Start thinking in a Jeopardy sort way. But in reverse.

The answer is ‘What is Marketing?’

Now, what’s the question?

You’d be surprised at some of the responses at a recent seminar.

Some were War and Peace in length, only slightly abridged and minus a plot.

You need a sabbatical after enduring  a long-winded explanation like that.

Other answers were half-baked and tinpot ideas.

They were enough to put you in mind of a fifth grade teacher who writes ‘Must try harder’ on a  D-student’s report card.

One bright spark stood up proudly and said ‘marketing is marketing your product across all channels including Facebook’.

Another said something like, ‘It’s the process whereby certain products are given prominence against a pre-determined budget and target audience activity with ROI in the forefront and …’

Had you been there, you would have had to sit tight as another 76 or so words followed. Some of the words had more than four syllables.

In our office, marketing is defined in four words.

‘Helping people choose you.’

Isn’t it that simple?

That straightforwardness should lead to  more organized minds, better focus and messaging that can extend attention spans.

More to ‘organized minds’, many now agree we all need  to avoid one disorganized thought about content today.

Too many marketers presume their target audience is attentive and interested. They’re chauvinists when it comes to their brands

But do people really give a fig about brands? They’re not  living  just to connect with products on Facebook, are they?

No way they are, says the intern who comes into our office two days a week.

You have to work hard to earn market attention.

To ensure people choose you takes focus. And skill.

The kind of skill that sees marketers and agency people open to lifelong learning and keen to listen to the target audience.

Surprisingly some marketers and agency staff aren’t great listeners.

Too many fall down in this area and operate with assumed knowledge and opinions.

Opinions … what are they in a constantly changing marketplace but iffy thinking without data.

With that said, let’s double back to the thought on ‘skill’.

If the answer is ‘What is skill?, what’s the question?

How about this?

The opposite of half-baked, tinpot ideas. And four-syllable words.

Share with us. Have you found books on marketing that give you the skills to compete in a more effective way? Scroll down and leave your comment. Thanks, Steve Ulin

TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor.

It wouldn’t be surprising if you logged on multiple times to arrange your travel plans.

As we all know, TripAdvisor is more than useful when it comes to reviews and Travelers’ Choice destinations.

If you’re an adult, that is.

If you’re a kid, forget it.

No kids write reviews on TravelAdvisor.

If you happen to be 12 you’re too young to register.

So while parents can look forward to reading about the thread count of sheets in a smart hotel, nobody is writing to warn kids about lumpy rollout cots.

Or those uninviting kids’ meals of warmed up chicken tenders.

Or the babysitter who is more focused on a visit by her boyfriend than her charges.

TripAdvisor won’t tell kids anything like that.

But if you were a kid you’d want to be in the know, wouldn’t you?

You’d want to know, is there’s an ice skating rink near your hotel?

How do you find the Sheep Meadow in Central Park to fly a kite?

Is there’s a doll museum nearby?

Is there a firehouse in the area that does tours for kids?

What can kids do in places like San Diego, Philadelphia or Nashville?

Until now there were no answers.

But Kidzcationz.com was invented by a 12-year-old Australian girl called Bella Tipping.

You might say it’s like TripAdvisor but with a refreshing difference.

The reviews are written by kids for kids.

They make for great reading.

Bella Tipping says adults have a better travel experience than kids because their online reviews make hotels and airlines work for continuous improvement.

Right enough.

So Kidzcationz is bound to prompt improvements for kids to make family vacations better.

Meanwhile, Kidzcationz is an ambitious startup.

It might make Mark Zuckerberg wonder why he wasn’t doing something equally impressive at age 12.

Kidzcationz is niche thinking to be admired, whether it’s started by a 12-year-old or a few 21-year-olds.

More to that, a CEO client of ours wants to be advised the minute Bella Tipping turns 18.

He wants her to come work for him … ahem, Mark.

Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin, LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl

You can’t beat Thursdays. Dinner with friends is on the calendar.

Chosen restaurants are usually in the back of beyond — somewhere in the Five Boroughs of New York City.

Join us and you might find yourself having Italian on Staten Island, seafood in Far Rockaway or Ethiopian on West 135^th Street.

You won’t go begging for variety.

While we’re all good friends, our group still sets ground rules. Nobody talks about himself/herself.

The me-me-me-thing is out.

So the conversation is often more than passable.

Recently a quote from Sir Isaac Newton came up.

‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’

That dates from around 1689 or so, early in the Enlightenment.

To us the message is clear: ‘pay attention to those who know’.

As dinner friends we do just that.

