Measuring Up

I marvel at Apple

The other week, I was in an Apple store in a New Jersey mall. My 10 year old son’s iPod Touch wouldn’t charge because the charging component inside the device had been bent just enough to ensure that the little rectangular charging component would not fit squarely inside. My wife and I both knew that my son was the culprit here. He loves that iPod. And, I’m sure in his typical haste to give it optimum battery time each day, he clumsily pushed it to a breaking point. Still, we had purchased a three year warranty and I intended to bring out the salesman in me with an Apple representative to convince him to either cover the damage by fixing the iPod or replacing it.

I was just about to leave for the Apple retail store, when my wife explained to me that I can’t just walk in and receive service on the spot. No, instead (like thousands of others) I had to set an appointment, online via my Apple account. When she told me this, my first thought was, “What a royal pain in the butt.” I complained to my wife that I didn’t want to deal with any retailer that has gotten this big and bureaucratic; I started having visions of what it’s like to deal with cable and phone company service and that just didn’t make me happy.

My complaints really didn’t make a difference once my son gave me that sad look, which often leads to a few tears. So, I conceded, went online and made an appointment to see a service representative at 11am, on a Saturday morning, two days later.

Anyone who has been in an Apple store understands  the branding experience that customers receive there. (I won’t provide the obvious explanation about that.) What was interesting about my experience was just how service oriented the entire process was.  I checked in with a lead customer service representative. He asked me to sit anywhere I wanted  and within a few minutes,  a personalized technician (named Bill) would be at my service. And, that’s exactly what happened. After explaining the problem and walking the technician through my warranty, I asked him if this tiny little problem could be fixed. He smiled and told me no. The iPod was ruined because no charger or device to download tunes on it, could be attached. Then, he told me that my warranty only covers “problems that Apple is responsible for. Not those that a 10 year old boy created himself.’

I was just a second or two away from trying my used car salesman pitch (and then groveling if necessary) to get some relief on this product, when Bill surprised me. He explained that Apple wants to do right by its customers and he has no problem replacing it with a new iPod Touch. I would just need to pay the $20 warranty fee. I was completely psyched and appreciative. The next few words out of my mouth were “Thank you. Really appreciate it. You’re a great guy, Bill.”

Apple came through in a major way for me. Clearly, the company is devoted to ensuring that customers experience that brand promise (ease of use, innovation and being customer friendly) that is so heavily marketed every day.  The irony here (though) is that Apple creates these products knowing that most will break down and die within a 12-18 month period. Most iPods are not fixable. That’s a very smart go-to-market strategy for Apple. The company hopes (or in this case knows) that its customers will just keep coming back to purchase the next latest (and trendier) model. It works because most customers never really ever question why these products aren’t built to last longer.  And, to my earlier point, consumers (like me) are even willing to make appointments two days in advance to have their products serviced.

Very few brands have this type of powerful impact and control over consumers everywhere. Over the last decade, Apple has become the de facto standard in how to build a mainstream brand. It has worked so well that many consumers don’t even wait until their current model is broken. They just want the next greatest version as soon as it is released. The next big question for Apple is how long can the company stay on top. Most leaders typically fall from grace after any number of years because it’s so difficult to maintain that same level of innovation, quality and service (think of Dell, HP, Sony, etc.). But, I continue to marvel at Apple because it seems to keep getting better and better, each and every year.

Through rain, sleet or frigid weather, Disney World keeps on smiling

I spent the last two days in a very cold Disney World.  Forty-five degree weather (with blustery winds) is simply too frigid to see the sights of the Magical Kingdom and take on the rides at Universal Studios.

But, that didn't really matter to those in charge of this theme park. They simply found new ways to draw thousands of kids' attention and to certainly make lots of added revenues while doing it. I tip my hat to this company. It is among the best I've seen at marketing. More to the point of this blog, Disney changes how it provides service and value to meet customer demands as quickly as a company can.

For example, I couldn't help but notice how every Disney shop strategically rearranged its stores by placing all sweatshirts, coats, hats and even gloves right up front. There were long lines at the cash registers to buy these necessities. Conversely, the typical Mickey, Homer Simpson and Jimmy Neutron t-shirts were almost impossible to find.

