Where Are These Airlines We See In The Advertising?

Smiling Faces? Roomy Seats? Great Food? New Planes? Friendly Service?

By David Miranda

Last week, I was watching CNBC first thing in the morning and the big news was the upcoming merger between Delta and Northwest, forming the largest airline in the United States. There, on the screen, were the two CEO's of the two airlines co-touting how good this would be for everyone - shareholders, employees, consumers, and the airline industry. Any downside? Nope, according to these two men whose personal bank accounts will greatly benefit from the transaction. Surprising marriage? Seems like the current CEO was formerly the CEO of Northwest.

But let's get to the bigger issue.

The major airlines in the U.S. suck. Customer service staff are surly. The majority of planes in the fleet are dirty and old - the latter issue requiring hundreds of planes to be grounded leaving tens of thousands travelers stranded. Travel delays are systemic as is the problem with lost bags. Interior seating, save business and first class, is less comfortable than a Greyhound bus. If that is not enough, consumers get nickeled and dimed for everything and anything including pillows, headphones, extra luggage charges, change fees, etc. etc. New ticketing kiosks have reduced the number of warm bodies to take care of problems when things don't go according to schedule - which, by the way, is all the time.

Now we hear that two airlines who rank in the bottom tier of all categories will be better when they merge. It's like saying "I have these two stones that don't float, but if we glue them together - Voila! they float."

Allow me to address the title of this article. Who are these airlines in the advertising? Where are these well-groomed, friendly helpful employees? Where are the new, clean, roomy planes? Where is that great food I see those actors in the ads being served? Do the airline executives who sign off on these ads ever say "We can't run these ads. It's false advertising. We need to show frustrated travelers in cramped seats waiting for the 8AM flight to depart at 9AM. Those arrival and departure screens in the ads should not say "On Time" listed for every flight. They should say "Delayed" or "Cancelled"."?

My advice to the CEO and other airline executives - fly coach!

Lexus Valentine Promo - "The Pursuit Of Perfection" In Marketing

I'll Take This Over A Popular Super Bowl Ad Any Day

By David Miranda

Gerry Davidson, author of Real Concepts, showcased a rare and real example of great marketing.

I encourage anyone that wants to see a great marketing idea, well-executed to read her article on the Lexus promotion.

I join in the chorus of kudos.

Enough said, read Gerry's article.

Marketing Lessons From Politics - "I" versus "We" Messages

The Historical Contest Between Barack and Hillary

By David Miranda

We are witnessing a historic political contest between Democratic Presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It not just that one is an African-American and the other a woman. It is about the differences in their messages -Sen. Clinton's "I" versus Sen. Obama's "We".

Sen. Clinton's speeches are filled with statements beginning with "I" as in "I am the most experienced." "I am ready to lead the country on Day One". "I am the best person to take on the Republicans in the general election." As the frontrunner since declaring, she seemed to be the inevitable nominee of the party." (and still might be).

Sen. Obama's speeches, on the other hand, are filled with statements that embrace "We", as in, "We can do this together". "We can and must do better". "We can be a better America" He concludes his speeches by getting his audience to chant. "Yes, we can" which has become his campaign slogan.

Who will win the Democratic nomination? At this point, it is still a horse race, but one thing is clear, Sen. Obama's "we" messaging has resounded with many people and the once long shot has gained momentum and audience. His "we" messaging is working and working well forcing Sen. Clinton to recently retool her own messaging along the lines of Sen. Obama.

What is the marketing lesson here?

The lesson is that it's not about you. It's about your clients and customers. What is it that you, your products and services can do for them - to make their life better? People respond to sincere, empathic messaging and will generally reward you with the ultimate consideration - "votes" in the cash register.

While your competitors are touting their own importance, let your customers know that "we" are here for you.

Bureaucrats Have Hijacked The RFP

How The RFP Has Lost Its Way

By David Miranda

What was once intended to be a fair way to consider among many alternatives in a competitive marketplace, the RFP has evolved into a flawed process that requires an extreme makeover.

It goes something like this.

Let's say you are an advertising agency and you receive an unsolicited letter (or email) from an advertiser that your firm has been invited to participate in an RFP to be their new agency of record. So far, so good.

It, however, goes south from there.

The letter states that you are one of a number of agencies under consideration. (The letter fails to mention how many agencies have received the letter, what the judgement criteria is for consideration, or who is the ultimate decision maker) The letter goes on to say that after fulfilling the requirements of the RFP, the field will be narrowed to three finalists. The three finalists will then be asked to present at the company headquarters. After these face-to-face presentations, a winner will be selected within 30 days. The process is generally lengthy taking weeks and months for a decision.

