Next a group of at least 500 consumers review all of the ads and ranks them using the same criteria.  The results are then used to generate a scale of 1 to 950 which represents the overall score based on likeability, relevance, watchability, attention, persuasion, and even desire.

Mercedes has generated content for viewers across the spectrum from their light hearted Superbowl ad where the tortoise beats the hare as a result of the AMG GT S which is as stark a contrast as possible to their “crashworthy” campaign which shows what seems like an endless barrage of  Mercedes-Benz going through crash tests.  In a crowded space Mercedes-Benz has connected with consumers on multiple levels and built on common ground with consumers.  The result is over 300,00 Mercedes-Benz sold within the first 10 months of 2015.

Here’s a look back at the tortoise commercial affectionately called “Fable”

https://youtu.be/LQvdIGeUUvo

… and here’s the montage of Mercedes-Benz crash tests also known as “Crashworthy”

https://youtu.be/llKlz6gHVl8

Instead, we would likely target all households with an income between $100,000 and $250,000 within 30 miles of the store with an emphasis on registered owners driving our brand.  An even better solution would be to analyse our previous sales to pinpoint the top producing zip codes and determine how far out from the store we needed to travel to reach 80% of our previous sales.  Next, we could suppress our existing customers from the list to ensure conquest sales and tailor a message to that audience.  Meanwhile, a parallel campaign could be run to identify opportunities from within the store’s customer database who had purchased more than 24 months ago and may be re-entering the market.  Although the general campaign to both segments would be some form of “Buy Now”, the delivery of this message should be drastically different given the context of each relationship.

Next week we’ll discuss Reach vs Frequency – The inverse curves

The goal of course is to reach the ideal frequency for your message to influence a decision, however the ideal frequency for a message can vary based on both medium and the consumer’s place in the purchase cycle.  However, no matter where someone is in the sales cycle or the medium, the campaign message must be seen more than one time.  Historical evidence aside, I’m fairly certain that the Egyptians created more than one papyrus flyer, and that the ruins in Pompeii had the same message on more than one wall.

The lesson here is to develop a plan focused on delivering a consistent message over time across multiple mediums and most importantly, to stick with it for more than a single month.  There is no magic campaign in any medium that influences a purchase after a single view.

Next week, we’ll continue by exploring the individual elements of the basic formula for success in advertising and discuss “Reach” in greater detail.

Mind you this is nowhere near the augmented reality #technology that we currently use in our direct mail campaigns, but those require the installation of an “app” on the tablet or mobile device and leverage the device’s camera to essentially create a hologram in front of the user.  One of the more memorable versions of this that I saw was from of all things, a Vespa video that I was able to dig up.  After some research, I was able to find the original Vespa video.

It will be interesting to see when and how the manufacturers of tablets and smartphones are able to integrate the Augmented Reality technology to exist as part of the browsers or operating systems.  When that happens, I think we will see the entire landscape change!

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OTT or “Over The Top” sub­scrip­tion video plat­forms (like Net­flix, Hulu) are being launched, as “Cord Cut­ters” look for cheaper ways than cable TV to access TV shows and movies.

TV is migrat­ing to what is being called “imm­ersable” – which means telling a story over mul­ti­ple enter­tain­ment plat­forms – to immerse the audi­ence, every­where they go.

Inter­ac­tiv­ity – where infor­ma­tion is flow­ing not only from broad­caster to viewer, but also back from viewer to broad­caster — is being pushed by TV, social media and mul­ti­ple screens.

, has invented a “cumu­la­tive ‘demand rat­ing sys­tem’ based on how active a pro­gram is in a par­tic­u­lar region across social media, piracy, and a broad range of web­sites where video, blogs and other expres­sions of fan affin­ity reg­is­ter.” Wow.

It is impor­tant that the auto­mo­tive indus­try is up-to-date on what is hap­pen­ing in the film and TV indus­try.  Dis­cussed recently in LA – new trends, issues, and pro­gram­ming that will impact how and where you adver­tise, how your cus­tomers think and act, and how to bet­ter mea­sure the effec­tive­ness of the media you choose.

