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Welcome to Video Nation.

7/17/2015

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Picture- Image © by Brian E. Faulkner -
The beach has changed.  It’s no longer the laid back experience of old, when the biggest bother might be a tad too much sun or a spray of sand assaulting your sticky skin as a pack of kids flies by unaware that they’re not being all that neighborly in their exuberance. 

But now there’s something else to watch out for, because the stretch of territory between the ocean and the dunes has become the hunting ground for squads of smart phone cameras, which now seem to nearly outnumber the soaring Frisbees and colorful kites that used to skim over the sand.   To say they’re everywhere is an under-statement.

Of course, cameras have always been part of the beach experience, but not to today’s extent, thanks to ever richer, ever cheaper technologies.  The latest entertaining innovation is the selfie stick, which just may be the most personally captivating invention since the looking glass, providing all manners of opportunity to add one’s own image to creative backgrounds. Those backgrounds, of course, may contain people who who’d rather bury their heads in the sand than appear on Instagram or Facebook while attempting to mount a boogie board designed for someone 30-40 years younger.  But it’s hard to escape the ubiquitous video eye, which gazes on the lovely and the unlovely with equanimity.

A marketing writer complained in a MediaPost piece just yesterday about how predictable (even boring) that GoPro promotional footage videos have become, with their seemingly endless clips of personal excess, cutting from “one act of extreme bravado to the next.”   

So what else should you expect from a GoPro promo?  Footage of moms, dads, kids and relatives having fun at a family picnic?   Fact is, we’ll be able to enjoy more images like that soon enough, thanks to GoPro’s new mini-cam aimed at the family market – complete with a viewing screen.

Picture- Drawing by Kate Faulkner -
GoPro is one thing, but I don’t cotton much to the phone-as-camera excess, even though I have shot many pictures at the beach myself -- and most everywhere else, including all sorts of family events. But I feel less inclined to shoot beach pics these days because everyone else is doing it (launch crappy attitude alert!). Could it be that I’ve been the unwilling subject of too many phone-based candid shots? Could it be the time (this week!) that one of my sons-law shot some slo-mo footage of my toothy old man laugh and then played it back to the crowd assembled during our beach reunion, resulting in chuckles all around except from me? Well, maybe …

So it could be about time to acquire an iPhone of my own and vault full bore into Video Nation. Then I could sneak up on that crafty son-in-law of mine and catch him laughing—which would serve him right. 

His cackle sounds just like a hyena.

TakeAway: Like it or not, video is everywhere these days.


Content © by Brian E. Faulkner

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Ad Dads Aren't As Stupid Anymore.

6/21/2015

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Picture= image © by Brian E. Faulkner -
An article by Michelle Castillo on CNBC.com just prior to Father’s Day claimed that Millennial moms are no longer the sole CEOs of the home and that dads are leaning in to take on more household responsibility (as if such a thing had never happened before!).   Well … maybe now we’ll finally see the end of the “Dumb Husband” TV ads that have plagued our living rooms for such a long time.  You know the ones, where the mom shows up the helpless dad by fixing a faucet, replacing the sink trap without mishap or repairing a light switch -- with ease -- while he bumbles helplessly in the background.

Back in the mid ‘50s, a decade after Rosie the Riveter had retreated back to the home, women were stereotyped as Susie Homemaker.  If the advertising image was to be believed, women did the household chores – including the greatest bulk of child care – while dad did the paying work and his wife dutifully waited for him to come home, in her A-line skirt, peasant blouse and red lipstick.  

My maternal grandmother, who was in her 60s back then, was employed as a department store manager and, most assuredly, did not wear A-line skirts.  She was a working woman and far removed from the sweet, stereotypical granny who smothers her grandchildren with kisses; truth is, she was a tough old Yankee bird very much set in her ways.  This made for tense relations with my Irish-tempered mother, who lived with us in her mother’s house.  But Mom was great.  She stuck up for us whenever it was needed (with Grandma, sometimes to Dad and occasionally to the neighbors) but also nailed us firmly to the door of truth when that was required.  Of course, that meant we couldn’t get away with much, whether within her eyesight or not.  There was another side to that coin, however:  Mom was always there to tend both our physical and emotional wounds.  She was an RN before children came along and didn’t go back to it until we all flew the nest, sometime in the ‘70s.

Now lest you think this Father’s Day reflection is solely about the women of my family, Dad played a looming part in our lives.   He was smart and resourceful – but also demanding – and would tackle just about any kind of chore with vigor, from yard work to repairing the car and rebuilding our decrepit old washing machine several times over.  Which made him totally unlike TV’s inept husband. 

