Lasting Impressions

On a trip to lovely Nashville, Tennessee, a tub of Blue Bell Kentucky Delight Ice Cream jumped out of the Kroger freezer case and into our grocery cart. (What? You don’t go shopping at the grocery store when you’re on a trip? Hmm.) Turns out it was simply yummy pecan pie pieces and caramel folded into brown sugar ice cream.

It was advertised as Kentuckian. It even featured the outline of the Bluegrass state on the packaging. Sure, some bakers  may splash a little bourbon in their pecan pie recipe. But Kentucky Delight? We have pecan pie in Texas, so there is no way it should be limited to Kentucky! And where is Kentucky exactly? Isn’t it north of Oklahoma?

It is time to talk about JCPenney and their new marketing strategies under Ron Johnson. It was possible to hope for a different outcome, but cracks started to appear before the fresh coat of paint was even dry. How effective is their aggressive jump into a new branding and sales campaign!

In a rush to implement new marketing strategies, like changes in pricing structure and store design, JCPenney forgot about their consumer. No doubt they were trying to attract a new shopper, or at least get her to shop more often. And in the meantime, they completely alienated current customers with a sudden shift in pricing and no incentives (coupons) to drive purchases. Sales have suffered and the perception of the previously solid retail brand has been damaged. JCPenney is suffering from an identity crisis. Not only are the trying to redefine what the retailer looks like, they have completely lost sight of who was buying items at their store in the first place.

Ask any newly minted Marketing graduates looking to start their careers what kind of marketing they want to do now, the answer to a person is “Social Media”. Sure, social media is immediate, inexpensive, and it seems like everybody is using it. But new grads, and some clients for that matter, may miss out on other marketing opportunities if they focus solely on social media. Here are a couple of reasons why.

Social channels are crowded

Have you looked at your email inbox lately? How about your Facebook or Twitter feed? The amount of digital content vying for your attention is dizzying. You might wait anxiously for this particular missive to reach your inbox, but how much email content can you really consume and retain every day? Social campaigns can be extremely effective if your message is spot-on relevant for your audience. Otherwise it is just noise on top of noise.

Maybe you saw the news that Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion. That’s one billion with a “B”. Or for those of us who learn visually — $1,000,000,000. There are a lot of zeros to divide among the 13 Instagram employees. Why is Instagram so valuable?

Debbie Millman is the foremost speaker, educator and writer on the whys and hows of branding, and she really knows her stuff. In a recent presentation to the Dallas Chapter of the AIGA, she tackled the question, “Why is social media popular?” Millman’s answer is that successful brands in the current Information Age guarantee a personal connection. People who use the connective channels (Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, Instagram, and LinkedIn for instance) do so because they are able to form emotional and personal connections to others in the same interest group.

Have you heard Facebook is rolling out Timeline for business and fan Pages? These changes are pretty significant and the geek in me gets really excited about the marketing opportunities. The new features will give companies and brands a way to connect daily with their consumers, potential buyers and admirers. Even if you have never personally used Facebook, you may want to consider using this channel to connect with your “fans” on a regular basis. I have listed a few of the new features here to get you started. If want to read even more tips, check out the Giba Group Page.

Have you recovered from eating your share of the 1.25 billion chicken wings consumed at Super Bowl parties? To continue the over-indulgence, there is a wealth of data to crunch from this commercial exercise. The statistical reporting of the big game is kind of like drinking from a fire hose, but there is a lot to learn about how brands reach and interact with consumers.