Considering that people are awake an average of 16 to 18 hours per day, the total consumption of 12 hours of media may seem virtually impossible, but to be fair, you have to consider that a lot of that time is spent while doing other things. In fact, if it weren’t for multitasking we probably wouldn’t get anything done at all. The reality, however, is that in a “media day” we are not limited to the traditional 24 linear hours we use to measure time. For example, everyone reading this has at one point or another picked up their phone, tablet, or laptop during a commercial on television. This creates a phenomenon known as “multiple stream media traffic”. As the number of simultaneous media streams increases, and our multi-tasking increases, a lot of content falls into the background; and as we continue to increase our multi-tasking, the total hours will grow despite the fact that the total number of physical hours remain constant. This increasing level of multi-tasking creates competition between media streams which reinforces the necessity for us to adhere to the golden rule of advertising:

“Reach x Frequency + Compelling Message = Success”

In a multi-tasking, multiple media stream world the question of where and how to put your advertising dollars can become a daunting task with multiple vendors parading pages of statistics regarding consumer behavior and the reach of their platform. Today, we are going to boil this down to the absolute simplest formula possible. Ready?

There are only 4 ways to sell a product:

• Print
• Digital
• Radio
• Television

Everything falls into one of those four simple categories. There are of course subsets within each, and I would never try to convince anyone that a newspaper ad is the same as a direct mail piece, or that video pre-roll is the same as an SEM campaign, but those are print and digital campaigns

How to allocate your advertising spend

This is where the rubber meets the road, and budget is going to determine everything! In the automotive world, we know from previous studies by NADA that the average shopper visits between 1 and 2 dealerships before purchasing. JD Power also recently released a report indicating that 96% of Americans began their vehicle purchase path online. So throw most of your budget at your digital spend, right? NO! Digital MUST be a component of every advertising plan, but digital marketing is not intrusive media. In fact, most digital marketing is more like a taxi. The customer will go nowhere until he or she decides on a destination, and this is where the advertising mediums that exist farther up the marketing funnel come in to play. To see a complete picture of the marketing funnel and where different media campaigns apply, click here.

The proper use of intrusive media to help strengthen your brand is critical. This gives you the advantage of having an in-market shopper tell the taxi go directly to your store to start their search. Choosing the right blend of intrusive media is influenced mostly by budget. Basically, if you can’t afford to be there with both a high reach and frequency, then stay away from it altogether. If you can only afford to do 3 weeks on a medium versus 4 to reach your goal, then do so, but I would never recommend compromising beyond that. For example, if your budget forces you to choose between 2 weeks of cable, or 4 weeks of radio at a higher frequency, then choose radio every time.

Plan by Quarter or pay more

Too many times, I see clients budgeting month by month rather than setting up a marketing plan for an entire quarter at a time. It requires exactly the same amount of work to layout an entire quarter at once rather than in monthly increments and in most cases, it also gives you additional buying power when dealing with radio or cable representatives. Your monthly incentives may change, but your themes and best-selling models will not. Don’t sell yourself short and consume more of your time than necessary with the trappings of launching monthly marketing campaigns.

Audit Yourself

As we approach the second quarter, force yourself to go through the exercise of auditing your expenses across all your marketing efforts. That means listing out EVERY spend you have in your budget. Include your direct mail, television, radio, website provider, SEM, SEO, newspaper, and don’t forget to list your 3rd party lead providers such as Autotrader.com, Cars.com. If you’d like a worksheet to help you lay everything out, give me a call at 813-334-5291 or let me know on Linkedin and I’ll get something over to you.

