A company name and its slogan must work together. This is especially true if the business or product is a new one. Without a massive marketing budget and/or a well-established brand it would have been difficult to make even “Coke. It’s The Real Thing” work, right?
If your business name contains the type of product or service you provide, go ahead, be creative, your slogan could range from the general to the abstract.
Example 1: ScumSuckers Pool Cleaning, Inc…Nobody Does It Better!
Example 2: ScumSuckers Pool Cleaning, Inc…Who You Gonna Call?
Obviously, ScumSuckers cleans pools, so the business does not require further explanation. But if the company name was simply ScumSuckers, Inc. I better be a little more descriptive in my slogan line...
Not Good: ScumSuckers, Inc…Nobody Does It Better!
Huh?
Good: ScumSuckers, Inc…Nobody Cleans Your Pool Better!
At least now I know what service the company provides.
Save yourself a lot of time and money trying to explain what it is you do. Develop a company name and modify it with a great slogan that does it all and your marketing and branding efforts have a lot better chance of succeeding.
Remember, great marketing begins at home.
The Name Game
Going Viral
Viral marketing. You’ve heard about it, but what is it? Simply stated, viral marketing or viral advertising is marketing strategies that use social networks to build brand awareness of a business or product. Uploading a promotional video to YouTube is a popular viral method. The whole idea is to get people to pass along the video to others, thus promoting your brand to a wider audience. And the best part is your only expense is in some minor production costs. What you do need to invest in, however, is the time to create a concept then find someone with a camera and some editing equipment.
Does it work? It does if you do a lot of things right — right concept especially. The most effective videos are those that offer high entertainment value or deliver traditional messages in totally unique ways.
Obviously you want the viewer to pass the video along to someone else, but you would also like that individual to remember your brand, and even look you up on the web for more information. That’s what Keynote is doing with our “Bob The Box” video. First we draw them in with cool, hip open and then offer some basic marketing tips. The ultimate goal is to use our ‘brand neutral’ BobTheBox.com website to drive them to one of our ‘brand’ sites: KeynoteMediaGroup.com or InsideTheBoxMarketing.com.
Peddling To Pedalers
I just returned from a five-day bicycle trip through western Virginia and northeastern Tennessee. The event was hosted by Bike Virginia and attended by 1,800 avid cyclists from across the country.
After a day of struggling up and coasting down some pretty substantial hills we camped on the grounds of local high schools in small to medium-sized towns along the route. Having done similar rides through Ohio, Oregon and New York over the last few years, these trips provide opportunities to experience breathtaking scenery, enjoy local culture, and meet some pretty interesting people from around the world.
After a shower, the next thing on everyone’s mind after setting up camp is food. (Some days the tour covers as much as 100 miles, so calories are not an issue.) On every organized ride I’ve ever been on in the past, local restaurants made sure they had someone around the campgrounds passing out fliers with their menus and directions. The Virginia trip was different: no fliers, no directions. Riders were left to their own ingenuity or consulting with locals to find out the best places to eat.
In addition to providing all the ride itineraries and amenities, it is usually up to the tour organizers to let the local businesses know that a couple of thousand ‘customers’ would be in town for a night or two. Either way, it was a missed opportunity. All it required was a business to invest in the most Either the locals on this trip never got the message or just didn’t care.basic of marketing strategies — a few printed fliers and a couple of high schoolers to pass them out at the campground. Cost? Probably less than $75.
Three years ago a local public official in southern Ohio told me that when the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure came into his town, cyclists and their families spent close to $100,000 in one day on everything from food to souvenirs.
You certainly shouldn’t need a marketing consultant to give you this advice, but here it goes: Opportunities to brand yourself, sell more, or simply gain a little publicity avail themselves almost daily. Checking newspapers or websites can tell you a lot about what will be happening in your community, events of which you can take full advantage.
So pay attention.
This is basic “Inside The Box Marketing,” a marketing strategy you can implement all by yourself at very little cost. Remember, effective marketing begins at home.
Best Spin Line in The History of The World
Personally, I love spin. I love hearing people use it. I love to watch people eat it up. I love when a phrase is so well spun that even the speaker smiles with delight. The people I feel sorry for are those who are ordered to perpetrate ‘spinspeak’ by their superiors (flashback to Secretary of State Colin Powell embarrassingly pointing out the preponderance of Iraqi WMDs during the run-up to ‘schlock and ahh’).
