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BF-GF ad pulled out by McDonald’s

Roy — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 08:55:27 +0000

Possibly fearing that theirs could go the way of Jan-Jan’s case and escalate into another media frenzy, McDonald’s Philippines immediately pulled out its add which was tagged by some as the “BF-GF commercial” after the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called for them to stop airing the ad.

Although there were really no cries of child abuse nor exploitation, but the fast food chain giant deemed it is best to pull out the 30-second commercial from the air after some Catholic Church officials warned that ad could send wrong message and inculcate negative values to children.

In the said commercial, the little girl asked the boy if she was already his girlfriend, to which the boy replied no. He said girlfriends are too demanding and asking for so much. But when the little girl said that all she wanted was french fries from McDonalds, the boy’s face flashed and he changed his as he counted his coins in his pocket totaling P25, which is the price of the fries.

Vice President for Marketing Margot Torres of McDonald’s Philippines said that they have decided to pull out the TV ad because they respect the call of Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez. She added, “So by Wednesday, a different McDonald’s ad should be seen on TV.”

Bishop Iñiguez said that they were happy that McDonald’s listened to their plea and that it agrees with the sentiment and the reflection of the church about the commercial. The bishop also said earlier, “The two children are not even at the right age for this kind of relationship… It might also pave the way for us to lose sight of the good ways of shaping the values of our children.”

Executive Secretary of CBCP on Family and Life, Fr. Melvin Castro said earlier that the commercial is “very shallow” and “cheapens human relationships.” He also said that, “If the ad attempted to teach commitment, it failed because it was too superficial to point to a packet of french fries as the basis of a relationship.”

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Creative process outsourcing pushed by local animators

Roy — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:37:51 +0000

Our local animators have already proven themselves in the international arena, and their works have sought by many big international animation film companies. Now, they are hoping that Filipino animators would gain an even bigger spot on the world animation map.

The Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI) is advocating “creative process outsourcing” CPO and believe that the country could be a leader this sector after proving to be a formidable force in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

ACPI president Rowena Bagadion said in a statement, “I am personally advocating to various agencies like the Business Process Association of the Philippines, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Foreign Affairs that the Philippines should claim CPO, given the Filipinos’ inherent talent in designing anything from print animation to product modeling.”

Bagadion is also pushing for creative industries to be consolidated under one umbrella organization, this it will be easier for the country to market such services and create a brand for itself in the international arena.

An umbrella organization for CPO should cover the animation and game development industries, music and sound engineering, advertising, film, industrial design, architecture, comics, photography, publishing, and also those that fell under corporate communication such as writing and conceptualization.

“We want our brand of animation. If one is familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the Filipino industry has matured to a point where we are now seeking for self-actualization,” she said.

Because of consistency in workmanship, quickness in delivering output, English proficiency, understanding of concepts and story lines, and not to mention a lower cost for international companies, our local animation industry has been making its mark in the world.

More than 5,000 jobs to local animators are being provided by the industry, and contribute to the dollar inflow of the country. Last year’s animation revenue stood at $110 million.

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21st Ad Congress, SBMA donate to Baguio City

Roy — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:16:54 +0000

There were not few negative reactions were given when the organizers of the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress (PAC) decided to move the event from Baguio (its original venue) to Subic after the place was devastated by typhoon “Pepeng.” They believed the Ad Congress could actually help the city ‘rise’ faster if it were held there. But the organizers were adamant in its decision.

With corporate social responsibility as the theme for this year, the 21st Ad Congress is living up to this as the PAC said they would harness their tested media tools to help some afflicted sectors of the society.

And as a gesture of support for Baguio City, its original venue for the event, Philippine Advertising Board chair Charmaine Canillas said they will donate 100 percent of ticket sales from the event’s prestigious Araw Awards. During the onslaught of typhoon “Pepeng,” there were hundreds of Baguio residents who were affected by landslides.

The 21st Ad Congress new host, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), for its part said it will also donate the entire income from the rental of the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC), the congress venue, for the four-day gathering.

SBMA administrator and chief executive officer Armand Arreza said during the opening ceremony of the event, “In the true spirit of the 21st Advertising Congress, the entire organization of the SBMA and the entire community of Olongapo City join the advertising industry in helping Baguio City and other affected areas in Northern Luzon in the process of rebuilding and recovery.”

In an effort dubbed as “Brand Aid,” the campaign seeks to set u a funding mechanism for the advertising industry to aid rehabilitation efforts, not in on Baguio but in other areas affected by the recent calamities as well. Its first project called “AHON” was immediately set in motion and they were able to raise P2 million for the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).

Margot Torres, chairman of the 21st PAC said that the Ad Congress “has gained a new perspective to become an instrument for positive action help to countrymen and rally support for long-term recovery.”

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Microsoft Strives for Dominance

PinoyBusiness — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:53:43 +0000

Microsoft appears to be a little more competitive than it has been in recent years. As one industry analyst has put it, Microsoft seems o be enjoying itself as Kevin Turner proclaimed that competing is a lot more fun when youâ€™re winning that it is when youâ€™re losing.

To illustrate Microsoftâ€™s new and more aggressive attitude towards its competitors, an IT industry expert offers a rundown.

Apple has been kicking Microsoftâ€™s marketing tail with its hip ads. It created the iPod-iTunes juggernaut and dominated the entertainment market scene. It also created a lot of buzz with the iPhone than Microsoft can manage.

But with Microsoftâ€™s PC value ads, where comparisons about what a consumer can get with a specific amount of money, Microsoft punches Apple hard in the gut. Appleâ€™s legal department reportedly called Microsoft telling them to stop running their PC value ads as theyâ€™ve lowered their prices.

