We have some new people joining Off Madison Ave this month - which means they’ll soon have to partake of the ritual of singing karaoke at their welcome aboard party. We’ve all had to do it, we’ve all hated the song that was chosen for us.
What do you remember about your karaoke debut at your welcome aboard night out?
All I remember was walking up to the stage, and then walking back to my beer after I was done. Everything between those two moments in time is lost forever…unless someone actually posts the video on YouTube, then it will live forever.
Brian Renner
I’m not much of a public performer. I was so nervous when I went up to sing that I tripped and hit my head on the booth.
I sang Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” long before the Rickroll ever became popular. I probably didn’t do it justice, but I was lightheaded enough to feel a sense of accomplishment. Roger even managed to convince the bar owner not to put the surveillance footage of my fall and subsequent performance on YouTube, although I’ve heard rumors the tape is still locked up in his desk.
Joseph Jaramillo
I remember channeling my inner Neil Diamond for what, if I do say so myself, was one of the best “Heartlight” renditions in the history of OMA.
Paul J. Peterson
I’m still kind of peeved about having to sing a Gloria Estefan song because
- I’m not a huge fan {shocker}
- The Conga is really, really fast, and
- I’m a dude.
Chris Sietsema
Because of my blond hair, someone thought “Barbie Girl” by Aqua would be an excellent choice. I had to smile through the whole song just like a Barbie doll! The worst part though was having to try and imitate the Ken voice. It was almost painful having to sing that low!! Then to top it off I was only allowed to have pink colored drinks all night.
Vanessa Geary
The worst thing for me was the costume you guys made me wear. I love Pat Benatar (even though I can’t sing worth a damn), but that “Love Is A Battlefield” look works a lot better on her than it does on me. I did have fun with the hair though, although it took me two weeks to get out all the knots. Still, it’s a much-beloved tradition even among its victims — once you’ve seen Mike Corak dressed up like Boy George you can’t help but have a smile on your face.
Susan Baier
It seems like just yesterday … (cue wavy dream transition)
Okay, so I had to sing Rick Astley, which certainly would not have been my first choice if I got to pick, but seeing as how I had never sung karaoke anyways, I felt I had to go with it. The funniest part is I always thought Rick Astley would have looked like Isaac Hayes. This was the first time I found out he was actually a short white British guy (who knew).
Anyways, since I had never karaoke’d before I was pretty nervous and it started very poorly. I missed the start of the song and then spent probably another minute of it trying to catch up and figure out where I was. I more read the lyrics than sang them. It must have been pretty brutal for all my fellow employees, probably even worse for them than me.
I am not cut out for karaoke, but at least now I can say I have tried it.
Brian Alig
Karaoke makes me uncomfortable, so I don’t remember a lot from that night…I try to block it out! But, it was a fun night as all agency happy hours are, so I’m sure it was its full of good conversations and drinking.
Ellen Stevens
I love that someone thought, “It’s not Unusual” would somehow embarrass me, when the truth is I’ve been praying at the temple of Tom Jones for years!
Not only can I whip my hips about, but I can also hit those high notes in a Welsh accent no less. Not to mention undoing my top three buttons reveals a freakishly hairy chest, just like Tom.
I think everyone was angry because I wasn’t humiliated by my induction, and actually kind of got into it. But you know what? Sucks to be them!
Eric Reid
Jacquie Hahey and I started on the same day so we sang a duet, classic American couple, Sonny and Cher. I was initially hurt that I had to sing the Sonny part, isn’t that height discrimination? I mean sure she looks more like Cher, but come on!
I had just started and people at the office didn’t realize that i was the non-alcoholic of the group, seeing me rock out in my velour suit and platform shoes, they just assumed I was lit, it wasn’t until much later that they realized I was just one fun girl!
Jacquie, I still “Got You Babe”
Michelle Zimmerman
Let’s face it. The economy is taking on the distinctive, sickly pallor of a post Mardi Gras Keith Richards, and even if we’re not officially in a recession, most economists believe it’s coming.