Mini – Defy Labels
Mini spent their 30 seconds of fame trying to dispel the myth that they were only a car for a very specific demographic by parading a slew of celebrities across the screen.  The disappointing aspect was that the Mini just sat there throughout the entire commercial and they never highlighted the vehicle itself.

https://youtu.be/T0wyOTaC0a0

Jeep – Portraits
Jeep immediately pulled at your heartstrings by showing a series of images from World War II to Jurassic Park.  The limitation here was that your connection to the commercial was limited to your experience with their brand throughout your life.  A very powerful message to the existing “cult” of Jeep owners, but it fell a little bit short of appealing to new customers.

https://youtu.be/wKn5K5V7tRo

Toyota – The Longest Chase
Here again, a manufacturer spent their precious air time dispelling myths about their vehicle when a group of bank robbers has their get away car towed and has to commandeer a Toyota Prius as their get away vehicle.  The commercial highlights the acceleration, backup camera, fuel efficiency, autonomous braking, etc. of the new Prius IV.  The car is highlighted throughout the commercial, and the only real inconsistency is that the cameo appearances by the season 2 cast of “The Wire” shows them as bank robbers instead of the drug smugglers they played on the show.

https://youtu.be/rHzLUdd7kZ8

Hyundai – Ryanville
Hyundai went BIG this year with multiple commercials for the Elantra.  In this spot Hyundai creates a parallel bizzaro universe where all men look like Ryan Reynolds to highlight another autonomous braking system that even works on pedestrians.

https://youtu.be/njKapVGzbuc

Hyundai – Talking Bears
This Hyundai Elantra commercial focuses on the vehicle’s smart phone integration by featuring a couple being chased through the woods by a pair of ravenous bears.  Just before they arrive at the vehicle the drivers engages his smartwatch and “tells” the car to start.  The bears only eating humans on an “cheat” day for their diet adds comic relief, but you have to wonder if this was in production before or after the release of “The Revenant”.

https://youtu.be/LT6n1HcJOio

Hyundai – First Date
Hyundai again, focused on just one of their vehicle’s features in the Hyundai Genesis First Date commercial featuring Kevin Hart as an overprotective father who uses Hyundai’s car finder system to track and spy on his daughter and her date as they spend their evening at the movie theater, carnival, and “parking”.

https://youtu.be/-R_483zeVF8

Acura – What He Said
As well produced as this commercial was, I can’t help but feel that it was a bit of a reach for Acura.  The NSX has never been one of those iconic vehicles that fostered an enormous following.  Nonetheless, the new model is beautiful, but at a price tag of $157,000 it is definitely not a car for the masses.

https://youtu.be/JSlPxMLDP-Q

Buick – The Big Day
I have never been a huge fan of the ongoing “it’s a Buick” themed commercials where everyone is surprised that the vehicle in the ad is a Buick.  Unfortunately, this one is no exception.  Buick launched this campaign style back in March of 2014 and I think that they’ve milked it for all it’s worth.  After almost 2 years of advertising, I think that there was a lost opportunity here to launch a new theme on the largest stage of them all, however, if it’s still moving units…..

https://youtu.be/cYyWq_Vads8

Audi R8 – Commander
This in my opinion is what Acura missed out on with the NSX commercial.  Featuring an aging astronaut who has lost his zeal for life until hi son turns over the keys to a 205mph Audi R8 commercial immediately endears the American public to an import by connecting with one of the most compelling moments in American history, the race to the moon.

https://youtu.be/diU_09jb4bI

I won’t bore you with any count downs or long drawn out explanations.  If we were to choose by manufacturer, it would be tough to beat out Hyundai who appears to have laid out a VERY strategic campaign promoting their brand by using the absolute best of the features offered by multiple vehicles in their lineup, but that’s not what this was about.  This was a review of each :30 second segment.  That being said, in my opinion, it was Audi who scored best with a universal message that would connect with the masses balanced with all the best the R8 model has to offer.

Trade shows and conferences are by design the epicenter for all shiny things: cloud based platforms, hardware innovations, mobile applications and more — all promising to improve every aspect of a business, from communications to cash flow.

Today, business and technology move forward together faster than ever before. The challenge to us as executives, business owners and leaders is that we must constantly and consistently keep up to date with the latest breakthroughs and trends so that we can lead our business effectively.

