-to-door petitions of the past.

For example, now when there’s a crisis–such as the tragedies in Haiti or protests in Egypt–large numbers rally to either show the government or their peers that they support efforts to stand behind legislative or financial aid. By showing some love for their favorite causes, individuals become a part of a loud, collective voice that has more ability to affect those with money and power than any of the individuals could have shown by posting or tweeting on their own.

In 2008, Facebook users who were writers, editors, journalists and word enthusiasts joined forces to get the AP Style Guide, bible to grammarians, to modify its policy on using “website” as opposed to the outdated “Web site.” Over 700 of these AP-using professionals amassed to give their cause one focused, online backing. As of April 2010, it worked, affecting millions across the globe in the writing and publishing sphere.

Meanwhile, less serious campaigns are increasingly initiated, often involving celebrity. Comedian Chris Gethard asked fans of his live talk show to tweet to Sean “Diddy” Combs to get the famous rapper on his show. Thirteen months and countless #diddygethard posts later, Gethard’s abstract—but massively popular—pitch became a reality. Why did Diddy comply and show up on a small-scale late-night talk show in a basement-level NYC theater? To appease the fans, and thank them for their year of digital, vocal love.

Currently, a 20-something Bostonian gal who claims to be Conan O’Brien’s biggest fan is aiming to get at least 5,000 supporters on her Facebook page in an effort to snag a guest spot on his show. This number hasn’t been confirmed by O’Brien or TNT, but is her own personal aim–and she can only hope to get the network or the man himself to get on board and play into the love she and her 5,000 supporters are proving.

So should the masses have that much sway over major corporations, brands and celebrity entities? How much power should be granted to earnest, persistent individuals with time on their hands and access to social media accounts? Didn’t that honor used to only go to the obsessed and stalkers? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear what you think.

Retailers are increasingly taking great advantage of the phenomenon known as the pop-up shop. Much like traveling carnivals of yore, these easy-come-easy-go businesses make a fast buck by setting up in a temporary location with a limited amount of wares and testing the water so see how the area responds to their presence—and how much profit’s in it. And then, once they’ve taken what they can from their space, they pack up and go, leaving behind only a flurry of nostalgia, expired advertisements and packing peanuts.

Once dominated by seasonal setups—such as Halloween costume shops and Christmas-themed boutiques—the pop-up shop has been recently exhibiting high-end fashion apparel. New York City’s SoHo, for example, has seen an onset of pop-up fashion stores introducing known brands as well as undiscovered start-ups to the mainstream. Similarly, the Hamptons are expecting a flood of stands to show up out of nowhere come summer, targeting the vacation crowd and then heading back to the city by Labor Day. In both cases, small businesses can get a taste of the big-time for a flat investment; established brands can follow the money all year round—saying so-long to the notion of an “off” season.

In 2011, you can expect to see an even greater presence of pop-ups. This not only benefits the retailer, who can try out a location before committing to a long-term lease, it also benefits the property owner who might otherwise have been looking at a long-vacant storefront thanks to the economic climate. It also serves the community, who can get a taste of new wares and exotic flavors; small-business owners are able to experiment, bringing new life and energy to a locale without too much at stake. Pop-up stores mean that when there’s a strong demand for a certain product, it can be answered quickly, even if the crowd is unpredictable and the product’s fad is likely to fade within a few fiscal quarters.

The best part about this, however, for the retailers themselves, is the fact that a short-term existence means a fantastic opportunity to generate buzz. Locals strive to visit the shop before its expiration date so that they can become a part of the location’s history and see something that their friends who stop by next month may not get to experience. Marketers bank on the sense of excitement and elitism that accompanies any limited-time-only offer. At the end of this the pop-up shop’s stay, there’s also often a second chance to make a big splash by marking down products and creating final or fire sales.

