tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80459148903544453422024-03-21T06:56:14.934+11:00AdNotesFor marketers who want more out of advertising.Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-5625919400540476542011-09-06T15:47:00.003+10:002011-09-06T15:52:02.538+10:00What's your brand's story?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFzpgTQ8D3Py7N5czzPK6DgPj92hb_MZdtPysdH_hbstBtUFxo56Gj8NfIRwTFA3LZ8QAvZ-E7lX5AtCne0sT1fhtOO-BVXvJHytCVlnngrEiaEC8-L9-O8w7fFhzEgn9JejrpIOZVppv/s1600/pirate.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFzpgTQ8D3Py7N5czzPK6DgPj92hb_MZdtPysdH_hbstBtUFxo56Gj8NfIRwTFA3LZ8QAvZ-E7lX5AtCne0sT1fhtOO-BVXvJHytCVlnngrEiaEC8-L9-O8w7fFhzEgn9JejrpIOZVppv/s400/pirate.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649119694609175730" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">9 weeks on crutches inspired me to look at brand stories. Consumers love 'em and pay extra for 'em. Find out more </span></span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/newsletter44.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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I mean a dedicated video that explains or announces something useful about your brand.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If the answer is ‘none’ you could be missing out on some golden opportunities.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1. Your consumer is already ‘searching’. Make it easy for her.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Web Video can inform and educate her in seconds. Your consumer has less time than ever. She has gone to your site looking for information and would love to get it as easily and quickly as possible.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2. You can change</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, remove, or alter Web Video as quickly as your business situations change. Unlike a TV campaign, changes can be made quickly and easily.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3. Forget 15 and 30 second slots</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Your Web Video can be the length it needs to be: just not too long (see point 1 above)</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4. $ave $ave $ave. </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">From a simple but elegant slide show can be produced for as little as a few thousand dollars. A high end campaign obviously with a more polished the result obviously costs more.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">5. Media cost?</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> - $0. Broadcasting TV spots costs a lot of money because audience size is (generally) guaranteed. But if your website is working well, your Web Video will make it work even better.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">6. Google seems to quite like Web Video!</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> – Visit this link for the scoop on SEO and Web Video.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">TIPS FOR MARKETERS</span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">- Always look professional</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. (Professional doesn’t have to mean expensive)</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">- Always use professional technicians.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> (Just because you brother in law has a video camera that doesn’t make him a cameraman)</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">- Commission a script.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> (Saves heaps of time and therefore heaps of money)</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">- Contact Tony Richardson Advertising. </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Yes, this is the ad part!<br />Our advertising agency can take you from brief, to creative development of ideas and scripts, to pre-production, shoot day, editing and post-production. Just like a full on TVC. Then we supply the finished video in an easy to use file to your web guy/girl. It’s that Simple!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span></span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> or </span></span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></span></a></b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span></span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.a</span></span></span></a></b><b><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">u</span></span></span></a></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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I hadn’t until I went to the hardware shop looking for something to kill weeds. I knew Roundup would do the trick. I’d heard the name and used it occasionally over the years. I can remember ads for Roundup where weeds ‘push up daisies’ (Get it?). The Roundup brand has almost become a verb in the landscaping industry.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">To ‘Roundup’ is to clear grass off a patch of ground.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I was about to reach for the Roundup when I paused and read the active ingredient. It’s Glyphosate. Just below the Roundup was another brand of weed killer called Pestmaster. Pestmaster’s active ingredient is also Glyphosate. Well, I thought as long as they are both the same I’ll take the cheaper of the two.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Working in advertising and marketing I expected the branded product to be more expensive. What I didn’t expect was that the difference would be 550%!!! That’s right. One litre of Pestmaster was $8 and one litre of Roundup was $44. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Not only can the makers of Roundup charge a 550% premium for their Glyphosate, they can and do have the worlds most popular weed killer. Farmers, Landscapers and Gardeners would rather pay $44 a litre than $8 a litre to have a well known and trusted brand do the job. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So next time someone suggests your brand is strong enough to have its marketing or advertising budget cut back shout, “Glyphosate!” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></a></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></a></span></b></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(129, 141, 149); line-height: 12px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background- line-height: 1.6em; color:transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"> </span></b></span></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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Actually we were congratulating ourselves on having captured his brands message in a few words and one picture.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Having agreed that the picture/headline summed up the brand message we found all the other channels were just falling into place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Without realising it we had stumbled on an ancient technique (mid 80’s) for judging creative, called the poster test. The theory being, if you can express your TV idea or whatever as a poster it should more easily live in other media and channels and last a long time.