But we actually happen to think these ads aren’t too bad. I doubt any will ever win an award, but many get their point across – and shore up brand differentiators – extremely well, despite the little things that pushed the Consumerist’s readerships’ buttons.

Read on for the “worst”, and our thoughts on each. And please check out our Marketing Communications and Creative and Content resources, to learn how the best brands generate messages and creative to reach their consumers better.

AT&T – Wife Berates Husband for Unlimited Plan

Consumerist readers and YouTube commenters alike (seriously, check out this video on its actual YouTube page) have panned this ad for a sort of male-directed sexism; the man in the ad is a little dweeby, and he’s quite forcefully and hurtfully berated by his wife simply for getting a good deal on the family’s phone plan. To the critics, this indicates that the American advertising industry is unfairly stereotyping and singling out white men for abuse at the hands of others.

I don’t know about all that. I think the ad captures (in an extreme way, of course) the quite justified frustration a lot of women feel when their partners make unilateral financial decisions. And, with women making more and more of those decisions at the household level, it’s never a bad demographic to flatter.

Geico – Smartphones for Dumb Things

This ad also came in for a lot of abuse, along the same lines as the ad above, for its depiction of the three men idiotically celebrating the weekend, and the exasperation of their female colleague at their behavior.

Again, I think the critics are a bit too sensitive here. I think there is such a thing as “bro culture” – broadly construed, the culture of young, post-college male professionals – and this sounds like exactly the kind of absurd thing my friends and I might have done a few years ago. I didn’t download the app – and I’d be shocked if it were particularly successful – but I certainly identified with the guys in the ad. I’m pretty happy on Fridays, too!

AT&T – Infuse 4G Spider

I think most of the hatred of this particular ad has to do with the extremely convincing, bloodcurdling screams emitted by the woman at the table, and the yelling and banging of the older man. I think we, as television-watchers (and increasingly, as couch multitaskers) hate to have the commercial-break trance broken by a harsh interruption like this ad. I think the typical consumer thinks commercial time is their time, to choose whether or not to focus on the ads, or the take-home work on the laptop, and they resent having the choice made for them by loud ads.

Obviously, the metaphor here is that the Infuse 4G’s screen is so photorealistic that a tarantula appears lifelike enough to inspire that reaction. I think there are probably other ways AT&T could have gone after that differentiator, but this is a particularly vivid (and attention-getting) one, and I think the levity of the situation (grown adults freaking out over the picture of a tarantula) cuts down on a lot of the causticity of the screaming itself.

Luvs – Poop There It Is

Defending this one is a tough task. Sorry. It’s just gross.

I will admit not having a lot of experience with diapers, but it appears as though this campaign introduced/popularized the term “blowout” in relation to diapers, which suggests a pretty disgusting reality that parents will surely pay to avoid.

The other open question for me – not being a parent – is, do parents just think their babies are so cute and perfect, that stylized bowel movements (like the ones presented in this ad) are, too? I mean, are people thinking “Aww, that’s so cute, that cartoon baby made a poopie!” If so, I could imagine this ad being successful among the demographic its targeting; if not, what were they thinking?

Summer’s Eve – Hail to the V

Judging from YouTube and Consumerist comments, this ad was picked as one of the worst for two reasons. First, I think people don’t like ads for feminine hygiene products in general. Second, a lot of women that have commented have pointed out that linking feminine empowerment with a strictly-cosmetic hygiene product is pretty hypocritical.

I don’t really know what to think about this ad. On one hand, I’m a sucker for epic visuals and elements of classical history making their way into commercials; on the other, I can see how the ad might be problematic from a feminist standpoint. As someone who studied the subject, I definitely don’t agree with this particular lens applied to the broad swoop of history (men aren’t the only ones who have done great things, and the men who did do great things did them for complicated reasons that can’t be boiled down to sex). But, at the end of the day, here we are talking about Summers’ Eve, so it’s a victory on that level, I suppose.

What do you think of this year’s crop of “worst” ads? Let us know in comments.

However, such stories should not mislead marketers to believe that crowdsourcing is a quick way to achieve amazing results.  In contrast, reaching out to a large average crowd can actually overwhelm marketers with the sheer number of ideas they receive, and the time and effort in sifting through those ideas can be much larger than engaging an agency to do the job. Moreover, the ideas can also turn out to be completely off-track and unusable.

That said, the good news is—some new agency models have evolved over the last 3-4 years that help to conduct, what can be called, “targeted crowdsourcing” or “expertsourcing.” Here, instead of broadcasting a project brief to masses, only select few specialists are chosen to do the assignment.