Generally, recessions hit the advertising business with the ferocity of a rabid wolverine, and the last one trimmed overall ad spending by 9% according to market researchers Veronis Suhler Stevenson. The wolverine in question mauled and devoured online advertising, which plummeted 27% over two years during the last recession.
This time it will be different. Not only will online marketing survive, it may actually thrive during the lean times, continuing its inexorable theft of ad spend from traditional media tactics.
Online is far more mature and proven now, and there are five specific reasons why it will be the go-to tactic among increasingly budget-conscious marketers.
Money Talks
First, online is typically less expensive than many other marketing tactics, and a sizable and impactful online effort can be undertaken more quickly and cost-effectively than can an offline campaign.
Wiggle Room
Like an Elizabeth Taylor marriage, online doesn’t require much long-term commitment. PPC ads can go up and down on a day-to-day basis. Email can be sent (or not sent) based on financial considerations. Even banner ads can usually be negotiated with an advantageous cancellation clause of 72 hours or so. Try that with your local TV station or newspaper. Other than keeping your Web site up to date, the only core online tactics that require substantial ongoing effort are organic search optimization, and Web site analytics and testing.
More Juice for the Squeeze
With diminished outbound marketing budgets, companies will shift focus toward increasing revenue from current customers, either through more frequent purchases, or larger ones. Email marketing is the perfect vehicle for communicating with customers and incentivizing additional purchases. Customer lifecycle marketing (persuasively combining email with direct mail, voice mail and text messaging) will gain favor as companies strive to close a higher percentage of a reduced flow of leads.
Waste Not
There is meaningful financial waste associated with advertising to people who have no interest in your product or service. The superior targeting ability of online marketing will enable companies to focus their reduced marketing dollars solely on likely prospects. This will accelerate the trend toward use of behavioral targeting and retargeting in online ad placement.
Behavioral targeting mines a person’s Web page visits and search terms to serve relevant ads. If a prospect reads several pages on Yahoo! about Nissan Altimas and does a search on Yahoo! using a related term, an ad for Valley Nissan dealers can be served up just in time.
Retargeting (a nascent industry led by local company Fetchback) takes the concept one step further, enabling companies to advertise only to people who have visited their Web site previously without making a purchase. With average conversion rates hovering around 2%, this is an ideal way to reach the other 98% that have taken the time to visit your site but haven’t yet converted.
Additionally, search marketing will continue to expand since it is the only tactic (other than Yellow Pages) that puts the marketer in the middle of the consumer’s purchase psychology funnel. I expect heavier bidding on specific, “long tail” search terms that often correlate with greater intent to purchase.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Online marketing of all types offers superior measurability and trackability in comparison to traditional tactics. This is of course due to the Orwellian nature of the Web, where every mouse click is tracked, usually anonymously. While the availability of this data may give you the same creepy feeling you get when gazing upon Joan Rivers, it makes for effective marketing.
When implemented correctly, banner ads, organic search, paid search, blogs and social media, email, lifecycle marketing and all other online marketing tactics provide a user by user scoreboard that can be utilized to ascertain precise return on investment metrics for each campaign.
In this way, online marketing provides companies the ability to test a wide array of tactics, evaluate which generates the best response, and then adjust the marketing program accordingly.
The old saying is “I know half my marketing dollars are wasted. I just don’t know which half.” This problem is even more acute and painful in a down economy when advertising dollars are curtailed. The inherent cost, targeting, and tracking advantages of online marketing make it more likely to succeed (or at least able to minimize losses from a failed campaign). And when a wolverine is at your door, that’s the type of assurance you want from your marketing strategy.
With this summer’s anticipated blockbuster “Batman: The Dark Knight,” the topic has continually been brought up that this is Heath Ledger’s last performance before his untimely death. Studio marketers have become increasingly worried that this will overshadow the entire picture and they do not want their marketing tactics to seem exploitative.
