Ever done market research and concluded that the results just told you what you already knew, or were so befuddled by the survey's technical mumbo jumbo that you found the whole process a waste of time and money? Well, help is out there to provide meaningful information about your company's markets and sales channels. Information that can be extremely helpful in developing highly suucessful marketing, sales and customer service strategies and tactics.

A new technique called emotional motivation studies goes far beyond brand recognition and asking the tired questions about price, performance and availability. These studies delve into the emotions of the target audience to find the essential reasons why they respond to one brand or another and more importantly, how they are “wired” in dealing with new or existing products, as well as how they gain new product information, interact with peers, subordinates, superiors and vendors.

So, why is this a big deal? How would you like to know for real, exactly what are the triggers that would make a customer consider a new product? How do they justify breaking ranks to try something new? How do they get new information? What are the soft issues (i.e., security, familiarity, aversion to risk, risk taking, etc.), that makes products appeal to them? Do they make decisions about products alone or in groups? What are the soft issues that keep them with their current suppliers and what do they see as problems with their current suppliers?

Interestingly, the companies that conduct these studies find similar psychological traits in professions. Engineers for example tend to be lone wolves, methodical, need clarity and predictability, want quick answers, desire character-based status, etc. In addition to fine tuning offers and copy to appeal to the emotional needs of engineers, this profile also can be used to plan the best methods for reaching them and the type and quantity of information to provide.

While these types of studies have been used in consumer marketing for decades, they are now finding their way into the business-to-business marketing world as technical products attain commodity status and new ways must be found to generate sales beyond the traditional hawking product features and benefits. They provide the guidance to develop disruptive new services and technologies to gain a competitive edge by considering the emotional and rational needs of customers. Very focused profiles that help ensure sales and marketing success and the efficient spending of marketing communications dollars.

Like to know more about emotional motivation studies? Call us at 440.975.8201 or email: roy@mediaii.com

Google is at it again

The billionaire boys have a couple of new tricks up their sleeve to help manage your desktop or build a worldwide soapbox. A lot can be learned from Google, how they anticipate the market's needs with valuable new tools, make them free to users, while selling advertising services to companies in search of eyeballs and clicks.

Search Your Own Computer

Google Desktop Search is how our brains would work if we had photographic memories. It's a desktop search application that provides full text search over your email, computer files, chats and web pages you've viewed. By making your computer searchable, Desktop Search puts your information easily within your reach and frees you from having to manually organize your files, emails and bookmarks.

When you download Google Desktop Search, the application creates an index of all your searchable information and stores it on your computer, allowing you to search your personal items as easily as you search the Internet using Google. Unlike traditional computer search software that updates once a day, Desktop Search updates continually for most file types; when you receive a new email in Outlook, for example, you can search for it within seconds.

Google Desktop Search also introduces new ways to access information, organizing email search results into conversations so that all messages in the same thread are grouped into a single search result, and keeping "cached" copies of everything you see, so that you can view older versions of documents and web pages even if you're not online.

Get Your Own Personal Soapbox - Google Blogging SoftwareThere's an enormously diverse genre of online publishing that has begun to change the equations of online news and information: Weblogs. These Internet soapboxes have topics ranging from technology to politics to just about anything you can name. Many weblogs invite feedback through discussion postings, and weblogs often point to other weblogs in an ecosystem of news, opinions and ideas.

And Google has jumped in the fray with its own blogging hosting service called Blog Spot. It's free, easy to use and professional in appearance.

New Cell-Phone Services

A new web site, Google Local, for users with XHTML-enabled browsers on their phones can search for a local business, figure out how to get there and provide a zoomable map of the area. Users can also retrieve driving directions with text messages via Google SMS and users can also send a text message with a search query and receive addresses, stock quotes, weather and movie listings. Google Local is available in the United States and Canada and is supported by most wireless carriers.

Bird's Eye View

In addition to locating addresses, Google Maps can provide a color satellite view of your business, home or other locations. To use, go to Google Maps, click on Satellite View in the upper right hand corner, and then use the page tools to move across the U.S. and zoom in and out.

What you'd better know about blogging

According to a recent survey from Edelman, the world's largest public relations agency, and Intelliseek, a business intelligence provider, blogging is changing the landscape about the control of messaging by corporations, the media, the government, marketers and company stakeholders. If you are involved with communications for your organization, blogging is a communications technique that will probably affect your industry, if not your business. It is also a tool that you can use as a forum to better understand the needs of customers, employees and channel partners.

According to the study, peoples' trust has shifted from authority figures to “average people, like you.” In fact, 56% of Americans trust only the opinions of physicians and academicians more than they trust the opinions of people like themselves.

What does this mean? The average person does not want canned, neatly packaged messages; the average person wants to engage and be engaged in conversations. And blogs-short for web logs-have rapidly emerged as one of the newest technologies driving this shift.

Blogs are easily published, personal web sites that serve as sources of commentary, opinion, and uncensored, unfiltered sources of information on a variety of topics. The best-written and most widely read blogs are characterized by their authors' genuine passion for a specific topic or issue-what some call “passionate journalism,” or reporting with an informed bias. Blogs also serve as communities where information, links, opinions, videos, audio files, photos and other forms of media are easily and frequently shared, where elaboration can be offered, disagreements can be aired, and comments can be posted. Together, this collective conversation is called the Blogosphere, and it's one of the fastest growing areas of new content on the Internet.

