Make Your Mark

Years ago, I began flying a particular airline because they offered great fares, but I stuck with them because they became my habit. Even after discovering better rates elsewhere, I chose to remain loyal to that familiar, unchanging face. Knowing what to expect from them built trust. Trust led to that much-needed feeling of safety. The feeling of safety – from an airline no less – trumped any dollar value. But after an unintentional encounter with another airline, it was love at first flight. For the first time, I realized that familiarity and trust might create a relationship, but not necessarily a strong or long one. What my one-flight-stand showed me was that even brand loyalists need more than just a safe bet.

I had long allowed myself to believe that lower prices justified poor treatment. Why smile at me when I’m not paying as much? Why talk to me when I’m not worth as much? It was an understandable and acceptable tradeoff. That is, until my flight-in-shining-amour came along [flight-pun quota exceeded]. And there I was. Paying less. The skycap not only smiled at me, he joked with me. The attendant at the gate – she made eye contact while she spoke. Real. Human. Exchanges. Who knew a ‘cheap fare’ could make someone feel so valuable? Then there were the no-bull departure times and routine early arrivals. They delivered on their promises, brilliantly managed my expectations, and disrupted my longstanding habit in the most beautiful way.

I was in the arms of another brand and I…felt…appreciated.

Before I knew it, I craved witty intercom musings, and to be whisked away in a seat of my own choosing. Peanuts, pretzels, whatever…I was hooked. With this wing, I thee wed. Goodbye, dreary blue fabric, assigned seating, and baggage fees. It was time for a brand divorce. It made me wonder how many other brand breakups ended the same way.

Marriage and brand relationships are not terribly different. To be divorce-proof, they both must maintain two contrasting feelings: safety, which comes with steady consistency, predictability, familiarity, and reliability; and stimulation through things like disruption, newness, unpredictability* and discovery. Both ensure our freedom and ongoing evolution – our physical and emotional survival. Both elicit the same kind of loyal and disloyal behaviors dependent on met or unmet needs & wants. For us women in particular, we’re often pegged as the ones in the relationship that need more safety than stimulation, more comfort than discovery. But do we?**

To this day, I fly my fave even if it means I have to go all the way to Baltimore to get to a meeting two minutes from Reagan. I fly to Midway even if my hotel has the words “O’Hare” in it. Yes, I’m that loyal. If you stay consistent, deliver on your promises, and treat customers well, maybe they’ll give you the brand “I do” too.

Signed,
Love-a-fare Lori

Lori McIlwain | ViaMark Creative Services

*This doesn’t mean unexpected baggage fees, but way to kill the romance.
**Speaking of women – use consistent elements in your identity and messaging, but show women personality, too. Hitting us over the head with obvious copy and literal visuals may win you a date, but it’ll end at first base. Tell us a joke. Talk to us as if we’re more decisive than dependent. Tampons and minivans, you think that’s all we buy? The upsell pitch after every oil change – are you trying to make us break up with you? Gah. Don’t let your brand die alone-

Take pity on the kids today. The poor things just aren’t poor enough.

Growing up, I was what you would call “play poor.” Getting fed wasn’t an iffy thing – we always had plenty to eat. But if you wanted to, say, draw something, good luck finding a sheet of paper. If you had a sheet of paper, finding a crayon was even trickier.

Complaining was never an option as my dad’s dirt-poor childhood trumped our play-poor one. “When I was a kid, we had to make a choice every night in the summer: either leave the windows open and be eaten by mosquitoes, or leave them closed and die of heat.” Ah, the infamous no-screens story – his version of walking up the hill both ways in the snow. Us play-poor kids never stood a chance.

Of course, an eight-year-old kid has to improvise. The happy consequence to my desperation was creativity. Rose petals make an excellent red crayon. Leaves, the perfect green. Throughout every flower garden in the neighborhood, I plucked boxes and boxes of crayons. And if you ever opened a book at my house, you’d quickly realize that all the protective fore pages were carefully ripped out. A special thanks to book publishers everywhere – finding two blank sheets of paper at the front and back of every book was like hitting the playtime lottery.

No young girl could live without pompons, so cutting the tassels off the curtains was well worth the grounding. No bat? A thick tree limb. No nothing? Pretend the carpet is hot lava and your smelly brother is trying to push you off the boat. Today’s version of this game would come already conceptualized, already named, already built. Instead of grabbing your creativity, just grab a controller.