Of course, spinning is modus operandi for politicos whose liberal (in the nonpolitical sense) use of ‘spinspeak’ normally has wonks and wags shaking their heads in disbelief. Candidates and office holders, however, do not have the spin market cornered. The corporate and retail world certainly are not averse to inserting a little obfuscation, deception or manipulation into their marketing and PR efforts.
Which brings me to the best spin line in the history of the world – and it was created, I can say proudly, right here in my town, Y-town. I did not come up with this line. I do wish, however, that I had. It was well crafted. It was terse. It was elegant. And, for about five seconds, I actually fell for it. Sadly, for the corporate flunky who was forced to impart it, he did so to me, a student of the genre.
Let’s go back a few years. A local publication was going through a pretty contentious labor dispute. Enmity on both sides of the picket line was ramping up on a daily basis.
Because of the length of the impasse, the paper was forced to cut back to a single, morning edition. I was oblivious to this fact, however. My carrier was still bringing my paper at 6:00 P.M. It wasn’t until I stopped at a friend’s home early one morning and saw his paper, fresh and crisp, lying at his doorstep. I called the publication and wanted answers.
So I dial up customer service and get a recorded message saying that ‘all lines are currently busy’ (I’m sure they were) and a representative would get right back to me. Since I was going to be on the road the rest of the day, I left my cell number and hoped for the best. About an hour later my cell rings.
The following is a pretty accurate transcript of the ensuing conversation:
[Ring, Ring]
Me: Hello.
Caller: Hi, Mr. Hahn. Joe So-And-So from Customer Service. How can I help you this fine day?
Me: My paper. It comes at 6 at night. Everybody else seems to be getting it early in the morning. What’s up with that, dude? (I didn’t really say ‘dude’ but I wish I would have. I would have sounded so cool.)
Caller: Well, Mr. Hahn, some of our routes run later than others.
Me: 12 hours later? The news ain’t news anymore 12 hours later. The root word of ‘news,’ after all is – ‘new.’ If this is a morning paper, I would really prefer to receive it – in…the…morning! (I was starting to sense the ‘party line’ being mustered on the other end.)
Caller: Well, Mr. Hahn, the publication is much more than a ‘morning’ paper. (He was setting me up for the kill. The magic sentence that would appease lesser subscribers than I was welling up in his throat. So I fed him my set-up line.)
Me: Whadda yah mean “more than a morning paper?”
Caller: You see, Mr. Hahn, what we deliver to our valued subscribers on a daily basis is an ALL-DAY PAPER.
There it was! An ALL-DAY PAPER! Poetry. Sheer poetry. I was speechless. I stared at the receiver dazed, confused…impressed. I could imagine those three words taped across the top of his computer monitor in 48-point bold Times New Roman. I envisioned myself relaxing at the home, my trusted, all-day paper in hand, its headlines and photos changing before my eyes as world events ebbed and flowed throughout the course of the day. He had me. He had spun me like a top. I believed. Oh, how I believed! But how I wanted it to be true! I gathered my composure and responded in my typical calm, dignified manner...
Me: Huh?
Caller: You see…
Me: Did you just use the phrase ‘all-day paper?’
Caller: That’s right, Mr. Hahn. You see…
Me: Hold it right there, buddy boy. First,…what the hell does that mean? And second,…who was the genius who told you to say that? (I was torn between tears and laughter.) That was beautiful. I mean it. (I really did mean it. Honest.) Kudos to your PR department, or marketing consultant, or the janitor, whomever.
Caller: …and our sports section is one of…
Me: Just get my paper to me by 6 A.M.
[Click]
That was spinspeak in its grandest form . They knew they couldn’t deliver everybody’s paper in the morning. No way. So they did the next best thing. If anybody complained, they had the magic line – All-Day Paper. It sounded plausible even though it made absolutely no sense. Heck, it didn’t matter when you got it, the news lasted ‘all day.’ In that case don’t bother wasting all that energy stopping by my home everyday, why not just wait until the end of the week and drop them all off at once?
I guess then you would have yourself an All-Week Paper. Even better.
Not A Face for Radio – Part Deux
After sitting down at his desk the tone turned serious.
“I’m getting traffic,” Clyde said, perplexed.
“Considering the amount of money you must be spending on advertising you darn well better be getting traffic,” I replied.
“But…"
“It’s your ads, Clyde. Your ads. They sound like they were made in your basement on a cassette recorder.”
“Well, they are.”
