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APP SPONSORSHIP

Great example of sponsorship in an iPhone app

Adidas creates free iPhone guide to Berlin's street art.

The app’s interactive elements including rating and commenting functionalities, and letting users upload their own snaps of new art, which keeps the map cutting-edge at no extra cost to Adidas. Berlin is currently the only city on the Urban Art Guide's map, but plans are underway to develop similar guides for other cities.

Doubting Customers Reevaluate Brands

Lately, McDonald's mailed discount coupons, so I decided to eat lunch at a newly revamped restaurant. A once over of the menu, revealed salads and healthy food choices. More kinds of offerings than hamburgers, the Big Macs, and fries laden with fat calories I associated with the brand. A major change. Interestingly, many customers listen to marketing messages and, like me, give older firms another try. Have you reevaluated any brands lately?

New research shows that most consumers crave clear understanding of brand images related to companies and products. Consumers may be "swinging between doubt and closure more often than we think," claims Susan Shavitt, University of Illinois marketing expert. When customers read fine print or face other constraints with products, they're more open to new messages. “Consumers expect a strong sense of understanding for those brands," Shavitt adds, "and when that’s threatened it can lead them to be more open to reevaluating a brand.”

Four tactics to tempt customers to reevaluate brands

1. Create a sense of struggle through polls, surveys and contests with new information that counters a brand’s long-established image. McDonald’s, a brand used in the study, instilled doubt by asking consumers how many salad varieties appeared on menus or the sodium content of its burgers and fries.

2. Develop a logo projecting brand character Interestingly, even the briefest exposure to well-known brand logos can cause people to behave in ways that mirror those brands’ traits. For instance, when people see the Apple logo, they behave more creatively.

3. Outdistance Well-Established Brands by Using Distinctive Features Consumers more strongly associate common characteristics with traditional brands and unique traits with brand new brands, according to Cunha and Laran's research findings. They noticed a stronger connection between the unique feature and the new kid on the block's brand may result in an advantage when the unique features are more valued than the common characteristics.

4. Repeated unconscious exposure to a brand increases people's likelihood to select it How many times to you see someone walk down the street with a Starbuck's coffee or mow their lawn with a John Deere mower? All your exposures to a brand register subconsciously in your brain and affect what brands you pick. How is your brand exposure working beyond paid advertising?

Many parts of human brain activate as people select brands. Advertising and communication experts say that seeing the process in the brain and how it works will help organizations learn what people really feel about something, whether an ad or other stimulus. Novel stimuli tend to activate the hippocampus more than familar stimuli do. Because the element of surprise triggers release of dopamine, it creates stronger connections that lead to long term storage.

Keep in mind that novelty stokes memory. "Not surprisingly, memory strengthens and the brain’s rejuvenated in the presence of novelty," Ellen Weber reports. You can see exactly why uniqueness for brands is top consideration.

How do brands grab your attention and change your choices?

Obsessive Branding - Your Thoughts?

Have you noticed a recent slippage in brands? Some major "brands" taunt customers with incredible leaps. For instance, the Vatican recently issued credit cards. A mother-to-be gave away naming rights for her child in a Las Vegas Lottery. Author Lucas Conley's new book, OBD, Obsessive Branding Disorder, raises pointed questions and rollicking laughs at branding that's "jumped the tracks, barreling through popular culture unchecked."

For instance...

Tennis shoes by Kool Aid
Cologne by PlayDoh
Romance novels by Nascar

Doesn't this go against logic that a company is expert in one product line or service. Obsessive branding works against the human brain...

"Brands offer us mental shortcuts, helping us cut through the clutter of everything we buy and enabling us to communicate certain concepts quickly and easily. No one wants to sift through tens of thousands of packaged foods on every trip to the supermarket. Instead, we rely on the brands we know. And branding, when it's consistent, provides us with clarity and simplicity in a progressively hectic world."

But, Kool Aid tennis shoes doesn't fit the branding. What would be your reaction when you see them on the shelf? Would you laugh, or "pooh, pooh" them? The human brain frees up space for more critical facts. Do you sense that companies who go too far afield defeat their purpose?

The human brain's powerfully influenced by brands. "Simple exposure to brand names has the potential to activate goals," which then influence thrift or prestige choices, according to Duke, Standford and University of Wisconsin researchers. So you can see why great branding is critical to sales and advertising.

