Badvertising: Dr. Pepper

I like Dr. Pepper; I have since I was a kid. And Diet Dr. Pepper? Really, it tastes darn close to its regular, HFCS-laden brother. But in the last couple weeks I've seen both of the following advertisements for Dr. Pepper and thought #FAIL. Let's take a look.

Always One of a Kind



Here we begin our journey with the greyed corporate masses, the herd, and the single break-away man stripping down (revealing his true self) to the iconic maroon Dr. Pepper shirt. He's a pepper!

But then everyone gets in on it. Suddenly, people are popping up in pepper tees like Sneeches pumping through the belly star-stamper machine. NO!

Yes. By the end of the commercial, the message that flowed through the first fifteen seconds of the spot or so has completely lost its weight; everyone is wearing the shirt. Everyone is One of a Kind. Except for fat people; I suppose no overweight people were harmed in the making of this commercial - but they also cannot be peppers :(

You too can be unique...just like everyone else.


Dr. Pepper TEN: It's Not for Women

(Action Movie)


(Man Shed)


Somehow, the marketing folks here managed to insult both women and men. And miss the point.

The desire, clearly, is to take something you would not normally associate with diet soda - men and "manliness" - and suffocate it with testosterone tropes until it taps out in the target consumer's head as "must be manly." The problem is they're attempting to rent a room in the house that beer - and sometimes whiskey - owns, and has ...forever.

It doesn't work, even on an underlying psychological level. I would argue that the absurd juxtaposition of forcing diet soda into these masculinized shop/action movie/bar/potato gun situations is actually working in reverse. "Diet soda at the bar? Why not just carry a purse. Wait, where are those guys' purses?" And suddenly the men are feminized and the message by the end is that Dr. Pepper TEN will make you more lady-like.

Misogyny

Sidenote here: you can do all those man things without the endcap comments. Okay, "Keep your romantic comedies" is quaint because haha women like romcoms. But "Keep your gardening"? That rides a little too close to the edge of domestic stereotypes for good taste. "Yeah, keep your gardening, as soon as you make me that sammich! You have that baby yet? Shutup! I'm in my shed!"

Yes you are, manly-man. Drinking Diet Dr. Pepper out of your purse.

Twitter Headlines! MSFailWhale, Muppets, and Black Friday

Microsoft tried to hang with the cool kids again by promoting a #holidaywindows hashtsag and had those display in the window in Saks in NYC. Guess what? It backfired as it was jacked by Apple lovers. Or, as Microsoft puts it: Nuh-uh!


And every week: OMG sports drama and OMG celebrity drama!


And Twitter (and the world) is totally in love with the Muppets' Bohemian Rhapsody




And if you haven't heard already, Facebook and Twitter are being rolled out in full force for Black Friday. Here's an article to get you started.


Have a great Turkey Day and never forget to give thanks for all the wonder in your life!

Eric Marschall on That Marketing Show

This week I'm featured on Rodger Roeser's That Marketing Show!

That Marketing Show is the official broadcast of the Public Relations Agency Owners Association.

My discussion with Rodger centers around how we handle the discussion of public vs. private and personal vs. professional when it comes to social media. What happens when your personality is part of your business or you want to inject some personality into your blog? How far do you stick it out there? Is there a line?

These are just a couple of questions we address in this excellent and informative marketing conversation. Take a listen!

The "You had me at..." Void in Advertising

If you haven't seen this Alamo commercial yet, please take the few seconds and have a look:



When a film comes out that is as accepted and popular as Jerry Maguire, certain iconic quotables such as "Show me the money!" or "You had me at 'Hello'" invariably emerge. The given cycle of popular culture deems that just before that quote becomes commonplace and known by "everybody," it is allowed a post-modern referential boost that comes with mentions and then parodies in other forms of media. After that, references are only really appropriate if done to be purposely trite, melodramatic, or absurd. Some years after that, a vintage use can come into play such as "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?" or "Knowing is half the battle."

So what do we make of a commercial that makes a reference to a movie that came out 12 years ago? The parody lifespan functionally passed 7 or 8 years ago. It's not being done it an absurd or reference and it's way too early for vintage. (Even if you accept the acceleration of media, vintage requires use of the original quote.)

Obviously it annoys me, but I've seen comments lauding the hilarity of the commercial. I guess either way, it's good advertising. I'm talking about it, aren't I?

What are your thoughts?

I Bet You Think This Song is About You...

As many of you already know, facebook finally went with vanity URLs. That means that as opposed to linking with and attempting to remember http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1234567890, you can now do something simple. For example, my new URL is http://www.facebook.com/eric.marschall.

