Can You Tell The Difference

It was a tagline in an old ABC detergent commercial



Does it work today?

If your name is Walmart, yes.

Remember, all things being equal, transactional advertising loses to the big boys almost all the time.

Your advertising needs to focus on how you can solve a client's problem instead of a bunch of platitudes about your business.

Here is an example of how the little guy can compete with the big boys in a very competitive for Chabluk's Plumbing and Heating in Oakbank Manitoba.

The spot features the owner and he delivers a strong positioning statement that he may not as big as the big boys but he is small enough to answer your call.

When was the last time you called the big boys and your call wasn't re-routed to a call centre ?  And possibly a call centre in another country?

Who Buys Cars

You would think its a million dollar question.  It isn't.

Ad agencies continue to produce TV ads targeting to young people but they don't buy as many cars as boomers.

Christina Rogers wrote a piece in the Wall Street Journal this past August about who is buying cars.  

"Last year, buyers 55 and older accounted for more than 40% of all new car sales, up from 33% in 2008 while buyers between the ages of 18 and 34 represented only 12% of new-car purchases. And that is down from 14% five years ago, according to Edmunds.com" writes Rogers.

So if young people are not buying cars why do ad agencies continue to produce TV ads targeted to those that buy fewer cars?  

If you have watched any NFL game in Canada this season you have heard the Bruno Mars song, "Locked out of Heaven" a bazillion times in the Nissan Pathfinder ad.   Bruno is also a very hot contemporary artist so they are paying dearly to use his song.

And in true lemming fashion the ad agency for Mazda has decided to kill another top 40 song in their latest TV ad.  


           
They say things happen in threes.

Who is the next lemming?

Sports Announcer Who Use $$$ Instead Of Time

A buck 32 left in this period!

When did this become acceptable.

When I pay for something, the cashier doesn't say that will be an hour and 45 minutes!

Grow up,

Follow Up To Future Shop Online Service

Future Shop ‏@FutureShop45m

@tonymariani Sorry to hear. At busy times & for fast selling items, the online checker may not be 100% current. Pls check w/store directly.

This was Future Shop's response a day later about my tweet about their online service.

If this was your social media department, would they still be working for you?

How would you have handled this? 

Is Your Online Store Working

I was online at futureshop.ca new year's day looking for a printer.

Found one.

They allow you to reserve the item for 24 hours at the store you choose, providing they have it in stock.

They do.

Click, click send and my printer is ready the next day.

Or so I thought.

I showed up the next day.

Chap asks if I received the email confirmation.

Nope.

Oh that is going to be a problem, he says.

Its noon and he tells me he is back logged with about 300 emails to send out.

They don't have the item he doesn't know if they will be getting any in.

I figured I would look for another.

My smart phone goes off.  It's his email.

That hit the wrong nerve.

I find a store manager.

Tell him my story but of course I am getting what he can't do for me.

It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry was trying to reserve a car.



And if Future Shop knew how to take a reservation I would have that printer.

And by the way Future Shop, while I was in your store today I tweeted my complaint.

Three hours later I tweeted again about it.

Last time Future Shop tweeted?

 ‏@FutureShop

31 Dec

New Year's Clearout SALE on NOW! SAVE up to $1000 on TV's and much more. Jan. 1 & 2. Shop now! http://ow.ly/sbqFI 

So who is minding the online and social media store at Future Shop?

Anyone?  Bueller?

Hudson's Bay Could Learn From Apple

I love Apple but after the iOS 7 update, hate it!

It came glitches.  I lost some data so off to the Apple store.

20 minutes later, problem solved.

And I left buying a new case for my iphone.

Back to loving Apple.

Hudson's Bay should borrow a page from Apple.

Hudson's Bay spends millions in advertising.

But they can't seem to find anyone to man a cash register.

Apple gets it.  

They have the portable handheld devices that takes credit cards and debit cards. And they email you your receipt.

Think of how much data you have now collected.  The marketing you can do.

And save me the aggravation of walking through your store looking to give someone money!

Want To Sell More? Fire Your Ad Agency.

If you are in advertising sales, the headline shouldn't surprise you.

The right of passage in advertising is to knock heads with an ad agency when they have not included you in a buy.

Ad agencies buy media based on age groups like adults 25-54, adults 18-49, females 25-54.

When you focus on age groups,  a very important criteria is missed,  the ones with money!

Derek Dunham has a great post about a large group of people who are ignored by almost all advertising.

"But with less than 5% of advertising spend aimed specifically at this age group, advertisers are either not seeing the opportunity or don't know how to engage this audience", writes Dunham.

I am 53 and my youngest are twins who will be 25 in January.  Both work and they do okay.

The wear running shows and I wear dress shoes.

I own my house, they rent.

Our cars are paid for, they have payments.

Can you see the picture?

Other than being related the only thing we have in common is we are in the 25-54 age group.

Bob Hoffman and Sharon Krinsky and their Type | A agency have put together a great video.

If you want to sell more, watch this.