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!