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Proof that this technique is not used a lot is my mate Wayne. He makes a good living fixing ideas that have failed the poster test. Usually a large agency has created an exciting TVC but can’t carry the idea any further. Wayne beats them into shape (the ideas not the agencies) so they work in the cut-throat retail environment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">He drives a very nice car.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Maybe if we all applied the poster test to each new creative concept our advertising would be better and Wayne wouldn’t be so rich!</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">TIP: Ask your creatives to present the big idea (TV, radio, direct response, social media, whatever) as a poster. This will separate the long life campaigns from the one-off ideas.</span></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span></b></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></a></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></a></span></b></span></p></b></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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If you are reading AdNotes on the day, Happy New Year. (We both really should be on the beach!)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This year is special because I plan to make no New Years resolutions, at least no personal ones. Losing weight, cutting down on the wine, and getting fit all seem to happen much better without a resolution.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">However I will make a professional resolution and it’s one that you are welcome to share.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Currently the word ‘conversation’ has become fashionable when talking about the relationship our consumers have with our brands. Fair enough. Web 2.0 is all about consumers commenting on the actions of marketers and other consumers.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Traditional creative ad agencies still like using the terms ‘big idea’ and ‘concept’ to describe an over-arching creative theme that ties all the communication strands together. Again fair enough. A brands communication should be consistent and arresting.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Conversations and Big Ideas are important in building brand awareness.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But brand awareness alone will not sell stuff. The way to sell stuff is to ‘Persuade’.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here’s an example. I really like Deus customised motorcycles (pronounced Day-Us). </span><a href="http://www.deus.com.au/#/bikes/motorcycles/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.deus.com.au/#/bikes/motorcycles/</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> I’ve seen their advertising. I’ve been to the website. I’ve had conversations. So I am aware and very positively disposed to the brand. In a focus group I’d truthfully say I wanted to buy one.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Many digital and traditional agencies would call that mission accomplished and open the Bollinger. But I have not been ‘persuaded’ to buy. I love the brand but for many reasons I’ll probably never purchase. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So my New Years Resolution is this: On behalf of my client's brands, I will start conversations, create big ideas, and build brand awareness as usual. But most of all, I will PERSUADE consumers to buy!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span></span></p><span style="color:black;"><div class="post-body entry-content"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"></span></span></span></b></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></a></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></a></span></b></span></p></span></b></span><p></p></span><p></p><p></p><div style="clear: both; "></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 10px; "></div></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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The time when we wind up our work and take a well earned break. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’m talking of course about Christmas. But maybe I shouldn’t. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Recently I had the tricky task of writing about the Christmas break without using the word Christmas. After ‘festive season’ and ‘holiday break’ I ran out of synonyms.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Despite my best efforts the written piece had a strange ‘beat around the bush’ tone to it. Not surprising really when the subject I was writing about could not be written.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The reason I couldn’t write the C word is still a bit unclear to me. The client was an American company. Apparently in the US some people are concerned that saying Christmas at Christmas time will offend non-Christians. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It’s an interesting concept. And one I thought was confined to the US, until yesterday when an unnamed NSW bureaucrat gave directions on Christmas office decorations. She issued an email saying, </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">''Be respectful of other cultures and religious beliefs. Do not select religious decorations such as nativity scenes.''</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As a child living in Singapore I can assure you I was never offended by alternative religious holidays. I gladly took the day off school for </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hari Raya Aidilfitri</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Deepavali </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and Chinese New Year. I had no idea what they all meant. I just enjoyed the dangerous fireworks and bean flavoured lollies.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My (Aussie) mate Troy who resides in Shanghai has chosen not to take holidays at Christmas, preferring to take off Chinese New Year with the rest of the office. I’m pretty sure he isn’t offended either.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And while I was shooting in Japan, progress was slowed by the annual ‘ride your bicycle into Tokyo’ holiday. We weren’t insulted at all. Delayed, yes. Perplexed, yes. Offended, no.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To quote consultant Alan Weiss, “</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You don’t have to “believe” in anything other than good will to others to have a happy and renewing time during the holidays.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I think that’s the best advice of all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I wish all AdNotes readers a wonderful and relaxing festive, occasion, season, break, holiday … um… thingy.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><!--StartFragment--></b></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></span></a></span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> </b></span><p></p></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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A Rolls Royce car!</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">A free Rolls Royce sounds fantastic. RR has done a sterling job of attaching a luxury image to what is a very old-fashioned gas-guzzler. We don’t say ‘the Toyota of lawn mowers’ for example, we say ‘the Rolls Royce of lawn mowers’.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">I wondered what this gold plated GWP was actually worth. A quick trip online told me his 1979 Rolls Royce was worth about $20 thousand. Not bad but hardly what you might expect to pay for true automotive luxury. And selling such a car on the open market could take months or even years.