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| June 2011 | |  A Month To Celebrate
Pretty much everyone has something to celebrate this month. There are graduations, weddings, the end of the school year, and there's Father's Day--the companion to Mother's Day. These two holidays are not only sentimental favorites for most people, but are fine examples of the maxim: Everything is marketing!
June is also a month when organizations wrap up one "season" and begin planning for the next. Awards are given out, some people move on, and others embark on new efforts (see Upcome Events, below).
Enjoy the summer, everyone! |
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Speaking of Father's Day | | Slow But Steady Acceptance
Father's Day was first celebrated 101 years ago in Spokane, Washington. Sonora Smart Dodd became aware of the nascent Mother's Day, and set out to establish a commemoration of the fathers of the land, in honor of her father, who became a single parent of six children when his wife died in childbirth. With the help of the local YMCA and her pastor, Dodd set out to make Father's Day a national celebration, but was met with derision, scepticism, and fears of commercialism. Unlike Ann Marie Jarvis, founder of Mother's Day, Dodd was not bothered by commercialism as she felt it would spread the word (a passionate communicator!). There was apparently another, earlier attempt to establish this holiday in West Virginia. In 1908, Grace Golden Clayton attempted to initiate a commemoration in memory of 210 fathers who had died in the Monongah Mining disaster a few months earlier. However, competing events in her town prevented its recognition. With all due respect to Mrs. Clayton (and the deceased parentally-worthy miners), I must give kudos to Sonora Dodd for tenacity and promotional talent. While national acknowledgement of Father's Day would take a few decades longer, the Associated Men's Wear Retailers picked up on it about 20 years after Dodd began her crusade. They formed the National Father's Day Committee in the 1930s, in New York, which had Dodd's full support. Their goal was obvious and unapologetic: to promote the purchase of men's wear as gifts for dads. While the sale of men's wear did not skyrocket immediately (in 1937 only one out of six fathers had received a Father's Day gift), by 1980 this holiday was declared a "second Christmas" by men's wear retailers. Political support for Father's Day was slow, as well. Although at least two presidents and a senator from Maine (ironically, one of the first women senators, Margaret Chase Smith) wanted national recognition, Congress resisted declaring Father's Day a national holiday, fearing commercialization--hard to believe, but true. It wasn't until 1966 that Lyndon Johnson issued a presidential proclamation, designating the third Sunday in June. All attempts to avoid over-commercialization failed. Yet another victory for marketing! Ya gotta love it! | |
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Breaking Through The Clutter | | |
The Challenge of Being Noticed
It's a crowded, competitive marketplace out there, no matter what business you are in. Just when you think you've reached your marketing goals, there's someone new out there, using some new technology you didn't even know was available. What's a marketer to do? Whatever it takes (within the law, ethics, and common sense).
A question which is often considered is: How can we break through the clutter of our competitors and their messages? The most obvious answer is to advertise and promote the solutions your business offers. But really, that's another clutter. Here are a few things you can think about--some may seem old or obvious, but that doesn't mean they are bad ideas.
- Signage: Make sure the signage on your building, store, office, vans, trucks, and cars is clear, concise, and visible. Make sure the logos are consistent. As a line from the show "Godspell" says, "If your light is under a bushel, it's lost something kind of crucial!"
- Telephone number: In this digital age, some may be ignoring the telephone number. Make sure it is easy to remember, either through repetitive numerals or through "vanity" numbers--alpha or alpha-numeric phrases that are super easy to remember. This is especially important when you consider the ubiquitousness of mobile and smart phones and the greater need to remember a phone number.
- Branding: When your brand is recognized for what you do and the values you hold dear, it stands out and people will remember it. Be consistent in all your promotions and collateral pieces. Reinforce the brand in all your communications, and in your call center (if you have one). A strong brand gives people confidence in the products or services you are providing, and that is priceless.
- Communications campaign: an integrated communications campaign takes advantage of all kinds of media--including inexpensive or free media. It must be carefully coordinated and strategically designed. It may require an investment--do-it-yourself marketers are rarely successful--but if you choose your agency or consultant wisely, it will pay off.
These activities are just a few of the things that can help you break through the clutter and be recognized. Hopefully, these ideas will spur others, as you move forward. | |
| e Upcoming Events | |
June 15, 11:30am-1:30pm
IABC/LI's annual Achievement Awards will be presented at Viana Hotel and Spa. The winners of these awards were nominated by their peers and colleagues and were chosen by a panel of [non-member] independent judges who are marketing and communications professionals on Long Island.
The keynote speaker is Mark Schumann, Past Chair of IABC International and creator of " A Communicator's View," a weekly blog on all things that touch communications. Mark is not only a very interesting and effective speaker, but a stand-up guy.
June 28, 6-9pm
New York Women In Communications is hosting its 5th annual "Ladies Who Laugh" comedy night at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in the Jimmy Fallon Studio. Believe me, this is well worth the trip to New York (or, if you are already in NYC, well worth staying after work). You will laugh till you cry, and you will meet some really terrific, dynamic women--not just the ones on stage.
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This practice is dedicated to helping companies become knowledge-driven, rather than assumption driven about strategic and tactical decisions concerning lines of business, branding, communications, and various marketing activities. For more information about how we do this, case studies, frequently asked questions about marketing research, and testimonials, please visit our web site:
Sincerely,
Ann Middleman
Principal |
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ADM Marketing & Research Consulting 
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