Microsoft has gone head on with Google in the search market. With the strong marketing initiative on Bing, Microsoftâ€™s newly launched search engine, Bing is happy to be the alternative to Google.

As Microsoft crosses over Googleâ€™s territory, Google announces the development of Chrome OS, its official venture into the operating systems business. Analysts, however, think Chrome OS was just unveiled to take away Microsoftâ€™s attention from Bing or derail talks about Windows 7.

Google also tries to get a bite of Microsoftâ€™s cash cow which is office applications. Microsoft however, seems the likely winner here which its new Office 2010 soon out in the market.

Microsoft and Google may battle over dominance in the industry but ultimately, they will co-exist in many markets.

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Google Claims Ad Market Slowly Stabilizing

PinoyBusiness — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:39:14 +0000

Internet search giant, Google, reports experiencing signs of stabilization in what has been a tumultuous advertising environment.

Googleâ€™s Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said consumers are still spending less than they did before the economic crunch, but at least they are clicking around and searching for deals. Google reported an increase in the number of clicks for the second quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. The cost per click, however, was down.

The companyâ€™s net income for April to June of this year increased at 19 percent to $1.48 billion or $4.66 per share compared t $1.25 billion or $3.92 per share for the same period last year.

The company reported earnings of $5.36 per share, without one time charges. This was significantly higher than the $5.09 per share earnings forecasted by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

One analyst, Trip Chowdhry, managing director of Global Equities Research claimed that Google posted such profits due to unexpectedly low tax rates. He explained that analysts mostly made their forecast based on a 25 percent tax rate but Googleâ€™s effective tax rate was only at 20 percent.

Google also managed a sales increase of 3 percent to $5.337 billion. Sales netted $4.07 billion beating estimates of $4.06 billion.

Schmidt said that Google had a very good quarter considering the current economic situation. â€œThese results highlight the enduring strength of our business model and our responsible efforts to manage expenses in a way that puts us in a good position for the economic upturn, when it occurs,â€ he offered.

Analysts, however, dismissed Googleâ€™s gains. Chowdhry observed that though there were increases in sales, the companyâ€™s growth rate has been declining over the past seven quarters.

In the last quarter of 2008, the company incurred its first ever profit drop as it was severely affected by a pullback in advertising dollars at the height of the recession.

Signs that Googleâ€™s main source of revenue is slowing down have been evident. Though the number of paid clicks increased by 15% over the second quarter of 2008, it fell 2% over the first quarter. Cost per click was 13% down at the same period in 2008 but increased by 5% in the first quarter of this year.

Schmidt though remained positive, maintaining that consumers clicking is a sign of stabilization. â€œWe are not at a moment looking at that downward spiral that we though we were six months ago,â€ he said.

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Advertising Services

PinoyBusiness — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:31:21 +0000

Filipino Entrepreneurs who are into providing services find it more complicated to promote their business rather than selling products. Some of them have contractors which they pay high percentage but usually care only about the project rather than increasing employee satisfaction. Here are some tips on to sell intangible services.

Determine the Value

Becoming proficient at communicating value is important regardless of what product or services you sell. The two forms of value are tangible and intangible. Compare to an intangible value, tangible value can be easily seen and is easy to measure with the use of an expression in either numbers or percentages such as a 30 percent increase in productivity, a 10 percent increase in revenues and the likes.

On the other hand, intangible value is more difficult to measure. But just like the tangible value, it is as important as well. In intangible value, number is not important because it is primarily expressed with the use of descriptive words and phrases such as lower risk of losing employees, a better impression in the marketplace, enhanced labor relations, and so on.

Make the equation Balance

Making an equation is the next step after you have established the value. Create an equation that will be understood by your prospect and test a balanced reward equation. All you have to focus is creating the right equation and the concern about how the prospects will hear, read or see this statement will fall into its places after.

Compare these two equations:

“Overachieve your time to readiness goals by 15 percent!” vs. “Overachieve time to readiness reduction goals by 15 percent--while at the same time reducing operational expenses by as much as 10 percent.”

The first example demands a lot and leaves questions that are unanswered such as what must be done to achieve the goal, how can additional advertising be performed, should the compensation plan be revamped, and other more which all give a suspicion over the claim to its benefit

Meanwhile, the second example is a balanced equation which is built around tangible value.

Here is an example of an intangible reward equation: “Boost the moral and commitment of employee at the same time as containing your benefit expenses.”
After mastering both tangible and intangible reward equations, it is necessary to add one of the critical element- time. It is important to include time frame at the end of your equations to determine the length of time needed in achieving goals. Here is an example of balanced reward equation with the additional of time element; “Overachieve time to reduce revenue goals by 15 percent, at the same time as reduction of operational expenses up to 10 percent; achieve this goal in less than 120 days.â€

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11 Internet Myths

PinoyBusiness — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:08:59 +0000

Internet myths are one of the reasons why entrepreneurs find it complicated to create a website for their business. A website host and creating company, Homestead.com, founded by Justin Kitch has helped numbers of entrepreneurs established their own webs. Doing the business for decades now, Kitch has found the reasons why some entrepreneurs are still hesitant to embrace the technology of the internet. And it all points down to the 11 different myths or misunderstanding about the internet. Kitch said that the reason for this is because some entrepreneurs, specially those small business owners, are afraid of technology and change because they are cautious and conservative.

Kitch wanted to educate the entrepreneurs so he came up with the truth about these 11 myths:

1. Internet thing will be a revolution- With 150 million internet users in America alone, Kitch said that the revolution had happened already. He added that anybody is completely wrong if they think that they can delay worrying about the internet.

2. Website is not a necessity- Kitch said that without doing a website, your business is missing the opportunity of being open 24/7 for free.