Although pop-up stores have been popularized by apparel and accessory merchandisers in 2010, this year’s forecasts have shown that other industries are seeking to bank on the tactic as well. For example, pop-up bakeries and cafes are sure to be seen nationwide, catching on to the tailwind of the mobile food truck phase. It seems to be a matter of acknowledging the transitory nature of consumers, addressing their short attention spans and proclivity to ditch what’s known in favor of the next best thing. And that’s more than a matter of being trendy–it’s just another case of plain old smart marketing.

Women are responsible for 85% of buying power. In fact, American women spend about seven trillion dollars per year. So if you think you do not need to dedicate time and money to address women in particular with your products and services, then you might as well be throwing money out the window.

Mad 4 Marketing can put those dollars to better use by devising advertising tactics specifically geared toward women. As a woman-owned and women-run marketing agency with an eye on the trends of gendered buying, we believe we know a thing or two about marketing to women. Here are just a few helpful tips:

Market to Women in a Modern World

One commonly made mistake is when companies assume that marketing to women means separating them according to attributes that were outdated about a century ago. Obviously, women are not black-and-white cookie-cutters of one another—and they should never be pandered to as stereotypes. Remember, women aren’t all mothers and housewives. Even though they make purchasing decisions for men and children, they have their own unique standards and don’t want to be addressed as conduits to the men and children in their lives. In fact, treating all women like Susie Homemaker can actually dissuade a female audience from working with your business. Women don’t just want kitchen appliances and pink products and handsome male models. When you market to modern women, you have to keep in mind relevant, recent analytics about what women are responding to in advertising and how they think about their purchasing power. Relying on research rather than creating a caricature of your female audience is essential.

Think About How to Market to Women – Not What

There is no need to market different products to men than to women. Assuming that a woman wants a silver minivan while men want a blue sports car means that you are alienating large segments of the population. Instead, marketing must simply speak in a certain way to its intended audience. The fact is that women communicate differently than men. Within creative, women want to see organization; for example, they are more likely to buy from a website that is easy to use than their male counterparts, who may linger longer on a less-organized site. Women also like strong, appealing visual design and are more affected by aesthetics than men, who may zero in on the product specs. Contrarily, women like to know about value rather than attributes. Most importantly, women want to build a relationship with your brand. Creating an ongoing bond—such as through membership or rewards for return business—may encourage the female buyer.

Since its inception in 1992, Mad 4 Marketing has focused on keeping the female perspective in mind, and we consider ourselves experts in marketing to women. The company devotes ongoing energy and resources to understanding how women think about buying and investing. Contact Mad 4 Marketing to learn how our insight about marketing to women can help your business grow like MAD.

When the economy got slammed, big businesses had to evaluate their budget and seek ways to trim expenses. One of the major ways that companies discovered they could save money was by reducing or eliminating their internal marketing staff and instead outsourcing this work to independent agencies such as Mad 4 Marketing.

Why Companies Choose to Outsource
The main reason that this option eliminates cost is because marketing is not a piecemeal endeavor. For any of the components to work successfully, marketing departments must offer comprehensive services. But when companies sustain a full-time, fully staffed internal marketing department, it can be extremely expensive to maintain. By outsourcing to a self-sustaining agency, business can rely on quality performance right when they need it.

Familiarity is another important perk to employing an outside marketing agency. Some companies choose to collect bids and hire freelancers each time they endeavor a new marketing action. Although you may save money by continuously seeking the cheapest options, specialists won’t have a thorough grasp of your business, brand or boundaries. If you use website developers, you’ll need to start all over again when you’d like to run a radio commercial. If you place an ad in the newspaper, you may need to find an entirely new agency when you want to rent a billboard. This strategy won’t benefit your business.

Eliminate the hassle by connecting with one agency that can provide all of the resources, connections and talent to composite any kind of campaign. Your frequent, return business allows them to understand your company, its history of marketing and all of your ultimate advertising goals. Every time you need anything at all, you can just pick up the phone and connect to a friendly and familiar voice, someone who you already trust to stay right on top of your unique business marketing needs. But your business won’t have to shoulder the ongoing operations and finances of an internal marketing department.

