Advertising is Dead...

We've Moved... our Blog

2004-02-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

Our new blog is HERE. We decide to try out TypePad and so far, so good. Take a look at our new postings...

Video Games and Politics

2003-12-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

Take a look at www.deanforamericagame.com . The first video game for a presidential election. Designed by Persuasive Games, very interesting.

Solve the worlds problems by playing a game?

2003-12-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

What if...

Check out Gonzalo Frasca's "September 12th" game and explore this idea.

www.newsgaming.com

Big Blog Problem

2003-12-01T17:44:00.000-08:00

Is that you have to update your blog once in a while. Since that has proven tough to do recently (very busy you know), may I suggest a great blog on the subject of games, gaming, and the rhetorical use of games by educators, brands, and advocacy groups. You can find this wonderful blog at www.watercoolergames.org , enjoy.

The Big Agency Problem

2003-09-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

The problem with using a “Big” agency to do your advertising, creative, etc. is that if you don’t have a Big budget, you are not going to get the attention you deserve and your product will suffer. Here is the quandary:

- Big Agencies have Big ideas that win Big Awards (Clios, etc.)
- Big Awards don’t always sell products (see Apple, great ads, only 3% market share)
- Big Agencies have Big overhead and Big Executive salaries to pass along
- Big Agencies have Big clients, at least Bigger than you
- Big Agencies have no time for Small clients

The dilemma then for a small or med size company with modest marketing budgets is this question: do we put all our money into a Big agency and hope for a home run, do it ourselves, or find a smaller agency…

We believe the answer is to find an agency that is both experienced and eager for your business, an agency that gives you access to top -level executives and thinkers regardless of your budget. What you need is an agency that can draw upon big agency resources without big agency prices, and an agency that delivers results.

Where do you find one of these? Stay tuned…

A Bite of the ol' Apple

2003-09-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

As a long time fan and user of Apple computers, I am constantly amazed by their innovation of products and services. However; as a marketing professional I am even more amazed that they only have around a 3% market share. Let's examine this for a second:

- Apple computers are consistently reviewed as best in both design and performance
- Apple continues to roll out wonderful products that work best with Apple computers, such as the ipod
- Apple’s ad agency consistently produces award wining advertisements including: Think Different, and the recent Switch campaigns

So why do they only have a 3% market share? Its because their marketing campaigns have failed. Wait, how can “award winning” campaigns fail? Because, even if the products are great and the ads are unique, if they don’t deliver results, they fail. If Apple really wanted to gain market share, even a percentage point or two, they would have to radically change their marketing strategy.

Some may say that it’s ok for Apple to only have 3% market share and therefore simply position themselves as the “Mercedes” of computers. However; I believe their stockholders would disagree. The price and performance differences are not the same as that of Mercedes and the profit margins are not either.

Steve, let me know when you are ready for ideas that deliver results… and keep the great products coming.

World Peace and Branding

2003-08-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

It strikes me that most of the worlds problems are based on misunderstandings and cultural misperceptions. What is one man's holy war is another country's terrorism. If you look at the many problems between the Middle East and the West, they boil down to bad branding, PR, and marketing. If we spent some time putting together culturally appropriate PR, marketing and branding campaigns in these communities, do you think it would make a difference?

Why not find the best Muslim/Arab PR firm and match it with a top Ad Agency in the US and brand the US? I’m not convinced we do a good job of communicating our intentions and expectations. I believe a powerful Marketing plan would do more than any “Shock and Awe” could ever accomplish with fewer casualties and a budget much smaller than the price of even ONE tank.

Fishing

2003-08-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

What does Fishing and Marketing have in common... quite a bit.

On a recent fishing trip, I noticed several parallels between Fishing and Marketing.