However, the challenge doesn’t end there. We also need to choose the right solution. All new ideas are not necessarily good ideas, and we need to be careful not to let the “shiny object syndrome” direct our decisions. As leaders, it is our responsibility to guide our organization along a road map to success, and to choose the products or services that are the right fit. However, much like traditional Randall McNally maps, success can lie at the end of one of multiple paths, and this is when we must proceed with caution.

The challenge lies in ensuring we lead others to success by choosing the most efficient path. When a new and exciting idea captures our attention and imagination, we shouldn’t be led off on a tangent that could distract us from our objectives. Before choosing a new tool or service to solve an old problem, it pays to be sure that the problem actually exists and that the new tool or service will solve the problem efficiently.

When Tactics Can Threaten Strategy

The key to choosing the right path is to recognize the difference between strategy and tactic. If a strategy is the “what,” then a tactic is the “how.” The problem with many shiny new things, or tactics, is that they are not long-term solutions. It’s important to be competitive when defining a strategy, but it’s just as important to choose the right tactics that will align and drive the strategy rather than hinder its progress by diluting your efforts.

We are possibly most at risk of SOS when we have hit a crossroad or roadblock in our strategy. When the tactics we are using to execute our strategy are not producing expected or optimum results, the temptation can be strong to change course completely.

Frustration, stress, and the onslaught of shiny new objects can make us vulnerable and unsure of what to do next. Did we make the right decision? Should we look at another idea? Should we sign up for the new product we just saw at a booth, or the email in our inbox? Instead of making hasty and risky decisions, we should take a breath, weigh all options, and ask ourselves how this tactic will help us execute our strategy.

Choosing the Right Path Without SOS Distractions

We shouldn’t just make sure we choose the best solution to achieve our strategic objectives, but also avoid jumping on every new and exciting new tool or product that is released. We must to explore our options, but we must do so in such a way that exploration is productive, focused and not a distraction from what we are already doing.

By focusing on one thing at a time, it is easier to define what works and to tweak or discard what doesn’t. By setting goals, planning our day and removing distractions, we can pick winning solutions without threatening progress or wasting money.

Whether we like it or not, we will all be competing with candidate budgets this year.  Plan ahead and secure your television spots through the remainder of the year, or at least quarterly to lock in better rates, or shift some of those dollars to more targeted mediums.  For a quick review of multiple mediums and how to best leverage them you can click here

Every organization should have a funnel of some sort, and the most popular one that I can recall is likely the AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action) featured in that famous scene with Alec Baldwin in the movie Glenn Gary Glenn Ross. Odds are that you are already using some variation, but are you focusing your advertising dollars in the correct part of the funnel? Much like the sales funnel, the #marketing funnel has multiple stages from the broadest to the most narrow. At the top, consumers become aware of your product or service, contemplate a purchase, and eventually come to a stage where they must choose between you and a competitor.

Operating farther up the funnel in the awareness and #branding segments allows a broader dialogue to take place which organically creates the opportunities to discuss benefits over competitors which are more important earlier in the cycle. Examples of branding and awareness messages can include advantages of working with you, or special promotions and events.

Advertising and marketing is responsible for the generating traffic and interest in a product or service at the top or middle of the funnel and as these consumers begin to engage with the marketing or advertising programs, they convert into opportunities and are handed off to the sales team to complete the deal.

Although many buyers conduct their own research comparing features and benefits of competitive products to guide themselves through the marketing funnel, they are influenced prior to the research stage “if” they have been presented with compelling branding and awareness campaigns. The mere fact that they are already “aware” of your offering eliminates the need for them to discover you this far into the decision making process.

As you begin to map out your 2016 marketing plan, you can use a very simple test to ensure that you are not relying too heavily on any one part of the funnel. Using the image, identify how much of your marketing dollars are allocated to intrusive mediums, and then compare that amount to the direct mail, email marketing, digital, and search. If you find that the budget is skewed heavily in one segment, you may want to re-evaluate your spend to get the most for your money.