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Top of Mind Thursday Memo Archive
Top of Mind Thursday January 23, 2020: Going Nuts Over a Loss
Strong brand icons become trusted friends–almost feeling like family. That’s why it was such a shock to many of us to hear that Mr. Peanut, the symbol of Planters Peanuts for over 100 years, is about to meet his demise on Super Bowl Sunday.
It appear the esteemed nut spokesperson will sacrifice himself to save his companions during an ad to be shown during the Super Bowl. While this may be sad for many Mr. Peanut lovers, it’s especially difficult for those of us who grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
You see, Mr. Peanut and the Planters Nuts & Chocolate Company originate from my home town of Wilkes-Barre. For decades, Mr. Peanut stood guard outside the Planters headquarters on South Main Street and in the city’s Public Square. He now resides in the Smithsonian Institute.
Why did Planters decide to kill off such an icon? Perhaps it was to get the kind of attention this announcement is generating. If so, it’s a brilliant strategy. There’s no way Planters could afford to buy the coverage they’re getting with this announcement. And many of us will be on the lookout for this particular ad on Super Bowl Sunday to see exactly what fate awaits this big nut.
Will February 2nd be the real end of 104-year-old Mr. Peanut…or will he rise again to spread goodness for another generation? Tune in and see.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday January 16, 2020: Baseball Strikes Out
This week, we learned that the Houston Astros had a system set up to steal signs from the opposing team during their 2017 triumphant run to the World Series.
Major League Baseball suspended manger AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow, after which the Astros immediately fired them. Then, Alex Cora, who had been implicated in the scandal, resigned as manager of the Boston Red Sox.
Today, Carlos Beltran resigned as manager of the New York Mets because of his involvement during his time as a player for the Astros.
How deep does this scandal go? How systemized was the cheating? Are there other teams with a win-at-all-costs culture that encouraged this kind of action?
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has spent the last few years trying to modernize the sport to appeal to younger fans. He’s eliminated some player substitutions, set timers to get the game to move faster, and reduced the number of mound visits. Seems like he’s been rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, while the cheating iceberg has been ramming the sport.
Fans, players, coaches, and managers start with the basic premise that the sport is played fairly, that rules are enforced, and that games are decided based on actions on the field of play–not by cheating.
Until MLB can make reasonable assurances that those involved in these scandals are no longer associated with the game and actions have been taken to ensure this doesn’t happen again, all the tweaks Manfred can think up won’t make a world of difference.
Right now, the big loser is the sport of baseball. Strike three, you’re out.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday January 9, 2020: The Amazon Effect
We love to procrastinate. People have always put off decisions until the last minute. But now, we’re seeing people waiting until literally the last minute before making a commitment.
We see this with SAC, our association: we get more renewals the last 2 weeks of the year than any other time. I also see it with clients who are running events, with a large percentage of tickets sold the last week prior to the event.
I call this the Amazon Effect. When you can wait till 5pm to order something that Amazon will magically have on your doorstep the next day, why would you make other commitments well in advance?
It’s not just Amazon. With Uber or Lyft, I can order a car service within minutes. With AirBnB, I can get accommodations right before I need them. WeWork allows me to get office space very quickly. And there are services for nearly instant dog walking, massage treatments, and a hundred other things.
While this may be nirvana for the customer, it often throws a huge wrench into planning and preparation for the supplier of the goods or services. Inventory must be ordered, space reserved, food ordered.
The question is what can you do to counteract this? How can you convince your target audience to commit themselves earlier?
Higher fees for last minute signups may not work. Consider adding additional value for those who sign up early–something attractive they’ll miss if they wait too long.
While Amazon and Uber may be able to thrive on this model, for most of us the Amazon Effect is a prime irritant unless we plan to address it.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday January 2, 2020: How Clear is Your 2020 Vision?
It’s 2020! If we were at the eye doctor, 2020 vision would be perfect. But how clear is our business vision?
Do you know what you want to accomplish for your business this year? Here are a few thoughts to get you started:
- See where you are and where you’re going. Sounds simple, but too often we see businesses go off and execute without considering what they really want to accomplish.
- Identify measurable and meaningful goals. How will you know if you’re succeeding? Your goals should be clear, straightforward, actionable, and relevant to the team members who will need to meet them.
- View what’s going on around you. What challenges are your customers facing? What changes are your competitors making? How should you react?
- Look at your key metrics. Are you on track to meet your goals? If not, what actions should you take to get back on track?
- Envision possibilities. What new opportunities should you consider this year? How can you move beyond what’s been done before? Are you thinking big enough?
There’s no better time than today to start seeing a great future for your organization. That’s one thing we can see perfectly clearly.
Contact me to find out how to get heard above the noise.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com