Hawai\'i Marketing Matters

Motivational Monday - Superbowl Ad Review

gchalekian — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:57:33 +0000

HMM is still shaking off the growlers of Maui Brewing Company's CoCoNut Porter, lovingly hand carried back to Oahu. But even that formidable hit will not keep us from looking at who fumbled, and who scored, in this year's Super Bowl ads.

Here are 10 of the top plays in the ad game.

Audi, Green Police

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Dodge, Man's Last Stand

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FloTV, Spineless

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Denny's, Chickens Across America

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eTrade, Girlfriend

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Electronic Arts, Dante's Inferno

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HomeAway, The Griswolds

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Motorola, Megan Fox

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Honda, Funky Stuff

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Hyundai, Brett Favre

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Okay, so which one would you pick as the MVP?

Fast Forward Friday - Start Me Up

gchalekian — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:09:38 +0000

Ever look at a one of those viral videos somebody emails you and think, " I knew that one was a winner." See enough of them (haven't we all), and some of us start thinking we can pick the winner out of the crowd. We start to believe we have a knack. A sense. It's like that feeling you sometimes get in Vegas. So let's roll the dice and see how you do.

Here are 10 videos. See if you can put them in order, starting with the most popular.

The correct order is listed on the bottom of the post. Get all 10 right and we've got a job waiting for you here at HMM.

Okay, get it in gear.

1. Lamborghini, Reventón

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2. Ford, Focus "Light Graffiti"

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3. Honda, Everything

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4. Lincoln, Major Tom

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5. Porsche, New Boxter Spyder

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6. Toyota, 4Runner

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7. Volvo, New C70

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

8. Kia Soul, Hamsters

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

9. Ford Fiesta, Movement

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10. Volkswagen, Fun Theory

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[Actual Order: 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. So, do you get to take a victory lap?]

Year Of The Same - Part IV

gchalekian — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:00:14 +0000

There Are No Cons In Consistency

This is part four of HMM's five-part series on how to avoid the "creativity trap" and keep your company running consistently, efficiently, and profitably. In stark contrast to all those who insist a new year and a new decade require new thinking, HMM maintains the opposite point of view. Rather than try anything new, continue doing exactly what you did last year. No new training, no new processes, no new employees required. What could be easier? For 30 helpful ways to keep wasteful innovation out of your company, see Parts I, II, and III.

1. New ideas can blow up on you. Develop a process of trying out new concepts very slowly and carefully. Think of it as disarming a bomb.

2. Analysis paralysis never hurt anyone. Orderly inaction is preferable to chaotic action.

3. If you're close to closure on any course of action, do not seek alternatives. This encourages last-minute debate and unnecessarily prolongs the process.

4. Know that attacking costs as a root problem solves nothing. Attack your employees instead. Unreasonable costs are almost always a sign your employees are doing something wrong (e.g. bad math, inefficient structures, processes or training).

5. Don't trust new people to come up with ideas that are new to the company. Keep new hires under careful scrutiny for at least a year before tapping their brainpower and imagination. Once they've been sufficiently indoctrinated their ideas will be a lot more relevant.

6. Under no circumstances should you seek customer feedback before committing resources to a product's development. Do what you want to do then make it marketing's job to convince customers they need whatever it is.

7. Avoid seeking diversity of viewpoints. Avoid getting people together across functions. That's why you have silos in the first place. Diversity of views just sparks conflict.

8. Keep outside partners outside when exploring new opportunities. Partnering with others and actively sharing ideas, technologies, and other capabilities only leads to turf warfare, cost overruns, and delays.

9. Advocate extreme time pressures and crack down relentlessly. Heat and pressure make diamonds.

10. If you absolutely have be more creative, borrow a conference room and dub it your "creativity center." That will keep any new ideas out of your business units where they could conceivably provoke thinking, questioning, and other forms of subversive time-wasting.

The Year Of The Same - Part III

gchalekian — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:50:23 +0000

Get Rid Of Those Who Wrongly Think Efficiency Is Monotony

1. Involve as few people as you can in the development of your innovation initiative so you get easily bludgeon them into submission and buy-in. This is the "go-fast now so you can go-slow later" approach. Remember, there's never enough time to do it right, but there's always enough time to do it over again.

2. Brainstorming? Forget it. Storms knock out the power. Do you want to be powerless? Didn't think so.

3. Be able to frame these issues as questions that start with the words, "Why should we?" If the issue persists, form a committee and watch it die.

4. Don't over-communicate, communicate, communicate, communicate, communicate and then communicate again. People have short attention spans and they will tune you out in a New York minute.