Lucas Conley wonders why companies focus so much on branding and miss innovation and invention in their products. Now that's where companies can energize sales and overall products.

Hmmm... Thoughts Chris, Dan, David, Drew, Mike, and others?

Brand Logos Powerfully Influence Your Thinking

Marketers hit the bull's eye when they advise folks to select a logo with much thought. Here's why... "even the briefest exposure to the Apple logo may make you behave more creatively," according to an article just published in the Journal of Consumer Research. Interestingly, even the briefest exposure to well-known brand logos can cause people to behave in ways that mirror those brands’ traits.

“Each of us is exposed to thousands of brand images every day, most of which are not related to paid advertising,” explains Gavan Fitzsimons, Duke University Researcher. “We assume that incidental brand exposures do not affect us, but our work demonstrates that even fleeting glimpses of logos can affect us quite dramatically.”

Can you see implications this has for your marketing? Here's what the researchers suggest:

“Instead of spending the majority of their money on traditional print and television advertising, companies with established brand associations such as Apple may want to give serious consideration to shifting more marketing resources to product placement opportunities and other forms of outreach that emphasize brief brand exposures,” Gavan Fitzsimons said.

And consumers should be aware that they are susceptible to influences they may not detect and use this knowledge to their advantage. “If you know you need to perform well on some task, say something athletic, you may want to surround yourself with images and brand logos that represent success in athletics,” Gráinne Fitzsimons said.

Knowing how even a brief glimpse powerfully influences the mind, what might you do differently with your own brand logo?

Images Sway Attitude and Choice

A picture paints a thousand words...

Why is it that pictures express ideas so well? "Images in contemporary consumer culture are an emergent form of writing," according to Linda Scott (Oxford University) and Patric Vargas (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). Scott and Vargas suggest that "mass communications technology has created a cultural classroom in which the world's first democratic pictography has developed." Have you wondered why graphics grab your mind and influence your thoughts?

We're living in exciting times... we have many choices to express ideas. Consider million dollar visually oriented Super Bowl ads... Check these "winners" out and see how images without words affect you...


See how the NIKE commercial makes you feel...


Interestingly both commercials evoked an emotional response for me... you? It's because more of your brain is engaged than with words alone. Researchers discovered that images influence attitudinal judgments. Specifically, an ad containing a picture of a product stimulates vivid visual imagery processing more effectively.

Pictures favorably influence attitude toward an ad and brand more than ads with impressionistic images or one without an image according to an article in the Journal of Advertising by Laurie Babin and Alfred Burns.

Why so? Some researchers believe a "positivity bias" is associated with imagery because people are not inclined to fantasize about negative outcomes. They took note that imagery processing most frequently connects to pleasant emotional or affective elements of the stimulus.

Lest you think words are not as important as pictures, Babin and Burns also find that text

...containing instructions to imagine also stimulated vivid and elaborate visual imagery processing and enhanced attitudes. Tests for mediation indicate that mental imagery processing explains all or some of the direct effects of the two imagery-eliciting strategies' influence on attitudes.

Visual information tends to be remembered over words because pictures presumably activate a visual as well as a verbal encoding process. In an advertising context, use of pictures in print advertisements has been found to lead to more favorable ad attitude.

Thinking of new mediums to communicate purpose as you blog, build a brand or make sales pitches?

Are You Taking Risks that Fly?

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors -- African proverb

Why are some CEO’s ready to take risks while others bask contentedly in a short-lived growth spurt? Risk-taking is discussed daily by business leaders and pundits. But, what separates ordinary risk-takers from those who are extremely successful?

Overconfidence and overgeneralizing may be key components of entrepreneurial success for those who take the plunge, according to a study by management professors, Jay Barney of Ohio State and Lowell Barney, University of Houston. They studied 124 entrepreneurs and 95 top business managers to test confidence as they revisited answers to questions. While both groups were overly confident, the entrepreneurs were even more so. But, is overconfidence enough?

Just for fun I considered three prominent business bloggers' suggestions about risk-taking. What do you think?