We kids (four brothers spread over ten years) were expected to follow his lead and do some of everything, and it wouldn’t have made any difference had some of us been sisters.  We mowed and clipped the lawn, put out the trash, raked leaves, shoveled snow, weeded the garden and hauled heavy wooden storm windows up two flights of stair to the attic in the spring and back down again in the fall.  We also did the suppertime dishes and couldn’t leave the house until the task was complete.  We dusted furniture, helped with spring cleaning, ran the jet-shaped vacuum cleaner (hateful thing), cleaned our rooms on weekends and made our beds every morning.   We were expected to chip in – without whining.   Dad managed the outside chores, Mom the inside ones.  That’s just how it was in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

My own kids (three daughters, one son) did some work around the house, but not as much demand was put on them as my folks put on me.  Even so, they have grown into successful (even admirable) adults.  Each is diligent and hard-working and appears to have little brook with gender stereotyping, which really is just another form of intellectual dishonesty . 

I doubt that my grandmother ever thought for a moment that she couldn’t do whatever it was she had in mind.  Women of her era worked as teachers, in retail, entertainment, medicine and other professional fields, and it may be that since society didn’t expect much of them outside the home in those days, they expected that much more of themselves.   It just took a while for the times to catch up to the reality (and plain common sense) of considering women as equals in the workplace, although I think their acceptance got retarded to some extent by shrill Feminist voices.   And clearly, the stereotype that a woman’s place is only in the home has yet to vanish entirely. 

It also helped that a second income eventually became critical to family financial success and women began thinking of themselves less as cookie-cutter people and more as individuals, including homemakers.   But then, I think sometime in the ‘80s, TV advertising began depicting men in stereotypical ways just as they had women twenty and thirty years earlier.   To progressive-thinking ad copywriters (men and women), it must have seemed as if justice finally was being served -- and it was up to them to serve it!   The result, therefore, was occasional slice-of-life advertising that presented a softer, more sensitive male persona.  And sometimes an incompetent one.  

When I think of the stereotypical Dumb Husband, I recall a one-time neighbor of ours who pleaded ignorance about anything that remotely resembled a chore; mowing, raking, shoveling, checking the oil on the car, repairing small appliances or fixing that light switch -- all were anathema to him.   His wife did most everything, and rather well, while he bragged to us about how good he was at business (and basketball).  He was an exception who just happened to match an emerging male stereotype.

As brands now seek to engage their diverse customers more authentically, it’s good to see most of the old stereotypes going by the boards – at least in television ads. 

"As we think about bringing new users to (our products), the way you think about our communication and their behavior is a bit different,” said Jennifer Brown, director of marketing for Unilever (Dove, Hellman’s, Lipton, etc.), quoted in the CNBC.com article.  We're sort of adjusting how we reach clients because of that."

And that’s not limited to gender stereotypes.  The current task of creative copywriters appears dedicated to bringing racial balance to advertising.  As a result, there are more black and brown faces in TV spots (and programming) than ever.  In fact, there now seem to be a greater abundance of these faces than otherwise might have been the case had the advertising industry not fallen so thoroughly into racial stereotyping in its early days and had to make up for lost ground.   Bringing racial balance to advertising is long overdue, from a societal and business sense as well as an expression of intellectual honesty.   To do otherwise is both short-sighted and stupid – as long as marketers don’t overcorrect and create frustrating new stereotypes.

Like the Dumb Husband.  

TakeAway:  Advertise your products and service to real people, because it’s real people who buy them, not some thoughtless stereotype.

Content © by Brian E. Faulkner


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Why Airline Travel Should Be More Like Ben & Jerry's.

6/11/2015

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Brian E. Faulkner -
Tags:  NetJets, Yahoo News, IATA, Ben & Jerry's, American Airlines, United Airlines, FlyersRights.org, Delta, Southwest, Jet Blue, Spirit Airlines

I hate flying.  Not the soaring, free kind of flying that dreams are made of.   I’m talking about public conveyance, the cramped kind of flying: commercial airline travel, where you’re imprisoned in a long aluminum tube with your fellow inmates for an insane number of hours.   Which isn’t really flying at all but more a kind of suffering you have to endure to get from one place to another without spending days or weeks doing it.
 "Flying commercial” brings up all sorts of mind pictures, most not all that appealing:

* waiting in lines
    - ticket agent lines
    - security lines
    - gate agent lines
    - boarding lines
    - baggage line
    - lines to get in other lines
* overbooking
* carry-on hassles
* cramped aisles
* cramped carry-on space
* cramped seats
* the seatmate crap shoot
* quarrels over seat backs
* make believe food
* bad air
* restrooms that are anything but restful
* weather delays
* crew delays
* tarmac delays
* late arrivals
* missing connections
* sleeping in the terminal

And that’s assuming the technical part of flying goes perfectly – all the doors get closed, the wings are securely fastened and somebody checks to see if there’s gas in the tank.

If I had a NetJets budget, I wouldn’t be concerned about such things.  But I don’t.  And most of us don’t.   Which made me perk up and take notice of this headline on Yahoo News:

           Airlines struggle to please the modern passenger.

