Cygnus makes a move to take on Hanley Wood regarding duplication

Cygnus Publishing is a giant within the publishing industry. They are relatively small though within the category of building materials publications where Hanley Wood leads the pack. Cygnus Publishing has decided to take on Hanley Wood and promote their low duplication numbers between two of their building publications (Qualified Remodeler and Residential Design & Build).  They have had their circulation audited by BPA which is an independent source.

They challenged Hanley Wood to do the same among their publications.  Hanley Wood responded with a duplication positioning statement.

I find this effort by Cygnus who was a distant competitor to Hanley Wood to be very interesting.  The challenge has raised some questions within the building community of corporate marketing directors and with agency media executives.  Such questions include—How much duplication does Hanley Wood have between their titles?  Should I expand my marketing mix beyond the current titles to extend my reach?  Why is Cygnus making this movement to focus on duplication?  It is great to see a company make their clients as well as prospective clients think how they evaluate their media decisions.  It has made us look beyond the traditional circulation audit with its total circulation figures, audience composition, percent qualified per year, regional distribution, etc.  It has also made us question even the giants of the media world because even though they may be leaders due to their size we still need to be sure they are offering the best product. 

My experience has been that most clients would like a plan to remain consistent from year to year for ease of execution, but is that the correct approach to take?  A plan can only get better if different elements are included within the evaluation process.  Since being approached by my Cygnus rep, I am now going to add within my trade analysis a segment which verifies duplication numbers with publications.  By including this element to my plan I can prove to my clients that I am maximizing their reach. 

It’s great to be challenged by publication reps because clients and media executives are better off for it.  It is also critical that publications have strong competitors who offer a challenge because it makes both publications great assets to the industry.  Kudos to Cygnus for setting forth a challenge within the building publication’s industry!

Surviving the Housing Downturn: News to Use #5

For those of you who have been waiting with bated breath, a brand new issue of  News to Use is out. In this, our fifth installment, we take an in depth look at how manufacturers and marketers of building products can prosper during the housing downturn. We look at areas where construction is still booming, we  check out emerging demographic markets, and we shed a little light on how to tweak your marketing to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Continue to News to Use, Issue #5

In this issue:

• How builders are making the sale
• Slow? Not in commercial construction
• No slump in the green building market
• Cut marketing spending in a down economy?
• Women: Making an impact on home buying
• Minority homebuyers: housing’s future
• Modular housing looking better and better
• In tough times, it pays to know your market

Builders’ Show 2007. It’s Déjà vu all over again.

Is it just me, or did this year’s International Builders’ Show seem vaguely familiar?

And by “familiar,” I mean “identical.”

From what I saw, IBS ‘07 was the world’s biggest, most lavish rerun. A week’s worth of repeats, rehashes and I’ve-seen-that-befores.

All the same exhibitors were there. All the booths were in the same place. And the messages emanating from those booths were pretty much the same, as well. Heck, even the goodies from Lowe’s was a repeat.

Which, speaking from a marketing perspective, is really a crime. If we expect our potential customers to take off valuable time, spend wads of cash on planes, hotels and food, and put their feet through living hell at the show, we’d better at least give them something for it in return. And I mean a lot of something. Something new to pique their interest. Something exciting to see. Something different than what they saw the past two years.

Let’s start with some new products. Sure, there was a smattering to be seen. But I found myself really having to search for them. Where was the fanfare surrounding these new offerings? Where was the buzz? The hoopla?

C’mon. You can’t announce a new product with a whisper. You gotta do it with a bang.

And, even if you don’t have new products, you’d better make those folks walking the show believe you’ve got something new to say to them. But few took the opportunity. Instead, manufacturer after manufacturer trotted out the same old booths with the same old messages and the same old graphics they’ve had the two years before.

I know times are tough and budgets are tight and the cost of designing and building a new booth every year is expensive.

But what is the cost of a builder walking right past your booth muttering, “Don’t bother, we saw that one last year.”  Lost is the chance to give your sales pitch. Lost is the chance to start a relationship. Lost is the chance to begin a dialog that could ultimately lead to a big order.

And, you don’t need a big check to make an impact. You just need big thinking. In the message you deliver. In how you deliver it.  In other words, you’ve got to be creative.

A trade show is such a tremendous opportunity to make a connection and start a movement. You have a captive, willing and eager audience. An audience who wants to be ‘wowed’ by you. An audience who’s looking to you for solutions. And yet, it seems, so many exhibitors let that opportunity slip through their fingers.

Good marketing means surprising and delighting your customer at every point of contact. And at this show, I saw very little surprising going on.

The good news is we have one more year in Orlando to show builders that we are worth their attention.

--Mike Hudock

How tuned in are you to your customer?

