Last September, Republican loyalists, and a lot of folks in the middle, were excited. Sarah Palin had just rocked the Republican Convention.
She may have been a surprise pick, but she instantly gave McCain a spring in his step.
But that's before going off script. Palin was solid with a teleprompter when she was rolled out as McCain's running mate. However, she fell apart in the clutch.
I remember wanting to crawl under the couch watching the Couric interview on CBS. Palin fumbled lots of times; including rambling, complete confusion on the auto industry bailout and likening her state's proximity to Russia as foreign policy experience.
I felt bad for her. Palin was in over her head, or, at least, not yet ready for the job.
Inevitably, Sarah Palin will be back. She's got lots of fans, those who believe in her and those who find her goofs and mannerisms entertaining.
Look for Palin definitely as a GOP fundraiser, national leader on conservative issues, and even a presidential candidate.
Stay friendly with the media
In order to have any chance of future success on a national platform, Palin will need to change her adversarial relationship with the media. A political candidate, or any business or organization in the public eye, that conducts constant war with the news media only loses.
In Palin's case, you can't fumble time after time in interviews and be taken seriously by the American people. In particular, Palin can't blame the media for her self-inflicted image and credibility woes, as she just did last week in her final speech as governor of Alaska.
Here's something all political candidates should know that Palin doesn't get: you need the media. They will write the story with or without your help. Throwing your arms up and hiding behind Facebook announcements limits your reach and allows others to define you without your input.
In the end, you get more flies with honey. Rather than Palin continuing to insult the media, she needs to stop spinning her goofs and demonstrate she now has a handle on foreign policy and economic issues if she wants credibility.
If she is better prepared, I think a lot of voters will be drawn to her. But to be effective, Palin must re-engage with the news media in a more competent way. The last way to do that is to insult the microphone (the media). Palin will need the media and their interviews. Just hope she isn't asked if Africa is a country or continent.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a marketing and public relations firm serving the Hudson Valley. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 796-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at focusonmarketing.blogspot.com or visit www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
TV and radio ads create memorable connections
Many marketing experts agree that the electronic mediums of radio and television are the best outlets to use when establishing memorable brands.
While a mix of advertising mediums, including print and Web, are essential when establishing your brand and awareness in the marketplace, brands that invest in television and radio stack the deck in becoming memorable.
Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.
Good to the last drop.
The brands, connected to the above slogans, are as follows: Timex, United States Army, M&Ms and Maxwell House coffee. How do you recall first seeing or hearing these slogans? Most likely, you remember them from radio or TV advertisements.
Electronic not for everyone
Let's face it, radio and TV ads aren't for a lot of businesses. This is especially true for companies that sell business-to-business products or serve limited geographic areas. For many of those businesses, nothing beats the targeted circulation zones of newspapers or the captive audiences of trade magazines.
By way of example, a company selling restaurant equipment would best leverage its budget with direct mail to food venues, and an accounting firm would likely find its best dollar spent advertising in newspaper business sections or trade publications. While these broad generalizations of strategies have many exceptions, electronic media doesn't make sense for everyone.
But for many companies and products, electronic advertising that reaches the right groups can be an outstanding vehicle.
There is no denying the power of radio and TV and the compelling connections they can create with audiences.
Do you remember hearing a radio commercial that pulled on your heartstrings and brought a tear to your eye, but then you realized you were crying over a commercial for insurance?
How often have you felt patriotic while watching a TV ad for a politician where a narrator talks about the candidate while showing images like people in front of pickup trucks in a cornfield, a business owner standing proud in front of a Main Street shop and a fireman with a Dalmatian, washing a fire truck?
Don't feel gullible if ads like these ignited an emotion for you. Electronic media has the ability to touch your senses in the right places. Well-crafted radio and TV advertisements are designed to create an emotional connection between you and a product.
Evaluate if your business is a good candidate for radio or TV. Ask yourself: is it an efficient use of financial resources to cover your bases, or will it market to too broad of an audience for the narrow consumer group you are looking to attract?
If advertising on radio or TV can reach your targeted audiences, their power of creating emotional connections and memorable brands will serve you well.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a marketing and public relations firm serving the Hudson Valley. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 796-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at focusonmarketing.blogspot.com, or visit www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
While a mix of advertising mediums, including print and Web, are essential when establishing your brand and awareness in the marketplace, brands that invest in television and radio stack the deck in becoming memorable.
Without looking too far down the page, see if you can connect the slogan with the brand:
It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
Be all that you can be.Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.
Good to the last drop.
The brands, connected to the above slogans, are as follows: Timex, United States Army, M&Ms and Maxwell House coffee. How do you recall first seeing or hearing these slogans? Most likely, you remember them from radio or TV advertisements.
