Posts Tagged ‘branding’

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", Bill Love, branding, Christmas, Christmas Music, expectations, funny, Music, rant
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment 12/10/2010

Let me get the disclaimers out of the way upfront. Crying child

(1) I am an unapologetic traditionalist when it comes to Christmas. Don’t move my Christmas cheese.

(2) The opinions about to be expressed are mine and even though they are rich in undeniable truth, I fully recognize that no matter how wrong you may be, you may not agree with them. Please try to get over it.

(3) If I come off as old and grouchy, it’s because I’m old and grouchy.

Every year at this time, when Christmas music begins filling the airwaves, I begin compiling in my mind a list of Christmas albums that should never have been made. There certainly is no shortage of Christmas music out there and if you listen to enough of it, you will eventually hear songs that you will consider a waste of time and resources. The body of Christmas music was probably fully realized years ago and anything recorded after that is simply redundant and adds no value to the body of work. And unless the music brings something totally new to the arena, I have to wonder why, other than a holiday money-grab, these recordings were ever made in the first place.

Just because you have access to a recording studio and you think you could sell a few Christmas albums to a tiny group of diehard fans, doesn’t mean you should try to find 10 or 12 holiday songs to fill a CD and promote it as if it were something new. It will more than likely end up on someone’s list of Christmas music that never should have been made.

For instance, anything recorded for Christmas by the Ronettes or any other studio girl-band from the 50’s and 60’s. Or anything “holidays” by James Brown. Or Bruce Springsteen, for that matter. He sounds disturbingly upset at the prospect of “Santa Claus Coming To Town!” My teeth itch anytime I hear Eartha Kitt purring, “Santa Baby” and Madonna’s more recent re-recording of that effort just proves my point that it’s possible to waste electricity and vinyl on such ridiculous songs. (Personally, I prefer Miss Piggy’s version to either one of the aforementioned.)

Chuck Berry singing, “run, run Rudolph”?… really?

If I hear Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” many more times, I may swear off of rock AND Christmas trees. I swore off of Brenda Lee years ago. I’m a huge Beach Boys fans, but… a Christmas collection? Painful! Even the sainted Paul McCartney has done some really bad Christmas songs and he’s man enough to admit it.

“Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”, in my opinion, didn’t happen soon enough or permanently enough. And how about those incredibly talented dog impersonators barking out, “Jingle Bells”? If that ain’t a crowd pleaser! And Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” doesn’t even make a good musical background for a taco commercial, let alone adding something meaningful to the body of Christmas music.

But nothing even comes close to last year’s release of the barely anticipated Bob Dylan Christmas album. I’m a huge Bob Dylan fan, but… this one leaves me practically speechless. I’m not exaggerating when I confess that blood was spurting from my ears the entire time I listened to this collection. It was a cross between hilarious and homicidal, neither of which, I’m sure, was the intention. Listen to it at your own risk!

After listening to me rant on this subject earlier this month, my wife put the whole thing in perspective for me. She pointed out that if I had 30 days of air time that I had to fill with Christmas music for 24 hours a day, I’d end up scraping the bottom of the barrel, too. Probably so.

But let me conclude by saying to recording artists and music executives everywhere that before being tempted to add to the growing list of worthless, awful, wasteful, tasteless, irritating, redundant, ear ache-inducing Christmas music, consider this:

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

What Christmas music do you consider a waste of time, talent and natural resources?

- Bill Love

Becoming “You-ier”

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", ad agency, Adam Jensen, advertising agency, advice, brand, branding, creative, funny, Inspiration
Posted in Advertising | No Comments 12/07/2010

I like to think of myself as many things. Irresistibly good-looking. Surprisingly nimble for my size. Pee-your-pants hilarious. All of these sound great to me - but if I can’t back them up, then they don’t mean much to anyone else. I want to be the best version of myself. I like “me,” I just always strive to be a better me. I want to be “me-ier.”