A couple of years ago I was reading a magazine article and stumbled upon an interesting quote. “Argue anything for your own advantage and people will resist to the limit. But seem unselfishly to consider your customers’ desires, and they will naturally flock to you.”

I don’t even remember the magazine I was reading. Ad Age maybe? Who knows, but the quote caught my attention. So much so, that I decided to clip it out and thumb-tack it to the fabric covered portion of the wall in my cube.

So there it sits, modest and unassuming in its 1” x 2” size. It may be small in size but I believe it communicates a significant truth.

It’s the idea that marketing communications shouldn’t be a chest beating, ego driven, feature benefit dump. It should be focused on the customer. It should show a deep understanding of their attitudes, thoughts, needs and problems. I believe one of our greatest needs as humans is to be understood. When you feel truly understood by someone, a connection happens. You feel validated. You have an ally. Someone in whom you place your trust and loyalty. The best marketing is that which treats the customer like a friend in need.

Essentially, the message of the quote is, be unselfish. Don’t think about selling products or services. Think about providing solutions and experiences. Serve others, and you will end up reaping the rewards.

It seems to me that a lot of life’s troubles would be greatly diminished if we all adopted this mentality. Think what would happen if your spouse, partner, parents, or kids consistently put your needs above their own. What if our communities adopted this way of thinking? Our country? Our world? But I digress.

Back to my quote. Every once in a while I glance up at it, especially when I’m completely immersed in the details of a project and need a little reminder about what good marketing communications should do. The big picture, if you will.

So recently I decided to put it to the test. I started flipping through magazines, looking at ads to see if any marketers embraced this approach. What I saw was a whole lot of features and benefits. Products touting affordability, less maintenance, faster delivery, longer life, energy efficiency, moisture resistance, safety, ease of installation, and broader selection just to name a few.

And there was no shortage of chest beaters. “Stunning pieces of art”, “Legendary strength and beauty”, “A lifetime of excellence”. Gimme a break.

Unfortunately, there weren’t many ads that showed a true understanding of the customer’s point of view.

Why? I wish I knew. To be sure, gaining deep customer insight is hard work. It takes time and resources to do the right research, and then use the insights to develop an impactful communications strategy.

But I’m convinced that in the end, the pay back is huge.

Maybe I can’t change the world, but I can remind my clients that it’s not about selling skus, it’s about the customer.

And all it took was a little 1” x 2” piece of paper. I guess big things really do come in small packages.

–Heather Evans

Are Advertising Awards Good Or Bad? Perhaps we're asking the wrong question

Every year about this time, the debate about the importance of creative awards is reignited. And every year, the same people stand on the same side of the fence vehemently making their case.

On one side, are the people who believe that creative awards are meaningless and a waste of time. (After all, what really matters is sales, sales, sales!)

On the other, are those who believe that getting in the One Show, CA, Cannes is the only thing important in their lives.

But if you step back for a minute and take a long hard look at both arguments, you’ll find neither side is completely wrong. Or completely right. Because the fact is, sales do matter. And, ironically enough, award-winning work is usually the kind of work that builds those sales.

Which leads me to believe that perhaps we’re debating the wrong point about awards.

Should the question be “Are awards worthwhile?” or “Why are you creating the award-winning work in the first place?”

Ask yourself: Are you doing that ad or TV spot or DM piece for the good of your client? Are you doing it because you want to build a brand? Are you doing it because you want to grab the customer by the pocket and shake every last penny out of it?

Or are you doing it because you want to make yourself feel good, important, famous?

If you answered the latter, then awards probably aren’t such a good thing. 

Because if you’re creating the work for solely self-serving reasons, then chances are that while the piece might be provocative, witty and original, it will undoubtedly meet more of your needs than your client’s.

If your target audience is the One Show judges, instead of, say Women 18-34, chances are your message –  no matter how breakthrough – will go astray.

Anyone who’s been in the business for any length of time can leaf through the show books and pick the pieces that were done with the client’s goals in mind and those that were done with the writer and art director’s.

Take the Mini Cooper work, for instance. This advertising was done clearly with the client’s goals in mind. It’s defined its niche. It’s embraced its target audience. It speaks to its audience in a way few car companies have been able to. It’s built sales.  And guess what? It’s won a ton of creative awards.

And then there are the ads we see in the show books for condom shops and piercing parlors and ladies night at the shooting range. All of which make us laugh or blush or whatever. But very few of which make us want to actually do business with that company.

Personally, I think entering shows are a good thing. I think awards are a nice pat on the back for agencies and clients who were willing to take a chance, be bold and try to outsmart their competition.

But that’s all awards are: perks. They should never be the goal when the brief is being handed out.

–Mike Hudock