Nick's Blog

I saw two examples of great ad placement on my recent NY trip.

The first was an ad for prostate medication posted in front of the urinals at Citi Field.  Great targeting.

The second example, and I’ve seen these in Seattle too, was the Zappos ad in the bottom of the security bins at the airport.  Perfect placement, as people are removing their shoes and putting them in the bin.  The line is always slow so they have plenty of time to read the short ad.  Love it.

I think the Zappos ad also breaks through the clutter because it’s unexpected.  Security bin advertising is really new, and new stuff gets attention.  It also works because the customer service experience they’re known for is the exact opposite of that of the airlines and TSA.

Gary Vaynerchuk sensed there was a huge business opportunity in wine, learned everything he could about it, shared that knowledge and passion about wine with the world in a home-made video-blog (Wine Library TV), which became a huge viral hit, which turned him into something of a social media celebrity (over 850,000 twitter followers), which led to speaking engagements (I saw him at Affiliate Summit last year), which led to his lucrative book deal (7 figures for 10 books), which led to Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion.  It’s a short book, easy to read, and his voice really comes through the pages In fact, he reveals it is actually him talking, not writing; he dictated the whole thing.

In Crush It!, Gary explains why everyone needs to cultivate their own personal brand online.  Create a following around your passion, he says, and you’ll never work another day in your life.  There’s a fair share of the standard motivational “life’s too short to work a job you don’t love” stuff, but the book actually does contain some pretty practical advice on how to do what he did.

Which leads to my question: is that what I want to do?  There is no doubt Gary is an extremely hard worker, having basically built his entire empire with his own sweat equity.  (For full disclosure, his family’s liquor and wine store was already a successful business, but he definitely catapulted it to the next level.)  He’ll still reply to literally every twitter message he gets, even though he’ll soon have over a million followers.  He’s crazy, but he loves it, and wouldn’t have it any other way.  Crush It! is the anti-4-Hour-Workweek.

Take my shoe site for example.  Although I’m really excited about the business itself, I’ll never be known as the in-your-face passionate shoe guy.  And I’m OK with that.  I’m not after fame and fortune and speaking engagements and book deals.  All that sounds like a lot of extra stress, when I think I can be happy and comfortable and successful without it.

But if you want to be the next twitter-lebrity, there’s probably no better guidebook.  Spoiler alert: Want to know Gary’s “best marketing strategy ever?”

Care.  It was a brilliant one-word chapter.

FTC Disclosure: If you buy Crush It! through the above link, Amazon will pay me 4% of the purchase price.

These streets will make you feel brand new.

I spent the last few days in New York for the Affiliate Summit conference.  The speakers were great and I brought home some good ideas to move the biz forward with.

This was my third trip to the Big Apple in 13 months, and even though I’m a product of suburbia, I’m learning my way around the concrete jungle and having a good time doing it.  Walking to the conference hotel in the morning with the crowded sidewalks and noisy streets and tall buildings and sticky humidity, it’s kind of a cool feeling, like you’re a part of something bigger.

Had the chance to check out the new Citi Field for a Met’s-Phillies game.  It was really rainy, but it was ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball so they just kept adding sand to the field and played through.

I saw something I’ve never seen before in a big-league game — a ground-out to right field!  The Phillies pitcher hit a sharp line drive to right, looking like a solid base hit, but Angel Pagan was playing shallow, fielded it quickly, and fired it to 1st for the out.  It was awesome, what every right fielder dreams of, right?  We actually had front row seats (in the upper deck), but as you can see from the umbrellas it was better up top under the overhang.

Cool stadium.  Huge, but very vertically built so even way up top you’re still not too far from the action.

Other highlights of the trip included hanging out with friends old and new, late night pizza and street food, and seeing John Oliver from the Daily Show at the airport.  Then it took 14 hrs to get home, LGA –> BWI –> DEN –> SFO, ugh.

Well which is it?

There’s this new song out called Way Out Here by Josh Thompson.  It opens with the line, “Our houses are protected by the good Lord and a gun.”

A paradox, no?  If an all-knowing and all-powerful god is protecting your house, why would you need a gun?

By the way, the second line is even better: “And you might meet ‘em both if you show up here not welcome son.”

So much for “love thy neighbor” and “turn the other cheek!”

Mochi the giant shih-tzu spends most of his day napping.  It’s a rough life.  His favorite spot is the couch right next to my desk.

A few weeks ago Pico came over.  Neither one wants to be the first to close their eyes, so they have this staredown.

Finally they’re convinced it’s safe to go to sleep for a bit.

Every now then he’ll assume this Superman position, captured here with tongue peeking out for good measure.

Sometimes he burrows under the blanket.  I’d really like to understand the thought process that goes into this.

Caption contest?

