Don't Offend with Friendly Fire

Friendly Fire: What does that mean to you?

We live in a more connected world than we did 20 years ago. That means that it’s easier to offend. It also means that we have less excuse to offend.

It’s tough not to offend someone when you take a stand. Don’t worry about offending those who aren’t your market. But be sensitive to the feelings of your target market. You don’t want to tick them off – unless you are planning on changing your marketing.

The point is - are you aware of who you might be offending and are you comfortable with that?

This is a reminder that certain words and phrases trigger emotional responses.

Most of those connections are about race, religion, wars,

Humber College recently held a contest for entrepreneurs to receive money.

It’s an adaptation of the Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank TV shows. I applaud the college for encouraging entrepreneuership.

But, what caught my attention for the wrong reasons was the title of their program – Friendly Fire.

I know that title was meant to sound cute with the illiteration but it offended me. Perhaps someone thought that was a clever title.

Friendly Fire was a military propaganda phrase that was meant to soften the reality of allies killing allies.
Instead of telling family that we killed your son by mistake – they announced that your son was the victim of Friendly fire. That means that some idiot killed your son because of incompetence.


To me the use of the term "Friendly Fire" feels disrespectful and offensive.

Do these words offend you? What other phrases have marketers used that offended you?

Add your comments below

 

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Top 12 Blog Posts of 2012 on Power Marketing Blog

Review the top 12 Blog posts of 2012.

Top 12 Posts of 2012 on Power Marketing Blog from George Torok

 

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Police Chief Sends Christmas Cards to Criminals

Kudos to the Abbottsford police department for their creative marketing campaign.

Marketing is not just about selling a product or service. It is about sending messages. Every organization needs to market. That includes non-profits, public service and the police.

In this case, the Abbotsford police department produced and mailed a custom Christmas card to known criminals and “persons of interest”. It has a picture of the police chief dressed as Santa with a bullet proof vest over the Santa suit. He is holding an assault rifle. The caption is:

Which list will you be on next year?

Inside the card is the note “it’s never too late to change” along with a phone number the recipient is encouraged to call when they want help to change their life.

I assume that the role of the police is to protect the public from harm. That includes investigating crimes and charging law-breakers. But it’s better to prevent problems than try to clean up after. So part of their role means showing up and making their presence known. That helps to keep some offenders in line.

What did the Abbotsford police department do well?

1. The police targeted a specific well-defined audience. They had detailed contact and activity records about this target audience. That information gave them insight into the most likely mindsets and perspectives of the target group. They used their database.
2. The cost is low. The possible return is high. Even one less offender will more than pay back the costs of personal loss and policing costs. The risk of failure is low. Even if nothing changes, the police have demonstrated a clear attempt to reach out to offenders.Low cost and low risk.
3. This creative message is a good public relations move with the community. The public will be reassured that the department is proactive and innovative. It might be reassuring to know that the police are keeping track of the offenders. A message for their other stakeholders.
4. The Christmas card uses a tongue-in-cheek humour while hinting at a threat. Law-breakers probably understand and are motivated by threats more than most. This will certainly grab the attention of the intended audience. Bold and attention grabbing.
5. The Christmas card offers hope. Everyone needs and responds to hope. Some of those recipients might be at the stage where hope will attract them to make a phone call or make changes in their pattern of life. Offer hope.
6. The timing of the Christmas card leverages the good will of Christmas and the resolutions of New Year. Often people simply need a “logical” reason to change. People need a "because".
7. The results of this campaign are easy to measure. First, phone calls from the recipients are one measure. Second, the arrests of the people on this list will be another. Measurable.
8. This Christmas card campaign is bold and provocative and will offend some people. An effective marketing campaign is bold and provocative. Every organization has friends and enemies. You know that your marketing is bold enough when your enemies are offended. Who cares what they think. They are your enemies and will be no matter what you do. Good controversy can help your position and reinforce your message. There’s no question about where the police stand on this issue.
9. For all who receive this card the message is “We’re watching you”. That seems like a good message to send to law-breakers. That alone makes this mailing worthwhile.
10. For the community of Abbottsford, they can see that this police chief had a sense of humour, is bold and he knows his duty. Use the CEO to put a face on your campaign.

