The Music Industry Plays On

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:58:27 GMT

There are few categories that have gone through as tumultuous a change as the music industry. Think for a moment about the sheer magnitude of evolution over just the past two decades: vinyl to CD, AM to FM, MP3 to streaming radio. We've experienced product and brand cannibalization in its purest form. This hasn't abated as paid-for MP3 downloads are now in decline, which sparks new worries about the impending death of the music industry. This doomsday prediction has been heard before, but has always subsided as new technologies found acceptance with music lovers. The industry is still very much alive. It is simply going through another category upheaval. Apple drove the last category change by creating iTunes which revolutionized the way the industry distributed music, and how consumers bought it. This game-changing technology allowed users to download music to their computer and pick and choose single songs. The program was uniquely personalized and engaging in a way that no other distribution channel had mastered before. The digital download became this generation's 45. The same product - a single song - just distributed differently. What's old was new again.

In a category that is so rampant with change - what is the next big thing? The new trend is Internet radio. Free sites for streaming radio have the very real potential to threaten the future livelihood of the music industry. Pandora is the hot brand du jour, offering the ultimate in music engagement. It allows users to create their own radio stations based on genre and artist and listen to them relatively commercial-free. Users can "like" and "dislike" songs in order to optimize their listening experience. Pandora-like sites are exploding daily. With music becoming "free", it begs the question - are people less and less willing to pay for it? The music download is quickly becoming ancient history, and industry profit margins are being washed away as well.

With the constant change and innovation, musicians and executives must keep an open mind to new technologies and potential revenue streams. They can no longer be content just to extend and defend, but must search out new ways to drive revenue and profit growth. Long a staple among movies and TV, product placement is finding a permanent niche in the music video segment. The shifting tides of the music industry and new economic models have caused artists to rethink any anti-commercial ideology and embrace product placement. Recently, many musicians have adopted product placement as a means to reaching the revenue end game.

Lady Gaga and Beyoncé feature rampant product placement in their Telephone video, generating considerable chatter from media and marketing experts. What makes Telephone so buzz worthy is its fence-straddling posture between being blatantly commercial and aesthetically artistic. The obvious product placements for Virgin Mobile, Diet Coke, Miracle Whip, and more are heavy-handed. In addition to music videos, product placement has found its way into song lyrics and concert tours. Rap artist Nelly features a song titled "Air Force Ones", and Travie McCoy claims "I wanna be on the cover of Forbes Magazine" in his 2010 summer hit Billionaire. California Girls, the recent chart-topping single by Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg has not one, but two mentions of the Jeep brand. The Black Eyed Peas toured this summer with sponsors Blackberry and Bacardi advertising on t-shirts, tickets, posters, and even between sets at the concert. The lines between business and music are continuing to be blurred and crossed by musicians and studios alike. The new credo is - follow the money!

Do these placements work? Can they move product and drive brand loyalty? Celebrity endorsement is a slippery slope for marketers to traverse. The primary criteria needs to be - is it right for the brand? In the Telephone video, Lady Gaga spends an entire scene making sandwiches with a bottle of Miracle Whip mayonnaise. Product placements don't get any more blatant than that. Miracle Whip is trying to contemporize the mayonnaise category. This video was highly sexualized, and is being played out endlessly via YouTube, VH1 and other outlets that cater to the 18-24 demographic. Does Miracle Whip's Telephone placement make a 19-year-old college student run out and buy mayo? Highly unlikely. In fact, the sexually charged nature of the content runs the risk of ruining the brand by fueling jokes and innuendos. The majority of time, your brand of Mayonnaise is a personal one - based solely on what you grew up with. The only one who benefits is Lady Gaga - the ultimate marketer in today's new-era music industry.

Although musicians are brands themselves at their very core, they're seeking ways to extend their brands deeper and broader. This ensures profits across multiple industries and categories, not just limiting themselves to their music niches. The best example of personal branding is artist Sean Combs - "P. Diddy". Combs, having made a name for himself in the Hip-Hop world, has been able to evolve beyond music with his Sean John clothing and cologne line, his Ciroc brand of vodka, and even his politically charged MTV "Vote or Die" campaign. He is the star of MTV's Making the Band, and founder and CEO of Bad Boy records. Combs' marketing and branding prowess has been the catalyst for transcending the hip hop niche and entering the mainstream, earning Sean John clothing a spot on the Macy's shelves. His elastic branding philosophy is a textbook case of evolving in sync with a changing industry. This continual brand extension is working for Combs, to the tune of an estimated $380 million net worth, and a permanent ranking on Forbes' "Top 20 Celebrities" list. The only dilemma for artists is one that they've struggled with for decades: being a business success or an industry sellout. There is often a delicate balance that fans are left to decide. Musicians realize they must be distinct, or be extinct.