Oh, by the way, the requirements of the RFP request many pages of information, i.e. how long you have been in business; bios of key management; key clients; samples of previous work done including results; financials; references; head counts; core competencies; methodology; compensation formulas and, believe it or not, sample creative executions "if you were to get the business." That's right, asking an agency to produce intellectual property, that by the way, is not protected is the submitting agencies do not get the business.

The effort to respond to an RFP takes a considerable amount of time, effort, and resources on behalf of the agency and at its own expense.

But here's the real rub. The people at the advertiser who typically are put in charge of the RFP process are bureaucrats since, on the surface, it appears to be a process-driven exercise. These are people who have little imagination or understanding of the end game, i.e. to select a great agency for the business. The RFP process administered by a bureaucrat or bean counter leaves little room, if any, for showcasing the important intangibles that make for a strong client/agency relationship - the dynamics of people interacting with people. It's called collaboration. Imagine a short list being determined before anyone at the client has met anyone at the agency.

Many agencies can look good on paper, just like many people can look good on CV's, but the proof of the pudding is the dynamic intangibles that come with person-to-person interaction.

In short, the RFP process has been hijacked by bureaucratic managers - people who unwisely think that doing things right is superior to doing the right things.

To all the clients out there, I implore you to delegate, not abdicate the responsibility of the RFP. Streamline the process, reduce the red tape, and get in front of the agency's leadership.

Chances are you'll pick the right agency and not just the one that looks good to bureaucrats.

What Planet Do Realtors Live On?

New Ad Campaign From the National Associaton Of Realtors Suggest It's Not This One

By David Miranda

Let's see. On this planet, in this country, there has been "mass canaries deaths in the mine" signs that a housing bubble was at the point of bursting fueled by a complicit mortgage industry and a highly motivated real estate broker/agent community. As Newton pointed out, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Bottom line: greed got out of hand, reality bites. Code name? Recession. Outlook? Layoffs, foreclosures, consumer debt, bankruptcies up. Jobs, home values, expectations down.

Yet here is the optimistic view of the National Association of Realtors of the chilly economic waters? "Hey, jump in. The water's great." This is like the Captain of the Titanic, after hitting the iceberg, explaining to passengers "Oh, no worries. We just stopped for ice."

The front page headline from the recent issue of Advertising Age , from reporter Alice Z. Cuneo read "What housing crisis? Realtors' ads defy reality". Bob Garfield, ad critic for AdAge, escalated the dialogue in his column titled, Pay Heed to What Realtors Don't Say in Their Latest Pitch. Both Ms. Cuneo's article and Mr. Garfield's column took critical umbrage to the new $40 million ad campaign by the National Association of Realtors.

The above mentioned articles do a better job of stating the case on the NAR campaign than I can do here, but it is the lessons to be learned here that is critical for all marketers.

Consumers are not stupid and gullible as the campaign would suggest. They are realists and it is an insult to their intelligence to suggest or opine that things are better than they are experiencing. Marketers have always communicated the best attributes of their brands using thesaural hyperbole, i.e. "better", "new and improved", etc. They do not serve their brands (or causes) well, however, when the communicated message defies reality. As someone once said, "you are entitled to your own opinions, but not to your own facts."

The fact of the matter is that the U.S. housing market is suffering and that means homeowners are suffering and that means the economy is suffering. Consumers need wise and considerate counsel, not irrational enthusiasm.

Let them know what they already know, "we've hit an iceberg, we're taking on water, we're sinking, save yourselves." Steer them to a lifeboat, not back to their "cabins" to enjoy the rest of the cruise.

If your customers are important to you, be upfront; be frank; be honest.

PS.
My friend and real estate guru, Gerry Davidson, has her own interesting POV on this subject on her blog, Real Concepts. I strongly suggest a read of her recent article on the subject and her always refreshing perspectives on the real estate industry. I nominate Gerry for NAR President.

Cyberspace Is No Place For The Dumb Or Dumber

Guidelines For Protecting Yourself, Your Family, Your Business

By David Miranda

Someone once said "ignorance means you don't know, stupidity means you'll never know". This said, there is a great deal of ignorance and stupidity exercised by people in this digitally connected and viral world we call cyberspace.

