Ace Hardware Aims to Win with “The Help”

Posted on March 26, 2013 | Leave a comment
Photo: Ace Hardware Facebook.

Photo: Ace Hardware Facebook.

Who’s the friendliest of them all: Home Depot, Lowes or Ace Hardware?

If new marketing works, it will be the ”helfpul marketing folks” at Ace Hardware.

Ace has evolved its marketing positioning from an in-store shopping convenience benefit – “Take back your weekend” (refer to my 2011 post) – to a customer service benefit – “Getting help at Ace is like going to your neighbor.”

While the convenience of finding what you’re looking for in a smaller store is a tangible benefit, the Illinois company has now decided to highlight its neighborly advice.  After all, Ace isn’t going to beat its rivals on price or assortment

The new marketing campaign builds from a simple positioning and is effectively communicated in new TV commercials.  There’s a master establishing TV spot, and then there’s the first of three planned national TV commercials::

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Posted in Advertising, Positioning, Strategic Marketing, Video

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3M Brands Get Endorsement Right with Mike Holmes

Posted on February 26, 2013 | 1 Comment
Photo: The Holmes Group (www.makeitright.ca)

Photo: The Holmes Group (www.makeitright.ca)

What is it about endorsements – celebrity, athlete, organization - that make them such a tempting magical elixir for marketers and agencies?

Well, for starters, they often work, because shoppers are influenced and persuaded by aspirational and positive association.  Marketing endorsements run the gamut from the clothes and footwear of our favorite performers and athletes; to the golf clubs we see being used on tv each week; and even to what we eat and drink.  Crest toothpaste’s 1960s endorsement from the American Dental Association is one of the most famous examples.

However, there are perils, especially now in our totally connected, instant-on world.  Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius, just to name a recent few, were perhaps “no brainer” endorsement decisions at one time.  Not now.  (To be fair, Mr. Pistorius deserves his day in court.  Still, Nike pulled his “bullet in the chamber” ad and this isn’t the kind of attention they wanted.)

Given the challenges and difficulties these days with endorser marketing, I was pleased to come across an excellent pairing:  3M filter and safety brands with contractor Mike Holmes, who because of his HGTV shows, has become a superman brand champion for home building/home improvement problem-solving.

Photo: 3M Filtrete website.

Photo: 3M Filtrete website.

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Posted in Promotions/Tactics, Strategic Marketing, Video

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Engage Customers with “Content Marketing”

Posted on February 5, 2013 | 1 Comment

Imagine this:  Your marketing mission, if you choose to accept it, is to convince Global 2000 CIOs (Chief Information Officers) to use Serena Software’s orchestrated IT solutions.  The company’s ”core purpose is to advance the business value of IT.”

Photo: Serena Software Website

Photo: Serena Software Website

Tough one!  I’m not a CIO and I don’t speak the language of “orchestrated IT solutions,” but I can share a clever way to solve the problem.  Let’s talk about the smart marketing Serena Software developed and implemented to bring a rather dry product/service to life with its prospects and customers.

Perhaps you know something about “content marketing” and “inbound marketing” and maybe you’re applying these marketing techniques today.  Basically, content marketing is leveraging “owned assets” (and “earned assets” too) such as websites, social media pages, and a variety of custom produced material to further your sales and marketing objectives.  Inbound marketing, according to Hubspot, “is a set of marketing strategies and techniques focused on pulling relevant prospects and customers towards a business and its products.”

If you’re not leveraging some form of content and inbound marketing today, you’re missing the boat.  In particular, video offers excellent opportunities to engage, inform and persuade customers.  Serena Software created an excellent five-part video episode series called “Doug Serena, CIO” to  bring the benefits of its orchestrated IT solutions to life with its CIO targets.   Continue reading →

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Posted in Corporate Communications, Social Media Marketing, Strategic Marketing, Video

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Put “70 Percent Solution” & Rapid Fielding Concepts into Go-to-Market Toolbox

Posted on January 8, 2013 | 1 Comment
iStockphoto.com

iStockphoto.com

Business teams often struggle to achieve marketplace action, whether it’s new products or services, changes to their customer offerings or even basic sales materials.