Reach More. Know Moore

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:04:44 GMT

One of the greatest challenges in advertising is reaching both consumers and the trade with one campaign. For many brands, it is a daunting task that forces the decision to put all the emphasis on the consumer with the trade campaign being relegated to an afterthought. Marketers figure that if you own the consumer, the channel will follow. You run the risk that if you don't manage your brand in the sales channels, the channels will manage it for you. Very few campaigns effectively reach all audiences because it is hard to do. That is why it is always interesting to see a brand campaign that accomplishes reaching all audiences. Benjamin Moore's "For Those Who Know More" is so good, you wonder why this doesn't happen more often in the business-to-consumer and business-to-business combined segments.

Benjamin Moore's campaign features eight top design and paint industry experts as the ultimate spokespersons about all things that make Benjamin Moore great paint in a portrait inspired by Vanity Fair's Hollywood issue covers. The ad is meant to be a double truck and dominates the shelter publications in which it runs. The beauty of the ad is its simplicity of headline - "Paint with the Very Best," with the double entendre of "For Those Who Know More."   The connection between "more" and "Moore" works well, but it is Benjamin Moore's homage to its professional customer that makes it really compelling - pushing both the rational and emotional buttons equally.

The designers and contractors are genuine and authentic. They are bona fide design and paint experts who are well respected. You want to work with them because they are so real and believable. You immediately come away with the feeling that if Benjamin Moore is good enough for them, it is good enough for me.   The statistics bear out the trade's passion for all things Benjamin Moore. A major quantitative study of over 3,000 design and painting professionals bears out the professional admiration for Benjamin Moore (more than 80% favor Benjamin Moore). That is the ultimate proof point - the trade endorsement.

The campaign is funded at a level of $15 million which lags behind what the other major paint brands are spending. According to industry reports, over 75% of the budget is being directed at digital mediums. The campaign really shines on Facebook. Its core promise is the "experts exchange" where fans get a chance to interact with the design and paint experts. Watch a couple of the videos and you'll see why these experts are passionate and great at what they do. Benjamin Moore is sharing brand control with the consumer - be it the DIYer or the professional. Visitors have the ability to obtain information and ask questions from a cross-section of designers, architects, contractors and color experts. Everyone is welcome - making Benjamin Moore an inclusive brand that embraces the consumer and the trade. 20,000 Facebook fans is compelling proof that it is working.

What makes the Benjamin Moore Facebook digital presence successful is that it brings to life the campaign promise that Benjamin Moore is "For Those Who Know More." Portfolios highlight the designer/contractor bodies of work, while providing information about events sponsored by Benjamin Moore and the "find a retailer" locator tool.

The campaign renders true integration. The newest TV spots discreetly mention that you can only get the "know more" advice at Benjamin Moore retailers, most often Benjamin Moore signature stores, and not at the big boxes. It is an acknowledgement from Benjamin Moore to their dealer network about their value and worth.   The pot shot at big boxes is intended to create doubt about the paint brands they carry and the one they'll never get the franchise for - Benjamin Moore.

Very rarely does a campaign reach so many diverse audiences equally well. One builds on another and supports each other as well. It proves that sometimes you can be all things to all audiences. Professionals and consumers are united with one belief - Benjamin Moore does know more!

“The Write Thing to Do”

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:24:38 GMT

It's time the gloves came off. College students' writing skills are just plain inadequate. Although this statement seems ironic, as I enter my Junior year at the University of Michigan, it is important to expose the writing shortcomings of my own generation. In the heart of the digital age, the concept of writing, to college students, seems flat-out antiquated. Having grown up with laptops and iPads, most of us cannot honestly remember the last time we sat down with a pen and paper and wrote a personal note. We have lost the simplicity and artistic impression of written correspondence.

