Putting Points on the Board

by Steve McCall – VP, Strategic Marketing

As we slowly move from summer into fall, the changing of the seasons means many things; leaves changing colors, apple picking season, new TV shows, 2010 planning, and FANTASY FOOTBALL SEASON IS BACK BABY!!

This is the year I will completely dominate my league in a flurry of trash talk and virtual high stepping as I mock and embarrass any team that is pitted against WWDD (What Would Ditka Do?). I spent hours upon hours researching who the 3rd string running back for the Cleveland Browns is in preparation for a 4 hour live draft, and track injury reports weekly to see if Anquan Boldin’s hamstring is feeling any better today. Why do I do this? Well, if I win, I receive a bobblehead doll that is likely valued at about .73 cents, of course!

At least I know I’m not alone in my ridiculous pursuit of Fantasy Football greatness. According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association there are approximately 27 to 40MM people in the US playing fantasy sports. And Fantasy Football is big business – with an economic impact of approximately $1 to $2 billion annually. There’s even a TV show launching on FX this Fall called “The League”, which is centered entirely around Fantasy Football.

So, as marketers, what can we learn from people who spend huge amounts of time pretending to be a General Manager of a pretend football franchise? Outside of starting up a fantasy office pool (with the first pick I’ll take Jim in Accounting, lots of upside there, knows excel very well, punctual to meetings and can type 80 wpm) there is a simple and intuitive strategy built into the fantasy football machine that can translate to any business – when you create an experience that is personal and relevant to consumers, they will come. Ok, I know that’s a baseball analogy – but as an example I (or most of the football loving population for that matter) would never in the past have cared about a Tampa Bay vs. Cincinnati game, but now that I have Cadillac Williams and Chad Ochocinco on my fantasy team AND I’m playing for a .73 trophy, I can’t help but watch. It has fundamentally changed the way fans interact with the NFL product as not just one game every week matters – every game now matters.

We executed a campaign to drive viewership for the NBC Olympics built from a similar strategy. How do you get 18-34 year olds to tune into sports they never played growing up, with limited awareness, that aren’t the core four (baseball, hockey, football, basketball)? We made the experience relevant to consumers by focusing on the athlete’s lifestyle interests rather than the Games themselves. As an example, many consumers are unfamiliar with the sport of shot putting, and it’s a sport without a large audience. Our goal was to leverage USA Shot Putter Reese Hoffa’s personal story and hobbies as a way to get people interested in him and follow his journey to and through the Games. As it turns out Reese is an avid gamer, so we created customized angles to reflect his life beyond his sport, and he was pitched and placed on a variety of Gaming outlets including Kotaku.com and Wired.com. We did this for many of the athletes across many lifestyle channels (surfing, being a pet owner, playing poker, being in a band, and more) as well as personal backgrounds (ethnic heritage, relationship with parents, being a parent and unique tales of overcoming the odds) and in the process helped drive record viewership for the Games.

So as we head into the 4th quarter, if you’re looking for ways to put points on the board with your consumers, consider creating experiences for them, which they can relate to on a personal level, and will become part of their life experiences.

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It’s not just BTS…it is also BTW time for many!

by Doug Eckard, VP Events

As students all over the country were being dismissed from school during the Spring of 2009, many of their parents were also being, or already were, dismissed from their jobs as well. And after a long hard summer, the job market is slowly starting to level off and many of the unemployed are slowly heading Back to Work just as their kids are heading Back to School.

Will brands and marketers reach out to this ever increasing consumer segment just like they target high school and college students? Just like students who want to fit in and mesh with peers and classmates, new employees want to make a lasting first impression with senior management and co-workers at a new place of employment. I would argue that the pressure is even greater as you are talking about individuals who legitimately understand the pressures of professional success/growth, especially in tough economic times.

Social networking has become more and more important to these individuals as communication/networking has become one of most important lifelines to the modern employee. What is going on in the marketplace, who is laying off folks now, who got hired when and by whom…these are all questions that 25 to 45 year olds are asking hourly to friends, families, associates, neighbors, and strangers alike every day. Have an interview at a new company…who do you know that works there or has worked there and can give you some insight, or by the grace of god…a recommendation! Starting a new job…who can you talk to for the skinny on your new boss, office environment, co-workers, etc.

BTW consumers are exhibiting many of the same purchase behaviors as those of students going back to school, and for many of the same reasons. They want to look good and set a tone for who they are and what they will become at their new jobs. In many cases these are people that have been at the same job for many years prior to becoming out of work…their wardrobe slowly having gone to far in the direction of business casual, and beyond. They will need to refresh/upgrade their wardrobe to fit a new corporate culture…thoughts of “dress for success” coming back to their minds.