I detected a subtle sense of pride in his voice. I told him that his radio spots sounded like he was selling discount, low-quality merchandise, not the nice stuff that was out on the showroom floor. Sure, people were coming in. The tenor of the spots along with the low-quality production made it sound like he was having a weekly fire sale. Customers came in expecting a really low price, but even at the 20 to 30 percent discount he was promising, it was still higher than they were expecting to pay.
The perception of this brand was way out of whack with the reality: low-end, low-price merchandise is what the brand represented in the mind of the consumer. Unfortunately, the reality was that the store was selling decent quality products at a medium to high price point — a stark disconnect. The culprit? Surely the sad radio spots Clyde was running played a role.
As far as I was concerned he had two choices, either improve the quality of his advertising or start selling lower-end merchandise.
After an hour or so of spirited discussion he decided to give us a shot at the radio production. Our plan? To keep his voice on the spots — in a minor role — simply stating his name and his very recognizable slogan.
The balance of the spot was carried by a professional announcer backed by a contemporary music track.
We ran the same budget, same time slots, and the same radio stations. The results? Over the period of a couple of weeks, he was getting a whole new customer in the door and he/she was not turning around after seeing the prices and quality of merchandise.
Clyde was happy. I was happy. Brand perception and brand reality started to come into sync. And that should be the goal of any business.
A quick sidebar: During this same period a competing retailer of Clyde’s also was running extremely poor ads, poor to the point of embarrassing. The difference was that this competitor actually was selling crap merchandise — and selling a lot of it. If I wanted low-end goods, that’s where I was going to go. As terrible as their TV spots were, they are still some of the most effective I’ve seen.
Not A Face for Radio – Part One
Here is a classic story I have probably told a hundred times. It’s a case of the quality of one’s advertising, whether radio, TV or print, speaking louder than the words or pictures contained therein. And not in a good way. This is what I call ‘Brand Busting,’ where brand perception and brand reality are diametrically opposed.
The names, by the way, have been changed to protect the guilty.
A number of years ago I was referred to a client by a local radio rep. This individual was a big advertiser on both radio and in print. He spent a boatload of money, however the quality of his advertising was extremely low end. Naturally, I assumed the merchandise he sold was of the same quality.
The problem stemmed from the fact that he wrote, produced and served as the announcer on his radio spots. The only apparent positive was the fact that he had a memorable positioning statement that he stuck with year after year. I had never met the man, but I knew exactly what he looked like ...
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 240
Hair: minimal
Sartorial attributes: Leisure suit (lime green), white shoes, white belt, open-collared shirt — probably orange in color — revealing a gold chain or two, black transparent hosiery.
Distinguishing characteristics: mole just above left eye; wears soda-bottle-thick glasses with black frames; cheeks sporting a perpetual red hue; sideburns to die for.
Well, at least that’s what he sounded like on the radio.
The station rep told me that this store’s problem wasn’t traffic — people were coming in the door. The problem was they just weren’t buying. Customers would walk in, look around, and then head to Valu-Mart. Sales were abysmal. The sense of panic amongst the staff, palpable.
The radio rep pleaded, “Could you talk to him and see if there was anything you could do?” As much out of curiosity as for the quest for new business, I agreed to place the call.
Five days later I walked in the store’s door, ready to finally meet the embodied Voice of Mahoning Valley Retail. After a few minutes of roaming through some pretty nice looking, definitely-not-cheap merchandise, the receptionist showed me into the legend’s office. He stood up from his beautiful mahogany desk.
Gulp! Who the hell was this guy?
In his early 50s, his salt-and-pepper hair was, well — perfect. And not only was he an obvious graduate of the George Hamilton School of Tanning, he sported the whitest teeth east of the Mississippi. His right hand extended, walking toward me was an obviously fit man sartorially resplendent in a navy blue blazer, light blue dress shirt, red and navy striped tie, khaki slacks, and burgundy penny loafers (beyond that, I was guessing boxers).
“Hi. I’m Clyde Summerfield,” he beamed.
I froze in my tracks. “Ahh, no your not,” I responded, my voice dripping with equal amounts of disappointment and shock.
“I beg your pardon.”
“Well, the Clyde Summerfield I know is short, fat, bald, thick glasses, wears a leisure suit, white shoes, white belt…”
“What ...?”
I felt myself sinking deeper and deeper into the office’s rich, shag carpeting. “Sorry, Clyde,” I apologized, “but that’s how you sound on the radio."