Text messages and Twitter force us to condense our thoughts into 140 characters, with formal writing taking a back seat - or no seat at all. These forms of communication, while instantaneous, are not always articulate. Digital age teens have difficulty expressing themselves clearly - a necessary skill when utilizing the written word. The majority of my peers do not consider their digital communication via social networking, email, and instant messaging to be true "writing". Conversely, they believe strongly that writing skills are necessary for success in a business environment. These conflicting forces create a dilemma for young adults entering the professional world.

Students are right about one thing: writing is an essential skill for professional life - 120 major American corporations rated writing as a "threshold skill". Writing is pervasive in the competitive business world. Clarity, persuasiveness, and even grammar are rudimentary skill sets for professionals. These same skills are completely ignored in the social networking world. For many college grads, writing a simple business letter or memo is oftentimes an insurmountable task.

Writing shortcuts are taught at a young age. According to Kara Miller, a first-year writing instructor at Babson University, professors are encouraged to spend 15 minutes grading a paper. Consider how much time should be afforded by a high school teacher, whose students are more inexperienced, and thus need more individualized attention! It becomes far too easy for teachers to grade students' papers without thoroughly examining writing technique. Minor writing flaws become major if consistently left uncorrected. Students' failure to reach writing proficiency in high-school leads to a cycle of continuous inadequacy in college and professional life. With time, it becomes and harder to overcome.

The larger issue is an overall lack of assertiveness on the part of students themselves to better their own writing. Only recently did the SAT make its writing portion mandatory, while the ACT still offers a test with no writing section at all. It is as if even the major testing organizations cannot agree on what level of writing is sufficient. Even so, many colleges dismiss the writing section of the standardized tests as "experimental" and "new", and do not consider it a "serious" part of the admissions process. This very approach is fostering a generation of "everybody wins". If students don't do well, they are willing to chalk it up to, "I'm still good" because they do not see the negative consequences of their scores. At Michigan, we have available writing tutorials on "How to Write a Business Letter" or "Cover Letters 101", but most students don't care to know about or to use these resources. Today's generation is all about shortcuts - the less work, the better. With many of us, it's all about investing time in things that will bring tangibility and instant gratification - anything other than that is just a waste of time. There is simply no motivation for students to take the initiative to write. It's boring. It's hard. They want no part of it.

If students don't want to worry about their writing skills, someone should. Estimates indicate the lack of writing skills is costing American corporations as much as $3.1 Billion per year. This staggering figure points to the need for someone to be held accountable. One solution for businesses is to thoroughly examine a candidate's work before hiring them. Requesting a mandatory writing portfolio or even presenting a quick writing assessment in an interview wouldn't hurt. Writing ability can be demonstrated in many ways. As a soon-to-be member of the new work force, I wouldn't mind being held to those standards. Many of my peers would not agree. Everyone should stop playing the blame game. Schools or businesses should not be faulted. Writing is personal. Read a book. Write a thank-you note rather than dropping a text. If you cannot write, it will hold you back forever. Practice your writing. The only way to be a great writer is to write.

Brand Assassins – Who is Getting Hurt?

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:00:03 GMT

Since that fateful day of April 20^th, BP has endured a steady stream of protests and attacks on the company, its leaders and the brand. Once revered in branding circles for a brilliant repositioning campaign - BP - Beyond Petroleum, the company now is branded as the "villain." They are no longer in control of their brand. It isn't a brand or be branded sum game anymore. All the media weight that they can muster won't make any difference. The public wants to lash out at BP! Someone has to pay. The easiest way is to attack the brand - it is visible and tangible. Boycotts are the preferred "brand punishment."

Look no further than the 787,126 fans on Boycott BP page on Facebook to see the veracity of hatred toward BP. The hatred is in black and white and growing by the day. Sites like seizeBP.org are emerging with the sole purpose of defacing the BP brand. Protests are spreading to BP branded gas stations which offer easy targets. The question remains, are they the right targets?

What began in the Gulf Coast states has spread to nationwide boycotts of BP gas stations. In the month of May, total sales at BP gas stations declined by 8-10%, according to Jim Smith, president of the Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores Association. The problem is these boycotts are hurting the "jobbers" - the independent station owners. Of the 10,000 BP stations west of the Rockies, the overwhelming majority are independent. Many stations are forced to cut prices to drive traffic which means little to no profit in the intensely competitive, razor-thin profit gasoline business. The average profit on a gallon of gas is around 6 cents! Fewer gas customers also mean fewer sales in the attached convenience stores. It is very likely that many of the BP stations face a dire future. That equates to lost jobs and wages for a segment of the working populace that can ill afford it.