It was certainly too cold for families to slip and slide on water rides. But, that made no difference to Disney. It still found numerous ways to entertain everyone, keeping them outside in the streets. I noticed that the parks had (what seemed like) an unusually large number of Disney characters in costume walking the sidewalks, greeting excited kids. When I asked one park official why, he (unofficially) told me that they tripled the frequency of these characters coming out into the open so that families would brave the cold to make their children's dreams come true. (I'm not sure if any dreams were realized for my kids... but after waiting for 30 minutes, they did get a nice photo with Homer, Bart and Marge Simpson.)

Although most rides and exhibits had long waiting periods, it was obvious that Disney employees were also doing everything possible to herd groups of customers into express lines. This moved crowds along at a quicker pace and, in many cases, pushed people inside where warmer shelter existed.

I heard from many native Floridians in Orlando that this is the coldest winter in 20 years. Some complained that lots of businesses have been hurt because of it. My bet (though) is that Disney World has weathered this crisis just fine.

Riding roller coasters, eating ice cream and standing around to watch parades doesn't make much sense in any place with such extreme cold weather. That is, except for Disney World, where every day is magical and everyone is always smiling.

What’s not to like about Steven Singer?

Ever hear of Steven Singer Jewelers? I’ve probably heard this company’s quirky radio commercials a thousand times and never thought anything about them. Until it finally hit me this morning just how bizarre Steve Singer’s marketing strategy is. You see, Steven Singer’s web site is www.ihatestevensinger.com. And, whether the company  is simply promoting discounted jewelry (as it always does) or special 14 carat gold dipped roses around Valentine’s day (yuck), this web URL is proudly highlighted over and over again in all of its advertising.

I found it quite odd that a company would promote such a negative statement about itself. So, I Googled Steven Singer to see if anything is being written about the URL name and then went to its Web site. I couldn’t find much being written, but the “About Us” section of Steven Singer’s Web site gave me what I was looking for. It seems that founder Steven Singer is quite a successful entrepreneur and businessman. He started the company at an early age and then expanded it in the Philadelphia area not long after. He’s won countless awards and has played a key civic role in the community as well. The positioning doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but Steven seems to feel that with each successful move he’s made, it’s a great reason for people to hate him (i.e. when people say, “Don’t you just hate the guy?”). Pretty weak, eh?

Regardless, his contrarian strategy to create a lot of noise around this negative (completely comical) Web site URL seems to work pretty well because the company keeps expanding. I only call this point out because it shows how sometimes counter intuitive, yet very creative marketing strategies can actually work when implemented the right way. With Steven Singer, he actually has Howard Stern preaching the company’s accolades, all while he makes fun of the URL ihatestevensinger.com. That’s caught on with Howard’s fans big time.

Who knows. Maybe this will start a trend and we’ll see Apple create www.ihateipod.com , or Disney promote www.idespisemickeymouse.com. Well… I can’t see this really becoming a trend (and I wouldn’t recommend it to any clients.) But, if it works for Steven Singer, that’s great.

Choosing to be great, not big

My business partner gave me a very interesting and unique book the other day called “Small Giants.”The author‘s premise and focus is that growth doesn’t always need to be the most important metric for success. Instead, through telling the story of 14 very special, privately held companies, he shows that success can be viewed through many different lenses in a variety of unique ways.

In fact, each of these 14 companies has consciously decided not to grow their business. Yes, they are all profitable. But, each owner(s) finds gratification in a host of different ways, including: giving back more to the community, having the best product/service available in a smaller business pond, providing the best work environment possible for employees and even innovating to always be better for customers without growing so large that this might not be possible.

One of the fascinating, heart-felt stories focuses on the founder and CEO (Fritz Maytag) of Anchor Brewing, the first micro brewery based in San Francisco. This home grown entrepreneur had started the company making the highest quality beer in the mid 1960s. At that time, micro brewed beer wasn’t known and Anchor had limited demand of about 600 barrels from local restaurants and liquor stores. But, by 1973 demand started to soar because of the products high quality appeal. Anchor was producing 13,000 barrels. Yet, success was a mixed blessing. For the company to keep up with demand, it had to greatly expand by taking on significantly more overhead (new brewery plants), or outsource the actual brewing of the product. The thought of outsourcing his secret formula and taking a chance that quality and taste would be sacrificed created a lot of sleepless nights for Fritz.

