New way to advertise

Papa John's took out some serious billboard space in the form of a huge wheat field. This field is in Commerce City, so that in- and out-bound Denver flight passengers can get hit with the message.

Interested in getting one of your own? Contact this company called Circlemakers.

We try to do a lot of things here at FMG and handle all client needs, but even we can't offer crop circle design and implementation. That's pretty, umm...specific.

Yay, another social network

There is another social network out there called Konnects. Anyone else excited? I couldn't care less, although I'll probably join and get periodic updates sent to my email despite me never going on there. That's how the others work. I just can't get into Facebook and MySpace and having people I hardly remember contact me years after the fact. And when I say "fact," I mean "hey, you owe me child support for this kid." I'm kidding. I think.

So, Konnects says that they are out to bridge the gap between the business-focused LinkedIn and the social-based Facebook.

"Right now, no one is serving this middle ground and we feel there's an opportunity there," said Jim Crabbe, CEO and co-founder of Konnects.

We're stopping this post right now so we can go create a profile.

The importance of cross promotion

Neat little article on Entrepreneur.com about the importance of promoting your business with other businesses. It's a cheap and effective way to get exposure for your business and help your bottom line.

From the article:

"If you're a small company without much brand identity, you can ride the coattails of a stronger brand by offering them some type of promotion for their customers, whether that be a product, coupon, etc.," says Denise Patrick, vice president of creative services for Pierpont Communications. "For example, let's say you own the local miniature golf park. Offer the big movie theater in your neighborhood a ton of 'Buy One, Get One Free' tickets. It's a free gift for the movie theater, credibility for you and access to all the teenagers looking for a fun place to take their dates."

J&J's "Nothing but Tears" campaign

This is pretty funny from the Onion.

Johnson and Johnson has unveiled their "Nothing but Tears" campaign, because as the ad says, "it's never too early to grow the hell up."

"We at Johnson & Johnson have been making bath time a safe and soothing experience for far too long," company CEO William C. Weldon said. "Years of pampering have left our newborns helpless, feeble, and ill-equipped for the arduous road ahead."

"It's time our children got the wake-up call that's been coming to them," Weldon continued. "It's time they cried their precious little eyes out."

Mike and the Mad Dog is sans the Mad Dog

After 19 years, it's over. Thankfully, WFAN has put us out of our misery and gave Chris "Mad Dog" Russo the heave ho.

Apparently he called into the show today for a little farewell and broke down and cried for a bit. I'll bet that made for great sports talk radio.

Facebook's Beacon ad program was a bad choice

This is why I can't stand this MySpace and Facebook crap. Facebook's Beacon ad program started blasting out information to all of your "friends" when you made an online purchase. Now, they are facing a class-action lawsuit for it.

Last year, Sean Lane bought a diamond ring for his wife for Christmas on Overstock.com, and shortly thereafter the whole world knew about it.

Merry Christmas?

According to privacy expert, Bill McGeveran, a University of Minnesota professor, this doesn't necessarily mean that Facebook broke any laws.

"What people objected to was that this program told your friends stuff about you without your permission," McGeveran said. "The lawyers have had to be pretty creative in assembling theories about why this might be unlawful."

Still, it's annoying. These social networking sites are great for a lot of people for a lot of things, but they are just another step in losing more privacy.

Best Buy to sell iPhone. Holiday ads to get 2x more annoying?

Starting September 7th, Best Buy's everywhere will be selling the iPhone.

Do you have any idea what this will do to the holiday commercials? All those "give the gift of wow" and all that? Now, Best Buy AND Apple will be hammering us over the head during the holidays to buy an iPhone. Get ready, it's going to be obnoxious.

Social media for donors?

There is a new website in Canada (well, you can read it from anywhere) called ThankYourDonor.ca, where blood recipients can post information about themselves and their experiences.

Maybe there will be a better use for this MySpace type of social media.

KFC has brand loyalty

A murder suspect in Oregon agreed to plead guilty to the crime as long as he got to eat KFC's chicken in prison. The judge agreed and he'll also be able to eat pizza and calzones.

KFC should find a way to hype this a bit.

L'Oreal thinks Beyonce is too dark?

L'Oreal's new ads in Elle magazine feature a very white Beyonce. Was she too dark for their liking?

"It is categorically untrue that L'Oréal Paris altered Ms. Knowles' features or skin tone in the campaign for Féria hair color," the company said in a statement.

Yeah, whatever. I posted a picture, you decide.

You watching the Olympics?