3. Professionals should be hired for the internet stuff- Kitch said that the belief in hiring web designers to build their site is definitely not true. In fact, he discourages other people doing it because it would only result to hostaging of your website, which some web designers do. Instead, he said that entrepreneurs should have control of their website and be able to change it by yourself. He added that you donâ€™t need a super polishes site but a fresh, dynamic and authentic one.

4. All I need is a yellow page- By not having a having a web site, you are actually shutting at least half of your new customers who will try to find you online, explained Kitch. He said that you can track online advertising which you cannot do in advertising through yellow pages.

5. I only have a local business- Banks, realtors and other businesses all started as local business but have gone into a virtual business. So according to Kitch, there is no more such thing as local business.

6. Website is only for new customers- With this thinking, Kitch said, that it seems saying that repeat business is not important. In addition, he said that people may or may not find your website to be the reason to come to you, but definitely, it is the reason to come back to you.

7. Websites of my business is just for customers- Kitch said that website is also use for your employees, partner or suppliers. As the business is growing, you can gain power and flexibility with the ability to communicate with these people even at home.

8. My website is my internet strategy- Aside from your websites, there are other internet options that you can use such as e-mail newsletter, editorial sites, blogs and more. Kitch said that your business website is just the tip of the iceberg.

9. Small business is a big disadvantage- Kitch explains that by nature, customers would prefer dealing with small businesses rather than the big ones. So being small business can be an advantage if you make it competitively.

10. I will be rich because of the internet- Dealing with an internet business becomes more critical than interactions with your employees and customers. You need to have a good business sense. To create interactions through internet, you will have to work harder, explained Kitch.

11. â€œOK, I will do whatever you sayâ€- Kitch said that just like in a two-way street, figuring out your path depends on yourself. People in the business industry have to determine their own way. He emphasized that including himself, what everyone says shouldnâ€™t be taken for granted.

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17 Useful and Cost-free Promotions

PinoyBusiness — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:26:33 +0000

Promoting your businesses to the general public could be effective yet economical. In times when needs for new customers arises but you donâ€™t have sufficient budget for it, trying this creative ideas will definitely work especially for home based businesses.

1. Show referrals to your prospects that you have asked from your previous customers to write. A study conducted by Pete Silver, a home based entrepreneur, a marketing specialist and an author; showed that as previous customers provide you with referral letters, the referrals that they make to your business also increases.

2. Creating a one-page newsletter is better than using a brochure. It will be less expensive yet allows you to spread information about your business to other people. More ideas and promotional strategies on this type of marketing strategy can be obtained from OnePageNewsletters.com.

3. Conduct educational seminar to public places like local libraries. Make sure that your attendees wonâ€™t feel that they are being sold to by keeping the seminar educational. To get better acquainted with your attendees, you can offer a private 30-minutes one-on-one session after.

4. Inform editors of your local news paper and business publications about your business through writing letters. Do not also forget to mention the website of your business.

5. With the use of your website, you can give one of your specialty products for free once a month. Your expenses with this will surely be covered.

6. Networking is important. You can ask your lawyer, accountant or even your clergy to introduce you to other people.

7. As much as possible, go around and meet as many people as you can. Try to collect business card as you mingle with other people. Immediately call or e-mail that people that you meet for follow up. Your thoroughness will be noticed especially these days wherein people seldom do follow ups.

8. Instead of giving one business card, make it three; one for the person you meet and the two others are for other people they know who may need your products or services. Though this gesture can make them think, but sometimes this can result to real referrals.

9. Inquire to other people the status of their business and ask if your business could be of help to their business at the moment.

10. With the use of Blogger.com owned by Google, you can publish your own blogs. You can also increase your own Google rankings by linking to your own site. This wont cost you anything for it is totally free.

11. Most civic groups meet weekly which mean that they would need 50 speakers in a year. You can offer yourself to be one of their speakers.

12. Definitely, other businesses complement your business. You can team up with the owner of these businesses and do joint promotions with them.

13. Your website should have a â€œtell a friendâ€ button which will promote viewers to impart your site to others.

14. Commit your self in saying something useful at every public meeting.

15. For others who frequently do business with you, you can write them thank you letters. These letters, if displayed or shown to others can also be a way of marketing.

16. Post bold fliers to places where your prospects usually lurk. Place your contact information at the bottom part of the flier which should be tear-off tabs so the prospects can tear it and get your contact details.

17. Information about what you offer should be placed in a dramatic handout.

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Success Story from TV Shopping

PinoyBusiness — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:04:50 +0000

TV shopping has evolved into a giant. Though still a lot of people are wondering why a home shopping network would be a marketing place for anyone, it is now a fact that home shopping networks are the perfect place to start and enhance a business.

Make Millions on QVC author, Nick Romer said that his impression in the beginning about HSN is that it is some kind of a late night joke found on Saturday Night Live. He didnâ€™t think anyone would trust HSN and buy anything from them. Now, QVC and HSN with its billions of revenue and an audience of nearly 100 million, Romer, who has also found his unusual success through selling arts and crafts products on QVC, has changed his perception.

With the success of QVC and HSN, the demand for convenient shopping and the affordable yet quality products have also increased. Celebrities joining the action on home shopping donâ€™t hurt the companyâ€™s image. In 2007, actress Tori Spelling and celebrity fashion stylist Wayne Scot Lukas started their lines on HSN. In addition to HSNâ€™s cool factor is its strategic partnership with Elle magazine and Sephora. On the side of QVC, Jessica Simpson and Heidi Klum had engaged with them. Also in 2007, QVC teamed up with Oprah Winfrey where they obtained submissions from more than 6,000 investors.

