What can I say… Again I am impressed.
Stand Aside
on Marketing, Media, and Technology
Checking out Google’s Website Optimizer, a few things caught my eye. First of all, the help section is VERY helpful. Not only does it address possible questions about how to, why to, and when to… but it makes use of conversational mediums to receive feedback. For example, be considered for a free demo of Google AdWords
I thought that this "multi-variate" testing layout which AdWords is based on is very similar to how television researchers discover which elements of their shows appeal to their target audience. For example, the creators of Sesame Street spent a lot of time optimizing the television show for viewing by young children. They discovered, through testing combinations of elements within and without their show, that children responded positively to the puppet characters interacting with humans on the show.
"Results showed that test watchers were entranced when the ad-like segments aired, especially those with the jovial puppets, but were remarkably less interested in the street scenes. Psychologists warned CTW against a mixture of fantasy and reality elements, but producers soon decided to mix the elements."-wikipedia on Sesame Street
Sesame Street is an innovator of television watching, by providing a new path of education-entertainment mashed segments. Much like the eCommerce websites of today which are taking the world by storm. With more and more people converting to online shopping as opposed to in-person shopping, greater focus must be presented on the layout and substance of eCommerce sites. Google AdWords takes this concept to a wonderful level by providing a simple and affordable tool designed to optimize websites.
Check out FutureNow’s post by Anthony Garcia on "64 Tips to getting started with Google Website Optimizer"
Who do we listen to? Good question for all to dwell on. By "all" I mean everyone, you, me, leaders, subordinates.
Myself. I listen to myself. Foremost and primary. Then. . . I turn to friends who don’t live near me. An outside view is VERY important. Family and close friends I tend to leave for last because, even though they are probably looking out for me.
Where then do we decide petty and everyday matters? By ourselves? Yes and no. I implore you to look at each and every thing you acquire throughout a day; decide who or what influenced you to get that thing. I have come to a very concrete conclusion based on all of the things that I acquire throughout my day. I have certain relationships of value with people and things that I do not even know personally. For example, I acquired a burrito from Chipotle Mexican Grille 
the other day. I thought as I was eating that delicious-football-sized burrito, why hadn’t I tried another burrito chain, Burritoville, down the street? I have a valuable relationship with Chipotle. Valuable to the corporation at least. They have hooked me with their simple, tasty process of acquiring a burrito. The only reasons I would not go there for a burrito are if I am not hungry or if I am low on cash, I will not spend more than I have the means to. I would say that most people in this world form valuable relationships with brands they trust and love. The relationship is what a company should desire and pursue.
I know, I know. Many, many, many people know this and preach this. But … why should I listen to these brands? They are not looking out for me. I am looking our for me. I have been living in contradiction to what I believe about advice. I take advice from myself, friends from afar, and … brands. Ouch! That hurts. I am ashamed of myself. Surely family is more important than brands? My choice, NOW, is to try and put away my notions of brands of value to me and explore what this world has to offer. Who knows what will happen.
Well well well … Starbucks is signing a one-album deal with Paul McCartney on their Hear Music record label, NYTimes reports. I seem to recall a big hub-bub about Howard Schultz, the chairman of Starbucks, calling for his company to return to their niche, coffee, coffee making, and coffee innovating. John Moore from Brand Autopsy with Paul Williams of Idea Sandbox together began a series of posts concerning the Starbucks outcry by Schultz for a return to its roots. They touched on the idea of Starbucks marketing music to its customers. John said:
"What about books and music? Neither links directly to coffee. Yet, the
company has been successful in selling both. Three weeks ago Starbucks
began selling a memoir by a former Sierra Leonean child soldier. So
far, the company has sold over 62,000 copies of this book.
(Folks, that’s a lot of books!!!) Starbucks has also been very
successful in selling CDs of established artists like Ray Charles and
emerging artists like Antigone Rising. Rumor has it the company will step deeper into the music business by forming its own record label, Starbucks Records, and release Paul McCartney’s next CD."
Well, now they are delving deeper into the music business. I wonder how it will turn out. Good for business? Bad for coffee making? Branching too far from the plant? [Coffee plant!]
So now, Mr Schultz, I have a question for you. By furthering Starbucks as a record label, are you keeping true to your request to return to the core?
More to come later, my Calculus class is calling my name.
Actually, I noticed something interesting while reading. I’ve been floating through my blogroll and stumbled upon quite the similarity in peoples vocabulary. It seems that there are some brands which have become synonymous with their niche. For example, "Photoshop".
Adobe Photoshop has become synonymous with picture editing and graphic optimization. People no longer ask you to edit their pictures, they ask you to "photoshop it". This is truly the best way to solidify a lasting brand. When General Mills launched their cereal Cheerios.
This solidified the company as a lasting brand associated with food production. Seemingly the name Cheerios is synonymous with cereal. Every knows cheerios. During the 80’s when Coca-Cola began a ferocious marketing campaign to bring "Coke" onto the mainstream, everyone would associate any type of soda as Coke. The brand is synonymous with the niche.
I believe that any chance a company has to hear its brand name in place of its niche, they should jump for it. It is clearly one of the best ways to keep a brand alive. The name must be solidified. The name, a label put on advertisements EVERYWHERE.
I wonder, how can one improve the chances that their brand is synonymous with their niche? Let look at how Adobe Photoshop did it. By introducing their product within the 90’s, a noticeable rise in computer and internet usage was occurring at the close of the Cold War. Their timing was perfect in capturing the wave of translating tasks into digital tasks within digital environments.
Google did it as well. Their name is now synonymous with finding answers and search engines.
Kid A: "Who invented the internet?"
Kid B: "I don’t know. Google it."
Even people have done it. The name Trump is easily synonymous with money and success. Martha Stewart holds the niche of homemaking and interior decoration. To be the poster child of a niche or concept is the ultimate in preservation.