Steal These Ideas!

Marketing Secrets That Will Make You a Star

Steve Cone

• Publisher: Bloomberg Press
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9781576601914
• eBook ISBN: 9780470885079
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Marketing
• Index: Business

Working for nearly thirty years with and for leading companies including Citigroup, American Express, Epsilon, Apple, and Fidelity—with notable political and not-for-profit campaigns along the way—Steve Cone has the kind of hard-earned, high-level experience that translates into valuable, tested ideas on what really works—and doesn't—in marketing. In Steal These Ideas! Cone delivers hundreds of pearls in a sharp, no-nonsense, and witty style on all facets of marketing, branding, and advertising with all the candor and freshness one would expect from a knowledgeable good friend in the business. Illustrated throughout with examples of the good, bad, and ugly in advertising, this is the secret stuff that no one ever teaches. Anyone can now steal these ideas andbecome a marketing star today.

1

Three Hidden Ingredients in Every Winning Marketing Campaign

MARKETING CAMPAIGNS are usually very expensive endeavors, often representing hard-won dollars that must be used effectively. Pressure to create a winning strategy can be enormous. The bad news is that this is not the time to play it safe. The good news is that you can minimize the risk and dramatically increase your chance of hitting the jackpot by following this simple rule:

A successful marketing campaign must have three essential ingredients:

1. excitement

2. news

3. a compelling call to action

These days we are busier than ever, with little time to spare. We’re tired. We’re focused on the minute-to-minute. We’re dealing with logistics, and noise, and traffic. It takes a carefully crafted campaign to make us pay attention to one marketing message versus thousands of others that assault us in the car, on the bus, while watching television, shopping, surfing the net, skimming a magazine, and listening to the radio.

When selling anything to anybody, anywhere in the world, always ask yourself, “Does my ad, brochure, billboard, window display, radio spot—create excitement, generate real news, and provide a reason to STOP everything right now and order the product or service?”

Fundamentally, the job of the marketing professional is to excite the potential buyers, to get them to pay attention to his product or service message and not the other guy’s. Most marketing campaigns fail badly in the excitement category, and do even worse in the creation of a compelling call to action.

The whole point of any promotion is to be NOTICED and get a RESPONSE. The marketing industry spends $35 billion a month to grab consumer attention, just in the USA.

Will anyone really pay attention to one more burger ad, one more beautiful older-looking couple seeking financial security by walking hand in hand on a deserted beach, one more gleaming auto isolated on a rain-slicked winding road in Monument Valley?

How can you break out of the pack and hit an emotional bull’s-eye that compels your target consumer to single out your brand and respond to your offer? How do you make this happen?

Take a look at the following stellar campaigns, all of which demonstrate the power of integrating marketing excitement, news value, and compelling calls to action.

The Ultimate Help-Wanted Ad

If pressed to pick my all-time favorite ad, it would be one placed by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famous early-twentieth century polar explorer. In 1913, Shackleton placed a very brief announcement in several London newspapers for volunteers for his upcoming South Pole expedition. He hoped to attract fifty to seventy-five inquiries. Five thousand hearty souls responded to:

MEN WANTED for Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.

—Sir Ernest Shackleton

All three elements for promotional success: excitement, news, and a compelling call to action were wrapped up in just twenty-six words. No need to add a single syllable.

The Early Days of Playboy Magazine

In the early ’50s, when I was 5 or 6, it was impossible to figure out exactly what my dad did at work all day. He was pretty vague about it and as it turned out, with good reason. He was writing some of the very first promotional direct mail letters for Hugh Hefner’s then new and struggling publication, Playboy magazine.

These letters would be sent to compiled lists of men who subscribed to other men’s magazines—which of course made sense. What was a little different was how my dad wrote these letters…from the perspective of a Playboy Bunny. Each mailing included a picture of her in full Bunny regalia. The picture appeared on the letter, the reply device, and throughout the accompanying brochure which included shots of her other Bunny pals. She even signed her name.

Consequently, millions of American men received letters in the mail from “a real live Playboy Bunny,” describing the scintillating attributes of Playboy magazine: great fiction, social commentary, and of course more revealing pictures of her and her friends. This approach was way more successful than if Hugh himself or some other male editor had written the letter—because it was just much more EXCITING!

