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Being in the marketing business, I question myself daily as to what makes me tick. What motivates me to buy a product, use one service over another, or donate to this or that non-profit? All of our clients have competition within their industries, the local market, or even on an international level. In the simplest terms, our challenge is to identify why someone would want to use their service/product over the competition’s, and to capitalize on those features using the various tools in our marketing repertoire.

Sometimes this challenge is easily overcome. Other times, you’re faced with a bigger issue. Today, I had a bigger issue.

Whenever I need a jolt of creative inspiration, I go to my favourite website, TED.com. TED is an amazing database of lectures by some of the world’s most famous minds in fields as diverse as marketing, nuclear physics and religion. This site has everything. This morning, I found myself trolling it’s categories once again for a spark of genius that would lead me to my eureka moment. And guess what? I found it!

In his TED talk entitled, “How great leaders inspire action” Simon Sinek challenges traditional marketing theory in such a brilliant way that I found myself bouncing out of my seat in excitement. Not very professional, I know. But on the plus side, I found the answer to my bigger issue, and my client will be better positioned to reevaluate their vision and positioning within their market.

As Sinek says, traditional marketing theory states that people want to buy a product, or an end result. This simply isn’t the case; it’s not how the brain works.Biology teaches us that the human brain is wired to be purpose-driven. This means that selling potential members on the vision of the organization is the key factor in motivating people to buy what you’re selling, so to speak.

People don’t buy what you do – they buy why you do it. ~ Simon Sinek

This rule is exemplified in the Apple computer brand. Apple makes good computers, but so do many other manufacturers. But Apple sells them differently. Apple doesn’t just sell a good computer – it sells an ideal. It positions itself as challenging the status quo. Anyone who wants to do the same should buy an Apple. Apple sells to innovators, to creatives; it speaks to the, “Why?”

My question to you is: Are you asking “why” about your brand?

As luck would have it, I also stumbled across an organization that’s doing this right. World Vision Canada’s Five for 5 initiative is doing a great job at communicating the “Why?” to their target audience. Here’s a video example of what I mean.

What other organizations do this right? Have you questioned your marketing vision lately?

Presenting…The EC Interns!

April 5, 2010 Public Relations

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It’s April, which means that the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and students everywhere are celebrating that school is almost over. I say “almost” because we here at Engine are pleased to be working with three dynamic, talented interns from Loyalist College, for the month of April (just before graduation). We love working with the college, and are excited to be able to collaborate with them once again. Jerika and Laura hail from Loyalist’s Advertising program, and Micheal is a post-grad Public Relations student. They were awesome, and put together small bios to help me introduce them to you.

Without further ado, let me present the EC Interns!

Jerika

Jerika

Jerika has over two years of experience in marketing and communications…Well, in the Advertising Program at Loyalist College that is. She will graduate in June 2010, and wants to focus her career in communications. She’s energetic, a real people person, and a go-getter. Jerika loves to travel and always wants to learn new things.

Laura

Laura

Laura Wallis is a small-town Manitoba girl with big ambitions. She moved to southern Ontario 3 years ago with the hopes of becoming a writer, and found her calling in the Advertising Program at Belleville’s Loyalist College. After graduating in June of 2010 she hopes to stay in Belleville and find a job in the industry. In her spare time she enjoys daydreaming and chatting with her family back home in the prairies. With a previous certificate in Web and Graphic Design, Laura has a lot of experience in front of a computer (preferably a mac).

Micheal

A charismatic, energetic and passionate student, Micheal has just completed his fifth and final year of college, with Sales & Public Relations as his majors. Micheal has a passion for jet skiing, billiards, cooking, baking and a full body glass of Cab Merlot; or even a rich Shiraz. His wide range of skill

Micheal

sets including a vast knowledge of customer service, a broad knowledge of Adobe CS4 and a creative mind accompanied with top-notch writing skills, makes him an asset to Engine, and any team that he has the privilege of working with.

We plan on keeping these guys very busy! They’re already working hard, and we’re looking forward to a great month with them.

Make sure to follow them on Twitter: @JerikaBradford, @ellewallis and @MichealBMcCaul.

Welcome to the team Jerika, Laura and Micheal!

Cause Marketing

January 20, 2010 Marketing

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Spread the word! Cause marketing is good for your business.

It’s hard to bring things back to business as usual when the world is suffering in such plain view. There are always causes to support, funds to be raised, and people who will be in need. But this morning Haiti was rocked again by aftershocks, and the rest feels small to me again.

I mentioned last week that I had planned to be on a plane to Haiti for two weeks of humanitarian relief work, as of January 27. That trip has since been cancelled. I’m not going to talk a lot about me here, but since I had told you last week, I thought I would update the status of said venture.

But let’s bring this back to you. Why should your business care about Haiti, or any cause for that matter? Because it’s good marketing strategy.