The Olympics start tonight and I for one couldn't care less. To those who are watching, get ready to be bombarded with corporate messaging. Longer commercials, yayyy!!

We'll be commenting on the commercials we like and don't like as the Olympics play out. That is, if we actually tune in.

Eight over-used marketing terms

Kim Gordon of Entrepreneur, makes a great case for eight over-used marketing terms. Are you guilty of using these as well?

1. Care: "We care," "caring for you" and "from people who care" are all versions of the same weak promise. Typically, you'll find these phrases in health-care, insurance and financial marketing. They prompt prospects to wonder how the promise will benefit them and in what ways this caring attitude is manifested. But because the word itself is so overused, prospects may not pay attention long enough to learn the answer.

2. Solutions: The great love of technology marketers, this word has been beaten to death. So many companies promise to have the solution that the word is no longer credible. Since most customers or clients believe their challenges are unique, it's hard for them to specifically imagine how these solutions will be delivered without lots of additional information from the advertiser.

3. Results: Though not truly a naughty word, results has been overused and represents a highly general, fairly toothless promise. When confronted with the promise of results, most prospects will want proof. So if you choose to use this word, be prepared with testimonials and other support.

4. Amazing: How many "amazing" breakthroughs have you seen advertised today? Are most of them really amazing? Probably not. This superlative makes something sound too good to be true. Use it with caution and be ready to back it up with plenty of details.

5. Needs: It seems like every advertiser these days promises to meet our needs. But most are short on specifics. This tired promise elicits a ho-hum response because we already expect the things we buy to meet our needs. Why else would we buy them? Strengthen your selling proposition by detailing how your product or service will do a better job of meeting needs than what your competitors offer.

6. Quality: Just as we expect products and services to meet our needs, we also expect high-quality merchandise. Consumers believe quality should be a given. What makes your product of higher quality than others? Tell consumers the ways you ensure quality, and you'll put some teeth into this bland promise.

7. Turnkey: Marketing that promises a "turnkey solution" is likely to be met with skepticism mixed with a touch of fear over the prospective loss of control it suggests. Prospects must trust that your company will provide stellar performance every step of the way. That makes it essential to use specifics and take sufficient space or time to tell a complete story.

8. #1: It seems everyone is claiming to be No. 1 at something. Whether it's price, delivery, convenience or savings, marketers are claiming number-one status with very little proof. And that has damaged the effectiveness of this claim. Plus, being No. 1 is all about you and not about the advantages you provide to the customer. Use words that specifically detail how your number-one status translates into a higher value for the customer, and everyone wins.

Get a life, PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Seems like a great organization, right? Who wouldn't want an organization that looks out for animals? Well, then why is PETA so damn annoying?

Verizon has pulled it's advertisement that featured two pit bulls chained up in an old auto yard because PETA is giving them crap about it. Here is the ad:



Someone please tell me why this ad is offensive? PETA says it's because the dogs are chained and that "Chaining dogs--who are highly social pack animals--is dangerous because it deprives them of the social interaction that they need and can make them overly aggressive. Dogs need a life, companionship, and room to run."

Shut the hell up. You sound stupid. As though this commercial for a stupid phone is going to make millions of people nationwide change how they treat their dog. Get a damn life, PETA, and focus on people that are actually harming animals.

Get on Yahoo local!

Is your business listed with Yahoo local? It's free and easy to sign up for. Your business will get added exposure when people search for businesses like yours on Yahoo!. Go for it, you can sign up here.

Coke Zero in trouble?

There is a report in MarketingWeek that a Chicago businessman is filing a lawsuit against Coca-Cola for using the brand name "Zero."

Mirza Baig, owner of Blue Springs Water Co., says that he came out with a no-calorie (water has calories?) water brand called Naturally Zero back in 1998. He says that Coke new about this but decided to use Zero anyway.

Coca-Cola spokesperson Ray Crockett said this in a statement:

"In response to repeated threats, we filed a suit against Mr Baig and his company in Atlanta several weeks ago for a declaratory judgement and injunctive relief, in order to resolve the issue."

Sign up for Getty Images customer research team

Getty Images is currently looking for customers to join their research team.

It's easy to sign up and they are offering a gift certificate in return for your help. So go for it:

blogs.gettyimages.com/news/2008/07/29/want-to-change-the-world/

Help them help you better.

Nike pulls Hyperdunk ads

Nike on Friday said they would pull their three Hyperdunk ads due to criticisms that they were homophobic.

This is just stupid, people need to grow up. The one ad had the crotch of a dunking player in the face of a defender as he got dunked on and the ad says "That Ain't Right."