Electronic not for everyone
Let's face it, radio and TV ads aren't for a lot of businesses. This is especially true for companies that sell business-to-business products or serve limited geographic areas. For many of those businesses, nothing beats the targeted circulation zones of newspapers or the captive audiences of trade magazines.
By way of example, a company selling restaurant equipment would best leverage its budget with direct mail to food venues, and an accounting firm would likely find its best dollar spent advertising in newspaper business sections or trade publications. While these broad generalizations of strategies have many exceptions, electronic media doesn't make sense for everyone.
But for many companies and products, electronic advertising that reaches the right groups can be an outstanding vehicle.
There is no denying the power of radio and TV and the compelling connections they can create with audiences.
Do you remember hearing a radio commercial that pulled on your heartstrings and brought a tear to your eye, but then you realized you were crying over a commercial for insurance?
How often have you felt patriotic while watching a TV ad for a politician where a narrator talks about the candidate while showing images like people in front of pickup trucks in a cornfield, a business owner standing proud in front of a Main Street shop and a fireman with a Dalmatian, washing a fire truck?
Don't feel gullible if ads like these ignited an emotion for you. Electronic media has the ability to touch your senses in the right places. Well-crafted radio and TV advertisements are designed to create an emotional connection between you and a product.
Evaluate if your business is a good candidate for radio or TV. Ask yourself: is it an efficient use of financial resources to cover your bases, or will it market to too broad of an audience for the narrow consumer group you are looking to attract?
If advertising on radio or TV can reach your targeted audiences, their power of creating emotional connections and memorable brands will serve you well.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a marketing and public relations firm serving the Hudson Valley. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 796-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at focusonmarketing.blogspot.com, or visit www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Targeted networking will help you get ahead
There is no denying it: It's who you know.
Yes, it's true: Having connections can give you a leg up in this world. As it applies to professional opportunities, knowing the right network of people who can refer your product or service can open doors for you.
Many professionals and businesses have made their success by word-of-mouth endorsements. Some businesses will testify that they have made their fortune mostly by leads generated by referrals.
Just as your advertisements must deliver on your promises to be credible, your reputation should do the same. So the obvious first step in getting referrals is to be worthy. Before you can expect to generate business from any network or relationship, make sure the quality of your product or service is something people will gladly refer.
Did you ever make a business referral and then your recommendation did not come through for your friend? Bet it made you look bad, or at least you regretted making the suggestion. It has happened to everyone, so most people are careful before sticking their necks out to make a referral. The lesson for the business professional: While you always should go the extra mile when someone refers you, go even further when someone else's reputation is on the line.
If your product or service does indeed deliver with quality, don't just network with anybody; invest your valuable time with groups that will potentially help you generate business leads. If "it's who you know," stack the deck in your favor by getting to know the right people.
You should invest significant resources marketing yourself to this targeted network. Send these contacts e-mail updates or mailed newsletters about your latest news and products. Catch up with them at mixers and events and support their causes. As a rule, focused messaging to the right 300 sources for referrals is far better than marketing to the wrong 3,000 people.
Chances are that the people you seek close ties with would likely benefit from your referrals as well. So it's a two-way street. Refer people in business who will make you look good and deliver for your friends. What's more, if your product is strong, hopefully they will do the same for you.
There's nothing more admirable than knocking on the front door and earning your opportunities, but what's wrong with a little help from your friends?
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a marketing and public relations firm serving the Hudson Valley. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 796-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at focusonmarketing.blogspot.com or visit www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
Yes, it's true: Having connections can give you a leg up in this world. As it applies to professional opportunities, knowing the right network of people who can refer your product or service can open doors for you.
Many professionals and businesses have made their success by word-of-mouth endorsements. Some businesses will testify that they have made their fortune mostly by leads generated by referrals.
Just as your advertisements must deliver on your promises to be credible, your reputation should do the same. So the obvious first step in getting referrals is to be worthy. Before you can expect to generate business from any network or relationship, make sure the quality of your product or service is something people will gladly refer.
Did you ever make a business referral and then your recommendation did not come through for your friend? Bet it made you look bad, or at least you regretted making the suggestion. It has happened to everyone, so most people are careful before sticking their necks out to make a referral. The lesson for the business professional: While you always should go the extra mile when someone refers you, go even further when someone else's reputation is on the line.
If your product or service does indeed deliver with quality, don't just network with anybody; invest your valuable time with groups that will potentially help you generate business leads. If "it's who you know," stack the deck in your favor by getting to know the right people.