Wikipedia says:

Cause marketing differs from corporate giving (philanthropy) as the latter generally involves a specific donation that is tax deductible, while cause marketing is a marketing relationship generally not based on a donation.

Yesterday, Kerry gave a great example of cause marketing (although you might argue that because a donation was involved it wasn’t pure CM). Lou’s Cozy Grill in Belleville, Ontario ran a promotion to raise money for Haiti relief. The benefit is two-fold: money raised for a good cause and great PR for Lou’s. Who doesn’t like a win-win?

I’m loosely classifying this under “cause marketing” because even though it wasn’t strategically executed, I love the fact that they gave it a shot. I don’t know how much money they raised, but I’ll remember their effort, and I’ll swing by to grab a coffee. While I’m there, I might buy a sandwich, or grab breakfast–whatever. The point is that consumers want to know that the brands they align themselves with support a vision beyond their own bottomline.

A clearer example is found in the actions McDonald’s restaurants implemented to support and promote the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour initiatives. For example, all Canadian McDonald’s restaurants turned off their roadside pole signs and roof beam lighting to conserve energy for Earth Hour. The support wasn’t monetary–it was action driven. McDonald’s was trying to build a reputation as a socially responsible organization, and both McDonald’s and WWF benefited from increased awareness. That awareness translates into dollars. It’s an indirect root to acquire sales and revenue, but it’s good business.

And that’s where you step in. Does your marketing plan allow for cause marketing initiatives? What organizations do you align yourself with? Are you maximizing these low-cost opportunities for PR?

If not, we can help. Contact Engine Communications today to shift your marketing plan into high gear.

Case Study: Changing behaviour one tweet at a time?

January 11, 2010 Public Relations / Uncategorized

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Are you creating a call to action, or simply talking to hear yourself speak?

Two incidents last week in the world of social media piqued my interest as to the value associated with spreading a message online. There’s been lots of discussion on the topic of viral marketing–using preexisting social networks to increase brand awareness or achieve other marketing goals–so I won’t talk definitions. However, using these two cases to highlight the pros and cons of our cache of marketing tools is never a bad idea.

The first issue arose on Wednesday, when the New York Times revealed that H & M had been destroying new, unworn clothing that it couldn’t sell. Needless to say, people were outraged. After a brutal recession, and in the middle of winter, rather than donate these items to charity, H & M had the gall to throw them in the garbage. Apparently Wal-Mart does the same thing, as do many others in the for-profit production system.

When this story hit the social media world, it went viral. Twitter lit up with tweets and retweets about the incident–none of of which were positive, or in defense of the retailer. The blogging, sharing, and passing on of this story must have hit thousands of people online. It became a PR crisis for H & M, and one that they addressed pallidly, albeit promptly, saying that it wasn’t “standard practice”, and it wouldn’t happen again.

We could discuss this issue ad nauseam from a public relations standpoint, and I still might in a future post, but right now, let’s focus on the spread of information online. The second case also involved a viral message, but this one was found on Facebook.

On Thursday of last week, you may have noticed a strange trend: Many of your female friends changing their status line to their bra colour to raise awareness for breast cancer. No one quite knows where the message originated from, but it reached viral status quickly, with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Fan Page going crazy with new fans and updates. The Toronto Star reported that the page went from 135 members to 700 within hours, but today, it’s at over 141,000 fans! That’s viral marketing in action.

However, it bodes another question that I think is more important: Does the online transfer of information change the behaviour of your target audience?

The case of the H & M debacle created a movement that changed the behaviour of the retailer (at least for now). People (many in their target market) got angry, voiced their concern, and the target audience (H & M) had to take action. In this case, apologize and remedy the situation. Here we see viral messages creating a call to action, and a level of awareness, that had to be addressed by the party in question.

The breast cancer bra colour “campaign” definitely spread a message, but did it have a real-world affect? Some might say that increasing awareness equates with reaching an objective. I would agree that that’s the case if there had been a concerted effort on the part of a legitimate cancer-related organization to organize this campaign, but it just wasn’t so. As the origin of the message is unknown, there’s no way to track the communication process. There were no goals set, there were no measurable objectives–it was just an idea.

Now I love ideas, but I don’t think an idea alone results in action. Isn’t that what we want viral marketing to be about?

A spokesperson from the Susan G. Komen Foundation said that they don’t care whether the campaign raised money or not; if it leads to more women getting mammograms, and lives saved, while people have fun, then that’s enough. I tend to disagree–it’s not enough because there’s nothing to prove that any of this awareness will change the behaviour of the women involved.

Whether in the for-profit or non-profit world, don’t we want that information to be a call to action? Shouldn’t we expect not only brand awareness, but increased revenue or donations, recruitment of new volunteers, etc.? These are just some of the questions that these two incidents should have us asking.