One limiting factor may be a sort of impossible quest for perfection.  That’s why I’ve come to embrace the philosophy of seeking excellence.

I was reminded of this when reading that the US Department of Defense has a division called Rapid Fielding.  Yes, there is a ”Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Rapid Fielding” in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering.  It’s intriguing because while US armed forces are rightfully known for many great things, rapid weapons development and deployment are not high on the list.

“The Rapid Fielding mission is to identify, develop, demonstrate, assess & rapidly field innovative concepts and technologies that supply critical capabilities to meet time-sensitive operational needs.”

Rapid Fielding was neatly summarized by reporter Julian E. Barnes in The Wall Street Journal: 

“The rapid-fielding office is in large measure trying to follow the guidance of former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who argued that too many defense-acquisition projects spent too much trying to develop a perfect weapon. Instead, Mr. Gates argued, the Pentagon should try to focus on cheaper technologies that offered “70% solutions.”"

USMC Flag

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There’s a lot for business leaders to take from the 70 percent solution concept, which comes from the US Marine Corps.

“Everyone is always looking for the perfect truth, but you never have it.  Even if you did have it, the other guy is up to something, so by the time you execute it your truth isn’t perfect anymore.” (Colonel Thomas Moore, quoted in Corps Business – The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines by David H. Freedman). Continue reading →

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Posted in Book Insights, Go-To-Market Strategy/Philosophy, Leadership & Coaching, New Products

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9 Thought-Provoking Leadership & Personal Growth Ideas for 2013

Posted on December 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

As we close 2012 and enter 2013, many of us will take stock of how we’re doing as marketing and business leaders, and perhaps in our personal lives as well.

In that spirit, I’d like to share a few thought-provoking ideas from my recent reading, including from Jeff Bezos and Clayton Christensen, that resonated with me and could prove valuable to you.  While they’re mostly for your professional consideration, you may also find some personal overlap.   I’ve organized these ideas into nine categories for easy processing.

Good luck and Happy New Year.

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1.  Figure Out How To Get Real Feedback & Input. 

A.  Doug Parker – CEO of US Airways

I try really hard now to have forums that allow employees to talk to me, rather than me being in front of 1,000 people. Four times a month, I put myself in a room with 30 or 40 pilots and flight attendants, and I talk for 10 minutes; they talk for 50 (emphasis added). It’s not just listening out of respect — you can’t imagine how much better you can do your job when you operate this way. When you’re leading a big organization like an airline, there’s a whole lot you can miss, so you have to start by listening to people. Then you can decide what the right course is.  (Source: Fortune)

B.  David Boies – Superlawyer, founder of Boies Schiller & Flexner

Anyone who’s worth talking to is worth listening to.  (Source: Fortune) Continue reading →

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Posted in Leadership & Coaching

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Duluth Trading Company Nails Positioning for Tradesmen Clothes

Posted on November 20, 2012 | 1 Comment

Source: Planet Propaganda (Duluth Agency)

It’s exciting to find hidden examples of terrific marketing.

I never heard of Duluth Trading Company until this past weekend.  During a college football broadcast, I saw a commercial for Fire Hose Work Pants that featured an animated beaver unsuccessfully trying to bite into a pair of work pants.  Check it out.

Here’s why I’m impressed with Duluth Trading Company:

  • Super-clear Positioning

It just takes one quick look at the company website to get the gist of what they’re all about:  “Workwear Designed and Tested by Tradesmen.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Advertising, Branding, Positioning, Video

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Acer Computer’s Megan Fox Marketing Campaign is a Big Question Mark

Posted on November 8, 2012 | 4 Comments

Photo: Acer website.

What is Acer doing with its new marketing and advertising push?

Check out this voice-over set-up from one of the ads:

“We all have our hidden passions. For Megan Fox, this is a passion for marine life. That’s why we designed the new Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook so Megan could follow her dream and talk to dolphins.”

If the video posted on Acer’s YouTube channel is indicative of the branding the company is hoping to build, my response is: Huh?

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Posted in Advertising, Branding, Positioning, Video

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