Word of Mouth Sways Women's Buying Decisions

From a recent Word of Mouth Marketing Association newsletter...
When it comes to influencing women's purchases, family and friends have the most impact, finds a recent survey conducted by WOMMA member company Ketchum.

"Before women go shopping, they go CROPing, looking for CRedibleOPinions," maintains Kelley Skoloda, Partner and Director of Ketchum'sGlobal Brand Marketing Practice. "They trim research time by consulting a few close friends and family members, as well as experts, local news andmagazines. These people offer credible opinions by validating research and helping to determine buying decisions. It's the intersection of two very hot marketing topics -- word-of-mouth and influencers."

Of the women surveyed, 91% indicate that family and friends give either "very" or "somewhat" credible information, and women follow these influencers' lead when it comes to making decisions about buying consumer-packaged goods, consumer electronics, and food.

Other findings:

• 7 in 10 women do research prior to making big purchases.
• 25% of women claim they are the first to try new products and services.

Click this link to read the article and learn more.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Assemble a listener panel of female listeners to evaluate new offerings from clients.
  
• Create a weekly podcast convering cool things (advertiser services, products) in which our listeners would be interested.
  
• Connect the ideas above with an advertiser campaign of :60s that promote the web-component.

Dollar Stores Worth an Ad Buck or Two?

A discussion at RetailWire.com shares some info on Dollar Stores as an industry -- they are not the dirty and dingy places that many might associate with the old five-and-dime stores.

Most the chain versions of these stores are stocked with brand name merchandise, and some even have fresh produce, refrigerated and frozen foods. The article doesn't pretend that a consumer would do all their shopping at these stores, but there are several categories where real savings can be had: school/office supplies, holiday and party supplies, household cleaners, paper products, and snack foods.

Deals found at dollar stores are drawing a larger portion of the population. According to ACNielsen, 70% of households shopped at a dollar store last year.

Want to hear another surprising statistic? The top four chains in this retail channel have a combined sales revenue of almost $20 BILLION dollars, and three of them rank among the top-ten retailers in the Unisted States.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Don't forget the Audience DNA statistics we received, and look deeper than just being able to save our audience money.
  
• What if they sponsored our Mix Marketplace / 50%-Off page?
  
• If you've read this far, here's a reward: The first person on the RadiOhio, Inc. Sales Team to stop by Don's desk and mention this post will received a $25 restaurant certificate.
  
• Is there a snack food ad buy in which they might be paired-up?
  
• How about sponsoring a pet adoption promo? (These stores sell a lot of pet supplies.)
  
• What about cleaning supplies for a "home for the holidays" or "spring cleaning" connection?

You can read the full article and comments at this link, but you'll need to register as a user on the site (but it's free and well worth the TON of information you can find in just about any retails category.)

How to be better than 90% of other salespeople

According to Reed Publishing's CARR Reports, here are the statistics on how quickly most salespeople give up on calling prospects --

• 50% after the first call
• 65% after the second call
• 80% after the third call
• 90% after four calls

This means that all you need is FIVE Valid Business Reasons to call back a prospect and you'll be better than 90% of everyone else in your field.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:
Here are some random reasons to make contact --

1. Share a news article or magazine story
   
   
2. Provide a copy of an industry-related white paper or report
   
   
3. Drop off a few business leads for the prospect's company
   
   
4. Invite them to a networking event
   
   
5. Invite them to a station event so they can meet our audience
   
   
6. Send them a great business book signed by the author
   
   
7. Send them a signed CD from a core station artist
   
   
8. Send them a signed piece of sports memorabilia
   
   
9. Invite them to a business seminar
   
   
10. Invite them to a business seminar at which you are the featured speaker
    
    
11. Ask them to participate in a business/marketing/service/leadership survey
    
    
12. Offer to share the results of a business/marketing/service/leadership survey

There -- You now have THREE TIMES the average number of reasons to contact a prospect. I'm sure you have a few dozen more of your own. Make a master checklist and use it for each prospect. Don't stop calling until you cross at least five of them off your list, you'll be better than 90% of the other salespeople!

