Cool Marketing

The Best Marketing Idea…NOPE!

Going viral is every marketers dream, but it takes time and energy and hope and luck. Think of all of the great viral marketing you’ve encountered and I’ll bet, more often than not, the viral marketing is based on humor. I think of the Squatty Potty (34 million views) and Blendtec (zillions of views) as two examples. Of course, humor can sometimes backfire because everyone laughs at different things. Some roll around on the ground after a meme binge and others don’t even crack a smile.

The best marketing idea this week comes from Lucidchart with an excellent example of how you can use video to demonstrate your product. They’ve done this through a series of short YouTube videos, and some excellent humorous copywriting (at least it was funny to me).

Each video shows a diagram of funny things in the animal world by making up names for creatures and showing how they all link together in a sort of organizational chart using their software. Very clever marketing. My favorite video is the “Nope” but not my wife’s. You’ll have to watch it to see what I mean (and then watch the rest of them.)

Think: What can you do to make your prospects laugh? It will be much more memorable than a boring ol’ whitepaper.

Thought: “Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” -Victor Borge

 

They added live music

I have a favorite restaurant near my house called Even Stevens. They have great food (I like the Turkey Day sandwich with a side of chips, which they pepper) but they also have a great atmosphere and a social cause (they give one sandwich to a local group in need for every one you buy). Each of their restaurants is designed with some sort of theme from the local community. The one near me is decorated with old dirt bikes hanging on the walls and videos of 1970’s dirt bike races — paying homage to something call the “Widow Maker Hill Climb” which was a thing back in the 70’s. I don’t think anyone was ever made a widow, but the dudes on their bikes were fun to watch.

I took two of my kids there today to reward them for their hard work in our yard, and when we walked in we could hear someone singing and playing the guitar.

The person taking my order told me they were trying something new by having musicians play at lunch. Now, instead of just eating my food and leaving, I found myself captured listening to the music and absorbing one more element to their brand. All of the songs were from the 60’s and 70’s which fit what they were aiming for, and it worked.

Challenge: think about something you could add to your product/service that can be a brand additive — something that makes people think you care about them and that builds you up in their minds. It will only help cement your positive vibe.

Will AI Buy Me A Snack?

I got a chocolate milkshake tonight.
That may not sound interesting.

But I am interested to understand how my buying decision unfolded and if there is a better/easier way to make this happen.

Cause: I got up at 4:20 am and worked out.
Effect: My energy level was low tonight and I was looking for a fix.

Cause: I had a really good day at the office. I had some very effective meetings.
Effect: I wanted to reward myself.

Cause: I was home alone—the wife and kids were all doing something fun.
Effect: I didn’t need to buy a milkshake for my whole family.

Cause: It’s been a long time since I’ve had one.
Effect: I justified that I need one from time-to-time.

It wasn’t a single item that made me get in my car and drive to get a shake. It was a combination that, when bundled together, allowed me to make the purchase.

When we think about the vast amount of data that’s generated by each of us on a second-to-second basis, we must ask ourselves, “Why did I even need to make the decision to buy the milkshake at all?”

In emerging world of artificial intelligence (AI), I figure one day I’ll just get in my self-driving car and it will take me to my favorite milkshake establishment—without giving it any commands. When I get there, my order will be ready and waiting. Or better yet, my car will drive there by itself and pick my milkshake for me, or it will be delivered by drone.

The fact of the matter is that AI will be identifying our needs in advance of us even thinking about them.

Let’s break down my day again and look at the data (current and future):

Data: My watch will be able to identify my biometrics and determine my level of fatigue, my heart rate, my mood, and my blood-sugar level.
Data: My calendar is on-line and can determine if I’ll be home alone.
Data: My credit card statements are online and can tell the last time I has a milkshake.

AI will filter through the millions of data sets we produce each day to predict what we need next. It should understand our requirements, our wants, our needs, our desires. It should know if the batteries are low in my smoke detectors and order them automatically (the same goes for the toner in my printer!). It should know that my daughter loves dogs and hates cats so that when she sits at the computer, the desktop is a cute Labrador puppy.

It should know that I have a struggle with an employee at work and need to have a meaningful one-on-one offering tips on how to listen empathically.

It should know that I have a 15-minute window and would really like to read an article on how to launch a new product.

It should know that I’m trying to lose weight and so a milkshake is not what I should eat tonight and it should steer my car away… far, far away. {Stupid AI! I may hate it if I can’t ever have a milkshake again!}

You get the idea.

A Friendly Wager

Someone has been trying to get a sales call with me for a while and, due to time constraints, I haven’t had time to reply. (I also get a truckload of emails from people trying to make a living and so I’m very selective…like most people.)

But today was different. This person sent me a thoughtful email. It was obviously not spam because he’d read at least one post on this blog, and he did some basic research on where I went to school. His message was as follows:

Hi Matt – After reading the “Cool Marketing Idea (Weekly Winner)” story on your blog I felt inspired to get creative in my reach out. I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of classic “cold” emails, but I was hoping to mix it up and have a little fun with it. I saw that you went to Utah for both undergrad and grad school and I wanted to make a friendly wager with you on the Utah vs. Stanford game this weekend.
 
If the Cardinals win, will you entertain an informal chat to learn a little about what we do, and how we help similar retailers increase repeat purchases and customer lifetime value? And if the Utes pull off a win, we well send you some Utah shirts for the whole family.
 
I hope this is something you’re willing to entertain. Please let me know if we have a wager.
 
Looking forward to the game!
Attention grabbing? [CHECK]
Thought provoking? [CHECK]
Personalized? [CHECK]
By putting in a little more effort into his email, he got me to respond. Nice job!
So, I took him up on the wager. After all, Stanford is 2-2, Utah is 4-0 and ranked in the top 20.
I’ll let you know who wins the bet. Go Utes!
_________
10/8 UPDATE: Last night the Utes lost 23-20. I guess I’ll be sitting through a sales call now.

Cool Marketing Idea (Weekly Winner)

I really love it when someone proves basic marketing principles, like the concepts I discussed in my previous post about Market, Message, Media.

I recently received a box in the mail (yes…snail mail). Inside was a retro red viewfinder and three slide discs. How can you NOT take a minute to look through this. I did. I looked at it all—primarily because I thought it was a cool marketing piece. But then I realized they were smart and that they did their homework.

They found out who I was and a potential problem I may have (the Market). They wrote great copy to get my attention and their website was spot on (the Message). And then came the Media.

The viewfinder was great. But this morning I received an email with a customized video for me by a sales rep. The video wasn’t a finely polished piece, but that worked in it’s favor. It seemed more authentic, more natural. In the email were a list of dates and times that he’s available for a meeting. Great touch.

In the end, their marketing did two things really fast through some shock and awe. It informed me of their services and it persuaded me to call. Essentially, it got exactly what they wanted from me—a meeting. I’m talking with them later today.