Instead, he made the decision not to outsource or expand, but to ration the amount of beer distributed to each customer. Of course, that didn’t make these customers very happy. The loved the beer and instead of receiving more, they now had to deal with half the supply typically sent to them. As time moved on and Fritz saw that demand continued into the 1980s he considered taking the company through an IPO to raise the money needed to grow. That would provide him with his own capital and the business would no doubt be considered a success.  In the end, he followed his heart and backed away from going this route because Fritz believed that growth wasn’t how he viewed success and he never wanted to jeopardize that local, high quality product that created such high demand in the first place. Fritz said, “It occurred to me that you could have a small, prestigious, profitable business, and it would be all right. Like a restaurant. You can stay as you are and have a business that’s rewarding and a source of great pride.”

Anchor’s story is a great one. It made me take a look at Peppercom and ponder whether this philosophy (become great, not big) could work within the public relations and marketing services world. Could it be right for us? There is no doubt that as firms become larger, they tend to lose that higher value touch that clients want and expect. Many also find that it’s much harder for them to maintain that “special sauce” (i.e. innovation, quality, results driven) that made them great in the first place (read the chapter on CitiStorage for more on this topic) as their revenues double and triple in size. These reasons alone should make any agency CEO carefully ponder the risks versus rewards of exponential growth.

In Peppercom’s case, we’ve never been focused on growth for growth’s sake. Our mission has always been to innovate by creating new offerings and new ideas that can help solve our clients’ challenges or take advantage of real opportunities. We believe that if we’re successful in accomplishing that, growth will naturally come with it. That said, I doubt that we could ever become a company that isn’t interested in growth.

Why? Well, employees want to be part of an organization that is dynamic, offering new opportunities for them to grow. And, growth is critical because the reality of our industry is that clients tend to come and go. So, new business efforts need to continually be in motion to replace and add to existing revenues. Yet, there needs to be a greater good beyond becoming a larger entity. Making the workplace environment a real place to learn and excel, giving back to the community and those who need it and trying to create a culture where people do enjoy coming to work are all critical goals at Peppercom.

I highly recommend “Small Giants.” It might not change your thoughts about whether to grow or not. But, it certainly will provide life and business lessons that can make you better.

 

Rolls-Royce Unveils Its Economy Car

Oh no (I thought) as I read this story headline in today's Wall Street Journal.

The first thing that crossed my mind was the Mercedes blunder. Remember when this timeless luxury brand defined success and wealth? Then its management made a really awful decision by creating the C-Class, a Honda Accord-like car for the masses that most any middle income person can afford. The net result: Mercedes diluted its powerful brand equity and lost that status symbol that defined it, very quickly. And, the company has never been able to get it back.

Then I read the article referenced above and realized that Rolls-Royce made a completely different mistake.

You see, the starting price of a Rolls Royce is a whopping $380,000. Yes, these cars are only bought by the richest of the rich as the ultimate status symbol. Because of the last year, there are fewer of these ultra-high net worth consumers around and that means a whole lot fewer sales for this company which is now owned by BMW.

So, the Ghost, its newest ‘economy’ model was just rolled out. Before you get too excited (and believe it might be affordable for you,) let me deliver the sticker price: a mere $ 245,000.

Even though this car is sleeker, still has so many hand crafted interior details and is a more progressive looking car, Rolls Royce executives are very concerned about diluting their cherished brand.

Although in many ways, they are still targeting the same customer. The classic car company is also looking to steal some market share away from a different type of uber wealthy consumer audience who have been enjoying showing off their newest Bentleys (The Continental lines) for a number of years. You may have seen these cars on the HBO show Entourage. They are hip, cool and have been reinvented, representing a completely remade ‘cutting edge’ brand in the $200,000 range. That ain't cheap. Yet they've sold like hotcakes with sales rising over 10-fold since 2007.

Guess what? The Ghost is a big hit. Orders are rising quickly. To me, it feels like Rolls Royce should stop worrying about diluting its brand. After all, the company is now simply making its cars more affordable for (mostly) the same customer it always targeted.

Instead, someone over there should “take a bullet” for missing this enormous opportunity over the last 10 years that Bentley has so deftly capitalized on.

Companies live and die by trying to balance the need to maintain a brand promise and (many times) the necessity to sell new products which could jeopardize the brand promise or drive (sorry for the pun) enormous new successful business lines into the future.

In my opinion, Rolls-Royce's conservative or complacent decision (not sure which one it is) to not come to market faster, has cost hundreds of millions of dollars. It could have exploited an entirely different level of wealth and still maintained the global brand we all know and respect. But, it was risk adverse to do so until pressure mounted as the economy plunged into an abyss.

That's life in the world of business. Rolls-Royce's mistake became Bentley's innovation.