You should invest significant resources marketing yourself to this targeted network. Send these contacts e-mail updates or mailed newsletters about your latest news and products. Catch up with them at mixers and events and support their causes. As a rule, focused messaging to the right 300 sources for referrals is far better than marketing to the wrong 3,000 people.
Chances are that the people you seek close ties with would likely benefit from your referrals as well. So it's a two-way street. Refer people in business who will make you look good and deliver for your friends. What's more, if your product is strong, hopefully they will do the same for you.
There's nothing more admirable than knocking on the front door and earning your opportunities, but what's wrong with a little help from your friends?
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a marketing and public relations firm serving the Hudson Valley. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 796-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at focusonmarketing.blogspot.com or visit www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
Friday, July 10, 2009
To be a leading brand, you must always deliver
Your customers and the customers you hope to get have choices. What's more, the marketplace is crowded with lots of advertising noise, making it a challenge to get noticed through the clutter.
How do you stand out? A powerful brand is a core necessity.
Your brand goes well beyond your logo and slogan.
Does the brand Harley-Davidson carry a loyal following? Ask anyone who owns a Harley if they would ever own a similarly-styled Yamaha motorcycle.
Does BMW live up to being the ultimate driving machine? Take an M6 on a test drive and you'll agree.
All brands make promises in the media, corporate brochures and advertising, but successful brands deliver on their promises with service and product quality.
In order to become a leading brand, a product must be credible. That means delivering each and every time on your promise.
To illustrate, imagine if your favorite lunch venue that promotes itself as having the "thickest and tastiest heroes" started making your sandwiches thinner. Bad move. Even if the joint is trying to reduce expenses because of the economy, it's not worth it. Never ever stop delivering on your promise.
It is just as bad if the sandwich shop had varied hero thicknesses based on which employee made it. Keep your product quality consistent.
Creating and maintaining a successful brand also means providing a superior product. If the sandwich shop was not making heroes with quality meats, that will never allow the shop's claim of the "tastiest heroes" to be credible with customers.
I recently purchased a few televisions for my new office. I already made up my mind to buy Sony-brand flat-screens. But one of my friends took me to the local electronics store and helped me compare the Sony product with brand B. I couldn't tell if there was a picture quality difference and the specs on paper were very close. The Sonys, however, were hundreds of dollars more.
I ended up buying the Sony televisions anyway. The years of Sony advertising and articles touting the company's cutting edge quality made the brand strong enough for me to pay more for it. I'm not alone out there. In fact, Sony positions itself as a superior electronics maker and consistently delivers — giving the company one of the most successful brands in the world.
If you have your brand promise and execution aligned, get the word out to key audiences and continue to keep delivering on what you say.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a marketing and public relations firm serving the Hudson Valley. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 796-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at focusonmarketing.blogspot.com or visit www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
How do you stand out? A powerful brand is a core necessity.
Your brand goes well beyond your logo and slogan.
Does the brand Harley-Davidson carry a loyal following? Ask anyone who owns a Harley if they would ever own a similarly-styled Yamaha motorcycle.
Does BMW live up to being the ultimate driving machine? Take an M6 on a test drive and you'll agree.
All brands make promises in the media, corporate brochures and advertising, but successful brands deliver on their promises with service and product quality.
In order to become a leading brand, a product must be credible. That means delivering each and every time on your promise.
To illustrate, imagine if your favorite lunch venue that promotes itself as having the "thickest and tastiest heroes" started making your sandwiches thinner. Bad move. Even if the joint is trying to reduce expenses because of the economy, it's not worth it. Never ever stop delivering on your promise.
It is just as bad if the sandwich shop had varied hero thicknesses based on which employee made it. Keep your product quality consistent.
Creating and maintaining a successful brand also means providing a superior product. If the sandwich shop was not making heroes with quality meats, that will never allow the shop's claim of the "tastiest heroes" to be credible with customers.
I recently purchased a few televisions for my new office. I already made up my mind to buy Sony-brand flat-screens. But one of my friends took me to the local electronics store and helped me compare the Sony product with brand B. I couldn't tell if there was a picture quality difference and the specs on paper were very close. The Sonys, however, were hundreds of dollars more.
I ended up buying the Sony televisions anyway. The years of Sony advertising and articles touting the company's cutting edge quality made the brand strong enough for me to pay more for it. I'm not alone out there. In fact, Sony positions itself as a superior electronics maker and consistently delivers — giving the company one of the most successful brands in the world.
If you have your brand promise and execution aligned, get the word out to key audiences and continue to keep delivering on what you say.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a marketing and public relations firm serving the Hudson Valley. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 796-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at focusonmarketing.blogspot.com or visit www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
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