Please note that KAB Marketing is no longer operating as a consulting and presentations company. The Blog "What's Branding Got to Do with it?" will continue to be published on a regular basis.
There have been many big media events to far this year. The Olympics, Golf opens, Independence Day celebrations, political conventions heave all expanded coverage lately and in the process have increased the amount of advertising messages to help pay for the outlandish productions costs. Yet, marketers from all channels have bellied-up to the table to get their messages out to their target customers despite the skyrocketing media costs. This trend goes beyond traditional media, especially television, to online streaming, podcasts, social media, and more. This is nothing news, marketers have always looked for media buys that provide more bang for the buck and have accepted the over-the-top cost per spot/page/message that now exist. The biggest change is the the players in the game, scrambling to get more attention for their product or service.
This year’s Olympics are a prime example. No question the coverage and production the 2024 Summer Games was the best ever and well worth the time we all spent watching the events—sports and otherwise. There were the expected heavy schedules from soft drinks, beers, banks/investment firms, as well as several others excluding most retailers. While the creativity competed favorably with those normally limited to the Super Bowl, the frequency of some messages seems to have exploded especially with prescription drugs, online betting, and (locally) personal injury attorneys. Yes, as soon as I heard the singing of O-O-O, I knew it was for Ozempic, even though I’m not diabetic nor needing drastic weight loss. The frequency of the big pharma ads is overwhelming. While most are targeting the mature age group (which I admit I’ve been in for some time now), I am constantly amazed at the repetition and frequency. Often, seeing the same commercial in the same break. This is particularly prevalent in local market advertising.. Enough already!
When I was active in the advertising business, both as a client and agency, the standard goal in broadcast was 300 rating points per schedule. In other words, we wanted to reach 100% of our target with our message at least 3 times. Enough to gain awareness and recognition, but conservative enough to maintain a profitable cost as a percent of sales. I believe that the trend to repetition, to repetition, to repetition is not only redundant but often turns off the target customer that marketers are trying to reach. Another mistake with this trend is to use a limited or even just one spot for the schedule. So repetition gives way to boredom to rejection of the message. The prescription drug advertisers are further limited in detailing the side effects (“even death”) and using acronyms WMD, BPH, etc ,etc , Not every patient knows what these ailments are even if they have one. The rest of us don’t have any idea what the symptoms are that we should be aware of. More explanation and less repetition is necessary. A heavy media campaign should have at least three creative executions to the targeted message. Spend some more budget on creativity and less on media.
Another example, as I have mentioned in earlier articles, is the boom in legal advertising, especially personal injury attorneys. They all use their names (some we can’t pronounce), they all promise no charge unless we win (then watch out!), and many of the partner/spokespersons have has much credibility as a used car salesmen. The key is to have a sound brand strategy. Then creatively have a message that relates to the target customer, and then live up to that brand everyday.
In several of my previous, I’ve highlighted Bass Pro Shops as one of the top retail brands in the country. In watching its growth and talking with several executives in the past, I have concluded that Bass Pro is not simply a shopping outlet, but is more of an experience that is not only mind boggling to the outdoors person as well as travelers and sportspeople. It’s not just the outstanding size of the stores, but also the attention to making it an experience for young and old, male and female, well-off families and those on a tight budget. The addition of Cabela’s a few years ago to the Bass Pro family has accelerated the company’s growth as one of the top retailers in the U.S. The result of this obsession with creating a brand with a loyal, passionate customer base has resulted in over $7 Billion in annual revenues with exciting stores and the quality and selection of its own brands that is second to none.