However, this movie is about Batman, not the Joker. The movie chronicles Batman’s struggle to defeat one of the most famous villains of the comic book series, and how to overcome evil.
As long as the studio execs remember this, then there should be no worry about seeming tactless to the early passing of a popular actor. The Joker is not the main character of the movie, and as long as they focus on the brilliance of his performance, then there should be no worry or need for further discussion. Too often focus is taken away from the actual movie performance to the actors portraying the leading roles and their latest public outing or legal troubles.
The environment, sleep disorders, terrorism, leaps in gas prices, disappearing bees… have you ever noticed how easy it is to teach someone about something once you’ve scared the crap out of them first?
Every night, we are informed of some new disease that is lurking out there to steal our sleep, hair, erections, ability to breathe. Then we’re shown a “miracle drug” that will fix us and make the world right again. (Though in some cases use of this drug has resulted in diarrhea, uncontrollable defecation, bleeding from the eyes, American Idol voting…)
Is manufacturing something to be afraid of a smart marketing tactic?
What happens if generating fear becomes de rigueur? Won’t that make it difficult to warn people of something that really is threatening them?
Or does it not matter what happens to society, as long as we can generate some sales right now?
The use of fear has ever steadily been the driving motivator behind television news for the past 10-15 years. The local news used to inform people about the happenings of their community and the goings on in the world around us. But now, local news promos on television and radio have made it so that if you do not watch tonight’s telecast, you will die from some, until now, unknown killer living in your neighborhood/kitchen/water/public place/etc.
It is unbelievable how many of those news teasers and promos say something along the lines of … “Have you ever gone outside? It could be causing your brain to melt. If you don’t want your brain to melt, you need to know what channel X is going to show you … tonight at 10.”
Great, now I cant go outside until the 10 o’clock news, so I know why my brain is melting. I blame the local news for pretty much all ills. These are our gatekeepers people
- Brian Alig
Is manufacturing something to be afraid of a smart marketing tactic?
I think some may find it to be smart, but it’s certainly not ethical if there is no real cause for concern. As a long term strategy, I don’t think it works very well unless there is some validity to the trepidation and the solution proposed actually works.
What happens if generating fear becomes de rigueur? Won’t that make it difficult to warn people of something that really is threatening them?
I think you can see the “boy who cried wolf” effect with the evening news today. 90% of what they report on is either heartbreaking or horrifying. At some point, some of us just either stop watching listening or just become desensitized to the reports. “Gas prices to hit record lows this summer? Another hit and run accident? A brand new meth house discovered 3 miles from where you live? Hmm… sounds par for the course. Oh well.”
If the majority of marketers begin to use fear tactics, their effect will become minimal in good time.
Or does it not matter what happens to society, as long as we can generate some sales right now?
- Hell no. Of course it matters. Our priorities as marketers should be: Carefully choose the right people and organizations to work with,
- Aim to solve legitimate problems or meet needs that improve the lives of others and truly believe in what we are selling,
- Work smart to accomplish the goal(s), and
- Manage to turn a profit. If the first three items are taken care of, the fourth usually comes naturally.
- Chris Sietsema
My parents tell stories of growing up climbing trees, digging in the dirt, and sharing a soda with a friend with no fear of what the possible dangers could be. I can remember growing up being able to go to the neighborhood park and swimming pool without my parents shadowing me every step of the way with a bottle of SPF in one hand and a cell phone ready to dial emergency services in the other.
Flash forward a few years and the overwhelming fear of germs, disease, and some kind of vague “terrible accident” has, in my opinion, stolen kids’ opportunities to enjoy the kind of innocent childhood we remember. There are bottles of anti-bacterial gel to kill the vile germs that lurk in wait to strike us down with some unmentionable disease on every surface, there are fences around the trees, and portable single portion size packages of medicine in case Jimmy gets a little sniffle at the playground.