Why Mad 4 Marketing
Mad 4 Marketing is an ideal solution for the ongoing advertising needs of large and small businesses because we believe in and practice a concept called 360º Marketing. This means that we don’t just use isolated mediums to reach your audience. We make it our priority to understand what makes each brand unique and how to best approach its clientele. Then we creatively conceptualize campaigns that will reach out from several touch points to insightfully impact your audience.

We offer print, radio, television and nontraditional marketing (such as guerilla and viral marketing). Our interactive department can put your company online, encourage potential customers to visit your site and track responsiveness once you’re live. By utilizing all of these available outlets, your message fixes in the minds of its recipients.

Skyline Trade Show Tips offers helpful studies, suggestions and guidelines for optimal performance at trade shows. One article explains how you can have fun when presenting at trade shows. Although frequent trade show attendees may find the process rote, there are still a few ways to keep trade shows upbeat and exciting. Here are just a few tips from Skyline, expounded upon by Mad 4 Marketing. Because after 18 years in business, we certainly have a history with trade shows!

Guess the Hottest Booth Trend
Before entering your trade show, everyone on your team should pick a trend that they predict will be the hottest trade show trend. You can bet on types of candy being handed out or the most popular colors used in trade show displays. There are endless variations! To make your bids, you’ll be forced to consider previous trade show experiences. This will help you get into the right mindset to attend, while allowing you to reflect on prior experiences. In turn, this can help you brainstorm your own unique ways to stand out from the crowd. Once everyone has submitted their bid, you can spend the day figuring out the most popular trade show trends. One person will be declared the winner! And you’ll also gain plenty of notes about the hottest and most successful trade show trends.

Add Key Words to Conversations
Skyline suggests playing a word game where you challenge your co-workers and fellow booth staffers to interject silly or obscure words into conversations with visitors. Mad 4 Marketing thought of a way to improve upon this game. Before attending a trade show, itemize your company’s key messaging. This can be anything from a business slogan to power words that are relevant to your industry, such as “customer satisfaction” or “first in service.” Each time someone on your team uses one of the phrases in conversation, they can collect a point or cross their phrase off a bingo chart. Whoever wins receives a prize!

Count Engagement Timing
This game can be played two ways. You can walk down the center of an aisle at a trade show and count how many steps you can take before someone makes the effort to directly address you. Or, you can approach a booth and begin to pick up pamphlets or fiddle with the display while counting how long it takes for a staffer to come speak to you. The biggest advantage to trade shows is the ability to engage with your colleagues and customers. This game allows you to learn the tricks and techniques of other businesses while figuring out what will and won’t work for your own company in the future.

Ask the Hard Questions
At a trade show, it may be fun to visit rival booths and ask them questions such as ‘What are your business weaknesses?’ and ‘Why are you better than your competitors?’ (You can even interject your own company name for the second one!) Being able to freely engage with the competition is an advantage you should never pass up. This is your opportunity to find out everything you can about the companies with whom you compete–often, under the cloak of anonymity. Just be prepared to have your own answers in case they turn this fun little game back on you!

Typically, when companies are putting together a campaign to pull in new business, they want their brand to be at the forefront of their efforts. They not only strive to promote their iconography and key messaging, but also want to provide plenty of “about us” details so that potential clients or customers can make an informed buying decision. This is especially true for new or rebranded companies trying to step into the public spotlight.

However, in many cases there is a cost for this kind of dedicated brand promotion. And it is often the expense of conversion. Although you may accomplish the brand awareness that you set out to achieve, it doesn’t mean that you’ll convince each informed viewer to buy your product or services. This vital element of marketing is too often overlooked when companies are busy emphasizing their own self-promotion. When doing so, it’s important to ensure that all copy and materials relate information to incentives.