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">The next stage in Stuart’s marketing campaign is a PR one. The free Roller story earned him a half page of free publicity on page 6 of the Mosman Daily where his regular house for sale ads were appearing. The synergies are almost too complete! Of course the story appeared online as well and I believe gained a little radio coverage too.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Stuart created a very neat marketing campaign on a very tight budget.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">He provided a GWP that had the perfect balance of appearing to be very valuable while in fact not costing the marketer that much at all.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">This appearance of value created an interesting PR opportunity that was followed in the very publication in which his target market was browsing.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Good media coverage, sure, but with all this ‘conversation’ did the house actually sell?</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Yes.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Stuart and Jean not only sold the house, they got $150,000 above their reserve. A very good result in what is currently a flat housing market.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">The final price was $2.25 million. So the cost of Stuart’s GWP and associated buzz represented only 0.008% of the total sale.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Maybe some of the big promotions agencies should give Stuart a call.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"> </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b></b></p><b><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:nonecolor:#0000F1;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:nonecolor:#0000F1;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:nonecolor:#0000F1;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></span></a></span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p></b><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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It wasn’t exactly award winning but it got straight to the point. As I wrote “XXX repairs your damaged lawn”, I wondered if how long the ‘your’ would last. Sure enough the client came back with “XXX repairs damaged lawns”</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">In sweep of the red pen we had moved from a conversation between XXX and a person with lawn problems, to an announcement by the mighty XXX corporation about lawns in general, directed to the entire universe. I’m sure the line made the executives at XXX feel more important but I’m equally sure it sold fewer bags of XXX Lawn Repair.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Consumers are people. And people are pretty self-absorbed. People don’t care about ‘lawns’ they care about ‘their lawn’. Sure, they can make the mental jump from a marketers demographic to themselves, but why make them jump at all?</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I’ve never met a demographic. I hope I never do. They sound large, crowded and homogeneous. But I’ve met a lot of people. People are interested in their roof, their kids education, their overflowing toilet ....</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Even Qantas uses the line ‘It’s all about you.’ It’s perfect for business class travel, which should be all about the customer. Earlier Qantas advertising was much more from the ‘We’ve bought 5 new planes’ school of communication. To which most business class passengers would rightly reply, ‘Who cares?’</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Being ‘All about you’ shouldn’t stop at prestige brands or luxury services. I can’t think of any product or service that can’t be better sold by honing in on the individual and solving his or her problem.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Dale Carnegie in his book ‘How to win friends and influence people’, said the sound of a persons name is the sweetest sound of all to them. Advertising can’t refer to people by name, but it can say ‘you’ or ‘your’ and get much closer to people’s hearts. And best of all, most of your competitors (see, I’m doing it now) either don’t know or don’t care that they are speaking to a demographic rather than a person.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What a simple way to make your customers feel better about your brand. </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span></span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> or </span></span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></span></span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span></span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></span></span></a></span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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Mention in the ‘real’ media! Quite a proud moment for AdNotes).</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Little did I know a federal election was around the corner (oops a cliché!) It’s been an opportunity for both sides of politics to join up lots of clichés and call it a campaign.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">But more irritating, to me anyway, are individual words that just get used too often. These are not strictly speaking Cliches, just words that suddenly seem to appear in every sentence or conversation.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">There’s one that seems to be everywhere at the moment.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">This little word has seen active service for centuries and used to evoke images of knights in armour battling dragons.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">But recently it has evolved into a monster itself: a kind of irradiated moth from a sixties Japanese movie.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">News-readers use it. Politicians use it. My 14 year old uses it. I try not to use it but it comes out anyway.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">This overworked word is … challenge.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It can stand for anything from an ‘almost impossible task’ like plugging an oil leak in the US, to a ‘chore’ like peeling a potato on Masterchef.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">But, I knew 'challenge' had lost all value when I picked up a flyer at St George Bank. The flyer invited me to ‘Challenge us for a better home loan deal.”</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Poor ‘challenge’ now means nothing more than 'to ask’.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Like printing too many Zimbabwean dollars, overusing a word devalues it to the point where it has no worth or particular meaning.</span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b></b></span></span></span></p><b><p class="style1" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: 0.03em; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none; margin-top: 0pt; font-weight: bold; font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><!