We stand on each other shoulders, so we reckon we’re something like 42-feet tall when together.

Of course, you can stand on the shoulders of giants when it comes to your communications.

You can learn from the giants of marketing and advertising.

That should encourage you to make your messaging less about your company and product and more about your target audience.

Bill Bernbach took that approach.

Those like Bernbach — Howard Gossage, David Ogilvy and John Caples — would probably say, you need to concentrate on your customers’ needs, wants and problems.

Why haven’t all marketers learned this? Where’s the enlightenment?

After all, your prospects’ perceptions outweigh a CMO’s opinion about his/her brand.

That opinion often equates to what people already know or believe. Will that quicken heartbeats? Not really.

You don’t have to be Isaac Newton to understand that the answer to marketing problems — both online and brick and mortar — lies in the way customers think.

They’re the ones who dip into their wallets for you.

So write accordingly.

Instead of beginning Web content or an email, with words like ‘We’, ‘I’, ‘Our’, ‘My’ or ‘Here at the XYZ Company’, put your customers first.

Ban the ‘me’ words.

Make your first word ‘You’, then craft your customer benefit message from there.

That way you’re on the shoulders of giants instead of struggling somewhere below.

Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl

The guns fell silent; France was free toward the end of WWII.

Paris was liberated in August 1944.

In the cellars of the world-famous champagne maker Moët & Chandon in Epernay they had a special visitor.

The Supreme Allied Commander of Forces in Europe, General Eisenhower.

The Wehrmacht didn’t loot all the stocks of champagne.

Great vintages, hidden from marauding Nazi units, remained.

So the General was asked what he wanted to drink.

‘A Coke’, was his instant reply.

There you have it.

Not just a product endorsement, but a natural preference. Believable and true.

It’s a preference that rates some of the world’s best and most expensive bubbly as a distant second to Coke.

How’s that for publicity?

It reminds us a bit of Wheat Thins, those humble little crackers.

They benefitted with an unexpected boost on The Colbert Report.

You might have seen it.

Colbert yakked on about Wheat Thins for seven minutes or so. A windfall for a product. http://bit.ly/1NFui5W

Funny stuff … droll and whacky as he crammed 17 Wheat Thins into his mouth in one go.

Try it yourself – you’re bound to get more than a few laughs.

The segment was targeted at millennials, who research says, hardly knew Wheat Thins existed.

As a product endorsement you’d have to say this stands apart.

It’s well ahead of the usual try-hard efforts that deserve an Olympic medal for feebleness.

With Colbert, Wheat Thins suddenly came into their own and became famous.

As the ad agency for Wheat Thins said, ‘the brand went from off the radar to off the shelves’.

Not surprisingly Colbert’s seven minutes of Wheat Thins antics did well on social media. Maybe you caught some of it.

Those lucky, lucky, lucky Wheat Thins brand managers.

Let’s hope they celebrated. With a glass of Moët, of course.

Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl

Every marketer worth his or her salt demands great work from their ad agency.

They want the best.

‘Highly creative stuff’ tops their must-have list.

But can they recognize breakthrough work when they see it?

That was the topic of conversation among creative people packed into a bar after work.

Just about everyone had a story about a campaign that was killed. Work that was given the heave-ho by a marketer.

We heard about rejected campaigns that were unusual, powerful and loaded with surprise value.

Those in the bar said the killed ideas were ‘light years ahead of the limp, safe, so-called acceptable’ work that finally ran.

When worthy campaigns are turned down most agreed … opportunities to take the brand further are lost.

‘Too different’.

‘Too unusual.’

‘I’ve never seen anything like this before.’

They were all reasons for rejection of work that was on strategy.

It was agreed that education could help.

If marketers were savvier about creative work, it would make them better able to compete.

To that end it was decided MBA programs should teach more than courses like ‘Corporate Strategy’, ‘Entrepreneurial Finance’ and ‘Managing Human Capital’.

Business schools could also offer courses on creativity and its value in the marketplace.

After all, a company’s appeal rides on making informed and correct content decisions.

This reminded us of a reading assignment at ad school years ago.

The book was George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The assignment wasn’t to read the book.

Or even the first chapter.

It was to read the first sentence — 14 words.

Here they are:

‘It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks

were striking thirteen.’

The opening is a lesson on how to gain attention … to stop people right from the start.

Orwell turns his back on what’s ‘ordinary’.

In its place you get something that’s different, dramatic, challenging, involving, engrossing.

It’s an example of giving your audience more than they expect. A jolt.