Way to Success

To address issues that celebrity vendors have advantages on the market, Marilyn Montross, QVCâ€™s director of vendor relations, said that with the customers love of the kind of innovative product that vendor base are bringing to QVC, the company is open and is eager in looking for entrepreneurs to do business with. She said that customers are also interested with the back story that entrepreneurs come with.

Time allotted waiting to be discovered varies. It can be short or long. A simple phone call to HSNâ€™s CEO gave Feltheimer, 42 years old, an opportunity to present to the network her concept.

There was also an instance where fame wasnâ€™t even solicited like in the case of Laura Geller. More than a decade ago, Geller ended up networking with QVCâ€™s head of health and beauty which happened when she attended a networking event for professionals in the industry of cosmetics. It started with an on air demonstration of a three-piece face structuring kit that can aid women to look more polished and defined, and is now among the highest three color cosmetic brand on QVC- US and is one of the highest ten brands on QVC- UK, the Laura Geller Makeup.

On the other hand, for the inventors of FoldzFlat pen, Barry Farber and Gary Johnson, it took couple of years and numbers of phone call before the got the go signal from QVC. The Entrepreneur columnist, Faber, said that he got rejected by different buyers. But it didnâ€™t stop him from selling his pen which can be folded flat to the size of a credit card. From the â€œwhysâ€ that he asked from every buyer that rejected him which he took note of, and after tweaking the product accordingly, in November of 2006 the two had achieved their goal on QVC. In less than four minutes, their product sold more than 7, 000 units.

Polishing your Product

Despite discovering the formula of QVC through hard ways, Faber learned that in QVC, people know what they want, know what works, and know that a product needs to be unique, demonstrable, convenient, and valuable having a lot of benefits to them. These clues are what he used in making it to the top. He used this in their own product. By offering two pens, a gold and a silver tone, packaged in an attractive gift box, he was able to increased its value.

Montros said that in QVC, they find products that is new, different, enhanced and something that canâ€™t be found anywhere. Though, it may not be an exclusive product sold only on QVC, he said that in lots of cases, it becomes an advantage.

On the part of HSN, Lynne Ronon, HSNâ€™s vice president of merchandising said that what works for HSN is somehow similar to what works for QVC. They look for a product that is unique, is visual with a broad appeal, and with a story to tell. He added that the product must not compete with other products that already exist at HSN.

How to get into the network may be one of the goals but it doesnâ€™t stop there. Being able to stay on top of the consumersâ€™ mind is another. Keeping updated with the needs of the consumer is what Geller does to be on top of the mind of her consumers. She had created makeup lines that can be applied in a simple way. Geller said that new products are what the consumers always want, so she continuously develops products that are eye-catching.

Success Leads to Success

Riding on someoneâ€™s success can bring into another success. In case of HSN, it has kept other businesses afloat. Faltheimer became successful with her fashion business through riding the coattails of HSN. Despite several inquiries from retailer who wants to stock her product, she opted to remain doing business with HSN saying that with HSN her business can prevent having further complications.

On the other hand, others consider QVC or HSN as just one part of the ladder to success. Geller was able to launch her makeup line in Sephora, has regular appearance in QVC-UK, and now has her own studio in New York, which all started because of QVC.

Farber kept the momentum of his success through a kidâ€™s version of Foldz-Flat pen. This was made possible through a deal with Sandylon Sticker Design, a sticker company which produced and promoted Snappy Writers. Farber said, “Success breeds success, once you’re on and you have success, you need to make sure you leverage that.” Before each appearance on QVC, he sends email to all his contact to spread words of his success.
Perseverance and unwavering determination might all it takes to get a big break and overcome the challenges on making a debut on a home shopping network. Romer said that your life can be changed with the simplest concept that you have

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Basics of Low-Cost Advertising

PinoyBusiness — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:05:21 +0000

Entrepreneurs acknowledge the importance of advertisements. But some of the common problems they encounter are the ways to advertise with a minimal budget and the location where these advertisements should be placed yet still attain a great response.

Low cost advertising can be achieved by following these guidelines:

Identification of the best advertising tool- There are businesses which utilize the classified ads effectively while others find the distribution of fliers as the most effective way of advertising their business. Depending on the business type that you have is what should be considered in the way you are going to do your advertisement.
For example, local newspaper ads are effective for restaurants because most of the time, its patrons are within the local area. Advertisements on the back of the receipts are effective for supermarket as scanning the receipts enable you to reveal the ads to other people.

Analyze the efficiency of a tool- Before pursuing and starting to spend on an advertisement, determine firs if:

â€¢ The medium that you will use will enable the communication of your message on times the you need it
â€¢ The format you use will provide adequate information to cue customers to call to set an appointment, order the product that you sell or ask for supplementary information
â€¢ The cost of the medium is fair enough for the number of people that will reach the advertisement
â€¢ The distribution recipients include the numbers of your targeted audience

Survey inexpensive advertising opportunities- Regardless if you are a full- retailer or just a service business with a retail center, you should go after the agreement with the manufacturer of cost-sharing of the advertising programs called co-op advertising.
Cable TV advertising is another option with its low cost and with its easily available ability to pinpoint neighborhood and demographic groups. The effectiveness with the use of this type of medium can be verified by obtaining feedbacks from the local businesses that you see advertising using this medium. For some business, direct-mail postcards work well but wonâ€™t be effective if the person to whom you mailed it is not interested with your offerings. Then, you can just use this as a tool for making follow-ups. You can also consider bartering your merchandise and services to advertising outlets that are interested. Other option is by giving freebies with an imprint of your business name or message.