1- You have to go to where the fish are. This is important, if you aren't marketing where your customers are, who's going to buy? And if they aren't bitting, its time to move.
2- You have to use the right bait. Is your marketing message speaking to your target? On a boat full of competitive fishermen, everyone is always trying to find the right combination of bait and tactics. Are you adjusting your message and strategy regularly?
3- Fish are smart. So are your customers. Make sure you give them credit and you're marketing is persuasive and not coercive.

Tell us your fish stories at info@redtangent.com

NY Stories

2003-08-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

While on a plane back from NY, I saw an ad from DKNY for an online short film "New York Stories". After watching it, I learned two things:

1- I'll never get back those 18 minutes (18 minutes to kill, go to www.dkny.com)
2- Advertainment and Branded Content have a long way to go

BMW Films raised the bar pretty high, and now there is a whole lot of crap to choose from. The sad thing is that if DKNY had really thought through the marketing and branding opportunities coupled with online distribution, they might have done something interesting. Instead, DKNY just played around with their ego and their brand in a way that could just backfire, in addition to lose money.

What do you think?

Branded Content

2003-07-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

Sex in the City has no commercials and yet very few shows on TV create more buzz about a brand or product. Its called branded content and its showing up everywhere as an effective alternative to standard TV advertising. Why pay mega dollars to run your 30-second spot when you could get Carrie Bradshaw to wear your shoes, buy your dress (and look great wearing it) or have her co-star become addicted to TiVo. All of these brands benefit from the tremendous influence entertainers and entertainment in general have on popular culture and the trends they manifest.

Another form of branded content is also showing up on Sunday night Television in the form or the new reality TV show, The Restaurant. In this, our charismatic celebrity chef is driving a Mitsubishi, ordering Coors Light, and utterly dependent on his American Express "Open" account. An interesting show, and even better branding.

As we continue to see the decline of mass media TV advertising, I'm sure we will be seeing more and more of this type of subtle advertising and branding. Stay tuned...

PR Week got this one Right

2003-07-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this article in PR Week

http://www.prweek.com/thisweek/index.cfm?ID=185304&site=3

Further evidence that people are shutting out advertising and turning to trusted "Influentials" to help them make buying decsions. BTW, according to emarketer Daily, most (upwards of 80%) of these "Influentials" go onlline for their information.

Your Marketing Sucks

2003-07-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

Great article and interview with Mark Stevens, author of "Your Marketing Sucks" in Business Week.

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jul2003/sb20030711_3594.htm

Great take-a-way, if your ad agency is winning Clios (awards), run away. I agree, your agency, or marketing team should only be interested in one thing, increasing your bottom line, not just doing creative for creative's sake. This happens all the time in TV and Internet. Just because the commercial is funny or the Flash is amazing doesn't mean you sold more widgets.

Do you get it yet?

2003-07-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have had several meetings with individuals and companies that are interested in our ideas on alternative marketing. Most marketers confess that traditional forms of advertising are not working and they want to hear about what makes sense for their brand. Most could do better with their Internet strategy, most want to try something "Viral", and everyone wants to do a promotion if another company pays for it. Is this a rant? No, this is just the nature of advertising in the new world. So who gets it?

Obviously the companies that work with us do, but here are some others: SoBe, Vans, and Red Bull. These companies have built great brands through a series of alternative marketing campaigns and little or no TV advertising. SoBe sponsors “X-Games” type events because they know that is where their market is. Vans sponsors original content, including films, to perpetuate the Surf/Skate lifestyle, which in turn builds their brand, sells shoes, and positions Vans as a cool company (even though its been around for some time). Red Bull sent cases of its drinks to frat houses with “party” favors a year or two back and now you can’t go to a club without seeing someone order a Red Bull and Vodka.

College Gamers

2003-07-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

Monday's report from the Pew Internet Life Project states upwards of 70% of college students are playing video games. http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=93

What are the key marketing take-a-ways?