Dazed, he shuffled back behind his desk. He gestured toward the wing back chair across from him. I settled in and the ensuing conversation took on a rather serious tone.
Drop in next week for Part 2. Does Clyde see the light or is it business as usual?
Clients Know Best?
After 30 years in marketing, I am still amazed at some of the things I hear from business owners:
- “I have a concern. You know nothing about my products. How can you possibly market them?”
- “Marketing. Advertising. What’s the difference?”
- “You want me to pay what for that slogan? It’s only four words.”
- “I need to make the phone ring today. Let’s do an ad.”
- “Radio? It doesn’t work. I ran a spot for a whole two weeks one time and got nothing, nothing I tell ya.”
- “We’ve been in business for 50 years. Everybody knows who we are.”
- “PR? We don’t need no stinkin’ PR.”
- “Why should I pay you to produce a radio spot? The station does all mine for free!”
- “My TV rep handles all my advertising.”
- “Let me run that logo idea past my wife.”
- “Let me run that logo idea past a few of my employees.”
- “Cable? You bet. I run on the Weather Channel exclusively.”
- “I have a vision...”
- “My radio rep writes all my copy. He’s a genius.”
- “I was a marketing major in college.”
- “I was a graphic design major in college.”
- “I went to college.”
- “Demographics? Hell, I’m a Republican.”
- “My new sign? Designed it myself.”
- “Customer retention? Free coffee in the waiting room always works for us.”
- “My nephew did our website. Pretty good, huh?”
- “Sure, I've got a marketing plan... Wrote it up in 1982...”
How About A Little Action?
How About A Little Action?
Recently there have been a number of emails and blog posts relative to the "marketing" of Youngstown — or the lack thereof. Everybody in town, it appears, is calling for a focused, community-driven, positive-spin campaign that positions this community as more than "crime-riddled" and, as one national media outlet described it, struggling.
Golly, what a great idea! (insert visual here of individual slapping himself/herself upside the head, with a facial expression evocative of stupidity and wonderment)
Who wants to take the lead? Which individual or organization amongst all these disparate voices calling for this effort is going to step forward and, at the same time, divest themselves of the need to take the credit?
Just as many have commented, I too am embarrassed by allowing regional and national media to have their way with Youngstown; formulating the tenor of their stories on drive-by or anecdotal evidence.
Attempts have been made in the past to make things happen, to create a clear marketing message touting the historical, cultural, and economic merits of this city. I know. I’ve been a part of a number of them over the last 30 years. Unfortunately, most failed to gain traction due to a number of reasons: they were too narrowly focused; they lacked funding; there was no comprehensive ‘plan’ to sustain them; varying agendas and self-interests reared their ugly heads; or a combination of some or all of the above.
Answers?
Do I have the answer? Maybe. Maybe not. I do know, however, that I have been involved in organized efforts to make a difference, with results that I consider to be ‘baby steps’ in the right direction. These include campaigns important to the future of this city: Youngstown 2010, Jay Williams' mayoral campaign, the Downtown Youngstown branding campaign, Youngstown City Schools levy campaign, and most recently, the WYSU radio and YMCA branding campaigns. Often my involvement was on a volunteer basis; other times Keynote was paid for its expertise.
Whereas these campaigns were vital to making a difference in our city’s physical appearance, educational environment, as well as its political and cultural landscape, their focus was relatively narrow.
In my humble view, the only way a successful marketing campaign can become reality is through (A) hiring a marketing firm (local, regional or national) that answers to only one body; or (B) form a working group that will develop a plan with the assistance of marketing professionals.
Each option has its merits. And each has its drawbacks — In (A), who will that single body be? And in (B) well, call it what you like, but it's a committee.
I do like (B) however. It does, after all, involve a wider cross section of the community. But how about the who and why of this working group?
Here are a few thoughts:
An independent working group should consist of a representative or representatives of organizations such as:
Youngstown City Government
Youngstown State University
Regional Chamber
The media
The marketing profession
The business community
…and any other qualified entity I may have unintentionally omitted.
Its membership must be limited in number. Its goals must be simple and clearly defined. I believe the following to be crucial:
1. This group must exist solely for the development of a marketing initiative and must possess final decision-making powers relative to the planning, creation, and implementation of a branding and positioning strategy for the City of Youngstown.
2. It must be devoid of even the slightest hint of political or personal agendas (could be a tough one).
3. This group must be responsible for procuring funds, either private or public, to give this strategy the best chance to succeed.