--StartFragment--></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></span></a></span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p></b><p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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</a></noscript></div>Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-70552025355031988892010-07-28T13:10:00.003+10:002010-07-28T13:13:17.968+10:00Masterchef - More research for smart marketersI've written a story for Mumbrella. It's the second instalment on MasterChef and how the show is a great piece of market research for all marketers. <a href="http://mumbrella.com.au/masterchef-homophobic-no-racist-no-ageist-maybe-30326#more-30326">Click here to check it out.</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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</a></noscript></div>Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-57455407270935276662010-07-21T12:18:00.001+10:002010-07-21T12:21:54.604+10:00More bitching about pitching<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here's some thoughts from veteran Ad man, Drayton Bird, on pitching, why it's a waste of money and what to do instead. Good advice I reckon.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://drayton-bird-droppings.blogspot.com/2010/07/you-dont-have-to-hunt-andrew-but-you.html#disqus_thread">http://drayton-bird-droppings.blogspot.com/2010/07/you-dont-have-to-hunt-andrew-but-you.html#disqus_thread</a></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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</a></noscript></div>Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-79290972360758072852010-07-08T11:01:00.012+10:002011-03-19T10:44:42.676+11:00Making powerpoint have a point<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEYr1xVBKNbpjc_W4A50xXiqO8BxEbS3AIwjbA0f0fbPLTZtAfC-FllPxhfvOPzHLRbFkcG5U3qXab5UUrZKLIrbO4YY0vD_5NZTZsuD7_WaF5VJ_RXfIz3z5qWskmT6wP4M42ugkbiWj/s1600/YAWN-3431400178_ae322a5073_o.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEYr1xVBKNbpjc_W4A50xXiqO8BxEbS3AIwjbA0f0fbPLTZtAfC-FllPxhfvOPzHLRbFkcG5U3qXab5UUrZKLIrbO4YY0vD_5NZTZsuD7_WaF5VJ_RXfIz3z5qWskmT6wP4M42ugkbiWj/s400/YAWN-3431400178_ae322a5073_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491334884724663826" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> was asked to give a talk to a group of potential clients the other day. They reckon public speaking is a fear worse than death for many people. The thought of speaking didn’t faze me. It was the accompanying powerpoint I had to create that had me worried.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I recalled, with a shiver, a drug education presentation at my kids’ school. This wasn’t death by powerpoint, it was genocide by powerpoint.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dozens of text heavy pages rolled on as the plastic chair dug further into my back. In desperation I started following the powerpoint page numbers … 69, 70 …blah blah blah. I couldn’t walk out. My reputation as a caring parent would be ruined … 78, 79. Finally it was over. I couldn’t wait to get home and open a bottle of wine. Ironic, eh?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was the worst use of powerpoint I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen some stinkers. Naturally, I wanted my talk to be better than the drug one.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Most powerpoint presentations aren’t that bad, but they aren’t that good either. They’re just there: the speaker’s notes writ large and stuck on the wall. Yawn.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then I remembered another powerpoint presentation that couldn’t have been</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">more different. It was given by my great mate Troy. Troy is a copywriter, but one with a strong visual sense. He took the usual powerpoint and turned it on it’s head.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">He didn’t want people gazing at his notes, he wanted people listening to his words.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">He decided that the big screen would show mostly pictures to add a counterpoint to what was being said. He spent hours finding just the right shots to fill the screen. The images were big and arresting. They added to what was being said. They broke the talk into digestible chunks.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Text would be as rare as a diamond rather than as common as gravel. It would act as chapter headings to remind the audience what the focus of each section was about.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’m sure you’ve guessed that Troy’s presentation was a triumph. It was the best powerpoint most of us had ever seen.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So I just stole Troy’s technique. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My presentation took a long time to plan, write, find shots, practise and memorise. But it worked. It worked as a delivery of facts and more importantly it worked as a memorable piece of communication. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(31, 31, 32); "></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#333333;"><b><p class="style1" face="Arial" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: 0.03em; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none; margin-top: 0pt; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">AdNotes is brought to you by Tony Richardson Advertising and our branded product, TacticalTV - absolutely free! (You are welcome to pass AdNotes on to your friends and colleagues.)</span></p><p face="Arial" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: 0.03em; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We are specialists in creating and adapting TV commercials.<br /></span></strong></p><p face="Arial" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: 0.03em; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; "><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To find out more visit </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">TonyRichardson.com.au</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or leave comments and view back issues at our blog </span><a href="http://www.adnotes-tony.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">adnotes-tony.blogspot.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Or call us on (02) 9929 0588</span></strong></p></b></span><p></p><p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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</a></noscript></div>Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-10203678996574069952010-06-03T11:04:00.010+10:002011-03-19T10:47:44.462+11:00Cliches<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniI3AQuQ5zoZBMFyzmn1eSTxbWRkjf9WgTYQQby4AV1Zp9S5_h0dtohu6vAcLhwPZ9r168bdZ1SlawpM8A4uoB_mWz3_VkpGj7CzV3Pm9sJbalg1toc5NlA8kPngeAXJfz4afsLk5tCfb/s1600/cliche.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniI3AQuQ5zoZBMFyzmn1eSTxbWRkjf9WgTYQQby4AV1Zp9S5_h0dtohu6vAcLhwPZ9r168bdZ1SlawpM8A4uoB_mWz3_VkpGj7CzV3Pm9sJbalg1toc5NlA8kPngeAXJfz4afsLk5tCfb/s400/cliche.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478347484875749858" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><!--StartFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Like them or hate them,</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">they’re here to stay</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At the end of the day</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, clichés are just </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a part of doing business,</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> aren’t they, </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">part of the landscape?