You can use special reference codes to your ads to track its effectiveness or inquire to each contact about how they come up to your product/services. Monitoring the effectiveness of your advertising is necessary to ensure that you are not throwing away money.

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How to Stimulate the 5 Senses of a Filipino Consumer

PinoyBusiness — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:57:05 +0000

Using convincing descriptions is the key to effective copywriting. This makes the Filipino customers think that an advertisement of your product is already a part of their lives. To personalize a product and give its meaning, a copywriter uses abundant adjectives and phrases. Copywrites that has become successful uses descriptor that stimulates the five senses of the consumers- sense of touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing.

Though consumers can not have a first hand experience of your product being advertised, they can still hear or see it. This is the simple reason why a copy must stimulate the five senses of your consumer. Allowing the consumer to see the product, hear it, smell it, taste it, and touch it in their subconscious mind as if they really have the product at hand is what an effective copy does. The responsibility of a copywriter is to stimulate the five senses of their customer by creating the user experience.

The use of fairly common descriptive words can provide a huge difference in terms of stimulating a consumerâ€™s sense. Comparing two advertisements: â€œA Taste of a Japanese Restaurant that creates appetizing mealsâ€ and â€œAt a Taste of Japanese Restaurant, you are going to a treat of a mouth-watering entrees and decadent desserts. Reading the latter advertisement would make you want more to experience its offering. The second example also creates a sensory experience, making it more interesting than the first one. This was made possible by stimulating the sense of sight and taste with the addition of descriptive words

In times that you will be engaging to gaps due to the medium being used for the advertisement, the gaps should be filled by the copy. Though, not all senses should be stimulated, just focus on the strongest sense that will have a big impact on your advertisement base on the target audience, the medium used and the objective of each specific ad. The most convincing sensory experience for the clients should be created through a short copy with the best message about your product or service.

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An Inexpensive yet Efficient Way of Advertising

PinoyBusiness — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:00:22 +0000

People are spending money for advertising thinking it is one way to invite customers. They are trying everything from advertising in local newspapers to giving fliers to all the possible places. Yet, often times this advertisement doesnâ€™t result to an assured return of investments nor even just provide a simple increase of customers. This reason leads people to seek answers on their questions on how advertisements would be efficient without costing them too much.

The key to an efficient advertisement is the message. The problem with advertisement most of the time is not the media used but the thing being used to advertise. Advertisements in Yellow Pages or whatever medium it is shouldnâ€™t be done yet until you have figured out the right message to share to your listeners that would work effectively in your advertisements.

A grand opening line is how a great advertisement begins with. At all times, the first mental image (FMI) should be paid attention. FMI is important because it is what your targeted customers will see clearly in their mind. An opening line which doesnâ€™t show instantly that it modifies such as â€œA huge, beautiful, wonderfulâ€¦â€ is a bad advertisement compare to â€œA park- huge, beautiful and wonderful will soon be open.â€ The latter example allows customer to imagine your advertisement more and directly.

Avoid what most advertisements do, which allows flow of their advertisement up to one third of the script before revealing their FMI. It would be a lot better if you would just go direct to the point. Remove everything that takes place before the FMI to more easily captivate the attention of your listener.

Action words especially those that leave marks, are big. Use unusual action words. Donâ€™t let anyone think that the advertisement is coming from a junior high poet with using too many adjectives/modifiers. Instead of using modifiers, bombard it with action words.

Editing of advertisement is another important thing. Editing should be done by other person, not the one who made the work himself. Your editor should be someone who would not spare how you feel but will say anything for the improvement of the work.

If FMI is important, the last mental image (LMI) is as important as well. To complete the mental circuit, you would want the LMI to ring back to the FMI. This would also allow a deeper embarking of the message into the mind of your listener.

Though one of the goals of your advertisement is to make your listeners/viewers/readers to imagine doing what you want them to do- taking action, DONâ€™T USE the word â€œimagineâ€ or other words which suggest the same meaning. Your purpose is to cause your customer to imagine and not to tell them to imagine. This can be achieved by:

â€¢ Starting with a stunning FMI
â€¢ Elicit voluntary mental participation
â€¢ Utilize unusual verbs
â€¢ Adjectives and modifiers should be use in minimum
â€¢ Make listeners to see themselves doing action
â€¢ End with a stunning LMI

Remember that industries are built and bestsellers are written not just by merely saying what you want to say but by saying it hot!

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What is Horizontal Marketing

PinoyBusiness — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:38:44 +0000

For more than 30 years now, Chris Schneider, Honda Motorworks owner in La Crosse Winconsin, has been selling cars that are environmental friendly. Having difficulty in convincing people to shift to vehicles with alternative fuels, he has tried many strategies in marketing.

Teaming up with a real estate agent in July of 2008 made the greatest impact in his marketing strategy. Using the attention- grabbing tactic in sales the “Buy a House, Get a Free Electric Car,” captured the attention of many people. As Schneider share his story, the offer was made available on a Friday morning then resulted to three messages coming from people who are interested in the car just in the afternoon of the same day. After a month, though the house hadnâ€™t been sold yet, an increase in the number of people who visited Schneiderâ€™s office were noticed.

When two businesses having different products, joined a marketing effort to a similar clientele, it is called â€œhorizontal marketing.â€ Schneider has learned this intelligent way of increasing the customer base without having an increase on the budget for marketing.

The author of Principled Profit, Shel Horowitz said, “In the case of horizontal marketing, a competitor might be someone who overlaps with you but doesn’t duplicate your offering exactly.” She added that by pleasing clients and being able to offer broad variety of services, both businesses will benefit.

But, pleasing your customers doesnâ€™t mean giving away expensive products. Here are other innovative, creative and cost-effective ways of doing a horizontal marketing campaign.

