The Power of One Little Yellow Card

On the way to work this morning, I ran by my neighborhood grocery store to pick up a few items for the day. When I got to work, I unpacked my wares, and staring back at me was one little, yellow card.

This little card was not a coupon, it was not a receipt, or even a renegade label. Instead, there were 5 little words staring up at me- "Sacked with pride by Mark".

Now, I don't know the story behind the little yellow card, nor do I know when they started doing this. But, there was something touching about it- and the minute I saw the hand signed scrap of paper, this local grocery store somehow felt like MY local grocery store.

Reaching out to customers doesn't take much- a name remembered, an offer of assistance, or even a tiny yellow card. But reaching out in what seems like a little way can actually be one huge stride forward.

Fall Premiere Reviews #4- Modern Family

This is what I have been waiting for- my HOME RUN of the season. I actually watched the first episode last week, and laughed so hard, I wanted to watch the second one to make sure it wasn't a one trick pony. All three families are charming, and I think almost everyone can relate to their awkward quirkiness and dysfunctionality.

I think it is partially this that makes it a great fit for a variety of audiences. Young, old, men, women- I have heard positive feedback from everyone. Humor combined with heart touching story lines- combined in a documentary style format.

This all combined makes it a great program to include in any of your upcoming buys.

Modern Family- on ABC, Wednesdays at 8pm CST.

It's a must watch, and a must buy.

Fall Premiere Reviews #3- Jay Leno Show

I, like many of you have been bombarded the last few weeks with mega-promotion around the Jay Leno Show. I even heard someone say they (NBC) was hoping that Jay Leno moving to prime time would REVOLUTIONALIZE televeision.

Revolutionize? Wow! Not since MTV launched the Real World have I seen anything that I would call revolutionary. And, as familiar as we all are with the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the promos just seemed extensions of that format. Just because it runs an hour and a half earlier, doesn't mean that is ground breaking.

The best thing about the show I saw tonight was there were some good guest appearances. I mean Kayne- great luck with that one. And, Oprah/Seinfeld- all good with the older crowd. But, any season premiere would garner great guests. What is the show's potential long term?

I am sure that the Jay Leno Show will hold on for a while- but I don't see it being much more than mediocre in the long run.

When will I look to buy the Jay Leno Show- well, I think it will be a very efficeint buy for prime. So, if you are looking for an inexpensive way to get some exposure in prime, I think this will be it. But, it will not replace any of the premium programming you should be looking at.

Also, this will probably not be a good buy if you are buying younger demos- I would anticipate this will skew older, while the younger ages move toward cable programming during this hour if there is nothing on broadcast that catches their attention.

Fall Premiere Reviews #1- Melrose Place

As we are gearing up for the next round of media buys, the new Fall programming is premiering. So, we thought it would be fun to watch some of the new lineup, and give you, from a media buyer's perspective, what shows we will be looking at for our clients.

First up: Melrose Place. Showing on Tuesdays on the CW. Now, I was excited about this because I was obsessed with the original. I was hesitant because anything with Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is usually not my thing.

It opens with a quick glimpse at most of the players- Auggie, Riley, David, to name a few. Cut to the same apartment complex we all knew and loved, cheesy marriage proposal, and yep, dead body in the pool. Oops- guess I should warn you there might be a few spoilers.

All in all, it was pretty much what I expected. Definitely a "chick" show- probably tweens through about 35. (Typing this as the show wraps, so no idea what the overnights will be.)

This media buy may be good for the following potential clients:
* Boutiques
* Beauty Salons
* Entertainment- Movies, Concerts, etc.
* Higher Education

To name a few.

However, just a note- if you have concerns about adult behavior, or content that may not be family-friendly, I would pass on this one. Just to be safe.

New Tools for Outdoor and Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing tied to outdoor advertising is not new, but CBS Outdoor has a piece of technology that has made it easier for marketers to see their results mobile/outdoor results.

Called txt2go, advertisers put a unique keyword on each board they post in a market. Via SMS, consumers text in this keyword, to get special offers or information, which allows clients to see what boards are generating the highest level of success.

Some types of messages include:
1) Special discounts
2) Enter to win sweepstakes
3) Requests for more information

Another plus is that advertisers then receive a database of respondents, allowing them to follow up with them at a later date.

This gives outdoor a advantage similar to online advertising- it allows it to be highly trackable. Campaigns that generate results will likely lead to bigger and more complex outdoor campaigns, helping the medium grow with emerging technologies.

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!

New Feature- My Favorite Idea of the Week!

I LOVE ideas that are out of the box ideas- either just completely guerrilla, or that take traditional avenues and turn them on their heads.

So, I am going to try and pick out a new inspirational idea every week- something that doesn't necessarily take a huge budget to execute.

The first one comes from across the pond, and is a campaign to raise awareness of the homeless issue in the UK.

Advertising Agency: Rapp, London, UK
Creative Director: Chad Warner
Art Director: Jon Owens
Copywriter: Rob Prangle

Rainbow of Flavors Explosion

Everyone the last few days has been in an uproar over the new social media strategy by Skittles. Social Media experts everywhere are wagging their fingers at the brand- telling them they are "doing it all wrong." Instead of encouraging teens to talk about Skittles, they are encouraging "false conversations" about the brand instead. In other words- people are just throwing the word "Skittles" in their tweets just to be noticed, or worse, using the brand name and profanity together.

OK- let's take a breath here. How many teens are just going to talk about Skittles calmly and in a way that is organized and organic? A few, but the overall risk of social media is that you have to be prepared to take the good with the bad. If someone wants to tweet that "Skittles Sucks"- well, maybe they really believe that, and that is the risk of having a Facebook Page, etc.

But, let's face it- people all over are noticing the Skittles campaign. They are blogging about, writing articles about, and analyzing Skittles. When was the last time I wrote about the brand- right- never. I am a measly little media planner and buyer, but still.

They have taken a risk, and it has gotten people talking. And, that, is much more than many brands can say these days.

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?