  

Merry Christmas to Chief Bob Rich and the team at the Abbottsford police department. And most importantly a Happy and crime-reduced New Year.

Read more about Abbottsford Police Sends Christmas Cards to Gangsters, Drug Dealers at Huffington Post

Read more about Abbotsford police enlist gun-toting Santa for criminals’ Christmas cards at Globe and Mail

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing  
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Controversy Sells: Richard Branson Does it Again

Richard Branson built a billion dollar empire and a powerful personal brand. There are common elements in those two achievements and some distinct differences.

Let's look at the more interesting part - the personal brand.

If you were to describe the man, what simple words would you use?

These are the words and phrases that come to my mind:

Adventurer


Provocative


Passionate


Visionary


Wicked sense of humour

My guess is that none of those surprise you. So why was the government of British Columbia surprised and unprepared when he acted exactly that way on his recent visit to promote Virgin Atlantic flying into Vancouver?

After BC Premier Christy Clark invited Branson to go kite surfing off the BC coast, Richard responded on his blog.
---------------------------------

When in British Columbia a few days ago, the delightful Premier Christy Clark accepted my invite to come for a kitesurf ride on my back.

One thing though - I forgot to tell her about the dress code! Well, here it is.
The offer still stands Christy!

By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group

---------------------------------

Classic Branson!

Provocative and wicked sense of humour.

But the stuffed shirts at the BC government proclaimed his comments as "offensive" and "disrespectful".

Those stooges played right into Branson's hands by fuelling the controversy in the public media.


Score Card

Richard Branson: For being true to himself: 100

BC Premier, Christy Clark: For her clever and funny quip: 50

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20120530/Premier-Christy-Clark-Branson-kitesurfing-120530/BC Government back room advisers: For their lack of forethought and afterthought : minus 30



George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Reliance Takes Unfair Advantage of the Competition

Good marketing should give you an unfair advantage over the competition. You want your prospects and clients to believe that selecting you over the competition is a clear decision. "Duh, of course we will buy from them."

To gain that unfair advantage you might make enemies with your competition. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

Kudos to Reliance Home Comfort in fighting back against the competition.

Reliance Home Comfort is mainly in the business of renting water heaters. The also sell water heaters but renting is far more lucrative for them so that's what they encourage customers to do. They offer other services related to home heating and cooling.

In the past few years there has been an influx of competitors who have marketed themselves by knocking on doors. Notice that the new insurgents into the market attacked on a different front.

When you want to beat the market leader you must attack on a different level. Never go head-to-head with a stronger competitor. The competition was playing unfair.

Apparently, these insurgents were also unfair to their prospects by being deceptive in how they represented themselves. But, they were hurting Reliance Home Comfort because the giant reacted.

Reliance respond by creating a website and campaign to expose these unscrupulous door knockers. The cornerstone is the website www.BurnedAtTheDoor.com At this website you can find information about water heaters and questions to pose to door-to-door sales people. Reliance also posted notices of "Hot Spots" - communities where the competition was actively knocking on doors.

They even allow you to report current hot spots - tapping into the social media urge.

I'm curious about how the competition will fight back.


George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Add Some Conflict to Make Your PR Programs Pop

Conflict sells. Conflict makes the news, grabs attention and gets discussed at the water cooler. If you want to be noticed, fight a powerful and evil enemy. Who or what demon are you fighting? While planning your PR strategy, pick your enemy strategically. The tougher, meaner and more disgusting your enemy—the better for you. That positions you clearly as the hero.


The Joker taunted Batman with the phrase "you complete me" in the movie The Dark Knight. The public image of both Batman and the Joker were stronger because of their conflict. A champion needs a formidable villain, and vice versa.