5. Do not let idea management software blight your intranet. You have enough to worry about with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

6. Focus on growth. Growth is easy to measure. Don't get all lost in the "process" which is just another way to stall.

7. Keep your customers at arms length. Don't let them distract or confuse you with any so-called concerns, wants, needs, suggestions. If they really knew anything you'd be working for them.

8. Understand that the best innovations are initiated by large groups following your orders to the letter, kind of like slaves rowing a galley.Keep your innovation processes rigid so they discourage informal and spontaneous innovation efforts. Allow no flexibility into your design. Think "command and control" innovation. If everybody pulls their oar they way want to, and only when they feel like it, you'll go absolutely nowhere.

9. "Learning" is another time waster. Forget trying to teach. Anybody interested in learning should be encouraged to do so on their time, not yours.

10. If segments of your company don't connect or collaborate with each other, keep it that way. There's probably a good reason for it.

Facebook Tops Twitter For Marketing

gchalekian — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:25:39 +0000

Oh stop already with the feisty "Uh-uh's!" all you Twitter fanboys.

This is just what the recently released The State Of Social Media Marketing study says.

This does not mean one platform is superior to another, so let's just move on to some other key findings, mkay?

Frequency of Posts

Twitter: 20.6% actually update several times per day, presumably because their staff doesn't have much else to do. Half of the marketers surveyed reported updating at least once per day.

Facebook: A whopping 30% are slapping something new up at least once per day. (HMM really wants to believe this can't all be attributable to Café World updates). The largest group (33.4%) of marketers are updating weekly.

LinkedIn: 11.5% update daily and 25.4% update weekly. Of course these numbers are lower. These people obviously have jobs.

Higher usage stats — Facebook or Twitter?

Looking at the overall number of users, both corporate and consumer (with the exception of certain industries), Facebook comes out ahead of Twitter.

How many minutes did a visitor spend on average on Facebook in 2009 — 182.8 (oh my!). Twitter — 25.6.

Why? According to MarketingProfs, “Part of why time spent on Twitter is so much less than time spent on Facebook has much to do with the design of these sites. Facebook encourages users to aggregate external content on Facebook to be viewed within the network, while Twitter encourages users to link externally, viewing content outside of the network.”

Also, more marketers report that their employers or clients actively maintain a corporate Facebook account, while fewer reported their employers or clients maintain a Twitter site.

Company Policy re: Social Media Use At Work

6.3% — don't allow it at all — violators routinely shot

8.4% — only official corporate-approved messaging allowed — violators sent to re-education camps

12.0% — yeah there's an official policy but it's like, whatevahs

12.9% — there is an official policy and anybody violating is sent to remote offices to work in shame and exile

18.5% — policy? what policy?

30.5% — there is no official policy but cross the line and you'll be printing resumes at Kinkos

Does your company use Facebook, Twitter, or other forms of social media? What's your company's policy? C'mon. Spill. We promise we won't say anything about your little "Mafia Wars" problem.

The Year Of The Same – Part II

gchalekian — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:00:42 +0000

Year Of The Same = Same Picture

Are we over the Happy New Year, new decade stuff yet? Can we slip the party hats off? Do we finally have permission to get back to business as usual which, despite all the noisemaking and hoopla about starting anew, is exactly what we're going to do anyway? Was last year any different? Or the year before? Not so much. So, in stark defiance of those who equate progress with innovation, who insist on finding a way out of the box, HMM suggests fluffing the pillows and staying right where you are. For a more comprehensive introduction and the first ten suggestions, see The Year Of The Same - Part I.

1. Discourage time-wasting communication. Consider installing systems to monitor your employees, and let them know you're doing it.

2. Steer clear of "creativity training," "ideation," or any other fluffy productivity killers.

3. Refuse to tolerate ambiguity or soft data. Before making a move, gather all the facts about everything. Forget what Einstein himself said: "Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts."

4. Do not tolerate failure. While 50 to 70 per cent of all new product innovations fail at even the most successful companies, it's because they tolerate failure. You can do better. Success breeds success like horses breed, well, horses.

5. Notice innovation efforts. Whenever they crop up, stomp them flat or poison them as you would any other weed. Weeds compete with food crops. You want to eat, right?

6. If you have to promote innovation in-house, ignore the benefits of a new idea or project and stick to the features. Nobody cares if the thing is revolutionary, they want to know how the dang thing works.

7. Big bold ideas are a trap: go back.

8. Encourage people to stay in their offices and silos. Silos are good. That's where the grain is kept. (See #5) If people have to meet insist they do so formally, in large groups that can be easily monitored.

9. Think short term. Who cares if the average successful "spin-off" takes about 7.5 years, you need to be focused on the "next quarter." Just like Wall Street is. Where did the bank bailout money go? Wall Street. Enough said.

