A Simple Thank-You Note

I bought some cologne at a store in my hometown.   And lo and behold, I received a hand-written thank-you note from the clerk who sold me the cologne. Now I know in my head that the company, Von Maur, insists that its clerks write out thank-yous in their slow hours.  However, I remember the thank-you note and it is a strong differentiator from the other stores who don’t take the time to thank me. 

E-mail thank yous (especially the instantly generated ones) just don’t seem to carry the same weight or importance as hand-written notes.  They are a good record of the purchase,  but don’t work as a sincere, thoughtful thank-you.  A note you received in the mail requires genuine time and effort.  And that is a true thank-you with a greater perceived value.

Our ME&V fund-raising division will tell you that you must thank a contributor many times throughout the year for a gift.  Yet few organizations send more than one letter. I would say rated right behind instantly generated e-mails are the IRS-required-receipts, thank-you letters.  No matter how you look at it, it is a receipt required by law, but not a genuine thank-you note.  So, I wouldn’t count that letter as one thank-you touch.

I heard once that a wonderfully surprising thank-you would be one that was delivered one year after the gift was made.  The thank-you would tell about how appreciative the organization is even 12 months after the gift — and also how the money was used during the year.  It would really be a true surprise to the donor and a great proof of performance of your record keeping.

The Von Maur thank-you is a good reminder of how a little surprising thoughtfulness can go a long way.  Speaking of that, I need to get busy with some thank-you notes.

And, thank you for reading this blog.

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Focus on the Family PR Win

Don’t get mad at me.  This is not a blog about pro-choice or pro-life movements.  It is a blog about the power of public relations and the fact that I believe Focus on the Family did one of the best PR campaigns I’ve ever seen with their Super Bowl ad. 

What did they do that was so incredible?  They stopped barking, for one thing.  And, they started thinking about selling benefits.  They then enlisted the perfect spokespeople for their cause — the Heisman-winning quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother — and had them tell a very compelling story.  Focus on the Family also developed an ad ”safe enough” for CBS to approve for air during the Super Bowl (and the fact CBS really needed the nearly $3 million for the commercial).  Once CBS released that Focus on the Family purchased the commercial, the PR buzz (in traditional press and on the Internet) was incredible.  By including Tim Tebow, the public relations train even made stops on sports talk radio. 

Most advocacy ads use shock value and righteous indignation to sell messages.  Anger might help win for Super Bowl teams, but not on the field of public support.   Only true benefits rule the day in marketing. 

Sure, the ad was safe, but with the heavy pre-air PR, the ad achieved a national awareness it could never have generated on its own. 

So what can we learn?  Sometimes lowering your voice can make your point loud and clear.  And, telling the right story can build PR value beyond your commercial’s placement–even if you place the ad in the Super Bowl.  Let’s hope all advocacy advertisers learn from this example.  Save the barking  for the dogs.   

Equal time rebuttal:  Even this Jimmy Kimmel rebuttal feeds the Tim Tebow PR value–but it is really funny. 

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Capitalize Real Words in Your URL

I saw a commercial on the air that stopped me:  There was no audio, no music, just a website.  The URL was http://www.metrocatholicschools.com  For some reason, maybe because I was never good at Wheel of Fortune, I couldn’t read it or decide who placed the ad (here’s a hint, my children go to catholic schools). 

Maybe you can read it.  It is actually, http://www.MetroCatholicSchools.com.  This reminded me that we only have seconds to communicate or the moment is lost–sometimes forever.  Instant recognition is imperative. 

So here is a simple trick:  Capitalize the real words of your URL (Uniform Resource Locator).  The capital letters will not impact the navigation.  They will improve your recognition and  enhance communicating your URL name.  And in advertising, since many people are not just waiting by the TV, radio or mailbox with a pen and paper, it will help people remember your URL name so they can call it up later. 