</span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well, yes and no. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Clichés are </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">so entrenched</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in marketing communication that they are </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">hard to pin down.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ok I really have to stop this now. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My Granny thought that clichés were just plain lazy, like swearing.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chris Pash thinks they’re fun.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chris is </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">director of content licensing at Dow Jones & Co Asia-Pacific. Among his many duties is the running of a kind of “cliché-ometer”. This digital marvel sifts the Dow Jones Factiva database, currently holding over 25,000 newspaper, magazine and online publications.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">According to Chris, our old friend ‘at the end of the day’ is the current winner and has been used 21,000 times worldwide in the last three months. That’s a lot of wasted column inches.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chris’ main focus is journalism. You can see an interview with him here:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://player.video.news.com.au/theaustralian/#L_DPbjOKBi5xN6traoEczl2StKFzYU1N"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://player.video.news.com.au/theaustralian/#L_DPbjOKBi5xN6traoEczl2StKFzYU1N</span></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But we in the wider marketing world are not guilt-free of the heavy use of clichés.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To test my claim I visited four advertising agency websites. I felt there was a certain sameness to a lot of the words used.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Agency 1 – </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Information rich, compelling strategic idea, engaging ideas. </span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Agency 2 – </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Integrated communications, committed to a holistic approach, strategic collaboration, consistent message across all touch points. </span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Agency 3 – </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Brand architecture, </span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#1F1F20;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">long-term customer relationships, strategic customer engagement programs, executing personal and engaging customer experiences.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#1F1F20;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It’s not a crime to trot out business clichés … unless what you sell is creativity, originality and ideas. It’s ironic that each website professes to an expertise in communication and connecting with consumers and yet, does so in such a hackneyed and interchangeable way.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#1F1F20;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They tell potential clients that this agency has no imagination.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#1F1F20;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I suspect with a list of the right buzz-words almost anyone could write copy for an agency website … and possibly win a few pitches.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#1F1F20;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#1F1F20;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; "></span></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;color:#1F1F20;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><!--StartFragment--></b></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#333333;"><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> </b></span><p></p></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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</a></noscript></div>Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-60190656747167799032010-04-29T15:08:00.013+10:002011-03-19T10:50:23.057+11:00TV ads now 95% off!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjDA9VxbjU3aHUyiNGEOi97dubTV55OhnECGBb1-dNEwyzcugW3CQ17c90_kxJhyphenhyphensk2WqiDmkkGX-VASAlSLdYnJxi106x42a_1wOqdeMOTtN-YHPHIdbt0X-lRj1e2Qlet08fv8adJhi/s1600/P4290001.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjDA9VxbjU3aHUyiNGEOi97dubTV55OhnECGBb1-dNEwyzcugW3CQ17c90_kxJhyphenhyphensk2WqiDmkkGX-VASAlSLdYnJxi106x42a_1wOqdeMOTtN-YHPHIdbt0X-lRj1e2Qlet08fv8adJhi/s400/P4290001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465422687770166882" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><!--StartFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Have you noticed more TV commercials on air seem to come from overseas?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I wondered how many spots originated offshore. So a while back I did a little high tech research. Watching TV and counting with my fingers, I was able to come up with a magic number, for the FMCG sector anyway.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Over a few weeks, in every ad break, I’d pop up one finger on my left hand for Australian made and one on my right hand for overseas made. When I wasn’t sure, which wasn’t often, no finger went up.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When my family finally got sick of this habit and stopped me I found that just over 50% of all FMCG ads on Australian TV had been created overseas!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That was way higher than I expected but it makes sense really. The cost saving to clients is enormous. Changing the voice over and putting a new pack shot at the end could save a marketer over 95% of the cost of shooting the whole spot here. Even re-shooting new scenes to ‘Aussie’ the ad up a bit might bring the saving to 90%. It’s hard to argue with savings like that.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So this surprising percentage might suggest a change in the way creative agencies do things.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately not. My marketer mates tell me briefing a TV adaptation is a lonely experience. No one in the agency really wants to know. Usually a junior producer, with zero creative help, will begrudgingly accept the job. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When the adapted million Euro ad makes it to our screens the lack of agency care is often obvious.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We creatives would all love the open brief, the blank cheque and the clean sheet of paper to show our genius. But being creative isn’t always about turning the world on its head. It can also be about answering a client’s problem in an elegant and cost effective way.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In fact I put my ‘money where my mouth is’ and wrote a book about it. The TVC Renovation Manual is written with marketers in mind. It’s a guide to adapting overseas TVCs for the best results and the best price.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you’d like a copy call me on (02) 9929 0588 and I’ll drop one off absolutely free.