REICH COMMUNICATIONS

Super Bowl = Super Ad Showcase

 

CBS says ads for Super Bowl LIII are more than 90 percent sold out, with just over two weeks to go.  And title sponsorships have been sold for each hour of pre-game and post-game shows.

Marketers are shelling out more than $5.2 million for a 30-second spot.

CBS expects the extravaganza in Atlanta to bring in $500 million, topping the $414 million that NBC earned for last year's Super Bowl.

Understandably, CBS will milk the event for all they can get.  Starting at 11:30 a.m. eastern, with seven hours of pre-game shows.  They'll be covering the game with 115 cameras, including four with live augmented reality graphics.  CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus says the broadcast "will look as innovative as any broadcast in history."

For many people, Super Bowl is as much about the ads as it's about the football.  Top advertisers this year are automotive, beer and beverage, movie studios and technology companies.  Returningf advertisers include Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, Doritos, Avocados from Mexico (even with tariffs), and WeatherTech.

 

 

Going to Pot

TV news this morning showed long lines of people in the rain as they waited for the first legal recreational marijuana shops to open in Massachusetts, the latest state to make recreational pot legal.  It's the first state east of the Mississippi that's gone legal, although several more are expected to follow in the coming years.

As a child of the '60s, I sometimes wonder why it's taken so long.  Back in the day, it seemed like the majority of young people smoked pot.  Many of us thought as our generation became adults and took the reigns of power in business and in politics, pot would eventually become legal.  We knew it wouldn't be overnight, but nearly 50 years?

In grad school, I wrote a paper on how the big tobacco companies would market pot once it became legal, and I recall some research that showed Big Tobacco already had taken copyrights on brand names like Acapulco Gold.  Back then, experts were saying pot would be legal in about ten years.

Two years ago, while in Seattle on business, I walked past a pot store.  Curious, I went inside, expecting to walk into a dark and smoky den.  Instead, it was brightly lit with beautiful displays and counter and after counter of cannabis products and related paraphernalia.  The saleswoman, nicely dressed, could tell I was overwhelmed and asked what kind of high I was looking for.

What kind of high?  Huh?

She explained there were products that would relax me, make me feel wide awake, give me the munchies and lots of other types of effects.  I bought a chocolate bar that was supposed to make me feel mellow.  I ate it and... nothing.

But that shopping experience was a far cry from the days when your retailer was a friend of a friend, and you never knew what to expect when you took a toke.

Adweek recently devoted an entire issue to what it called "Flower Power."  The cannabis industry is expected to grow to some $200 billion.  I'm not sure if R.J. Reynolds or whatever else remains of the big tobacco companies have any holdings in cannabis companies, but Constellation Brands, which has Corona and Modello among the beer brands it imports, recently offered $4 billion to buy Canopy Growth, a Canadian cannabis producer that is the world's largest, producing mainly medical marijuana at this point. Clearly, Constellation sees some real potential in the marketplace. 

I did some publicity about two years ago for a guy who wrote a book called Pot Luck that explained and extolled the benefits of medical marijuana.  It was a good read and did a good job explaining how herbal alternatives including cannabis often -- but not always -- offered relief or cures where traditional medicine didn't.

As someone who works in the traffic safety field, I am also seeing evidence of more crashes in states where pot has become legal.  Unlike when you're drunk, you can be high and still manage -- or think you're managing -- to drive safely.  But reaction time is slowed and if something happens quickly on the road, a high driver -- an impaired driver -- may have a problem.

So I think that, along with legalization, should come a public education campaign to make drivers aware of the dangers of driving while high.  We've done it for alcohol over he years, so why not help people understand the risks of driving while high.  It can help those who want to indulge do it safely, without putting everyone else on the road at risk.

 

 

What We Do: Vision Zero Cites Conference

 

Some 350 leading traffic safety experts, advocates, elected officials and members of the public from across the nation and around the world are meeting at Columbia University’s Lerner Hall today, Nov. 7, to share best practices for preventing traffic deaths and injuries.  It's the fourth Vision Zero Cities conference, presented by Transportation Alternatives. 

 

I'm proud to say I've been invited to be part of a panel, talking about ways to get young people involved in traffic safety messaging.  I'll be talking about our work for The National Road Safety Foundation, which sponsors several contests that encourage young people to create messages about teen driving issues like distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding and drowsy driving.  We'll explain how we've developed partnerships with youth advocacy groups, schools and media to get kids involved in the important work of saving lives on our roads.

 

Vision Zero is a multi-national traffic safety project that aims to achieve a highway system with no fatalities or serious injuries.  It started in Sweden 20 years ago and is now in dozens of American cities including New York.

Trick or Treat

 

Americans will spend $9 billion on Halloween this year, says the National Retail Federation.