As you can tell, I’ve been impressed by the brand for several years now. That’s why when some friends recommended taking a trip to see the Big Cypress Resort in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, we quickly scheduled a trip to experience Bass Pro Hospitality firsthand. This resort has been located in the Pyramid right on the Mississippi River. The Pyramid was built as a basketball stadium and concert venue several years ago and did not meet the expectations of the city nor its populations. When Johnny Morris, Bass Pro’s founder, heard about this, he decided to look seriously into this large, extravagant location for its fledgling resort business. He debated about it and couldn’t make up his mind. So, when invited by one of his long-time fishing buddies to Tennessee, he decided that if he caught a 20 lb. bass on this trip, he would move ahead with the purchase. On his first cast of the day, Johnny caught a 30 pounder and the decision was made! The resort not only now houses the largest Bass Pro shop in the country, but it has been totally re-designed to create an indoor cypress swamp with wildlife, rivers, lagoons (with Bass Pro’s Tracker boats docked inside) stocked with fish and wildlife that makes it a real adventure to visit. Additionally, two floors house the resort’s hotel with each room decorated like an exclusive hunting lodge. The building also has the tallest free-standing elevator with whisks you up to an observation with views of the Mississippi River and views to Arkansas and Mississippi in the distance. There’s also a great restaurant on top with great views and cuisine as well as a casual Wahlburger down in the Cypress swamp area below.
This resort is not the only venture into hospitality by Morris and Bass Pro. The company also has resort facilities and lodges in Missouri, Tennessee and the Blue Ridge Mountains. It has also started to build Valhalla, the largest resort to be found in the Florida Keys to be completed in the next couple years.
This is an aggressive undertaking Bass Pro, but it’s a great example of extending the brand’s presence and awareness (and loyalty) by reach current and prospective customers in a different environment while maintaining the brand strategy that made the company successful. It’s not the first company to do this. Anheuser Busch expanded its brewing business into the theme park industry with resorts in Florida and Virginia. Disney expanded its animated movie business into theme park worldwide. It has continued expansion into time-share resorts in many locations as well as a successful cruise line that has raised the standard for cruising. National Geographic expanded legendary magazine business into its own cable and streaming network as well as documentary films with spectacular photography. Of course, there have been many manufacturers who have own retail stores and outlets and many restaurants have expanded their signature food items into brands on food store shelves throughout the country.
Each one of these examples could be discussed at length as I did above with Bass Pro. However, the important takeaway here is for successful and growing brands can accelerate their business by thinking outside the box of their primary category and looking at other venues to reach their customers and build their brand relationship
Well, March Madness has come and gone and national champions were as predicted. The big news, however, centered around Caitlin Clark who not only led her Iowa Hawkeyes to the Final Four, but also brought more spectators and fans than ever before for not only women’s basketball but for all college sports. The increase in viewership was significantly improved and not just for the championship game. Iowa games were featured more on national media than any other female sports events. It’s likely this will translate to the pro’s as Clark moves to the WNBA.
Athletics is no longer primarily a male activity. Female sports at all school levels have increased significantly in participation and fan support over the past several years. No sport has benefited from this trend than soccer. The growth at all levels of education has been phenomenal and only surpassed by the boom in amateur club soccer at all levels from age 3-18 years and beyond. While little league baseball has diminished, the soccer fields are more active than any other sports fields in the US. Research shows that there are over 810,000 soccer players at the high school level and over 10000 amateur teams nationally. And the numbers will significantly increase in the next few years. Evidence for this is the growth of public soccer fields throughout the major metro areas. While little league fields have diminished in popularity, they normally only have 2 or 3 fields per center. Soccer complexes now boast up to 20 fields and the tournaments bring participants from all over the state and nation to compete. Soccer is now the number one amateur participant sport in America. It has been that in Mexico (where it there are over 60 million soccer fans. Europe and Asia have long been soccer (football there) meccas. The participants are younger, being 54% younger than any other sport.