As often happens when the groundswell hits among the public to make a corporation pay for its sins, the attack is misguided. The general public is often unaware of the make-up of a corporation and the distributor channels they work with. People believe that they are being socially conscious, but they may in fact be conscious of the wrong thing.

While it is construed as guilt by association, BP station owners are bearing the brunt of the consumer backlash. They face brand assassins day in and day out. Until recently, they were out on an island all alone. Just last week, BP rolled out a series of initiatives aimed at helping its independent dealers. These initiatives allow regional BP gas distributors to offer selected retailers a discount. Co-op monies are being made available to the gas station owners that are the hardest hit. This extends to distributors, who are also hurting. There are 475 BP gasoline distributors that deliver gasoline by tanker to the service stations. They'll get a break on prices.

Boycotts are easy and quick. They can work if they're directed at the right people. If so, then the boycott should be extended to both Amoco and Arco who are owned by BP. I'm sure that very few, if any, of the BP boycotting public is aware of this. That is why it is hard to make a company "pay." The inner workings of channel partners and distributors are often complex and daunting. Yes, it is the yellow and green BP sign outside but who are you really hurting? It's potentially the neighbor who owns the local BP franchise and who lives in your community. I hope that the boycotters would think twice if they knew that.

The Bar Car Lives On!

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:13:58 GMT

Commuting is hard work - be it in a car or via public transportation. It takes time away from doing the things you'd rather be doing - like relaxing and partaking in an adult beverage. Riders of Metro-North on the Connecticut side have always been able to reduce the stress of the day in the "Bar Car." I spent many an evening on the train knocking back Foster's oil cans while playing backgammon with people I'd never met before. The Bar Car offered engagement and interaction in face-to-face communications rather than in the digital world. The conversations and friendships were strong enough factors to even overlook the billowing clouds of cigarette smoke that enveloped the car. Perhaps the beverage was the greatest motivator, not to mention making an hour and half train ride seem to go by in a moment.

The Connecticut branch of Metro-North is the last bastion of bar cars. Chicago's Metra line shut down their bar cars a couple of years back. Back in the early spring it looked like doomsday for the Connecticut rail riders as well as Metro-North was considering dropping bar car service.

A groundswell of outcry got officials to rethink the strategy of removing the Bar Car. There was sentiment for replacing the bar cars with cars that would accommodate more passengers, making perfect business sense for Metro-North. But would it? According to revenue figures, the Bar Cars delivered $1.3 million in revenue in 2008 and $1.5 million in 2009. That is a 15% plus increase in year-over-year revenue in a depressed economy. What company or brand can claim those increases in a deep recession?

Metro-North officials are doing a smart thing from a customer engagement standpoint - asking Metro-North customers who are Bar Car brand advocates to weigh in on their impression of the new M-8 Café Car set-up. The name sounds contrived but may appeal to a wider audience of patrons. Through partnership with the CT Rail Commuter Council, a survey is available on www.trainweb.org/ct for thoughts and reactions to the proposed cars. The M-8 train cars are being manufactured by Kawasaki Rail Cars, part of the giant Kawasaki brand known primarily for motorcycles and ATV's. For decades their tagline has stood tall - "Let the Good Times Roll." What a perfect tie in for the new bar cars.

The brand affinity is huge for the Bar Cars - sites like http://www.wheresthebarcar.com/ allow people to check in and see what trains to catch going back home to Connecticut for drinks to help lighten the load of the day. For social engagement, www.barcar.com is the choice. Either way, commuters have strong affinities both for and against bar cars. They invoke passion and involvement.

It seems to me that Metro-North is under marketing their Bar Car properties. They never feature any meaningful promotions with spirits, wine or beer brands. How about signage and train car wraps? The atmosphere is a little sterile from a marketing standpoint. Lots of missed opportunities - like "Today's 6:04 Bar Car sponsored by Heineken"! Metro-North is leaving money on the table as bar car patrons are a highly sought after demographic that spirits, wine and beer brands covet. Co-promotion ideas are endless. The Bar Car - a long standing tradition that was on death's doorstep, yet continues to live on across trains on the Metro-North Connecticut branch. Now that's an idea to drink to and get on board with.