Interesting Stats & Studies

48 Million Consumers Have Posted Internet Content
Thirty-five percent of internet users claim to have posted online content, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project's report "Home Broadband Adoption 2006."

Other findings:

• 8% of all internet users surveyed have created/work on an online journal/blog
  
• 14% have created/work on their own web page
  
• 13% have created/work on web pages or blogs for others (friends, work, etc.)
  
• 26% have shared something online that they created -- including artwork, photos, stories, or videos
  
• 37% of men and 32% of women surveyed were content creators
  
• Content creators included 43% of 18- to 29-year-olds, 36% of 30- to 49-year-olds, 29% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and 18% of those 65 and over.

Learn more: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Broadband_trends2006.pdf

Twenty percent of online advertisers are ready to test viral marketing in vehicles such as blogs this year, though the majority of consumers (69%) don't trust the product information found on social media sites, according to a recent Jupiter Research report. The report contends, that Consumers are twice as likely to trust information they find on a company or professional review site.

Other findings:

• After viewing an online ad, consumers are three times more likely to simply research the product using a search engine than to forward the ad to a friend
  
• 52% of online advertisers attempting it this year are new to viral marketing
  
• 71% hope to increase brand awareness with viral campaigns
  
• 54% expect to drive online sales with online viral marketing
  
• 44% expect to drive offline sales with online viral marketing

Learn more: http://www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/research:concept/1231/id=97731/http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=19880

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• The stat saying Consumers are twice as likely to trust information found on a review site fits perfectly with the function of a readio station website.
  
• Check out the age of 'content creators' -- 36% of 30-49 years olds, and 29% of 50-64 year olds -- Those are pretty good percentages of our respective audience that can be reach through online marketing components of campaigns run on Mix 97.1 and 1460 The Fan.

A Promotion of Operatic Proportions

An article in today's NY Times spoke of a promotion run by their opera company that sells 200 prime seats to every weeknight performance for just $20 each. The idea to appeal to those who might be interested in attending the opera by lowering the cost to attend, thereby lessening the risk of trying something new.

From the article...
Last week, the opera house announced that it would sell 200 seats for every weeknight performance for just $20 each. Tickets for these seats, which would normally sell for $100, go on sale two hours before curtain time. On Tuesday, the day of the announcement, 160 tickets were sold in 20 minutes. The remaining 40 were sold out by 7:10 p.m.

Next door at Lincoln Center, the New York City Opera is in its second season of “Opera-for-All,” selling every seat in the house for $25 on eight evenings over the course of the season. Then there is City Center, where the third season of the Fall for Dance festival, with all tickets priced at $10, concluded Sunday. And the Off Broadway Signature Theater Company, which specializes in American playwrights, is selling every seat at $15 during the eight-week scheduled run of each show through the spring.

This could be a very effective promotion for any of our local theater companies -- Broadway Series, BalletMet, Catco, etc.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Catco has an $11.50 @ 11 program theatre-goers who want to see a play mid-week (Wednesday) and mid-day (11 am) at a great price ($11.50).
  
• Use our Keyword (MixWord/FanWord) programs to tag the end of commercial spots and link site visitors to a promotional where they can buy the event tickets for $9.71 or $14.60 (depending on the station). This offers not just a great deal to the listener, but an excellent way to track performance of the on-air offer.
  
• Why not sell 50 tickets at half price, rather than giving away 10 for free?
  
• Tie event advertisers into the Mix Marketplace -- instead of giving away tickets on the air, sell them for a fraction of their face value thru the 50% off site. The promotional mentions connected to the Mix Marketplace package most likely totals much more than they would have received via live contest mentions.
  
• I know, I know -- you're saying "but the client WANTS on-air contesting!" My response is to say the want RESULTS, they just think the on-air contest is the way to get them.
  
• Too often, things are valued by want you pay for them. Giving away free tickets via contesting costs people nothing to receive the prize. Do you really think the station's "prize pigs" -- those 5 or 6 people who seem to win EVERYTHING (and frequently have NO idea what they won when they call in) -- are going to use the tickets? A lot of people simply don't bother to enter contests because they have the attitude of "oh, I never win those things." BUT, offering an excellent value to those listeners who truly want to take advantage of the ofer will go much further in delivering those the results our clients are seeking.