Cross-endorsement
According to Denise Patrick, vice president for creative services of Pierpont Communications, a small company can ride in the success of a company with a stronger brand by offering some kind of promotion such as product, coupon, etc., to their customer. In an example given by Patrick, she said that if you are an owner of local miniature golf park, you can offer the big movie theater in your area with an offer of ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ tickets. In this case, it allows the movie theater to give free gifts, you gain your credibility and you give teenagers an access to a fun place to have a date.

A chiropractic office in California, OC Back and Body Doctors, founded by Dr. Desiree Edlund has a neighboring gym as its cross-endorser for seven years. She offers a discount on services for gym members. Once in a while, a representative is assigned in the gym to offer a free on site analyses of body fat. Its results are then written on Edlundâ€™s business card.

Spread out the cost
In an example which Patrick gave, a bookstore owner, with a location next to childrenâ€™s clothing store and a store of discount linen, can create an afternoon for children. Coordinating with one another, â€œBuild a Fortâ€ day can be a project where the sheets for the forts will be provided by the linen store, the costume will be provided by the childrenâ€™s store and the reading will be hosted by the bookstore.

Offer a complete-service brand experience without escalating your operating cost.
A small- business marketing consultant for two decades, Michael Hart, said that all you have to do is to anticipate what other services your customers would like to have. By recruiting eight other businesses with the same clients, Hart had helped a heating and air conditioning company by featuring them in a home services coupon catalog. All the businesses in the catalog offer different services but have one thing in common, the type of customer that they cater to.

Hart said that what he did was a success with an increase in sale by 20 percent or more for each business and an expansion of their client base while reducing the cost of their advertising and mailing expenses.

Horizontal marketing gives an opportunity to increase clientele to all types of businesses.

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3 New Edge of Advertising

PinoyBusiness — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:08:29 +0000

One of the easiest ways to target your local customers is local online advertising. With just a little time and money, there would be an extremely high return of investment through online advertising. If you donâ€™t have the ability to make an interesting offer, find someone who will do it for you. If both things arenâ€™t possible, then prepare yourself for disappointment. To have a good result, all you need is the ability in good writing. What matters in online advertising are words and the ability of the search engine to find them.

Advertising locally online can be done in three ways:

1. The website- Anticipate the words or phrases that you think surfers from your town would likely to type in a search engine and insert these into your web page copy. For example you are into a business of selling wheels and tires in a certain place. Make sure that all the brands that you are offering are listed as text. Words that are imbedded in a photo canâ€™t be read by search engines. By doing this, you attract wheel shopperâ€™s attention in the area.

Nowadays, some people have already said goodbye to the use of Yellow Pages and prefer to search using the internet. You may want to grab this opportunity as other business in your area may have not thought about putting up their own websites yet.

According to an online marketing book, â€œWaiting for Your Cat to Bark,â€ by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg which was available since June 2006, at the exact moment customers are focusing on the attention on the process of buying, the best way to gather insights into the kinds of queries they are asking is through keyword research. Keyword search is a question that customers are trying to answer.

2. News paper available locally- some local newspaper have created a localized news site for their town to cash in on the trend toward local ads online. The Austin American Statesman has published a local electronic newspaper, the Austin360.com. It has an electronic Help Wanted section which was used several times to find exceptional employees. Writing of the ad itself is the key to getting results. If and ad is all about you, what job you offer, or what the educational attainment of the applicant you are looking for are, then it is a bad classified ads. But if it speaks to the self-image the employee that you wish to hire, then it is a good classified ad. Making the right person see themselves in the ad just as if they were looking into the mirror should be the goal of a great classified ad. Also, compare to a weak classified ad, a strong classified ad uses three or four times more words. Casual language, believe it or not, is what a strong classified ad uses.

3. Localized national websites- Compare to any pure local web presence, localized national websites most of the time have more penetration into your city. With the entire local site put together, most probably you will find more traffic in Craigâ€™s List and eBay. The difference with the two sites is that with a simple click, Craigâ€™s List allows shoppers isolate to their town.

Instantly-updatable, word-driven research tools are used everyday by customers in high frequency, both localized national websites (e.g. Craigâ€™s List) and on-line search engines (e.g. Google and Yahoo!). Learn to catch up with the new edge before you find yourself left behind.

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Marketing Has Only Two Steps

PinoyBusiness — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:23:44 +0000

The lifeblood of a marketing machine are leads. Creating a two step lead machine will let you save almost everything from time, energy, to money yet allow you to generate all the qualified and permission-based leads from your customers.

Creating a free information product that your prospected target market will perceive as a valuable read or listen is the basic idea behind the two step approach. The free information product can be in the form of evaluation, checklist, newsletter or workshop. Its title should be catchy and should have a relation with your business.

STEP ONE- Let the Report Sell for you

With the value-packed information product ready, each advertising media whether it is through magazine ads, business cards, letterheads, e-mail signatures, direct mail, website, yellow pages or others, should focus on making targeted clients to request, download or pick up the report. Doing anything else with the advertising is not necessary; allow the report to work for you.

This type of tactic is found to be effective for startups for several reasons.

1. Without sharing your entire story, it allows you to draw interest from your clients

2. Your expertise can be demonstrated in a non-threatening way- your relationship with your client can begin if they take time to read and understand your report, while overcoming the fear of being sold to.

STEP TWO- Follow up with an appointment or do series of more advance mailing

Hot leads are prospects who have requested your free information. The hardest part of the sales is identifying the prospects who are interested in your business. The prospects who are visiting your website are like volunteering to be part of your prospects. All you have to do is to obtain contact information of these people and concentrating your effort on taking them and only on them, to the next step of the process.

