Blog Archives for January 2009
Super Bowl Advertising ROI
The publication Advertising Age recently published a fascinating article that shows how some companies were able to quantify their investment in Super Bowl ads.
The publication asked some companies to provide their Return on Investment (ROI) for 2008 Super Bowl ads. Remember… these ads cost around $3 million for a 30 second spot. Here are some examples of their results.
- Audi realized a 200% increase in web traffic in the month after the game;
- E-Trade increased by 12%– in one week– its number of new funded accounts;
- CareerBuilder had a 60% increase in job applications;
- Hyundai drew 300,000 Web site visitors who stayed an average of 5.5 minutes and resulted in 25,000 new leads;
- Cars.com had a 12% increase in brand awareness;
- Anheuser Busch had 21 million online ad views in the week after the game;
We’re not suggesting you should spend $3 million on a Super Bowl ad. However, we are saying you can find ways to quantify the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. This also is a reminder that you should think twice before making your marketing budget your first “cut.” The results could be devastating for your company.
Bashing the embargo
PR people sometimes put “embargoes” on their news releases or other types of information, asking a writer, broadcaster, or blogger to hold off on reporting the information until a time certain. There are a variety of reasons to use embargoes, from legal to tactical, but the effect of an embargo is to give targeted media people time to properly prepare a story before the info is given broader release.
Well, the founder of one of the top tech blogs in the world has come down hard against embargoes, and he’s quite “in your face” about it.
“Death to the embargo,” screams the headline over Michael Harrington’s Dec. 17 post on his blog, TechCrunch.com, which, according to Quantcast, attracts 2.4 million visitors per month.
“PR firms are out of control,” Harrington begins. “Today we are taking a radical step towards fighting the chaos. From this point on we will break every embargo we agree to.” In other words, he’s willing to intentionally deceive PR professionals into believing he will honor their embargo request, when in reality, he knows he won’t. He has also included an image of an extended middle finger – presumably a succinct summation of his thoughts – in his post. See http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/17/death-to-the-embargo/
Harrington says that PR people are sending out so many embargoed news items, to so many competing media, and so many of those media are breaking the embargo, that TechCrunch has decided to simply stop honoring them.
Sure, some PR people are lazy or obnoxious, just like some writers (or some plumbers, or some politicians, or some CEOs) are lazy or obnoxious. Still, whether TechCrunch is being reasonable or not (nearly 400 people responded to Harrington’s post, many of them taking him to task), his site’s decision shows a new level of resistance to standard PR/journalist courtesy that cannot be ignored.
You can’t always set the rules in communicating with the media. But you can avoid missteps by knowing what they’re up to – and by using tried and true relationship-building techniques when dealing with them.
When a reporter calls…8 simple rules for working with the news media
Some of our clients call me in a panic when they get a call from a reporter. “What do they want? What do I say? What will they write or say about me?”
While I routinely conduct media training sessions for clients, the best message I can deliver is “Be Prepared.” You can’t control the outcome of an interview, but you can control what you say. That will influence the outcome.
Write down the messages you’d like to convey. Think of questions you’d like to be asked and those you don’t want to be asked. Prepare answers for both types of questions. Don’t read your answers during an interview, but commit the basic thought to memory.
You have rights during an interview. For example, you have the right to know who’s interviewing you and why. You have the right to know what the story is and who else will be interviewed. You also have the right to set some ground rules, such as location, time involved and the subject material about which you have knowledge.
Reporters also have rights. They have the right to accurate information. They have the right to a clear, concise statement about the impact of the story on the viewer, reader or listener. They should not be used for blatantly commercial purposes. They should not be asked to hold or suppress information, and they shouldn’t be blamed for treatment you may have received from another reporter.
Based on those rights, here are eight rules for working with the news media
- Answer the question – Give the requested information if it is available. If it is not, explain why.
- Be truthful – Give accurate information even if it does not speak well of your organization. If you try to mislead a reporter, you’ll be branded untrustworthy.
- Be concise – If you say too much, you’ll either confuse the interviewer or say something you wish you hadn’t.
- Be human – Don’t talk in jargon or words specific to your industry. Tell your story as you would to a family member. Provide human examples that support your facts.
- Provide results – Don’t get so caught up in explaining a process. The reporter wants the results. If a process is important for a reporter to know, provide a fact sheet.
- Honor deadlines – Know a reporter’s deadlines and honor them. Don’t change the rules of the game in midstream.
- Be consistent – Talk to reporters during both good and bad times. You will become a trusted, credible source and that will pay dividends in the future.
- Correct facts if necessary – If a reporter misunderstood something you said, you have the right to call and calmly explain the disputed facts. A correction may or may not be in order. However, don’t call the reporter just because you didn’t like the story. That’s petty.
One bonus tip: “No Comment” is an awful answer. It makes you look guilty. Avoid saying that at all costs.
A reporter’s job is not to help you or hurt you. They’re out to tell the facts, as seen at the time. Your job is to ensure the reporter has the facts and that you convey them as clearly as possible. Prepare yourself. Practice your answers and get feedback from co-workers or family.
An interview is your opportunity to communicate your position and tell your side of a story. Use it as an opportunity and not a chore.
Careful with that axe, Eugene!
The economy has taken a beating lately, that’s for sure. Amid the constant refrain of bad news, businesses have cut spending. For many of those businesses, the first expense to face the axe is marketing.
Bad idea.
While it might be tempting to trim an expense that doesn’t immediately add to the bottom line, fading into the background is never the path to success. Think about it: Does hunkering down increase your sales? Do you honestly think you’ll succeed in these hard times when fewer people are reminded of your goods or services?
Marketing now, while others are following the mob into the void, will allow your company to stand out and, most important, remain viable. And when the larger economy does reawaken, you’re well positioned for serious growth.
Marketing is not merely an expense, it’s an investment. The issue is how to invest shrewdly.
For example, this might be a good time to finally jump into the social media swimming pool. A well-designed, well-executed, frequently updated blog, Facebook page or Twitter account will help you accomplish two things – you can not only speak to your customers, you get to hear directly and immediately from them what they like and don’t like. In other words, you learn how to better meet their needs, so you can sell more of whatever you’re trying to sell.