What I love in both cases is the spread of information. What I think is lacking, especially in the bra colour example, is the means by which to track and validate our claims that awareness leads to action. Anil Dash touched on this subject last week in the context of his personal Twitter account. Quantity doesn’t equal quality, nor results.

The moral of the story? If we’re to successfully drive online marketing campaigns, we need to stick to the basics: Define your target audience, set measurable goals, and devise a way to evaluate the success of the campaign.

What do you think? Is awareness an end in itself?

Kathy’s Spin Class Update

December 15, 2009 Marketing

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Well, today is my last spin class at the gym – Mindful Movements. I never thought that I would be able to keep it up, but I have!

I will admit, though that I did miss 2 classes for being sick, and two more classes for movie night (oops)…but all in all I don’t think I’ve done too badly! It actually was one of the tougher things I have done for myself recently, so I will give myself a pat on the back and a “good job Kathy – you rock”.

The instructors are very knowledgeable, and have been very supportive. They do an awesome job at motivating me that’s for sure! They definitely have made my experience a positive one. In saying that, I’ve decided to continue with the gym in January!

They are working on their new schedule at the moment, but it should be up on their website very soon, if you are interested in treating yourself to a new healthier you for the New Year. I’m looking forward to it.

2010 – Bring it on!

Take a look at the Engine Communications Facebook Fan Page today as well. We’re discussing the ‘facelift’ that Gatorade is getting in 2010 with a mini-case study by Bryna.

The Rules of Engagement

December 9, 2009 Marketing / Social Media

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This post is part of the Guest Blog Grand Tour over at Life Without Pants – an epic two-month journey of over 50 guest posts. Want to learn more about Matt Cheuvront & see how far the rabbit hole goes? Subscribe to the Life Without Pants RSS feed & follow him on Twitter to keep in touch!

You don’t need me to tell you, but the world of marketing and advertising has seen some pretty dramatic shifts over the past few years. Social Media is changing the face of the way companies do marketing. How? With the emphasis on B2C communication – tools like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are making it easier than ever for businesses to give and receive instant feedback from their customers.

But just because the tools are readily available, doesn’t mean businesses are using them to their maximum potential. The approach to Social Media has to be taken from a different angle than more “traditional” marketing mediums. Where selling, generating leads, and landing clients may be the end result – the approach with Social Media has to be to engage and build relationships first, before focusing on the sales pitch.

One thing that everyone can take a lesson in, and something I continue to work on myself – is the power of listening. Listen to what your customers are saying, pay attention to their conversations, and take note of their ideas. Becoming a good listener and eavesdropping at the right time and place is priority number one for Social Media marketing.

You’ll hear everyone tell you that listening is important – but that’s only the first step. The follow up, and most important element of communication is knowing WHEN to communicate. Those who are “doing it right” spend a considerable about of time listening, and when the time is right, take it to the next step and get involved.

What does “get involved” mean? At the end of the day, it’s about being a person first, a human representative and voice of your company. People don’t want to talk to a business – they want to talk to a person, they want a connection, a human on the other end of the line who genuinely cares about their wants and needs. If you’re that person on the other end, be yourself, be funny, share interesting and relevant information, become a resource for your community. Social Media works best when the line between personal and professional is blurred.

Once you’ve built a rapport with the members of your community, they’ll be more willing and accepting of your “sales” pitches. Engage first, sell second – A simple formula that’s often forgotten, but is the recipe of success for any business integrating Social Media into their marketing mix.

What examples do you have of businesses that are doing it right (or wrong) with Social Media?

Mentors Week: Sarah Puts Her Thinking Hat On

October 9, 2009 Design

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Sarah Rozema-Seaton, Creative Director

Ahh the phrase, “Who inspires you…” There are so many people that I find strength and inspiration from. A lecturer that taught me, design friends with their wacky creativity, and the mommy I know with the strength of a thousand elephants.

I better focus on the work aspect.

There are so many people in the design industry that I find inspiration in. One of the biggest mentors would be David Braun. He was a lecturer from college, and was the person that helped me as a creative professional to get past what I thought I knew, and to do it again to be better. “Do it again, do it in green.”

When I was a greenhorn in the industry, I didn’t always agree with this, but he helped me to push the boundaries and look at things in different ways and become better at my job. Over 10 years later, I am still working in the industry.

This lecturer with his piles of papers (poor trees) had so much to offer. He also introduced me to an author, Edward De Bono. If you are a book geek like me, DeBono has written some fabulous books for creative professionals on lateral thinking. One of his best books is “The 6 Thinking Hats.” It is a book that introduces the power of parallel thinking, by breaking thinking down into hats. Worth a read for anyone in a creative industry or business in general.

Below are the 6 Thinking Hats:

Neutrality (White) – considering purely what information is available; what are the facts?