Have you ever thought of your organization as a person? Your business may look good and seem to have itself together from the outside. But inside there is something missing. Consider yourself “the brain” of your organization – you control the body’s movement and thoughts, however without the body you aren’t going very far. More specifically, above all else, your body needs a heart. Every body part including the brain, depends on the heart to drive them. Without that heart, the organization is not the best version of itself. It’s languishing instead of flourishing. How do you change that? It simply takes reflection on the heart of your organization – your brand.

Organizations face many challenges in becoming the best version of themselves. Maybe their service doesn’t quite lineup with what consumers expect. Maybe it’s internal and employees “just do their job” to get by. Perhaps the economy has hit hard and there are tough choices to be made. Much like an individual who is trying to achieve growth, an organization needs to face those obstacles head on. It needs to surround itself with good people, great support partners and implement best practices. An organization needs to back up what it promises and treat others as it would want to be treated. Yes, I just broke out the golden rule. It’s so simple, yet so true – and something easily forgotten in the competitive business realm.

Your brand is what a community feels from you, not what it sees. I believe consistently designed media, a well-told story and a great strategic marketing plan can start you on the right path to giving a great first impression with a consumer – but it’s the passion that a community feels that creates relationships and loyalty. Consumers are concerned about how they are treated and if you deliver on your promises. Isn’t that what a friend is? Isn’t that the golden rule? That passion comes from within the organization. That commitment to what your brand stands for, how you operate and the level of excellence you wish to maintain starts with the people in your organization. That’s the heart of your organization. You need a buy-in from all involved.

We’ve had some great first-hand experience being involved with organizations whose employees have a passion for what they do. They are interested in creating a brand, an experience. It’s contagious when it’s around you. It is even better to be involved in spreading it around and educating others. Telling a story and enhancing a mission is a rewarding experience for everyone involved. When your body is in tune with your heart – there is no stopping it from becoming a better version of itself. Even though an organization will change and grow, if that heart keeps beating it won’t stray from who it is. You flourish. You become the best version of you – you become “you-ier.” Isn’t that what we all strive to be?

At The Heart Of Giving

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", Advertising, advertising agency, Andrea James, branding, communication, Des Moines, Inspiration, Iowa, marketing, Meals from the Heartland, Mission Assist, motivation, non-profit, Public Relations, strategy
Posted in Advertising, Interactive, Media, Public Relations | 4 Comments 9/15/2010

Phew! Another successful Meals from the Heartland event under our belts, and it never fails to inspire and energize us all over again. It’s our second year of helping to promote Meals from the Heartland (MftH), a mass food-packaging effort that brings together more than 14,000 Iowans to package and transport more than 4 million meals around the world. When we took on MftH two years ago as our pro bono client, we never imagined the impact working with this group of people would make on our own business. The kindness, the genuine hearts, the “don’t expect ‘no’ as an answer” attitude, and the fearlessness…I am consistently blown away by what this group of volunteers produces. Every year I think they’ve topped the last, but I’m now convinced more than ever, this is still just the beginning

Don’t get me wrong – it’s a lot of work. I’m fairly certain our agency has never put this amount of time toward any other non-paying client. But when we made the commitment, we all agreed we were making a commitment. And trust me, we’ve reminded ourselves and each other many times that we are fulfilling a commitment that we made. Inevitably, it all comes around to remembering the end goal…a starving person receiving a nutritional meal. That’s what it’s all about.

My favorite moment of the last two years working with MftH is standing in the middle of Hy-Vee Hall during the event with literally hundreds of cheerful Iowans buzzing around me – young, old, every race and religion, working together to feed people they will likely never see or hear a “thanks” from, and I get chills as my throat tightens and eyes fill. I get teary just writing about it. It is SO WORTH the time and effort. It restores my faith in humanity, and even in myself.

This year made me especially proud of everyone involved. The special vignettes constructed by MftH volunteers who visited Haiti served as a life-size visual of how people are living there. “Tent City”, as we called it, brought reality closer to home for most of us who have only seen the images on TV. I watched as adults cried their way through the maze of tents, and children asked their parents “but where are the bathrooms? What about bedrooms?” and their eyes grow wide as they were told the truth. When the idea of building the vignettes was first discussed in a committee meeting, I remember thinking it’d be a miracle if it really came together…so much effort, so much work. But it did. And it was my favorite place to be while volunteering that weekend.