1 - This demographic grew up with computers and video games, so acceptance of technology is high
2- The adult Video game market will continue to grow as this group ages
3- Marketeers who want to penetrate the college market would be wise to tie into video games in some way, either through promotions, in game branding, on-packaging, and through gaming events
4- Video game publishers should create college marketing strategies to take advantage of this important trend
5- Smart Advergaming will work with this target demographic

2003-07-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

The site of the week is www.oddtodd.com . Usually, I choose a site that has some strong design and branding, however; this site is clearly not one of those. Instead, Oddtodd.com is one of the best examples of online communication, community, and creativity. Check out his short Flash animations and prepare to get sucked into the world of Oddtodd.

What are the marketing take-a-ways? Content is critical, creative content (like his flash animations) can engage visitors for long periods of time, and frequent content updates have you coming back for more...

Enjoy

2003-07-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t looked at the red TANGENT site lately, check it out (link to the right). We just updated it to better reflect our service offerings, added some new pictures, and a new soundtrack. Let us know what you think at info@redtangent.com Thanks!

2003-07-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Interesting article in the WSJ today ( www.wsj.com subscription req.) by Bruce Orwall, “Glut of Big-Budget Movies Raises Risks for Them All”. It re-enforces some of the points I made in yesterday’s blog post. It should be interesting to watch what happens with T3, and Legally Blond 2 releasing over the extended Holiday weekend.

2003-07-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

Summer movie season is always interesting to me. Not only am I a big fan of the silver screen, but so much money is spent marketing these (hopeful) blockbusters that there is a lot to be learned. (The average movie-marketing budget is over $24 million). First, if you spend it, they will come... well this doesn't work as well as it used to. The Hulk spent mega dollars and it did $63 million it's first weekend and only $17 million last weekend. Although the studio won't admit it, this was a huge disappointment considering the marketing budget for the film was probably close to $50 million. This movie will be lucky to break even.

Take last year's hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and you see that Word-of-Mouth marketing is much more powerful than TV centric, mass media. Its like everything else consumers decide to buy, does the $50 million in marketing even come close to a friend's recommendation? Probably not. Next time you go see a movie, ask yourself, why am I here? Was it the marketing blitz, or did a friend or trusted movie critic point you in the right direction? Chances are, some form of Word-of-Mouth steered you to the movie.

Oh, and it also helps if the movie doesn't suck. For the ultimate source of movie Word-of-Mouth, check out the wacky site www.aintitcoolnews.com

2003-06-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to point out a remarkable book I just read; “Purple Cow” by Seth Godin. It’s a quick read that makes sense of why some companies are great and why most are not. It’s a must read for those of us in the marketing and advertising biz. One of the many great points made in Seth’s book is regarding the lack of effectiveness of traditional TV advertising. When was the last time you watched a commercial and went out to buy a box of detergent?

You can go to www.sethgodin.com for more info on “Purple Cow” and don’t forget to check out his Blog...

2003-06-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

This week's web site of note is the recently re-launched www.skyy.com . Although Skyy is best known as that Vodka in a blue bottle, this site makes a case for ordering Skyy with my next martini. The site is selling a lifestyle wrapped in a blue bottle. One of the best parts of this site is the short film series, what we at red TANGENT call Advertainment. It is our belief that this type of entertainment experience on a web site is the future of branding. Immersing your customer in an experience and entertaining them is a powerful way to brand.

Check out "Falling in Love in Pongo Ponga" directed by James Woods, a nod to JONES, still one of the best bars in Hollywood.

2003-06-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

I just read this article about GM's top Marketing guy in AdAge. http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=38144#

I think he is right on and his statements foreshadow the end of Mass-market, TV centric marketing and advertising. His comments on alternative marketing and integrated campaigns are very much in line with our thinking at red TANGENT. We believe marketeers can do more with less when creative, targeted ideas are used to move the brand.

What do you think? Let us know at: info@redtangent.com

2003-06-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the official blog of red TANGENT! Check back for interesting discussions on the state of marketing in both the on and offline world.