They want to have, and need to have, the latest technology devices to keep up. Gone are their company provided gadgets. Additionally, many companies are no longer providing company owned and paid devices to new employees…monthly allocations for reimbursement are becoming more and more the norm. Consumers need to truly understand technology now and figure out what works best for them at the most effective costs.

I say we would be remiss to ignore this ever-increasing consumer segment. This is a group who has been unable to consume for months worrying about an unsure future. With new employment comes relief and excitement about living again…who could blame this individual if they wanted to celebrate with a new outfit, cell phone/PDA, laptop, etc. We as marketers should understand this and give them reason to buy our products and brands.

I can see it now… “bring confirmation of new employment to a Macy’s near you and receive 40% off clothing/shoes/accessories now through November 15th!!!!”
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I will not friend my mom… I will not friend my mom…

(Ed. Note: Above picture not actually Meredith's mom)

by Meredith Rice, Strategic Marketing Intern

It was a very strange day when my mother finally told me she was on facebook.

“You’re on WHAT?!!”

Facebook was my world; the world which some kid, almost my age, had created for, well, kids my age. So when my 40/50-something year old mom (don’t worry, I won’t spill the beans) told me she had entered into MY world, I was shocked. Today, I come to find that the largest number of women who are on the ‘book are between 35 and 44. What’s the online world coming to?

I remember the day I signed up for facebook. I had anxiously anticipated receiving probably the most important piece of mail regarding college (besides the acceptance letter) the letter with my college e-mail address. It was the golden ticket to be able to sign up for facebook. So when I was locked in my room all day, friending and uploading pictures, my mom couldn’t understand the point of it, or why I was on it (literally) 50 times a day.

In time, I slowly began to accept that fact that facebook had opened up its doors to new residents to share in the same love I initially had for the social media world. When facebook started to change its face, it first let in the young whipper-snapper high schoolers (which I was NOT happy about – high school was sooo 1 year ago…) and then it was the businesses (what? why?) and finally it was the general public (ah!!) With this, my mom eventually came to understand what the appeal was. A few days after the shock of knowing my mom had joined my universe, I was able to understand why she herself would want to be a part, even if it was just to play ‘Scrabble’ or connect with a few old high school classmates. I could accept that – but there was no way I was accepting her friend request.

But with the number of facebook users hitting the 300 million mark just the other day, and user profiles being as varied as snowflakes, I guess it’s time for me to catch up with the times and get over myself.

So needless to say, today was another big day for me. I bit the bullet and finally friended my mom. I guess as facebook has grown up and matured, I have too – enough to really let my mom in. On limited profile of course.

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Mix It Up A Little

by Angelika Kazakaitis, Senior Planner

I always wanted to make a Vodka Soda my go-to drink, but unfortunately, I was never strong enough to drink a stiff cocktail. I often disguised the taste of hard alcohol with cranberry juice or a fruity soda, until one day, I was introduced to flavored vodka. It was then when discovered that I had options (all of them low calorie too)!

I started experimenting with Stoli Vodka’s – Vanilla, Raspberry, Peach, and recently Blueberry. They all taste great with soda water and even Red Bull. They add a nice sweet kick to any mixture. Next, I tried Three Olives Cherry Vodka – I also mixed this with soda water and to my delight, this concoction tastes just like a Cherry 7-Up. Now when I go out, I don’t need a go-to drink. Experiencing new flavors makes the night much more interesting.

Although a variety of flavors have always been around in the world of spirits, brands are now taking more risks – they’re expanding their flavor assets and are coming up with unique flavor creations that make consumers curious to try their products and push competitors to come up with something even more exotic or unheard of. Here are just a few examples:

Bacon-Infused Vodka - Bacon is a popular ingredient in many recipes, but who would ever think of adding it to vodka? Turns out its meaty and peppery taste is great for Bloody Mary’s.

Three Olives Bubble Gum Vodka – Bubble Gum is a flavor well known in the land of popsicles, lollipops, and cotton candy, but is brand new to the world of vodka. Anyone serving this liquor to friends can really look like a trendsetter.

Absolut Boston – People on Facebook and Twitter are chatting about Absolut flavors specifically created to represent cities around the country. Absolut Boston uses fresh ingredients such as black tea and elderflower to get consumer’s taste buds tingling.

Beyond these flavors, there are many to watch out for. Keep your eye out for floral and fruit combinations as well as sugar and spice mixtures. Before you know it, you may be enjoying a cocktail or even a sorbet or sports drink that tastes like Blueberry Lavender, Strawberry Passionflower, Orange Marigold, or even Chocolate Cinnamon and Rosemary Lime.