Make Mobile Meaningful

Consumers Say 'Make Mobile Ads Relevant'
Consumers are more accepting of ads on their cell phone -- if they are relevant -- says a new report from mobile marketing company Enpocket.

In the study, some 78% of consumers said they would be happy to receive mobile advertising that is tailored to their interests. Of those, 64% would be willing to provide personal details if that data were analyzed to improve relevance of the ads. In addition, 58% of respondents would prefer banner ads displayed on mobile Internet pages to mobile marketing text messages.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Creating topic specific mobile text alerts allows consumers to hone in on information important to THEM
  
• Ideas for alert topics?
  Movie times
  Movie reviews
  CD release info
  New music alert
  Contest alerts
  Health/fitness tips
  School closings
  Sports scores
  Horoscopes
  Daily quote
  Weather
  Traffic alerts
  
• Review the MOBILE MARKETING one-sheet for ideas and pricing on a default mobile alerts package -- see DON for additional ideas!

Disney Plans Ad-Supported Podcasts

This info is about Disney's podcasts for a younger audience, but the overall strategy has direct application to how we can pitch podcasting as another component to a client's ad campaign.

This news may represent a validation of the potential of podcasting -- Radio Disney plans to offer free, ad-supported podcasts that targeted children. Starting in June, Radio Disney began inserting ads into its weekly podcasts. Video-game maker THQ is among the first to sign on.



“For our advertisers, podcasting is just a part of an overall strategy they make with their brand,” says Jean-Paul Colaco, president-general manager of Radio Disney Worldwide. “It’s taking all the pieces and maximizes the impact.”

Disney has advantages over independent podcasters when it comes to ad-supported podcasts. First, parents know the Disney brand and are more likely to be comfortable letting children listen to Disney-branded podcasts. For advertisers, Disney provides an opportunity to provide exposure across a broad range of media types.

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VBRs & Half-Baked:
I've made the really important bits above bold in order to stand out, but I've paraphrased for the benefit of direct application to OUR audiences below --

• Podcasting is just part of an overall strategy
  It's not intended to take the place of traditional media it enhances and complements the message.
  
  
• A radio campaign that includes podcasting maximizes the total impact.
  
  
• Just as the Disney brand allows parents to trust the content to their children, the Mix and Fan brands also deliver an association to trusted content. If clients (like The Beauty Doctor or Columbus Micro) associate their podcasts with our stations, it falls under our trusted brand umbrella.
  
  
• It's similar to when you (as a salesperson) get a personal referral to a potential client -- you walk in with the credibility and trust associated with the referring individual. Think about how much more powerful a personal referral is versus a cold-call.
  
  
• THAT'S the power of a client associating their podcasts and content with our station versus trying to create that brand trust for content on their own.

Butterfinger Points Out Video Contest

Nestle USA teams with YouTube.com for a Butterfinger consumer-content video contest that will award a grand-prize Ultimate Mobile Movie Studio package.

The video contest, "Make the Most of Any Moment," broke last week. Entrants will submit videos that show how Butterfinger (and its orange "Finger" icon) can perk up any mundane moment.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Our stations can easily put out an invitation for the same sort of contest using our listener base and host the video on our sites for voting.
  
• This could be executing as a cross-company Convergence project.
  
• I would suggest also posting the vids on YouTube.com -- their user base could only increase response.
  

Kinds of companies/videos?

• Customer testimonials
• User reviews
• Capturing a memorable event (engagements, anniversaries, vacation)
• Auto Dealers
• Jewelry Stores
• Cleaning Services
• Repair Services
• Handyman
• Restaurants
• Travel Agents
• ...need more ideas?
  See DON!

Alltel 'My Circle' Huddles-up with NFL

From PromoXtra:
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Alltel Brings 'My Celebrity Circle' to NFL
Wireless phone provider Alltel is launching an integrated marketing campaign this month to tout its "My Circle" feature for users. The campaign includes a contest and celebrity endorsements by high-profile NFL receivers.