Perception and Reality
Not until a comprehensive marketing plan is formulated and a single, impactive brand identity and positioning statement for the city is adopted does this town have a prayer — at least in terms of Youngstown-brand perception and Youngstown-brand reality.
A motivating factor in moving my firm, Keynote, from the suburbs to the downtown business district was the hope of making a difference (insert video footage here: tight, slow motion shot of twiddling thumbs; dissolve to close up of moderately good looking, 60+ male with the word “FRUSTRATION” superimposed on forehead).
This isn’t brain surgery. It’s a little cooperation between the best and brightest this town has to offer, those who still believe a difference can be made. I know you are out there. It only takes a little vision, a little time, and a little imagination — (a little prayer is optional).
Keynote Media Group Launches New Consulting Division
Taken from the Keynote Media Group KeynoteFocus blog, Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008:
Keynote Media Group starting a new consulting division? Why now? Well, it's rough out there. We see it. Our clients see it. Anybody who depends on customers coming in the door and making a buying decision surely sees it - and feels it! These are the times that will try the heart of any business owner, and forging anything less than a well-defined marketing strategy can be fatal! That's where Inside The Box Marketing enters the picture.
Through Inside The Box Marketing, clients will receive expert analysis of their past, present, and future marketing strategies. "We look at this as a marketing reality check," notes Richard Hahn, Keynote Media Group principal and creative director. "Many business issues have nothing to do with advertising. Most of the marketing issues we encounter all too frequently are related to basic branding."
An analysis by the Inside The Box Marketing team begins at the source, inside the box, inside the business itself.
Advertising issues such as media, budget and frequency are only part of the equation. Inside The Box Marketing delves into such fundamentals as location, signage, facilities and internal communications.
How about the 'big picture' stuff? You bet - brand perception versus brand reality for sure; what the competition is up to; are you utilizing 'new' media in the best way - if at all; is your staff on board with your vision...
By visiting a client's location, talking with the decision makers, and getting answers to some pretty important questions, Inside The Box Marking crafts a detailed marketing analysis, delivering specific recommendations on what needs to be done for better positioning and, ultimately, to increase revenue.
Does it take long? The time of the initial meeting with a client to delivery of our finished report takes ten days or less; the time required of the client decision maker is normally less than four hours. "[fast turn-around] is critical," cites Hahn.
In the marketing universe, the phrase thinking outside the box, however ubiquitous and misused, has its place. It is our belief, however, that you must think and act inside the box. Get to the heart of the matter; resolve those 'brand-busting' issues before sinking more time and money into strategies that just aren't cutting it. Inside The Box Marketing will help you get your house in order.
The Brand Killers Among Us
The Brand Killers Among Us
(or, Extreme Brand Makeover)
Most often, signs are what a customer relies upon to find a business. Often a sign can actually be a determining factor on whether a customer will take the next step and enter the store. A sign speaks volumes about the business it represents, and a bad one will totally undermine everything else you do to position your business. Common issues with location signage include inferior quality, poor placement, or lack of maintenance. Great signage is basic inside the box marketing.
Here is an experience I recently had when visiting a business:
My associate Gemma and I drove out to meet a business owner who, based on a referral, wanted to talk with us regarding a new marketing direction. Neither of us was familiar with the business, which indicated there might indeed be a problem. The initial phone call from the owner was intriguing; they sold a relatively high-end line of merchandise but they just weren't getting that message across effectively.
The business owner knew she had problems but didn't have any idea what to do other than spend more money on advertising. Knowing full well that more advertising is NOT always the answer, we set the appointment for later that week.
Wanna Buy Some Hubcaps?
The store's location was about 20 miles away so we fired up the GPS and set out on a fact-finding mission. A half an hour later the computerized voice informed us, "Destination one-half mile on the right." As we approached it was clear what the problem really was -- image. First issue: on the front lawn stood a changeable-letter sign with flashing arrow pointing to the store. It might as well have said, "Used Hubcaps! Cheeeeap!" And, to make matters worse, it was surrounded with pulsating, bare light bulbs (a number of them being burnt out).Okay, this might not be an issue if they were in the business of selling comic books or live bait, but we discovered, to our amazement, that when we entered the showroom, much of the merchandise was priced in the four- and five-figure range and targeted to a rather discriminating, upscale clientele.
The not-so-permanent main sign was a brand killer as well - the store name in a difficult-to-read font on a turquoise-colored vinyl. Ouch!