Source: http://www.wildflavors.com/?page_id=B1C4B65F-CF1C-2465-1E302B5669E572D1
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Personal Revelations through Gossip Girl

by Patty Barrett, Office Manager

Throughout our lives, there are pivotal moments where we get to know ourselves a little better. Generally, we learn through our relationships with other people, our life experiences, our trials and tribulations… but for me, it came through a Gossip Girl marathon.

Gossip Girl promotes a life that is not typical of the average American teenager. There are generally no vodka martinis, fancy brunches, masquerade balls, or jet setting to another country in a private plane to get over a bad breakup. However, it’s such an enviable way of life, and people will do whatever they can to live that way with the means provided to them. If you can dress like Blair Waldorf, then why wouldn’t you? I’ve noticed in recent back-to-school catalogs that retail chains are selling their clothes with images of Gossip Girl¬-style characters so people will connect with those images and buy whatever will make them look like someone on the show.

And by “people” I mean “me”.

Watching the show made me realize just how easily I can be persuaded to buy certain brands. If I have a crush on someone on the show (is that creepy? I mean, they aren’t actually teenagers…) then I’m more willing to buy a brand they promote. If one of the girls is on the cover of a magazine talking about her secrets for perfect lived-in waves – I’m all over it.

And it’s not just Gossip Girl, I’ve always been this way without knowing. I’d wear berets like Cher in Clueless and drool over the Oscar de la Renta gowns and Manolo Blahniks that Carrie would wear in Sex and the City. It amazes me how strongly the consumers are affected by even the slightest product placement or endorsement in the media. We all like to pretend we’re immune to advertising and marketing, but it has a way of biting us whether we like it or not.

Especially undercover 13-year olds like me.

Editor's note: GOSSIP GIRL® is a registered trademark owned and controlled by AMP's parent company, Alloy Media, LLC
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Do's and Don'ts for a Stellar Partnership

by Jon Genese, SVP Account Management

Throughout this turbulent year, I’ve spent more and more time thinking and strategizing about how our agency team can be more valuable for our clients: how do we help them out, how do we cut out the B.S., and how do we hang around longer in the midst of agency consolidation and economic uncertainty. They’re certainly not simple questions and at times no matter how well positioned you are things can go very wrong. That said, we can always do the good things more and do the bad things less so I put together a simple Do’s and Don’ts list as a guide.

The DO’s
1. Deliver on our promise. Words and pretty pictures are great but we’ll show you how we turn ideas into real action.
2. Be flexible. We’re realists. We know life isn’t perfect, so we check our ego at the door and work the way you need us to.
3. Give away ideas. We like free stuff, you like free stuff -everyone likes freebies and you will get them from us.
4. Ask about your business. We realize it’s more than just cool ideas and creative awards – how’s the business responding?
5. Measure the impact. Our 360 measurement process begins with insights and strategy and ends with gauging our program’s performance, which helps us identify better insights and refined strategies.

The DON’TS
1. Go heavy on agency preaching. You have enough on your plate without having to listen to the all-knowing agency in your ear every day. We’ll only preach when we absolutely have to.
2. Be difficult to work with. We don’t want our relationships to feel like work because we know they won’t last if that’s the case.
3. Bring problems without solutions. Of course problems and issues will always happen but when they do we’ll be right there to help solve them.
4. Waste your time. Your time is precious so we’ll make sure not to waste it…ever.
5. No car salesmen please. I think you know where I’m going here…

As a growing and dynamic marketing agency we are motivated by action and success. We believe in partnerships. We believe in getting into the real detail of your business to truly be that trusted advisor walking with you every day. This doesn’t mean we won’t fall down every now and again but I can guarantee you we’ll get right back up, dust ourselves off and get right back to the job of driving your business. Every day is a new challenge and every day we’re up for it.

Can I get an Amen?

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"High Impact" Indeed

by Amy Seeburger, Media Supervisor

At a time when the annoyance level with the invasiveness of online advertising is at an all time high, it seems poor logic to increase the size of ad units – effectively marginalizing content (ahem, the reason the users are there in the first place?). With some high profile content providers on board as well as the IAB, one would assume there was some sort of legitimate strategy behind it, and there is. Unfortunately, that strategy is the swan song of digital content monetization as we know it.


An infinite increase in online inventory supply paired with waning growth in spending against online banner programs has led to serious problems for content providers – hence the shift from user/consumer focused site content management to advertiser focused solutions. I can imagine there will be a short novelty burst of success for these monster ad units (referred to as ‘high impact’). However, at the end of the day, users will be alienated, annoyed, bitter, and eventually abandon sites for greener, less noisy pastures.
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On Why Blogs Matter…

by Victoria Shaw, Vice President, Integrated PR

It’s probably been a few years since you first heard the word ‘blog’ and thought to yourself, “what an interesting idea!” And even if you read blogs on a regular basis you’ve probably seen their coverage diminish in favor of things like the latest Twitter phenom or the newest viral video. Yes, the media honeymoon with blogs is over. But don’t let the lack of headlines fool you: blogs matter more than ever and companies who engage with bloggers reap the benefits!