"My Circle" allows Alltel Wireless customers to get unlimited free calls to and from the 10 phone numbers that matter most to them any time of day or night. "My Circle" numbers can be any combination of wireless, home and office numbers located anywhere in the United States, regardless of local phone company or wireless carrier. These 10 numbers are in addition to customers' mobile-to-mobile calling community and do not require a special handset.
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You may recall seeing the clever Alltel television commercials incorporating lookalikes of spokespeople for each of the major cellular carriers in an effort to illustrate that Alltel's My Circle feature allows free calls to friends no matter which mobile service they use.

With Alltel's intent to promote this feature using NFL players, it certainly opens the door for advertising and promotional opportunities with The Fan.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• A campaign that uses all the on-air personalities to show they can use MyCircle no communicate matter which airshift they work.
• How about a college player based version of the same NFL campaign? Mary B. has a client that is trying to promote former-Buckeye players, perhaps the MyCircle extends to linking players no matter which year they played?
• This can also be applied to Mix -- what if the sports celebs were musicians? My Circle crosses barriers of different record labels? Signed vs. Unsigned artists?

Networks Tout Fall Shows Via Web

From Promo Xtra:
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In an effort to promote the new fall line-up, broadcast networks are turning to the Internet to give viewers a taste of what's to come.

AOL has teamed up with Warner Bros. Television and NBC to feature online premiums of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Twenty Good Years before the shows air this month. The shows will be available at AOL.com/television one week before the network broadcast. The Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip episode launched yesterday and Twenty Good Years rolls out Oct. 4.
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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• With so many shows trying to appeal specifically to male or female viewers, our stations have the perfect individual audiences to which to preview the new fall tv season.
• Why not offer the shows via streaming video from a special TV page on our site(s)?
• Streaming videos could certainly carry a short preroll promoting the network on which the show appears (perfect for the promo requests we get from WWHO and FOX -- and a helluva a lot better than a moldy 'watch and win' contest!)
• The preview page could also offer a ratings-based feedback system to allow visitors to weigh in on what they think of the individual show (1-star = bad... 4-stars = good.)
• Our listeners feel special because they are getting a 'sneak peek' from the station, and the previews are perceived as CONTENT instead of ADVERTISING.

Whirlpool Spins Love & Laundry Social Events

See the linked article for details, but here's the gist of it...

Whirlpool is taking its laundry appliances to the social scene by hosting Spin Cycle events that will give singles a chance to meet, mingle and have some good clean fun while playing laundry-themed games that can earn them Whirlpool prizes.

The first of four Whirlpool Spin Cycle event loads up in Atlanta on Sept. 7 at the brand's Insperience Studio, a showroom featuring Whirlpool appliances. Others will hit restaurants, lounges and unique locations in Minneapolis and Charlotte, NC, before the cycle ends on Oct. 9 in Dallas.

Whirlpool hopes to connect singles to its brand through social events. Relationship expert Dr. Pepper Schwartz who penned the relationship guide Finding Your Perfect Match will host each singles mixers event. Playing off of the age-old, romanticized notion of people finding their match at the Laundromat, each Spin Cycle will feature laundry-related games. For instance, Find Your Sole Mate matches couples based on socks, and a Laundry Olympics tests who can perform timed chores the fastest, such as folding bed sheets blindfolded. Winners receive Whirlpool Fabric Fresheners and copies of Finding Your Perfect Match.

Throughout the evening, consumers will get to tinker with the brand's new suite of appliances aimed to fit their lifestyles; whether a bachelor doing mini-loads in a city apartment (Duet Sport system) or a family doing several loads of laundry each day (Cabrio system).

Each event is geared toward reaching second-time singles (divorcees) and singles over 30 because of their level of disposable income, Whirlpool said.