His Airness still has timeless appeal

This weekend, Michael Jordan entered the basketball Hall of Fame. Many feel that he is the best player to ever lace up a pair of basketball sneakers. With six championships, 10 NBA scoring titles, five league MVPs and two Olympic gold medals on his mantel, it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve this honor. But, that’s something for fans to subjectively debate in years to come.

What can’t be argued though is how amazingly long His Airness’ marketing endorsement star has continued to brightly shine. Especially considering the fact that the man has been retired from the game he helped to make so popular for more than six years. That’s almost an eternity when it comes to the marketing staying power of this magnitude for celebrity endorsements.

For those old enough to remember, think back to March, 1985, when a sneaker company named Nike made the single smartest investment in its history by creating the Air Jordan basketball shoe. Remember those creatively artistic Spike Lee commercials? (“It’s got to be the shoe.”) Jordan’s universal appeal generated billions of $$$ in sales and fawned an entirely new industry of brands and products with his name and likeness on them, including sponsors such as Gatorade, Ball Park Franks, Ray-O-Vac, Wheaties, McDonald's, Upper Deck cards, as well as entire Nike Air Jordan apparel lines. Nike continued to ride the Jordan bandwagon for 12 more years when it finally launched the actual Jordan Brand to huge fanfare and success.

It’s easy to understand why he was so successful back then. Everyone wanted to “Be like Mike,” (as the 1990s Gatorade commercials so aptly showcased.)

Think about it. He was the first commercial superstar in a rising sport who represented everything our culture pushes us to be: Good looking, a supreme athlete, cool as ice, competitive beyond belief, charismatic and articulate, smart and funny, and most importantly- a winner (winning more games for more than a decade than anyone else.)

Today, Jordan is a mere memory for most. It’s sad to think that his greatness was entirely missed by today’s new generation of basketball and sports loving kids and teenagers. But, that makes no difference. He remains a marketing icon who still regularly appears on TV ads for such sponsors as Hanes underwear and Gatorade. And, Nike, PepsiCo and Upper Deck have all introduced products in recent months to commemorate Jordan’s NBA career in time for last weekend’s Hall of Fame ceremony. In fact, according to Nike, the Jordan Brand is now a $1 billion brand and still growing successfully.

Many of the most charismatic and successful retired sports celebrities continued to make money through endorsements, licensing and sponsorships long after their playing careers were over. There’s nothing novel about this fact. What’s extraordinary in the case of Michael Jordan is just how strong his magnetism still is, even as he settles well into middle age. Clearly, that famous Jordan smile certainly isn’t lost on companies looking to woo consumers.

Some may argue that players like Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain or even Kobe Bryant should be considered greater than Jordan. (I happen to disagree.) But, it’s hard to believe that any other basketball player will ever have the timeless marketing appeal of this living legend.

Bring the Hipsters to the Yard… Harvard Yard

Today's guest blog is by Laura Mills, Account Executive, Brand2 Squared Licensing, A Division of Peppercom.
I giggled when I read this recent post from Perez Hilton: “Harvard University Launches Fashion Line, Confuses Everyone,” thinking of my old college sweatshirt at home.  Licensing is a great source of revenue and marketing for universities, but the idea of a stuffy, Ivy League institution lending its name to a fashion apparel manufacturer seemed ridiculous at first.  However, it might actually be brilliant. 

Generally, collegiate licensing is pretty straight forward.  Most schools stick with their name, colors and mascot, licensing assets under strict visual standards to apparel, paper products, tailgate paraphernalia and other tchotchkes.   Merchandise often targets sports fans with products to wear and use at athletic events, as alumni are life loyal to their schools.  You can’t go anywhere in the world without seeing “Penn State” emblazoned on someone’s chest or cap.  It’s an effective strategy and no college or university has broken this mold.  Until now. 

WearWolf Group will launch a contemporary men’s fashion line called Harvard Yard, inspired by photos of students on the famous lawn in the 1960s.  In this case, both WearWolf and Harvard carve out a fashion niche that the University can own, strategically steering clear of both the tailgate aesthetic and the preppy look of Vineyard Vines.  Instead, it appears to be the menswear extension of Dan Humphrey, the resident hipster on the WB’s Gossip Girl.  As Time magazine eloquently writes in a recent profile of the hipster movement, “instead of creating a culture of their own, hipsters […] borrow from trends long past. Take your grandmother's sweater and Bob Dylan's Wayfarers, add jean shorts, Converse All-Stars and a can of Pabst and bam — hipster.”