We weren't shy about pointing these problems out, strongly urging that for the time being, they forget TV, forget radio. The immediate problem is not advertising - it's enhancing your brand. Get your house in order before you waste money on media that promotes a brand killer. Say it with me, kids: Inside The Box Marketing.Fortunately, the client agreed and we are working with them to correct the problem as part of a complete (extreme, if you will) marketing and positioning makeover. Look out, Pennington.
Radio You Need To Know
I recently appeared on WYSU-FM 88.5 as a guest during the radio station’s semi-annual fund drive. The National Public Radio affiliate is one of the Mahoning Valley’s most distinctive cultural institutions and I always jump at the chance to help them in any way that I can. As part of the WYSU Advisory Board and a member of its marketing committee I know the value of the station to the community as a cultural mainstay but, as a marketer, I know its value as an opportunity for businesses to do a little brand building.
I am not talking advertising here. This is about marketing, and in particular, public relations. As a marketing consultant, I am constantly searching for ways to get our clients as many effective positioning opportunities as possible. I want these opportunities to be, if not free, at least extremely affordable -- you know, maximum impact for minimum bucks.
Adults Only
For our clients who want to reach an upper-income, educated, loyal, adult customer base, the best deal in town is becoming an underwriter on WYSU. The base, extending across both the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys and as far north as Ashtabula, consists of about 50,000 listeners a week. Pretty significant, I believe; and for any business looking to reach this coveted demographic, it's like handing LeBron the ball with the game on the line.
My business, Keynote Media Group, is a WYSU underwriter, and currently three of our clients are on the station as well. One of those clients, who has also become a good friend, Doug Aebischer of Aebischer’s Jewelry in Poland, recently told me that not only has he seen new customers come to the store since he began the program, but almost every week people stop in and say, "Thank you [for supporting WYSU]."
Now we're getting somewhere. That’s potent P.R. for pennies.
Beyond Positioning
The affiliation with WYSU goes far beyond positioning your brand, and exceeds anything remotely akin to traditional advertising. Oh, sure, as a public radio underwriter, your name, product/service, positioning statement, and web/phone/location are all mentioned. The real value, however, in my estimation, is that you are performing a community service by helping to fund this vital supplier of news, information and music. So you're not only reaching customers with your underwriting 'ad', you are associating your company's name with the area's most respected cultural resource.
You are a 'partner' with the community. I like the way that sounds.
There are, however, a few caveats and restrictions by going this route. First, the 'spots' are only fifteen seconds in length and read by station personnel -- no pre-produced spots! Also, the copy is restricted to the basics -- no "we're the best, fastest, cheapest, smartest..." types of qualitative verbiage.
A business' public radio affiliation is by no means going to have customers busting down the door, their fists full of tens and twenties. But as a part of a consistent, comprehensive marketing campaign utilizing other marketing vehicles, it's one of the most effective clubs in the bag.
There are many ways to stretch the marketing dollar and, considering the current economic environment, you better search out every one of them. WYSU may be a good place to start.
The WYSU website has all the details.
Today (Friday) is the final day of the pledge drive. At the time of this posting, WYSU only needs little over a thousand dollars to reach their goal! Go from one of the many links in this post, and make a contribution today.
2010 And Counting
My marketing firm was very active in the promotion of Youngtown 2010 during the initiative’s nascent days. Along with Gemma Sole, I served as co-chair of its marketing committee and Keynote developed the branding and marketing strategies, including the production of television public service announcements. Sidebar: I was so impressed with Gemma’s passion for the project I eventually persuaded her to come to work for Keynote.
Before I became involved in 2010, I will admit I was skeptical. “Here we go again,” I sighed to my wife after reading an early newspaper article on the upcoming initiative. I had been involved over the years in the promotion of a number of ‘feel good’ campaigns for Youngstown: lotsa fluff with no backbone, no purpose, no plan; fun to market with glitzy billboards and a toe-tapping jingle with cloying, Kum Ba Yah lyrics. There would be no long-term results, but none were really expected by the committees involved.
Maybe this was different.
As I continued to read on in the article, something unusual did jump out. The list of individuals behind ‘2010’ was pretty impressive: Dr. David Sweet and Mayor George McKelvey (What? The university and City Hall working together?); Jay Williams, CDA Director; Hunter Morrison, an experienced and successful city planner most recently from a similar project in Cleveland ; and two young guys from the City Planning Department, Bill D’Avignon and Anthony Kobak.
