Branding Blog

Wizard Academy Events: Register Now

Coming soon to Wizard Academy:

Non-Fiction Writers Workshop - Oct 6, 7 & 8

Mike Drew, Paul Boomer and yours truly will be whipping aspiring authors into a system that virtually guarantees they will get their book done on-time and with a marketing platform to support it. If you are thinking about it, but worried about hotel costs, contact me for a great deal. Register for the Non-Fiction Writer's Workshop at Wizard Academy.

Eisenberg Website Workshop - October 21, 22 & 23

Jeffrey and Bryan Eisenberg’s annual web class at Wizard Academy always overflows with more than 100 students. This year’s attendance will be limited to just 24. Will you be there?

WonderBranding: Marketing to Women - Oct 30 & 31

Michele Miller's fabulous eye-opening 2-day extravaganza. It's on Halloween again this year (that makes it a tradition). Check out the picture of mad-hatter Michele. That's her, wedged in between the priest and the nun. Register for Wonderbranding: Marketing to Women

Blog and Web Workshop - Nov 11 & 12

This is a beginners course in getting started as a blogger. No technical know-how needed. It's after the election, so there's no better time to start your new life as a political pundit! Class size is limited for this extreme hands-on blogging workshop.

Fight the Big Boys and Win! - Dec 3 & 4

Tom Wanek and Mike Dandridge give you step-by-step plans for positioning yourself against the big-boxes and the 'marts. Register early and get a room at Engelbrecht House!

Boys and Their Toys

Years ago, I did a bit of free consulting ("Hey Dave, let me bounce a few ideas off of you.") for a heavy equipment operator's school. My advice was to close the school and open an adult sandbox. Seriously. Let grown-ups play on the equipment and charge through the nose. He thought that all he needed was better recruiting. Here's a picture of me on his bulldozer taken with a crappy PDA of the era. Do you think I can remember anything about his boring school except for the fact that he let me drive a bulldozer?

When I went on a press trip to learn about some new Goodyear tires, they let me drive a mine haul truck. That's me on the right. You can't help but grin when you're standing on this truck.

Do you think I remember anything about the trip besides the haul truck? (OK, maybe the flight in Mark Cuban's 757 on the way to the haul truck.)

Now, my partner Mike Dandridge dredges up (yes that was a heavy equipment joke) a story about a company in Colorado that has come through on the sandbox dream! I love it.

How would you change your business if the only thing you could offer your customers was the experience?

Revisiting the Advertising Performance Equation

“Have You Calculated Your APE?” is the title of chapter 47 of Roy H. Williams’ bestseller, Secret Formulas of The Wizard of Ads.

Deceptively simple, the Advertising Performance Equation (APE) encompasses every aspect of your advertising and marketing. Traditional media, the competitive landscape, the power of your ad to convince, your location, helpfulness of your staff, word-of-mouth…it’s all in there.

Now, almost 10 years after it was first published, we’re going to be taking a closer look at the formula and its elements in the next few months. This is all leading up to a workshop in Denver where you’ll be guided in the ways of Calculating your Own APE. 

Here’s the equation:

SoV x IQ x PEF x MPo = Sales Volume

To better understand the APE, you must consider the three separate equations it combines:

Share of Voice (SoV) x Impact Quotient (IQ) = Share of Mind

Share of Mind x Personal Experience Factor (PEF) = Share of Market

Share of Market x Market Potential (MPo) = Sales Volume of the Advertiser.

The Goal is to Make The Phone Ring

As promised, this week Roy H. Williams shows how to write the ads that will get the phone to ring. And remember:

"Now let me make this clear: The goal is to make the phone ring. Whether or not the caller buys the advertised house is unimportant. The realtor just wants to meet folks who are thinking of moving.  He or she wants a shot at listing their current home. If the respondent doesn’t like the home you featured, the realtor will happily drive them to see some other ones."

For any Wizard Academy grads, he also announced that the reunion will be October 11. Anyone else scrambling to fit it into an already too busy October?

The Extraordinary People Myth

Last week's Monday Morning Memo was directed at business owners who believe that they are successful (or can become successful) by employing only extraordinary people who will provide exceptional customer service.

More specifically, Roy points out the danger in making your customer service the key point in your advertising.

“Most customers assume you’re trying to direct attention away from the fact that your prices are too high. When the occasional customer does believe your claims, you’ve usually raised their expectations so high that you can’t possibly live up to the picture you’ve painted in their mind. Ads that promise exceptional service don’t increase your sales figures but they do increase your complaints.”

What to do? Stay tuned. More on the subject tomorrow.

How Strong is Your Brand?

I've been busy in the background getting ready to re-launch BrandingBlog with a distinct focus on small business. Today, my good friend and colleague, Craig Arthur sent a classic Roy Williams piece as part of his brilliant Wizard Chronicles email. (You really should subscribe.)

In essence, I'm building a year's worth of content around this paragraph.

Branding is much more than name recognition, a color scheme, a logo and a slogan. Brand essence is the complex mental image summoned by a name, even when that name is heard only silently in the mind. (Unlike a mere visual image, a mental image is a complex composite of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, opinion and mood.) Brand essence is everything a brand stands for in the heart of the customer.

What does your brand stand for in the heart of your customer?

Stay tuned.

Crikey! What's next? The Eye of Sauron?

Microsoft Surface Sphere

Why your retail store needs a good web site, even if you don't do e-commerce.

Thanks to Holly at GrokDotCom for finding this article on SearchEngineWatch.

Media measurement company, Nielsen Online, conducted a survey to examine the relationship between online research and offline purchases. They found that 80% of participants who had recently bought consumer electronics from a brick and mortar store whose site they visited first.

• 53% bought from the site where they spent the most time.
• 58% would choose the internet if they could only use one channel to conduct product research on consumer electronics. Only 25% chose the brick and mortar store.

I get asked all the time about the importance of having more than just a first generation "my nephew built it" web site for your LOCAL clothing store, plumbing shop, cafe, bank, insurance agency, etc. My answer is always, "I can't believe it's 2008 and you're still asking that question. " But, some people will only listen to the numbers.

The numbers are still speaking. They haven't changed their minds. I can help you.

Nashville Small Business Seminar

You're still invited...

Boom Your Business....register today!

"The Breakup" the Sequel: "Inspiration Anyone?"

About a year ago, Microsoft Advertising released a video called "The Breakup." It's a great statement about the disconnect between advertisers and consumers. Now, a year later, they've produced a nice sequel. Again, deep irony regarding the fact that the advertiser just doesn't get it.

The video is designed to get people to a Microsoft web site called getinspiredhere.net, a brand new blog that promises to build a community of marketers, designers and developers. There's not much there yet, but it's likely worth watching to see how they progress...or they could just become another piece of the irony.

Inspiration, anyone?
by geertdesager