That's just basketball slang for a guy getting owned on the court. How much time and money have been wasted over all this? In all honesty, if I saw something that I remotely thought was offensive to a group of people, I'd be the first to say....well, "that ain't right." But it's not. People are over-reacting.

Nike says the ads were "based purely upon a common insight from within the game of basketball -- the athletic feat of dunking on the opposition, and is not intended to be offensive."

Eight email tips to keep them reading

Gail Goodman of Entrepreneur.com gives us eight email marketing techniques to keep your customers reading.

Let's hijack them and post them right here:

1. Share your expertise. You are an expert in your field, and a newsletter gives you the chance to show it by giving your readers valuable nuggets of information that they can take action on. When you consider what topics to cover, think of the questions that you are frequently asked. What are the areas your clients and potential clients are most interested in? In what areas do they need and value your expert advice? Giving them a little bit of free advice every month will build their trust in you and make you the obvious choice when they're in need of what you offer.

2. Hold a Q&A session. In keeping with the idea of answering questions, feature a Q&A section in your newsletter. Invite your readers to submit their questions, and in each issue choose one or two to answer. I know of at least one successful newsletter that is based solely on this format.

3. Tell a story of success. Do you know any inspiring customer or client stories? They can be testimonials that are focused on how your business helped a company or person or simply a profile of a customer and his or her business. Either way, true-to-life stories make your newsletter multi-dimensional, making it more interesting and relatable, and serving to increase your credibility.

4. Conduct an interview. While you're the expert of your newsletter, it can also be good to bring in some other expert voices from time to time. Highlight other professionals who offer products or services that are complementary to yours, and cover topics that your readers care about. This type of content helps show that you're connected and understand the "big picture."

5. Feature fun facts. Inject a little fun into your newsletter. You might include some little-known, yet interesting facts that are relevant to your type of business or offer a riddle or trivia question that you invite readers to solve or answer. Include the answer and the winner in the next issue of your newsletter.

6. Take an in-depth look at a product or service. Take a deeper look at a product or service you offer. Show how it could be useful to the reader by outlining the benefits and give any other information that could convince them of its value. Remember to stand in their shoes. And ask yourself the question, "What would they want to know?"

7. Springboard off of current events (news items, holidays, etc.). Events that are common to all of your readers' lives provide a great starting place for your content. This could be a topic that the media is actively covering, like a downturn in the economy, or it could be a holiday, such as Thanksgiving. Look for creative ways to tie these events in with a topic in your field.

8. Ask your readers. Last, but not least: If you want help knowing what content to include, ask the people reading it. An online survey is the perfect way to get feedback in a format that is easy to process and act on. Give options of types of content (articles, success stories, etc.) and topics that you are planning to cover. See how respondents rate this information and use their feedback to shape future plans. Also, give them the opportunity to present their ideas. They may suggest a great topic that you hadn't considered.

Newspapers in 2008

According to a study by Pew Research Center Publications, local newspapers contain 64% less international news, and 57% less national news. Better get on that internet to stay up on things.

The upside is that local newspapers have increased their local coverage and are better information tools regarding the community.

The study says:

"It has fewer pages than three years ago, the paper stock is thinner, and the stories are shorter. There is less foreign and national news, less space devoted to science, the arts, features and a range of specialized subjects. Business coverage is either packaged in an increasingly thin stand-alone section or collapsed into another part of the paper. The crossword puzzle has shrunk, the TV listings and stock tables may have disappeared, but coverage of some local issues has strengthened and investigative reporting remains highly valued.


"The newsroom staff producing the paper is also smaller, younger, more tech-savvy, and more oriented to serving the demands of both print and the web. The staff also is under greater pressure, has less institutional memory, less knowledge of the community, of how to gather news and the history of individual beats. There are fewer editors to catch mistakes."

10/20/30 rule for PPT presentations

This is a really insightful article on Entrepreneur.com about pitching your business through a PowerPoint presentation.

Guy Kawasaki is a venture capitalist who has to sit through long boring pitches from business owners who want funding. But his 10/20/30 rule should be followed by most everyone.

He says that a PPT presentation should have 10 slides. The pitch shouldn't be over 20 minutes. And, there should never me a font smaller than 30 pt.

Why 10?

"Ten is the optimal number of slides in a PowerPoint presentation because a normal human being cannot comprehend more than 10 concepts in a meeting. If it takes more than 10 slides to explain your business, you probably don't have a business."

Well put.