Monday's Morning Java

Great Radio Ad for Buckley's

2007-11-28T12:18:00.000-05:00

I heard one of the best radio ads in a long time yesterday, and it was for Buckley's Cough Syrup. I can't remember it word for word, but the concept was plain as day, and brilliant from a marketing standpoint.

Basically a guy calls up what equates to the "Buckley's Customer Service Center," and starts complaining about how awful the cough syrup tasted, likening it to all kinds of disgusting things. The support person agrees, and fully acknowledges it. She said that their cough syrup certainly does taste horrible. Then she asks the man about his cough, to which he replies he hasn't coughed since he took the medicine. Point made.

This is a classic example of great branding, because the company explicitly says that it's cough medicine isn't supposed to taste good or even "not that bad," but that it tastes extremely awful. However, the point of the medicine is to stop your cough, not taste good. So they demonstrate that perfectly with this ad, and with their entire campaign. They have television spots, too. They even have a Buckley's MySpace page that, although I'm not a fan of MySpace, was executed fairly well.

I will definitely keep this brand in mind the next time I get sick and have a bad cough. I just have to see how bad it really tastes! And also see if it works!

New Social Network That Pays

2007-10-03T23:53:00.001-04:00

Alright, so how about this for a concept?

A social network is created and is built around paying its users for the activity they generate on the website. They make money from advertising, and advertisers spend money for all the users they're reaching and the clicking around that they're doing, so why not share that ad revenue with the users at the end of the day? I think they're on to something here.

What company is doing this? Well, it's called Yuwie, and the growth it's experiencing right now is phenomenal, considering it just launched back in May and it's still in beta.

Check out the cool videos explaining how it works, then sign up and try it for yourself. If you sign up after clicking on that link then you will automatically be added as my friend. Visit www.justyuwie.com to check it out.

There is much more to come regarding this social network, and you can only expect good things!

New eBay Ads

2007-09-19T09:56:00.001-04:00

I must say that I really like new TV commercials for eBay, and the overall message they're sending. They really positioning the online auction site as a competitive shopping destination.

The idea is that with other e-commerce sites, you're just picking out something and buying it outright. Where's the fun in that?? Why not compete against others for the bid to purchase something, and win it in the final moments. In the end, you're "Shopping Victoriously," as the new commercials put it. Quite frankly, buying items through an auction is simply competing against others for the goal of ownership. What a great way to differentiate.

I know the next time I'm in need of competing with someone else to spend my money, I will end up on eBay. See you there, too...and may the best bidder win!

Wal-Mart's Tagline Refreshed

2007-09-12T22:56:00.000-04:00

I just saw this short snippet from Brandweek about Wal-Mart dropping its "Always Low Prices" slogan in lieu of the new "Save Money. Live Better." I believe they're trying not only to improve their overall image, but creep into Target's brand territory by claiming both low prices and high quality. I think it will take some getting used, with heavy advertising and marketing behind the revamped slogan, but I give them credit for making the change and understand why it was done. Now if only the store experience could be improved! More at Yahoo!

Reactivating the Knoxville Carolina Club

2007-08-31T10:25:00.001-04:00

Since I've recently moved to Knoxville, I attempted to contact the acting chair of the Knoxville Carolina Club to get more details. Unfortunately, the local Carolina alumni club for Knoxville has faded and is no longer active.

So, I took it upon myself to reactivate the Knoxville Carolina Club, and hope to make it as successful as ever. We've officially come out of dormancy with myself at the helm, but it may take a little time to build up a strong foundation of members and start planning some nice events in the area. I will post updates here on my/our progress!

Slamdot Reviewed by Dev Shed

2007-07-18T15:46:00.000-04:00

Our web hosting company, Slamdot, was recently reviewed by Terri Wells of Dev Shed. We truly appreciate their interest in what we're doing. Check it out!