Maybe this was going to different. Maybe this was a real plan. Maybe I could help them market this.
I made a few calls and volunteered my services. It was clear from the beginning that success of ‘2010’ was going to be dependent largely on its acceptance by the people of the community; making marketing, in particular brand identity, a vital component. The marketing committee and Keynote, I believed, were up to the task.
This did, however, have many of the earmarks of a ‘tough sell’ -- especially to the likes of Boardman, Poland, Austintown, and beyond. Although Youngstown 2010 would directly affect The City, the impact and importance of 2010’s Vision for the Future went beyond the ‘Iron Curtain’ that paralleled Midlothian Blvd. and Meridian Road. The planners understood that this would affect the suburbs in very real way, a very positive way. The citizens' understanding and acceptance of the ‘vision’ was equally important. Their historically low tolerance to anything ‘Youngstown’, however, was legendary.
Even though I lived and worked in Boardman, I was a staunch advocate of The City of Youngstown and, more specifically, a strong and vibrant central business district. As Mayor Williams stated in a recent speech at a Regional Chamber breakfast, the region is a ‘body’ and the City of Youngstown is its ‘heart’; a body’s overall wellbeing is almost totally dependent on the health of its most vital organ. Sidebar: Considering the lackluster support of 2010 from the suburbs coupled with the ongoing JEDD controversy, I believe a brain scan for this particular body may be in order.
Moving ahead.
The first order of business was to ‘sell’ the initiative to the citizens of The City. After all, they were the stakeholders. This was going to be their plan for their future and the future of their children and grandchildren. We wanted them to act, to get involved in the process of creating this plan. We weren’t selling the plan as much as were selling the importance of their involvement in the plan.
We put in place the elements necessary to compel them to act, after all that’s the purpose of marketing, isn’t it? To get your target audience to get up off their rear ends and buy or do something? First, a Youngstown 2010 logo was developed along with the positioning statement "A vision for the future." We incorporated this into a brochure, a billboard campaign, a website, and a television public service announcement.
Specifically, the marketing effort in this case was to get citizens to attend neighborhood meetings at which they could express their issues -- damaged sidewalks, abandoned properties, lack of recreational facilities, etc. -- relative to their neighborhood. Information gathered at these events would be used to formulate a citywide plan. We got the desired result. People turned out and participated in designing a better future. Hunter Morrison later told me that the public participation in Youngstown far exceeded that of the Cleveland initiative. The marketing committee was elated.
I am confident that success was due in part to how we positioned ‘2010’ -- not as a dry document packed with statistics and maps, but as a virtual roadmap to the future for the people of the community. In fact, the TV spot we developed never even mentioned what the initiative was all about; only that it was important for YOU to get involved. We utilized no announcers, just Youngstown citizens telling everyone that "The future of Youngstown is in your hands."
Recognition.
In April of 2007 I had the honor of attending an awards luncheon in Philadelphia where Youngstown 2010 was awarded top recognition in the area of "Public Participation" by the National Planning Association. Youngstown’s chief planner, Anthony Kobak, and I were also selected to present a seminar at that convention as well as at an earlier regional gathering in Cincinnati.
The marketing component of ‘2010’ has been cited by numerous national and international publications, including Barbara Faga’s book "Public Participation and the Planning Process."
I have long held that branding and well-conceived marketing strategies cannot and should not be limited to commercial entities. It is just as important for public institutions and programs to inform and motivate the people whose lives they help shape. It is my belief that the promise of Youngstown 2010 has a better chance of ultimate success because of the understanding by its leadership of the importance of marketing, and in particular, branding.
Jay! Branding The Man - Part II "Lightning Strikes"
Lightning Strikes
Soon after that March call from Jay, I met with him and a number of supporters. Ninety minutes later, I walked out of that meeting impressed, exhilarated, and thinking to myself, “My God. This guy actually has a shot.”
Not sure who our opponent would be, we began formulating a campaign strategy. For maximum impact we decided to hold a media event officially announcing his candidacy the day before the primary (he would also file that day, the last opportunity an Independent could file for the November general election.) I felt it critical that the campaign theme, look and tenor needed to be established right out of the box. We needed to brand Jay Williams, especially in light of the fact that we would probably be facing an experienced, savvy Democrat party juggernaut by the name of Bob Hagan—a man with a compelling political brand of his own.