First, if you haven't done this yet, it's quite easy to do. When you log in to facebook for the first time, there is a gray box at the top that prompts you to claim your URL. Click the link. It gives you some suggestions and the "more" option that opens a text field so you can choose your own.

They will warn you, but allow me to as well: Once you do this, once you claim your URL, that URL will be forever tied to that account. You cannot change it. So please, choose wisely. I'm sure Facebook is already dealing with thousands of emails with text to the effect of: "I meant to put HuttFace as a Star Wars fan, but...." Choose carefully. Take your time.

Second, if you haven't done this yet - Do it now!

It's not every day a land grab comes up like this. This is Branding 101 for your name and your business. This is search engine results oriented. Reports were that 500,000 names were snagged in the first 30 minutes. Go get yours now.

And after you do, check out this Wired post about some of those that must have proud mothers. Although it looks like facebook nixed www.facebook.com/haywood.jablome, and it doesn't include one I spotted and found rather clever: www.facebook.com/default.aspx

For those of you wondering about your facebook Pages (extension or promotional pages, as I have for EJM Designs Limited), if you have under 1000 fans, vanity URLs will be available for those pages in 2 weeks.

So how'd you fair? Did you get your URL? Are you waiting? Has someone squatted on it? Do you really just not care all that much? Comments want to hear from you.

Joining the Cincinnati AMA

A couple weeks ago I joined the Cincinnati chapter of the American Marketing Association. It wasn't an easy decision in that joining any organization that requires a monetary commitment requires a great deal of research to make sure the investment is worth it.

By "worth it," I do not mean just making connections that might open some leads and eventually web design or SEO contracts. For me, I was looking for a new networking opportunity that would allow me to meet many people in the Cincinnati area. I want to meet other professionals who are running their own business. I would like to see active groups and enriching experiences. And I want to be a resource to others, to be able to give even before receiving.

After my research into the AMA and the swell of testimonials both online and in person of how "worth it" the AMA is, joining was the easiest decision I've made. It appears that the resources are there and it will become everything I want to make it.

I'll write more about the results after getting involved and attending a handful of events.

Remember that networking in that old-fashioned way of "in person" can be the most rewarding and a smile and a handshake can make your day.

I'm Speaking at Ohio Podcamp 2

You may have noticed my badge on the right:



I'm speaking at Podcamp on June 20th. Title of the talk is "What Your Boss Already Knows About You"

"You're Fired!" Social media is becoming a common tool in hiring, firing, and advancement, in business and education. How things are changing and how to protect yourself.

Click the icon above to check it out and register.

It will be great.

10 Reasons I Will Not Follow Back on Twitter

(or Basic Behaviors to Avoid)



So you've seen my Twitter and you follow me, which sends me an email alert and gives me a chance to follow you back.

Some people have auto-follows set up so if you follow them, they follow you back automatically. Some even have robo-auto-followback direct messages, notably generic notes usually declaring how your Twitter account rocks. I can't stand that, so I make sure I click every profile, and if the person is relevant and I follow them, sometimes sending a brief but personal thank you.

Wha-what? You don't follow everyone back?

No. For me, Twitter is about developing online relationships and connecting to people and organizations that provide value. Not every one of the items listed here is - by itself - a deal breaker. But all are serious considerations.

1. I do not know you and you have protected your updates
   I understand the need for privacy, but you've got to put yourself out there to get a little back. Your actual tweets are a good portion of why I follow.


2. You have no location or bio information
   I connect with two types of people aside from personal friends: local Cincinnati (general Ohio, NKY too) interest and worldwide for tech, web, and SEO folks. If I do not know where you are or what you do via profile, I'm immediately turned off. And stop with the "Worldwide" or "Earth" for location. It's not quaint; it's trite.


3. You have no (or very few) updates
   It's very much about the tweets. If you are not tweeting, you are not adding value, and I can tell very little about you. Get at least 10 updates posted before following.


4. The whole of your profile page (20 tweets) is from today
   Other side of the post coin from absentee. If you're tweeting 50 times a day, you are not adding value, but clutter. Obviously newsfeed accounts and the like are exempt.


5. The majority of your tweets openly (or secretly) link to your website
   If you tweet a couple times a day and almost every time link to www.yoursite.com, this is shameless self-promotion and you need to stop. You can still fix it. If you are pushing www.yoursite.com through tinyurl.com or the like so it looks different every time, but still shameless self promotion, you've forced me to click at least twice to find this out. You are dead to me.