The PR lesson is that the public defines you by your competition. If you are not well known maybe you need to pick a tougher, more visible enemy.

Make your enemy appear more frightening

Read the rest of this article on PR News Online


George Torok is a Marketing Expert and a contributor to PR News Online

Sell to the Greedy – not the Needy

Business Lessons for New Entrepreneurs

I spoke to a business class at Mohawk College recently and gave them several lessons about marketing, business and life.

This point might have been unpleasant to hear.

Sell to the Greedy – not the Needy

That was the advice that I heard from my mentor and co-author, Peter Urs Bender. It might sound mean spirited at first. When you think about it you might see the wisdom. As a business owner you can save yourself a lot of grief if you follow that advice.

You will waste much time and money trying to convince the people who need your product to buy. The reality is those who need you the most are too stupid to buy. That’s why they are so needy. They are looking for a magic pill to cure all their problems.

I have talked to many business owners who need help with their marketing. I know that I can help them tremendously. But they can’t see the value and they only see hiring me as expenditure. They can’t see their marketing as an investment for which they can increase their return. They really need what I’m offering but aren’t willing to invest.

Instead the business owners who hire me are already leaders in their field. They’re looking for incremental improvements and they are willing to invest in that.

Sell to the greedy – those who want what you are selling. They recognize that they only need to gain a few inches or seconds to beat the competition and are willing to pay for that competitive advantage.

If you want to help the needy, make a good profit and donate generously to chairity.

Don’t waste your time and money trying to convince people that they should buy your product. Instead find the educated souls who already want it, appreciate the value and are willing to pay.

Your marketing then becomes a process of search, qualify and sell.


George Torok

Marketing Speaker

Canadian Business Speaker

Crazy People: Movie about Advertising Truth

This old movie with Dudley Moore might offend some of you with the language - but it is a real look at advertising.

Life Insurance is not Life Insurance

Sometimes effective marketing means misinterpreting words. Sometimes the truth doesn’t sell as well as misleading words.

Life Insurance is not life insurance. It is really death insurance. Fire insurance protects you against a fire. Accident insurance protects you against an accident. Theft insurance protects you against theft. And we could reassembly assume that flood and earthquake insurance would protect you against flood and earthquakes.

The truth would to be to say that you are selling death insurance to protect your survivors upon your death.

If they were truthful would my Dad have purchased Life Insurance when I was born? At the age of 18, I received a payment of about $1,800. During those 18 years he contributed much more than that amount. What was the purpose? If I died, he would have received a payment to pay for my funeral. I didn’t die so I got a modest payment.

By buying the “life insurance” he was betting that I would die young. It was not a profitable bet on his part. I appreciate the money I received at age 18. It could have been so much more if he simply put the monthly payments in a bank account at zero interest.

I’m sure that my Dad did not think about the investment in those cold terms. He was likely pressured by the emotional aspects of buying Life Insurance.

There is nothing wrong with buying Life Insurance – if you understand that it is really death insurance.

You buy fire insurance to protect you against the loss of fire. You buy life insurance to protect your loves ones against the loss of your death.

Death is the logical end of life – but let’s be clear on the difference and the intended deception.

Life insurance is really death insurance.


George Torok

Marketing Speaker

Business Speaker

Pigs or Prudes - Who are your customers?

Are They Pigs?


This is not about passing judgement. This is about having a clear picture of your best customers. Who are they? What do they look like? What are their values? What makes them laugh? What annoys them?

How can you package your product to fit their values?

For example:





If they are pigs you might rave about the latest fart app. You might have it on your phone. You might review the top ten.



Consider that one of the biggest selling iPhone apps is a fart app. For $0.99 you can make your iPhone make a fart noise. Disgusting to some but shear joy to pigs. If your customers are pigs, they will love the fart app. It's selling over 10,000 downloads a day.

I guess that I'm a prude because I would not want that on my smart phone - and I would never have thought of that as a product.