A Penny for Your Thoughts

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:31:45 GMT

Everywhere you turn these days, brands are asking you to participate in a survey - from purchase interest to customer satisfaction. Just the other day I was bombarded with multiple requests to give my opinion. Who doesn't want to impart their opinion, especially if you're a marketer? Plus, getting something in return is an inducement that many of us find hard to resist, but it comes at a cost as time is money. Time is something that you can't get back or get more of - 24 hours in a day is the limit. How you use it is totally up to you.

The first survey salvo was served up early in the morning by Dunkin' Donuts with a receipt shout out - "Hey America! Want a free donut when you purchase a medium or larger beverage? Go to TELLDUNKIN.COM within three days: tell us about your visit." Who doesn't want a free donut?

Just for kicks, I went to the site - decent fulfillment area with a preloaded questionnaire with lots of easy prompts and a 'percent done' calculator. So far so good. I thought that this can't be too bad. That is until I started hitting double digits in questions. It gets ridiculous when they ask about your ability to communicate with the crew. I want the crew to do one thing - get me my coffee. After all, their tagline is "America runs on Dunkin." Communicating with the crew flies in the face of this classic positioning notion of getting in and out quickly - the anti-Starbucks! Another crazy question was posed - my likelihood of recommending this Dunkin Donuts location to a friend. Who do they think I am, Zagat, and are they are a five-star dining establishment? Who recommends Dunkin Donuts? Total time for the survey - around ten minutes! I earned a dollar for my time which averages to about $6.00 an hour - below minimum wage. Coincidentally, the cost of a donut is 99 cents. I got snookered - plus the caveat of having to buy a medium or larger beverage to get the free donut. You have to buy the coffee to get the "an."

At lunch time, D'Angelo offered 10% off my next order for participating in yet another survey. You know the drill, lots of questions with multiple parts that all get to the holy marketing grail - customer satisfaction. Another ten minutes or so spent on answering the questions - truthfully and with conviction rather than just blowing through them to get the 10%. The value for participating - about 80 cents as the average lunch is around $8.00. My survey "take home pay" is dwindling. My opinion has to be worth more than that! People get $50.00 to participate in focus groups. This is slave marketing labor!

Later that afternoon, Marriott sent an email survey about my recent stay at the Residence Inn. Lo and behold, it came from J.W. Marriott Jr. himself. Of course he signed it, but don't hit 'reply' as he'll never see it. It goes to Marriott cyber land! I am deeply engaged with the Marriott brand on many levels - a silver elite member. What do I get for my participation in the survey? The big ziggy - absolutely nothing - no room upgrade, no percentage off a future stay, no dinner coupon - not even a free cookie! They want my counsel but aren't willing to pay for it. They don't place any value on what I think so I have no interest in working free for them.

Customer satisfaction surveys are a critical component of any brand's marketing mix. If done correctly, they're invaluable in giving insights and directional guidance. The problem is they're becoming too prolific. Surveys are as intrusive on web sites as pop-ups used to be. They're annoying. Brands are running the risk of alienating loyal customers if you don't offer the "proper inducement" to participate much like Marriott has done with me. It has to be at a level that is commensurate with how consumers feel they should be rewarded based upon the business value that they represent to the brand.

The lesson learned is don't survey your customers to death. Be selective and judicious about the use of surveys as a marketing tool. Brands need to realize that people's opinions and thoughts are valuable commodities and should be treated as such.

What's Old Is New?

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:16:54 GMT

What goes around comes around. How true it is, especially in distribution and retail circles. There never has been a retail/distribution that hasn't been redone and or recast in a different concept. As we grow older, we often yearn for the days of our youth. It has been said that it takes twenty years for something to become nostalgic.

Being a boomer, there are many things I look back at fondly. I have fond memories of trips with my mother to the fish market, bakery and butcher where you knew everyone and everyone knew you. Mega supermarkets weren't even on the retail horizon. There was a personal connection, long before "engagement" became a marketing term du jour. The butcher knew how you liked your cut of meat. They cut and sliced it the way you wanted and didn't hide it along with waste in plastic wrapped containers. You knew and paid only for what you wanted. A trip to the butcher shop was a good experience. The prepackaged meat from a supermarket today just doesn't compare.