My biggest debt of gratitude goes to the weeping willow tree. Thank you, willow, for allowing me to tug vines off your gracious branch and sink them into an imaginary fishing pond. You were my jump rope, tug-of-war rope, rodeo lasso, limbo pole, playtime hero. I couldn’t wait to invent a new use for you just to see how the other kids would respond. But I fear kids today have no use for you at all. If that’s the case, I’ll weep right along with you. There’s nothing more lethal to one’s creativity than toys that come in a box.

Growing up without a pot to play in forced creativity. More importantly, observation. It made me look at things as what they could be, instead of what they were supposed to be. Nothing I saw as a child was just one thing. It was multiple things. It was whatever I wanted it to be.

Everyday I either see – or am told to write – advertising messages that are more of a should than a could. Messages that fall into a safe pattern of irrelevance and predictability. It’s our job to disassemble those meaningless messages. Take each word apart. Step back and look at them in a way that would disappoint every English teacher. Put them back together in a way that doesn’t follow the society-says-so rhetoric. And when we do, the masses will not only see and hear our message, they’ll connect with it. A human connection instead of the Internet or console kind?

Imagine that.

Xoxo,
Play-poor Lori

Thirteen years ago, I had a plan. I would leave the world of advertising to be a mother to my son, but more importantly, his teacher. While my parents always taught me to stand up for the weakest person in the room, I’d take it further to teach my child how to fight for balance in the world, to seek out solutions for the underprivileged, the sick, and the disabled. I had visions in my head of what my teaching room would look like – an entire space dedicated to different cultures, diverse views, and compassionate souls who put the value of human life before personal lifestyle. My son would fall asleep every night proud of himself, and if nothing else, would have the perspective needed to experience life well beyond himself. That was the plan.

But you know what they say about making plans.

I left my job back then to be my son’s teacher. But instead of teaching him to be a fearless leader, he had to learn how to make eye contact, point, bring both hands together, understand words, and speak. Instead of a diverse teaching room, it was a makeshift occupational therapy space so he could learn to stay upright, climb, jump, and grasp objects. Along the way, I had to teach myself how to accept the fact that my son would not be that go-against-the-crowd fighter for the sick and disabled. He was the sick and disabled. And I was not his teacher. He was mine.

While I’m not sure if my son goes to bed proud of himself every night, I’m 100% certain I go to bed proud of him.

April is Autism Awareness Month. I’ve donated this blog to spread awareness about the 1 in 88 children – 1 in 54 boys – diagnosed with autism. Feel free to donate your next blog, too.

Most Sincerely,

Lori
Bloglanthropist

I grew up throughout the 70’s with Saturday afternoons set aside for Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, and Don Cornelius’s Soul Train.

Band Stand was conservative, controlled and well produced.  It was safe.

Soul Train was saucy, funky, and a guilty pleasure for a lot of white kids!  It was daring.

One Saturday, as my friends and I gathered around our black and white TV, Don Cornelius introduced his next musical guest.  Was it going to be Barry White? Kool and the Gang, The Jackson 5? No. On this day Don Cornelius had another idea. He was going to throw his audience a curve ball, and in the process was going to shake up the role between American Band Stand and Soul Train.  Today, Don, in his own classic, soulful, debonair style, with his rich, silky voice introduced Elton John.

Elton would sing Philadelphia Freedom.  He sat at a Grand Piano surrounded by the Soul Train Dancers, Fans and Don.  It wasn’t the typical stage performance.  It was intimate, close and powerful.

Elton did what few (if any at that point) White POP Artist had ever done.  He performed on the Soul Train.

Don and Elton were helping develop America’s Collective Soul.  We would soon be gathering in Disco’s as ONE.  Music has that power to bring Human Beings into harmony with one another.

How many times have you danced down The Soul Train Line?

When we reach beyond the expected…when we seek to challenge and re-create, we discover new paths.  We create new trends.  We become the trail blazers.

We have clients who relish what’s coming next.  Who enjoy breaking out of the mold to be different, and ultimately more successful.  It’s easy to look, and sound like your competition.  It’s much more risky to lean over the ledge, change the norm, and redefine your industry.

Mark Storie

ViaMark|  New Bern, NC

OK, yes, I’ve succumbed to the social media craze, and have joined Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.  Yet with each passing day, I’m realizing that not only are most of these digital playgrounds a colossal waste of time, they really seem to be warping everyone’s social skills. I’m not completely slamming the latest technology here. And it’s not because I can’t, or won’t embrace social change. In fact, I think these platforms can be useful and entertaining when used correctly.

My problem is that many of these “networking” applications have started to diminish our actual face-to-face interaction. For example, I recently attended a “real” live networking event, and in one hour, I heard the line, “Oh yeah, I saw that on Facebook” uttered in four different conversations.  When a conversation is interrupted by “I saw it on Facebook” it’s like bursting someone’s balloon. I saw disappointment in the eyes of 3 out of the 4 people who were the recipient of that line. They were excited to verbalize a story they felt was topical or interesting, and someone squashed their enthusiasm. It was sad. Doesn’t anyone remember how exciting good conversation can be?

When we’re engaged personally, especially one-on-one, it’s different than sharing back and forth on line. In person you might be wowed by a story-tellers eloquence or vivaciousness. True, you may be bored to death, too, but there is simply no electronic replacement for looking one another in the eye and sharing. I find people interesting. I like to ask questions and learn about where they’ve been, what they’ve done, their successes, and failures, etc. You get to see that spark appear when you find a topic they’re really passionate about.

I’m not really sure who’s at fault for our growing disconnectedness. Is it the people who put EVERYTHING on social media including when they’re going to bed? Or is it the people who use it to find out what’s going on with their friends and family, rather than actually talking to them? It’s a double edged sword, and one I’m not finding easy to swallow.

Stay connected on a personal, more intimate level. Your friends and family will appreciate it, and you’ll get to know your business partners, vendors, and your customers a little better. At the end of the day, personal connections will serve everyone better.  Even better than a tweet or a status update.

Chris Hoffman

ViaMark | Asheville,  NC

If you have ever had the opportunity to lodge in a fabulous Hotel or Inn, then you almost certainly have returned to your room late in the evening to have your sheets turned down, and a well wrapped confection placed perfectly on your pillow.  It helps cushion the blow of spending north of $200 a night for a bed and a bathroom, but it does have its appeal.  It does make you feel better about your decision.

So, what do you do to impress your clients and customers?   How do you separate yourself from the competition that seeks to devour your client?  How do you protect your relationships? Your brand? Your bottom line?

First, think small.  In an era of over-blown, exaggerated and over-hyped, it’s the little things that will set you apart.  It’s always been that way.  It always will be.

Here’s a small idea:  Instead of sending out another email to thank someone you appreciate, take three minutes and write them a hand written “thank you” card.

I cannot tell you how many of my clients have made positive comments on getting a hand written card from me.  It’s something we simply don’t see much of anymore.  It’s a lost art form, a throwback to when my Mom made me write thank you cards for the Christmas gifts I had received.  Make no mistake, I hated writing those letters when I was young.  Today, I relish the opportunity to push my pen across a card to say thank you, I appreciate you.

Go ahead.  Give it a try.

Mark Storie

ViaMark Advertising | New Bern, NC

Right about now I start to feel that tinge of anxiety that is associated with the holidays.
From work obligations to family duties to trying to stretch our gift-giving budget to its max. I feel like my head just starts to spin.
However, in the end, I always survive!  Here are a few pointers from advertisers to help your business succeed this holiday season:

-Be True to You- if you are a mattress store, you don’t need to try to lure customers in with a $79 tablet.  People will come to you for your furniture deals, not for a random item that has nothing to do with what you specialize in.

-Don’t do fake sales- Don’t use a item you only have a handful of to lure customers in.  For example, advertising that you’ve got a $250 item on sale for only $99 and then only having 5 available for purchase when you’ve spent $10,000 advertising that item is a no no.

-Don’t overextend yourself- you can still have a really successful holiday season by sticking to what you know and do best.  Simply keep your store stocked with the items your customers like to purchase from you and consider a holiday open house where you invite your customer base thru a postcard or an eblast offering a discount to them for coming to shop.

-Be prepared- Have enough employees working, keep your store clean, keep your shelves stocked and be friendly.

-Lastly, make time for your friends and families during the holiday season.  Don’t stay open 24 hours every day all day.  Give your staff a rest, give your mom a hug and spend some time with the children in your life.  Holidays are truly a special time of year and you need to enjoy them too!   Happy Shopping Everyone!!

Gayle Brown – Wilmington, NC

Invariably it happens.  A catastrophe of some magnitude strikes your region, and the local marketing huckster’s surface.  Those short-sighted individuals who decide that “if you buy something from them, they will make a donation to the victims”.  It’s a profit before compassion mentality.

I am sure that many of these advertisers are not hucksters at all.  Most are probably well intentioned souls who think that this is a legitimate and noble exercise.   Is it?

One of my automotive dealers recently called and said:  “Hey Mark, I want to advertise that for every car we sell, we’ll donate $200 to the victims of the recent storm.” Do you see the glaring problem here?  The perception this can create?  Regardless of your personal thoughts or intentions, if you are considering this as a legitimate charity ploy, then many will see you as attempting to profit from misery.  I’ll donate money to help those who have been harmed…IF you buy something first.  How kind of you.