According to the article, here are some of concerns expressed during this year’s meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade group for airline execs – keeping in mind that these weren’t complaints from passengers but observations and comments by the execs themselves:
  • More passenger info is needed, especially on mobile devices.  One suggestion was to “offer passengers a behind-the-scenes view of their suitcase as it moves through the airport machinery,” although methinks that could create more concern than certainty.
  • Give people a “nice, reliable experience at a normal price,” one exec said.  Another added: “Make my life easy,” which sounds great except that airlines appear to staff for ordinary flying conditions in a world filled with extraordinary events, the least of which these days is the weather.
  • “Don’t give me a vanilla experience”, one panelist told the IATA gathering.  But is that so bad?  Because  when I buy a pint of Ben & Jerry’s vanilla ice cream, my expectations are met every single time.
  • Another exec spoke of “managing” expectations, which seems like an especially worthy goal – as in no surprises!    Just over half of meeting participants thought the airlines weren’t “doing a good job meeting passenger demands.” 

What are passengers demanding?   Here’s how a reader named Mike put it in the comments section:
“The only issue is how stupidly uncomfortable the experience is.                                                                                 You’re stuck in a tiny seat from which you can’t get up most of the time."  
“THE DAMN SEATS ARE TOO SMALL,” agreed Mr. B (dramatizing his frustration by writing in all caps), “and the answer isn’t smaller carry-ons,” even as the IATA proposes new industry-wide standards for carry-on bags.   The small places in which we now are asked to stow our carry-ons seem to be getting more restricted while people are becoming more frustrated (sometimes even rude) as they seek a spot to stow their briefcase or backpack, often rows away from their seat, causing that much more confusion when it comes time to get off the plane.   And as dissatisfaction increases, seat room and restroom room appear to be shrinking.  

It seems absurd, but perhaps not altogether illogical,that “the two most profitable airlines — American Airlines and United Airlines — have abysmal customer service satisfaction scores,” according to a recent Forbes article, quoting Kendall Creighton, spokesperson for FlyersRights.org , which advocates for air travelers.   “An airline’s customer satisfaction levels appear to be inversely related to profits,” she says.  “The higher the profits, the worse the scores.  The more modest the profits, the higher the customer satisfaction.”   And now the government is proposing new emissions standards for aircraft, which would put additional pressure on price and profit.

According to the Forbes article, Jet Blue has the highest passenger satisfaction scores and the lowest profit margin.  Spirit Airlines, whose ironic tagline is Less Money. More Go, had the highest margin and lowest customer satisfaction, while “Delta and Southwest have managed to strike a balance between profits and happy passengers.”

I have a suggestion:  In the interest of communicating clear competitive advantage, each airline could post a simple graphic at critical passenger touch points, from ticketing through to the baggage carousel.  The graphic would consist of ten stacked rectangles, one each for the top 10 measures of airline customer satisfaction.  Each rectangle’s color would change as customer satisfaction ebbs and flows, from angry red for poor performance through shades of yellow to leafy green for superior performance.  Data could be gleaned from in-flight customer surveys taken every day, on paper, through passenger devices or even later online.   The information should include date of service, flight number / seat number and accumulate over time.

I challenge each of these airlines, in fact the entire airline industry, to put their heads together and create what might be called the Airline Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a numerical way of communicating the same info the colored rectangles do.   Perhaps the IATA will choose to lead the way.  Such measures surely will be more effective in raising airline industry expectations – and performance -- than making “standardized” carry-on bags even smaller!

TakeAway:  If your business, brand or product satisfies – even delights – customers, let the world know about it.  

Content © by Brian E. Faulkner

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Pricing Prestidigitation: One Nissan, Two Prices.

6/5/2015

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Picture- Nissan image -
Tags:  Nissan Rogue, Rogue Select, Infiniti G37, Q40, Q50, Acura Integra
I thought what I was reading was possibly ... bogus.  If it had been April 3rd instead of June 3rd, I’d have been pretty certain somebody was attempting to snooker me.  The article was published on Jalopnik.com, a site for fans of high-performance automobiles with occasional pieces about mainstream auto marketing, fast fighter planes, dumb drivers and generally hoonish fun with cars.

Since the article’s author, Doug DeMuro, has been known to add a dash of silliness to his writing (he's a former manager with Porsche Cars North America), I thought it likely that his claim of Nissan selling two versions of its popular Rogue SUV at the same time might have been written with a sly wink.

DeMuro cited a press briefing in Nashville some two years ago during which a Nissan exec casually mentioned that “Oh by the way, we’re not cancelling the old Rogue. We’re just going to keep it around and sell it to people on a tighter budget.”

He’d never heard of anything like that.  Nor had I, which is why his Jalopnik article at first seemed like a put-on.

So I called an old friend at the local Nissan store, who confirmed that it was indeed true that Nissan had two different Rogues for sale.   I checked out the dealer’s web site to see this new car novelty for myself.  And there they were, the current Rouge and the previous model (now called Rogue Select) offered side by side.  And both were selling quite briskly, thank you!   In fact, Rogue was the 14th best-selling vehicle in the country during May (presumably both models together).

