Jim Huebner Hmmm V50

YOU ASKED FOR IT

“The scientific theory I like best is thatthe rings of Saturn are composed entirely

of lost airline luggage.”

—Mark Russell

April 30, 2014SOLVING FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

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

• I thought I’d heard it all when it came to solving “First World” problems...but this one takes the cake. Eleven James has created an exclusive club for those suffering from “same-old-$20,000-watch” syndrome. As a suffering member who gets tired of wearing the same ultra-expensive watch every day, you can now switch watches every two months —for a fee, of course—with other members of the club. I wonder if my Timex would qualify? It does have the coveted stop-watch feature.

• Good news for Baldwin, Conn-Selmer and Martin Guitars. More disposable income is resulting in steady growth in the musical instrument industry, according to a study conducted by Adology. And how do you reach those musicians? According to the study, those who play instruments are more likely to respond to radio ads (makes sense), direct mail, ads on social networks and sponsored search results. And, “that’s the name of THAT tune.” (Wow, didn’t think I’d ever be quoting Tony Baretta.)

• Here’s one for Revlon, Estee Lauder, Chanel and even Avon...BazaarVoice reports that the number of reviews and the average rating on a product play a big, big role in sales. In fact, in the beauty category alone, when the number of customer reviews on the website increases from 1 to 15, brands have seen a 56% average increase in orders.

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...

What?!A $200 fine?? DEFINITELYnot worth it!

© 2014 Hmmm by Jim Huebner

Oh mower, where art thou?...

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

Most mornings, I start the day out on the elliptical machine. I can’t say I enjoy it, but there is one benefit in addition to breaking a sweat. I get to watch a lot of television ads.

Yes, while most people are fast forwarding or channel surfing during commercial breaks, I’m actually looking for them. I guess it sort of goes with the territory in which I live.

This past weekend, I was particularly drawn to a host of ads that fell right inside our bailiwick... manufacturers selling their products through local dealers. In just two trips on the elliptical, I saw ads for Cub Cadet, EGo and Troy-bilt mowers, Polaris ATVs, Sea Doo jet skis, and Stihl outdoor power equipment.

And there were two very interesting things I observed...

#1 - WHERE?Of the six products advertised, only three actually told the viewer where they could purchase the products. Three?! If these brands were Coca-Cola or State Farm or Pampers, I wouldn’t necessarily expect it. After all, they only have 30 seconds. BUT, for these brands with very limited budgets, who are only advertising during their

peak selling seasons and truly need the local dealer to move the sales needle...well, to have no dealer tag at the end

of these commercials seems like a mistake to me.

Giving these brands the benefit of the doubt, I decided to

visit each of their websites, thinking maybe they are steering the visitor directly to the local dealer on the site. Frankly, with very little effort, the

manufacturer’s website can be

programmed to show the new visitor who and where their local dealer is the very second the website loads. But alas, not one manufacturer

directed the visitor immediately to their local dealer.Another big opportunity lost, in my opinion.

#2 - WHAT’S DIFFERENT?Of the six brands, one offered a sweepstakes, four offered some type of discount or rebate...and only one actually spent time discussing a relevant, differentiating attribute about the product. That was the EGo mower. It has a new, 56V lithium-ion battery that enables you to mow your entire yard with one electric charge...and no extension cords! It could be a real game-changer for those with smaller

yards. EGo also happened to be one of the three who actually told the viewer where to buy the product, too (Home Depot.) The marketers at this company definitely “get it.”

And the takeaway? 1) If you have a limited budget, certain peak selling seasons, and a national (or international) dealer network, make certain that those who are exposed to your advertising know exactly where to find your product, and; 2) Be sure to communicate what relevant attribute(s) separates your brand from the competition. If you’re not doing this, it’s going to be all about price.

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

For where your

treasure is,

there your heart

will be also.

–Luke 12:34 (NASB)