In our effort to “protect” ourselves and our children from all the scary things in the world are we forgetting just to live, to enjoy every moment without the constant worry and fear of what “could” happen? Those same dangers have existed for nearly every generation
before ours-they didn’t worry about or in some cases even know about the terrible things we fear so much today and yet they survived just the same. As a matter of fact, the number of people suffering from stress and heart-related medical problems has drastically increased in the last few years. Shouldn’t it be about the quality of your life-how are you contributing positively to that when you’re so preoccupied with what the next “epidemic” or tragedy will be? I don’t carry antibiotic gel or individual serving size packages of medicine in my purse. My kids climb trees, dig in the dirt, and have been known to swallow some less-than-appetizing things on more than one occasion. They get bumps on their heads and scrapes on their knees, and I couldn’t be happier for them. I see other parents who are so afraid now of what the world will do to their precious children, they’re hardly allowed outside the house and a bump on the head warrants a trip to the emergency room for fear of a concussion. What kinds of adults will those children be when they’re taught to fear anything that’s not safety-proofed or sterilized?
Live a little! Get dirty! And I challenge you-get rid of the sanitizers and anti-bacterial nonsense. You’ve lived without them before, and I’m fairly certain you’ll be able to do so again without any fatal consequences.
- Vanessa Geary
I do believe the media instills a lot of fear in people for ratings, and make a mountain out a molehill A LOT. Whenever I see a “Tonight at Ten…” I listen to hear what it will about, and some “scares” are legitimate, like scammers and such. But telling me the “Top ten reasons to fear Safeway..” does make me scared to go into the grocery store. I base it on my previous experiences, and I’ve never had an issue with Safeway.
If there is a legitimate issue, then scaring people should get them to act, like the environment and global warming. In recent years, people have been more aware of their surroundings and even doing little things like recycling more. But, there is too much scare going on in the news and “special reports” that messages are getting diluted and people aren’t paying as much attention to them. Can’t the news just say, “we have nothing to scare you with, but you may want to know more about this issue?” instead of “What you need to know about your favorite restaurant before you step foot in there again…the health food issues,” then I may actually watch the evening news. The scare tactics do not get to me anymore, because if I believed it all I would be living in a padded cell where NOTHING could get to me.
And companies should always be looking at the LONG TERM, not the short term.
- Ellen Stevens
Recently Volkswagon has been running a new ad campaign with the tag “Das Auto.” The ads feature a classic 1964 black VW Beetle named Max who in his quirky German accent interviews celebrities like Heidi Klum and David Hasselhoff.
VW has always been known for edgy and creative advertising. Heck, they pretty much single-handedly changed modern advertising with their “Lemon” ad.
I love the idea of the car interviewing celebs in a talk-show format complete with a band of weirdos playing on the side. And the banter between the characters is funny enough to make me stop my DVR so for pure entertainment value I would give these ads an “A.”
BUT. There are a couple things about the ad that make me stop and say “Really?” First, the fact they are using an old car. On the one hand I get it. It’s an icon that represents the whole VW brand and a newer Beetle wouldn’t have the same quirk factor. But is that the best way to sell new cars? To show the old cars? It’s like when a Chevy ad featured their old muscle cars next to their new cars. The new cars aren’t as cool. Don’t remind people how cool your cars used to be if they’re not cooler now! I kinda feel VW runs the risk of doing the same with Max.
Second, the fact they are using Das Auto (The Car) and saying it’s all about “what the people want.” While on the surface it seems okay and perhaps enough time has gone by but have we forgotten that VW was invented because Hitler commissioned Porsche to build something “for the people?” (side note: some say Hitler named the Beetle too.) Bringing the concept back to this seems a little creepy to me particularly when you are using the classic Beetle.
So overall I would say these ads, while not Volkswagon’s best, they’re still worth watching. Check them out here: http://www.volksbloggin.com/2008/04/16/das-auto-volkswagen-advertising-strikes-again/
I would have done a YouTube link but I think it’s funny that this site is called Volksbloggin!