The group’s annual Halloween spending survey found 70 percent of us will celebrate, whether partying, attending parades or hayrides, trick-or-treating or just staying be at home handing out candies and goodies to goblins who come to the front door.

For kids, the favorite costumes will again be princesses for girls and super-heroes for boys.  Adults who dress up will favor witches, vampires, zombies and, of course, sexy nurses.  Even pets get in the act, with bumble bees, hot dogs and pumpkins expected to be the most popular doggie outfits.

The average store-bought costume runs about $45, the National Retail Federation says.

When I was a trick-or-treater, back in medievel times, most kids made their costumes -- usually helped by their moms.  I remember going as a ghost (in an old bed sheet), a hobo (in dirty tattered clothes and smudged makeup on my face), a witch (with a mop head for hair and a homemade cone hat).  The only store-bought item might have been a mask.

 

                                                             My grandpup Martin in costume

One year I went as a robot.  I had rescued a big cardboard carton, maybe from a refrigerator, and Mom  helped me cut out holes for my arms and head.  Dials and gauges were made from tin foil and my face was covered with silver-colored makeup.  It was pretty impressive.

But as I tried to get through the front door, I got stuck.  Although we had been able to squeeze the carton through when it was empty, once I was in it with my arms sticking out, it was too wide. 

It definitely hampered my candy collecting, but it was a Halloween I still remember.

It should be interesting to see how many, if any, homemade costumes I see in my doorway tonight.

 

A cautionary note: NHTSA says kids are twice as likely to get hit by a car on Halloween, so drive carefully and stay alert.

 

 

Shorter is Better - For TV Ads

Shorter TV ads get more viewer attention than longer ones.  That's what research recently reported by Television News Daily says.

Ten-second ads get about ten percent more attention than 30-second spots, and 20 percent more than 60-second ads.

This doesn't seem like earth-shaking news.  To me, it sort of stands to reason.  A shorter ad is less of an intrusion. 

The challenge, though, for a shorter ad is you have less time to draw and hold the viewer's attention, and less time to get across a convincing marketing message.  Shorter ads might be used in combination with the more traditional 30s or 60s, which have the time to get across the marketing pitch, while the short 10-second spots can serve to keep the brand name out there and possibly remind viewers of the longer ads that have the full marketing info.

We've been seeing short ads -- some even less than 10 seconds -- on the internet for years as pre-roll for online content.  But for those online ads to be seen, marketers need to hook the viewer in the first few seconds so he or she will want to keep watching, rather than click on "Skip Ad."  That's where real creativity comes in... or not.

 

Ads We Like and Those We Hate

 

My wife is participating in a focus group and as a prep question she was asked to list some ads she likes and some she doesn't like. 

We talked about it and we both agreed we love the "Dog Tested" campaign Subaru is running, showing dogs in various situations.  I could watch those ads over and over and, in fact, I've stopped the fast-forward on our DVR so I could watch one of those ads for perhaps the 20th time.

The other question was: what ads do we hate?

Two insurance ads topped out list.  Aflac, for the annoying Aflac duck.  At least they don't use Gilbert Gotfried's grating voice any more, but the voice is still annoying. 

The other ads are the seemingly non-stop pitches from Geico.  Some are funny the first time and maybe even the second time.  But Geico, which is by far TV's biggest advertiser, has them running all the time and everywhere, it seems.  So we hate them because of overexposure.

Now to the key question... Would I buy a Subaru because of the ads, and would I not buy coverage from Geico or Aflac for the same reason?  Hard to say, since many other factors would be in play.  For a car, it would be things like price range, style and comfort, reputation.  For insurance, it would be price and reputation -- reputation not based on the ads but on word-of-mouth regarding how they respond when you have a claim.  But, all other things being equal, I would avoid a company whose ads I hate.  I've done it before with banks.

 

 

 

A major source of info for consumers - PR

 

Articles, features and reviews in the media, including in social media, are a major factor in consumers' purchase decisions.  And much of it results from public relations initiatives – good old publicity.

A new study by Audience Audit, reported in Adweek, says news articles, many generated through PR, are considered by 22 percent of people as a source of information about products. 

The most common source of information comes from online searches, at 66 percent. The second-leading source of information, at 62 percent, is paid advertising -- 37 percent from ads in traditionally media and 25 percent from ads online.

Word of mouth from friends (real ones, not online friends) is the third biggest source of information, at 45 percent.  Word of mouth from family members accounts for 46 percent, and the most common source of information comes from online searches, at 66 percent.

The second-leading source of information, at 62 percent, is paid advertising -- 37 percent from ads in traditionally media and 25 percent from ads online.

Ads, of course, can be costly, especially in print and on TV, while public relations is a relative bargain.  It should usually be a part of a company's marketing mix.

Swoosh

Most brands work hard to avoid controversy, which means they often come off as plain vanilla -- staying quietly in a safe space.