The Olympics and World Cup games certainly has fueled this increase in popularity and with it comes increased branding opportunities for the sport. Nike has long been a major supporter and Reebok, Adidas and Under Armor continued to expand. Other brands like Capelli, Emirates Air, and many local marketers are featured not only on jerseys and shorts but also at the growing number of venues. I can remember my first little league team requires us 8 year olds to sell a uniform sponsorship to pay for my “Yanks” team outfit. Fortunately, my uncle owned a local hardware store and I got my uniform. Now the national sponsors work with the clubs and schools to get new uniforms every year with logos on every one of them. It’s an opportunity that starts with the toddlers and continues through the teens and beyond. Let’s not forget the sports drinks, water jugs and mugs, as well as cleats and socks. There’s gold in them thar fields and smart marketers will take advantage of this remarkable trend
GREAT CREATIVE. I am always on the lookout for marketing campaigns with great creative and here’s one that caught my eye. In Belgium, here’s an effective way to get more people out of their cars and on the bus systems. Well done spots that build a great brand. CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.
The Christmas holidays are always a time of remembering great traditions—in the family, in the community, in our places of worship, and in the marketplace. The Christmas marketing has probably changed more than any other holiday tradition over the past several years. During my retail years, this was the time of the year to pull out all the stops when it came to advertising. The papers were full of inserts on a daily basis. Our mailboxes were stuffed with multi-page catalogues from every local and national retailer. Broadcast media was sold out as every store ran more spots than any other time of the year. While much of this was price-item promotional spots, this was a time to break the mold with outstanding creative and production. Stores were showplaces for design and display—and special events.
Well, a lot has changed. The newspapers, when they are published, have barely the number of pages of some of the inserts a few years ago. Our mailboxes have fewer cards and hardly any “Christmas Catalogues”, porches are filled with Amazon boxes, broadcast spots are the usual auto dealers and home improvement ads, and .com spots proliferate. However, there are still some great examples of creative branding at this time of year that are worth noting. Here are a few of my 2023 favorites where companies take the time and creative juices to provide a message that makes the season bright.
Amazon has been one of the key factors leading to the change in holiday traditions for sure. However, the company take the time and budgets to drive home a message that brings back memories and recognizes the importance of the aging population.
CHEVROLET https://youtu.be/xnZGEUA4oBk. During most of the years, Chevy is out there like most car makers with trucks running through the mud, SUV’s with the latest technology, and price offers that you still don’t believe. Over the past few years though, Chevrolet has hit the heartstrings with epic spots that make their brand still strong after all these years. This year’s holiday spot features the story that is all too common in our society and our families. Alzheimers and dementia touches so many of us now, and Chevrolet tells a story that memories can be restores, just like some of their old pickup trucks, if you take the time to share with those afflicted, especially at this time of year. A great spot and a heartwarming message.
CAPITAL ONE. https://youtu.be/gQJ6Xc93-wY. The holidays are for memories and who doesn’t remember the opening scene of Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta. Never thought he’d someday play Santa Claus, but this spot hits the target and still makes the point of what’s in your wallet at this time of year.
LOBBY HOBBY: https://youtu.be/8Z3y74R4wAM I have featured Lobby Hobby spots in my past Christmas blogs, and this year’s is a bit deceiving with a title “Lobby Hobby’s 50% Off Sale”. This years messages focuses on a family scene that’s typical of today. A single, working mother and a son who figures out a way to make Christmas special. No sales message here except at the very end’s closing title, but a a great branding effort to capture the true spirit of the Christmas season.
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
As fall sports start gearing up, I have always enjoyed watching my favorite teams get back into action. NFL, NHL, NCAA, NBA, MSL. You name it I’ll usually be tuning in to check the scores. My love of sports started when I was growing up in Detroit and I rarely missed a game on my transistor radio or TV when the home team was playing. My allegiance has changed to Tampa Bay teams since I’ve been here for over 40 years now, but I was particularly interested in this past weekend when the Lightning played the Red Wings and the Bucs hosted the Lions. Over the past few years, this usually meant an easy Tampa Bay victory, but the home teams were humbled badly. The Lions are now favorites to be in the NFL play-offs and the Red Wings (the former hockey powerhouse that earned Detroit the name of Hockey Town a few years ago) have emerged as a young team on the move. To be sure the teams really didn’t need a “re-branding” strategy, they just need to start winning. Both had been big losers for a while, and now have rekindled the fan’s support.