Capitalization helps us make sense of the name.  If you have a short URL, it may not make much of a difference; however, URLs are getting longer and longer because most short URLs are already taken. 

Can you read this URL?   http://www.capitalizerealwordsinyoururl.org.

Now try:  http://www.CapitalizeRealWordsInYourURL.org. (This is not a real site.)

Even the most computer-adroit teenager who text-messages and IMs will appreciate being able to read the URL, even if it is only on some subconscious level.

Another reason:  What is http://www.molestationnursery.com?  Is it MolestationNursery.com or MoleStationNursery.com; or TheRapistFinder.com or TherapistFinder.com; ExpertSexChange.com or ExpertsExchange.com?   These are all real URLs.

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The New Normal of Value

When the flood of 2008 hit Cedar Rapids (and poured nearly 10 feet of water into our Cedar Rapids office), many who had been through similar floods told us of how things would never return to normal, and to expect a “new normal” to arise.  

That is what seems to be happening with the flood of bad economic times.  It is changing our business world in ways we will not understand for years to come.  But there are some clear signs of our “new normal.” 

One big change is in the way consumers perceive ‘value.’  What is surprising in this recession is that ‘value’ has become not about price, but about other metrics consumers use to rank a product or service.  It is less about value=price and more about value=benefits (and then compared to cost). 

Several brand-tracking services are finding that consumers are becoming more ‘brand conscious’ and looking for brands that offer real ‘value.’  Commoditization does allow for price-only-driven decisions.  Yet some brands that have clear benefit advantage are not the low-cost alternative.  Apple, J.Crew, Nikon and Nike all rate very high on brand rankings because they break from the value=price cliche.  They offer a high value for the dollar spent.   

The “new normal” of value:

• Does it make things easier for me?
• Is it innovative?
• Is it clearly differentiated from the other products or services?
• Does it heighten my experience?

It seems to me that people today are looking for a Return on Purchase.  What is the perceived value we get in terms of product’s or service’s functional or psychological benefits?  People may be less likely to spend money today, unless you can clearly demonstrate a return on purchase.  Does your product or service really make me happy?  And, that means you may need to communicate with that customer more after the sale or service transaction to make sure they understand your value. 

The value statement floating around today should be, “Are we really worth what we charge, and why?”  Consumers are impatiently waiting for the answers.

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I Like that Ad

During this super week, there’s a lot of talk and anticipation about Super Bowl ad “likeability.”   Many organizations research the ads and score them on ‘likeability’ scales, usually doing the research the day after the Super Bowl. 

To me, it is somewhat flawed research.   Even though there is some correlation between well-liked Super Bowl ads and increased stock prices, the effectiveness (actual sales) cannot be measured the day after the big game. 

I’m just not a big fan of ad ‘likeability.’  I hear people say, “I like that ad.” But that does not tell you if they have been influenced or not.  The goal of Super Bowl ads is not necessarily to be liked, the goal is to sell.  Companies invest $2.5 million for Super Bowl commercials, not to just entertain us or get a laugh, but to work.

I do agree that liking an ad can have some impact, but what the person should really like after watching the ad is the product or service, not just the ad itself.  One new way to measure Super Bowl ad effectiveness is how many people go to the web after a commercial airs in the Super Bowl.  It also shows you must have a strong call to action and a drive-to-web strategy. Last year, Denny’s Grand Slam breakfast giveaway scored big with a 1,678% increase in website traffic.  It was the highest of any of the advertisers.  Did Denny’s have the “most-liked” ad? Was it widely creative? Will it win awards?  Nope. Nope. And, nope.  But the ad did its work. 

Research about Super Bowl advertising by Nielsen also showed that an old concept, a marketing mix of media, works better than one medium.   Recall of Super Bowl ads increased an average 31 percent for ads that air both on TV and the web. 

So watch the Super Bowl ads.  See which ones you like the best. See which moved you beyond to liking the ad to liking the product.   Then watch who really wins after all the liking is over.

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