A key strategy for smart marketing is noting that your audience never wants to be told what to think. Instead of stating who you are and why you’re the greatest at what you do, you’ll want to help potential buyers come to such conclusions on their own—simply by explaining how your products and services can help them. Smart marketing actually ties these two concepts together; for example, pointing out what sets you apart from your competition while simultaneously explaining why the customer wants or needs it. Tell them what you can do to solve a problem or make their lives a little easier in terms of cost, quality, special services, etc.

You must ensure that each selling point addresses the consumer perspective, targeting any perceived concerns or interests from this point of view. Once you drive home how the customer will benefit, a strong call to action should seal the deal. And then you can tell them how to access more information. By then, if you’ve done your job right, they will be more than willing to find out more about your company by calling or visiting your website. All you need to do is point them in the right direction.

With a comprehensive marketing campaign that points out your company’s strengths while highlighting features that are relevant to the desires and needs of your audience, you will successfully achieve both brand awareness and customer acquisition.

Want to keep your business relevant with modern marketing? You don’t have to be a super-savvy website guru to do it. But there is one trick you must master: Balance.
Balance is the key to building a strong, successful advertising campaign now and in the future—no matter how the face of media may change. While everyone else is scrambling to keep up with the latest trends, you can build a solid and multi-dimensional campaign that will withstand the latest fads. Here are 5 ways to stay current and stand out:

1) Balance targeted, consistent messaging with multiple approaches.
Hit the same audience over and over with the same message—but from different sources. It’s not enough to use online analytics to geo-target web users without matching that data with local print and/or broadcast ads. Surrounding your prospects on all sides not only enhances brand awareness, but creates an aura of accessibility. Point-blank exposure then graduates into familiarity, leaving room for relationship growth in the future.

2) Balance traditional and non-traditional media.
Break up a series of weekly magazine fliers with a guy in a gorilla suit outside your door. Attention-grabbing techniques create a buzz which can be followed up by more conventional means of communication. Or use out-of-home opportunities (such as a billboard or bus stop ad) to remind passersby of an ad seen earlier on TV. By employing both classic and alternative tactics, you can appeal to more markets. Going all one way or all the other may create an unbalanced tone for your brand—or worse, you may miss out on one audience entirely.

3) Balance analytics/research with creative (be smart but stand out).
Many companies rely on number-crunching and perfectly placed ads to carry their message into the right market. But all the visibility in the world won’t help if you don’t have the compelling concepts and engaging visuals to back up your brand and catch the eye of potential clients. In the increasingly competitive world of marketing, it’s more important than ever to complement strategy with creativity when building a successful campaign.

4) Balance customer retention with customer acquisition.
All of your amazing, cutting-edge advertising across varied media with perfect placement and alluring creative won’t help if your message is simply aimed at new clientele. It’s important that you reward prior and current business with gratuity and acknowledgement, and devote a large portion of your advertising budget to customer retention. It’s much harder to woo a client once they’ve moved on than it is to nurture an existing relationship. Remember: satisfied clients have friends–and so do dissatisfied clients.

5) Balance accessibility/transparency with alluring content that draws return.
Everyone knows how important it is to be straightforward in today’s market. Potential customers expect businesses to be highly visible and transparent about products, services and goals. This is especially true of social media, where accessibility is paramount. However, putting it all out there doesn’t mean that your business shouldn’t have a hint of mystery and allure. Teasers about future deals and further information are a classic that will remain consistent even in the advancing world of marketing.

Creating a brand isn’t all about research, analytics and strategy. In fact, defining your brand is a lot like creating a persona or character. This can be a daunting task if you let it, but it can also be a satisfying process—and it might even be fun. The most important aspect to keep in mind is that your brand has to be a three-dimensional, complex character with a fully developed personality. No one likes one-note characters, no matter how attractive the note. Once you’ve identified the characteristics of your brand, it makes the process of promoting your business and expanding brand awareness that much easier.