Equally, it reminds you that to get people to read the second line of any kind of writing, the preceding line better be damn good. And so on throughout the piece.

As you know, making people read on is crucial when you want to change minds and drive sales.

If these points about differentiation and sales aren’t enough, here’s another thing about that night.

It took place at PJ Clarke’s in New York. Maybe you know it.

They have a tagline that makes the place stand out.

‘The Vatican of Saloons’.

There’s a thought that stops you.

Maybe it should become the title of a creative course in business schools.

Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl

We just had a brand project that involved travel.

Two cities over a few days for focus groups.

The client booked the hotels.

Then we discovered a Website that signaled a problem.

Bed bugs.

Bedbugregistry.com had the details. One of our hotels was on their list.

More than few appearances of the little critters were reported over a period of time.

Yuck.

This hotel isn’t a creepy place like the Bates Motel.

It’s not obscure and it isn’t a roadside eyesore in decline since 1980s.

It’s part of a large upmarket chain. Pictures online reflect taste and comfort, if not a bit of luxury.

Still, even with a polished look you’re not about to check in, are you?

Further research reveals some of the best hotels in America have, or have had, bedbugs.

The highest priced, most swish places can be infested.

Sorry for that depressing news.

But you can see the problem for yourself. Just troll through the listings on bedbugregistry.com.

Check TripAdvisor while you’re at it.

As you’re probably well aware, it’s the site that keeps hotels on their toes with content written by customers.

To us, the power of the customer is never better exemplified than on this site.

It’s an education to read the good and the bad to get into the mindset of people and their expectations.

Call it a useful exercise in studying personas.

Another option for you could be Airbnb.

They’re claiming 1,500,000 unique listings in more than 190 countries.

You can even rent a castle if Ireland is your destination. http://bit.ly/1N1Kquy

Impressive for a 2008 startup.

But apart from finding accommodation, if you have a focus group in another city use the power of the Internet.

Do your research online.

That way you can stay home and sleep as you’ve always done. Without critters.

Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl

We shopped for a wedding present this week.

Each store we visited got the same question, ‘is the purchase returnable?’

Because you never know, do you?

We heard a story about a London couple whose marriage lasted five days.

But that’s ‘ages’ according to the Guinness Book of Records.

Britney Spears beats all-comers having stretched things out to a few hours after a Vegas wedding.

The five-day couple had a blazing row on honeymoon in Paris and went back to London on separate trains.

They had to return the wedding presents.

So back went the lot, including all the usual stuff like crystal wine glasses and Le Creuset ovenware.

But there was also a glass sculpture by the famous artist, Dale Chihuly.

It got us thinking about an original work of art as a gift.

Luckily a friend and talented cartoonist, Geoff Stevenson — see his work: http://on.fb.me/1CxOrq5 — steered us to the Saatchi Gallery online.

If the idea of discovering magnificent things pleases you, you’ll want to have a look. http://www.saatchiart.com

We spotted just the right drawing in far less time than Britney Spears stayed married.

Unlike the Chihuli piece you don’t need to be a Rothschild to afford something unique.

But that didn’t end things.

We kept on looking for our own enjoyment. An hour or so later we were still at it. What a pleasure.

Wandering through an art collection gives you ideas. Somehow it opens your mind and works as a seedbed for better thinking.

Years ago when art directors and writers in London got a creative brief they’d often read it once then head to the Tate Gallery.

They said things happened as you experienced the art, you relaxed. Your creative abilities were all the better for it.

When you returned to the office there was never a shortage of ideas that were ‘different’.

How this works is a bit of a mystery. But it works.

Maybe when you take this kind of break your subconscious does the heavy lifting.

Next time you have a difficult marketing or advertising problem try it.

Your life in the office could improve by logging on to the Saatchi Gallery.

On the social side of things, if you need a wedding present you’ll be golden there, as well.

Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl

Some marketers seem to be better analysts than problem solvers.

They can sense difficulties in the marketplace but they’re not as cluey in dealing with them.

A case in point is getting customers and prospects to respond in the Digital Age.

Too many marketers and traditional agencies say they’re struggling with content.

Which is why you might want to turn to the experts … those who can help you avoid a sluggish, uneventful life in the office.

One in particular is Malcolm Auld. www.themalcolmauldblog.com.

Malcolm Auld defines the Internet as ‘a pure Direct Marketing platform’.

How right he is.

But this surprises many marketers and those in traditional agencies.

They’re oriented to the ‘here and now’ of Digital thinking, not Direct Marketing.

More’s the pity.

Because they miss proven techniques and ideas that can drive response in any age – Digital or otherwise.