Nike, though, has plunged right into a red-hot polarizing issue, and I think they'll come out ahead long-term.

 

The iconic footwear/athleticwear company, which had maintained its endorsement relationship with controversial football star/pariah Colin Kaepernick, has gone a big step further -- featuring the embattled player in its new ad campaign that celebrates 30 years of the "Just Do It" ad slogan.  The new ad with a close-up of Kaepernick, has the headline "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

The tweeter-in-chief could not, of course, sit quietly on the sidelines for this, and his divisive comments have brought even more attention to the new campaign.  Ad experts estimate Nike has so far received $43 million worth of publicity -- nearly half of it positive, about 20 percent neutral and a quarter negative. 

Among the brand's key demographic -- 18 to 34-year olds -- 56 percent felt on-field protests like what Kaepernick was fired for are appropriate.

Not surprisingly, social media is ablaze with calls to boycott Nike products.  But many online and in surveys are praising the company and say they will buy more Nike products to support its bravery and its standing on principles they agree with.

In the face of the presidential bluster on Twitter, the NFL issued a statement in support of Nike and Kaepernick.  "The NFL believes in dialogue, understanding and unity.  We embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities.  The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action," the statement said.

Calling attention to the troubling and complex issue of alleged police brutality, especially in minority communities, is a good thing.  It is not an act of disrespect to our flag, our national anthem or our military, as some would have us think as a way to confuse the issue. It is simply a quiet and peaceful way to call attention to a real issue that we as a society need to deal with.

 

 

 

Brick & Mortar

 

 

It’s hardly news that the retail business has been struggling, as online shopping has become more convenient and more commonplace. 

Some retail segments have been devastated by online retailing.  When was the last time you booked airline tickets or a hotel stay at a storefront travel agency?   

Other segments have tried to stay in the game by lowering prices, chopping margins down to the bone.  But that doesn't work out well, as online competitors can also drop prices without having to carry the costly overhead of workers and rent.

So some brick & mortar retailers are trying things that only brick & mortar stores can do… special events that involve shoppers hands-on.   Even though grocery retailers haven’t suffered the onslaught of online, with 90 percent of women saying they still prefer to buy groceries in a store, food stores bring customers in with lots of in-store activities like food and beverage tastings and cooking and other product demos.

Eighty-seven percent of shoppers surveyed by PopSugar, as reported in ADWEEK, want food samplings at their grocery stores, and 59 percent say they’ll go to a store for a cooking class.

Book retailers (those few that remain in business) also do lots of in-store events – author readings and book signings, cooking demos and experts talking about a variety of subjects covered in books that are for sale right there on the shelves.

Some retail sectors are losing the battle, though, as 63 percent of women say they now buy fashion and accessories online and 54 percent prefer to shop online for beauty and cosmetics products.   Even the consumer electronics and tech sectors are not immune, with 59 percent of women saying they now buy those products online.  Ironically, they often go to the brick & mortar stores to see what’s available and get info from the salespeople before they go home and place an order online for a better price and/or free delivery right to their doorstep.

It’s a real battle, but many brick & mortar retailers can shift it in their favor by offering outstanding customer service, a liberal returns policy and lots of interesting and relevant in-store events.  Those things cost money, but I think smart retailers will see it as a smart investment to bring people into the stores and build customer engagement and loyalty.

Internships - Working for Pay or for Free?

 

Several years ago I wrote a post here advocating pay for interns.  I mentioned how when I used interns, I always paid them, at the very least to cover their lunch and transportation.  I remember it caused a falling-out with a colleague in the office who had two interns who wrote and edited for her beauty blog, for which she got paid by advertisers while the interns, who worked there full-time, got nothing except some free product samples.

At the time, many PR agencies, including large ones, used unpaid interns.

That always bothered me.  Supposedly, an internship is a chance to learn about a business and gain hands-on experience. But from what I saw, many interns learned little more than how to stuff envelopes or do mundane filing and word-processing.  They got little, if any, real instruction about strategy of PR work or how to improve their writing skills.

When I had interns, I took the time to discuss a project, put it into a broader context and explained the hows and whys of what PR people do.  When I gave them back edited news releases, I sat with them and explained why I had made the edits.

I'm happy to see that the free internships are a bit less common these days.  A story in today's Wall Street Journal says that 43 percent of internships are unpaid, down from more than 50 percent five years ago. 

The story gives examples of young people who turned down unpaid internships and, weeks or months later found internships for which they were paid.  It tells how one New York consultancy began paying interns after schools stopped sending candidates for unpaid positions.

It's only fair, I feel.  Even though interns are hopefully learning and gaining valuable workplace experience, they are doing work for which the employer is being paid.  Some of that income should go to the people doing the work.  It gives greater value to what they're doing as they learn.