With less than two weeks before our kickoff public event, we were still struggling with an identifying visual for our candidate.
Sure, Jay had charisma, charm, good looks, intelligence and vision. Big deal. How could we get voters excited in him if they didn’t experience these qualities firsthand? How could we get them to want to know more? How could we find that simple, eloquent graphic that would not only define his candidacy, but separate the Jay Williams Brand from all the other political campaigns, not to mention the clutter of everyday ads for car dealers, grocery stores and funeral parlors?
As many creative types will tell you, inspiration strikes when you least expect it. It happened to me at 3 A.M. Out of nowhere comes an idea for the campaign that was so simple, yet so elegant I was stunned. To this day, I cannot remember if I dreamed it or it materialized in that hazy landscape between consciousness and sleep. But there it was in all its maroon-colored glory—the letters J-A-Y followed by an exclamation point! JAY! A brand was born.
The first public display of the campaign brand was at Jay’s formal announcement to run in The Commerce Building downtown on primary election eve. We printed 200 two-sided signs with nothing on them but JAY!. Why spend the extra money on a two-sided printing? So the 'pow factor' could be picked by cameras stationed in the back of the room. It was wonderful political theater enhanced by a little 'shock and awe.'
This was quite a sight on the evening news and on the front page of the next morning’s Vindicator; 200 people waving JAY! signs! Actually, the campaign kickoff announcement received more news coverage than the fact that a primary election was going to take place to determine the Democrat party’s nominee. We were giddy in the thought of the presumptive Democrat nominee sitting in front of his TV wondering how he was going to raise another $150,000+ for the general election to fend off this upstart kid who suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. Jay? Jay who?
We were on our way. Strong out of the box. A marketer’s dream.
The key to maintaining value from any brand is consistency. Throughout the mayoral campaign the JAY! logo was everywhere: T-shirts, TV commercials, billboards, the campaign website, buttons, mailers, even next to Jay’s 20-foot high photo on a building on Central Square--directly across the street from Hagan headquarters!
We took advantage of what I initially considered to be the candidate’s negatives—youth, inexperience and race, and turned them into hope, vision and change, then wrapped them up neatly in a simple graphic, utilizing three letters and a punctuation mark.
Jay! Branding The Man
Branding. There’s a word that shows up in virtually every conversation I have with people when the topic turns to marketing, advertising, or public relations. Sure, it’s a cool buzzword in my industry, but what actually do we mean when talk about 'brand'? Simply defined, a brand is: a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. The legal term for brand is trademark. A brand may identify one item, a family of items, or all items of that seller.
Coca-Cola is a brand. McDonald’s is a brand. Locally, White House Fruit Farm, Aebischer’s Jewelry, and The House Doctors are all brands. We know their logos, their colors; we even know their jingles. These companies have spent significant amounts of their operating budget over the years to ensure that they are positioned favorably in the minds of consumers across the Mahoning Valley and beyond.
The CallIn my career I have had a hand in branding businesses, products, nonprofits, even schools—creating designs, symbols, sounds to separate them from the competition. The big challenge comes when we receive a call to brand a real, live person, specifically a political candidate. Just such a call came into our office in March of 2004. The call was from somebody named Jay Williams. Who?
Jay's name was vaguely familiar. A couple of years earlier a close friend of mine said he heard a speech by someone who should be the next mayor. Having worked on numerous political campaigns, my interest was piqued. “Oh?” I said. “Tell me about him...or her.”
“Well, he’s a good looking, smart, young man,” my friend explained.
“How young?”
“Thirty-two.”
I snickered and told him, “Too young. Any political experience?”
“None,” he replied.
“Young and inexperienced. No way he’ll make it in this town,” I assured him.
“There’s one other thing...”
“I’m listening.”
“He’s African-American.”
I stared at him like he had snakes crawling out of his ears. Upon regaining my composure my tone turned sarcastic. "Let’s recap here. You honestly think that a young, politically inexperienced, black man could be the next mayor of Youngstown?"
My friend shrugged and said, "Well he is a good speaker and has a lot of charisma."
The whole idea was ludicrous. "Listen. In this town he will get eaten alive. The only thing that could make his chance of being mayor worse are if he ran as a Republican, or even worse—an Independent..."
Less than a year later my friend and I are standing on Central Square listening to Mayor Jay Williams’ inauguration speech. The new, young, black, Independent Mayor of Youngstown-- unbelievable. I couldn’t have been happier that I was dead wrong just months earlier.