10. Refuse to create a "balanced portfolio of opportunities." Stick to what works. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Fixing what aint broken is a waste of time and money.

HMM Looks Back At 2009

gchalekian — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:43:24 +0000

A 2009 retrospective has all the horrible allure of witnessing a large-scale traffic accident occur in extreme slow-motion. But look we must. At least at HMM's top 5 most noteworthy posts as judged by a panel of media experts. For as the old saying goes, those posts which make history are condemned to be repeated. Or something like that. Only you can stop it.

Most Commented Upon:

Your Company Should Not Have A Blog — 6.22.09. 33 comments (about half of which were HMM responses)

Talk about stirring it up. The blog about why companies shouldn't blog apparently resonated with both spambots and at least three confirmed human beings. HMM's official position on the topic is unchanged for 2010.

2nd Most Commented Upon:

HMM Inspires Mokulele Marketing Campaign — 8.26.09. 30 comments.

Actually, HMM didn't. But as the post points out, it should have. Although it was based on a Jet Blue promotion, this was an early (for Hawaii) interesting, and effective use of social media. Six months later everybody's hopping on the bandwagon. Go! Mokulele.

Most Provocative Title:

You're Naked & Constantly Being Strip Searched — 7.15.09. 11 comments.

HMM would think that such a titillating title (and the picture of the naked person) would have created such an onslaught of visitors that the Advertiser's servers would have crashed. But they did not. However, this post did compel one of the most interesting comments of the year: "I'm in oil."

Most Misunderstood:

SPAM for the Holidays — 9.10.09. 9 comments (not counting 7,264 requests for the canned meat product).

Yes, this post did feature a picture of a can of SPAM wrapped up in nice red bow. But it was about the kind of SPAM that clogs your in-box, not your arteries. Sadly, tens of thousands of local residents misread the post and 7,264 requests for the canned meat products were referred to Hormel, Inc.

Most Under-Appreciated:

Motivational Monday — No Comment + HMM Officiall 911 Transcript + HMM Official Non-Statement + Tiger Tiger Burning Bright = 1 comment (a crushing admission) 11.30.09 - 12.10.09

This four-part series on Tiger Woods The Brand, which HMM was certain would draw the ire of his countless legions of fans — especially in golf-mad Hawaii — who would then leave hundreds of scathing and incendiary comments, which in turn would provide hilariously funny reading, received a total of 1 comment. The series had something for everyone: scandal, sex, violence, lurid pictures. And yet, all four posts combined received fewer comments than a single obscure post on typography. Which just goes to show you that, um, er, HMM has no idea what it goes to show you.

Lesson learned, HMM will now return its focus to what lies ahead.

Happy New Year.

HMM Looks At 3 Digital Media Trends

gchalekian — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:45:05 +0000

Two days and a hangover later it's going to be 2010. The start of a brand new year and a brand new decade. What's right around the corner? When we marketing types can see straight again, here's what we should be looking at.

It Whistles, It Sparkles, It Spins!

Online ad units, by which HMM means the space within which an ad fits, will continue to get more "innovative." Why? Because they can. While print is limited to subdividing its page-space into smaller-sized pieces, or including various kinds of inserts, the online medium can not only vary the size of an ad, but the kind of unit as well. Video: check. Audio: check. Interactivity: check. 3D: check. Expanding units: check. All of the above: check.

Short term, some of these new units will outperform their older counterparts and hybrids will continue to evolve as advertisers, agencies, consumers, and publications struggle to balance effectiveness and intrusiveness. There will be new measures, new metrics, astounding conclusions – then it will all change again. During the fray smarter advertisers will remember it's their message that matters, not the packaging it comes in.

Viral Video Marketing Premiers

How does a marketer know if their viral video is "working?" The simple answer is, lots of people watch it. Meanwhile, measurement companies are busy trying to identify the factors that make videos watchable so they can develop a formula for everybody to follow. (HMM will entertain wagers from any sucker body who wishes to bet on the outcome of this exercise in futility.) Meanwhile, marketers are taking a page from Hollywood's publicity machine. Instead of simply making a video and hoping it'll be wildly popular they are becoming increasingly savvy about promoting their videos via bloggers, other online influencers, Facebook video-sharing applications, YouTube, and targeted, paid placements.

Can You See Me Now?

Will 2010 be the year location-based marketing takes off? Probably not. But it's right there on the launch pad with the Tang on ice and the countdown started. Thus, as the number of GPS-enabled devices continues to grow, so too does the ability of marketers to offer special promotions based on reported location. (We all saw Minority Report, right?) The key is getting users to voluntarily disclose their location. Theoretically, this isn't much different than getting users to opt in to receiving email. Or, if they don't, making location central to marketing campaigns.