After discussing my thoughts on this matter with my automotive client, he quickly changed positions, and decided he would quietly send a check to the local chapter of The American Red Cross, instead.  No, there’s no glory in this sort of quiet charity, but the back-lash you save yourself from seeming callous can be reward enough.  This dealer is one of the best intentioned people I know.  He really thought this ploy was a great idea.  He truly did not see the dark side of his generosity.

As I pen this blog a national furniture chain, and a local Import dealer are telling me that they’ll make a donation, or reduce the price of my car if I buy now.  “Hurricane Irene Relief” shouts the car dealer!  “Making a donation to the victims” is the furniture stores pitch.  Yet each advertiser requires that a purchase be made, first.  Is that genuine generosity?

At ViaMark, we help guide our clients in all aspects of their marketing.  Even in those areas that may seem uncomfortable.

The next time you’re tempted to use misery as a sales or charity event, remember that many will see you as a Profit of Destruction.

You’ll feel much better if you simply make a quite donation.

Mark Storie

ViaMark Advertising | New Bern, NC

It’s kind of sad that after 21 there’s a severe lack of milestones to look forward to. When you’re a child there’s so much ahead. First day of school, last day of school, turning 16, first kiss, driving, graduating, first job and more importantly first paycheck, voting and then BOOM – you’re 21 years old! Finally old enough to buy a drink (legally anyway).

But now what? What do you have to look forward to? All the preset milestones have been reached. Nothing happens at 30. Nothing at 40, except black balloons and an “Over the Hill” cake from your 35 year old friends.

After 21, life isn’t as preset. Things happen when we’re ill prepared or happen too late. The lack of preset milestones challenges us to set our own milestones in life and in business. If we don’t have milestones set in place we hope to achieve, how do we know we’re traveling at the right pace? I vaguely remember the anticipation of turning 21 but the important part is that I DO remember waiting, wanting and looking forward to it. That’s what milestones do for you. They give you focus and energy. They are that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. And as we encounter roadblocks along the way that are sure to be there, how we handle them to regain our path is just as important as achieving the end result. No one really knows when they’ll get promoted or get married or have kids. Those are certainly all milestones to be proud, but hard to predict when they will happen. But, if we set milestones for when we’d LIKE those things to happen and then strive to reach them, chances are we’ll come pretty close. We can’t just quit looking forward to things after 21, that’s when life really begins to kick in. See it, do it!

Side note: While my mind still thinks I can do everything I could at 21, my body begs to differ. They say it’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years. So, I have now begun to bestow my life rich 41 years of wisdom upon all the young people I know. I urge them to fear not, there is life after 21! And 30 to 41 has been pretty awesome so far!

Chris Hoffman
Viamark Advertising – Asheville, NC

Women – can you live without them?

WOMEN!!!!  There are some that say you can’t live with them but there’s not a business that can survive without them.  Today’s women have emerged as a more powerful consumer force than ever.

They now control $3.3 trillion in consumer spending, are responsible for 80% of household buying, control more than 50% of the wealth in the U.S., make 62% of all car purchases and take more than 50% of all business trips. (Ketchum Global Brand Marketing)

This group of potential customers is just waiting to be influenced to buy your product.  Yet many marketers fall short in fully recognizing and reaching them, treating women as a niche instead of drivers of purchase decisions.

Moreover, connecting to women and, especially, the critical demographic of women aged 25-54, grows increasingly challenging. This is because the average woman juggles a constant mix of career, family and self-care decisions at any given moment.

She is a career woman, mother, wife, friend, grocery shopper, taxi driver, juggler, maid, butler, listener, personal fan at all sporting events & recitals, social planner for all, and health care consultant,  This segment of the population has very little time to do much else.  Women ages 25-54 have moved into another multi phase… Multi-Minding Woman.

What is “multi-minding”? It is the state of mind for today’s typical 25-54-year-old woman, who constantly deals with the many dimensions of her life.  These women have moved from “multi-tasking” to a new level of activity – “multi-minding.” As a result, they have little time for commercial messages (Ketchum Global Brand Marketing).

When this consumer finds the time to shop, it’s extremely important that businesses know how to advertise to this segment and make it simple to buy from them.  What makes them take a second look at an ad, a shelf tag, an item, or a service provider.  What would make her change a habit, or try something new?  Can you put yourself in her shoes and think like she thinks?  Would you want to?  You’ll be glad you did.

Terri Bock – ViaMark Jacksonville