Couple the nostalgia for the butcher experience with the less than quality supermarket butcher experience and opportunity is created in this unfulfilled niche. Just recently, The Meat House opened here in Avon. The place has been hopping. Being marketing and advertising curious, I checked the market out. It works on so many different levels - from the customer experience to the product itself. Foodies and novices are equally welcomed by a zealous staff that aims to please - refreshing in today's "tip me" world.

The Meat House offers customers a diverse line of premium meats as well as proprietary marinades, cheeses, fresh produce, artisan breads, prepared side dishes, wines, beer and specialty foods. All are delivered with a pledge of "Unparalleled hospitality in a ten-minute shopping experience." What a great create dissatisfaction strategy against the mega-store food shopping experience where it might take you ten minutes just to park the car and navigate the trek into the store itself.

Tapping into the fundamental shift of people dining at home more often and the desire to eat locally sustainable foods, The Meat House's proposition of gourmet level foods and services in a convenient format is aligned for tremendous growth. This vision of the market is what motivated the startup of The Meat House by two partners, Justin Rosberg and Jason Parent, back in 2004. The growth has been explosive - 11 company-owned stores and seven franchise locations with another 20 being opened this year. They have territory agreements in place for more than 125 stores in 11 states. To say that the market is pent up for good, fresh butcher quality meat is the classic understatement. People are willing to pay for really good meat, especially for a particular occasion. The brand's revenue is testimony - $18 million, with a forecast of over $100 million with the expansion plans.

The mega supermarkets can't do everything well. Much like their meat, their bakeries are uniformly mediocre as well. It's a disappointment to pay top dollar for Boar's Head cold cuts and then put them on a tasteless roll from the supermarket. Panera Bread has tapped into this niche by fulfilling on the promise of a good bread experience. An entire generation has grown up not knowing bakery style breads, cakes, and cookies. The difference is immeasurable in taste and food experience satisfaction. It is no coincidence that there are now three bakeries in the town where I live and all are thriving as well.

It's an example of the death of the big-box/mega store concept. Being all things to all people means you do nothing extraordinarily well. Panera Bread understands this premise with a mission statement of "With the single goal of making great bread broadly available to consumers across America." This single-minded passion has been credited with driving the nationwide trend for specialty bread.

The Meat House is bringing back the butcher and also trying to tap into the community as well. They want you to have fun shopping - another novel concept. Shopping at The Meat House is an experience to look forward to almost as much as the entertaining and family event. In some ways, it emulates shopping in Europe, albeit in a very different setting.

Will The Meat House make a dent in the mega supermarket business? Yes, but will they care? It further points out the fact that there is white space in every category if you look hard enough for it. Not too long ago - butcher shops, bakeries and cheese shops were a dying breed. What happened is the retail replacement didn't replicate the experience, thus creating the opportunity for nostalgia marketing in a new concept. The butcher is back as is the baker. Candles anyone? What's old is new again.

Take Time Out This Weekend

Thu, 27 May 2010 07:53:53 GMT

It is finally here! The official start of summer begins with the three day weekend - Memorial Day. Barbeques, picnics, the beach, pool and summer vacations all await us over the next three months. Memorial Day is truly an American holiday where food, friends and fun reign supreme. Let the celebration begin as 28 million people travel to a get-together over the weekend. That's up 5% from last year. After two-plus long years of recession, it's heartening to see economic growth in any form.

Over the course of my lifetime, Memorial Day has taken on a significantly different role in the nation's psyche. It is no longer so much the recognition and acknowledgement of those who served in battle and conflicts over the past 150 years. It's less about parades and patriotism. It's become more about relaxing and letting loose.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, commemorates U.S. men and women who died in our nation's service. It was first enacted to honor Union soldiers of the Civil War; it was expanded after World War I. It was formerly observed on May 30th, but changed in the 70's to create the three-day weekend. Many veterans argue that this has led to the nonchalant and ambivalent observance of Memorial Day.

All of us have been touched by military veterans in one shape or another. My grandfather, father and father-in-law all served when asked by their country. My friend's brothers went to Vietnam. Who doesn't know someone who's done a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan? It's now often as if we're falling into taking our freedom for granted again.

Will we see the flags on veteran's graves as we drive by cemeteries on the way to a party or the beach? How many people will proudly fly their flag? The tradition is to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff from dawn until noon. Will we buy one of the poppies from the members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars? Will we thank a veteran when we see one? We owe a lot to those who gave their lives so we can enjoy ours. Yes, we think it rationally; but do we live it emotionally by taking action?

