Newsletter Archive

February Newsletter

Pepsi No Longer a Super Bowl Party Jerk

When asked why they watch the Super Bowl, most viewers would likely respond by saying, “the commercials”. And who can blame them? Advertisers are spending big bucks on high concept, high energy and high profile spots. The commercials are an event to themselves; certain to live on as water-cooler conversation topics for weeks after the big game.

But 2010’s ad lineup is missing one of its key starters; Pepsi. The soda giant has pulled the plug on all Super Bowl advertising in lieu of a different approach, one that has more of a lasting impact than that big screen TV that crushed Justin Timberlake in one of last year’s spots. Pepsi is banking on a secret formula of online, social-media charity-something Pepsi hopes will be a refreshing change for its fans.

The interesting side effect of this marketing strategy is that numerous articles have been written and there is a buzz about Pepsi’s decision to take all of its Super Bowl spend and invest in an online, philanthropic  endeavor. Giving money away is great, but it’s not unique enough to merit an Exit Row newsletter. The big story here is that Pepsi is shifting the millions of dollars it would spend on a Super Bowl ad and putting it all in online efforts.

Pepsi has been doing Super Bowl commercials for the past twenty years, so this shift is a sign that the soda juggernaut is waking up and smelling the gigabits. With an overall $20 million dollar budget, there will likely be television spots to promote this initiative however these spots will certainly drive traffic to the www.refresheverything.com site.

Take a look at how your marketing and advertising budget is spent currently and throw out “the way we’ve always done it” mentality. In particular, investigate ways to harness the power that is the internet. Pepsi now has huge advantage here in that online media can be tagged and tracked, giving them measurable, key data to make informed choices about their products.

Make it your 2010 resolution to reinvent the way you reach your customers and let Exit Row guide you through the process.

Video of the Month:

December 2009 Newsletter

The Personality of Business
So It’s that time of the year again. Christmas is great because of all the things that come with it. It is a time when everyone seems a little more happy, a little more giving, and a little more aware of what matters in life. So then it makes me ask the question… why aren’t we like this the rest of the year? We could all do ourselves a favor by following that simple golden rule that we learned when we were kids. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
In business it is interesting that we think we should approach it differently than we do our everyday life. We think that when we put on our “business” attire that we need a different “business” demeanor to go with it. Small talk is the worst. It seems like it is something that we do because that is what we have always known. People want to be treated like you care about them, and are interested in who they are. If we approach a person in business like we are truly interested in who they are and not what they do, then we might be surprised how the “what they do” might take care of itself. We all like to feel someone is being genuine, and not prodding for information.
We could all learn a lot from the holidays. People want to be treated all year round like they are at Christmas. Show people your personality, and your business’ personality. We try to help businesses do this with video. You can tell a story with video, and give a more personal view. Next time you come in contact with someone in business show them your personality and the personality of your Business.

Merry Christmas!

November 2009 Newsletter

Have you seen that YouTube video? How many times have you heard that lately? I’m guessing most of those videos had little to no business application. But, have you seen the Youtube video from Sweden where a team decided to take on a project of motivating people to take the stairs instead of using the adjacent escalator? Think about it…using the escalator is easy, efficient and is less work. Why would someone use the stairs these days. Which is why this team decided to see what they could do to to entice people away from the easy choice (the escalator) and have people use the stairs.

To see what happens, watch the video below.

Is there a competitor that your customers are going to because it’s easier or cheaper? Maybe your competitor is the easy choice for people but your product is better in the long run (isn’t exercise on the stairs better in the long run, then a short term convenience of an escalator?). What can you do to make people aware of your products or services? Can you make the process interesting, fun, or memorable? Yes, this will take some thought, but isn’t it worth it? Imagine getting more customers just because you provide something different (think of what they did to the stairs in the video).

In an interview Siskel & Ebert said that since they watched about 5-10 movies per week, they could always tell when a good movie came around. But, in order for that to happen, it had to really stand out. All the bad and average movies mushed together in an unmemorable glump (is that a word?). But, when a really good movie came out, it was different than all the average movies. Seth Godin, calls this a Purple Cow. Wouldn’t you tell everyone you know if you saw a purple cow? It stands out and is very different from all the other cows you’ve ever seen. Is your business, product or service a purple cow? Aren’t you impressed when a company shows some personality, or they make things fun and interesting instead of being mushed together in an unmemorable glump. Which is your company, product or service?

So what are you doing that’s superior to the status quo? What stands out? What are you doing to make your product or service fun, interesting or a “purple cow”? Perhaps spicing up your website that separates it from your competitors will make you stand out. Would new creative business cards that look different and stand out from everyone else? Or maybe creating a video that isn’t a typical boring sleeper, but something people will be sharing with everyone on YouTube? I bet we know a company that can help you out!