Everything you put in an email, a text message, a user-generated video, on a social networking site, on a blog, in a podcast, in a voice mail, etc. can be distributed to anyone else, anywhere else, at any time in the future - any once it's out there, it's out there to stand on its own - unvarnished with no context. We all know this, yet it does not stop us from continuing to be ignorant, stupid - just plain dumb about what we are digitally producing and distributing.

We witness countless examples of "digital dumbness" every day. The "Academy Award of Dumb Moves" in recent memory go to the following:

• Best Insert Of Foot in Mouth By A Presidential Hopeful - Republican President hopeful George Allen being taped making his infamous "macaca" statement at a rally forcing him out of the race.


• Best Parent In A Supportive Role - Alec Baldwin for his voice mail rant to his teenage daughter forcing him to make public mea culpas.


• Best Bigoted Performance By A Seinfeld Character - Michael Richards' phone camera video of his racially-epitheted incident at an LA comedy spot that resulted in him going into a self-induced exile.


• Best Defamation By A Radio Icon - Don Imus' infamous negative descripitions of the Rutger's women's varsity team resulting in his dismissal. Update: Mr. Imus is back on the air, although much chastened and careful with his comments.


• Best Unkept Secret Affair By A City Official - The Mayor of Detroit, who after denying any romantic relationship with a married aide (he's married to) now as to explain thousands of lurid text messages between the two now available on the Internet.

There are countless examples of these types of incidents. Smart people doing dumb things is nothing new. The difference is that in today's interconnected viral world, millions of people know about it. Cyberspace is today's Pandora's Box.

Today, we all send (and share) sensitive emails, correspondence, videos, and personal information hour by hour. In the blur of life today, we sometimes do these things without thinking or consideration of present or future consequences of this user-generated communication.

Here are some simple guidelines to protect yourself, your family, and your business in cyberspace:

• Think before you hit the send, enter, upload, share, blog this buttons. Remember that everything you communicate - emails, voice mails, text messages, blog and social networking entries, podcasts, chat rooms, videos, etc. will and can be distributed without impunity.


• Be careful who you cc or bcc in communications.


• Be smart about the personal information you enter on social networking sites including MySpace, Facebook, Linkedin, etc. Your current (and future employer), colleagues, etc. can view and share this information.


• Exercise discretion, good taste, and good manners in your digital behavior.


• Remember that today's friends could become tomorrow's adversary.


• Keep business, business and personal, personal. Don't intermingle the two.


• Know what your children are doing on the internet. Give them rules.


• It cannot get distributed in cyberspace, if you don't put it there in the first place.

Bottom Line: Once it's out there, it's out there for millions to see. There is no equivalent of an eraser or "White Out" in cyberspace.

Practice safe Internet.

Recognition Marketing - Beware The Circular Firing Squad

Think About The Consequences Of Your Actions Before You Act

By David Miranda

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) are in the umpteenth week of their strike against the entertainment establishment. FYI, they are striking for understandable and substantive reasons - getting a piece of the pie for their work that is being sold through new distribution channels, i.e. the internet, podcasts, etc.

No one, on either side of this dispute, could have imagined that this would have gone unresolved for so long. The result? Production of affected television shows have been halted and, most recently, the annual Golden Globes awards show was cancelled. The upcoming Oscars are also threatened. Some shows like David Letterman's, Jay Leno's, Jimmy Kimmel's, and Bill Maher's have come back on the air in recent weeks by either making a special deal with the union or deciding not to use union writers.

Here's the issue.

Audiences for television and film are already harder to get. The distribution marketplace has already changed forever with more and more alternatives available to consumers.

The WGA and the establishment are participating in a circular firing squad, i.e. shooting themselves to make a point. The consumer public could care less about this squabble between the haves and the have mores. They just want entertainment - and will find it elswhere if pushed.

Hasn't anyone learned from the costly lessons learned from the past strikes in professional sports such as the NFL, NHL, and MLB? These respective strikes caused audience resentment on a major scale and it took a long time for these sports to recover.

Such will be the case in the world of entertainment.

The leaders on both sides who let this get to this point should be vilified considering the incredible amounts of money that is being lost across the entertainment ecosystem. They are myopic and ego-centric to surmise that this dispute is worth alienating audiences. The writers produce exploitable intellectual property and should be compensated. The entertainment establishment who capitalize the industry deserve a reasonable return. The public deserves not to be caught in the middle of this resolvable matter.

Hard lesson to be learned here by both sides? Fix it quick or the marketplace will find new ways to invest its leisure time and dollars?

Recognize the problem. Discover a solution.

Remember its "ready, aim, fire", not "fire, ready, aim".