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; "></span></span></span></b></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><!--StartFragment--></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#333333;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:nonecolor:#0000F1;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:nonecolor:#0000F1;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span style=" text-decoration:none;text-underline:nonecolor:#0000F1;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p></b></span><p></p><p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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</a></noscript></div>Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-8610709678778686552010-04-08T15:04:00.015+10:002011-03-19T10:51:45.124+11:00I hear Music<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1hiYBzv0LBZu3IJC7_R2vdv26hyCK7wVCzXT6JrtlRlFxgORrvaZ2aiaid8RXW1RXpDTW2FExQlYJa6M6KcPsW6SmRd7IQb8ffbW4aZCF4U_WWPODBXQJxgfxZs7xHuN005RY1vsJKhb/s1600/Musical-Notes.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1hiYBzv0LBZu3IJC7_R2vdv26hyCK7wVCzXT6JrtlRlFxgORrvaZ2aiaid8RXW1RXpDTW2FExQlYJa6M6KcPsW6SmRd7IQb8ffbW4aZCF4U_WWPODBXQJxgfxZs7xHuN005RY1vsJKhb/s400/Musical-Notes.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457628983958921250" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It seems that every time I see a new TV commercial these days it has a song or piece of music that sounds kind of familiar.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It’s easy to see (or hear) why familiar songs are so popular. They bring a familiarity and likability to your new spot. As a marketer you are effectively renting their popularity.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">But rented popularity is not cheap. I’ve recently been doing a lot of work finding good music for a low cost. Let me share my findings.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">First of all we have to understand the difference between publishing rights and recording rights. Publishing rights are given by the composer (or their heirs) based on channel, location and duration. Eg. Free to air, Pay TV, Internet, 12 months, Australia and NZ only. The fee for publishing rights varies by artist and record company, but for a well-known song expect to start at $75,000. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Now that’s just for the right to use the piece. If you want the actual performance that made the track so famous add another $75,000. Of course you can hire some talented mussos to record the song for a lot less, but everyone will know it’s not Aretha Franklin</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">So you’re looking at a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">starting</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> price of $150,000 for publishing and performance rights. Add your agency markup. Add the artist’s ‘creative conditions’. Add a bit because everyone wants this artist at the moment, and your pleasant pop song is starting to give you a real headache.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Is there an alternative Tony?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Yes. A couple.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Option 1) Commission original music. It’s 100% yours. It will cost a tenth of the figure above. And it can be what-ever style you want. BUT it’s an unknown. You have to take a leap of faith. AND there is always the temptation to dabble, to dial up the branding, to have a go at this music lark. My advice? Don’t.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Either accept the piece or ask for another one. You want music that sounds like it came from a musician, not a marketer.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Option 2) Find existing music that is out of copyright. When you do this, the nasty $75,000 publishing rights disappear in a puff of smoke!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">You still need to decide between an existing performed track or creating your own. Creating your own might be $15k. But finding an existing performance could be even less. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">OK so what constitutes ‘out of copyright’? It’s different in every country. (In France if a composer dies fighting for his country his descendants get a bonus 30 years. I love that)</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">But here in Australia there are two rules. Copyright applies to music for up to 70 years after a composer dies. UNLESS he/she died before 1955 in which case it’s 50 years. You can find out more at:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries'_copyright_length"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: rgb(34, 93, 177); "><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries'_copyright_length"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries'_copyright_length</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Option 3) Find an up and coming band and sign them for peanuts. It has happened, but it’s messy, and time consuming. If you want to go down this road, make the music the core of the idea and be prepared to let it lead the campaign.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">So there’s three ways … hang on. I almost forgot. Stock music.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Option 4) Stock Music. If it’s just to fill in the background a bit, stock music can be insanely cheap. I’m talking under $100! On one job, I had used up the client’s sound budget, so I paid for the music out of my own pocket! That’s how cheap it can be. Of course the tunes are pretty simple, but there’s a wide choice and if that’s all you need, it’s almost free.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">So there’s FOUR ways to make your commercials sing (sorry couldn’t resist). </span></span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><!--StartFragment--></b></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#333333;"><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or </span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> </b></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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</a></noscript></div>Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-71558854621833110602010-03-03T21:14:00.007+11:002011-03-19T10:53:06.391+11:00What are words worth?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1p-EQJdpoJWV5u3yCRFM1vglbxvkD_M73WF1Bjp_hGV_bhNnMuLbEnnsp45Z6kUpPhldz3pQ_4HTHcyM_D7QON_zyBZQPjSU7P0baTEzFX02m6owEzuaVLLk0huPhyNLPgxZV2D6k2ka/s1600-h/WORDS.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1p-EQJdpoJWV5u3yCRFM1vglbxvkD_M73WF1Bjp_hGV_bhNnMuLbEnnsp45Z6kUpPhldz3pQ_4HTHcyM_D7QON_zyBZQPjSU7P0baTEzFX02m6owEzuaVLLk0huPhyNLPgxZV2D6k2ka/s400/WORDS.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444349451187123682" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><!--StartFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The right words can earn your company millions of dollars.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That’s a big claim. Can I back it up? Yes. Let’s look at LG. LG is a quality Korean consumer electrical company. Prior to 1997 they were called Lucky Goldstar. Their products were as yuck as their name: all black plastic and gold foil. Really quite horrible and down market.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They wanted to rebrand and be considered amongst the big names in fridges, TVs, washing machines etc. So the name changed from Lucky Goldstar to LG. But they needed a slogan.