Free reports might as well include:

Referrals- Newsletter, free report or web page can make it easier for your sources to impart your story to others and introduce your business.

Cold calling- Cold calling is indeed should never be done, but if ever a need to do this comes, remember that it should only be done by calling the prospects on your list and simply offer them address where to find your power-packed free info instead of persuading them to spare you five minutes of their time. That simple! Yet you will have a more productive prospecting time!

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4 Tips and Reasons for Failed Marketing

PinoyBusiness — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:26:13 +0000

The impact of a marketing is lost if customers donâ€™t give it a warm welcome. Entrepreneurs are passionate not only to their business but to their customers as well. They want to understand the impact of their marketing to the customers. Unwelcome marketing as a result of inexperience is something that they wanted to avoid. So, they try to follow their first rule, to do no harm.

Below are some guidelines to ensure that your marketing will have a good reception and builds a stronger relationship with your customers. Following these guides will also create a feedback loop, keep you away from over-communication and boost your customer base.

1. It is all about the customer- Holding on to your customer is the simple underlying message of businesses may it be small or large entrepreneurship. Treating your customers as if they are valued, listening to their wants, guaranteeing them that your business will continue and continuing to be in contact to them are the most important things businesses can do nowadays. Informational content rather than just promotional content should be the focus of your communication as it adds value to the customers.

2. Grow your list- catching the attention of new customers would cost you more than keeping one. Ensure that the customers know that important information about your business is available because most probably, they might want one. Remember that every single connection is important, whether it is through phone, online or in person, so either way, make sure that you obtain information on how you can contact them like their email address. Through this you can develop your relationship with your customers. Present to them information that is useful and meaningful about your promotions, upcoming products, events that your business will have or other special offers for the product or services that they are already patronizing. Inform them about what to expert more from your business. Before adding them to any of your distribution list, do not forget to ask for permission.

3. Create a feedback loop- communication is very important especially in times like this where the economy is shaky. Personal conversation and feedback from the customers would be a great help. You can go beyond what they expect, recognize their doing of business with you and express your gratitude for their patronage. Aside from the traditional one-on-one conversation you can also use surveys to determine the status of your particular program or product. Insights on how you can satisfy your customers can be achieved through a simple question from your walk-in customers or a call. The feedbacks that you get must be integrated in what you do.

What you hear from your customers should be placed in your heart. A customer will feel a sense of ownership and pride to see that what they have told you adds to the success of the business. New customers can be sourced out from passionate customers who may serve as evangelist of your business.

4. Balance the need to communicate- Over-communicating is the risk of the need to communicate and can be damaging just like the effect of too little communication. It is important that a business know how to balance it. It is important that you communicate purposefully and sensibly. An example is an e-mail marketing wherein high â€œunsubscribeâ€ rates will be the result of over-communication. The value of your list can diminish overtime because of this. To measure the effectiveness of a program, you can use e-mail open rates or other metrics and a communication calendar which can help supervise the frequency of communications.

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Advantages and Disadvantages when Using Social Media for Your Business

PinoyBusiness — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:25:47 +0000

The â€œknow-howâ€ entrepreneurs are finding ways to market their businesses through social media. You know why? Simply because of these figures: in March of this year, 61.2 million visited Facebook; in April of this same year, Twitter boomed to 3,000 percent. In addition to this attraction, social media can be accessed for free which means, a free access to potential clients.

But there is a question if social media is a suitable way of advertising your business and considering the time to be spent in maintaining this type of advertisement. Is social media a costless substitute for the conventional and expensive advertising plan?

Business strategist Olivier Blanchard, who is also the principal of The Brand Builder Marketing, said that traditional advertising and marketing is still alive. With an advocacy of integrating social media and traditional marketing and advertising plan, he said that combining the two will give your business a healthy mix, an expansion of marketing.

Sarah Granger, founder of Public Edge which is a technology communications strategy firm, promotes having a solid website, e-mail list, and contact base; depending on the type of business, for small organizations prior to engaging in social media.

BLOGS

Blogging can build customer loyalty according to Kristi Colvin, chief creative officer at We Heart and Twitterface. She believes that blogging can disseminate information about a company and be a ladder to brand attachment. A significant aspect of great customer service is having a real relationship with your customers and inviting their perspective. And this, according to Colvin can be achieved by blogging.

In order to have a boost in the ranking in search engine, blogs should be refreshed regularly. An hour to two will be enough to make a post. Blanchard said that in order to maximize regular working hours, writing can be done during evenings or on weekends.

TWITTER

Before, Granger used to advise starting with a blog first but now she said that companies should get on Twitter first. Many customers prefer a personal touch and this can be possible by connecting with them through Twitter. Keeping it up with an on going conversation can be a lot easier with the use of mobile tools such as Tweetie and Tweetdeck. In such way, tweeting entrepreneurs can manage his time yet still be able to announce the companyâ€™s new product or promotion.

Colvin said that entrepreneurs who have built a network have the added bonus of â€œinstant answers to questions, feedback on brand elements, product ideas, etc.,â€ all because of Twitterâ€™s rapid-fire conversation.

YOUTUBE

Another fast way to test the market is by uploading a short clip on Youtube. Steven Weathers said that to find your place in the market, freebies should be released, then look for the demand and make the product. Weathers used Youtube in documenting his adventures in China.

With his videos, Weathers who is the founder of American English Circle and producer and host of Foreign Perspective, gives Westerners a quick look about life in Asia and help the Chinese learn English.

Weathers suggest watching some viral videos to learn how to create a good content. He said that by posting video clips in Youtubes, wider audience can be reached compare to a network TV.