CareerBuilder with Wieden & Kennedy now

2007-06-04T14:44:00.000-04:00

As a follow-up to my previous post, CareerBuilder has chosen Wieden & Kennedy for it's $60 mil creative account, according to a recent Ad Age article. I'm happy for Wieden, but hope that CareerBuilder doesn't judge the work they do based on a one-time viewer's poll without looking at actual results. I guess we'll have to wait until Super Bowl XLII...

"24" will be back!

2007-05-18T13:32:00.000-04:00

As the season six finale of Fox's 24 approaches, it's been announced that the show will be back for two more seasons through 2009. To me, and countless others, this is great news. I was having doubts that the show would be back, but now I can relax. Considering this is the only TV show I watch regularly, I'm a pretty happy camper. The 24 website has more if you're interested in the series.

"Cavemen" Airing on ABC This Fall

2007-05-16T12:59:00.000-04:00

It's been decided. The sitcom that was in the works about the Geico Cavemen has been picked up by ABC to debut this fall. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I can't wait to see what they do with it. Something tells me it will be well-liked, but that's only my personal speculation. The Richmond Times-Dispatch's inRich.com story has more.

New Company, New City

2007-04-11T13:10:00.000-04:00

In the month since my last post, I have started full time with a web hosting company called Slamdot, and, as of this past Monday, I have moved to Knoxville, TN, because of it. I'm excited about the opportunity and the new city.

I hope this new career in technology and the Internet will allow me to post more regularly than I have been. Any ideas on how to get into the habit of consistent posting would be appreciated, as I'm still very new to the scene.

Loyalty Done Right At Sprint-Nextel

2007-03-13T23:19:00.000-04:00

When I called recently to take advantage of a special 15% discount on my Sprint-Nextel bill, I also found that I was eligible for an automatic 10% discount on my monthly bill and a $150 credit towards a new phone just for being a loyal customer!

Sweet deal to me. I've had great service and support since I've been with them, and I definitely need a new phone, so now I can keep them for a while longer and get 10% off my regular monthly bill, and finally upgrade from my 2003 phone (yikes!).

Voicemail to Text with SimulScribe

2007-03-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

As I was reading the latest print version of Business 2.0, I jumped back in amazement as I read about SimulScribe, which takes voicemails and turns them into text, in "The Next Net 25" feature. Ok, I didn't "jump back" (does anyone literally do that?), but I did have a "HOLY COW!" moment. The reason? I had thought of this idea exactly one year ago; I even remember it was this day, March 10, because I was out watching the ACC basketball tournament that night when I thought about it.

That evening, I had received a hilarous voicemail from a friend of mine, and thought, wouldn't it be cool to save priceless voicemail messages in a text format, as a sort of keepsake? It was more of a B2C idea than B2B. When I got home I jotted it down as one of my [only] "million-dollar ideas." Sure enough, this company is getting $5 million in funding for the idea and the business they've developed around it. Congrats to the founders, James Siminoff and Mark Dillon, as well as Jess Wachtel. Good luck guys!

A Geico Caveman Sitcom: Genius

2007-03-05T13:45:00.000-05:00

Ad Age reports that The Martin Agency is in talks with ABC to run a pilot sitcom about the Cavemen icons that Geico has made famous. As a huge fan of the cavemen commercials, I can't wait to see how they transition from the 30-second spot to the 30-minute show. The "Cavemen" sitcom would be a great way to extend the brand and break through existing ad clutter.

Even if this doesn't pan out well on regular broadcast television, there is a great opportunity online with the broadband video surge, and companies creating a market for it like YouTube. Or, they could create their own web content portal like Anheuser-Busch's Bud.tv.

Regardless, I love the ads because they use humor while effectively conveying the brand message - Geico insurance is easy. And there is a huge following, with a lot of buzz around the cavemen, including the website for Caveman's Crib.

I recently made a conscious effort to track down the song from the airport spot when the caveman, Joe Dyton, was going past the Geico ad on the moving floor. The tune, Royksopp's "Remind Me", got stuck in my head and I had to get it. So personally, this campaign makes me want more; I'm always hoping to see the next "episode" in the series of ads, and hopefully now there will be full-length episodes that are just as entertaining...and valuable.

