Geico's mixed signals...

I don't know about you guys, but I'm a little confused. I have literally watched three different ad campaigns by Geico in a single evening. First, there was Geico's gecko being interviewed on his success as a spokesperson. Then there was the woman who related her sob story while Little Richard translated in celebrity-speak. Finally, there was the sensitive caveman waging a righteous fight against Geico's tongue-in-cheek campaign. A quick view of all three campaigns.

I mean, I get the gist of each campaign.

Gecko: Informative, friendly, approachable
Caveman: Easy-to-use online format
Celebrity: Customer testamonials

So, where is the Martin Agency going here? Each campaign is fun and quirky in and of itself. But, why run all three simultaneously?

Surely, there's some genius amid this madness.

Copy Ban: Nothing's 'unique'...

Copywriting is an artform. It takes practice, skill and patience. To this end, I'm starting "Copy Ban." Tentatively, this section will be devoted to improving the art copywriting through the banishment of certain words or phrases. Time to clean house!

If there is one word out there that deserves the ax, it's unique. Let's take a moment to examine. (Please note, that I pulled the following information from my little built-in iMac dictionary widget.)

unique: adj. being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else

derivatives
uniquely adverb
uniqueness noun

usage
There is a set of adjectives — including unique, complete, equal and perfect — whose core meaning embraces a mathmatically absolute concept and which therefore, according to a traditional arguement, cannot be modified by adverbs such as really, quite, or very. For example, since the core meaning of unique (Latin for one) is 'being only one of its kind,' it is logically impossible, the arguement goes, to submodify it: it either is unique or it's not, and there are no stages in between... It is advisable, however, to use unique sparingly, and not modify it with (adverbs)... Often, a writer can instead make accurate use of rare, distinctive, unusual, remarkable or other nonabsolute adjectives.

In other words, there are better options in our copywriting arsenal then unique. It is a tired, overtaxed word whose perception is mere puffery. The copy ban is in place!

Microsoft redesigns iPod packaging...

The Evil Empire takes on angelic iPod. Some things in life are just worth another glance. Enjoy!

Blog Rant: Learn to write!

We're all professionals here. We're astute marketers offering sage advice. People turn to us for our guidance and expertise. Many of us strive to better understand our craft. We network. We research. We join industry forums. We do this because we want to become better marketers.

Why is it that when we create our online professional personas, professionalism seems to fly out the window. I have spent the past couple of hours visiting various forums and blogs. While on my little online excursion, I kept stumbling upon threads, posts and comments written in a text/instant messaging format. I'm sure there's a proper term for this, it's just not coming to mind at the moment.

It seems that there are a few of us who seem to think that this type of technological casualness is appropriate in less-than-casual settings. For example, you wouldn't dream of attending a business meeting in cut-off shorts and flip-flops. But some of us don't think twice about writing something along this line:

hi, i need sum hlp plz. im new 2 mktg and need sum ideas 4 a slogan.

Come on, you've seen this before. You may even be guilty. But truth be told, I tend not take posts -- or posters -- who generate this drivel, very seriously. If you don't take yourself very seriously, why should anyone else? Now, I can understand the occassional typo or misspelling, but this is ridiculous.

So please, do us all a favor. Show a little professional courtesy.

iPhone: Apple vs. Cisco

The iPhone. What's not to love about it? In fact, it's safe to say that I'm absolutely enamored with this gadget. It's a phone, mail, web and iPod rolled into one. It's amazing. I've already hinted to the powers-that-be how so much more productive I could be if I only had one. I must admit, it wasn't very subtle.

That aside, the latest chatter is about the Apple-Cisco trademark war brewing. Turns out that iPhone has been trademarked since 1993 by InfoGear. Cisco purchased Infogear in 2000, and has owned the trademark since then. Apple wants it, Cisco has it. It has all the makings of high-tech drama.