On LinkedIn, you can easily post collected recommendations. An online career history and connection to others they have worked with can be done by creating a profile. Having recommendation whether it is from a former colleague or present client, may help convince potential customers as well as investors.

Kimberly LeRiche of JK Virtual Office Resources said that LinkedIn gives an opportunity of connection to others who are looking for partners or collaborator. Open discussion threads and special interest groups are the additional social networking capabilities that LinkedIn has incorporated.

Weather says that time is money depending on how you manage it. With this social media such as Twitter and Facebook, time wasted before is now can be spent doing and promoting business.
As for Blanchard, the true value of social media, regardless on the platform, is found on the message.

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How to Deal with Press Release Disasters

PinoyBusiness — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:45:28 +0000

Press Releases has never been good; in fact, it could be destructive to startup especially during a launch. It is necessary to learn how to handle it before it result to any damage.

Samantha DiGennaro, founder of a PR and strategic communications agency the DiGennaro Communications LLC, said that if a peeved customer or business competitor begins spreading humors that are harmful to the business, donâ€™t just react spontaneously without thinking. Instead, what you should do is to take it all in, take a deep breath and plan the course of action that you are going to take.

Identify details of the rumors that are being made against your business and the medium that is being used may it be through emails, blogs or other medium. Retaliation on blog anonymously could be tempting but could result to negative effect and even worsen your publicity.

DiGennaro advised to allow a few days before responding to the issue and as much as possible, use the same medium that the detractors used. People would understand that you are not hiding anything if you are expansive about the issue. About three to five key messages must be prepared and you can communicate to the influencers in your industry and solicit their help in building up your companyâ€™s positive image. DiGennarro added that reversing the negative impression is a good way.

The president of an advertising firm and an image specialist, Ryan Prucker, said that if the feedbacks coming from the customers are negative, you should discover if there are some truths to it and determine the way how the situation can be rectified. It would also be necessary to identify if a change should be done to the core. He added that one should balance listening and acting and be firm to oneâ€™s core values and beliefs.

Prucker emphasized that the key to survive negative press is finalizing the branding message before starting a business. . He said, “Unless you know what you stand for and really have it mapped out, it’s easy for others to knock you off the block”

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How Can a Blog Improve Your Business

PinoyBusiness — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:40:15 +0000

A blog is a way of sharing information and a means of interacting with customers to boost your business and remain on top of the industry. You can improve peopleâ€™s awareness of your company and brand by attracting audience to share expertise, ideas, information, and content, that is if it is done correctly. On the other hand, a blog can point your customer towards your competitorsâ€™ product rather than your own and feel disappointed with your product if the blog is not done correctly. Here are ways how you can influence on a blog.

1. Create consumers that are also your friends (friend-sumers) -- the blog of your company should allow visitors to post testimonials, questions, feedback, and comments as well as be part of surveys. The blog of your company, product or services should provide news, information, or advice; all to the interest of your customers. You can gain useful feedback and have online audience by interacting with the customers using an informal, non-sales approach.
2. Provide special customer support- an online forum which will allow customers to post questions can be supplemental to existing technical support and customer service of the company. With proper operation, the companyâ€™s personalized technical support and customer service can considerably be cut of the expenses. Bloggers can be recruited from frequent user of the comment section to further amplify the content of your blog.
3. Enhance your credibility- Your earning potential can be increased by having an expert status. You can achieve expert status by sharing your thoughts, experiences, insights and knowledge. With your expert status, you can attract new customers.
4. Expand your exposure- your legitimacy and exposure can be built through your information published on different blogs by independent bloggers whom you can asked to write reviews and articles about your company.

For a blog to be successful, remember these two things:

â€¢ The goals and objectives of your blog must be clearly defined with your exact target audience determined.

â€¢ Build your audience and figure out how the flow of traffic to your blog be driven steadily. One of the major reasons why bloggers fail is having expectations that are not realistic about how fast and simple driving traffic to a new blog will be for you.

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Tips for Online Advertising in the Philippines

PinoyBusiness — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:07:06 +0000

With the continuous growth of technology in the Philippines, it has also become an alternative way of advertising. In fact, more people shifted from watching televisions into watching online videos. In a report by eMarketer on consumer media habits in U.S., the number of viewers of online advertising video grew to 67.2 percent in 2008 compare to 59.6 percent of internet users in 2007. By the year 2012, it expected to grow even more up to 80 percent.

Though there is no track yet on the return of investments coming from online advertising, it is a fact that people are watching online advertisements of both large and small business. Here are some advices on how to start an online advertisement.

1. Get targeted- advertising should provide information to the viewer rather than simply interrupts what they are watching. In order to be highly targeted, your online video must deliver its content very well. Compare to viewers from television, viewer of online videos move faster that is, an advertisement can do more harm than good to a brand if the viewer finds it irrelevant. To ensure maximum return of investment, you can seek the help ad networks and serving companies.
2. Donâ€™t be conventional- for an online advertisement to be effective and survive the competition, it must be out-of-the-box. Online advertising should be innovative rather than conventional. Creativity is important. You must remember that television and online advertisements are two different things. Effective advertisements in television may not be as effective if used on line.

Using a less than 15 seconds â€œpre-rollâ€ or a video which appear prior to the start of an online video is better than using your television commercial which would be longer. You can also use the top or bottom part of an online video by placing in it an overlay of animation that can be clicked by the viewer for additional information.

3. Integrate- In order to attain utmost success and effectiveness, an online advertising must be part of an integrated marketing plan. It shouldnâ€™t be a single effort. Your online advertising should be creative and the first to catch consumersâ€™ attention rather than a follower of a trend. To develop a seamless, targeted message that will increase the response rates, an online ad should work with the other marketing efforts.