ClearVerve Marketing, LLC

Promise Marketing Blog

Archive for the ‘Great ideas’ Category

Newer Entries »

The Power of BYO

Friday, August 20, 2010 — 

 

When we entertain, the phrase “bring-your-own [insert item here]” or BYO is commonplace to ask guests to bring a dish or beverage to pass.  The BYO concept is great for entertaining and can also carry forth into the commercial world.  Here are a few great examples:

Restaurants: A recent Nations Restaurant News article featured restaurants that have started offering  corkage-free promos. They encourage people to bring their own wine to restaurants and do not charge a corkage fee.  It’s a great idea.  It allows wine connoisseurs to bring the wines they love to meals.  Plus, it allows budget-conscious diners to save some money.

Retail locations: OfficeMax & Menards – both offer special percentage off days where you receive a specific discount if you bring in the paper bag they provide.  An even better and greener alternative – most grocery stores provide you with a discount when you use a reusable tote bag for shopping.

Movie Theaters:  Concessions definitely are a money maker for movie theaters, but something many budget conscious people cut back on.  To keep people coming in, Fandango offers “bring your own popcorn” times.

How can you incorporate a BYO concept into your marketing/promotions?  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Is there an area of your business where you can forgo a product/service but still retain your profit?
  • Get to the bottom of what pains your customers.  If you have a good understanding of this, you can help ease a burden for them – even if it is something small.
  • Are there any social good organizations you can partner with to help them and offer some sort of BYO concept?

Please share ways you’d suggest adding a BYO concept into your business or organization or great examples you have seen.

Susan Schoultz is Client Service Director at Clear Verve Marketing and works with clients to plan, create and execute marketing campaigns.  Follow her on Twitter as @clearverve2.

Tags: , , , ,

Waving Buh-Bye to the Wave: One POV Regarding the End of Google Wave

Monday, August 9, 2010 — 

 

People have options aplenty when connecting with people online. Email, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace (yes, it still exists), Skype, blogs, photo galleries, instant message applications and Google Wave, the impetus of this post. People who happen to use all of these tools tend to use each one for something different – besides the overall reason of communication.

In my experience, people like and need to have their worlds divided into multiple categories: work, family and social life. Within each of these divisions, there are more separations: book clubs, sports teams, children’s play dates, longtime friends, new friends, guy friends, girl friends, online acquaintances, mentors etc. The list is endless. But the point of the list is that it shows people are inherently dividing up parts of life. Google Wave was trying to bring everything together and, in my opinion, that might have made people uncomfortable.

As convenient as it might be to have multiple ways of communicating in one place, we already have that idea with computers or handheld smart phones. While it is a great idea for Google to recycle parts of Google Wave as they figure out how to redevelop their ideas, it was time for the official Google Wave to go. People have already personalized ways to pull their different worlds together without meshing them together. And, in most cases I’m guessing it’s without the use or creation of a high tech program. It might just consist of having a system or order of communication amongst the different groups.

Overall, I completely understand what Google Wave was trying to do and I am impressed by what it looked like. I just think that what they developed can work better in separate communities as an intranet of sorts for the time being. Pulling everyone’s online communities together might be a little too much too soon.  Your thoughts?

More on the end of Google Wave:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/update-on-google-wave.html

Erica Gordon is currently interning at Clear Verve and works part-time at a Milwaukee area nonprofit. She recently received her Communication MA from Marquette University.  Follow Erica on Twitter @erica_g.

Tags: , ,

Go Old Spice!

Thursday, July 15, 2010 — 

 

There is no denying the buzz this week over the new Old Spice commercials with the “Old spice guy” and the social media blitz that is now surrounding this campaign.  The series of YouTube videos with “Old Spice guy” Isaiah Mustafa answering questions from Twitter, Facebook and via short 30-second commercials on YouTube is pretty amazing.

We were curious how this is all being done so quickly. Read Write Web shares how the commercials are being made.

The Old Spice YouTube channel is #1 in the U.S. for total views and over half a million people are following the banter on Facebook alone.  This post from Junta gives a great summary of stats on this effort.  Adweek also published the following article on this campaign.

Based on the last YouTube video from last night, Mustafa and crew are taking a break from the videos for a bit and it will be interesting to see if they continue it or not.

Procter and Gable definitely took a chance with writing marketing content in real time but we think they will definitely reap rewards from this effort.  Way to go Wieden + Kennedy for helping bring new life to Old Spice.  This marketing blitz is going to be one for the record books!

Susan Schoultz is Client Service Director at Clear Verve Marketing and works with clients to plan, create and execute marketing campaigns.  Follow her on Twitter as @clearverve2.

Tags: ,

Brilliant Ideas In Small Packages

Monday, June 28, 2010 — 

 

There are so many creative ways to get your message across in printed form.  In our creative world, the possibilities are endless.  Many people go with the standard tri-fold brochure or letter sized sell sheet to share information.  Sure these can work.  But what if we consider something smaller, say the size of a business card?

I recently attended the Milwaukee Business Journal Women of Influence luncheon and received information about the Alverno College Research Center for Women & Girls.  We have to commend this group on the creative brochure they used to promote their findings from a recent survey.  It was cleverly packaged in a business card sized folded piece.  Using simple design and powerful research findings, we thought it worthy of sharing bits of this resource and study with you in multiple blog posts.

The Alverno College Research Center for Women & Girls (RCWG) is one of the first centers of its kind creating positive social change through research specific to women and girls.  Alverno RCWG has recently shared its 2010 Status of Girls in Wisconsin Report, which studied the lives of 372,000 10-to-19 year old girls.

Insight 1:  Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics

Wisconsin girls in 5th and 7th grades are improving in math.  In 2009, 45% of 5th grade Wisconsin girls scored at advanced levels (38% in 2007).

After seeing this insight, we were curious how this stacked up to national statistics.  In a 2009 an Reuters article regarding a National Academy of Sciences report indicated that girls can do just as well at math as boys — even at the genius level — if they are given the same opportunities and encouragement.

So what does this study have to do with marketing?  Well, many things.  It provides insight for women, parents, grandparents and those that support our educational system and women and girls in Wisconsin.  Plus, it may beg more questions of people reviewing the information and they may do just what we did and explore more information about this via the Internet.  If you sell a product/service focused on women and girls, what a great opportunity to support a great new research center focused on women in Wisconsin (hint, hint, nudge, nudge :) ).

Susan Schoultz is Client Service Director at Clear Verve Marketing and works with clients to plan, create and execute marketing campaigns.  Follow her on Twitter as @clearverve2.

Tags: , ,

Newer Entries »

rssfeed RSS feed

promise marketing blog
Archives
  • Categories
    • promise marketing blog