http://www.site-reference.com/videos/Marketing/The...

How true!Billy was the shizzz-nit! The 5 traits are great and applies to most everything thats sells. 1)It most solve a problem 2)Must have mass appeal 3)Must be Unique 4)Must offer instant gratification 5)Must be demonstrable GREAT POINTS!

I have noticed that there has been a new crop of broadcast media ads that do a miserable job in hawking the clients' products and services. Let's take a look at a few of these.

Force Flex Bags, The Glad Products Company

A couple of bank robbers get nabbed when they take too long stuffing the Force-Flex bag with everything but the kitchen sink.
The advertising agency for Force-Flex chose to use a 'bank robbery' at the heart of their concept.

This is very, very negative.

Wendy's International

A group of people are in a hospital setting. Their mouths are missing and they have to communicate by writing suggesting that their ability to use their mouths was "removed" because they did not eat at a Wendy's.
The advertising agency for Wendy's chose to use a rehabilitation clinical setting for the heart of their concept.

While rehabilitation can be a positive step in the right direction, a major fast food chain should not pin their branding to rehab. This is tasteless as well as negative.

Nationwide Insurance

Looking through the eyes of a Nationwide representative you see a normal home. Moments later the home is in flames, cars at an intersection start crashing and finally a wedding ceremony is transformed into a funeral. I think this one titters on the line.

Any novice could have rubbed two brain cells together and come up with catastrophic examples of collision and death to brand an insurance agency.

This is lacks total creativity and is negative.


Verizon Wireless
A father and son are window shopping for phones. The son asks his dad when the phones will go on sale. His father retorts, 'When pigs fly'. At this moment a large pig waddles into the shot – (walking) just as a Verizon sales person puts a 'red-hot' sales sign in the window.

I have watched this commercial several times and cannot figure out the concept. For gosh sakes! – The pig is walking and the phones are on sale. Am I missing something here?

This commercial is not necessarily negative, but is ambiguous and confusing best.    


And now… the absolute worst commercial for 2007

..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Kentucky Fried Chicken   

Panicked office workers run for cover when one of the associates screams. "She's got a knife." The knife-wielding worker responds, "she has a knife and fork." (Because she's eating a KFC meal, of course). The brainchild of this concept uses killing, mayhem and murder to sell their client's product.

This commercial is especially insensitive to families who have lost love ones in similar real-world circumstances akin to the recent rampage at Virginia Tech.

This commercial is tasteless, insensitive and extremely negative.

All of these companies and their advertising agencies have broken the cardinal rule in advertising. Never reinforce your branding with a negative idea or concept. A smart ad agency accentuates the positive. Nike, Coca Cola USA and McDonalds are good examples of running ad campaigns that touch on a positive note.  

From a psychological perspective humans tend to bury and suppress bad or negative memories. So why in the world would a business or company ever consider reinforcing their branding with a negative concept or idea?

It's just bad business.

Blogging is not a new activity, at least for those who jumped
on the blogger bandwagon a couple of years ago. But more
recently, it's become a platform for all kinds of social,
commercial and personal stories and information. While blogging
may have started out as an internet fad, these days it's much
more widely used in business, as well as by individuals.

Blogging – tell your stories.

We love telling our tales of woe or triumph, writing witty
anecdotes, or simply sharing our thoughts with the rest of the
world. Blogging has given us the opportunity to get our opinions
published for everyone to see, to comment on the latest big news
items or celebrity gossip. Writing down our daily thoughts helps
us to get the worries and frustrations of life out of our heads
and lets us share our big moments on the blogging pages.

Blogging – share your interests.

One of the fantastic things about blogging is that we can write
about absolutely anything; hobbies, lifestyle, children, school
and work. There's a whole host of blogging sites dedicated to
particular interests, and we can keep up to date with other
people's views on things that we have in common. Whether it's
the latest technology, gadgets, cars or computer games, or
things like travel and holidays, we can stay in touch with the
most up to date information.

Blogging - get involved in the community.

Charity associations, local clubs, and community groups can use
blogging to get their organizations known by a wider reaching
audience. Online accounts of recent events is a great way to use
blogging pages to get publicity, while a short piece on the next
meeting or class can help promote the work of the club, and may
even attract more participants or volunteers. The great
advantage of blogging over writing web pages is that it's quick
and easy, and can be done by almost anyone!

Blogging – promote your business.

Many companies now use blogging pages as an informal way of
connecting with their customers. For the smaller, or new
business owners, it's an excellent way to publicize their
products without expensive advertising costs. Just by posting a
regular blogging column, small companies can often draw in more
business than by the more conventional methods.

Blogging – making a profit.

The biggest shake-up in the blogging explosion has most likely
been caused by internet entrepreneurs. Promoting their online
products and services has been helped tremendously by putting up
several blogs to support their ventures. Blogging has hugely
increased the potential traffic to new and existing websites,
giving the marketers much more exposure to people using search
engines for specific information. Blogging in itself has become
a money-making business, even for beginners in the internet
marketing business.

Having become one of the greatest internet resources for all
types of people, blogging is usually free, easy to get started,
and gives us all the opportunity to reach a massive worldwide
audience!

About The Author: Mike Paetzold writes numerous blogs and you
can find more blogging information at
http://blogging.wordpressmadeeasy.net.

How a Blog Can Help Your Business
If you have a business, a blog (short for web log) is a
marketing tool that can further position you as the expert
in your industry. Your prospects and clients want
information about your products and services. They are
hungry for it! And a blog gives you the opportunity to
share your expertise with people across the globe.

Once they are set up, blogs are easy to update. The typical
blog entry is short and informal, making it easy for you to
write - and easy for your customers to read. Because blogs
are filled with a bunch of little blurbs, your readers are
more likely to visit on a regular basis to read your latest
commentaries. They also feature a search function, which
your readers can use to find blog entries on a specific
topic.

But like every form of marketing, a blog requires you to
lead it in a strategic direction. Before you start your
blog, make a decision about the blog's theme and "voice."
Once you determine your goals, stick to the topic. You can
weave your personality and stories into the blog, but
always keep these relevant to your target audience. Make
your blog a tool that provides helpful advice, tips, and
musings to your readers. A blog that is really a sales
pitch or advertisement will NOT garner a wide audience.

Here are some examples of the types of business blogs and
the various types companies that might benefit from them:

1) Consultant Blog: This type of blog is widely used by a
variety of service-based companies including marketers,
interior designers, event planners, financial advisors, and
so on. In fact, this is the type of blog that I write. The
Consultant Blog primarily features a single person writing
about their advice and observations. It is a way of
highlighting your expertise in an area and building an
active readership who trust your opinion to guide them.

2) Tourist Blog: Every Bed and Breakfast can benefit from
this type of blog. It features the local area with pictures
of surrounding vistas and updates about upcoming events. It
can feature links to local weather and favorite places to
visit. The Tourist Blog can help sway people to use your
business services over that of a competitor, as well as
keep in touch with them until they visit your city again.
It can also save your business time by providing people the
answers to frequent questions. Other businesses that
benefit from this style include rafting companies, ski
areas, fishing guides, festivals, and so on.

3) Industry Blog: There are a number of companies that
specialize in a very narrow area of their industry. For
example, many manufacturers are highly specialized in what
their company produces. These companies often sell to other
businesses. In this case, it is often helpful to blog about
new products lines, materials, trade shows, equipment
innovations, industry news, and shipping news. Examples of
industries that would benefit from these blogs include
fabrication, machining, printing, engineering, insurance,
and stamping.

4) Specialty Blog: Many businesses, associations, and
hobbyists enjoy this type of blog. It focuses on a specific
subject. Examples include golf, sailing, stamp collecting,
dog breeds, wedding planning, weight loss, and so on. The
Specialty Blog can be written by one or multiple
contributors. It is a wonderful way to build an online
community and encourage comments because the readers share
a common interest.

5) Feature Blog: I primarily see this type of blog being
used by people who are in a creative type of business. It
incorporates lots of pictures of recent projects and how-to
entries. Sometimes there are video posts or audio
recordings. It often has links to an online store where a
visitor can purchase the project or sign up for an event. A
Feature Blog is very useful for artists, designers.
musicians, performers, illustrators, quilters, and writers.
Another type of business that could benefit is one that
produces custom products such as a furniture maker or a
bike builder.

When you are writing a blog, don't be bland. The key is to
be yourself and to reflect the core personality of your
company. If there are things that make you mad or get you
excited, your blog can be a place to post these things. If
you don't keep your blog on topic, lively, and engaging,
your readers will quickly get bored. Write in your blog
regularly - I recommend at least once a week or more.

To drive traffic to your blog, list it in blog directories
such as Technorati. You should also incorporate keywords in
your entries to help people find you via search engines.
For example, an insurance company in San Francisco should
incorporate the terms "San Francisco insurance" into their
posts with a link back to their website. In this way people
can easily get more information. Be sure to set up an About
page with your contact information so people can get in
touch.

Action Tip: So, ready to start blogging? You can set up a
blog easily with Blogger, Typepad, and Wordpress depending
on your marketing goals and level of technical knowledge.
This week, sit down and decide on your Blog Type, who in
your company will write it, and how you will schedule
regular blog updates. When you are ready, contact a
designer to create a blog header and set up your blog.
Then...Blog Away!!!

About the Author:

Wendy Maynard of GoMarketingMaven.com created the Maven
Marketing System specifically for small business owners,
coaches, consultants, and solo-preneurs. She also publishes
a free weekly marketing ezine. Subscribe at
http://www.gomarketingmaven.com/ezine_3.html