In researching this post, I learned that as part of the Memorial Day celebration there is a National Moment of Remembrance. At 3 p.m. local time the remembrance takes place. It's a time for all of us to pause in national unity to give personal thanks by honoring those who served. The reason the 3 p.m. time was chosen is because that is when most Americans are truly enjoying the fruits of personal freedom on the national holiday. It demonstrates our gratitude and respect for those who died for our freedom since the founding of our Nation

If you want to be inspired over the weekend, tune into PBS on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. for the 2010 National Memorial Day Concert from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The concert focuses on three themes this year that touch a cross-section of our country - honoring the sacrifices, suffering and love of a new generation of young military widows and widowers whose spouses served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam; paying tribute on the 60th anniversary of the Korean War to the heroic service of the soldiers who fought and perished; and paying homage to the more than 125,000 WWI and WWII service members who did not come home but rest in 24 military cemeteries in the foreign lands where they fought for liberty. Having been to Normandy and walked the Utah and Omaha beaches, I stared in awe at the rows and rows of crosses marking the gravesites of American soldiers. I'm hard pressed to think of any place that moved me so emotionally. The concert at the Capitol affects me in the same manner. It will make you feel good about all that you have in a country where you are truly free. Take some time out this weekend and recognize our veterans, past and present. If you see a veteran, just say thanks, especially if they are family.

It's time that we all put "memorial" back into Memorial Day!!

Brand Verbs - Home Run or Strike Out?

Fri, 21 May 2010 07:53:01 GMT

The financial news networks have been inundated lately with new Vanguard commercials heralding a new way of investing called "Vanguarding." The spots catch your attention because they are so different and unexpected for the category, and are in conflict with Vanguard's bedrock position of low fund management fees and sound investment strategies. Turning a brand into a brand action - transitioning to a brand verb is risky business.

The brandscape is littered with more failures than successes that employ the brand verb niche strategy. When done right, brand verbs can be a homerun. FedEx, probably the poster child for how a brand verb strategy should work, immediately comes to mind. As does Xerox. Even if we have a DVR, the response is often "Tivo" it. Or even Rollerblading. Online searches are all about "Google It."

The common thread to all of these brand verb evolutions is that they were born out of user experiences, not a marketing campaign. They just happened organically on their own. No external orchestration was needed; users were the drivers behind it. It's hard to believe that at one point FedEx was known as Federal Express. Changing the name to FedEx took big money and guts. The threat of turning FedEx into a generic category like Kleenex was huge. The gamble certainly paid off. What a novel idea - a branding and naming convention driven by customers.

"Vanguarding" seems forced and contrived. The campaign tagline doesn't make any connection to the investor - "Stop just investing and start Vanguarding." Isn't the name of the game investing? Is "Vanguarding" the new way of investing post-recession?

The definition of "Vanguarding" has a lot of strategic elements to it. Here is how it is defined on Vanguard's web site. "Vanguarding is a different approach to investing. It's looking at the long term, investing at cost and choosing a company that treats you like an owner." It's asking a lot of the individual investor to grasp. Can Vanguard carve out this position so that it is believable? Are we truly owners, or just investors in a mutual fund? What's missing is the single-minded business premise that made Vanguard relevant and differentiated.

Vanguard has owned the low-cost mutual fund position for years. It is the go-to mutual fund when low management fees are the priority investment selection criteria. Couple that with sound investment strategies and fundamental thinking and investors and financial advisors alike understood where Vanguard fit into their consideration set. Both distinctive and differentiated, Vanguard carved out investor mind space.

Does "Vanguarding" reach and address the truths of investing - risk, cost, time and emotion? To achieve success, "Vanguarding" has to become a way of investing life. It speaks to investors' hearts with the "guarding" element. Who doesn't want help protecting your assets today? From an overall perspective, it seems forced and contrived. "Vanguarding" needs to be the deliverable that audiences derive from investing with Vanguard. What happened to the simple premise of return on investment?

Brand verbs can't be manufactured. It happens through user experience, day after day. You can't force them. Will the term "investing" be replaced by "Vanguarding?" It's highly doubtful.