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My good friend and creative Geoff Fischer took the brand name and extended LG to Life’s Good.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This line had three benefits. First, the brand name reminded you of the slogan and vice versa. Second the slogan summed up the improvement LG would bring to the consumer. Third it could work on any product line AND the company as a whole. ‘Life’s Good’ just seemed right.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">LG launched in Australia in 1997 on the platform of Life’s Good. The actual products were cleaned up too. They now looked like their competition: an important factor in consumer electronics.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To say that Life’s Good helped LG become a major brand is a massive understatement. The slogan is now used worldwide by LG and LG is one of the worlds best regarded domestic electrical brands. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So what would you pay for such a line?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A1. By the word. I was once asked to write similar sales lines for a large news company. They paid for advertising copy in the same way they paid for editorial – by the word. So Life’s Good would have cost them about $2.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A2. By the hour. Creative is often charged by the hour depending on who works on the job. I charge $100. If I was contracted to a large multinational agency the same work would be charged at $300 - $400 per hour. So by this scale Life’s Good could be worth between $100 and $400. Still ridiculously cheap.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A3. By the improvement it makes to your business. We didn’t know it at the time but those two little words have played a huge role in LG’s success. I believe the line is worth hundreds of millions of dollars in increased sales and brand building to LG. But I’m fairly sure LG didn’t pay that.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So what’s the answer? I think marketers should set a price that reflects the importance to their brand and business. If you need a quick short-term answer, budget accordingly. If the project is a complete brand re-focus, as with LG, make a big deal of it. Get your creative suppliers excited. Get lots of ideas.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Spend the money.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: -webkit-xxx-large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--></b></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you have a creative advertising problem call Tony Richardson on (02) 9929 0588 or visit </span></span><a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tony Richardson Advertising</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or </span></span><a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">TacticalTV.com.au</span></span></span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You are welcome to reprint any AdNotes article on your website and in your e-newsletters for FREE. All I ask is that you attribute me, Tony Richardson and include a link to </span></span><a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au/"><span style="color:#0000F1; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> </b></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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</a></noscript></div>Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-55765607674443532152010-01-14T11:06:00.003+11:002010-01-14T11:11:56.473+11:00Cardboard Marketing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlusX8QDW-JegALqzmgSpMSy3ru6uPu_GgcRP_R57brGxjF28Wbpr6y0-9mA3cO8Nz5HmSUQymXU9yWCrCrwGKP2agLDXn_EhHY5JFtm1iUVS3ELrNweAeVrHOAJ7Shpq5yZz5PC0cYnm3/s1600-h/pepperoni-pizza-slice-3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlusX8QDW-JegALqzmgSpMSy3ru6uPu_GgcRP_R57brGxjF28Wbpr6y0-9mA3cO8Nz5HmSUQymXU9yWCrCrwGKP2agLDXn_EhHY5JFtm1iUVS3ELrNweAeVrHOAJ7Shpq5yZz5PC0cYnm3/s400/pepperoni-pizza-slice-3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426381476572890290" /></a><br />I’ve just come back from a terrific Christmas holiday in New Zealand. My family and I drove all over the North Island, the less glamorous and more practical sister to the South Island.<br /><br />Our final night was in windy Wellington and the family voted me as official pizza collection and delivery guy. <br /><br />I had noticed a Pizza shop near our hotel. Or rather I had noticed a woman leaving the shop carrying a huge pizza box. The really massive ones they have in American movies and sitcoms. The ones big enough for the whole cast of Friends to munch on. The giant box had stuck in my head. I’d never seen one so big in real life. <br /><br />I found the store pretty easily. It was called Wholly Pizza and specialized in thin crust, simple topping, large New York style pizzas. I chose a modest 14 inch size, rather than the 20 inch New York-size. And as it baked, I chatted with the owner, an ex-marketer of all things.<br /><br />When it was ready my new friend slipped the 14 inch pizza into the giant 20 inch box. We only have one size of box, he told me. Strange, I thought.<br /><br />So I made my way back to the hotel … in the wind … with a 20 inch pizza box. Of course it flapped around a bit. And being 20 inches wide I had to step out on the road just to get around groups of people on the footpath.<br /><br />Every time I did someone would comment. Did I have enough to eat? Did I need a hand eating all that pizza? And so on.<br />Then, when I arrived at the hotel lift, a party of four was just ahead of me. Again with the jokes. ‘You’ll need a whole lift for that baby’. Although this turned out to be no joke. I had to let them go ahead without me. There was just not enough room for them, me and my gigantic pizza box.<br /><br />As I entered the hotel room my wife and kids were surprised by the big box and I had to explain that there was a smaller pizza within.<br /><br />We ate it and it was delicious.<br /><br />But as I chewed I started thinking about the marketing implications of what just happened. In the space of a few minutes three or four groups of people (other than me the purchaser) had been touched by the Wholly Pizza brand. And I had originally gone there because I saw someone else with a big box.<br /><br />Clever marketing communication is nearly always about ‘zigging’ when others ’zag’. But your zag doesn’t have to be complex or expensive or high tech. It can be as simple as a piece of folded cardboard.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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</a></noscript></div>Tony Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14564446387496818440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045914890354445342.post-13527619147236662692009-12-02T11:46:00.004+11:002009-12-02T11:53:56.729+11:00Exciting new media. Same old laws.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBHQU3Cu4HfTKgpinTQLVWggGA74qSpgRMnMa-FG_jv33YtFWvCMmAoGs3croZMjwyYQMAVh2-GcHYKez5aqDDteO_wZ56rHl_KpkhNZST3-BDEkSkXMM_JP55RZvU63BM1G5KmJGg294/s1600/LAW_STATUE_XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBHQU3Cu4HfTKgpinTQLVWggGA74qSpgRMnMa-FG_jv33YtFWvCMmAoGs3croZMjwyYQMAVh2-GcHYKez5aqDDteO_wZ56rHl_KpkhNZST3-BDEkSkXMM_JP55RZvU63BM1G5KmJGg294/s400/LAW_STATUE_XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410434761916230530" /></a><br />If AdNotes were a child it would be starting school next year. Or put another way, we have just turned five. (Gifts gratefully accepted by AdNotes’ Dad, Tony)<br /><br />In 60 issues of AdNotes, I’ve never given legal advice … until now.