Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes

I know you've heard the saying: The cobbler's children have no shoes. This old saying relates to the fact that a busy cobbler is working so hard making shoes for his customers that he has no time to make some for his own children.

Unfortunately, we've been so busy creating buzz for our clients here at elle marketing that we've been on a long hiatus from our blog. During the last nine months, many of our clients have been working hard to keep sales up during a slow economy. We've been doing a lot of thinking outside the box in order to keep customers coming in the door for our clients.

Beginning this week, we will once again be bringing you small biz marketing updates. Check each week for the latest news and our opinions on the buzz. Additionally, our company website, www.create-buzz.com, has received a long overdue update complete with a new Portfolio section. Look for that to launch within the next few weeks. We'll post a note announcing the big reveal.


Learn how we can build your brand and create buzz for your company at www.create-buzz.com.

Keeping Your Brand Strong When Wall St Hits the Skids

Every year, Business Week publishes an issue with what they deem as the "Best Global Brands." Along with the list, they post an article that sums up the latest trends and talk around brand marketing. Not too surprisingly, the topic covered recently was "spending into the teeth of a recession." Given the events on Wall Street last week, this is something that is on every business person's mind. "Do I continue to advertise and market my services and products with the current economic situation?"

That's a valid question. Typically, a company's budget is determined by projected gross sales for the year. Your marketing budget should be 3%-7% of your projected gross revenue. But when the stock market takes a nose dive unlike one seen in decades and the credit market is tightening, are all bets off?

The answer is no and here's why. First, if you don't keep communicating your brand message - what makes you different than the competition - you run the risk of either being forgotten about or thought of as a commodity. Brands like Huggies diapers and Scott toilet paper know the danger of pulling back on marketing in tough times. People still buy these products no matter what sort of hit their 401k just took but when the checkbook is tight, consumers might choose the cheaper store-brand alternatives.

Kimberly-Clark (owner of these two brands) CEO Tom Falk says they are forging a more personal connection with consumers through online and TV brand marketing. "The worst thing you can do is pull in your brand-building spending and become more of a commodity."

Mark Baynes, Kellogg's CMO, agrees and says his brand is more than just "flakes in a box." "We believe it's critical, when the economy gets tougher, that people should be seeing the value of our brands constantly."

The second reason to keep up your brand marketing is that your target audience is still listening but for different reasons. When a recession hits, the customer set doesn't change but what is motivating their purchasing decisions does. Tweak your brand message to speak to how they are thinking, feeling and most importantly, buying. According to Business Week, "the consumer you thought you knew, pre-recession, can be almost unrecognizable. When times get tough, people reexamine old habits and brand loyalties. Their tastes shift dramatically as they cut back."

"The rate of change can be phenomenal," John Haynes, CMO at American Express. "In the past year alone, consumers have far more negative perceptions of debt and spending on themselves."

Take a look at the components of your brand and why your target audience is in tune with you. Then ask yourself, are any of these attributes more important now with the poor economy than they were just a few months ago?

If you are a B2B biz, perhaps the most important brand tenant now is the value you bring and the operational cost-savings your brand provides. If your target audience is consumer based, maybe you combine a promotional or coupon incentive with your current brand message. If you know that the target audience is more inclined to buy when there's a sale or promotion, then continue with the brand advertising but utilize part of the ad space or air time to promote a special offer.

Marketing is not an event, it's a process. With the economic landscape changing, so must your strategy and tactics to keep that cash register ringing.

To see "The 100 Top Brands" or to read more about marketing spend in a recession, check out the September 20 issue of Business Week.


Learn how we can build your brand and create buzz for your company at www.create-buzz.com.

BBQ and Branding Done Right

BBQ restaurants are a dime a dozen. However ones that get it right...I mean the sort of place that you will go out of your way for, again, again and again...deserve special mention. But when you consider that they get the whole Branding thing too...well, that calls for a post on my blog.

Moes's Original BBQ, www.moesoriginalbbq.com, located in Colorado and Alabama, features a menu of down home hospitality and rich flavor. They serve up a unique, all things Southern, BBQ experience.

What separates them from most BBQ establishments is that they smoke all meats daily. Not stopping there, they also prepare numerous Southern side dishes, rotating daily to add to the experience. Believe me, this is the real deal. Southern cooking at its best; I swear Mama is in the kitchen cooking up the banana pudding. Creating a unique menu, atmosphere and taste, Moe’s offers a relaxed, spontaneous, soulful and civilized (sometimes) environment.