So, why do blogs matter?

• Bloggers are mainstream media
The lines have been inextricably blurred and what were once fringe voices are now the norm. Over 95% of the top 100 US newspapers have reporter blogs, and large media outlets like Huffington Post, TMZ and Consumerist are still considered blogs.

• Bloggers represent the interests of varied consumer groups
It isn’t just techies or mommies blogging now;, it is also dads talking about work-life balance, Latinos on politics, and foodies discussing coupons. For every topic, group, lifestyle and life stage there are numerous blogs dedicated to covering and musing upon the topics that matter the most.

• Bloggers are accessible
Bloggers have a constant need for content and a surprising willingness to engage with brands and their representatives. In fact, 90% of bloggers in Technorati’s 2008 State of the Blogosphere survey said they post about the brands, music, movies and books that they love (or hate).

My team has the pleasure of regularly engaging with bloggers on behalf of our clients and from the biggest to the smallest blogs one thing is true: they are all dedicated to sharing the most resonant information with their readers in the most genuine way. What we’ve learned over the years is this blogger passion can translate into major impact for a brand. When we reach out and encourage dialogue with a blogger, what often emerges is a vocal advocate, a brand ally or a thoughtful opinion. And brands who open the line of communication benefit by bringing another trusted voice into the conversation with consumers.

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Game On! An Open Field for Brands

by Bryan Cadogan, COO

Having recently spent a long weekend with 10,000 of my closest friends at a youth soccer tournament, I had to wonder - where are the sponsors?

Spending an entire day watching 10 to 14 year olds run around on fields (or “pitches”, as the British accented coaches would say) that are better maintained than most college fields, my business mind went to work - here are thousands of consumers who have nothing to do but watch soccer all day - wouldn’t Adidas want to market to them while they are here? Shouldn’t P&G be giving free samples of detergent to get all those grass stains out tonight, before tomorrow’s game? Shouldn’t Purell be giving each player a small bottle of sanitizer for after each handshake at the end of each game? (After all, it is flu season!)

Grassroots marketing efforts would go a long way in reaching these consumers in their own environment. And if 10,000 people are in rural, central Massachusetts, think how many more are in other Labor Day tournaments across the country! Don’t overlook the power of direct one-on-one interaction with a captive audience – as we’ve seen at AMP the ROI potential is huge with grassroots efforts.

Next up, the gymnastics scene…
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SIGG Aluminum Bottles Contain BPA After All; SIGG CEO Almost Contrite, Almost

by Ellis Watts, Manager, Strategic Marketing

A little BPA (Bysphenol A) never killed anyone, right?

/fact checking…

Ok, so apparently it has the potential to kill many people. Luckily as the BPA scare emerged last year there was one company, SIGG, that did a great job of marketing their bottles as safe alternatives to harmful plastic Nalgene bottles.

Until it came out last week that wasn’t really the case and SIGG bottles contained BPA after all.

So let’s review. In order to avoid drinking out of my plastic Nalgene death-bottle, I shelled out $20 for a fancy SIGG aluminum death-bottle.

/swears under breath

SIGG CEO Steve Wasik had some ‘splainin’ to do last week. Here’s his official statement. In it, he italicizes (for emphasis!) some honest and unintentional oversight: “I am sorry that we did not make our communications on the original SIGG liner more clear from the very beginning.”

I’m pretty sure he’s not so sorry about the 250% sales increase between 2006 and 2007 as result of those unclear communications.

Wasik was interviewed by TreeHugger back in April, 2008 who flatly asked him outright if his bottles contained BPA. Mr. Wasik clearly stated that testing shows no presence of BPA (among other harmful chemical byproducts), but was unwilling to share what specifically his liners were made from, when in fact they do contain trace amounts of BPA, it was just that the BPA didn’t leach.

One blogger put it best with the following:

“Granted, tests have shown that the BPA from Sigg bottles does not leach into the water in the bottle. But that’s not really the point. The point is that there is a strong expectation today for companies to be transparent, especially companies that are considered on the more sustainable end of the spectrum. When a trusted company goes through such lengths to hide the truth, it makes consumers like me question why we should ever rely on their products again.”

SIGG is currently at the public’s mercy (and right now it’s not looking so good). Class action lawsuit, anyone?

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