Read more here:
http://venturebeat.com/2008/12/23/iphone-fart-app-pulls-in-nearly-10000-a-day/

Go ahead - pull my finger.


George Torok

Marketing Expert & Speaker

Branding Secret: Controversy Sells

Do want a powerful branding strategy? Take a controversial position. Offend someone and attract your target market. But you have to pick your position and enemies carefully. Don’t offend your fans or best customers.

Controversy sells newspapers, books, and movies. You can also use controversy to sell your product, service or yourself. Notice how they often do it in the movie business. The entertainment industry has lots of vivid controversy lessons for marketers.

Controversy can be a powerful branding technique. But it comes with a cost. It means that you will need to take a position. You will offend some and strongly attract those who like your position. Are you willing to be so bold?

It could be as simple as the title that sells the movie. Consider the success of “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” or “Snakes on a Plane”. Both of those titles were vivid, graphic and controversial. People either immediately hated or loved the movie when they first heard the title.

At one time in the entertainment world it was enough to title your program as “The Greatest Show on Earth” to grab attention and get people talking. Today you might need to label your show as “The Vagina Monologues” or “Puppetry of the Penis” to get attention and create controversy.

The Guides for Dummies and Idiots series of books generated attention with the controversial titles. They sold very well. The multiplicity of topics tells you that.

The sensitivity of the content could create enough success in a movie. Consider “Passion of the Christ” and “The Da Vinci Code”. There was little need to advertise those movies. The controversy did all the heavy lifting for promotion. The media was talking and bloggers were blogging. Church leaders were preaching. People were protesting and arguing. What a great controversy.

Along came another movie with content guaranteed to raise controversy, “Death of a President”.

To fan the flames the promoters not only published the usual supporting testimonial reviews – but also the comments from the detractors as well. Let’s hear from those who hate us. What delicious controversy. What terrific and profitable promotion.

And to tilt the readers’ perspective of the views they headed the positive views with the title, “Have seen Death of a President”. And on the other side the heading, “Have Not seen Death of a President.”

The controversy is both shaken and stirred by the strength of the negative comments as well as the sources.Here are the negative ‘testimonials” for the movie, Death of a President:

Have Not seen Death of a President

“I think it’s DESPICABLE.”Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

“I find this SHOCKING. I find this DISTURBING.”Gretchen Esell, Republican Party of Texas“(Director Gabriel)

Range is a SICKO.”Rush Limbaugh

“We’re not commenting because IT DOESN’T DIGNIFY A RESPONSE.”Emily Lawrimore, White House Spokesperson

Powerful words from powerful people. It’s impossible to buy endorsements like that.

Unwittingly those people endorsed the movie by polarizing the controversy. Imagine how many folks would watch the movie because of those powerful negative endorsements.

Controversy sells. Why? Because controversy is one technique for branding. Powerful branding declares both friends and enemies.What people say against you can be powerful promotion.

When you want to create a strong brand in the marketplace first decide on who you want to attract then who you are willing to annoy. This could be the beginning of a strong branding position.

Are you ready to make some passionate friends and enemies? Go ahead, make your brand.


© George Torok helps business owners gain an unfair advantage over the competition. His bestselling book, “Secrets of Power Marketing” is the first guide to personal marketing for the non-marketer. Get your free copy of “50 Power Marketing Tips” at http://www.PowerMarketing.ca To arrange a speech to your conference or team meeting visit http://www.Torok.com To arrange a media interview call 905-335-1997

Is There a Brand in Your Stand?

Watch out for the branding gurus. Beware of the branding police who focus only on images of brand. Fire the branding consultants who feel qualified to tell you what your brand should be. Ignore the branding zealots who proclaim “brand or die”.

Good, now that we have frightened off the undesirables let’s address some fundamental questions about branding and offer you some probing questions to consider. That first paragraph demonstrates the three rules of creative positioning as explained below.

Should you have a brand?
Maybe. It depends on the goals of your business. You need to ask yourself some questions. Will the brand give you the return on your investment? Will you invest the resources to claim and sustain the brand?