I’ve taken lessons from the Meals group on how to make things happen, even if the rest of the world (literally) deems it impossible. It is this experience that has led our agency to a new venture in our business. While we can’t offer this same free service to all non-profits and still keep our doors open, we can offer our expertise and hearts to these organizations through an affordable and practical program that provides fundraising and marketing expertise. We’ve spent a good portion of the last year brainstorming, developing, refining and polishing our Mission Assist program, and I’m proud to say my heart is wrapped up in the offer.

As I ushered people into Tent City last week, a little girl who couldn’t have been more than 6-years old, walked by me and said in a shy, sweet voice, “Thank you for helping people who need it.” THAT, my friends, was my payment in full.

Defining Your Area of Suckage

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", ad agency, Advertising, advertising agency, brand, branding, communication, creative, expectations, funny, good marketing, Inspiration, motivation, strategy
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments 7/15/2010

I am a big Dave Barry fan. Not so big that I follow everything he writes – in fact, I just finished my first, and his latest, book entitled “I’ll Mature When I’m Dead”. It was funny. Like, sitting in bed laughing OUTLOUD hoping not to wake the kids kind of funny.

But tucked among the sarcasm, humor and self-deprecation, Dave actually incorporates little nuggets of wisdom, whether he means to or not. Last night I came across one passage that really got me thinking (one reason I liked this book so much right now was that, for the most part, it didn’t require ANY thinking).

Dave was talking about kids’ sports these days and how parents are so involved, sometimes a little too much. He cites examples like screaming on the sidelines and convincing kids of being really great at something they actually show little ability to grasp. Of his own athletic abilities as a child he said,

“I learned, for example, that even though I was not as big, or fast, or strong, or coordinated as the other kids, if I worked really hard—if I gave 100 percent and never quit—I would still be smaller, slower, weaker and less coordinated than the other kids. In other words, I learned that even though I enjoyed playing sports, I sucked at them. And understanding that you suck at some things is useful information in life. The world would be a better place if people were fully cognizant of their areas of suckage.”

Amen. I’m known for being fairly straight-forward, and will readily admit when I’m really not very good at something – math, computers, miniature golf, and swimming for any purpose other than not drowning. And it’s funny, and sometimes incredibly frustrating, when someone tries to convince me otherwise. “Oh, I bet you’d really like mini-golf, and are probably really good at it, if you’d just try.” Ummmm, no. I’ve tried many, many times, and I a) don’t like it at all, and b) really suck at it. TRUST ME.

I started thinking about this in professional terms. How many times have I come across someone who thinks they can do everything for their business? They know what their customers like, they know how to reach and sell to them most effectively, they know how to write copy for things ranging from newsletters to ads. There’s little they don’t know, and by golly, they sure don’t suck at any of this! That’s their business!

No it’s not. Their business is to make a profit (or, in the case of non-profits, to keep the organization going and growing). They are where they are in the business because they know how to do certain things really well. There are areas where they excel, and areas where they really aren’t very good. We all have these. The best thing to do is to admit what you’re NOT good at, and find someone who is good to help you! There is nothing wrong with admitting that. In fact, I admire people who do it.

I’m not going to get specific because everyone is good at different things. I just thought I’d start the reflection process for others as Dave started it for me. What are you good at? What are your areas of suckage? Are you trying to convince others that you’re really good at something you’re not? Why?

Andrea James
President

“The Decision” Made Without Thinking

Tags: Advertising, branding, celebrity, Cleveland Cavaliers, Des Moines, ESPN, Iowa, King James, LeBron James, marketing, McDonalds, Miami Heat, NBA Marketing, Nike, Personal Brand, Public Relations, South Beach, Sports, Twitter, West Des Moines
Posted in Advertising | No Comments 7/14/2010

What brand wouldn’t love to be so popular it could put on a one-hour special about their future and have everyone watching, on the edge of their seats waiting to find out the news? That’s what LeBron James did last Thursday. With his impending free agency, he had the sports and advertising worlds on the edge of their seats. By now, you’ve probably heard the critics and basic public relations bust that this was. I think there are several ways to look at it.