Direct Marketing ideas are effective because while technology has changed, people haven’t.

They’re still human with their particular needs, desires and pain points.

They make decisions based on emotions.

Here are five Direct Marketing books that only need a bit of skimming to convince you of their value.

Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing – Drayton Bird

Tested Advertising Methods – John Caples 


Scientific Advertising – Claude Hopkins


How to Write a Good Advertisement – Victor Schwab

The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier


Use these books to put an end to wasted potential.

They can help you take the guesswork and false starts out of creating content and emails.

They’re effective in developing messaging that can change attitudes.

They’ll give you ideas on how to overcome the indifference of the public and avoid suffocating people with boredom.

You’ll gain the ability to tell a motivating sales story.

You’ll learn how to convince customers your business is operating for their priorities, not just your own.

You’ll begin to understand how to build a relationship with people so you can communicate on a regular basis.

You’ll develop the skills to lengthen attention spans and create the moment someone buys.

We are in the Digital Age; technology is a huge advantage.

But with the ideas in these books you’ll become one thing better than a marketer.

A Direct Marketer who can get people to respond.

Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl

More than a few marketers are impatient with their ad agencies.

Some are even annoyed.

We all know the agency/client relationship isn’t what it once was.

In fact, an old joke sums up the mindset of some CMOs.

They can be like the Roman Emperor Nero … but in reverse.

They burn while their agency fiddles.

Or so many say.

Still, one thing’s for sure …

An ad agency shouldn’t be a marketer’s expense item.

The best agencies address ROI with strategies that make it easier for their clients to compete.

They lower the risk of investing dollars in marketing with messaging that changes hearts and minds.

They come up with thinking that creates the moment someone buys.

They know the definition of marketing can be boiled down to four simple words.

‘Make people choose you’.

But when clients brand agencies as ‘merely suppliers’ and keep them at arms length, more needs to be done.

Maybe agencies could acquaint themselves more with their clients’ problems.

Maybe they could develop a greater understanding of the complexities and difficulties marketers face.

As they say, advertising isn’t rocket science; but business can be.

Agencies are about creativity.

Their clients are more about management, organizational efficiency, production, marketplace competition and numbers.

But agency people and their clients can begin to think both ways with a book that creates revealing talking points.

The book is Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull.

It’s about developing organizational creativity in a company.

You get a picture of how to build a business as well as a culture.

It’s a culture that puts a premium on thinking that’s the opposite of dull, drab and wearily familiar.

Ed Catmull should know about the last as he is a co-founder with Steve Jobs of Pixar.

So you benefit with an insider’s view of how Pixar flourished as a creative source and a business.

It’s a model companies might want to study.

Agency heads could do worse than buying Creativity, Inc. for themselves and a copy for each of their clients.

That way they can begin to act less as suppliers and more as partners.

Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl

The German infantry in WWI were crafty.

They’d sneak up to the British trenches in the heat of battle and shout, ‘RETREAT, RETREAT’.

Their voices were believable as many spent time in Britain before the war and could sound like a Tommy.

Call this an example of tactics.

It could win you a few yards of territory but it didn’t always win the battle.

For that you need strategy.

These days marketing companies are often focused on short-term gains. Immediate success is called for; impatience reigns.

Small wonder many CMOs become tactics oriented.

With this, agencies can be relegated to little more than order takers.

More’s the pity.

Because the smart agencies excel when it comes to strategic planning and finding opportunities others don’t see.

They have an ability to present your story in a way that makes it seem brand new.

They know how to avoid the deadening ordinariness of ideas that put no premium on interest or engagement.

They’re not wedded to checklists and they understand how to break the rules to gain attention.

You’ll see that in the Oreo Super Bowl Blackout Tweet. http://slate.me/1CmxTxZ

The smart agencies do more than create messaging to a marketer’s high level of satisfaction.

They concentrate on a high level of satisfaction for a brand’s customers and prospects.

Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty is a case in point. http://bit.ly/1c3lO3j

Equally, smart copywriters and art directors are in the boredom alleviation business.

They know brilliance is compulsory.

They’re past masters at putting emotions into people.

And they’re skilled in creating the moment someone buys.

You get that in Nike’s ‘Find Your Greatness’ work. http://bit.ly/1evMo7I

The point of all this?

Give your agency a seat at the table when it comes to strategy and content.

Get them to help your people unlearn dull thinking.

Let them head up the constant search for new ideas.

Treat them as a valued partner; empower them to excel on your behalf.

That way you can force your competition to do one thing.

Retreat.

 Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl