New MasterCard Ad Featuring Peyton Manning

MasterCard does it again. They seem to always be one up on Visa. This MasterCard ad has over 13,000 views since it debuted on YouTube November 2, 2006.

Volkswagon Ad

This is the first ad in a campaign by Volkswagen promoting its partnership with First Act where customers purchasing or leasing new models will receive a customized First Act guitar that matches their vehicle.

Viacom Now Wants To Keep Videos Available On YouTube

Though YouTube has removed Comedy Central clips, their corporate parent Viacom has confirmed that it wants to find some way to keep the clips available. Viacom has apparently given the green light for YouTube to put the material back up.

Viacom Wants Videos Removed From YouTube

The Washington Post reported Viacom asking YouTube to purge video clips at YouTube.

Viacom asks YouTube to purge certain clips.


Viacom requesting videos to be removed from YouTube is generating negative reactions from some consumers.

ABC News 20/20 Coverage of Consumers Fighting Back

Please take a take a glance at this story from ABC News 20/20 on Friday, October 13, 2006 which elaborates on consumers video taping their thoughts and feelings about encounters with bad customer service experiences with companies.

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http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2563615&page=1

Financial Football

Visa is reaching out to teens/young adults with its new "Financial Football" campaign. Please visit www.practicalmoneyskills.com for more information.

Link To CNN Article About Leading Financial Blogs

Leading Financial Blogs from CNN

Popular Capital One Commercial Featuring David Spade

What's In Your Wallet?

Interesting Customer Satisfaction Survey Results

I have been rather busy as of lately. I recently created a customer satisfaction survey for a local dental office to give out to its customers. I have since collected the surveys and analyzed the data for the dental office. Some of the findings were quite surprising. Unfortunately, I cannot provide a lot of information about the results due to professional courtesy. However, I did learn a great deal about different ways dental offices may be able to market themselves.

This dental offices doesn't plaster ads in magazines or create hilarious commercials to entice consumers to visit them. However, it does benefit from good old-fashioned word of mouth. In fact, over sixty-percent (60%) of the survey respondents stated they referred a friend/family member.

There are several ways this dental office gets the word out about its services. It uses print items (i.e. brochures and business cards) and offers referral incentives. Interestingly, survey respondents in the satisfaction survey stated they need more experiences with the dental office. It is interesting that the customers of this dental office feel they need more experiences before they will refer friends/family members. Unfortunately, most people only get to the dentist once or twice a year. Ultimately, this finding means this local dental office will need to offer additional services to get customers into its office more often.

Grocery Shopping Moving To Wireless

MobileLime, a Boston-base company, is working with Chevy Chase Supermarket to input scanners that will let customers pay for groceries with a new type of mobile phone. Mobile phones with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips will work as a "wireless wallet." Consumers will be able to store credit card accounts on their mobile phones. They will need to verify a pass code into the phone, select the card to use and waive it over a scanner. The scanner will charge the consumers credit card and send a receipt back to the phone. MobileLime says the mobile phone based payment system is more secure than carrying plastic credit cards.

Chevy Chase Supermarket is currently sending text messages advertising products. However, it hopes to roll out the "wireless wallet" by Thanksgiving 2007. Only five percent of phones are expected to have RFID chips to make the "wireless wallet" possible. However, proponents feel the technology will catch on.

Leshan, Bruce. The Wirless Wallet. 9NEWSNOW. September 25, 2006. http://wusatv9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=52334

Visa Check Card

Here is the new Visa commercial promoting its Check Card products and security services.

NFL.com Fantasy Draft Advertisement

Here is an interesting commercial for all you sports fans out there!

Coke Reaching Out To Teen Segment

Coke created a commercial which has become viral in nature. It includes features from a popular video game: Vice City. The commercial video is titled Grand Theft Auto: Coca-Cola. There are many more videos similar to this on YouTube.com and http://video.google.com/.

Reaching Out To Customers

Companies are learning that mass marketing techniques are not as effective as they use to be. Companies can no longer run a television ad and expect people to react.

Companies are beginning to use email blasts, interactive games and viral marketing campaigns designed specifically to reach small market segments. Companies are doing this by using non-traditional means of advertising, starting company blogs to interact with customers and creating podcasts for consumers to view.

Companies such as Mastercard, Visa and American Express have created websites specifically designed to generated buzz (See Below). MasterCard has used its website to promote an interactive ad campaign. Interestingly, it is one of the most successful campaigns from a major credit card company.

Credit Card Campaign Websites:
MasterCard - www.priceless.com
Visa - www.lifetakesvisa.com
American Express - www.mylifemycard.com

Many advertisers also release press releases in the form of RSS feeds to reach key influencers in an attempt to get them to write about their products and services. The blogosphere is proving to be a very active community. Blogs are very easy for individuals to set up and update. Additionally, information can be passed along by bloggers very quickly. The very nature of blogging makes it an excellent resource to create viral campaigns.

Companies are also finding out that video is becoming a popular medium of choice by consumers. People are submitting home video and company commercial clips at sites such as YouTube.com and Vimeo.com.

One thing is for sure; companies must find new ways to reach out to their customers. How will you reach yours?

Michelob Ultra Superbowl Ad

BMW 3 Series Commercial

BMW 5 Commercial

Staples Strives For Innovation

Staples has a contest called InventionQuest. Winners of the annual contest receive $25,000 and up to an 8% royalty. The annual contest is in its third year and continues to attact investors from across the country. People submit ideas for improving office products. The contest is part of a broad effort by Staples make a stable of exclusive products to differentiate its own-brand line from those of competitors.

Staple's also got a boost after providing to pay for judges on an episode of the Donald Trump show, "The Apprentice." Contestant's on the show developed a useful desk organizer. The winning product went on Staple's shelves the next day and quickly sold out.

Staples brand products, which carry a higher profit margin than other goods, accounted for 18% of Staple's $16.08 billion in revenue last year. Cheif executive Ron Sargent says he expects that to rise to 20% this year. Mr. Sargent says his ambition is to make the chain's own products "the top national office products brand."

Bulkeley, William M. "Got a Better Letter Opener?" Wall Street Journal. Page B1. Thursday, July 14, 2006.

Bold Moves Way Forward

Ford South America has become the company's biggest success stories. It accounted for nearly $1 of every $5 Ford earned in last year. "What we can learn from South America is a willingness to start with a clean sheet of paper," Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Ford said.

First, Ford overhauled its manufacturing facilities by closing inefficient plants. It took a risk by opening a new, low-cost factory. Second, Ford began making cars that were aligned with consumer tastes. Ford polled young people at nightclubs and churches in low-income communities. Its market-research pointed toward designing a small SUV to compete with Nissan Pathfinders and Toyota RAV4s. In 2003, Ford introduced the Ecosport. It is so popular that it has captured 80% of the SUV market in Brazil. The Ecosport is designed to fit customers in emerging markets. It is smaller and designed to cope with bad road conditions.

Michael Robinet, a vice president at CSM Worldwide, a Michigan-based auto-industry research firm said "Bland or non-aggressive design is not a recipe for long-term growth and stability of any company." Ford is closing 14 North American plants and cutting up to 34,000 jobs during the next six years. It is doing this in an attempt to reinvent itself. Industry insiders say Ford must show the same boldness in North America if it really wants to move way forward.

Samor, Geraldo. “In Brazil, Ford Has Discovered ‘Way Forward’.” Wall Street Journal. Page B1. Monday, July 10, 2006.

Nestle Sales Down 18%

Nestle has been unsuccessful trying to increase sales for its candy bar, KitKat. Nestle has been trying to launch different flavors for the popular candy bar. Nestle has been trying to improve sales by introducing line extensions for its current popular product offerings. Meanwhile, it has been trying to avoid introducing new products. "Line extensions are a lot less risky, while new brands tend to be fewer and far between now," says Tom Vierhile, analyst with Datamonitor. Nestle's rival Kraft Foods Inc. turned Oreo cookies into Oreo ice-cream cones, an Oreo pie crust, miniature Oreos, and "spring themed" Oreos with purple filling. Additionally, retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. provide shelf space to brands receiving the most sales. Unfortunately, new products sales not very strong in most cases.

Nestle dropped the tagline "Have a break, have a Kit Kat" for "Make the most of your break." It hopes sales will improve.

Ball, Deborah. "Flavor Experiment for KitKat Leaves Nestle With a Bad Taste." Wall Street Journal. Page A1. Thursday, Julay 6, 2006.