What do One World Trade Center, White House Correspondence Dinner, Bronx Zoo and Cinco De Mayo All Have In Common?

By Cynti Oshin

Guest Blogger

These are amongst the top ten searched terms on Google today, April 30, 2012. And if you’re writing a blog, hoping to drive traffic to your or your client’s website, use these terms and you’ve just hedged your bet rather substantially.   But, if you want to be strategic and increase your chances of building a targeted audience, then make sure you include relevant 'high value' words.  In our case, relevant key words might include brand strategy, marketing strategy, advertising, communications, business development, etc.  But even that’s not enough to build and keep an audience.

Consider your audience, what do they need?  What can you offer in exchange for their time?  I am providing a quick tip on blog best practices.  Ideally, that’s of value to you, our reader.  What does your reader want?  What is relevant?  Are you an insurance company?  Is your reader looking for information about vetting the best policy?  Are you a design firm?  Is your reader looking for current trends?  You get the picture.

Bottom line: Make the blog relevant to your reader.  And, make it work hard for you. 

We’d love to hear your thoughts about blogging, what’s worked, what hasn’t.  Tell us about it here.

And since we know there’s a whole bunch a people interested in the White House Correspondence Dinner – check out Obama’s monologue.  If he doesn’t get reelected, perhaps he can go into stand up.  Or not.

http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends

What Bill Cosby Knows About Marketing and Advertising

By: Cynti Oshin

Director Client Services/Business Development

Recently, I was reading posts from allthatinspires.me and came across this, presumably from Bill Cosby. 

So very true.  

Not only does this resonate with me personally, but also in my role as a brand strategist.   It is imperative for brands to understand that not all products or services are for everyone.  At Stanton & Everybody, together with our clients, we work to keep this at top of mind.  For instance, Barrier Motors is clear that they have a very specific customer who can afford a more upscale brand of auto.  To pretend to be an option for anyone else would only frustrate that consumer when he or she entered the showroom to find out the trek was a waste of time. Northside Shoes understands that to try to attract an audience looking for a highly technical climbing shoe would lack integrity and frustrate this consumer.  Northside delivers a well priced, quality outdoor shoe for all ages, helping families afford to get outdoors.  Not a shoe to help you climb Mt. Everest.

In the end, when you know who your customer is, you are able to speak directly to them with integrity and clarity.  When you are able to create a marketing/advertising strategy that clearly communicates who you are, what you do and why it matters to your customer, you will build loyalty and ultimately advocacy – with your customers spreading the word about your product or service. 

And when that happens, it’s a magical thing.

allthatinspires.me/80119432 

The Groupon Model as a Marketing Strategy: Not Working So Well

By: Cynti Oshin

Director Client Services/Business Development

 "Yesterday, Lisa asked if people would tire of coupons. Today it was announced that Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, thinks not. He's just joined the Groupon board and his Seattle based venture capital company, Maveron, has invested an undisclosed sum in the company. The last time Schultz joined the board of a company in which Maveron invested was, well, eBay back in 1998. It quickly went public. Today, eBay's worth is somewhere in the universe of around $39 Billion. We'll check back in with you in 2023 to update you on the value of Groupon." February 10, 2011

It looks like I already have an update how things are going.  Back in February, I wrote about the continued interest in coupons and specifically about the anticipated growth of Groupon with the backing of Howard Schultz.  The question had arisen about whether consumers were tiring of coupons - and was this still a viable way to incentify trial and grow business.  It was clear that Howard Schultz saw value in the Groupon model of doing so.  Apparently, this specific coupon model isn't working out so well for consumers OR for businesses.  There's quite a few bugs that need to be worked out.  As a marketing strategy, this has proven to be a nightmare for some - the challenge to fulfill demand while still maintaining an acceptable margin has proven daunting.  Further, it appears that those who are predisposed to using Groupon are not likely to become brand advocates and return.  They're looking for the next best deal - not brand loyalists. 

I promised to check back in with you in 2023 to update you on the success of Groupon.  I'm checking back in just a little bit earlier.  It's not doing so well.  Its value has been dropped by 2 to 3 times in the last 6 months.  That was as of last Friday.  Uh oh.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2016566002_apusgrouponipo.html

When Did the Anthony Weiner Brand Derail?

by Cynti Oshin
Director Client Services/Business Development

Was it last week? Was it yesterday? Did it actually derail? Or is he still on brand? I’m very curious what you think.

When I look back on Rep. Weiner’s brand message, it appears that his ‘why’, why he gets out of bed in the morning is to be a ‘fighter for New York”. He is an ‘every man’ or in the brand archetype vernacular – a Regular Joe fighting to “uphold New York values”. www.weiner.house.gov

This isn’t a conversation about marketing strategy, communications strategy, or even public relations. It is about being true to your brand and what it means when you compromise it. Weiner says he won’t resign as he did not break any laws. But what about fighting to uphold New York values? Are there New Yorkers who feel that their values include honesty and integrity? And don’t include out and out lying? I’m guessing yes. Lots of them.

Would this be a different conversation if last week Anthony Weiner admitted to his constituents, to reporters, to the nation that he was a regular guy, doing admittedly some really, really stupid stuff? That his humanity was showing and it wasn’t pretty? That he was very sorry and that he needed to address some pretty unfortunate tendencies? And most importantly, that he needed to come clean so that he could continue to do the work he set out to do, however imperfect as he may be?

I believe it would be an entirely different conversation. Instead, he went off brand, he ranted at reporters for asking the same questions over and over again, demanding an honest answer. His reply to their queries, if he did, was to point the finger at someone else. He had been victimized, somebody did this to him and the press was only making it worse.

So, my question is, did that misstep mean a derailment? Has he moved so far off the Anthony Weiner brand that he can’t ever get it back? Only time will tell if he is able to. I, for one, hope he can’t. You?

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rep-anthony-weiner-picture/story?id=13774605