Subway’s “Jared” ad campaign

Advertising agencies are known for creativity and “big ideas.” But good ad agencies place just as much emphasis on listening and researching. Effective ad campaigns usually aren’t based on luck or productive brainstorming sessions — there’s a foundation of understanding the company that fosters creative cultivation.

In 1983, when advertising mogul David Ogilvy wrote the book Ogilvy on Advertising, he paid homage to the tedious studying involved before launching successful ad campaigns. He wrote:

“When I got the Rolls-Royce account, I spent three weeks reading about the car and came across a statement that ‘at sixty miles an hour, the loudest noise comes from the electric clock.’ This became the [print advertisement] headline.”

Later, Ogilvy landed the Mercedes account and sent a team to the company’s headquarters for three weeks to tape interviews with the engineers. That launched a campaign of in-depth, factual advertisements, which helped triple Mercedes sales in the U.S.

Along the same line, listening is equally important. In the book Made to Stick, authors Dan and Chip Heath point to the example of how a Subway franchise owner took notice of a loyal customer who ate Subway sandwiches every day and lost a lot of weight. The owner suggested that Subway’s Chicago ad agency look into the idea. Luckily, they listened because the suggestion was the foundation for the hugely successful Jared campaign.

These examples demonstrate that ideas aren’t always born within ad agencies’ walls. It takes rolling up your sleeves, customer and competitive research, and listening to everyone.

So although inspiration is a big part of the idea process, don’t overlook the perspiration involved. Advertising agencies like to hang their hats on creativity — not sweat — but don’t be fooled.

While last year’s updated AP Stylebook focused largely on adding social media guidelines, the recently released 2011 book took a different turn … toward culinary terms and food trends. Designed in response to the growing number of food and restaurant writers nationwide, the new 16-page section features more than 400 food names and terms, including an official AP Recipe Style. So, for those of you who may have struggled in the past with how to correctly write “adobo sauce” or “amuse-bouche,” fret no more.

The new guide doesn’t completely deviate from last year’s social media focus and gives a nod to Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare by including “geotagging,” “geolocation,” “unfriend” and “unfollow.” And in the spirit of simplicity – similar to last year’s change from “Web site” to “website” – the edition removed spaces and hyphens from “smartphone,” “cellphone” and “email.”

Although a complete list of all the book’s changes is not available online, you can purchase the new guide through the Associated Press’ website.

What do you think about the new food inclusions? Are they necessary or not? Is there anything you would rather see make the cut?

NPR has been producing an excellent series about the communications industry. The latest segment explains how Lexicon Branding, Inc., creator of the names BlackBerry, Scion, Pentium and hundreds of other well-known brands, worked with Procter & Gamble (P&G) to pen the name for the Swiffer.

Originally, P&G wanted to call the product “EZMop,” but after much discussion, they decided to nix the word “mop” altogether in order to disassociate from the word. The Swiffer has taken off — as well as its name. The other day, my neighbor told me that her house needed a good “Swiffer cleaning.”

A product’s name is of paramount importance — and the linguistic waters can be murky. One of the classic name “fumbles” was for the Chevy Nova — “nova” in Spanish means “no-go.” It’s a good reminder that research (even in all languages) should be an integral part of a naming process.

Experts agree that branding is more than a name or a logo … and a logo isn’t a brand unless it’s on a cow. But, a good name can help reinforce your brand’s promise.

In the NPR story, Diane Prange, chief linguist for Strategic Name Development, says the stakes are high in the naming game: “Your name is a shortcut to your brand, and your brand is your promise. But even the naming experts agree: Keeping a promise takes a lot more than a good name.”

What are some of your favorite brand names? Personally, I like the name Google, which started out as BackRub, because the search technology checked back links to estimate a site’s importance. Could you imagine saying, “Hold on, I’ll BackRub it …” Thank goodness for productive brainstorms and naming experts.