DeMuro further piqued my curiosity by mentioning a similar marketing strategy over at Nissan’s high-line Infiniti brand.  Sure enough, the strong selling, long running G37 four-door has been renamed the Q40 and is being offered for less money (with attractive lease terms) alongside its eventual replacement, the Q50, a kissin’-cousin of a car  outfitted with more advanced cabin style and electronics as well as a small increase in horsepower .

During our conversation, my friend and I swapped stories about times when arrival of the new models used to be a big deal.  My dad worked at a Dodge-Plymouth dealership, and we got to see the new cars before the public did, which was a great coup for us kids.  Nowadays, however, the new models arrive largely without fanfare – so much so, apparently, that Nissan has slipped two new cars into the marketplace while keeping the old model around for a while and giving it a nameplate switcheroo – with a similar strategy at Infiniti.

There have been other examples of car companies selling last year’s model after the new ones have been launched.  The 2013 Chevy Impala remains available to fleet buyers through this year, apparently to keep Chevrolet’s sales to rental car companies cranked without diminishing appeal (or resale value) of the much improved 2014-15 Impala.

I can see the sense in what Chevy is doing, but I truly must admire Nissan’s play!   Not only does the company save money, because much of the Rogue Select tooling has long been paid for, but car buyers get more choice.   People who don’t want to pay something like $3,000 more for the “regular” Rogue – and would prefer not to buy used – now have another option.  

Will this less-is-more strategy migrate to other car brands?   I hope so, because it makes good marketing sense from the perspective of both buyer and seller. 

Perhaps some day in the not too distant future we’ll be able to purchase not only last year’s car brand new but also models from two or three iterations back – improved in performance and safety but looking essentially the same.  DeMuro suggests bringing back an Acura favorite, the Integra coupe, discontinued in 2006.   My son certainly would agree after driving one quite enthusiastically until a new baby in the family dictated not only their move to a roomier (and considerably older and safer) four-door Mercedes. 

Should the marketing savvy Nissan is exhibiting today spread to other auto brands, perhaps not too far down the road we’ll find ourselves having taken a much-needed stop toward eliminating planned obsolescence altogether.

-O-

TakeAway: What's old can also be new in today's marketing world. 

(To see a “new” old Mustang, see my post, Experience Mustang -- All Over Again:  http://www.brianefaulkner.com/blog/experience-mustang-all-over-again

 Content © by Brian E. Faulkner


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TaglineS 101: Nobody Says It Better Than Dr. Hansen.

6/1/2015

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Picture- Image © by Brian E. Faulkner -
Tags:  Carolina Men's Clinic, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Camel cigarettes.
Driving north from Charlotte on 1-77 last week my ear caught a radio commercial for The Carolina Men’s Clinic, which is said to be unusually effective at helping men overcome their E.D. issues.  I listened all the way through the spot because I was too tired to reach over and change the station -- stuck in the predictable afternoon clot of traffic where lanes constrict from three to two, an event so normal that the traffic reporters pretty much ignore it.   

I find E.D. commercials particularly irksome, whether on radio or TV, especially since I’m not in the market for release from this particular misery.  But what grabbed my attention this time was the clinic’s claim that “even urologists trust Dr. Hansen to fix their E.D.” 

What a great line, akin to a shoe store bragging about how many podiatrists shop there.   I liked the line so much that I laughed out loud and began listening for the clinic’s spot during subsequent trips to Charlotte.

I have no idea how well the good doc’s treatment works (they claim a 92% success rate vs. a substantial failure rate for the branded pills hawked on TV) and remain mystified how a board certified family practice physician with a background in osteopathy established a clinic to treat men with sexual dysfunction in the first place.   It may be as simple as finding a need and filling it; the need certainly seems to be there.

Another thing I liked about his spot was the promise of a non-intimidating experience -- plus proof in the pudding: treatment guaranteed to work or you get your $199 fee back.  Dr. Hansen may be effective (or not), but either way there’s a lesson here to learn about communicating competitive advantage: 

     (1)  Understand what sets your product or service apart from everybody else’s.

     (2)  State your difference in a few compelling, memorable, authentic words.

     (3)  If possible, have your tagline tell a story.

When I was a young teen being led astray by the tobacco industry, an R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company ad claimed that doctors preferred smoking Camel cigarettes.   I ended up smoking them, too, lured in part by my parents’ example and by RJR's compelling ad, even though their proposition made no sense.  But lots of people smoked in those days; it was socially acceptable – even expected.   So how bad could it be if More Doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette (according to a nationwide survey)?   T
he toughest guys and most elegant women in the movies all smoked ...

I don’t know how well Dr. Hansen’s bit of clever copywriting is working for him, but the lesson here is clear:  his radio spot DID get my attention and DID make me remember what sets the Carolina Men’s Clinic apart, thanks to a handful of ear-catching, memorable words.     

Dr. Hansen doesn’t use the “urologist” claim as a formal tagline, but dontcha think he should?