What is a brand?
A brand is the emotional bond that your clients have with you. Ask your best clients how they would describe you to others. Look for the common message in what they say – especially the emotion. That might be your brand.

Brand is the feeling others experience when they think about you and your product.
Brand can help them think of you first – or better yet – only you. Brand can justify higher prices – or even better – make price a non-issue.

Not Branding
Branding is not about creative logos, pretty fonts and pantone colors. Fire anyone who attempts to sell you that pabulum. Those things are only images. Have you noticed that the successful brands change these images every few years?

Branding is a marketing strategy. It is only one of many marketing strategies from which you might choose.

Is branding an accident or on purpose?
Because branding is about creating emotional messages you are always branding. However, are you aware of your messages, are you consistent and are you effectively branding yourself?

You could create or claim your brand. Dominos Pizza created their brand – “Pizza in 30 minutes or its free”. They own that brand. It’s simple, memorable and unique. Some companies look for an opening and build their business to create that brand. Some companies discover their brand by accident. Feedback from clients, remarks from the media or a competitor’s comment reveals the brand that was hidden in plain sight. In that case it is up to you to claim the brand and run with it.

Avis claimed their brand by turning a disadvantage into their brand when they launched their marketing campaign with “Avis is only Number 2 in rent-a-cars, so why go with us? We try harder.” And with cheekiness they leverage further on their “disadvantage” by adding, “The lines at our counters are shorter.” That brand has been successful for over 40 years.

How do you create your brand?
There are two ways. Like Coke, Nike and MacDonald you could throw gazillions of dollars at it. Or you could use creative positioning. Look for the holes in the marketplace. Go to where your competition is not and claim that position. Take a stand like Harley Davidson, Buckley’s Cough Mixture and Nova Scotian Crystal.

Each of these companies claimed positions in the market the competition was unwilling to take. Folks either love or hate Harley Davidson. Buckley’s proudly claimed that “it tastes awful but it works” along with a money back guarantee. Nova Scotian Crystal is proudly the only Canadian crystal manufacturer and they offer an incredible one year breakage warranty. Drop your whisky glass and they will replace it; no questions asked.

You can read the interview with Rod McCulloch, President and CEO of Nova Scotian Crystal on my “Business in Motion” blog.

Each of these companies was willing to take a position that would drive some folks away while attracting a loyal crowd of fans.

The three principles of creative positioning are best explained by UK entrepreneur BJ Cunningham, who as CEO of The Enlightened Tobacco Company sold a cigarette called “Death Cigarettes”. It was presented in a black package emblazoned with a white skull-and-crossbones logo. Just imagine how this might appeal to the rebels. Everyone except the tobacco companies knew that cigarette smoking was bad for your health. BJ did what none of the other tobacco companies were willing to do. He took a stand.

Cunningham’s three principles of creative positioning:
1. Take a polarized position.
2. Make enemies.
3. Create tension.

Branding starts with market review and self-examination. Standing alone can be scary, exhilarating and hugely profitable. It you are going to claim a powerful brand take a position away from the crowd. Stand where no one else is standing.
---------------------------------
© George Torok is co-author of the national bestseller, “Secrets of Power Marketing: Promote Brand You!” He helps entrepreneurs gain an unfair advantage over the competition. Get your free copy of “50 Power Marketing Ideas” at http://www.PowerMarketing.ca To arrange for a keynote speech or executive briefing visit http://www.Torok.com To arrange a media interview call 905-335-1997

The Great Marketing Myth Exposed

The Great Marketing Myth Exposed

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Marketing Strategy: Fight an Evil Enemy

Conflict sells. If you want to be noticed fight a powerful and evil enemy. Who or what are you fighting? While planning your marketing strategy pick an enemy. The tougher, the meaner, the more disgusting your enemy – the better for you. That positions you as the hero.

“You complete me”

The Joker taunted Batman with that phrase in the movie The Dark Knight. The public image of both Batman and the Joker were stronger because of their conflict. A champion needs a formidable villain and vice versa.