In the same way, the city of Detroit has re-emerged from an image as one of the US’s least desirable places to live to a more vibrant locale. Having lived there with frequent returns over the years for business and pleasure, I knew that the lousy image of the area was confined to the metro area of Motown while the suburbs and outlying areas are still some of the most desirable places to live in the Midwest. I was pleased to experience the downtown area of Detroit on a recent visit for our high school reunion which was held downtown with trips to the Motown Museum and a dinner cruise on the Detroit River which borders downtown and Windsor, Ontario. I was pleased to see a great deal of revitalization with new buildings, hotels, restaurants, a vibrant Riverwalk, and a positive spirit in the local citizens that I met.
However, it’s not just building new structures or expanding service. Just as the new stadiums that the Detroit teams have built in past few years have not translated to winning records, revitalization (as in branding) needs to come from within and requires a strategy that everyone in the organization/government understands and supports. There has been a resurgence of activity and popularity in the smaller towns and villages that are beyond the suburbs of major cities. These “small towns” have an old-fashioned atmosphere that today’s population are attracted to an enjoy visiting regularly. The old main street business areas are being updated with new boutiques, shops, restaurants, and professional services. Weekend markets are popular destinations for families and retirees alike. City councils and chambers of commerce have developed long-term plans that have drawn financial and citizen support. In the same way, major cities are making their downtown more user friendly with pedestrian malls, outdoor event venues, river walks, and a small town appeal despite the large office buildings and other structures. That has made Detroit a winner in more ways than sports performance. While the city still faces major infrastructure challenges, it is becoming more of a hometown than a metropolis. In the same way as long time brands revitalize their products and services with research, strategy and a plan based on understanding their changing marketplace and customers, cities around the country are developing a winning strategy that brings back the fans.
If you’ve followed my blog over the years, you know how important I believe a comprehensive brand strategy is to the success of a product or service. I mentioned my five-step process again last month and will continue to remind all of us to follow the strategy as we develop our brands. This month I want to focus on creativity in our message. I’ve been disappointed over the past couple years—especially at seasonal selling seasons—by the lack of innovation and break through message in the marketing messages that pervade all of the media today—both traditional and digital. I find that many campaigns suffer from what my former colleague and Doner Agency CEO, Alan Kalter, called “emulitis”. That’s the tendency of major advertisers to copy what their more successful competitors are doing in their marketing messages. That leads to a lack of individuality and rarely provides the reason for being nor the memorability of the message.
Advertisers for years have sought to have their messages to be memorable and to catch the attention of a customer base that has been inundated with an overwhelming amount of similar advertising. They usually demand more creativity from their marketing staffs and agencies. However, just being unique or intrusive (or oftentimes, silly) is not enough. During my years as both a client and an agency exec, I found that whenever a new campaign or creative execution was presented and it fell flat or just didn’t seem to be on the mark, it was because those creating the messages had failed to revisit the brand strategy and its unique selling proposition adequately before developing a script, layout, or storyboard. The creatives often became so focused on a unique, funny, or out-of-the box execution, that they neglected to remind the audience of why they should try or continue to use the product or service they were selling.
I remember going through 3 or 4 rounds of presentations with our agency (who had done award winning campaigns for us and who were some of most creative minds I ever worked with) and getting frustrated that all of the ideas seemed to be off-target. No matter what we reviewed, the ads simply fell flat as we reviewed and discussed. In frustration, I suggested that we take a look again at the original brand strategy that we had developed several months earlier and had resulted in great, memorable campaigns that we were able to extend to in-store and internal communications as well. During that review, one of the creative directors admitted that they really hadn’t discussed the strategy again and that this really clarified the direction. A week later they came back with a campaign that we ran successful for three years with simple updates and modifications.
Advertising legend, Leo Burnett, always emphasized that you should never insult or talk-down to your customers’ intelligence. As I watch and observe some recent campaigns in the market today, I have to say that many are thinking that their customers are still in junior high or simply not thinking. Creativity is determining the message that you need to convey and then finding a way to make it not only appeal to brain of the customer, but also touch the heart,
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