How To Not Measure Super Bowl Ad Success

2007-02-23T18:31:00.000-05:00

It's CareerBuilder vs. USA Today Viewer's Poll. The victor? The poll, of course. Why wouldn't it be? It's probably the greatest measure of advertising success ever created, right?

Ok, let's put sarcasm aside for a moment. A recent Ad Age story confirmed that CareerBuilder is going into an agency review as Cramer-Krasselt has resigned the account after the "disappointing" Super Bowl advertising that CB is claiming. Although, it's a little naive to think that being in the top 10 most liked ad spots for the Super Bowl equals advertising success. I would look at that metric last. What do you think?

I think it's bologne, and totally agree with Cramer-Krasselt's president Peter Krivkovich that CareerBuilder's reliance on the USA Today viewer's poll as a measurement of success is plain ludicrous. Adweek has more.

Furthermore, the poll used 238 adult volunteers to weigh in on the ads during the big game. Wait a minute, what if the 238 adults all had jobs? Even more, what if they liked their jobs? Then, they wouldn't give two flips about a commercial aimed at those who ~~hate~~ utterly dislike their jobs and want more from a career. Go figure.

The funny thing is, I remembered the CareerBuilder commercials better than any others. Not only was the message clear, but the humor alone got my attention.

So, it looks like CareerBuilder wants to win a popularity contest instead of having true business success - seems like high school drama to me.

2007 Super Bowl Ads

2007-02-08T21:50:00.000-05:00

AdAdge.com has put all the 2007 Super Bowl ad spots online. They also have the ones from last year. I'm probably late learning about this, but I think it's really nice to be able to go back and watch them. CBS Sportsline also has the Super Bowl commercials, by quarter and by advertiser. Pretty neat.

NCAA March Madness On Demand is Back!

2007-02-07T12:18:00.000-05:00

Yep, when I checked my email this morning I had a message from NCAAsports.com with the same title above, "NCAA March Madness On Demand Is Back For 2007!" You can't even guess how excited I was. That means I can watch all the other NCAA basketball tournament games outside of my viewing area again, online, for FREE! If you're bewildered at this point, check out the March Madness On Demand post from last year. It'll explain my hype.

So, now I can get my VIP pass to have faster access to the games. What a great feeling to be "ahead of the game," so to speak - no pun intended. I'm so glad I signed up to receive their email notification. This proves that there are some emails worth opting in for, if the interest is right up your alley.

Go Heels!

Organizing My Life, One File at a Time

2007-01-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

A file cabinet. Four drawers, two of which lock, and hanging folder rails. That's what I asked for at Christmas - and I got it! Only I, of all people, would be excited to get a file cabinet for Christmas. Most people were getting new cell phones, iPods and plasma TV's, but I was asking for an upgrade from my two-drawer file cabinet. It was getting so full!

So why the joy? Well, I tend to be very organized and neat, even when I'm not; my messes are organized. That's why I love the show Monk on USA. I don't have all those issues, but definitely the one about certain things being unorganized or out-of-place.

I'm always trying to organize my life better, whether it's files, emails and feeds on my computer, or bills, important documents, or to-do lists in my office. Even clothes in the bedroom, and toiletries in the bathroom. Or food and kitchen items. Thus, the additional filing cabinet will give me much more space to keep my financial and other personal documents organized, one file at a time.

Here's to organization and the neverending journey towards ultimate efficiency. What are ways you stay organized, whether it's at home, in the office or anywhere else in the world?

The New AT&T: A Massive Merger

2007-01-16T23:50:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard the news by now, and seen the advertising, but AT&T is in the process of completing a huge merger of three strong brands: AT&T, Bellsouth and Cingular Wireless.

In 2005, Cingular Wireless began being sold under the AT&T name after SBC, 60% owner of Cingular Wireless, was merged with AT&T, leaving Bellsouth with the other 40%.

And now that the FCC has approved AT&T's merger, AT&T is acquiring Bellsouth to merge all three brands into one.

