Category Archives: Advertising

posted by Apprentices

Aug 09, 2011 @ 2:24pm

Storytelling

I spent most of my weekend offline. Which was so nice.

Friday night lights.

It began with a high school football game, and moved on to lazy neighborhood strolls, impromptu jam sessions, and late night family dinners. This was a weekend fat with laughter. There was a moment at the table—our dinner plates empty but not yet cleared—when I looked around at everyone’s faces. They were fully engaged in the tale of the family’s legendary wiffle ball games, laughing, interrupting to share remembered details.

It reminded me how powerful a story is. Narrative is the engine that moves our world along. It’s what creates connection and inspires action.  We forget that sometimes, don’t we? Especially in our world of “likes” and QR codes and whatever the next batch of shiny and new turns out to be.

Consumers are hearing more messages in more places than ever before. Without a story to tell, a distinct brand voice, a rallying cry – your brand’s message will fragment and disappear in the never-ending stream of modern communication.

Just last week, Cathy Monetti handed me a Boden catalogue to look through because she guessed (accurately) that I’d like the clothing. What immediately intrigued me was the great care they took to tell their story on every page. Every instance of copy, even down to the small “please recycle” message, had been carefully considered and crafted in Boden’s distinct, light-hearted voice.

On each page, Boden listed the first name of the models and their answers to questions ranging from: What scares the pants off you? to What do you think about when you’re traveling? Such a small detail, but it resonates because it reinforces the story Boden’s been telling all along: We’re human. We make feel good clothes. We believe in delight. I sauntered over to their website where I discovered other unique brand-building elements, like instructions for building a teepee and an end of summer bucket list.

Consider your brand’s communication efforts. Is there a story? Would your fans recognize your brand’s voice? We can build award-winning apps and deploy multi-faceted social media strategies and write snazzy ads—but in the end, what people will sit around their dinner tables and talk about is a great story.

 

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posted by Cathy

Jul 28, 2011 @ 4:43pm

New Work: Goodwill Industries

 

Nobody gets more out of it than Goodwill. After spending several months in Discovery and Brand Development for this new RP client, of that we are sure.

A donation of I no longer need it toys, clothing, household goods, furniture, computers, books and more ultimately funds job training and placement services for thousands and thousands of people. In fact, Goodwill of the Upstate/Midlands spends 92¢ of every dollar they make on this mission.

It’s both an honor and a pleasure to work with our friends at Goodwill, sharing their brand story and reminding people around the state that a donation to Goodwill is a donation well made.

More to come as this cross-channel branding campaign makes its way to the marketplace!

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posted by Julie

Jul 27, 2011 @ 3:09pm

What’s Your Style Guide?

If you write anything (and don’t we all these days?), you should have a credible, go-to style guide.

A style guide is simply a reliable authority on proper management of grammar, punctuation and all that stuff you’d really rather not think about. Having a style guide eliminates questions, extra commas and, in general, can make you look and sound as smart as you really are.

For the most part, I’ve defaulted to Associated Press (AP) Stylebook (tweets at @APStylebook). I’m not really sure why. I probably picked it up in the J-School sometime between rush and graduation. Now that writing buys the groceries, I am lot more interested in what style guide I trust, and, oftentimes, pointedly violate.

When I asked fellow tweeting freelance writers to name their grammar anvil of choice, I got two interesting responses neither of which was the AP Stylebook or Wikipedia.

First up is the Chicago Manual of Style, recommended by Kathy Cheng who tweets at @campcopy. There’s a nice online version you can test-drive for free. Or, get little nuggets of proper use in your Twitter feed by following @ChicagoManual.

The other recommendation was from Kim Stone Byer, tweets @thepaperapron, who defaults to Strunk & White’s Illustrated edition. This version includes offbeat illustrations to make learning proper grammar a little more colorful and a lot more interesting.

There are plenty of other easy-to-use guides, too, like the one I found on The Economist’s website.

Any of these guides can help you solve lingual quandaries; however, if you need a grammar-related giggle or two, head to Twitter and follow @FakeAPStylebook. There you’ll find a wealth of useful information such as: Only insert “, mon” after the second mention of Jamaica in a story.

There’s no law that says good grammar has to be boring. It just needs to be right.

 

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posted by Kevin

Jul 13, 2011 @ 4:30pm

Empathize

I read Mike Carlson’s whitepaper, “The Curse of Sterile Advertising,”  last week before a client meeting, and its simple premise has stuck with me since. Great marketing is based on keen empathy with the target audience.