Feeling (Red) – instinctive gut reaction or statements of emotional feeling (but not any justification)

Negative judgement (Black) – logic applied to identifying flaws or barriers; seeking mismatch

Positive Judgement (Yellow) – logic applied to identifying benefits; seeking harmony

Creative thinking (Green) – statements of provocation and investigation; seeing where a thought goes

Process control (Blue) – thinking about thinking

Mentors Week: How Kerry Got Her Start

October 8, 2009 Marketing

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Kerry Patrick, Marketing Associate

This is an easy one for me. My mentor would most definitely have to be Cassandra Bonn. I kind of fell into this industry and was quite fortunate when Cassandra took me on as her protégé in her home office of The Market Place. When I initially started working for Cassandra, it was only a few days a week, with the intension of taking care of the routine office duties that were becoming too cumbersome for her to manage with a growing business. As it turned out, I was able to offer more than just that.

I was flying as a full time flight attendant at the time, and raising three young boys–very busy to say the least. With her expanding business, Cassandra took on a partner, Rene Dick, an exceptional and very talented creative designer, to offer a full service marketing and advertising company, now known as Engine Communications. Rene was also instrumental at bringing out my creative side and making me feel like I could do just about anything! They now required someone full time, so I made the difficult decision to give up my job flying and work full time at Engine–a decision that I have never regretted.

Cassandra is brilliant at what she does, with her key talents in marketing and advertising. She is truly remarkable at forging solid client relationships, and she can sell just about anything to someone who has everything! Ideas flow from Cassandra like water from a fountain, her mind is always going and she loves a challenge. She is always more than willing to help out and when asked to share some creative inspiration, she does just that, with ease and enthusiasm. Cassandra no longer owns Engine (she sold it to our current Big Cheese, Shaun Levy, whom you heard from on Tuesday), but she is still very much part of my life, as a colleague, a mentor and a friend.

I really love what I do and I look forward to a future in this industry, where I will continue to learn and grow with each passing day. Thank you Cassandra, for all that you have taught me, I value your time and knowledge, cheers to you for helping me find my new niche in life–for now!

Lost in Translation?

August 31, 2009 Social Media

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Keeping close with our discussion last week about the uses of social media (SM) for non-profits, I feel there’s been enough interest that it might be useful to explore this topic further. I’ve had a lot of questions about the point of it all, and if there’s really any value in SM marketing our respective causes. My answer is a careful, “Yes.”

Why be careful?

I’m cautious because of many of your comments. There’s a fine line for people/business when addressing their values in terms of the non-profits they give to. Sometimes the best brand ambassadors are those who are willing to step out on a limb and declare thier allegiance to an organization they support. Other times, that’s not the case.

I don’t believe our giving should be made public in a ‘What’s in it For Me’ sense. I reluctantly put out the ‘Challenge’ knowing that it might turn some people off. But the point wasn’t simply in the gift. It was to start a discussion, and it did.

I’m the last person who would encourage anyone to use a medium knowing that it wasn’t appropriate for their messaging. There were lots of cons to the way my challenge was set up–let’s face it–and I don’t use client time that way. That was an opinion piece. I’m glad I did it. But working (obviously) for a marketing agency, my goal is to identify the best communications strategies for our clients, and to implement them. Not to simply ‘experiment.’ We create results at Engine, and we have the numbers to prove it.

However, I have just as many questions about Twitter, Facebook, and all things social as many of you do. It’s a new platform, and it’s still evolving. It needs to be tested.

I’m tired of reading lists of ‘Top 5 Twitter Uses’ and ‘Twenty Ways to Increase Your Twitter Following.’ What do those things even mean? How do they translate to results for business? That’s part of the greater challenge: to find meaningful value that creates results for clients, and also serves to make the world a slightly better place.

I have given a brief overview of some of the lessons learned in the challenge, and the implications of it, last week. I won’t go over them all today. Today is about movement.

How do we help our clients create worth using SM?

We move. We don’t stop at simply talking, following and tweeting. We don’t stop at creating relationships and networking online. We meet each other in person. We discuss how to connect, what values we share, and how those things translate into the ‘real world.’ Then we actually implement the changes.

The worst thing we could do is let the action get lost in translation.

We know that one of the least comfortable positions from which to move as a person, or in business, is from the reactive. Proactive is the place to be. That is where I see the value for non-profit and business in SM.

Being proactive means not just talking, but doing. I can’t stress this enough. SM is a piece of the puzzle, but it doesn’t create the whole picture. However, we can’t brush it off as being a waste of time.

To all you naysayers: I get it. I wasn’t a SM convert from the get-go either. It took about a year for me to start really understanding how it could benefit those I work for and with.

Now that I see it though, I don’t want the value to get lost. I think there are many truths that still need disseminating about SM. Part of that entails generating more conversation. I think a larger part will take people walking the talk.

What are you doing about it?

We’d love to hear your thoughts.