There has been much speculation and analysis since the announcement was made that AT&T and Bellsouth were in talks, but to me, it all comes down to integration - unifying all methods of communication under one brand, and perhaps one type or set of technologies.

Some possible drawbacks of the merger may be the ousting of the Cingular name, and the colossal size of the company. Sometimes growth can cause a shakeup with the existing customers and how customer service is handled. We'll see how smooth the transition is.

So, I can't wait to see what things are like for AT&T one year from now. But now that Bellsouth and Cingular are joining the new AT&T, I can bet there will be lots of talk on Wall Street, and a head-to-head competition with Time Warner down the road.

Back Posting Again

2007-01-16T23:15:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, I've been on a blogging hiatus since October, but have returned in hopes never to abandon it again - at least not for such a long period of time. Heck, we've been through four major holidays since I last posted: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.

Oh well, at least I'm back at it. Cheers!

A Look at "Komen Commercialization"

2006-10-11T17:29:00.000-04:00

*Length Disclaimer: This is one of my sporadic long-winded posts. Be warned!

For those who don't know, it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm a strong supporter of breast cancer research, education and treatment. It's less rare than most other cancers and can be just as deadly. I have donated to the Lineberger Cancer Center at the hospital of my alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill. I'm also willing to buy products that support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, but I'll have to admit that the "commercialization" of the breast cancer cause it getting a bit out of hand. I think companies are taking cause-related marketing a little far these days.

Yes, it's a great way for the Komen Foundation to raise money, I don't disagree with that. And it's a great way for a business to show their support for a particular cause while being charitable at the same time. However, it seems like every business from A-Z is jumping on the cause-related marketing bandwagon when it comes to breast cancer, and it makes sense, because it's proven to be a great way to boost sales. You usually don't think about that fact when you go to buy a product that supports the Komen Foundation, if in fact it does support the Komen Foundation, or breast cancer initiatives at all. The Komen Foundation web site actually has a list of questions to ask when deciding which companies to buy from in support of the cause; another site, www.thinkbeforeyoupink.com, has more questions to ask. The Komen Foundation also has a list of their corporate partners so you know who is a part of the program and who isn't.

So most companies do this as a gesture of goodwill and act of philanthropy, but they're also doing it to boost sales. Take this snippet from the Power of Pink article published on recordnet.com: "These companies often actively court Komen." What this means, to me anyway, is that they are including the cause-related marketing into their business and marketing strategy, AKA their strategy to increase sales and goodwill towards the company, not just the cause. So, they're essentially commercializing the cause. And that's really what cause-related marketing could be boiled down to in one respect. But, I'll be the first to say it's way more complicated than that, and cause-related marketing is not "evil," or even bad, when used properly and for the right underlying reasons.

On one hand, I totally understand and agree with the decision to do cause-related marketing like this, but on the other I'm disgusted that the cause is being used as a way to increase the annual profits of these companies. Everywhere I turn I see a company exploiting the issue of breast cancer to sell product - tennis racquets and yogurt, to candy and sticky notes - but, how much money actually goes to the cause?

I think that if a company wants to do cause-related marketing, they should donate a significant portion of the money to the cause, and be more transparent about the program and how they fit into it. We, as the consumers, shouldn't necessarily go buying everything we see with pink on it just to support the Komen Foundation. Instead, we can donate directly, or simply make our normal purchases in hopes that our favorite brands are partnered with the Foundation.

It's a tricky thing, cause-related marketing. On the surface it's about charity and the cause, but underneath it's all about making sales and fattening the bottom line. Thoughts?

Social Networking List

2006-10-04T16:27:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder what all the social networks were out there? Here's a good social network list, grouped by category.

And the most notable social networks, alphabetically.

10 Things to Do When Your Phone Isn't Working

2006-10-04T16:17:00.000-04:00

I need to make calls each day. It's a part of my job and a part of life. You probably agree, and you probably need to use the phone a lot during the day, too. Well, what if you suddenly can't use your phone because it isn't working? I have the answer...10 of them, sort of.