In my last blog post, I speculated that The Great Recession’s lackluster recovery has spawned the Great Insecurity. During insecure times, nothing feels better to your customer than empathy.

The campaign I presented yesterday offers hardworking parents a much-needed break. It features an enticing promotion, and that’s great, but not always necessary. What we know is that even the smallest gesture is appreciated. Monday, the fellow who cuts my hair knocked $5 off my bill because he was late and I waited on him. Instead of being put out, I’m now more loyal than before.

My local Chick-fil-A sends a cashier outside to take orders when the drive through lane is long. Whether or not this speeds things up is beside the point. Chick-fil-A understands that people drive through because they are in a hurry, so they provide attention quickly, and look both responsive and caring in the bargain.

People have less time and money now than ever before. Take a moment to think how your brand can help. And remember, it doesn’t take much.

 

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posted by Kevin

Jun 02, 2011 @ 2:00pm

Passing Trends

The housing bubble, gold at $1,545 an ounce and silly bandz have one thing in common. All seem completely reasonable in the moment.

I see trends as momentarily curious absurdities just prior to obsolescence. This brings me to Groupon. Billion dollar rumors abound. I cry foul.

From the consumer’s point of view, the group coupon trend is a win. At the same time, businesses are forgoing up to 50 percent of their sales for the volume Groupon and Living Social can deliver. Working twice as hard for half as much money? It  doesn’t make good business sense to me.

If this equation yielded consumer trial, followed by a long-term relationship with a brand, it would be different. Yet Groupon and its peers are breeding a consumer who demands extreme discounting — one that will merely move from one discount to the next.

I met with a restaurant owner last week who lost $1,200 after implementing a group coupon tactic. It doesn’t have to be this way. Incenting trial through discounts and creating a sense of urgency are worthy goals. Just don’t give away half your sales in the bargain.

Take a cue from my local garden center. I came home Friday afternoon to find a flier under my doorknocker.

This flier gives the first 20 customers a $10 certificate.

It’s nice to see someone getting it right.

  • Know your customer: The garden center had delivered to my address before.
  • Establish urgency: I wanted to be one of the first twenty customers who got a discount.
  • Drive preference: Why would I go to another garden center when I had the possibility of a discount at this particular one?
  • Be impossible to ignore: I was forced to interact with the promotion. It was under my doorknocker.
  • Get people in the door: Even if I went and didn’t receive the discount, I would still be in the store ready to shop.
  • Make a sensible investment: The first 20 customers got $10 off. That’s $200 in merchandise, or $100 out-of-pocket for the store’s owner, not 50 percent of the store’s total day’s sales.

What a welcome dose of smart marketing amidst the chaos of current trends.

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posted by Apprentices

May 26, 2011 @ 11:51am

Export from Portland Pitches Import from Detroit

The tagline for Chrysler’s new ad campaign is “Imported from Detroit,” so why does one of the car company’s current TV spots feature cityscapes of Portland, Oregon and music from a Houston-based hip-hop group?

Because combined with the face of last year’s overachieving Detroit Lions (AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, Ndamukong Suh), it creates a rags-to-riches narrative that is quintessentially American — a motif Chrysler is trying desperately to tap into. The American auto giant’s name was splattered across newspaper headlines two years ago as a result of an embarrassing bankruptcy, a humbling blow to what was once taken for granted as an American institution. Chrysler was left with a lot of work to do to repair its public image, and instead of seeking sympathy, they accepted the lessons learned from their financial downfall and made a commitment to overcome their failings.

The introduction of spokesperson Ndamukong Suh fits Chrysler’s brand message well. Suh’s rise to success came despite humble beginnings in an immigrant family in Portland. He earned an athletic scholarship to historic powerhouse Nebraska, where he became an All-American sensation and eventually a 1st round NFL draft pick. Suh’s ascension is hinted to throughout the commercial and the narrator makes it clear his success is due entirely to hard work.

The musical selection of the Geto Boys’ 2005 track, “G-Code” lends a defiant tone throughout the ad. The car company wants you to know it is not glossing over its troubled past, but prepared to overcome it by getting to work.

Chrysler has, like its new spokesman, overcome humbling circumstances. The car company has a ways to go to complete the tale, but nothing is more American than succeeding in spite of difficult odds. And no car company, Chrysler would like you to believe, is more American than Chrysler.