TakeAway:  A tagline that tells a solid strategic story gathers ears and changes minds.


Content © by Brian E. Faulkner

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VINYL RECORDS: Marketing A Memory.

5/27/2015

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I hear that vinyl is back.  No, not vinyl floors or tacky vinyl car tops: vinyl records -- the grooved discs that music used to come on before cassette tapes and CDs and online streaming.  The kind I grew up listening to.  If you’re of the Baby Boom generation, you likely will recall hoarding your pocket change to buy the latest Elvis or Little Richard or Everly Brothers record. 

Three kinds of buyers appear responsible for the rise in vinyl record sales these days: 
  • purists, people who love the more open, warm sound vinyl reproduction provides;
  • young people, for whom vinyl records are a new, more tactile way to listen to indie bands while discovering the music of previous generations (my 29-year-old daughter has been rummaging around for vinyl albums since she was a teenager);
  • and older folks, for whom vinyl not only is a trip down memory lane but an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with all the music waiting in those old boxes of LPs in the basement.

So it’s no surprise that sales of classic artists like The Beatles and Bob Dylan have been selling well on vinyl – helping drive category sales up 15% during the first three months of 2015, while accounting for only about 2% of total album sales.  Top sellers for 2014 were a mix of classic and new artists: Jack White (who has set some vinyl sales records), Arctic Monkeys, Beck, The Beatles’ Abbey Road, Bob Marley’s Legend compilation album from 1984 and a notable young singer/songwriter from New Zealand who calls herself Lorde – among others.

The times they are a-changin’ warbled Dylan back in 1964, and sometimes the times catch us by surprise, especially when a format like LP or 45 rpm records re-emerge from yesteryear to delight us with their new-found authenticity.

You’d think this resurgence of “old as new” products is mostly about nostalgia, a word from Greek that essentially means an ache for home, and you’d mostly be right.  During times of geopolitical turmoil or unsettling societal change, yearning for “the good ol’ days” is common, although we don’t often reach out for nostalgic cues from much further back than our childhoods – which is why toys (and classic cars) from the '50s and '60s can command big Boomer bucks these days.

Heard a bit of conversation on NPR‘s Morning Edition today where a guest was talking about how people are using notebooks or notepads  more often in solo gathering spots like Starbucks.  I recall one person saying that he uses his laptop or tablet for school stuff, not for writing more thoughtful, reflective things like poetry.  If I’m chewing on some ideas, I’d much rather use a notepad than a computer, although writing blog posts come easily on my laptop.  But if I were taking notes in a class, I’d go for pencil and paper every time.  It’s more fluid, more intuitive – at least for me.   Taking notes on a computer requires you to interact with the technology more than you’d do with pen or pencil.

If nostalgia is about recapturing the feeling one had during a simpler, less complex, less technologically saturated and more thoughtful time – personally or as a people, it’s easy to see why vinyl records are enjoying a renaissance.  

And even the old ones sound so good, despite all the crackles and pops that can leap out of the grooves along with the music.  But you don’t mind the noise, do you?   Because they’re your crackles and pops.  You put them there back in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s when you were just coming up.

Now that’s a memory!   And memories are marketable.

TakeAway:  Your next new product may be something old --  who knows, maybe formal hats will make a comeback!

Content © by Brian E. Faulkner

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A Mercedes by Another Name.

5/22/2015

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Picture- Image © by Brian E. Faulkner -
Tags:  Mercedes-Benz, Steinway & Sons, Daimler Motor Company, Daimler-Benz
While researching the origin of the current Mercedes-Benz tagline, I was reminded how close the car came to being called something else – at least here in America.

Were it not for a promising young man’s extended illness, Mercedes most likely would have been called by a name that had nothing to do with automobiles, a name known around the world by the time Gottlieb Daimler rolled out his high-speed internal combustion-powered automobile in 1886. Carl Benz developed his own car the same year, but the business entities that survived the inventors didn’t come together as Daimler-Benz AG until 1926.

In addition to automobiles, Daimler built engines for boats and industrial applications.   That caught the eye of one William Steinway, of the famed piano family.  He got in touch with Daimler, and on October 6, 1888, the Daimler Motor Company was organized in New York, where Steinway & Sons had already been in business for 35 years.

Steinway was convinced he could sell Daimler’s engines in the United States and acquired the rights to manufacture and market them for use in such things as cream separators, sewing machines, pumps, ventilating fans, printing presses and other applications that required a single-cylinder stationary engine. 

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In 1893, Steinway experienced Daimler’s “motor carriage” for himself and began to envision a motorized America.  So he set about developing his own automobile, one more adapted to American road conditions because he thought Daimler’s car too light for the “rough cobblestone streets we have in this country.”

“The cars which we intend to produce for the American market will be capable of carrying between two and four people and will be driven by engines with between 2½ and 3½ hp,” Steinway told a newspaper reporter in 1895. “Each car will have four different speed settings: 3½, 6, 9, and 14 miles per hour.”