Why Advertise?

Most people believe that advertising dollars should be spent solely to launch a new product or service, build brand awareness, and generate leads. There is nothing wrong with these objectives, but by themselves they present an incomplete picture.

There are six essential reasons to advertise, some of which are not obvious.

• Motivate your “troops.” Advertising has enormous potential to excite employees and if done well will make them feel proud of the company and themselves. New ads should be previewed internally at various employee gatherings. This will create a buzz and employees will then talk the campaign up with family and friends. Be sure to give each employee a schedule of what media the ads are appearing in, and when.

• Remind existing customers why they are customers. Customers need to be reminded what a great company you are to do business with, an idea they would never come up with on their own. By creating awareness and jogging their memory, advertising encourages existing customers to take some action. Most “new” business as a result of general advertising will come from your existing customers.

• Generate new leads. Everyone wants new customers, but prospects need information. Be sure to provide a website or phone number that is very visible. Either give them a mechanism to respond or tell them exactly how and where to buy from you. A deadline always helps.

• Recruit great people from your competitors. You can really tell that your advertising hit the mark when competitors’ employees contact you about job opportunities and cite your advertising as the reason they did. Although they may not mention the ads, a spike in this kind of activity can often be traced to a successful ad campaign.

• Garner more positive publicity. Industry reporters see your ads, too. Chances are you will be asked by many for an interview after the launch of a new campaign. Take advantage of their interest and go out of your way to be cooperative. This can be like a little book tour, with you touting the great work of your company through its advertising.

• Build the brand. More awareness is always good. It is just that simple.

Rolling Stone Magazine

Back in the ’70s, the notorious anti-establishment, self-proclaimed gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson was managing editor of Rolling Stone. He authored a subscription renewal letter that was completely different from what any other magazine had ever contemplated.

The letter, short and to the point, declared that Rolling Stone was Thompson’s only legitimate source of income. It went on to say that if you didn’t respond, he would be thrown into utter despair and probably wind up in Needles, California, “sucking from a nitric oxide tank down to the bottom death blast of freon, listening to German tourists describe their coyote sightings.”

Basically, Thompson threatened the recipient, demanding a response, or else. To underline the warning, the outside envelope featured “I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE,” scrawled in large handwriting across the front. Not your everyday Time or Newsweek renewal letter, to be sure.

This direct mail subscription effort was a huge success, and Rolling Stone used it the entire time Thompson was on the payroll. It was so much fun to read. So different. So Hunter Thompson. So exciting.

Pan American WorldPass and How Last Became First

By the time the late ’70s rolled around, the experience of flying had been downgraded from glamorous and elite to mundane, overcrowded, and as torturous as a never-ending bus trip. Yet flights were full of corporate executives and middle managers winging their way across the country and around the world on a regular basis. Working hard, making money, getting ahead, these were not happy travelers.

Although the airlines reveled in their popularity, they were also aware of the growing dissatisfaction of their large bloc of business travelers. In a classic marketing moment, several major airlines decided that their best customers deserved to be singled out and rewarded for frequent travel. And thus, the frequent flyer programs were born.

These programs were really exciting for participants. At last, the airlines made a distinction between the tourist and the trooper. Flying for free and upgrading to first class were the big come-ons and frequent flyers went to great lengths to make sure they stayed abreast of every new perk and bonus mile route. It is important to understand what a big deal the frequent flyer programs were at that time.

Working with a small team at Epsilon Data Management, I helped United Airlines create Mileage Plus, one of the first of these reward scenarios. Several years later, I was fortunate enough to create the last entry of a major airline into this new game: Pan American Airways’ WorldPass, the richest of all the frequent flyer programs.

According to airline industry analysts, WorldPass probably contributed to Pan Am’s ability to remain in business for an additional decade. This is a story about creating excitement and news value even when you are THE ABSOLUTE LAST business in your sector to recognize your top clients.

By 1981, all the other major U.S. carriers had well-developed frequent flyer programs, and Pan Am was seeing the effect on their bottom line. So what to do? The company was lucky to have a marketing director at the time, Adam Aron, who had natural marketing instincts, flair, and an appreciation of the power of big ideas.

The typical frequent flyer marketing approach was not as generous as it appeared. At that time, the goal was to spend as little as possible to communicate with your business travelers, and to be as restrictive as possible in giving out award travel for miles earned.