• “They’ll never find me under here!”
• “Ugh the Mariners are losing again!”
• “What, I got cold.  But only my head.”

When it’s a particularly good nap, he’ll flip himself on his back.  Funny how he can no longer perform “roll-over” on command, but has no problem doing it in his sleep.

But the best kind of nap is when mom joins in.  Ahhh.

The other day I saw a Mosquito Abatement truck at the bottom of our road.  I’ve never noticed much of a mosquito problem here — the Mosquito Abatement folks must be doing a nice job!

Then I remembered a small line-item on our property taxes that seemed at the time for Mosquito Abatement.  So I pulled out the statement and found that we pay $1.74 a year to live Mosquito-free.  And there’s actually a separate $1.50 charge for “Mosquito Assess 2.”  I guess it costs almost as much to assess the mosquitoes as it does to abate them.

Here’s what I learned about Alameda County’s Mosquito Abatement program:

• They were very-forward thinking in terms of domain name registration, snatching up the coveted mosquitoes.org property in 1999.  It doesn’t appear they’ve updated their web design since then though.
• The program collected $1.8 million in “special assessments” in 2009, which propelled it to $1.2 million in year-end “profit.”  Ooooh, maybe that’s what that “Mosquito Assess 2″ charge was.
• They will give you free fish!  If you have a pond on your property, the Mosquito Abatement department will give you free mosquito-eating fish to put in it.
• Mosquito Abatement has been going on in Alameda County since 1904, and has been on property taxes since 1982.
• If you live in Alameda County and are “being bitten by mosquitoes” you can fill out this humorous form to dispatch a certified abatement technician to your house.  I love the instructions to capture one of the mosquitoes and hang it by the door!

Money well spent?  Hard to say, we’ve never lived here without the Mosquito Abatement service.  If $3.24 is all it takes to keep me from getting West Nile I guess I’m OK with that.

When gas was $1.21, mid-grade cost $1.31, and premium $1.41.  Now gas is $3.21, mid-grade is $3.31, and premium $3.41.  The 20-cent upgrade from regular to high-octane premium has remained in place, despite the overall increase in cost.  Percentage-wise, it’s a much better deal today than it was 10 years ago.

Regular gas has gone up 165%, but premium has only gone up 140%.  In the first example, premium gas cost 16.5% more than regular.  In the second, just 6.2% more.  So now that it costs “less,” do more people buy it?

No.  From what I could find, aside from a few fluctuations, premium gas usage has held pretty steady at around 9-10% of total unleaded fuel sales.  I think people for the most part are looking to fill up as cheaply and safely as possible, looking at the absolute cost instead of which fuel grade offers the most bang for the buck.

Certain cars recommend or require high octane fuel, which is not necessarily “premium” in any way other than having a higher resistance to premature combustion.  I think these drivers represent the vast majority of premium gas purchases.  The other purchases are from people who are convinced it helps their cars run better.  I would have expected these customers to push the premium gas purchase-rate beyond the 10% mark now that it’s a “better deal.”

Of course if your car doesn’t need it, paying even $0.01 more for premium gas is not a deal at all.

I can remember buying premium gas… or maybe mid-grade… one time.  I had a BP coupon that required a higher grade to be eligible for whatever the discount was.  And you know what?  Placebo sure is a strong influence; that ‘86 Celica ran like a dream for the next 350 miles!

I was reading some article about the growing gap between rich and poor, and was thinking that it’s not sustainable.  Not necessarily a recipe for revolution just yet, but certainly an important trend that will shape global policy over the next 50-100 years.

1.  Finance

• One percent of the population owns 83% of the stock in U.S. companies.
• Two-thirds of the country lives paycheck-to-paycheck.  Retirement savings? Haha.
• Two-thirds of the income growth this decade went to the richest 1%.
• 20% of mortgages are underwater.
• The government is so broke, they’re taking donations!
• Globally, billions live on a $1 a day.  So that should put some perspective on our shrinking middle class.

Plus, poor people have a much higher birth rate than rich people.  The wealthy are outnumbered and while money can buy a lot of things, they still only get one vote.  Can you picture the angry mob outside Mr. Burn’s mansion?  It might not be so far-fetched, and if you’re a politician, it might not be a bad time to be a populist.  Is the American Dream dead?  Convince people your opponent killed it but you know how to bring it back and you’ll do well.

2. Education

• Huge tuition bills and college debt discourage entrepreneurs from taking risks.
• We’re better educated than ever before, but most don’t have much to show for it.
• Surprisingly, the average American adult does not have a college degree.

Education and birth-rate are negatively correlated, meaning the least educated people have the most babies.  Education and progressivism are positively correlated, meaning the least educated people are the most likely to vote conservatively, even when it’s against their own best interest.  It’s a numbers game.  Can enrollment rates outpace birth rates?  Has our collective level of education has peaked?  Or, more interestingly, will alternative avenues of education (MIT courses on YouTube for example) become accepted by the mainstream?