Hipster is rapidly turning mainstream, as mass merchants like Urban Outfitters capitalize on what the Time article calls “hipster chic.” Bringing the photos from the ‘60s into the equation, the concept ties the University to the style and, by default, the current trend.  Not only is Harvard taking a new direction from traditional, sports driven collegiate licensing, but it’s doing so with the legitimacy of a really hot trend.   While I question its price positioning ($165 for a pair of pants), Harvard Yard could prove to be wildly successful and provide its “alma mata” with the significant, incremental revenue that goes with that retail success. 

Notarize this

I hate having my time wasted. (Who doesn't?) Yesterday I wasted an hour trying to find a notary to sign and stamp some building permits for construction work on my condo. Last month, I was forced to squander away about 90 minutes of my time (and that of my former office manager, who is also a notary) notarizing six copies of mortgage papers for a property I was buying.

In each case, all the notary did was to sign and stamp, sign and stamp, sign and stamp... so, I asked myself last night, what is the relevance of having documents notarized today? I'm still searching for the answer.

Yes, I know that notaries are supposed to act as the universal, unbiased third party to ensure that legal documents are prepared and signed correctly. Theoretically, that seems like an important need. Realistically, all I've ever seen them do is sign and stamp. And, for the end consumer (that's me right now,) it just causes a lot of time, and sometimes extra money to pay for their services which seem irrelevant today. To this point, what high ranking official really cares enough to check up to make sure that anything that is notarized is officially done the right way? More importantly, why does a small time town permit allowing me to rip out tile and put in new toilets really need a notarized signature? Seems like something that just isn't needed.

To truly understand this topic of the day, I did a little research on the subject of notaries. For those of you who don't know (and want a little history lesson,) the history of notaries can be traced back to the days of ancient Egypt. At that time, a notary acted as a scribe whose duties included transcribing state papers, supplying magistrates with necessary legal forms and recording public proceedings. As history progressed, notaries became a staple in most legal systems as those who wrote legal and public documents. As a result of writing all these documents, the authority of the notary public increased.

Of course, as a new age dawned (with a largely literate populace), the need for a notary to write legal documents largely decreased.

So, here we are today. The American legal system continues to rely on the need for a notarized signature for almost everything legal. The main purpose is to check the identity of any signing party so that cheats, scammers and crooks cannot take advantage of our system. But, how relevant can notaries actually be now that John Hancocks can be signed electronically (as my assistant so deftly pointed out to me)? And, as we continue to move towards leveraging the Internet to conduct legal transactions and sign our names away in the digital world, won't the usefulness of a notary start to fade away completely?

I'll come back to my original question. Does a notarized signature really matter anymore on the types of documents I highlighted above? My guess is that the only one who actually cares these days, is the notary himself.

Find your silver lining today

They are certainly hard to find. But I believe if one looks hard enough, it becomes clear that some positive benefits can be derived even (or especially) in these tough times.

One that I wrote about a few weeks back is how inexpensive commercial office leases have become. Actually, if you’re looking to buy any real estate now (that is if you have any available cash and a strong stomach,) most would agree that today’s market is tremendously appealing.

Another positive occurrence is that most days traffic driving in and out of New York City is about 50 percent less congested. This makes me happy (as I drive 2-3 times a week). And I do feel bad (occasionally) that I’m only experiencing this reality because well over half a million City jobs have been terminated. While those might be viewed as more ‘run of the mill’ advantages, here’s one that I’ve been thinking about for a while that isn’t so obvious.

I believe that this current climate will create important beneficial advantages for those college students who have just graduated. What did you just say? You think I’m crazy? Ok, that’s a valid initial response. But, hear me out on this one a little before you completely disagree.

My theory is that these kids will need to work that much harder, think so much smarter and do whatever it takes to nail down their first jobs now. And, those who can’t… well many of them will need to eat a slice of humble pie. That is, those without incredibly affluent parents supporting them will need to find any job now to pay their bills. That could mean using a four year degree from a top-20 university to flip burgers at McDonalds, wait tables at Fridays, or be a clerk at the Gap.

The old cliché “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is one of the best I’ve ever heard.  Most college grads have never faced today’s challenges before. Finding ways to live and deal with this economy will create a new resolve that they never knew even existed. Those who are actually strong/fortunate/savvy enough to land the job they want, will build real character that would never have come about when times were good (as they will be again in the future.)

