Alleblog

by Nancy Landis, Account Coordinator

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” – Albert Einstein

Perception is a powerful thing. It can drive our thoughts and our actions. For many of us, it is truth. It is what we believe to be true, based on our interpretation of what we experienced.

In an article written by Tom Asacker, he states that in order to influence customer perceptions and behavior, we often work like crazy to persuade people with all of our facts – data, specs, studies, etc., when instead we “should be working to understand and appeal to people’s truth, because perception conditions their sensibilities and subsequent actions.”

Asacker’s article made me think about a recent exercise we did at a company meeting. The exercise involved reviewing different food advertisements from magazine publications. A snack food advertisement for Lay’s Classic Potato Chips continues to resonate with me.

The ad shows a child on a swing, enjoying a potato chip, with this look of extreme happiness on her face. Oh, to be a kid again and have the freedom of play and enjoying foods without guilt. The headline pays the photo off with: “It takes 12 muscles to smile or 3 simple ingredients. Just potatoes, all natural oil & a dash of salt.” I love this ad. It takes me back to the simple days of life. Just looking at the ad brought back warm feelings from my past. It recreated memories. It targeted my perception of the good times I associate with snack foods.

Usually, for me, “snack foods” often make me think of a table full of salty and sweet goodies that are extras to my daily diet, enjoyed while having fun. They are not part of a meal. They certainly aren’t healthy. And, more than likely, they are extras that my body probably doesn’t need, shouldn’t have, and I’ll need to work off the extra calories with some extra exercise.

How is Lay’s effectively changing my perception of chips? They did their homework. They know that people perceive chips as junk food and they have done a great job of emotionally changing that perception. By looking at that little girl’s bright, smiling face, I not only view the chips as natural and healthy, but also as creating the feelings of freedom that go along with being young. The ad made me feel happy. Content. Lay’s took all the negatives I normally associate with snacks and replaced them with good feelings surrounding their product.

This ad is selling an experience, a perception, not just a product with ingredients and nutritional facts. Now that’s a hard working ad.

By Jamie Allebach

The advertising world of where brands can simply push their message “out” is all but gone. Today, brands must get “out” of traditional thinking and “in” to where consumers are spending time.

The philosophy behind traditional media is that it goes out to persuade people to buy your brand. It’s “Outbound” advertising and it’s intrusive by nature, and it typically interrupts what people are doing. The new mindset of advertising is much more “Inbound” focused. Getting your brand into the space where people are inviting you to engage with them. It’s permission-based and in many instances, you become part of what they are doing.

Today’s consumers have adopted and embraced mediums where they have a voice–where they have influence within an affinity group of peers. Word of Mouth (WOM) used to be the hot new trend. Consumers would spread news about your brand–positive and negative–among people in their social sphere, people they see and talk to on a regular basic. Today, with online networks, it’s like WOM of steroids. Consumers can have an online sphere of influence of hundreds or thousands, maybe tens of thousands. This is wonderful news for your brand–as long as you give consumers a reason to be excited about your brand.

I’m not saying that all traditional forms of advertising are now obsolete. Take an objective look at your advertising tactics. If over 50-60% of your plan is focused on “Outbound” tactics, you need to redirect your path to be more “Inward Bound”.

by Bennett Andelman, Allebach Communications

Since the advent of social media and it being crowned the “flavor of the month” by marketers across the globe, a great debate has consumed our industry: Do digital marketers/agencies now run the show? Have traditional brand agencies “jumped the shark”?

Depending on whom you ask and what you read, the answer seems to change frequently — with a majority of people still having reservations and making claims that digital marketing is just a tool in the shed - not the shed itself.

What do you think? Does offline or online really matter to an oblivious consumer who’s only interested in the brand and message - regardless of how it is being delivered?

Ana Andjelic’s DigitalNext post, provocatively titled “Why Digital Agencies Aren’t Ready to Lead,” mentions several reasons why digital marketers aren’t ready to lead, one of which was their lack of experience in the business (as compared with the “decades of experience” that traditional agencies are known for). I am sure this is true for some digital marketers but our experience is that most digital marketers are marketers first and that their expertise in brand strategy is then applied to the digital world - not vice versa.

In most cases, technologies that are new scare us and we are quick to point out why it can’t work as opposed to why it does work.

Let’s face it. Today’s creative ingenuity lies within the idea, the technology, the concept, the innovation and consumer connection. Word of mouth is more prevalent than ever and interactive communities have an increasingly louder and more influential voice and are stronger (and sometimes the only) sources of breaking news stories. No one understands this better — nor is better equipped to handle the swift demands required — than the digital marketer.

The good news. Most traditional agencies have adopted this same premise and have hired digital marketing talent to control this space. Now, clients get the best of both worlds - brand strategy with a digital twist.

What do you think? Will traditional agencies eventually disappear and the world will eventually run from your fingertips to the screen?

Let us know.

Everybody out there seems to have a theory on the best way to save money at the grocery store. You are seeing more and more of these “top 20” or even “top 50” lists on-line of ways to pinch pennies while grocery shopping. These lists are becoming more popular, especially at a time of economic recession. During times like these, why not try out some ideas on how to shave money from your weekly shopping adventure? Even though a consumer might not see a significant amount of savings, the sense of accomplishment from doing research can almost be just as rewarding.

You’ve seen the generic ways to save money, which typically includes making a list, clipping your coupons, not shopping while hungry or tired, etc. According to www.curbly.com, the 2nd top way that you can save money on your grocery bill is to “eat more beans.” I’ve officially heard it all! Trying to remember all of these tips can be overwhelming, especially when you are attempting to push your way through crowded aisles. “Don’t forget to mix your own spices, Lindsay” is honestly going to be the last thing on my mind.

After rummaging through several “top ways to save” lists, it seems as though on-line grocery shopping would put a large check mark on almost half of these “easy steps to save.” Grocery chains are acknowledging this and are now offering consumers fast and easy ways to purchase everything they need online. A simple “online grocery shopping” google search will bring up the local chains in your area that are capable of this kind of service. You can find most of the same products, and sale prices are legit online as well.

Even if you are not quite ready to plug your weekly grocery needs in to a computer, companies like Wal-Mart are offering online options to help you get your feet wet. Wal-mart is now offering online opportunities like a “make it home” section as well as aisle by aisle personalized shopping lists. This is a great interactive way to help take some of that pressure off.

Just remember that you don’t have to “eat more beans” in order to save money. Just remember to keep your options open and try new things. Online grocery shopping can save you time and stress.

By Lindsay Reasner, Media Director