3. Religion

Religious people have more babies than non-religious people.  Very religious people have 3 times more babies than non-religious people.  And since religion is heavily influenced by family, the non-religious sect may be an endangered species.  Has reason peaked in America?

The last two trends obviously favor Republicans, but the first probably favors Democrats.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out over our lifetime.  Or maybe we’ll see some drastic changes to the whole system.  Who knows.  It seems pretty negative to foresee a nation of poor, uneducated, religious folks, but I guess that’s how we started out.

And as a marketer, I have to think about what I can do to benefit from these trends.  We found the parade, as explained in Zag, now just have to figure out how to get in front.

A good time was had by all at the Toby Keith show last weekend.

A little trivia to share.

His summer tour this year is called the American Ride tour, after his recent single, and appropriately sponsored by Ford Trucks.  Before the show he appeared in an extended Super Duty commercial highlighting the truck’s capabilities, comfort, and technology — including the hand’s free Sync system.

The best part of this pic is the real-live cowboy singing karaoke in the background.

Ford and Mr. Keith have a long relationship.  In fact, he said they have launched 7 new F-Series together.  He appeared in the training DVD we presented to dealers over and over again, and we got to see him live in Dearborn once too.  I believe the sponsorship began shortly after his 1994 single about a “Big Ol’ Truck:”

Nice mullet.

A Ford Service Manager at a tiny dealership in rural Georgia told me a story about how he and his buddies somehow acquired the truck featured in the music video and it was awesome because they “got so many girls.”  Not sure what distinguished the truck from any other big red Ford truck, but who am I question it’s authenticity.

The store was so small he was also the lead technician, shop foreman, and service advisor.  When giving instructions on how to get to the store, he said, “We’re off 75, ’bout halfway between Cordele and Tifton.”  Thanks for that.  When the thriving metropoli of Cordele and Tifton are your landmarks, you know you’re out in the boonies.

The Service Manager (Chris maybe? I forgot his name), was a super nice guy.  He’d offer profound nuggets of wisdom on fixing cars, throwing in the towel by saying if he knew what else to do he’d “have done done it.”  That’s deep.  He also said he was in a band called Five Dollar Shake, which apparently is a reference to a line from Pulp Fiction.  His town of Ashburn GA made national news in 2007 for holding their first-ever integrated prom.  Yes, 2007.

So long story short, those are the random associations that come into my head when I think Toby Keith.

In preparation for Frank Luntz’s keynote at next week’s Affiliate Summit, I thought I would familiarize myself with his work.  In his book Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear, Luntz discusses the most effective language for marketers, business leaders, and politicians.

It was a somewhat interesting read, but I wasn’t in love with it.  Luntz is best-known for his work as a Republican pollster, so much of the book reads like GOP propaganda.  That, and a lot of the content is similar to his other book I just read, What Americans Really Want… Really.

Still, there are plenty of examples of how simply re-wording certain phrases can produce dramatically different levels of interest, support, and buy-in.  Where this is most funny is when the end result is the same, but the words make us feel better about it.

According to Luntz’s polls, support for “energy exploration” is much higher than “drilling for oil.”  Also, a small percentage of the population would “deny” emergency room care for illegal immigrants, but a significantly larger percentage would “not give” care.  A majority of America opposes “privatizing” social security, but politicians can gain support when they talk about “personalizing” it instead.

The takeaway is that subtle changes in language make a big difference in how a message is understood.  Same choices, different phrasing, and different result.  Interesting stuff.

For sales and marketing people, here’s the list of words Luntz says have widespread appeal in 21st century America:

• Imagine
• Hassle-free
• Lifestyle
• Accountability
• Results
• Can-Do Spirit
• Innovation
• Renew / Revitalize / Rejuvenate / Restore / Rekindle / Reinvent
• Efficient / Efficiency
• The Right To ______
• Customer-Centered / Patient-Centered
• Investment (vs. talking about cost, price, spend)
• Casual Elegance
• Independent
• Peace of Mind
• Certified
• All-American (vs. overt patriotism)
• Prosperity
• Financial Security
• A Balanced Approach
• A Culture Of _______

My overzealous ad copy example:

Imagine the independent, hassle-free lifestyle of casual elegance and peace of mind our All-American AAA certified widgets deliver.  With a renewed can-do spirit and culture of innovation and accountability, we’ve reinvented our entire product line using a balanced approach to be more efficient and customer-centered.  Because everyone should have the right to invest in their own prosperity and financial security!

FTC Disclosure: If you buy Words that Work through the above link, Amazon will pay me 4% of the purchase price.