Speaking as a sports fan, this was a complete debacle. Maybe I have too many Midwestern values, but you don’t go on national TV to tell the world you are leaving your hometown. He is literally crippling the Cleveland sports economy – perhaps the economy period. Think of all the tickets (tourism), merchandising (shopping) and advertising (business) he is ripping from the city, not to mention their hearts. This is a hometown kid that made it big, put Cleveland on the NBA map for a while, and is now “taking his talents to South Beach.” That statement says it all for me. He didn’t say “I’m going to the Miami Heat.” He said “I’m going to South Beach” – the glitz and glam of celebrity. I may not be a normal sports fan in that I really don’t care how much a player makes because its all relative. Who doesn’t want to succeed and make more money at their job? I think some sports athletes may even deserve a one-hour special if they are popular enough. Good for LeBron that he generates enough interest that people in the middle of July on a Thursday night will tune into a cable channel to watch him. That’s cool. I just think he lost sight of his decision. If Lebron is staying in Cleveland – have the special, donate the proceeds to charity and the city rejoices. He still gets his money and he is still on a good team. His brand keeps moving forward and he is on to even more riches. If LeBron is going to “South Beach” to seek more fame, then announce it like any other player and don’t crush the city that supports and depends on you in front of a nation. Now LeBron’s personal brand has to hit the “reset” button.

As an advertiser, this event poses an interesting question to me – do you want your brand to be associated with this kind of public relations flop? From what I can tell, most people are down on LeBron, and I haven’t heard too much about the advertisers that actually made this special happen. Many of the sponsors were already tied to LeBron – Nike, McDonalds, and VitaminWater. But some were not – University of Phoenix, Microsoft, and Facebook. This article in AdAge, it breaks down the advertising exposure and value of the mention. It also talks about how this TV special came together. What it doesn’t talk about is who was the biggest brand this night?

I think it was LeBron James, because it’s easier for people to identify with a person over a product. LeBron made it very evident he was the brand “taking his talents”, which include marketability, to South Beach. That’s where he lost relevance to his “corporate brand.” It became his decision without considering his brand community.

In this day and age, sports figures have a lot of control over their message – to the point that they easily make a “corporate brand” out of their celebrity. They no longer have to rely on the media to break a story or message for them, they can take the message to the media themselves and monetize it by asking, “What is it worth to you?” They can even go one step further to break news themselves via Twitter, Facebook or their own personal websites. This is all a public relations puzzle as much as an advertising puzzle. Because the relationship that the person has with their consumer (fans in this case), is what drives the brand they’ve created.

LeBron thought his personal brand was above scrutiny and that people would realize it was a “business” decision. Yes, there is absolutely a business side of sports, but the core of what drives that business is the fans and the personal connection the fans have with a team or a player. LeBron failed to see where his brand starts. He thought that LeBron James creates marketability with his talents. No, the fans create his marketability because they admire his talents. When you tarnish your connection to people, you lose your brand.

The great thing about sports and America really, is there are usually second chances. LeBron’s brand took a big time hit last week. He might think he can just garner new fans in a new city and things will be repaired. I think its going to be more than that. He needs to connect again, which is going to be tough. He had a big advantage being the hometown kid. Cleveland likely would have loved him no matter if he won or lost championships. Now in Miami, he has to win. He has to build relationships and find a way not to come across as a narcissistic celebrity trying to be seen. Winning could be the cure, but a lot of people have a new view of him after last week.

Do you think his brand will be repaired? How might he do it?

5-Strategies For Web Development That Deliver

Tags: Bing, branding, building leads, content management, conversion, e-commerce, Flash, goals, Google, metrics, mobile marketing, page rank, positioning, return on investment, ROI, Rudy Giulliani, sales, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, testing, tracking, web design, web strategy, website, website design, Yahoo
Posted in Interactive | No Comments 6/23/2010

Strategy. Stra-tuh-gee. Strat-gee? Any way you say it, strategy should start every web development process. Sure, designers, marketers and programmers in all shapes and sizes will come-a-courtin’ as soon as you even hint the words “I need a new website.” But unless their conversation starts with “strategy” – in lieu of branding, design, Flash, mobile marketing, content management, or whatever buzzword may be hot that week – I’d suggest walking running away as quickly as possible.