At Costa DeVault, it’s no secret that we are big fans of Peter Shankman’s Help a Reporter Out (HARO). Dubbed the “largest source repository in the world,” HARO sends out approximately 210 media opportunities daily. For down-to-the-wire deadlines, it’s a journalist’s best friend … and a PR professional’s dream. But, with more than 120,800 active sources receiving the thrice-daily email, competition can be stiff for that coveted placement.

When you find a fitting query, having the perfect resource is just half the battle. The following are a few of our favorite HARO tips that we’ve learned from personal experience:

• Keep it short. When you mix a tight deadline with a high volume of replies, multiple paragraphs of text – while relevant and informative – might be overlooked in favor of short and to-the-point bullets. (In fact, People Magazine’s Steve Helling is a big advocate of the 250-word pitch.)

• Provide all the information. Some of the most coveted queries request particular information. Often times you’ll be asked to include common details, like the name of the source, company name and contact information. But sometimes, the reporter might want even more information – like a headshot, the source’s age or highly specific quotes and comments. When compared to another expert resource, if your email lacks any of the requested information, it might be the difference between being included and being ignored.

• Subject lines are valuable. Use them wisely. Our friends at HARO automatically add “New Pitch –” to your email’s subject line (at least when you reply to an auto-generated HARO email, like “queryxyz@”). Don’t waste valuable subject line real estate by including something similar – instead, get right to the point.

• Omit bold text to avoid “screaming.” In the past, I’ve used bold text to call out specific statistics and relevant information when responding to a HARO query. Sounds like a smart idea, right? When a reporter replied to me recently, they included my original pitch and I was surprised to see that my “courtesy” bolding had actually translated into SCARY CAPITALIZATION. Eek! Often times, people read capitalization as screaming … which is definitely not something I want to portray to a reporter.

For more best practices – from Peter, himself – visit Shankman.com. Please share your own favorite tips in the comment section below.

… For some, that is the question. When it comes to social media for your business, Shawn Vincent hit the nail on the head with this tweet:

Chances are your brand (or industry) is being talked about online. Whether it’s a compliment or complaint, it’s an opportunity to thank a loyal advocate or address a concern. To equate this to the pre-Twitter, Facebook and blogging days, think of these comments as if they were a phone call to your headquarters. But, with social media, that “call” is potentially being heard by millions of users.

Opportunity is calling. Are you picking up?

Foursquare recently launched “Foursquare for Universities,” a section of their website dedicated to connecting students, staff and alumni with their respective school. The best part about the program is that it fits naturally into what universities are already doing.

You can use Foursquare to enhance campus events. For example:

• Fall orientation? Help students get acquainted with their school by hosting a campus-wide scavenger hunt.

• First football game of the season? Offer a free university t-shirt to students who “check in.”

• Daily deals at an on-campus restaurant? Promote specials and ask for students’ feedback via Foursquare tips.

For case studies of universities getting an “A+” in Foursquare 101, check out Harvard, Stanford and Syracuse.

I’m definitely a supporter of attention-grabbing, non-traditional media to increase brand awareness, “butt” when it comes to Kentucky Fried Chicken’s recent ploy of renting “ad space” on women’s derrières to promote its Double Down sandwich, I have to wonder.

According to a recent USA Today article, “women on college campuses are being paid $500 each to hand out coupons while wearing fitted sweatpants with “Double Down” in large letters across their rear ends.”

For certain types of products, this form of marketing might be appropriate, but for fast food? Personally, seeing a logo for food on someone’s backside would not be the way I would increase market share – especially for a deep fried delight weighing in at 540 calories, 32 grams of fat and 1,380 mg of sodium.

KFC is definitely trying to refresh their brand – with grilled chicken last year and the Double Down sandwich this year. However, it doesn’t seem to be working.

Last week, KFC confirmed that more than six in 10 Americans ages 18 to 25 — the chain’s key demographic – couldn’t identify Colonel Sanders, KFC’s animated figurehead. Also, five in 10 believe he is a fictitious icon.

Is 120 years of brand equity being diluted further by this type of campaign?

I have to wonder what Colonel Sanders would have to say about the tactic. What are your thoughts? Double-breaded disaster or “finger lickin’ good” gimmick?

Photo credit: USA Today