The Greater Voice

Marketing Memo...

I went to a meeting yesterday and something odd happened. In the middle, one of the participants stopped the conversation to ask about my credentials. This was odd for two reasons. First, no one ever asks, especially in the middle of a meeting. Maybe because they usually look at my bio first. Second, I realized that, on so many levels, having a past in the marketing world is almost irrelevant.

Primarily, when I first started out, I worked with marketing professionals, helping them better articulate and  position their messages. My forte, so to speak, was the written word because it mattered most. Now, the written word counts more than most people realize, but the universe has shifted. It's the blend that counts. The consistency. The viral force! Words matter - yes - but the word matters even more.

It's possible that a newbie with smarts and imagination can equal a boomer like me in marketing know-how. But then, they don't have my history of success and my experience of failure. If they try hard enough, though, the experiences will quickly rise and fall at their feet as the universe of marketing continues changing.

Marketing Dogs? Not Exactly...

I interviewed Sharon Sakson, author of The Healing Power of Dogs recently for the lifestyle radio stations where my features air. I've had dogs (always pound dogs!) my entire life but who knew? Us dog lovers may feel good about adopting the pup, but we've got it wrong. Actually, the pup is doing us good!

Here's what Sharon says: When your dog greets you when you walk in the house, your muscles actually relax, your heart beat and blood pressure lower, and you get a feeling of comfort and warmth.Not that they're necessarily comforting you, however.

Actually, dogs retain child-like traits. You gaze at the dog and oxytocin – a hormone that triggers nurturing – gets released.You just want to comfort and cuddle which, ask any mother on a good day, feels great.

Then there’s their power of smell. You know about drug sniffing dogs, right? Dogs can also sniff out  cancer - before the symptoms reveal themselves. Apparently cancer cells release a tiny amount of formaldehyde when they break down which dogs can detect in urine and breath samples. Dogs can pick up one-part in a trillion or the equivalent of one drop in a swimming pool, Sharon says.

Scent may also be behind dog's uncanny ability to detect heart attacks and seizures in  human beings. Quite possible the body emits an ordor which only dogs

can detect.

Amazing!

Sense Marketing?

These days, marketers are taking scratch and sniff strips in new directions.

Here’s why: up to 95% of our purchasing decisions are based on emotion…not careful thought. And 75% of all emotions are influenced by smell, says marketing expert Lucas Conley, in his ever-interesting book, Obsessive Branding Disorder.

Naturally, marketers are eager to tap in.

Enter Auracell a plastic material made by Rotuba. Unlike its unpleasant smelling cousins,  Auracell can take on a variety of colors and scents. In fact, humans can detect 10,000 new ordors and Rotuba can provide 33,000.

According to the campany site,  "The key to Auracell is Cellulose, a material derived from sustainable resources that’s ideally suited to carrying scent. We can incorporate nearly any aroma imaginable . And then we can customize a color to match it. The result is unforgettable … smells like success!"

Companies are eager to tap that success on unsispecting consumers. Companies like Unilever are releasing a sweet-smelling bottle for their Suave shampoo. Huggies is crawling toward a scented diaper.  And there’s cologne scented golf tees, lavender scented cell phones, mimosa scented bangles, and scented caps on lip-balm targeting tweens.

Some video stores even exude a butter-flavored scent and supermarkets plant fruit-punch scented coupon dispenses to lure parents – and children – to Mortrin.

According to Rotuba this is only the beginning. They expect 5% growth each yearand the scent stratgey to remain, well, forever.

The Origins of Toy Favorites: A Modern Breather

In these days of outrageous marketing initiatives - and sometime dubious practices - it's cool...even refreshing...to return to a sweeter time. And the sweetest of all - those cool tools we played with as a kid. Many of them morphed their way in our play rooms from unlikely origins.

Take Play Dough. This staple of every kid’s play life was born in the 1950s as a cleaner for removing coal dust from wallpaper.

Thomas Dam, a Danish fisherman and woodcutter developed the troll doll in 1949, as a Christmas gift for his daughter using wool for hair. Numerous companies shared the ever-popular doll until 2003 when the Dam family won full copyrite.

In 1934, Charles Darrow created a way cool board game but Parker Brothers promptly rejected it because it had "52 fundamental errors." So, Charles made his own, easily selling 5000 sets. Parker Brothers had a change of heart and the game, known as Monopoly, has been monopolizing toy stores ever since.

 

New Balance Throwing You Off Balance?

Yes, patriotism is in - and marketers are picking up on the trend. But some, like New Balance, may be throwing you off balance when flag waving comes in.

The footwear company (whatever happened to sneakers?) has a new campaign announcing that their products are made in the USA. That distinguishes them from major competitors like Nike and Reebok whose factory workers chug away in places like China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The campaign even includes a documentary. Race over to newbalance.com/USA and you’ll hear testimonials from Maine factory workers who use such words as “pride” “community” and, of course, “Made in the USA.”

 Still, while the company does manufacture in Maine and Massachusetts, only a quarter of their products are made here. The rest come from far off places like Norway and the UK.

So, how does this recon with Made in the USA ad campaign? Some might say it’s a bunch of fancy footwork. Hummm...