Change is not a destination, just as hope is not a strategy.
– Rudy Giuliani

Below, I’ve listed five basic strategy steps to ensure success in your website development process. Follow these using a little marketing smarts and you’ll come out ahead in the game.

Strategy Step 1: Set Goals

Developing a website without first setting goals is a little like playing checkers with a blind man. Sure it makes for short, less challenging games, but what do you really gain in the end?

Internet marketers need to prioritize their goals for every website. Expectations for each site varies, but they usually center around a few key goals:

1. Defining the positioning

2. Defending the brand

3. Awareness / education

4. Display / distribution of products & services

5. Building quality leads

6. Sales

Develop your strategy around your goals and you will be starting off on the right foot.

Strategy Step 2: Design with goals in mind

It’s been said that 50% of all website visitors are lost within the first four to six seconds because they cannot find the product or service they are looking for. Why do you think that is?

Being a designer at heart, I understand the aesthetic value to marketing and specifically for interactive user interface, but by setting goals and building a targeted strategy (selling units for instance) has very little to do with cheesy Flash animations or the roll-over state of your navigation buttons. It does have a lot to do with how customers find your product or service. So design the site with the goals in mind and move the visitors to the right page efficiently and effectively.

Strategy Step 3: Track Goal Conversion

This strategy should be at the front of your mind when navigating through the previous stage. If your site is designed with conversion of your goals as a priority, you will be able to track the traffic to and within your website.

For example, let’s say you have 120 visitors to your site tomorrow with 60 of them going to the product/service page. How many actually clicked on the “sign up,” “purchase,” or “more info” links? And then, of those clicks, how many finally made it through to your sales or customer service center?

This needs to be tracked. Even if you’re not a retailer with an e-commerce section to your site, you should find out what pages your visitors land on, leave from and what were the reasons for their exit.

Some questions to ask your interactive developer:

1. Is your website’s navigation confusing?

2. Does your website display a value proposition that would benefit the visitor?

3. Do the headlines on your website elicit action?

4. Is the content on your website unique and keyword friendly?

Tracking traffic and goal conversions within your site is imperative for successful marketing. If you don’t care where your visitors are going, how can they care if they find you?

Strategy 4: SEO – Content Optimization (for organic search rank)

I went to “Home Improvement Warehouse & Testosterone Megastore” yesterday looking for “Deck Screws.” The service person knew exactly what I needed, but when I looked on the box, it didn’t say “Deck Screws.” It said, “Galvanized Wood Fasteners.” Is that what I wanted? Of course!

As a business owner, you speak one very specific language. Your customers, on the other hand, speak a similar, yet slightly different dialect. If you create your website content geared toward how your customers speak (search), you’ve instantly created a bridge that the search engines can naturally connect. That’s organic content optimization.

If I waked into “Home Improvement Warehouse & Testosterone Megastore” asking for “Deck Screws” and the service person just looked blankly at me, how long do you think I would have stayed?

Strategy 5: Metrics & Testing

Finally, the “fun part,” is called metrics and testing. Here, all of the previous strategy steps come together to show you the ROI of your website. They key to success of your business lies in maintaining, monitoring and managing your metrics. The metrics will tell you exactly what is converting and what is not. The metrics will tell you if you’re speaking the same language as your searching customers.

For example:

What amount of sales happened yesterday?

Which page of your website converted the most?

Where are you listed on Google for your target keywords? How about Bing? Yahoo?

From which location did the biggest number of visitors come?

What can you change and “Test” against the metrics you were given this month?

Finally, what is your ROI?

It’s not rocket science. Businesses launch new or revised websites hundreds of times every minute. And I’d be willing to bet a majority of them don’t take these 5 simple strategies into account.

Does your website have strategy? How can you change your current site to incorporate some of these results-driven strategies? How can Love Scott help you get there?

