BMW launched its U.S. campaign during the Winter Olympics with its "Joy" ads. Check out the 60 second spot:

Here's more detail from today's Marketing Daily. I thought BMW's "Ultimate Driving Machine" positioning and ad campaign was one of the best car campaigns of all time. It really showcased what was unique about the product and set BMW apart very effectively.

Not so much for the "Joy" campaign. I mean, joy is certainly a good thing. But it's not why people buy Beemers. Performance - that's why people buy them (and of course prestige for some). The attempt to connect performance with joy just doesn't cut IMHO. Not that it couldn't though.

I see this campaign as a well-intended "feel good" campaign that misses the mark. Soon sales will tell the story. What do you think?

I was making a deposit in the bank and saw this "rock" on the counter by the teller. In fact, there was one of these promotional items by every teller branding the solidness of Union Bank. (The pen is there for scale).

Then I picked it up. It was made of soft foam. About as solid as a marshmallow. Is that really the brand message Union Bank wants to convey?? Trust us with your money. Because we're solid ...like a marshmallow. The morale of the story is the medium can be the message. Think it through Union Bank!

This is an exceptionally well-crafted story that puts into practice several key marketing principles. Watch now and see if you spot 'em.

Here's a few:

1) The "walk" metaphor - It's part of the family name, the brand, the story, and is brought to life as the crux of the action in the rolling hills of Scotland. 

2) The brand execution - From the top hat to the tilted label to the square bottle, all the visual elements come together to create a unique position in people's minds and hearts.  

3) The values portrayed - Intelligence, ambition, family, fire in the belly, vision... all characteristics that deeply resonate with viewers and convert them into raving fans (even if they don't drink scotch!).

4) The power of story - The same information could have conveyed through a (boring) bullet point laden Powerpoint presentation, right? But human beings are wired for stories - it's just how we are. Need I say more?

So... what's your story?

My 20-something daughter yesterday was telling me about the challenges faced by her "Trophy Generation" (aka Millennials, Gen Y, Echo Boomers).

The label Trophy Generation comes from kids growing up getting trophies for pretty much everything (like showing up) -- inadvertently teaching them that they are always entitled to awards, effort is synonymous with success, there is no such thing as disappointment, and constant praise is the norm. As a dad and former rec soccer coach, I was guilty of telling kids "good job" when it really wasn't, or "you did your best" even if they didn't. A Wall Street Journal story tells what's happening when these "trophy kids" go to work and how they and their employers are dealing with the unfamiliar "compliment deficit" these young adults face.

So how do we market to this generation? 1) The obvious strategy is to lavish praise, target their entitlement zone and focus on instant gratification. Instead, try the truth. Explicitly acknowledge that false praise can feel meaningless. If they can do better or be better, tell them. That will speak to their hearts and distinguish you as someone they can trust. 2) Do not assume all twenty-somethings are trophy kids. While it may be a common affliction, a significant proportion are driven by different values. 3) See the good underneath the need for praise. We (my generation) gave trophies to make our kids feel good and let them know they are seen. Now as grown-ups, let them know in real ways that they count. 

We've been consultants to AARP for many years. Whenever we talk to their (40 million) members, we hear the same thing again and again. People really trust AARP. They may not know exactly what AARP does or what policies AARP supports, but nonetheless they trust AARP to do whatever is in the best interest of older Americans. Which I see as AARP's essential value proposition.

This was confirmed in a poll that NPR reported on today. Several politicians are attacking AARP's stance on healthcare reform (which would be better framed as Health Security Reform), claiming that profit motives are driving AARP's policy agenda. Here's how the "under-voiced" public sees it:

"The poll by NPR and the Kaiser Family Foundation listed seven of the biggest players in the health care debate and asked which one would recommend "the right thing for the country." AARP easily led the list among Democrats and independents. Among Republicans, it tied for first with an option titled "health insurance companies." So it's hard to tarnish AARP, in part because it's not seen as serving an ideology or a narrow economic agenda."

AARP is not perfect, but they have earned the public's trust through years of hard work, and tuning into what their members want and need, then delivering on their promise. I believe trust is the ultimate prize in marketing. It cannot be bought, it must be earned.

I just finished teaching a Global Marketing Strategy seminar to a great group of working professionals at University of San Diego.

The key theme was customer intimacy. Three things stand out for me: 1) How much I learn when I teach. 2) How the idea of customer intimacy resonates with people on a gut level, I believe because it is a fundamental human need to be heard, to be connected, and to matter. Which is what customer intimacy is all about. 3) How, when going global, the strategic decision about standardization (the same in every country - think McDonalds) vs. customization (think Four Seasons - you know what country you're in by just looking around your hotel room) is so foundational to corporate philosophy, product positioning, and success.