The marketing lesson from that is that the public defines you by your competition. If you are not well known maybe you need to pick a tougher enemy.

Make your enemy appear more frightening.

The boxer Mohammad Ali understood this marketing principle and demonstrated it well. He built up the credibility and threat of each of his opponents before every fight. That made his victories more exciting. He promoted his fight against Smokin Joe Frazier as the Thrilla in Manillia. After the fight Ali said, "Joe Frazier, I'll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me. I'm gonna tell ya, that's one helluva man, and God bless him." In a brief post-fight interview with one of the commentators, Ali announced, "He is the greatest fighter of all times, next to me."

There’s no glory or fame in defeating a weak opponent.

Superman was a bigger hero because of his dangerous enemy Lex Luthor. Sir Edmund Hillary would be nothing without the challenge of Mount Everest. Wyatt Earp is defined by his fight with the evil Clantons. The 300 Spartans are defined by their stand against the unstoppable forces of the Persian Empire. David and his sling shot is only remembered because of his conflict with the giant Goliath. Buffy the vampire killer would be unknown without the blood sucking vampires.

Conflict captures attention and helps to define your position and value.

Many consumer products are sold by fighting previously unknown enemies that were glorified by the marketing campaigns. Consumer products were promoted to fight morning breath, dandruff and ring around the collar.

Present yourself as the alternative.

Avis could not defeat the market leader in the car rental business Hertz, so they defined themselves by the phrase, “We try harder.”

With the taste tests Pepsi defined themselves as the alternative to Coke. It worked so well that it unnerved Coke into blinking and bumbling with New Coke. The folks at Pepsi must have enjoyed how they unnerved the market leader, Coke.

Make fun of the enemy.

With its clever TV ads, (Hello, I’m a Mac. I’m a PC) Apple positioned itself as the alternative to the market leader, Microsoft based computers.

A local plumbing company positioned themselves as fighting clogged drains. The owners of the business made their enemy more formidable by posing for photos with clothes pins on their noses.

People love conflict. It’s entertaining, memorable and often vivid. Sometimes it can be funny. That’s why the “reality TV” shows are so popular.

If you want to be better noticed and remembered – pick a colorful enemy and start a fight. Only start one that you can win.


© George Torok is the co-author of the bestselling Secrets of Power Marketing. He helps business owners gain an unfair advantage over the competition. He helps connect business strategy to effective marketing tactics. To arrange an executive briefing visit
http://www.PowerMarketing.ca For more free marketing tips visit
http://www.Torok.com To speak directly to George Torok call 905-335-1997

Marketing Strategy: Fight an Evil Enemy
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Marketing Lessons from Port Dover Friday 13

It’s Friday 13.
For Port Dover, a normally sleepy cottage and fishing village on the North shore of Lake Erie, Friday 13 is a bonanza. “Unlucky” Friday 13 has become the luckiest day for the businesses of Port Dover. It’s like the typical retailers’ Christmas & Boxing sales rolled into one.

Every Friday 13, depending on the time of the year and the weather, thousands or tens of thousands of people visit Port Dover to celebrate Friday 13. Because this is a sunny August 13, there might be over 100,000 celebrants on the streets of Port Dover. The population of Port Dover is 6,000.

Most of these pilgrims arrive by motorcycle. The streets become transformed into miles of parking lots for lines of thousands of motorcycles.

And these motorcycle riders bring and spend money – lots of it. They buy food, drink, accommodation and souvenirs. These are your weekend warrior motorcyclists. There are accountants, managers, entrepreneurs, retirees, mechanics, doctors, lawyers, teachers, administrators, executives, production workers, electricians, plumbers, truck drivers, politicians…

You get the picture. Good customers with money to spend looking for an experience. They just happen to ride and like motorcycles.


What can marketers learn from this phenomenon?