Friends for Life

Fri, 14 May 2010 13:59:44 GMT

Think about the number of brands that we connect with early in our lives that stay with us year after year. A trusted friend that never waivers. Nothing can come between us and the brand. It is a part of who we are. No brand has a greater grip on our psyche than our sports teams. After all, "fan" is short for "fanatic." It's so true in baseball, where the day-in and day-out, up and down drama of navigating a 162 game season is both exhilarating and depressing. Yet, we keep coming back for more.

The recent passing of Ernie Harwell, the great baseball announcer for the Detroit Tigers, got me questioning who our brand connection is really forged with - the team or the announcer. The outpouring of love and admiration for all things Ernie was incredible. You would have thought that some people lost a close relative or friend. Perhaps they did. It was as if he played for the Tigers, but, of course, he didn't. However he was the eyes and ears that brought the game to millions, not just across Michigan but also throughout the upper Midwest.

Ernie understood his "brand" place in an understated manner. It was best exemplified in his signoff farewell back in 2002. "It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure. I'm not leaving folks. I'll still be with you, living my life in Michigan - my home state - surrounded by family and friends. And rather than say goodbye, please allow me to say you thank you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your family. Thank you for taking me with you to that cottage up north, to the beach, the picnic, your work place and your backyard. Thank you for sneaking your transistor under the pillow as you grew up loving the Tigers. Now, I might have been a small part of your life. But you've been a very large part of mine. And it's my privilege and honor to share with you the greatest game of all." What an elegant way to pay homage to a brand relationship.

The best announcers hold a special place in the hearts of fans. Harwell may have been the last of a dying breed. Announcers who were literally connected to the team they covered. Vin Scully now carries the torch, but his days of holding court high over Dodger Stadium are numbered. We're lucky in the New England area to have listened to radio greats, night after night, season after season. I remember sneaking a transistor into bed in the dead of winter and listening to Boston Celtics announcer Johnny Most delivering the epic call of "Havlicek stole the ball." It was as if I were at the Boston Garden rather than in bed hoping my mother didn't check on me. Johnny Most was a homer indeed, but he was our homer. Much like Ned Martin's memorable call of the Carlton Fisk Game Six homer in the 1975 World Series - "If it stays fair, it going to be a home run." There is something magical about listening to baseball on the radio.

Baseball is a game that happens in between the actual action on the game. Soccer is often referred to as "the beautiful game," but baseball is magical in its simplicity and complexity. It's visually arresting and artfully presented. Announcers help paint this visual picture. They also become a part of our lives.

Every region of the country has its own sports announcer character. This is especially true in the NY Metropolitan area. The Yankees had their own folk hero, Phil "Holy Cow" Rizzuto. Their cross-town rivals, the fledgling Mets, featured the announcing tandem of Ralph Kiner, Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphy and his "Happy Recap" - a trio that survived together for well over 30 years. All were great story tellers and held court night after night. They were always part of the game but never bigger than it. They let the game breathe and left things to your imagination. The "Green Monster" and the "Pesky Pole." You saw the images in your mind.

Love them or hate them - which is dependent on the rooting interest of your team. Sports announcers, like great brands, inspire devotion. All my friends used to mimic Marv Albert's trademark "yes" call when they hit a jumper in a pick-up basketball game. Little did we know at that young age the bond that we'd form with our teams and the announcers who brought the games to life every day and night. That was long before 50-plus sports channels on cable and instantaneous score updates on our Blackberry's and iPhones which today masquerade as our new transistors.

Will new generations have the same sports announcer brand affinity or is that innocence lost forever? I think the sports announcer connection is alive and well, albeit in a different form and across a far more evolved and sophisticated sports landscape. Look no further than the RemDawg himself - Red Sox color announcer Jerry Remy. Based on an offbeat persona and love of all things Red Sox, he has built a brand empire. One that continues in steep ascent with the new Jerry Remy Sports Bar and Grill - a mega-pub tucked away behind Fenway Park. Judging from when I walked by his place after a game a few weeks ago, the Rem Dog is raking in the cash. This isn't the first time a sports announcer has cashed in on his fame to seek out fortune. Harry Caray, the Chicago Cubs long-time announcer, had his own Harry Caray restaurant in downtown Chicago where he was known to throw back a few cold ones. As Harry liked to say, "I'm a Cubs Fan and Bud Man." What a perfect brand tie-in - baseball and beer. What baseball fan hasn't forged that ultimate brand relationship - baseball and beer! Those are friends that you make for life.