And there is a parallel in our everyday lives. How do we adapt to a different environment  or culture? Do we stay the same or change? My belief is that like companies, we as individuals need to be clear about our principles that are unchanging and those we can flex. And to know which are which.

When I first saw this Audi license with the license plate frame Jack Daniels, I did a double-take.

I thought why would this renowned purveyor of Tennessee Whiskey be advertising on car license plates! After all, we all know drinking and driving don't mix, right? Then I realized, um, that Jack Daniels is also a name, as in maybe a car dealer's name. And so it is, in New Jersey - selling Porsches, Audis, and VWs. 

As a foreigner to New Jersey, I suppose I can be forgiven associating Jack with liquor instead of cars. But in an odd way, what I took to be an oxymoron actually is quite memorable. Next time I want to buy an Audi in Jersey, I know where to go! And maybe they'll throw in a quart... of gas of course.

I mean matches, literally. For some reason I looked closely at our box of diamond kitchen matches today. It illustrates a fine lesson in marketing what I consider an inherently "low involvement" product (though these rave video reviews suggest otherwise).

What struck me is how many marketers emphasize "new" with products that have demonstrated limited innovation. As you can in the upper right corner of the matchbox photo, these matches sport a "NEW LOOK!" followed by reassurance that it is the "Same Great Product." Phew. (And would it be bad taste to say the new look (??) for these fine matches is very hot?).

Which reminds me - how many times has P&G's Tide detergent touted that it's "new and improved"? (click for funny spoof on Tide's marketing). And why do we equate "new" with better?

Back to marketing matches. By reading the box that I managed to never read until now, I also learned the many benefits of my diamond brand kitchen matches. They are fueled by the diamond ignition system. They are made from the highest quality Aspen wood. And diamond is the perfect match for all my fire-starting needs. Sorry, no testimonials from pyromaniacs.    

The Chinese symbol for crisis is composed of two characters. One means danger. The other means opportunity (or some say "crucial point").

That's how I think about allowing cell phone use on airplanes. In a recent blog posting, the NY Times called it "The in-flight menace: Wireless chatter." Personally I agree.

However, from a marketing perspective, domestic airlines could seize the opportunity to differentiate by being the first to allow phones in flight, citing the success of several foreign airlines like Emirates that allow cell phones and other personal wireless devices for making phone calls. They would secure a loyal customer base, at least until it became an industry norm.

Or better, they could stand out - and avoid the danger of customer backlash - by proclaiming their opposition to using cel phones in the air, in line with numerous airline customer surveys. Then brand their action as a demonstration of customer intimacy. But the airlines should not just do nothing while waiting as their national union lobbies Congress for a ban on inflight calls.

I was on a Southwest airline flight earlier this year when they tested internet access, I thought it was great for e-mailing. But I found I could have a phone conversation too in the air via Skype. This I did not like.

Let airlines capitalize on the phone-free "escape" they provide. If not, then hey - offer cell phone and cell phone-free sections, like the old smoking/non-smoking sections. Let freedom ring (sort of)!

After 72 Years on the Air, 'Guiding Light' Fades to Black.

This was a recent Washington Post headline announcing the demise of the longest running soap opera in history.

We worked with the soap opera community several years ago, as part of the multifacted Soap Summits to encourage better portrayals of safe-sex, drug problems, and violence prevention in soaps, which at that time reached over 30 million very loyal viewers a day.

I learned five key lessons:

1. My initial and rather smug dismissal of soaps as a waste of time was deeply misguided, as I quickly realized that for many viewers watching their soap was a valued ritual that they called "my time." It was an effective and reliable escape from the hardships of everyday life.
2. The currency for entertainment on television is ratings, which translates into profit, which is their bottom line. Incorporating positive health portrayals is only relevant to the soap opera community when it helps ratings. The job of the health community is to package their issues in ways that improve soap opera stories. It's their turf.
3. Health and social issues can be highly engaging and poignant, and add to to a storyline,without turning into a dull or preachy lecture. I remember one conversation among All My Children writers deciding, as a result of the Soap Summit, to have a new young female character always carry condoms in her purse as part of her persona.
4. Women and men want different endings. Women want stories to show the resolute woman taming the wild man or bad boy so he becomes good. Everybody wins. Men want the bad guy to lose and be beaten by a better man. Winner and loser.
5. Lastly, I learned that soap operas were invented by Procter & Gamble to sell soap, hence the name. The "opera" was simply an addictive container for P&G ads that sold their products to homemakers. Pretty clever.

May we all shine our guiding lights.