– Pete Anderson

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posted by Julie

Apr 18, 2011 @ 5:02pm

Think, Feel, Do More

The old mindset of marketing was to be where your customers are. There was limited opportunity (or interest, for that matter) in actual engagement. But what about being in the right place and at a time when consumers are more inclined to receive a message? I got a powerful lesson about the potential of capturing attention in the perfect moment the other night watching TV.

We don’t watch very much TV. It’s not a philosophical mission, just a by-product of having two young kids and jobs that require brainpower. So that means our usual fare is a mix of food show reruns or DVR’d late night shows we slept through. But earlier this week I watched something new in real time: Secret Millionaire.

Secret Millionaire

This show documents self-made millionaires as they anonymously spend a week among the poor and at-risk of a U.S. community. In the end, the millionaire reveals him or herself as they reward community heroes and groups with contributions to their efforts.

As a nonprofit fan and eternal optimist, I tuned in. Plus, I had laundry that wasn’t going to fold itself. By the end of the show, I was crying alongside the millionairess of the week. Watching her generosity and the sheer gratitude of the people and organizations she helped was very touching.

What I saw next sent my marketing brain into overdrive.

There, at the end of the show in the last commercial block was an ad for a national nonprofit. Talk about smart. They were not just there when people were watching; they were there when viewers likely felt an extra surge of generosity.

Holy. Smokes.

Their message unfolded in a very powerful moment, when people were inspired and motivated. That’s great placement, squared.

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posted by Apprentices

Mar 28, 2011 @ 12:45pm

The Ad-defying Roommate

I have a roommate who declared himself immune to advertising. During the commercial break of a game we watched on TV, he berated three consecutive ads that failed to convince him to purchase their respective products.

“How is that commercial supposed to make me want to buy that?” he repeatedly scoffed.

Rather than use this as an opportunity to proselytize about the capabilities of the ad industry, I decided to explore the idea that someone could shut oneself off from advertising. I would be lying if I said I never once deemed an ad a failure because it did not relate to me.

So I asked him, “Hey, what’s the other white meat?”

“Pork,” my roommate instinctively replied.

“Who says, ‘Have it your way?’”

“Burger King!”

Despite his active effort to resist advertising, it had gone ahead and permeated his consciousness anyhow.

This experiment helped dramatize a concept I began to understand as a result of my Riggs apprenticeship. The ads we make are not meant to inspire the audience to drop everything at once and go to the store to buy our clients’ products, but to maintain an open channel of communication, so that when the wallet is out and decision time comes, our brand is at the forefront of our targets’ consciousnesses.

I look forward to continue learning how to perfect those brand messages in hopes that someday I will be responsible for one of those taglines even the most impervious consumers can’t help but connect with.

–Pete Anderson

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posted by Apprentices

May 19, 2010 @ 12:36pm

New Work: Good Samaritan Clinic

The Good Samaritan Clinic is a free medical clinic serving uninsured members of the Hispanic/Latino community in Columbia, South Carolina. The clinic provides general medical consultations, diagnostic testing and, when available, free medicine.

Those who find rescue in the Good Samaritan Clinic are escaping an overwhelming set of circumstances – a need for medical attention, a lack of means and a language barrier. The Good Samaritan Clinic helps by acting as a liaison between the Spanish-speaking community and Columbia medical resources. The clinic offers interpretation and health education services, referrals to other medical centers and community emergency assistance. The clinic also keeps a public phone line open, allowing people to ask questions and receive answers in their own language.

There is much need in Columbia. Unfortunately, as a result of physicians’ busy schedules, volunteers are few. The Good Samaritan Clinic’s biggest challenge is to bring in more working physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners. Riggs Partners addressed this issue, develolping for the Good Samaritan Clinic a strategic marketing plan and several recruitment materials.

- Sammy Rutkowski

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posted by Cathy

Apr 20, 2010 @ 4:17pm

New Work: Hilton Head Island Visitor and Convention Bureau

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is a fancy name for the acknowledgement that businesses, as well as individuals, have an important role to play in bettering the world around us. Our friends at the Hilton Head Island VCB  have embraced the concept and are one of the first corporate destinations in the country to offer a customized CSR component to their Meetings and Groups packages.

It works like this. A company plans a meeting, or retreat, on Hilton Head Island. A community service project is incorporated as part of the event package, and the group is matched with a participating United Way of the Lowcountry organization. During their time on Hilton Head Island, the group of 10 to 100 people works together on the specified project, such as a Habitat build.

Our assignment was to package, and promote, The Hilton Head Difference.

The Hilton Head Difference direct mail, sent to meeting planners

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