Here are some helpful characterization notes for brand development:

• Own all strengths and weaknesses. You won’t do your brand any justice if you only identify positive traits and pretend it has zero flaws. No company, product or service is perfect—and trying to sell yours as such can come off as static or insincere to an impartial audience. Acknowledging flaws is also the only way to improve upon areas of weakness before your brand hits the market. Only by fully exploring all of your brand’s good and bad traits internally can you create outgoing campaigns that truly do your brand justice and highlight its assets. Over time, you will learn new flaws and eliminate others—this process signifies your brand’s maturation, which is easier to identify and accomplish if you start out by admitting your brand’s complete character.

• Stand out from the competition. Another important set of traits are those that set your brand apart—what makes your brand unique. Even if they aren’t the most important facts you’d like to convey about your product or service, they may be the most compelling. Qualities that make your brand special are the very things that will catch audience attention and leave a lasting impression. Most companies are not offering a completely novel concept or product, but instead are tasked with demonstrating why their option is a better choice than all alternatives. The best way to make this argument is by including—if not featuring—all interesting and unusual facts when promoting your brand.

• Put together a spec sheet. Once you’ve identified all of the strengths and weaknesses and special qualities of your brand, characteristics should be organized in an easy-to-reference fact sheet. One of the most important aspects of advertising is maintaining a consistent image for your brand, and an organized fact sheet will help you keep tabs on key messaging over time. Much like a ‘cheat sheet’ this chart will allow current and future promoters of your brand to get a quick, clear overview at a glance. If you’ve successfully created a comprehensive brand, there will be many different ways to interpret and expose different aspects through creative campaigns—and this chart will serve as a concise and complete foundation. It can also be modified in the future as the brand grows and matures.

In today’s economy, traditional mass media advertising (newspapers, TV, radio) may not be within your budget. A grassroots approach—using alternative media and promotional tactics—is the perfect way to make a big impact with your campaign. The grassroots approach might even be the most strategic way to get your business noticed, because it largely relies on thinking outside of the box.

We explain how nontraditional marketing was used to promote a unique client: Satori, the first eco-friendly apartment rental community in Fort Lauderdale. Which of these strategies might you use to make a big impact with a limited budget?

#1: Be Creative with Media
With a small portion of the budget allotted for print advertising, placement decisions had to be very strategic. By running ads in community newsletters and local niche magazines (especially issues focused on eco-features), targeted readers were informed of all the unique ‘green’ amenities at Satori.

Taking advantage of roadside space at the construction site to flaunt colorful, billboard-sized signage further increased awareness and name recognition.

#2: Interact with the Community
To complement the apartment rental community’s Zen theme, pedi-cabs (also known as “rickshaws”) were hired to give free rides at special events, like the Las Olas Art Festival. The cabs–and drivers!–were branded with Satori graphics, and riders were provided information and handouts. Not only did this improve local brand awareness, but the free rides extended good will throughout the community.

Satori was also advised to make strategic decisions to sponsor local events, such as an eco-friendly exhibit at the Museum of Discovery and Science and a membership meeting of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, which was hosted on-site at the leasing center.

#3: Expand the “Dot Com”
The ad agency’s web development team utilized SEO tactics, blogging and a controlled pay-per-click campaign to achieve weekly site visits of over 500 unique visitors–generating an average of 50 leads per week for Satori. Today, the website ranks on the first two pages of Google with over 200 keywords.

#4: Befriend Technology
Website functionality was then expanded to include an interactive touch-screen display. This cutting-edge feature allowed potential renters to select floor plans by defining their own criteria, and then acquire real-time rates and availability. They could also click to explore local points of interest.

Mobile marketing was employed to boost awareness. Ads encouraged viewers to text a special code word to #34343 to get directions to the leasing center and updates about upcoming promotions. The code word changed for each campaign  so the response could be tracked and measured. The big sell was that each text automatically qualified its sender to win six months of free rent!

But did these creative grassroots tactics drive traffic to the leasing center? Ultimately, the campaign created enough buzz to keep Satori top-of-mind for Fort Lauderdale’s new lessees. Residents were ready and eager to move in when the property opened this month.

Satori’s success makes it obvious: you don’t need a giant budget to market your business–just an open mind, and big ideas.