Then Steve Jobs, the High Priest of Apple, made his keynote speech at MacWorld. (Speaking of which, what was up with Cingular's top dog, Stan Sigman?) The iPhone was unveiled, and the shit hit the proverbial fan. I've had many interesting conversations with friends and collegues over this very topic.

"How could Apple do such a thing?"
"What were they thinking?"
"Apple needs to fire its legal department!"

Unless you've had your head in the sand the past few days, you've probably been involved in these conversations, too.

Well, here's my thoughts, and it turns out that I'm not to far off base. Apple and Cisco have been in negotiations on the use of the name iPhone for years. It's not like Apple's planned rollout was a big secret. In fact, I had bet that Cisco was attempting to hold Apple at bay in an attempted play for the upper hand. Apple's iPhone debut was a strategic - albeit not surprising - move to force Cisco's hand in the matter. Now Cisco is crying foul and filing suit.

I predict the two companies will probably settle for an outrageous amount of money, and Apple gets to keep the name. Corporate politics is a very dirty game indeed!

Toys 'R' Us New Year Baby marketing snafu

There is just something about a newborn baby that brings a smile to one's face. Their innocence. Their vunerability. The mere fact that they're cuddly and cute. Even the idea that something mar such a perfect picture is enough boil anyone's blood. Bring in one of the world's largest toy retailers, and you've got the makings of a sordid tale.

Here's the scoop. Toys "R" Us and sibling company, Babies "R" Us, decided to launch a "First Baby of the Year" sweepstakes. The first baby born in 2007 would win a grand prize savings bond worth $25,000. Sounds great, huh. It's the perfect campaign to kick off the new year, add a baby to the picture and you can't miss! The marketing and PR departments must have been drooling. (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)

What could possibly go wrong? Well, the official Babies "R" Us press release calls for "all expectant New Year's moms... with a due date on or around January 1" to register for a chance at the big prize. Problem is the mother of the first baby of the new year was not a legal U.S. citizen. The prize was initially awarded to baby Yuki Lin, who was born at the stroke of midnight at New York Downtown Hospital. After the sweepstakes administrator was informed of baby Yuki's mother's immigration status, the prize was revoked and awarded to another child. Apparently there was a clause in the official rules that the mother must be an American citizen. Hmmm.

Taking candy or anything away from a baby has never been viewed as a wise choice. So, naturally Chinese-American advocates protested loudly. Not that I blame them. It was indeed an utterly stupid move on behalf of Toys "R" Us. Seriously, what the hell were you guys thinking?

After much scathing publicity, the company decided to reverse its moronic decision late Saturday evening. "We love all babies," the company said in a written statement Saturday. "Our sweepstakes was intended to welcome the first baby of 2007 and prepare for its future. We deeply regret that this sweepstakes became a point of controversy." Uh-huh.

Well, better late than never. For more on this, read Toys 'R' Us flip-flops, gives 3 babies New Year prize.

Back to basics...

Well, everyone, we've got a fresh year ahead of us. Are you ready? Time to pull out that marketing plan. I can already hear the groaning. Don't think of your marketing plan as a chore. Think of it as a New Year's list of resolutions for your business. Time to think ahead, chart the course, and charge forward!

Let's start with what a marketing plan is and isn't. A marketing plan is a guide. A map charting the course for your company's future. What it isn't. It isn't a moot exercise. It isn't a book that you drag out once a year for an important meeting and dust off. In short, it is one of your most valuable resources.

First step, review last year's marketing plan. What worked? What didn't? What needs tweaking? Don't worry if you haven't got one. Developing one is a great exercise. It helps you understand where you are in relation to where you need to be, or perhaps where you would like to be.

Second step, prepare to set aside adequate time and staff resources. If there's one thing you want to do when preparing a marketing plan, is doing it right from the start. A good marketing plan will be referred to over and over throughout the course of the year.

Third, make the marketing plan your business Bible. Refer to it often. In fact, pull out your Franklin Planner and enter your marketing goals at regular intervals. Optimally, every six weeks. At the very least, quarterly.

I wish you the very best of luck this year!