Andrew B. Clark – Interactive Director

Keeping the Faith

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", ad agency, Adam Jensen, Advertising, advertising agency, Andrea James, brand, branding, client, communication, faith, good marketing, marketing, Mission Assist, research
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments 6/09/2010

Last week I found myself reflecting a lot about the paths we take in life – both personally and professionally – and what outside influences affect and change them. I interviewed with the Des Moines Business Record for a story on branding/rebranding last week which had me thinking a lot about why businesses do, or don’t, make decisions that can affect their futures (ours, obviously, being the decision to rebrand) .

Additionally, and totally unrelated, our creative director, Adam Jensen, signed himself up for a 10-week intense group fitness challenge that one year ago, he wouldn’t have dreamed of taking on. In a sense, he’s been pursuing some personal rebranding, focusing on his health and fitness for the last year. After watching how hard he’s worked to lose 75 pounds and get into better shape, it was inspiring to see him take on something he’d once thought impossible. Both Love Scott’s rebranding efforts, and Adam’s new undertaking, had me thinking about the one thing they have in common. Making the decision to act on fear or faith.

Decisions aren’t always simple. For some companies, decision-making processes, like whether and how to brand/ rebrand, are daunting. Spending the time and inviting internal and possibly external criticism are not always pleasant thoughts. Likewise, personal decisions such as Adam’s, which require self reflection, motivation and determination, are filled with unknowns around every corner. Think about every decision you’ve ever made in your life. Each and every one was driven by the stronger influence of those two things: fear or faith.

Fear of failure. Fear of change. Fear of the unknown. Everything (non-life-threatening) I’ve ever not tried, I can attribute to overwhelming fear. Now, fear can also be a blessing, and it’s actually required for faith to even exist. But for many (and too many companies I care to mention), focusing on fear can be tragically prohibitive when it comes to making effective marketing decisions. What if a campaign doesn’t work? What if it’s too radical for their public? There’s no proof an effort WILL work, so why take the chance?

And then there’s my favorite word – faith. Faith in what’s possible. Faith in doing things right. Faith in discovery through effort. Every time I’ve succeeded at anything, I’ve counted on faith. Faith in myself, faith in God, faith in others. And there have definitely been times when I’ve leaned on faith only to fail. But those are also the times I learned the most about what was needed to later succeed. What if I’d listened to the fear and never tried? I wouldn’t have learned how to do it right, better, the next time.

Faith doesn’t mean entering blindly into a situation, counting on a miracle for something great to happen. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary offers this as a definition:

Main Entry: ¹faith

Pronunciation: \ˈfāth\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, fei, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide

Date: 13th century

1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1) : fidelity to one’s promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs <the Protestant faith>

Sincerity of intentions. Firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Complete trust. With a strong belief in any of these, good things will eventually happen. If your intentions are to market your company right, have faith in yourself and your convictions that it will happen. If you hire a company to do it for you, have faith in yourself to choose the right company, then have faith in them to do what needs to be done…right!

With our rebranding effort, it took faith in the time we’d spend and the system itself that got us through the process. We could have feared what we’d discover from surveying our past and current clients, or that extra time we had to invest might be wasted, but we didn’t. We kept the faith that it would all lead to something great. And it did.

Likewise, Adam let fear rule his decision a year ago and didn’t step up to the challenge he now has faith he can complete. He took some convincing, and had to dabble a little here and there to find his faith-footing, but he found it and is now charging forward.

What drives you and makes your decisions – both personally and professionally? Fear or faith? Which do you want to drive your decisions?

The Key To A Great Marketing Program!

Tags: advertising agency, appreciation, Bill Love, brand, branding, c-level, CEO, client, communication, creative, Des Moines Advertising agency, expectations, good clients, good marketing, great marketing, marketing, power trip, research, strategy
Posted in Advertising | 2 Comments 6/02/2010

I’m often asked what, in my opinion, is the key ingredient to creating a great marketing program. My answer seems to surprise most people, not so much because they disagree, but because it’s an ingredient often overlooked.