10) Email - receive and send, all I need to say
9) IM - instant messaging is the next best thing, so have at it!
8) RSS - check those feeds and follow the long tail (the book; Wikipedia)
7) Google - always a good way to get sidetracked
6) Social networking - Take your pick, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, etc.
5) Blog - read your favorites, and write your own posts
4) I never actually got past blogging, so make that 6 things to do when your phone dies
3) -
2) -
1) -

Anyone care to add their versions of 4 through 1?

John Hancock, Unique and Meaningful to Generic and Mundane

2006-09-29T11:23:00.000-04:00

John Hancock is changing its marketing campaign...but why? They're changing their tagline from "Insurance for the unexpected. Investment for the opportunities," to "The Future is Yours." Holy crap, are you kidding me??

C'mon JH, you can't be serious. Talk about running toward differentiation, then doing a 180 and sprinting in the opposite direction. Why would you change a campaign ("fix it") that probably isn't broken ("if it ain't broke")?

What I get from this is that John Hancock is totally abandoning a tagline and strategy that actually says something - what they offer - to people in a "real-life," clear and catchy way. And in turn, they're coming up with a generic tagline and strategy that any XYZ company could use. "The Future is Yours" says nothing to me, except "Hey, I'm generic, boring and unmemorable." The future ultimately is nobody's, it's just the future. Your future is yours, but not the future. That belongs to all of us, including those not yet born. I think a better alternative would have at least been "Your Future, Our Support," or something like that. But I honestly don't think the new tagline speaks to consumers on any kind of emotional or rational level. Even Nike's "Just Do It" tagline is simple, yet powerful. It basically says, no matter what excuses you have, just get out there and perform...we have the products to help you do that. As for John Hancock, they have the services and products to help improve your future, but that's not really what the tagline says.

I could be completely wrong and this may be a great change for JH, but only time will tell...about 10 years or so.

Two Great Quotes

2006-08-24T16:37:00.000-04:00

Oops, I've gone and slacked off this month! As such, this will probably be my only post for September (this was actually a draft I saved back in August, thus the date above, that was going to be more lengthy, but I'll save that for a top 10 list or something down the road). Actually, I haven't really slacked off too much because I've been following other blogs and conversations all over, and leaving my 2 or 3 cents here and there. I know, no excuses... Anyhow, I thought for a quick post I'd share a pair of quotes that stood out to me in the last couple of weeks .

These quotes both apply to sales, more specifically when trying to understand the needs of the customer, and the first one also applies to marketing in general, where we should try harder to hear the customers than to pitch the products. Without further ado:

"We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less."
- Diogenes, Greek philosopher

"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."
- Voltaire, French philosopher

I bid you a (hopefully short) farewell until my next post. Cross your fingers that I attempt one in October!

Panera Knows Customer Service

2006-08-19T11:14:00.000-04:00

Ok, this post was a must. If not to give Panera Bread credit where deserved, then to demonstrate customer service at its finest.

I'm currently sitting in Panera Bread in Greensboro, NC, waiting for a colleague of mine. When I first arrived, I sat at a table near the order counter for about 15-20 minutes, checking email and such. The manager, or at least someone who seemed capable of the title, looked over the counter and said, "Are you Daniel Monday?" Well, I am. So I said, "yes." He tells me that the person I'm supposed to be meeting will be about 20 minutes late. Awesome, it was if I was at a hotel, getting personal messages from the staff.

That's not the best part. He asks me if I would like anything while I wait, which is great customer service in itself. However, when I asked for a caramel latte, I didn't have to get up and get in the long line that was beginning to form, nor did I have to pay! A young lady brought the coffee out to me at my table, and when I asked if she wanted money, she said, "Don't worry about it." Well, being the person I am, I attempted to pay a couple more times, only to be met with the same answer. Talk about royal treatment. No, they didn't do it for everyone, but they didn't have to. They knew I'd have a long wait and catered to me at that moment. That's great customer service, and great customer relationship management, which is sometimes better done through simple human action than with databases.

I will definitely be back to this Panera.