This new and growing critical mass is forcing marketing professionals and company stakeholders to think differently about how they go to market. Bloggers are speaking and being heard in real time, and only recently has the marketing community begun to grasp bloggers' impact on brands, business and issues. Because of their speed, bloggers can and do alter the volume and tone of any conversation. Gone are the days of waiting months to get reliable feedback on an initiative. The new reality is this: any blog author with a passion for what you're selling knows what you're doing the minute you do it-and maybe even before. Bloggers comment immediately, and marketing and business professionals can quickly lose control of the conversation.

This white paper is an initial look at the dynamics of the Blogosphere. It's intended to inform marketing and communications professionals about the who, what, where and how-to of blogging. If this paper has done justice to the subject of blogging, it also should sound a huge wake-up call. Blogging is not a passing fad…but any brand, business or organization that fails to grasp the fact may very well be.

For a Acrobat PDF copy of this in-depth white paper, email: roy@mediaii.com

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The purpose of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly isn't to skewer one company or another, but to reinforce the value of good advertising and helping to avoid the traps of bad advertising. Advertising is expensive only if it is done poorly. Like to have us critique an ad? Send it to Roy Harry at Media II.Fractional Ad Space Doesn't Have to Bring Fractional Results

Both of these ads were in a recent magazine directed at automotive design engineers. Both are full-color and both are fractional pages.

This 1/4-page ad has, count 'em, seven major graphic elements to keep your eyeballs from centering on something to draw you into the ad. The message starts out with a very trite,” Helping Drive Your Success,” something any company could say, followed by copy that is nearly unreadable over the photo montage background. The copy is just as trite as the headline if you can read it. It blathers along about its production of high quality plastic compounds for use in a variety of industries and applications backed by Mitsubishi's reputation in automotive. If the reader got this far, I'm sure they'd comment, “What will you do for me that I'm not getting today?”

There is also no bid for action in this ad. What does ACLO want the reader to do?

Accuride shows specific examples of what it can do for the automotive engineer in three examples framed in a clean, uncluttered layout. The reader knows exactly how to follow the message of this ad. It also quickly communicates the benefits of its slides for access, space and comfort for automotive interiors and uses the magic word “Your” to involve the reader. Copy is crisp, right to the point and easy to read.

The bid for action could be stronger though, more than just visit our web site. Ask for a free design guide, samples, case histories, etc., would elicit a stronger response.

Media II Update

Candi's Back - Our Candi Becker is back at the keyboard and mouse after maternity leave. Most of you know Candi as a talented graphic designer and as a person to go the extra mile to meet your needs. But, what you may not know is that Candi is an excellent baker. Let the scrumptious cookies and cakes flow again!

Hardware/Software Upgrades - We're just finishing up phase one of our hardware/software upgrade that includes blazing fast Macs; the latest desktop publishing, graphic design, web site authoring, photo manipulation, document management, presentation and office software; larger, faster and more robust server; more efficient work management and archiving/backup system, and wireless networking. Stop in instead of Starbucks for wireless connectivity, coffee is on us.

Projects Underway - We've been busy with significant new global product introductions (web site, pr including editor previews, international advertising, tradeshow support, online and print-on-demand literature, e-newsletters and e-newsletter sponsorships, etc.) a branding initiative for a decades old company, highly focused demographic ad and sales promotion programs, web site development/management, e-newsletters, and much more for clients across the country.

We now serve U.S. clients in Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, as well as the U.K., Germany and Canada. Thank you Acrobat pdf and conferencing.

Positions Wanted / Positions Available

Jobs Wanted

A few of our friends are out looking for jobs. If any of these folks are of interest to you, let us know and we'll send you their resume. Looking for a job? Send your resume and we will post it in the next issue.

Sales Manager - Strong experience in setting strategies, leading sales organizations and boosting sales in automotive, electronics and business services industries. MBA, registered professional engineer, highly skilled in customer relationship management.

Marketing Communications Manager - Highly experienced in all areas of marketing communications including advertising media, public relations, Internet, trade shows, etc. Outstanding writing, strategic, management and organizational skills. Fortune 500 and smaller company experience.

Electronic Marketing Manager - On top of the latest electronic marketing tools and strategies: database publishing and database-driven web sites, public relations, email newsletters, search engine keyword development, email advertising, Intranets, etc. Fortune 500 company experience.

Experienced Writer - Strong business-to-business writing skills for ads, collateral, web sites, and public relations. Advertising and marketing communications background.

Entry Level Writer - Recent college graduate looking for the first break. Good creative and, of course, writing skills.

Jobs Available

If you would like to know more about these positions, contact Roy Harry. email: roy@mediaii.com
Marketing Communications Specialist, Ashtabula, OH - Custom rubber components manufacturer.

Marketing Communications Specialist, Cleveland, OH - Medical equipment manufacturer.

Quote of the Month:

"To do a common thing uncommonly well brings success." – Henry John Heinz, Ketchup Magnate

Submitted by John Caroff