One Person Had an Idea And Made Phone Calls
This event started by chance in 1981 when 25 motorcycle riding friends got together at the Commercial Hotel in Port Dover for a few beers on November, Friday 13. They decided to meet again on the next Friday 13. Perhaps the beer influenced their enthusiasm for more. They had no other agenda. They were just friends getting together.

People Tell Friends About Good Experiences
The next meet there were more, then more again. The original organizer promoted the event around his network. He did this before FaceBook, Twitter and blogs. Friends told motorcycle riding friends about Friday 13 in Port Dover. At some point the event attracted the media. That captured more attention. The event hit what bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell calls the “Tipping Point”. It went viral. Almost nothing can stop it now.

The Date is Memorable
Friday 13 was already notorious because of the superstition associated with that date and the corresponding fear known as triskaidekaphobia. The string of “Friday the 13th” movies helped to anchor that date in people’s minds.

The superstition around the date might even have appealed to motorcycle riders because they know that they are fighting the odds against cars and trucks every time they are on the road. I think that there is a rebel in every motorcycle rider.

Controversy Grabs Attention
Motorcycles are controversial. Some people hate them. Some love them. Motorcyclists might be considered undesirables in some places. Think motorcycles and it’s easy to think about the criminal gangs – the one percenters - Hells Angles, Satan’s Choice and Outlaws. The date “Friday 13” is controversial. You can imagine that at some point the town council, business owners and residents of Port Dover had some controversial meetings about what to do about this event – “should they allow it or ban it?”


Marketing Lessons

Look at new ideas. Don’t discount the source of the idea or the lack of immediate profitability.

The best marketing is word of mouth. Look for under-satisfied communities. A community could be a group of people with a common interest, joy and/or pain.

It might take awhile for it to hit the tipping point and catch fire. If it’s a good idea and the conditions are right you will have a winner.

People want a unique experience. Give them that and they will reward you. They’ll buy, they buy again and they tell their friends.

Grab attention with controversy. Take a position. Embrace the rebels and you will have loyal fans. Be prepared to alienate dissenters.


George Torok
Marketing Author & Expert
Business Speaker

Flight Attendant Meltdown and Quits Job

How a marketer sees the Jet Blue Flight Attendant thing…


Right or wrong, the publicity surrounding the Jet Blue flight attendant who quit his job seemed to hit a public nerve. His recent “celebrity” status might get some marketers thinking.

Beer
The flight attendant grabbed two cans of beer before leaving the plane. What brand of beer was it? Must have been very good beer. Did he drink the beer? Did he mention “beer” in his tirade? Perhaps there is a beer advertisement in this. Perhaps “grabbing a couple beers and taking the slide” can become a new metaphor.

Hate and Pain
If that many people thought this guy was a hero – there are a lot of hurting people out there. And hurting people buy things that relieve their pain. How can we learn more about their pain? Why do they hate their job? What do they hate their customers? How can we rip the bandage off and expose the pain? What product or service can we sell to them?

Demanding Customers
Are customers becoming more demanding? If so why? How can we offer targeted services to these more demanding customers at a higher price? Is there segmentation in service delivery that we can leverage?

Job Stress
Are service deliveres experiencing more stress in their jobs? Do they need better tools, training and support? What product or service might satisfy this need? What industries have the highest level of stress? What ideas and lessons can we take from those?

Hiring Staff
Are companies making mistakes in the selection of staff? Are managers missing warning signs of “Postal” behavior? Why? What products or services could predict, prevent or mitigate these incidents?


Every crisis offers opportunity. Smart marketers look for the opportunities and lessons.


George Torok

Executive Briefing

Chevy vs Chevrolet Branding Hoax

The Real Question
Are the marketing folks at Chevrolet, (don’t call us Chevy), brilliant or just thrashing around like Homer Simpson in the backyard wading pool?

