Twitterfied

It seems like the Twitterverse is blowing up- I can barely turn on the TV without the site being mentioned on the Today Show, CNN, Colbert Report, you name it. In Kansas City, it is no different. Many of the local news stations are doing informational segments, and you can find at least one seminar covering Twitter every week.

But, regardless of the buzz, what does Twitter mean to local businesses? I have attended many of these local sessions, because even though I Twitter, I want to hear from all perspectives. I have heard from older women who "don't get it" to young ad professionals who rely on Twitter as their main method of communication.

Turns out, there are a lot of opportunities out there for local businesses and non-profit organizations. But, don't start bombarding your audience with sales and specials. Instead, provide them with unique content that is relevant to your brand, and you will start to gain their trust as an expert- not as someone just out to make a buck.

Right now, it is mostly national companies seeing success, but that means the local market still has a lot of growth potential.

In the end- it goes back to one solid advertising principle- know your audience. For example, many are surprised to find the average age of Twitter is 37, not younger as some expected. And, with all the coverage Twitter is getting nationally, this demographic will continue to change.

Like other forms of social media, Twitter has some basic principles that help aid success. Do a little on-line research before you start out, including monitoring the Twitterverse.

Good luck!

(you can find Cindy at www.twitter.com/auggy)

Top Klog of the Week- 3/27

A few months ago, we wrote about Original Juan, a specialty foods store here in Kansas City.

This week's idea reminds us a little bit of that brand, and this execution was ingenious. Le Cactus, a wings restaurant in Quebec, was looking for a way to promote it's Hot Wing Mondays. They were working on a tight budget (who isn't these days!) and charged their agency Lg2 to come up with a creative way to market to young adults around Quebec.

The idea was a large sticker, of a man's face, mouth open, that was placed on the back of taxi minivans. When the brake lights come on, the man's mouth lights up in a "blaze." A sticker on the upper right corner of the window reads: "Monday hot wings. Le Cactus."

Simple, creative, and gets the message across.

Sign of the Good Times?

My youngest brother Jason is in retail, and he is always analyzing things. Yesterday he called to ask me if the declining advertising rates were a sign of the economy getting worse.

We talked a while about the auto industry and how in communities across the country, local dealers spend a lot of money in print and broadcast. And how even if this was the only industry hurting, their budget cuts alone would impact media locally and nationally.

Today, I started going through some e-newsletters, and I saw some glimmers of hope:
* Television and cable companies are starting to see auto dealers increase their spending again.
* E-commerce grew 2% in January and February.
* The media upfronts (where national advertisers/networks meet to discuss budget commitments) are looking good- and prices may be higher than anticipated, indicating more ad dollars coming down the pipeline.

What does this mean to you?

If you have been on the fence about making some advertising decisions, this may be the time to do it.

Prices are good, even great, right now. And, we know those who market in down times tend to come out stronger than those who didn't. Take a look at your marketing plan, and start executing your strategies while the getting is good!

Props to a Kansas City Original!

It's gift giving time, and I love looking through all the "hot" lists for inspiration for my loved ones.

Recently, I was browsing through Real Simple magazine, and found a Kansas City product featured, so thought I would throw out some props to them for getting such a tremendous hit.

Original Juan- a specialty foods company which carries various hot and barbeque sauces and more- can easily be identified on grocery shelves, because of the unique and eye-catching label. It has long been one of my favorite brands here in KC, and would encourage those who haven't tried it to give it a taste!

Great job Original Juan- and hope your warehouse has been buzzing after this feature!

The Flexability of Paper

All across the country, we hear about layoffs, and the media world is no different. Recently, our local paper has had several rounds, across all departments.

Many local media planners and buyers incorporate newspaper into their initiatives, and at Kazoo we are no different. We purchase newsprint across the region, and there are many things I have seen emerging over the last few years.

Newspapers often seem to be on the defense with marketers. Instead of working together to tailor an aggressive rate package, they continue to raise their rates every year, and spend most of their time defending their cost increase, instead of making themselves flexible.

Subscription numbers are down, the demographic is continually getting older, and now, with major layoffs across the board, the content is going to start to suffer.

More and more, it begs the question- if major changes are not made at the print level, what IS the future of newsprint?