Here's where I applaud Moe's. The three owners know what their brand is, understand what makes them unique AND, most importantly, how to deliver on that promise to customers. A brand message and experience must ring true with consumers and be consistently delivered upon to stay strong.

From the time you walk in the door til the time you finish the last bite of the pulled pork sandwich, the Alabama BBQ experience comes through. The food is always the same great taste and quality. Second, no matter if the location is Vail or Birmingham, the casual, warm Southern hospitality shines through. The three owners make sure that the brand personality is represented in all aspects from the company's website and restaurant decor to the menu and customer experience.

Moe's is the real deal. Mike Fernandez, Ben Gilbert and Jeff Kennedy met at the University of Alabama. Originating in Tuscaloosa, AL in 1988, the seeds for Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que were planted when Mike hooked up with Moses Day and began learning the process of fire roasting meats. Using fruitwood and hitting the meat with two different sauces, the trio knew they were onto something special. This distinct BBQ flavor later became the foundation for which Moe’s Alabama recipe is built upon.

From humble beginnings, catering out of a small fire pit and selling roadside BBQ out of a concession trailer, big things were about to come. Sharing a common love for the mountains, Fernandez, Gilbert and Kennedy eventually landed in Vail, further refining the Moe’s style. Soon after arriving in CO, the three opened a carry out restaurant in Lionshead Village at the base of Vail Mountain.

Since the carry out location in Lionshead, Moe's has expanded to Eagle, CO, Orange Beach and Birmingham, AL, all the while making sure the Moe's BBQ brand is carried out to the high standards up held at the mountain locations.

The strong brand created by Moe's is helping them grow. This month they open their first restaurant in Denver. From 3295 S. Broadway, just a few doors down from the Gothic Theatre, Moe’s will be open for lunch, dinner and catering.

For those of you in Denver, I encourage you to not only come down for some fantastic BBQ, but also a lesson in creating a strong brand. If you're not in the Mile High City, check out this clip and see for yourself; branding done right. http://vail.plumtv.com/videos/local_flavor_jason_frequents_moes



Learn how we can build your brand and create buzz for your company at www.create-buzz.com.

Twitter Threading - Following conversation topics

Final in series of three blog posts that serve as a great primer for the Twitter beginner. Learn what are the best and no-so-great sites for following topics of interest on Twitter.

Click "read more" for the blog post.

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Twitter Step 2: What else can it do for me?

Second blog post in a series of three.

Once you've signed up for a FREE Twitter account and you've got your feet wet, learn what else you can do. Amazing opportunities for small business marketing.

Click "read more" for the blog posting.

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Social Media 101: Twitter

In July, I posted an entry regarding Twitter. Actually it was a question...could this be useful to the small biz owner?

In my travels across the Web last week, I found this great blog post that gives you the down and dirty on Twitter: how to use it, where to get started and why its beneficial to a small business marketing plan. Not only that, but I found it inspiring and plan on joining the Twitter ranks ASAP.

Click on "read more" below to see the blog post about Twitter.



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Is Your Brand a Social Media Butterfly?

According to a Sapient-sponsored national online survey of some 200 CMOs and other senior marketers, greater knowledge of the digital space is at the top of marketers’ list of what they want from their advertising and marketing agencies in the next 12 months.

Interestingly enough, a number of small business owners that I have spoken with are wanting the same thing. Seems as though you don't need a big time marketing budget or brand name to want an expanded presence online.

The survey showed that nine in 10 respondents agree that in order to engage consumers with their brand it is increasingly important to use “pull interactions” such as social media and online communities rather than traditional “push” campaigns.

Websites such as Facebook and LinkedIn are becoming more and more popular with consumers joining everyday. People are creating profiles to connect with friends, family, former colleagues and to find folks with similar interests.

If you are looking for that group of people who are KU alum who also happen to be avid bike enthusiasts, living in Boulder, CO, you can not only identify them on Facebook but advertise to just them. Talk about targeted marketing!

To pull customers to you online, promote your product and brand via these types of websites. Create a company profile so that people can learn about you and become engaged with your message, product or service. Comments regarding your brand from folks who actually use your product speak volumes to those considering you.

Another point the survey made was that an overwhelming 94% of respondents expressed interest in leveraging virtual communities (public and private) to understand more about their target audience.

Again, here is where sites like Facebook, MySpace and sites that cater to certain interests/demographics such as lilaguide.com can be a wealth of information. If you are wanting to see what's on the minds of your target, spend a little time reading bulletin board posts, blogs and member profiles to gain valuable information -- tidbits that you won't find in any published study about your desired customer.



Learn how we can build your brand and create buzz for your company at www.create-buzz.com.