Whirlpool paired with relationship Web site Perfectmatch.com to draw Perfectmatch.com's relationship-minded members to the event in each region. E-mail blasts were sent to the Web site's members, and some event-goers will receive a free Perfectmatch.com membership.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• A chance to create "It's Just Laundry"?
• Involve 'big box' retailers?
• What about the local 'suds & duds' type places?
• I've seen a internet cafe / laundromat combination...
• Whirlpool's focus on 'second-time singles' and 30+ singles match well with Mix audience

Back To College Spending Stats

College students and their parents plan to spend $36.6 billion for the return to campus, according to the National Retail Federation. That’s a 3.6% increase over last year's spending, and more than double the NRF's projected $17.6 billion spending for the K-12 back-to-school season. This year's combined spending for back-to-college and K-12 back-to-school will rank second only to holiday spending.

The NRF expects spending on electronics (including flat screen TVs, Xboxes, iPods and notebook computers) to jump 27.5% to $10.46 billion, and spending on dorm furnishings to rise 5.4% to nearly $4 billion. Incoming freshmen will spend the most, averaging $1,112, mostly on electronics and dorm furnishings, and seniors will spend about half that, averaging $558.

Here's a link to some great charts/graphs showing 'who's spending what'.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• A virtual shopping list of clients/prospects and categories to approach.
• Opportunity for second-hand stores?
• Close-out sales?
• Perhaps some discounting through Mix Marketplace.
• Malls/Shopping Centers.

Agencies See Surge in Online Revenue

Excerpts from: Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle) - August 25, 2006
by Heidi Dietrich, Staff Writer

Online advertising, just a tiny sliver of the ad business only a few years ago, is growing so fast that many local ad agencies now rely on it for at least half of their revenue.

The trend is seen around the country. Ad industry research firm TNS Media Intelligence reported this week that overall ad spending declined 0.3 percent in May as compared with a year earlier -- the first decline in four years -- but online spending rose 18.9 percent, to $793 million.

Advertising firms say clients now expect a multi-faceted campaign with online as one of the key components. Jim Copacino, president of Seattle-based Copacino+Fujikado, said ad firms and clients alike want to reach a consumer in as many ways as possible, meaning the combination of online and traditional media is inevitable.

Dave Remer, CEO and creative director of Seattle-based Remer Inc., said no ad firm could survive without Web expertise these days. "You just can't have an agency stop short of the Web," Remer said.

Online advertising has become particularly desirable to clients, ad execs say, because interactive metrics allow companies to know how consumers are responding to ads. Click-throughs and page views are immediate feedback for how a campaign is working.

"Online is hot because it has a lot better metrics than any other medium," said Tom Horton, CEO of Horton Lantz & Low.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Overall ad spending is down, but Online Ad buys are UP.
  
• Take Don along to help educate your agency clients -- THEIR Clients are asking for web/interactive, but many agencies aren't knowledgable enough to suggest effective strategies.
  
• If measurement is key, suggest clients use FanWord or MixWord.
  
• Copacino's quote in the article is dead-on -- it's the inevitable COMBINATION of mediums (Traditional and Online) that will make the difference.

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Boomers are a Booming Business Online

WashingtonPost.com (free registration required for access to the source article) reports that the Boomer generation is taking to the web in increasing numbers, and supplies info on how they are using features and service found online --

Half of all Americans over 60 years old use the Internet, while more than 80 percent of baby boomers are online. Nearly 21 million boomers and 7 million Americans born before 1946 have been online for more than decade.

Most older Americans use the Internet for e-mailing, but some users make travel arrangements, check news, and find health information online. Thirty percent of web-savvy boomers shop online a few times a month, the same percentage as younger generations. "Our goal for this study was to find different behaviors than conventional beliefs," said Mike Irwin, president at Focalyst, a market search company focused on older consumers. "The degree to which these Americans use the Internet is much greater than what most people would think."

Irwin expects to see older Americans to increasingly use the Internet for financial transactions and management as they become more confident in Internet security. Online social networks that have lured younger users may also become more popular with younger boomers.

Focalyst's findings are part of a larger survey studying the behaviors of older generations.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Excellent source material for calling on verticals mentioned in the article.
• Rebuttle statements for claims that the web is strictly for the young.
• Companies that train Boomers to use their online tools ahead of the competition will win.
• Create member-interactive social hubs on the web targeted to Boomers.