<br /><br />But, as often happens, several related events enter my radar space at around the same time and I am compelled to glue them together to make a point.<br /><br />Those several things are in order:<br /><br />1. A video uploaded to YouTube by ad agency Leo Burnett, showing an internal creative exercise, had to be quickly taken down because it used music without permission or payment.<br /><br />Shouldn’t a traditional agency know about music copyright?<br /><br />2. Online media publication, Mumbrella reported that, “ “Ideas agency” Tongue, which recently rebranded from Ikon spin-off New Dialogue, has been forced to pay $22,000 to the communications regulator and make a legally enforceable undertaking about its future conduct after arranging for spam mobile messages to be sent on behalf of client Coca Cola.”<br /><br />Shouldn’t a digital agency know about spam?<br /><br />3. An article by Julian Lee, marketing editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, quotes Mathew Liu of YouTube as saying, “We hope that over time our advertisers will blur the lines between advertising and editorial.” <br /><br />Didn’t John Laws and Alan Jones get into hot water over this?<br /><br />Julien goes on to quote Freehills Legal firm partner Sue Gilchrist. “Advertisiers are going to have to be very careful in this space, as the fact that they have planted an ad and it is not made apparent [to viewers], in itself, could be seen as a contravention of the Trade Practices Act.”<br /><br />That means that even viral films (created as marketing) that are not ‘addy’ enough may be in breach of the code!<br />So while the digital sphere is incredibly exciting for marketers and their suppliers, it cannot remain a legal cowboy town forever. <br /><br />The basics still apply.<br />- Music (or images) used publicly must be paid for.<br />- You can’t spam. <br />- An ad has to obviously be an ad.<br /><br />Kids creating mashups may get away with it. But don’t think the old rules don’t apply in cyberspace, especially if you represent a large company. <br /><br />PS. Some further spam advice:<br /><a href="http://blog.publicisdigital.com.au/2009/11/16/3-golden-rules-of-smsmms-marketing/">http://blog.publicisdigital.com.au/2009/11/16/3-golden-rules-of-smsmms-marketing/</a><br /><br />AdNotes is brought to you by <a href="http://www.tonyrichardson.com.au">Tony Richardson Advertising</a> and our branded product, <a href="http://www.tacticaltv.com.au">TacticalTV</a> - absolutely free! (You are welcome to pass AdNotes on to your friends and colleagues.) We are specialists in creating and producing Tactical TV, Print, Design and Radio advertising. We believe that clever cost solutions are a big part of clever creative advertising. Maybe that’s why some of the biggest marketers in the world have used our small agency! To find out more visit TacticalTV.com.au or TonyRichardson.com.au or leave comments and view back issues at our blog adnotes-tony.blogspot.com Or call us on (02) 9929 0588<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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They use Twitter to contact hundreds of ‘ideas people’ internationally.<br /><br />- Creative agencies now provide media ideas as well as creative ideas. Media agencies now provide creative ideas as well as media ideas.<br /><br />- Large supermarket retailers have in-house creative departments that can provide ideas and advertising for their supplier’s brands, rather than the other way around.<br /><br />Marketers have more access to ideas than ever before. Everyone now seems to be providing ideas. As a creative person I’ve been raised to believe that the more ideas on the table the better.<br /><br />But now I’m beginning to wonder.<br /><br />Take Nandos Chicken. They’ve tried every bizarre idea you can think of. They had a stripping Mother wearing a Nandos Nicotine patch on TV.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxsjhREHH3M&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxsjhREHH3M&feature=related</a><br /><br />They’ve created a radio ‘satire’ of Clare Werbeloff, the Chk Chk Boom girl.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ-pt95BNZU&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ-pt95BNZU&feature=related</a><br /><br />They’ve even got into the latest craze of creating a disruptive PR stunt, that disrupted the king of disruptive PR stunts: Sacha Baron Cohen’s, Bruno.<br /><br />(The raw footage has been removed from YouTube but you can see some of the news coverage at the following link)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIUlpkPKGvA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIUlpkPKGvA</a><br /><br />Some are funnier than others - I quite like the stripping Mum spot for some reason. But what story do they tell? What problem do they solve? What brand image do they build? What, as a consumer, am I supposed to think of the brand?<br /><br />I honestly can’t tell. In Nandos I see dozens of random ideas and not a single brand message.<br /><br />Possible taglines like, “We’re a little bit different”, “Unexpectedly delicious chicken” or even “We’re not for everyone” would tie the zaniness together. But we don’t get any help at all.<br /><br />A visit to the website makes you think your dealing with a different brand altogether. It shows a low tech, hand drawn, food focussed, ethnic style brand. Nothing like the TV, radio and PR communication. I’m even more confused now!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nandos.com.au/">http://www.nandos.com.au/</a><br /><br />Many other brands are excitedly experimenting with channels, executions and ideas. Which is fantastic … as long as each piece of communication supports and builds on a consistent brand message. The beer people are particularly good at experimentation without losing sight of the message and target consumer.<br /><br />When consumers are forced to re-evaluate a brand every time they see a new piece of communication, they just don’t bother.<br /><br />Potential consumers of Nandos know the brand exists, and sells chicken. But they have no idea what it stands for and therefore why they should consider it.<br /><br />When it comes to brand communication, dozens of random ideas won’t help you, one correct one will.<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">AdNotes is brought to you by Tony Richardson Advertising and our branded product, TacticalTV - absolutely free! (You are welcome to pass AdNotes on to your friends and colleagues.) We are specialists in creating and producing Tactical TV, Print, Design and Radio advertising. We believe that clever cost solutions are a big part of clever creative advertising. Maybe that’s why some of the biggest marketers in the world have used our small agency! To find out more visit <a href="http://www.TacticalTV.com.au/" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); ">TacticalTV.com.au</a> or<a href="http://www.TonyRichardson.com.au/" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); ">TonyRichardson.com.au</a> or leave comments and view back issues at our blog adnotes-tony.blogspot.com Or call us on (02) 9929 0588</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blogcatalog.com/rate-button.js.php?id=4338643"></script>
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