Adam had a different idea. His charge to me was to create the most expensive-looking program with the richest award structure. He wanted to leapfrog the competition—all of which had well-established programs and, in most cases, a four- to five-year head start. Since Pan Am was the last to arrive at the dance, Adam was determined his airline would be in the dress that everyone noticed.

The core promise of Pan Am’s program was to reward individuals who flew a specific number of miles on an annual basis with a “world pass.” This pass was an actual gold-colored plastic card that entitled you and a companion to fly anywhere on Pan Am’s extensive worldwide system, first class, free for thirty days.

This strategy was a winner from day one. No other airline even remotely had such an award, nor could any of them match the worldwide route structure that Pan Am was famous for. The effect was immediate. WorldPass electrified passengers, Pan Am employees, and the trade press. Adam’s focus on giving the customer something that was truly exciting and “richer” than the competition turned the whole industry inside out and left them scrambling to catch up.

So last-in became first in frequent flyers’ minds. The initial direct mail enrollment package sent to 80,000 frequent flyers contained a free round-trip domestic ticket good at any time within the next six months—no blackout dates, no ifs, ands, or buts other than the requirement to enroll in WorldPass. Response rates to this one letter were more than 50 percent. Probably an all-time high in direct mail history, with the exception of responses to letters from the IRS!

Other Quick Airline Stories about Creating Customer Excitement

American Airlines—When you joined the Admirals Club in the early ’70s, you received an oversized certificate done in calligraphy and beautifully framed, asserting your club membership. These were hung in offices with pride and were real status symbols.

Continental Airlines—In the ’60s and ’70s, the legendary chairman, Robert Six, wrote a letter to the airline’s best customers once or twice a year, a letter that often went on for pages. It was so personal, so beautifully written, so candid, that customers not only saved these letters as keepsakes, but they also continued to fly Continental just to stay on the VIP mailing list.

Braniff International—In the late ’60s and throughout the ’70s, Braniff attracted attention with brightly colored planes, leather seats in all classes, fine dining on bone china, and flight attendants dressed in fashionable Halston outfits. People actually looked forward to boarding a Braniff plane—amazing.

One for the Gipper

In 1983, the Republican Senatorial Committee wanted to end the year with a big fund-raising push to their top 200,000 contributors. At the time, they regularly spent 50 cents a piece on highly personalized computer letters to their donor base. Given their desire to top previous fund-raising efforts, I convinced them to try something totally different for the year-end appeal: a single but very special letter that wou...

Table of contents

• Praise
• Also by STEVE CONE
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Preface
• Chapter 1 - Three Hidden Ingredients in Every Winning Marketing Campaign
• Chapter 2 - In Simple Language: What Is a Brand? What Makes It Successful? How ...
• Chapter 3 - How to Create a Unique Selling Proposition
• Chapter 4 - Create, or Hire, or Beg, to Build a Memorable, Distinctive ...
• Chapter 5 - You Have to Be Able to See It to Read It
• Chapter 6 - Brochures Kill Trees: Make the Trees That Die for You Count
• Chapter 7 - Everlasting Tag Lines
• Chapter 8 - Think Globally, Act Locally ... to a Point
• Chapter 9 - Integration Wins Wars and the Mind of the Consumer
• Chapter 10 - Location, Location, Location: Get the Most from Your Media Dollars
• Chapter 11 - No One Ever Bought Anything from an English Professor
• Chapter 12 - The Three Most Important Customer Lessons You Will Ever Learn
• Chapter 13 - The Art of Building Effective Loyalty Programs
• Chapter 14 - Surprise! We’re All Getting Older
• Chapter 15 - The Big Breakthrough Idea: Where Does It Come From?
• Chapter 16 - The Web: Hype and Hope
• Chapter 17 - The Power of Public Relations and Sponsorships
• Chapter 18 - Politics and Promotion
• Chapter 19 - In the Spotlight
• Chapter 20 - Confucius and Stardom
• Chapter 21 - How to Make the Most of Your Advertising Agency
• Chapter 22 - The Ten Secrets You Really Need to Steal
• Chapter 23 - Being All That We Can Be
• Index
• About Bloomberg
• About the Author