Public Relations

Vegas Gambling with New Tagline

In Multichannel & Integrated, Public Relations
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Can a tagline really generate more business for you? The city of Las Vegas thinks so.They think by changing their tagline they will drive the tourists back. How silly. With the economy the worst it’s been in nearly 30 years, and with “recession proof” industries like gambling suffering this time around, Vegas is hurting for business. They are switching from “What Happens Here, Stays Here” to “Vegas Bound”.

I do have some advise for Vegas.

Why not ditch the “Vegas Bound” tag and really drive home the value people can get. “Vegas: The best vacation bargain around!” Sexy, heck no. Effective? With the right subhead and testimonials and pricing packages featured it sure would be. Drive them to some websites you test. And, let’s consider media channels. Why not test and perfect the messaging through email and web and then roll out after you figure out quickly what’s working and what’s not? That’s what testing can do for you: show you what works and make you more successful. It’s marketing dollars wisely spent because in not only saves you money long-term, but makes more money for you as well.

In a recession you need to market to your past customers first, but in this insane world most people seem to forget that and ignore the folks who made them successful in the first place. How about a viral campaign or a “Exclusive friends and family promotion?” Use the responders to then create viral buzz about the promotion and the real value and get prospects very excited? Give them the same offer that worked to drive people to the desert.

What’s the tagline you’d use? Or, is “Vegas Bound” your favorite? What approach would you take?

Grant A. Johnson
Johnson Direct LLC
1-800-710-2750

Continue Testing To Beat The Economy

In Multichannel & Integrated, News & Events, Public Relations
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Marketing testing is a subject that I care about. Most people still do not test enough, or they test the wrong things. Target Marketing magazine asked me to write a piece on the self-mailer format for direct mail and here it is. I hope the piece stirs some action and gets you to test and beat your current control creative.

Grant A. Johnson
Johnson Direct LLC
1-800-710-2750

Segments That are Prospering Now!

In Multichannel & Integrated, News & Events, Public Relations
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As with any economic downturn, certain segments seem to survive, even prosper despite the crumbling walls all around. This Business Week article points out that those businesses that help others keep things running — auto mechanics, shoe repair shops and the like are doing fine. Healthcare overall seems to be growing and so do Technical Colleges. Think about how you can help your company or clients save or make money with their advertising/marketing/communications and how you can better position the services you/they offer for the long term and the same success can be yours. Think like a direct marketer, not a branding guru.

Grant A. Johnson
Johnson Direct LLC
1-800-710-2750

The Biggest Challenge with Measurable Marketing

In Multichannel & Integrated, News & Events, Public Relations
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One of the biggest challenges I face as a measurable marketing professional isn’t, believe it or not, getting qualified prospects and clients alike to spend money. Rather, it’s convincing them to invest their marketing spend so it has a more meaningful — testable and measurable outcome. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a topic I touch on in a recent piece I did for Direct Magazine.

While things are tight almost ubiquitously, marketing HAS to prove a positive ROI; that means forsaking some of the more “sexy” media like TV and sports sponsorships and tying ALL marketing communication efforts back to a response, one that can be tracked, measured and improved upon. It also means measuring the right things — like sales — as opposed to clicks on a website, microsite or social media outlet. PR is a very powerful tool when tied back to measurement. Trust me, I know from real life case studies I’ve done — experience.

It’s a shame, and an incredible waste of money, to do advertising and marketing communications that does not produce measurable results — sales that impact your bottom line and move it North. Relevancy is critical in this tough economy and I’m sad to say that too much advertising & marketing is still spent not understanding that it’s about the customer, not the company. Burger King, prime example. I actually saw a blog post lauding their advertising. I was going to chime in, but figured they guy who wrote the post is a lost cause and didn’t bother. What about the new Gatorade campaign. Or the new BMW diesel campaign. How about, well, you get the point. Have a success story or great marketing story to share? Let’s hear it.

Grant A. Johnson
Johnson Direct LLC
1-800-710-2750