6. Your Twitter account is foreign language or very poor English
   I haven't even tackled French as a refresher on Rosetta stone. I am a writer with an English degree. I mean no offense, but if you have poor command of English, don't tweet in English. If your account is in any other language, I simply cannot read it.


7. The majority of your tweets are @ responses or RTs
   I'm all for having a conversation and giving someone RT props when it's good content, but I'd like to see what value you add. Chances are, based on location or background, we follow some of the same people. Show me what you can do.


8. You have 40,000 followers
   The drop in the bucket. You probably ruined your account with some auto-follow pyramid scheme and if 40K with no value makes you feel better, that's fine. That's how you drive your Twitterbus. I drive mine around you. Exemptions to some genuinely famous people.


9. You offer me nothing
   That may sound snooty, so allow me to explain with several examples: you are tweeting about your sandwiches and bowel movements; you are promoting a one-shot contest; you are promoting a product I have no interest in purchasing; you are selling real estate...anywhere; you're tweeting solely about logging or knitting or any one of a hundred things that may be interesting but I am not (currently) interested in.


10. You are Ashton Kutcher
    Bwahaha. No, really. I won't. That was tired 3 seconds after the billboards.

(And while you're at it, might want to make sure your background isn't cut off.)

It really comes down to what works in most of life: moderation. Don't get carried away on any one angle, mix it up a little bit, and you're building a great account. Reward yourself with a Tweetup. Shake some hands. And smile.

Is this a reasonable list? What are your thoughts? What are your Twitter turn-offs?

Blood From a Stone?

New York Post reports today:

Media companies have had a hard time getting consumers to pay for content online, but Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is attempting to leverage its worldwide news-gathering operation to get them to do just that.

In one of the most ambitious online undertakings by a media outfit, News Corp. has assembled a team of executives to devise a system to charge for content on the Web.

In related news, my dog and two cats have assembled to figure out cold fusion.

(and why is "Web" capitalized?)

The Breakdown of Marketing: My Personal Razor Experience

When I was a young man I, like most young men, began shaving with what my father used: I started on Bic. It was disposable, it had 2 blades, and it was blue.




Then, about the time I started college, I received the newest technology in the mail: The Gillette Mach 3. This one had a metal handle, 3 blades, and you only replaced the top. Slick.



Then, a few year ago I came across Schick's Quattro. As you would imagine, we're now up to 4 blades on a non-interchangeable, proprietary system designed to get you to buy more blades. And the replacements were starting to get pricey, but I stuck to it for a while.



Finally about a year ago I received from a friend or maybe even my father a free sample of Gillette Fusion (Onion article here). I'd heard about it before. It was orange, it was big, and it was 5 blades strong ...+ 1 precision trimmer! And I tried it. And it worked. And then I went to the store and realized exactly how expensive those replacement blades were running and wondered exactly what the difference in shaving was, as I had come so far.

And where have we returned?



To the beginning, of course. The double blades of Bic give me a fine enough shave and I spend 1/5 of what I would replacing all those poly-blade heads. The shaving industry, from my perspective, has run the route of epic fail. Except for those guys making the plastic blue razors. I'm proud to say my father never left them. Wise man.

So do you have a personal marketing experience you'd like to share? What razors do you use? I'd love to hear from you.

Selling the Invisible

I'm reading a phenominal book called Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith. Quick read with constant nuggets of wisdom for anyone selling a service.

Your prospects feel like the jurors in case after case. Befuddled by the facts and often mistrustful of the parties offering those facts, these jurors look beyond the facts, to things like the shine of the defendant's shoes, the niceness of the defendant's attorney, and a dozen other irrelevant details.

Appeal only to a prospect's reason, and you may have no appeal at all.

Words to live by.

Branding, Um...am...pm.... BP: huh?

A month or two ago, I noticed that BP, known for its green/yellow flower "Connect" rebranding a couple years ago, had done something strange. They'd rebranded their stores and stores website with the following look:



Hrmm?

As a designer, this struck a sour chord with me. Why would BP, pushing the clean, airy green/yellow/white trio switch up their primary identity? And if they were switching up their primary identity, why in this direction?

The change strayed from their attempt at environmental and pushed oddly into already-established convenience. The orange-red of "am" pulls in Sunoco, Clark, and Speedway. The blue of "pm" also hits Clark, Sunoco, and Speedway. WTF?

I guess it wouldn't as bad if BP just wanted to melt into the mainstream of gas station convenience stores, but juxtaposed with the rest of their branding effort, the orange/blue design sticks out like an embarrassing stain, a desire to be the same in the middle of an effort to be different.

What are your thoughts on BP's convenience store branding decision?