However, this perspicacious man’s dream was not to be.  He died at age 35 in November of the following year after a stubborn period of undiagnosed illness (probably tuberculosis).  By that time he’d invested a frustrating amount of additional capital in the car company to offset continuing losses, so it’s likely he would have pulled out anyway.  After William’s death, Daimler Motor Company’s holdings, including a factory built on Steinway’s land, was sold to newly organized Daimler Manufacturing Company, which in 1905 produced an “American Mercedes” based on the German model. This car was on the market for only eight years before its factory was destroyed by fire.  

So had William Steinway lived and helped Daimler Motor Company overcome its ongoing financial problems, the American Mercedes just might have been called a Steinway ... which no doubt would have worked out fine, because both brands exemplify the best in their categories to this day. 

Best is subjective, of course, but Steinway & Sons instruments are the pianos on which the overwhelming number of concert artists choose to perform – or aspire to perform, as they have almost since day one.   William’s father, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, emigrated to New York from Germany during mid century, founded his business in a Manhattan loft, changed his name to Henry Steinway and set a quality standard that has endured through successive generations.   His maxim was “Build the best piano possible.  Sell it at the lowest price consistent with quality.” 

And although the company has passed through a number of different owners since it was purchased from the Steinway family by CBS in 1972, Steinway & Sons remains at the top of the piano hierarchy and is the brand to which other fine pianos are most often compared.   The company now is owned by American hedge fund manager John Paulson, a long-time admirer of its products.   His stated goal is to assure Steinway & Sons’ "continuing greatness."

Henry and William clearly would have agreed on that.

Mercedes-Benz’ latest tagline also reflects the philosophy of its founder, as well as the quality bedrock on which the brand stands as it moves deeper into the 21st century.  

You may recall the TV spot where Gottlieb Daimler nods off at his desk and dreams about the Mercedes-Benz of the future, with its now-familiar look, technology and style.  As Daimler is awakened by a lovely assistant, we see a handwritten phrase scratched on the notepad beside him: The best or nothing -- underlined with a flourish.   Though Mercedes-Benz has experienced some quality issues in recent years (not unlike Steinway), the brand is still held in high esteem, evidenced by frequent references to the “Mercedes of this” and the “Mercedes of that” as the marketers of other high-end product seek to compare their offerings to the car with the three pointed star.   

“In the end, all any of us has is our good name,” a Mercedes print ad declared a while back.   That’s true of Mercedes-Benz and true of Steinway & Sons.   The two vaulted brands that nearly became kissin’ cousins a hundred-odd years ago have prospered -- and will continue to prosper -- in large part because of the quality foundation put in place by their founders.

TakeAway:  Build your brand on bedrock quality and your reputation will follow, helping smooth the way over the inevitable bumps you encounter on your road to success.

Content © by Brian E. Faulkner


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What Price Luxury?  The Limitless Appeal of Veblen Goods.

5/14/2015

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Picture- Image © by Brian E. Faulkner -
Tags:  Steinway & Sons, Veblen goods, Apple Watch, Pam Danziger, HENRYs, Mercedes-Benz CLA, BMW 2-series, '55 Ford, '57 Chevy, Ford Victoria, Chevy Bel Air

It’s said that one man’s luxury is another man’s necessity.  

I recall some years ago hearing of a serious music student who slept underneath a huge Steinway & Sons concert grand that barely fit into his Manhattan apartment, which otherwise was adorned with furnishings constructed from painted cinder blocks and cheap shelving.  The 9-foot piano was not a luxury.  It was a necessity, a critical key to furthering his career as a concert pianist.

“Luxury” gets sliced and diced any number of ways depending on how you view it.  There are luxury homes, luxury cars, luxury wines and luxury vacations, some of which cost millions and others only hundreds.  You might be able to afford a luxury cruise (short of commissioning your own yacht) but hard-pressed to spend more than your annual salary for a mid-sized Steinway to encourage your average 12-year-old to stick with her piano lessons – although during my time selling pianos, I have seen parents stretch to make that kind of purchase for their talented, truly dedicated offspring.  I would classify these folks as need-based buyers.  At the same time, I’ve also seen want-based buyers purchase expensive instruments to set in their living rooms.  Though they didn’t play a note, the piano matched their furniture and the brand name on its fallboard spoke eloquently of their luxurious lifestyle.

The notion of luxury gets tangled up somewhere between need and want.  Some things are luxurious because we can’t afford them but want them, while other things are luxurious because we want them and can afford them.

Around the cusp of the 20th century, an American economist named Thorstein Veblen observed in Theory of the Leisure Class that the demand for certain commodities was proportional to their high price.  In other words, if you really want some uber-expensive indulgence, you’ll gladly pay the price because it enhances your status in a conspicuous sort of way.  At that level of net worth, of course, money isn't much of a problem, although these days a million doesn't go as far as it used to ... $100-million if you live in Manhattan. 

Thus, Veblen goods.