In the meantime, you can always find HMM right here.

HMM's Holiday Wish

gchalekian — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 02:42:39 +0000

Twas the day before Christmas, when all through the land
The retailers were hoping things would go as they’d planned
Their merchandise was displayed with the greatest of care,
In hopes that the shoppers soon would be there.

Corporate’s predictions were rosy ‘twas said,
Visions of sales records danced in their heads.
And the CEO in headquarters, and I in my store,
Had just settled our brains to sell a little more.

When out in the mall there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the counter to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tripping over security in my headlong dash.

Our lure was a sign that proclaimed a great sale
Along with the offers we sent out in email.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a gaggle of shoppers, and some kids in the rear.

I saw an old lady, so lively and quick,
And knew in a moment it wasn’t a trick.
More rapid than eagles the ladies they came,
And she whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Katelyn! now, Ella! now, Sandy and Nani!
On, Brenda! On, Lisa! on Chloe and Leilani!
To the front of the line! To the section marked sale!
Now charge it! Charge it! Charge card don’t fail!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So into the rounders the ladies they flew,
With the bags full of Toys, and an outfit or two.

And then, in a twinkling, my ears started to ring
As I witnessed the pawing of each little thing.
I’d just swiveled my head, and was turning around,
When down to the register the ladies came with a bound.

They were dressed in sweatsuits and sneakers so bright,
And they moved in a blur, a remarkable sight.
Bundles of bags they had flung on their backs,
I’d never seen so many travel in packs.

Their eyes--how they twinkled! Their dimples how merry!
Their cheeks were like roses, each little nose like a cherry!
The wrappers were wrapping each gift with a bow,
The prices had never been marked down so low.

Holding their wallets so tight in their teeth,
Pikake perfume encircled their heads like a wreath.
They had broad faces and little round bellies,
That shook when they laughed, like tropical jellies!

Some chubby, some skinny, all shapes and all sizes
They came in great masses to purchase their prizes.
And the registers rang like a thousand church bells
The stuff that we stocked we hoped all of it sells.

We spoke not a word, but went straight to our jobs,
And filled all their bags, as they came at us in mobs
They tweeted each sale with quick little tweets
Our printers went dry churning out the receipts

They sprang to their cars, then they made their phone calls,
And away they all flew off meet up at the next shopping mall.
I heard them exclaim, ‘ere they drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and oh the parking, what a fight!"

The Year Of The Same – Part I

gchalekian — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:11:31 +0000

The Year Of The Same

Every time the The New Year rolls around it's always the same old thing. We're at the dawn of a new beginning, a new start, make some resolutions, pop the bubbly, that whole creaky load of drivel. (Except for the bubbly.) This year, HMM calls for a moratorium on pretending that anything besides the date is going to change. Why? Because we all know nothing else will. Honestly, most of us will still be writing 2009 on our checks until the middle of March.

This is not a prediction, nor should it be confused with such, for predictions are rampant this time of year. It is a simple observation. So let's take the proverbial lampshade off our head and quietly back away. At this point we can get an unobstructed view of the cliché train chug-chug-chugging past, belching a lot of smoke of hot air: time for a change, off to a new start, this year is going to be different, toot-toot! We'll just let that train go right around the bend. Don't worry, you're not missing anything. All it does is go round in circles every year anyway. Which is exactly what we're going to avoid in 2010.

How? We're not going to change a thing. Change is for quitters. Instead, this is the year we are going to do the same old thing the same old way. Imagine how much further ahead your company will be if you didn't waste the first quarter of the year coming up with goofy "new" ideas, the second quarter trying to implement them, and the third quarter figuring out what went wrong. Your company will be 75% more efficient by simply sticking to what it is already doing. Where else will you find that kind of efficiency gain? Where else will you get that kind of ROI? Out with innovation, in with repetition, uniformity, consistency. Let 2010 be The Year Of The Same!

1. Abolish squishy "guiding principles" and enforce a rigid template.

2. Instill fear. Creativity requires consequences.

3. Crush fun. If it was supposed to be fun you wouldn't have to pay people to do it.

4. Respect authority. (See #2)

5. Refuse to tolerate mistakes. Publicly humiliate offending employees.

6. Always play the "devil's advocate."

7. Strive to make your workspace as dull as possible. Do your employees really need more distractions?

8. Keep employees in the same role and doing the same thing until they get it right.

9. Discourage questions and the people who ask them. (See #2)

10. Constantly maintain control and rigidity. You're running a business, not a circus.

Motivated? Excited? Just wait for Part II.