Smart, Hard Work, Not Providence Word of Mouth Marketing “is smart, hard work, not providence,” according to Steven Sibukin. “It’s an outcome that requires a convergence of smart risk-taking, unyielding focus on a well understood target, and a keen strategy for initiating a dialogue with willing influencers at the right time. And, of course, a brilliant product.” Steve garners wisdom from Judith Clark’s marketing plan for Baby Einstein.

To develop a Word of Mouth Marketing plan, Sibukin suggests we reflect on the following questions:

• Who are the small handful of influencers that I most need to target upfront – and what is my high-touch, unique plan for winning them over?
• How will my Word of Mouth Marketing strategy need to evolve as my product awareness grows, and as other elements of my marketing mix get refined?
• How will I prove and maintain a genuine and authentic voice as my business grows and communication points proliferate?

As you approch influencers and supporters do you have a plan?

Risk-taking involves “doing your homework,” Tom Belford, at The Agitator suggests to avoid being a Happy Loser. Consequently, by the time you go out the door to meet a prospect face-to-face, Belford asserts, “you should be looking at closing the deal… If not, why not?”

Belford suggests savvy fundraiswers ask these questions before approaching potential doners:

• How thorough was your research?
• How much sifting of the wheat from the chaff did you do -- did you set priorities in terms of likelihood to give?
• How well did you prep your prospect, both in terms of tailored material and references from within the prospect's own network?
• Was there a specific reason or cultivation scheme behind a face-to-face meeting that wasn't intended to win closure?
• Did you send the right messenger, and was he or she well-prepared?

How might you update your approaches in future?

Risk-takers must tolerate the uncertainty and chaos associated with choices and decisions that are unconventional. Mike Wagner at Own Your Brand opens a window to understanding as he shares Mary Minnick's story.


Transformation Is Easy to Talk about – Hard to Do! In There’s Something about Mary, Mike Wagner tells the story of Mary Minnick, Coca-Cola’s President for Marketing, Strategy and Innovation. Mike applauds risks Mary or any leader takes to grow a brand:

Leverage chronic discontentment for the good of the brand. Minnick told investors, "I tend to be quite discontented in general." And, “It will never be fast enough or soon enough or good enough."

Wagner contends, “Too many business leaders have lost their hunger. Not their hunger for more money, but the hunger for intellectual, emotional, and relational challenges of the marketplace. Brands stop growing when the hungry stop leading.”

Embrace the pain of a changing marketplace. Mary Minnick is more than aware that onsumers are flocking to a new breed of coffees, juices, and teas -- all categories where Coke has been weak. According to BusinessWeek, PepsiCo Inc. has blown past Coke in stock performance, earnings growth, talent development and buzz. Pepsi now has a market value equal to Coke. Ten years ago, Coke was three times bigger. Brands stop growing when their leaders stop listening, observing, and growing with their customers.

Don't “work around” the problem. Minnick doesn’t apologize for her direct approach: “Historically, we had a culture where putting the hard issues on the table made some people uncomfortable.” Mild-mannered people, talking in soft mild-mannered tones about wicked problems, will not save the brand. Brands stop growing when leaders prefer unity over brutal facts and accountability.

Know transformational innovation when you see it. Coke has been unusually prolific by launching more than 1,000 new drinks or new variations of existing brands worldwide in the past 12 months. Some, like the brisk-selling coffee-flavored Coca-Cola Blak, have been hits. But Mary knows that, in the long run, new flavors and brand extensions won't be enough to make Coke a growth company again. She’s pushing to transform Coke from a soda-centric organization offering "me-too" products, to an innovative organization creating categories while identifying consumer trends.

“Transformation is easy to talk about -- hard to do,” Mike Wagner asserts. “That’s why many tweak their brands rather than transform their brands. Brands stop growing when leaders let their organization suffer from ‘hardening of the categories’ rather than embrace real change.”

Risks that transform old ways of doing business are hard because we are forced to step out of our basal ganglia, the part of our brain that stores business-as-usual approaches. Leaders willing to tap into their working memory to overcome problems, face challenges with possibilities and create innovative work cultures and products soon learn it takes extra energy, extreme focus and flow, as they go beyond talking, to live change.

Is super confidence enough for successful risks? In light of Steven Sibukin, Tom Belford and Mike Wagner’s wisdom, what are your thoughts? What would add wings to your risks?