At the other end of the luxury spectrum is what marketing consultant Pam Danziger has dubbed the HENRYs, the High-Earner-Not-Rich-Yet “mass segment of the affluent consumer market” with annual incomes of $100,000 to $250,000.  Which means they’re doing better than nearly 80% of Americans.   It’s these folks that Tim Cook & Company appears to be targeting with their Apple Watch and clever luxury launch.  It will be interesting to see if Apple’s new entry into the watch marketing space can straddle the fence between need and want (especially among Millennials) while creating demand up and down the luxury ladder and dipping down into the middle class.

High end automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz have become adept in recent years at driving desire for their luxury brands down through the HENRYs to the middle class (Danziger’s middle class appears to top out at $99,999). Mercedes now offers the price-seductive CLA pegged right at the average outlay for a new car in the U.S. ($31,000), and BMW’s sporty new 2-series can be had for just a bit more. 

Of course, today’s average new car is ludicrously luxurious compared to those of 60 years ago, which weren’t so well equipped – or efficient or safe.   Back in 1955, a sparkling new Ford or Chevy cost under $2000 and probably didn’t have air conditioning or maybe even an automatic.  But in those days the average American worker only took home $5,000. Today’s average salary is more than ten times that, although it’s interesting to note that the average new car costs less relative to income (36% of the average salary now vs. 55% sixty years ago). 

Picture- Image © by Brian E. Faulkner -
But, irony of ironies, some well-kept original or recently restored automotive icons from way back then, such as Ford Victorias and Chevy Bel Airs (primarily the two-door or four-door hardtop models), now are back in demand in a big way, and the better ones can easily top $31,000.  There’s a ’55 goldenrod yellow and raven black (bumble bee) Ford Victoria for sale nearby that I would love to have.   But I still can’t afford it. 

So thanks a lot, Thorstein Veblen!

Content © by Brian E. Faulkner



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Airport Choice Revisited:  Convenience & Experience vs. Price. 

5/6/2015

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Last summer, I suggested in this space that Piedmont Triad International (PTI: airport code GSO) just might offer the world’s most satisfying airport experience.  (http://tinyurl.com/ktd3wrz)  PTI serves the greater Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point area of North Carolina. This airport is easy to get to, easy to go through and easy to leave when your flight returns.  And while you’re there, it’s a pleasant, uncrowded, unhurried place; parking is plentiful and close by and rental cars can be had right next to the terminal. There’s even an electric car charging station.  And free WiFi.

Given that kind of experience, I’d expect to pay a little more. However, a recent newspaper article 
noted that “Unless they’re on business trips, many travelers from the Piedmont Triad are chasing airline discounts to Charlotte or Raleigh for their vacations and other trips.”

Dunno about you, but if I were planning a vacation – especially with family in tow – I’d opt for the closest, least crowded airport and invest the few extra bucks per ticket in a more relaxed, hassle-free airport experience.   That is, if I can get to my destination from there without changing planes too many times (even though I’ve noticed on occasion that it costs less to fly to my destination through Charlotte from PTI than to drive to Charlotte and depart from there.  Go figure.)

The Journal article focused on the price advantage of the two more distant airports vs. PTI. It reported an average round trip fare of $10.66 less at Charlotte Douglas International Airport vs. PTI’s average fare, and a price difference between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and PTI of $53.02.  Of course, individual ticket prices may swing higher or lower.  The article failed to point out how small the price difference actually is between PTI and the other two airports, especially considering the comfort and convenience of flying from PTI vs. driving to Raleigh-Durham or Charlotte.  Each alternative is about an hour-and-a-half away (vs. half that or less for PTI), and you’d best add at least another hour to that or risk missing your flight -- even more time during commute times. 

There is a way to lower an airport’s average fare, notes PTI Executive Director Kevin Baker in the article: attract more budget airlines.

“We’re always talking to every low-cost carrier out there to try and lure them to come to our airport,” he told Journal reporter Richard M. Barron, although “there’s only so much we can do.”

Maybe so.  But what about talking up the advantages of his airport more effectively?  I, for one, would toss their current tagline (Fly Easy, Fly PTI) in favor of a variant with a bit more strategic muscle:

“It’s EASIER to FLY PTI!”  
This tagline invites prospective flyers to compare PTI with its more distant alternatives in light of the good dose of extra travel time and hassle that people experience in exchange for the few bucks they save on flights at more distant airports.

​Thinking Beyond Price:

It’s all too easy to sell your product or service on price – no matter what it is.  However, there may be other, more strategic product benefits lurking on the sidelines that prospective customers will rise to even more than a lower price.  Let’s say you’re that airline passenger trying to decide whether to fly from the handy airport nearby or commute nearly two hours to a bigger one.   What’s your choice?  Convenience?  Experience?  Or price?