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EBay & Family Circle Small Space Design Contest

EBay and Family Circle magazine have joined forces on a contest that looks for a resourceful consumer who can redesign a small space using only items purchased on eBay.

Entrants must submit, in 250 words or less, their ideas about how to creatively redesign a small space using items purchased on eBay.com. A before picture must be included and the space to be redesigned can not exceed 150 square feet.

The eBay & Family Circle's Designing Small Spaces Contest can be entered at FamilyCircle.com/smallspace or at eBay.com/smallspace.

Click here for the full article

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• In what ways might we apply this to existing clients?
  
• Can we pair a prospect with an existing client?
  
• What if we took this concept outside of the home
  -- Garage makeover? Garden? Cubicle?

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Jeep to Muddy Up Consumers at State Fair

Consumers desperately searching through a three-foot-deep pool of slushy, slippery mud to find sticks may drive home a new Jeep. It's the brand's latest stunt to engage consumers and get them digging for a chance to win the grand prize.

On Sept. 29, the start of the State Fair of Texas, up to 120 randomly selected consumers who register at JeepStickInTheMudChallenge.com will participate in the Jeep Stick in the Mud Challenge to win the brand's first four-door Jeep Wrangler.
As reported in PromoXtra By Andrew Scott

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Columbus has very active/passionate Classic Car content
• Concept for presence at Ohio State Fair? Tailgate?
• Doesn't have to be 'muddy' -- what about Hummers? Lambos? VW?
• Keep economy cars running around a track to see who gets the best gas mileage?
• Could you do it with motorcycles? Bicycles? Running shoes?

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Secrets of the Male Shopper

Great article in this past week's BWOnline on the topic of targeted males in your marketing. Advertising to men falls into more than the two cliched columns of the Metrosexual (fashion and 'product' obsessed) and the Retrosexual (sports and beer obsessed) -- they only account for about 5% of the male population on either side of the spectrum.

Here's how you reach the rest.

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Appeal to their inner-geek
  Think Dyson vacuums and Bugaboo's new stroller
  
• Allow for Advertiser-Activism
  Today's males want to interact with their brands -- Just look at all the parody ads on YouTube
  
• Not just Quick-Buyers -- They are Browsers
  Men under 35 shop more like their sisters than their grandfathers
  
• Provide Content Camouflage
  Men's Health, Stuff, and Maxim -- all male mags, BUT -- two in every five pages pitch products. They are masks for men to shop without opening themselves to ridicule from their beer-buddies
  
• Make 'em Comfortable
  Most men might feel a bit out of place at salons and unisex spas -- but add alcohol and ESPN while they wait in queue for their pedicures and manicures, call it a "Grooming Lounge", and you just might have a $4-million dollar business like Washington DC's Michael Gilman and Pirooz Sarshar

KFC Cooks Up Moms Panel

Quoted from the article in BrandWeek:

"...KFC announced the formation of a panel made up of moms who will help guide the brand. The “KFC Moms Matter! Advisory Board” is designed to get the Yum! Brands-owned chain in touch with family needs.

Members will give their two cents regarding everything from new product ideas to trendspotting. The first order of business is creating an online community for moms that will go live next year. Offline, the Moms Matter group will meet twice a year, hold quarterly conference calls and host monthly dinner meetings in their hometowns.

The move mirrors McDonald’s “Global Mom’s Panel” which was announced in early May. The burger chain chats with moms from six countries about issues regarding the brand.

KFC received a blow in June when the Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a suit against the chain. CSPI said, in a statement, the use of partially hydrogenated oil “puts customers at risk of a Kentucky Fried Coronary.” The suit aims to compel KFC to eliminate or disclose the use of “artery-clogging frying oil.”

Consumers didn’t seem to mind the health warnings and the chain had a strong year last year. U.S. sales were up 5.8% to $5.2 billion last year, per Technomic, Chicago."

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VBRs & HALF-BAKED:

• Use MIX 97.1 listeners to form a LOCAL panel of Moms
• Client and Moms could meet in RadiOhio conference room
• Send web survey to station eMail list
• Create a mobile text-message survey to poll opt-ins on client questions

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