I think they expect my answer to be one of the following:

a) rock-solid marketing intelligence, well researched facts and figures on which to base everything
b) a well thought-out strategy that is on target and incorporates relevance and value in the proposition
c) stand-out, attention-getting creative
d) or; developing, articulating, building equity in, and then defending from all foes, foreign and domestic, a brand for your company or product.

All of those things are important to creating a world-class marketing program. But from an advertising agency perspective, I think the single most important ingredient to a great marketing program is having a great client.

I can think of no ingredient I would rank as more important. Great clients allow great marketing programs to happen. Not-so-great clients invariably end up with not-so-great marketing programs and, because they are by their very nature not-so-great clients, they usually end up blaming their “not-so-great advertising agency” for the poor performance of their not-so-great marketing program.

So, what is a great client? From my perspective, first it’s a client who deeply appreciates the importance and incalculable value of good marketing to the success of a business. They get it. They know that marketing is an investment that should realize a good return and that great marketing usually produces great returns.

Next, they are a client who knows what they don’t know. They may be a great businessperson, but unless they’re also a great marketing person, they know they should leave those chores to people trained in the marketing disciplines. They seek out great marketing people and then trust them with the company’s marketing program. Are they totally detached from the marketing program? Of course not. They supply much needed C-level input, but in doing so, they also avoid screwing up good marketing ideas by imposing their power trips on the people responsible for producing marketing results.

And finally, they encourage and reward great thinking from their marketing people. This takes guts! Giving people who hail from a totally different side of the brain free rein to be inventive, creative and cutting edge with your marketing dollars is an act of courage that I have not often witnessed in my 40 years in the business.

But I have occasionally seen it. And it’s a beautiful thing to behold when it happens. It also invariably results in great marketing.

Great marketing starts with a great client. Period.

We’ve all worked with an endless list of not-so-great clients, but can anyone out there give me an “amen” on the joys of working with a great client?

Bill Love

Become the Biggest Loser

Tags: Advertising, biggest loser, bob harper, branding, fund-raising, Inspiration, jillian michaels, marketing, Mission Assist, motivation, non-profit, reality tv, shed weight, strategy, support, television
Posted in Advertising | No Comments 5/27/2010

I am a die-hard Biggest Loser fan, never miss an episode. It usually gets a little dusty in the living room when the show starts following a story line of someone working out and changing their Biggest Loser Finale Michael Ventrella life all set to contemporary music. As I watched in awe of the people on the finale Tuesday night, I couldn’t help but compare it to my own experience. I can identify with the people on the show and their struggles to improve their lives. I watched each contestant step on the scale to reveal how much weight they’d lost in 4 months and just revel in the joy that it brought them to see their “change.” It’s not just a physical change, for many it’s a complete mental conversion with a new outlook on life. However, these contestants were at one point wondering what to do about improving themselves, and how they had let themselves get to whatever point they were at in life. Someone, something had to spark change in them.

There are two trainers on the show – Jillian and Bob. Bob is the gentle supporter. Jillian the tough love challenger. No matter who you prefer, both of them inspire dramatic change. Sometimes all of us need that coach or trainer to believe in, push us and walk with us as we try to improve. When something is weighing you down, its hard to make yourself or your company actually DO something. We all get caught up in our daily routines and tasks at hand and lose sight of the bigger picture. Sometimes we just don’t have the resources or time to do more than what we already do. Sometimes a gentle helping hand can make a change. Sometimes its a tough love “shove” in the right direction. Someone you trust can tell you your faults and what you need to do to see results. They can even give you plans of action and be right by your side as they help you grow.