PTI marketing could ask:

Are you prepared to drive all the way to Charlotte to save $10.66 on your next airline ticket?   With our easy-access, close-in parking, short lines and comfy terminal, it’s easier to fly PTI from anywhere in or around the Triad.  
Sure, you’ll spend an average of ten bucks more on your fare, but you’ll enjoy the experience a whole lot more … and get home faster, too.

Would I spend $100 more?  I’d sure think about it, although some would not.  I’d also like to think that there’s enough people like me to make a difference for PTI.   Because for us, an investment in avoiding the inevitability of parking hassles, long lines and general airport uncertainty is an easy choice, whether flying  for business or pleasure. 

 TakeAway:   Sometimes a higher price can be the better deal.

Content © by Brian E. Faulkner


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Subaru Love:  IT'S All About Story.

4/30/2015

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Tags:  Subaru, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Nikon, Kodak

Do you own a Subaru?  

If so, you probably love it – because a Subaru is versatile, safe, lasts a long time, is great to haul pets around in, performs well, makes a statement about larger community issues and drives you to adventure. 

People write love letters to Subaru:

Dear Subaru,
This morning was cool and although it had not rained, the road was damp from morning dew. I was driving in the left lane of a two lane highway. I came over a crest in the road to find three cars stopped in the right lane …
Somehow, the driver of that Subaru, a 2013 Legacy sedan, not only avoided an almost certainly serious accident – twice – but escaped without a scratch on either him or his car, thanks to the Subaru’s handling. 
My Subie never skidded uncontrollably. It never failed me. I cleared the entire accident scene completely unscathed. I love my Legacy today, not for helping survive an accident but for completely saving me from having one. Thank you Subaru, you've earned my respect, my gratitude and my loyalty.  
Marketers who want customers to maximize the use and enjoyment of their products will do well to take a page from Subaru’s book.   More than any brand of any product category I can think of, Subaru has consistently and successfully painted a compelling picture of customers in their target market – in their advertising and on their Web site.  The idea, of course, is that if you see yourself reflected in product marketing, you’re likely to want to buy that product, which is one reason why Subaru’s conquest sales are so high.

Subaru buyers are relatively young, well-educated and have higher incomes than the average car buyer.  And they are thrifty; according to a 2011 study, 36% of Subaru customers pay cash.   They support causes, too; check out the first Subaru you come to in a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s parking lot.  Its bumpers likely will be festooned with stickers heralding all kinds of political and environmental values. 

Last year, my 30-something daughter and son-in-law, who live in the Pacific Northwest, one of Subaru’s strongest markets, bought a slate gray Subaru Forester.  Their family of three fit the car’s profile to a T, and as you might suspect, they did not choose their Subaru on a whim.  They knew what they wanted and went for it, after riding for years in a blue ’78 Volvo 240 wagon (that my daughter now uses to transport her landscaping tools). 

I think people “tune-in” to Subaru, and when they buy one, it seems to be an experience-based decision – plus a dash of emotion.

“The brand has a razor-sharp understanding of its owners,” writes MediaPost automotive reporter Karl Greenberg in an article profiling a Subaru TV spot that ran last September.  You may recall the ad:  a hippie grandmother tries to explain her long-ago “Summer of Love” to a young granddaughter, both of them riding in the back of the family Outback while Mom and Dad look on quizzically in the rear view mirror.  In a single creative sweep, Subaru stretches their appeal over two-plus generations while airing a spot people enjoy – and remember.   The entire family ends up hugging a tree.

Subaru is strong on story.  No matter where you go on their Web site, you’re never far from one:
Dear Subaru,
This is the story of my wonderful parents.  After 65 years of working his whole life, my father and my ‘stay at home’ mom embarked upon a cross-country adventure with their dog Buck, a Subaru Outback and a small teardrop trailer … following their dream to travel the country.  After a lot of planning they set off from the Florida Panhandle all the way to Washington State and back.  I cannot help but think they are using their Outback for the EXACT purpose it was made.  They are wonderful people and deserve to enjoy life …”

Nikon gives cameras to ordinary people and then posts their pictures online, a story without words.  Kodak understood that a long time ago; they didn’t sell film as much as they sold pictures.  Story was at the center of their marketing strategy … and should be at yours.   Because it’s the only way to get into people hearts.  And stay there.

“What makes a Subaru a Subaru?” the company asks.   The answer, of course, is … LOVE.   

TakeAway:  Sell the experience, sell the enjoyment.  Sell the pleasure of using your product.  Then the customers you want most will want you, too.

Content © Brian E. Faulkner

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    sample blog:

    This is a sample blog  for writer Brian E. Faulkner.  It presents stories about brands that do (or don't) communicate competitive advantage effectively. Stories have been gleaned from the business press, personal experience and occasional interviews. New articles are added from time to time, and every so often there will be a post of general interest -- about things like success, passion, social trends, etc. 

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    Brian Faulkner is a writer and strategic communication consultant who helps business clients explain their competitive advantage in compelling and enduring ways.
     
    He also is a five-time Emmy award winning Public Television writer & narrator for a highly-rated and well-loved magazine series.

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