The Scenario
A memo signed by both Alan Batey, the VP for Chevrolet Sales and Jim Campbell the VP for Chevrolet Marketing addressed to corporate staff apparently instructed corporate staff to expunge the word “Chevy” from their lexicon. They would be punished by paying 25 cents to the sin bucket every time they used the banned word “Chevy”. Instead they were ordered to substitute the word “Chevrolet” in all discussions with other staff, supplier, dealers, media and family. I wonder who got the money.

The explanation for this dogmatic command was that Chevy (Oops I mean Chevrolet) needed to be consistent to build a stronger brand.

This is an excerpt from that memo.

“Why is this consistency so important? The more consistent a brand becomes the more prominent and recognizable it is with the consumer.”


Possible Brilliance?
Maybe the marketers at Chevrolet are attempting to create a New Coke reaction. When Coke announced the New Coke there was an unexpected and overwhelming response of “Hell no – don’t you dare change our Coke”.

The marketing geniuses and Sergio Zyman, Chief Marketing Officer, at Coke were blindsided. They had created the New Coke based on their extensive marketing research. Then they discovered that they were wrong and customers wanted the old Coke. Coke was smart enough to introduce the old Coke as Coke Classic and retain their market.

Are the marketers at GM/Chevrolet so smart, confident and so devious that they pretended to be stupid and stumble just to ignite a firestorm of protest?

There is no question that this particular boondoggle has generated a viral storm of blog posts, discussions and activity across the Internet. If that was the purpose – then it was a bold and brilliant move. Did GM send that memo hoping that some employee would send it to a major media player?

The formula that Coke inadvertently used is “Annoy your best customers and pray that they will protest instead of walking away.”


It takes greatness to be smart yet play dumb for the sake of your brand.

Were the executives at Chevorlet that brilliant? Where they just reading The Art of War or The Prince?

I don’t believe that they are that bold or prescient.


George Torok

Read more Articles on Marketing by George Torok

Hilter gets into the act of dissing United Airlines

Watch where social media can go.

You complete me

The Joker taunted Batman with that phrase in the movie The Dark Knight. The public image of both Batman and the Joker were stronger because of their conflict. The legend of Robin Hood was enhanced by the cruelty of the Sheriff of Nottingham.

A champion needs a formidable villain and vice versa.

The marketing lesson from that is that the public defines you by your competition.

The boxer, Mohammad Ali understood this marketing principle and demonstrated it well. He built up the credibility and threat of each of his opponents before every fight. That made his victories more exciting.

Avis could not defeat the market leader in the car rental business Hertz, so they defined themselves by the phrase, “We try harder.”

Pepsi positioned itself as the alternative to the market leader Coke. Lex Luthor was legitimized by his role as the greatest enemy of Superman. Doctor Doom is feared because he is the greatest threat to the Fantastic Four. Sir Edmund Hillary is nothing without Mount Everest. Winston Churchill would be unknown without Hitler. Wyatt Earp is defined by the Clantons. The 300 Spartans are known because of their stand against the Persian Empire. David is only remembered because of his contest with Goliath. And Delilah is only known because of her betrayal of Samson.

With its clever TV ads, Apple has positioned itself as the alternative to the market leader, Microsoft.

Who or what is the Darth Vader to your Luke Skywalker?

George Torok
Marketing Speaker
Executive Briefing

Bloggers, what if you are sued?

Bloggers, ask the right question: "What if I'm sued tomorrow?"
By Joan Stewart aka The Publicity Hound

If you blog, the worst of your worries shouldn’t be how many times to post, or what to write about, or whether to use Wordpress or Typepad.

Your Number One concern—the question bloggers never think to ask—should be: “What if somebody sues me tomorrow for copyright infringement, defamation or invasion of privacy—what does that mean?”

Here’s what it means. It could cost you your house, your car and your future income stream...

Read the rest of this article at Joan Stewart's Blog.

Learn more about the Media Bloggers Association.

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Beware
If you blog you are subject to the same laws as the mainstream media. Only you don't have their access to corporate lawyers.

That might be a good reason to check out the Media Bloggers Association.


George Torok

Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing

Marketing Coach