Palin's media blunders reveal what not to do

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Zicam warning a lesson in crisis communications

Matrixx Initiatives, maker of 19 Zicam-branded products that tackle colds, coughs and allergies, is in the midst of a public relations nightmare. Last week, the FDA advised the public to discontinue use of over-the-counter Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel and Zicam Cold Remedy Gel Swabs. The FDA warns that 130 users of the products reported anosmia (loss of the sense of smell). The warning is particularly intriguing since Matrixx paid $12 million in a 2006 settlement to more than 300 Zicam users who made the same claim.

An FDA warning to discontinue use of a company's product is normally a shot through the heart, but Matrixx is playing this hand of crisis management very well. After all, Matrixx's Zicam brand has broad shoulders with almost 20 products bearing that name.

Matrixx's first good move is not picking a fight with a very well-regarded government entity. The FDA's credibility far surpasses that of any private company. So Matrixx, which claims it was surprised by the FDA's announcement, says it wants to work with the agency, including sharing its 10 years of scientific data on the products. Rather than taking on city hall right now, Matrixx is simply saying it disagrees with the FDA and wants to show them the facts. That's a good start.
Then Matrixx pulls the two Zicam products in question off the shelves and offers consumers full refunds. The FDA does not have the authority to recall Zicam, but Matrixx does so demonstrating goodwill for public safety.

In addition to the company's use of traditional PR blitzes on the airwaves and next day-full page ads in newspapers like USA Today; Matrixx is also handling this crisis with social media. The Zicam PR team updates followers on Twitter and provides its over 400 friends on Facebook with key information about the recall.

Matrixx has also overhauled the Zicam Web site with a video message from their CEO, wearing a button down shirt minus the jacket and tie, fully disclosing the FDA warning and telling their side of the story. The Web site also contains a frequently asked questions section about the warning and recall and also includes testimonials from customers who rely on Zicam for everyday living.

Matrixx is not pulling a David Letterman during the Sarah Palin battle of earlier this month and allowing two days to pass before addressing the issue. The company is proactively protecting its brand and company credibility, to the best of its ability, during this very public set back.
Crisis management starts immediately, assesses how to be credible to the public, is truthful and leverages all available communications channels.

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 to create an awesome trade-show presentation

If you've walked through any type of trade show, you know that if someone is going to get your attention, his booth must either dazzle your senses or really have something specific you need.
Most of the time, companies are selling products or services that consumers don't necessarily know they need. When preparing to promote your business at a trade show, be prepared to put your best foot forward.

The last thing you want to do at an expo is show up with just some business cards and sit at your table, hoping someone will come to talk to you.

The first step in creating a compelling trade-show presentation is signage and displays that will get you noticed. Make sure if people just breeze by your booth, they know your name and exactly what you do. So, less is more.

But design your signage and displays so that they grab the show attendees' attention. While keeping within your company's brand, trade booth displays that are highly creative and well-designed are the ones that will be most effective and memorable. There are many choices in buying easy-to-set-up, high-impact displays that act as a powerful backdrop to your booth.
Many companies that display at trade shows leverage multi-media to stand out. Showcasing your products and portfolio on a flat screen monitor or projector always adds to the sophistication of your presentation.

If you sell a product, try to have it at the show. If you sell hot tubs, have some hot tubs there. If you are a restaurant, provide some free samples. Tasting and touching your product is a better sell than even the most convincing salesperson.

Giveaways are also a great way to draw traffic to your booth. Often times, companies ask show guests to drop in a business card for a free gift drawing. For the cost of an iPod or free service or product from your company, you will get a lot of contacts and traffic to your booth with a simple raffle.

Finally, give visitors to your booth a bit of collateral to take with them. A brochure, flier or informational kit will continue your selling. Collateral handouts at trade show events that are well-done also add credibility to your pitch.

Just like the rest of your advertising, a solid presentation at trade shows should be a priority.

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.

Look beyond boundaries

What are the boundaries of your business? Is your business limited by geographic boundaries? Do you direct your company's sales efforts toward only a few industries or markets?

Who would think a Middletown company known for professional garment cleaning would send a van every day to places as far north as Roscoe or some 50 miles south to Saddle River, N.J.?
Gilman's Cleaners has been doing its road show of pickup and delivery for three generations. Martin Dlugatz, the company's president, says his grandfather rolled out the free service when he opened the business in 1923.

Their business model is admirable and is something other businesses can strive to accomplish: Be innovative to grow outside your natural boundaries.

Quite frankly, there's no lack of choices in selecting a dry cleaner. Consumers in every major town have multiple options. Some cleaners are content with growing solely by walk-in business from their convenient location, but in the case of Gilman's, a steady-drum beat of print advertising promotes their pickup and delivery service to potential customers not in proximity of their Dolson Avenue location.

It's not just the ads selling Gilman's mobile service. Dlugatz leverages his pickup and delivery drivers as a commission-based sales force.

"We actually have eight vehicles picking up and dropping off clothes every work day," Dlugatz said. "This makes our business very diversified and has been a big part of how we're beating the recession."

The Internet is a huge asset for companies looking to sell products or services outside their natural markets.

ReStore in Newburgh, a furniture, lighting and building materials recycling facility supporting Habitat for Humanity's Greater Newburgh chapter, regularly leverages the Internet to sell items outside its traditional boundaries. Most would assume that ReStore's biggest customers come from Newburgh's surrounding areas, but many donated items are resold to far-away customers found on places like Craigslist.

ReStore manager Chris Knasiak said, "We could just focus all our attention on marketing to the local population, as they do make up most of our sales. But many times, we find out-of-the-area buyers willing to pay top dollar for hard-to-find items. Doing so with a free listing on the Internet is a great way to expand our market — for free."

ReStore's success in selling rare items to broader audiences is a great example of tapping into a demand that exceeds your geographic boundaries.

Strategize on what demands you can meet outside your natural markets. Can you take your product to customer's doorsteps like Gilman's? Do you provide or sell a specialty service or product like ReStore that you can offer outside your current boundaries?

Ask these questions now, and continue to ask them, so as to always be thinking of new sectors of growth.

Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 796-3342, ext. 303.