Jim Huebner Hmmm V47

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“You can observe a lotjust by watching.”

—Yogi Berra

March 14, 2014YOU GO, GUY!

BRAND OBSERVATIONS OF THE DAYFrom my random collection of info sources, here are some highlights related to the brands of our times...

• Men’s Wearhouse finally agreed to buy Jos. A Bank for $1.8 billion this week, making them the fourth largest retailer of men’s clothing with $3.5 billion in combined annual sales. Only fourth? Gee, I wonder how big they’d be if Jos. A Bank would quit giving away FREE suits every time somebody buys one!?

• A recent study from Defy Media suggests that men are moving up in their role of household purchasing decisions. More than 65% of men said they now hold primary shopping responsibilities, with 54% saying they shop for groceries and household supplies more often than their spouses. Maybe that explains the increased sales of Old Spice, Marlboro, Jack Links and Dos Equis in grocery stores. (See additional results from the study below.)

JIM HUEBNERj i m h @ h u e b n e r p e t e r s e n . c o m

C E L L U L A RT E L E P H O N E970-420-3382

Hmmm.

Brought to you by popular demand of a client, my mom, and some folks I met at a church potluck

From the remaining gray matter of Jim Huebner

Information that will make you smile, groan or think...

Another from my“PHOTOS of IRONY”

file

© 2013 Hmmm by Jim Huebner

Content Marketing: How to sell without selling

...and on its way to the HuebnerPetersen blog...! PAGE2

Building Brands Online: Part 2

If you hadn’t noticed, the buzz about content marketing and its importance in the mix only seems to be growing louder. And that might seem strange due to the fact that the strategy has been around for ages.

Take John Deere’s magazine The Furrow as an example.

The Furrow has been entertaining, informing and engaging farmers since 1895. Is it useful to those working in the fields? Absolutely. Is it subtly (or sometimes not so subtly) promoting John Deere products in the process? Certainly. But because it’s linked to extremely relevant and useful information, consumers not only accept it...they embrace it.

That’s the beauty of content marketing. Engagement with the brand lasts longer. Messaging is more trusted. And as a result, according to the Content Marketing Institute, it can be four times more effective than traditional advertising.

But if it’s so effective...and always has been so effective...then why is the buzz about it now at record decibels? Because the Internet has introduced entirely new ways to build brands through content marketing.

Apps, websites, eNewsletters (heh, heh), blogs, social sites, webinars, podcasts, videos—and the extremely effective distribution thereof—have only come on to the scene within the last decade or so. Before that, content marketing was mostly print, with some sponsored television and radio programs sprinkled in for good measure. Today, it truly seems to be only limited by the imagination. But before we look at a few of my favorite examples from

this new age of content marketing, keep in mind the overarching purpose of marketing—to build familiarity, then trust, then preference...with the ultimate goal of a premium brand commanding a higher price. See if these content marketing examples lend themselves to meeting that objective...

BLENDTECTo promote his powerful blender, entrepreneur Tom Dickson took to YouTube to show off its capabilities. The “Will It Blend” series was launched, and one demonstration alone (blending an iPad) received over 16 million views.

CHARMINCharmin’s free SitOrSquat smartphone app features crowdsourced feedback on where users can find clean public restrooms in their area. It’s been downloaded more than 100,000 times, building lots of buzz, increased engagement with the brand, and a more sanitary America along the way.

WILLIAMS-SONOMAThis company’s Taste blog covers such topics as recipes, drinks, cooking, entertaining...everything but their

actual products. And that’s what makes it so appealing to consumers. No selling. Just relevant, useful information resulting in consumers more endeared to the brand.

Convinced your brand could benefit from better content marketing? Try building your plan this way:

• Pinpoint your target audience.• Develop your story by deciding what

unique thing you want to communicate about your brand.

• Decide which channels will serve you best for telling your story.

• Select a method for measuring the effectiveness of your content marketing strategies.

Jim Huebner is President of HuebnerPetersen Integrated Marketing.The firm was established in 1989 and specializes in making companies heroes to their distribution channels through strategic brand positioning, integrated marketing, and front lines marketing services. You can reach Jim at [email protected] or on LinkedIn. For “Hmmm” archives, CLICK HERE

WORDS TO

LIVE BY

The eyes of the

Lord move to and

fro throughout the

earth that He may

strongly support

those whose heart

is completely His.

–2 Chronicles 16:9 (NASB)