I graduated 20 years ago in a time when the economy had also hit a brick wall. (Remember junk bonds?) No one ever wants to hear the annoying line from older generations that goes something like this: “Back in my day, we had to walk 11 miles in the snow just to get to school every winter.” That’s because those generations often use it to demonstrate just how bad things were and just how much it took to overcome the odds. I promise not to do that here. But, I will state that learning to find one’s way, under the most uncertain and often anxious conditions, can truly be a blessing in disguise.

Back then, we didn’t have the Internet to help us network and find people who knew people who could help. Instead, it was all focused on first understanding and then packaging any thread-like, tiny point of difference that could separate your resume and then (if lucky enough) interview from the pack. In my case, I hand delivered resumes to all the NYC agencies. I was told that deliveries were put in a separate pile than regular mail. I really had no clue if it would work… but figured it was worth a try. So, after delivering about 100 resumes across the city in about a day and a half, I waited. Thirty six hours later that one call came in which provided me with the competitive interview I longed for. To be honest, I’m not really sure what set me apart (from the four other candidates) in the interview to win me my first job (it certainly wasn’t the $199 JC Penny suit that hung off my body). But, as they say…”the rest is history.” And, I was on my way.

Life isn’t easy. And, it certainly isn’t fair. I think that 20 years from now, a host of today’s college graduates will look back at this point in time as being a defining moment for them, when they learned to fight through tough odds and persevere. I know that most will learn to appreciate the good, “easy” times that much more as well.

Publicity that you just can’t buy

This, ("Daly’s Return Comes With a Fashion Statement,") from yesterday's NY Times is simply a great piece of publicity for LoudMouthGolf.com. As you can see, this niche golfing apparel company exploited the fact that the irreverent golfer John Daly has decided to wear its very own outlandish colored pants at the upcoming US Open. While it isn’t clear whether Daly is receiving sponsorship money for doing this, it doesn’t really matter. The photo opportunity by itself makes for a great story.

This type of exposure might happen once in a business’ lifetime (or never at all). And, that’s why companies like LoudMouthGolf.com need to make sure they “milk it” for every ounce of value. If done right, these 15 minutes of fame can substantially increase a company’s reputation from a non- existent brand to one with very high awareness. And, sales can skyrocket.

A similar (but much more impactful) opportunity arose for J. Crew months ago, when the First Lady decided that she would sport J. Crew casual outfits when appearing on stage and in many public forums. That instantly created a huge sales demand for the exact same outfits that Ms. Obama appeared in. And J. Crew jumped into high gear by making sure the world understood what the First Lady’s clothes preference is. I must have seen 25 national media stories about this somewhat superficial story. If I’m not mistaken, J. Crew also created an online/offline ad campaign to acknowledge and promote this honor as well. 

So, you’re now wondering how your company can be so fortunate to win the publicity lottery like this? Well, here’s my take on three key ingredients needed for this type of award winning recipe:

1.) How does my product connect to something extremely timely and trendy?
With LoudMouthGolf.com it’s clearly the U.S Open. With J. Crew, a pure blast of luck connected the company to the presidential election. There’s always some opportunity to connect your product to a timely holiday, seasonal milestone, political controversy or business event taking place. You need to think about what the hook might be for why your product would be deemed interesting or important around that tie-in and how it should be positioned.

2.) What famous/infamous or controversial figure would tie nicely into my product and this trend?
Now, what famous or controversial person would really create visibility or an emotional reaction or just laughter if he/she/they actually decided to use your product? That’s the question. With that, you need to make sure that this partnership would actually emit your brand in the right way to key audiences. You might want to actually brainstorm a laundry list of possible candidates and then write down the pros and cons of each representing your brand (officially or unofficially).

3.) What is the win/win for all parties involved?
Finally, you need to really think about why this person might endorse or care about your product. And, what’s the real story for media, or the blogosphere or even your end consumer? We refer to this as the “win/win.” What end benefit does each party involved receive? Is it pure publicity opportunities for the celebrity? Does the story make sense for media because it’s so beyond unusual? Once you understand that, then create a packaging for this offer or story that will be simple to understand and impactful to implement.

Here’s a closing point to think about. The phrase I used above, (15 minutes of fame,) is just that. So, when all is said and done, those 15 minutes come and go very quickly. The most savvy marketers/business people are always thinking ahead and have figured out a way to use that initial 15 minutes as merely a high octane introduction to their brand. They then use that new found notoriety (and credibility) to consistently develop a steady drumbeat of ongoing publicity and successful marketing endeavors to build the business further.