At LoveScott, we’ve found something that inspires us to do what we do. Its a program we started called Mission Assist. It’s a unique program that combines the skills of marketing and development professionals to help non-profit associations better tell their story, share their mission and increase funding. In other words, we see a lot of non-profit organizations that aren’t “fit” in their marketing departments or developmental goals. Scott Brunscheen leads the Mission Assist program at Love Scott. As a long-time non-profit director, he is uniquely in tune with the challenges and opportunities a non-profit organization faces. Combine that with Love Scott’s forty years of marketing experience, and you have some knowledgeable coaches willing to help a non-profit get into shape. We’d like to be the “coach” that gives you a shove in the right direction. We’ve had some experience watching non-profits wondering what to Jillian & Bob Biggest Loser do next, and weighed down by limitations. We’ve been able to work with non-profits as a partner to not only improve their marketing strategy and brand, but increase funding and create new funding streams. Its been some of the most rewarding work we’ve done. Through helping them shed the weight of “what to do”, we’ve seen them revel in the joy of accomplishing their missions.

If you’d like to learn more about the Mission Assist program, please head to our home page and click on the Mission Assist logo at the bottom of the page. If its something you could benefit from, give anyone at Love Scott a call and we will make sure you are taken care of. We’ll get you on a program to shed the weight of “what to do.”

-Adam Jensen, Vice President / Creative Director

Don’t Let Your Story Get Away From You

Tags: "No Comment", brand control, branding, broadcast media, Brooke Bouma, Crisis Management, Des Moines, Des Moines Business Record, Des Moines Marketing, Des Moines Register, DSMCVB, Eric Hanson, Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, interview, Jim Pollock, KCCI, Kendra Williams, KIOA 93.3, Lynn Hicks, marketing plan, Maxwell Schaeffer, metro Des Moines, Midwest Living, Pioneer Communications, Polly Clark, PR, print media, promotion, Public Relations, research, spokesperson training, story, Van Hardin, WHO AM 1040, WHO TV
Posted in Public Relations | 3 Comments 5/12/2010

Love Scott was proud to sponsor the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (DSMCVB) “Marketing Panel” a couple weeks ago. Our third time sponsoring one of their events, we’ve come to recognize it as a valuable service they provide to their metro partners as a source of marketing/PR education, updating and networking.

After I gave a brief introduction on the importance of research in a solid marketing plan, participants listened as three speaker panels answered questions. I took particular interest in two panels made up of a few of our local media representatives and personalities.

On a broadcast media panel sat:

• Eric Hanson, TV reporter for KCCI

• Van Hardin, radio show host at WHO-AM 1040

• Maxwell Schaeffer, host at KIOA 93.3

• Brooke Bouma, morning co-host at WHO-TV

On a print media panel sat:

• Lynn Hicks, business editor of the Des Moines Register

• Jim Pollock, editor of the Des Moines Business Record

• Polly Clark with Pioneer Communications

• Kendra Williams with Midwest Living.

I listened closely to these panels because, as a PR person, I’m intrigued to hear their takes on how the industry has changed, their pet peeves when receiving information or interviewing, and what helps them report most accurately.

One comment repeated in both panels was on the topic of granting media interviews. A few years back, I did a short stint reporting for a business publication in St. Louis and will never forget times I’d call a business for information or a quote, and nobody would call me back. I wasn’t digging anything up – simply needing accurate information to complete a story…that most often would help promote that company! It astounded me that they would blatantly ignore me, I assume out of some sort of fear. Maybe they’d been burned before by the media – inaccurate information, misquotes, negative story angle, who knows? But every time I was left to think “well, you’re not doing yourselves any favors this way!” Either the story would get scrapped (no free publicity for them) for lack of information, or we’d have to say something ridiculous like “representatives from ‘Company X’ were unavailable for comment.” That is more damaging than no story at all, in my opinion.

Both media panels at the DSMCVB’s event mentioned that companies are doing a disservice to themselves when ignoring opportunities for interviews. Especially when they are associated with a controversial event, an interview is an opportunity to tell their story. Both times the subject came up in the panels, both the TV media reps and the print reps said even if you don’t grant the interview, “the story is going to run anyway”. So basically you have the opportunity to say what YOU want to say, or take a chance that somebody else will say what you wouldn’t want them saying FOR you.

If the idea of speaking to the media scares you, take the time for spokesperson training. Most times, if you’re prepared, it’s actually a positive PR opportunity, not a burden.

What do you think when a company has “no comment”? What are some of the best TV/print interviews you’ve seen or read, even in times of crisis?

Andrea James, President / Director of Public Relations

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