Here are some examples of such models:

• Giant Hydra: Giant Hydra provides marketers and ad agencies access to a global pool of creative professionals.  However, unlike a typical crowdsourcing platform where professionals compete against each other, Giant Hydra is built on the principles of “collaboration.” Clients are able to create a team by choosing professionals having skills and experience best suited for the assignment. The team then works together in a private online environment to build on each others’ ideas, while the client is able to oversee the process and ensure the team doesn’t go off-track. Though the platform is primarily designed for agencies to tap outside talent, the interesting thing is—they can also use it to connect their geographically dispersed offices on a single project.
• GeniusRocket: It initially started as a contest-based crowdsourcing platform for video content, but later moved to a model where every member—copywriters, creative directors, animators, production companies—is vetted by GeniusRocket, thus maintaining a smaller but high-quality pool. There is a staged process where professionals first pitch concepts, instead of coming up with the final products directly, and the clients choose which concepts progress to the next stage.
• Victors & Spoils: Victors & Spoils was launched by two former Crispin Porter + Bogusky executives in Oct 2009, as an alternative to traditional ad agencies. The company also maintains a virtual pool—a digital database—of thousands of creative professionals, and taps into this pool as needed. However, what differentiates the company from other crowdsourcing or expertsourcing platforms is that it acts as a curator of ideas. So, when it receives an assignment from a client, it not only creates the brief and selects suitable professionals for that assignment, but also makes sure the ideas received from them are of good quality. The model therefore eliminates the time and effort required for clients to give direction to professionals or sift through large number of ideas submitted by them. Just two years into business, the company already boasts of Harley-Davidson (it’s interesting how the company got this account), Nike Foundation, Mercedes-Benz and Unilever as its clients.
• Co:Collective: Co:Collective, launched last year by former JWT executives, is another addition to the curated crowdsourcing space. It employs a small core group of thinkers, and “outsources” the implementation to a network of affiliated specialty companies based on the requirements of each assignment.

While it’s difficult to say how much traction these new models are going to gain and whether they have the potential to outdo the traditional agencies, one thing is sure—they have given one more reason for agencies to shed their complacency.

Have you tried any of the above models? Did it work as you expected? Do share your experiences in the comments below.

Marketers and advertisers have spent over 100 years trying to communicate with customers in modern, recognizable ways, and during that time the language we use to do that has evolved. Customers now don’t need everything spelled out – they react instantly to small symbolic cues, rich images, and a memorable tagline – but consumers of previous eras didn’t have the rich symbolic vocabulary necessary to do that. The result was advertisements that are much more literal – and maybe more informative, in a strict sense – than the ones we have today.

We’ve collected ten of the coolest vintage magazine and TV ads we could find. Have others? Post them in the comments! And make sure to check out our resource center on getting the most out of agency partnerships, so maybe your company will be on a list like this in 2061.

1) Lincoln Cosmopolitan

Have you ever seen anything so evocative of the 1950’s? Newfound wealth, garish colors, a gigantic convertible – this ad has it all.

2) Western Electric – Colorful Phones

I’m too young to know much about this, but apparently phones used to come in one color – black – and the introduction of different colors was a Big Deal. This piece from Western Electric is way ahead of its time – it uses infographic-like techniques and social proof to sell a rainbow of telephones.

3) Old Spice – 1957

My favorite things about this one? First, how radically different it is from…more current Old Spice commercials. Second, the hilarious tone of the announcer, reminiscent of old public service announcements. Finally, the veneer of scientific precision – “from the laboratories of Shulton”.

4) Air Canada – Rainbow

This is a great ad, mostly because it eschews the practice of including paragraphs worth of copy along with the visuals. The rainbow is a great touch – it says that when you’re on Air Canada, you’re going somewhere good – and the overall design is delightfully retro.

5) This Calls for Budweiser

Have beer marketers always been the best in the discipline? This piece from Budweiser gets a key thing right: it takes a universal experience – hanging out with your friends – and deftly associates the brand with it. They aren’t selling the beer, per se – they’re selling the experience of being with friends. And who doesn’t like that?

6) Tide – Laundry on the Beach

A few thoughts: first, this is another nice bit of positive-experience association, with the added benefit of the juxtaposition of the naturally clean beach. Second, in fifty years, are people going to cringe at the music I love as much as I did at this ad’s?

7) Ouija – Questions

Now we’re getting into the “we couldn’t run this ad today” territory, with this ad for Ouija featuring a young woman asking silly things about flying saucers and the prom, while the guy contemplates weighty issues like college and “going steady”. And Vintage Santa carrying the game? Subtle, Parker Brothers – subtle.

RCA – Table-Top TV

Our ancestors were so inventive.

9) Alka-Seltzer Takes on The USA

A few thoughts: first, how creepy is that talking doll? I feel like it’s going to come to my house if I don’t take Alka-Seltzer. Second, it’s remarkable how long these commercials go. 30-second ads feel long today, and we’re slowly transitioning to ads a quarter of the length of these spots.

10) Dr. Pepper – Charge

This one did its job – I now officially want to go to the beach.

(this is a guest post by Mandy Levenberg of Iconoculture, our sister program that tracks and analyzes consumer trends)

A recent study on cause marketing and its effectiveness has been getting some attention and begs for our response.  Recent research from the University of Michigan suggests that consumers who buy products benefiting a cause are less likely to donate directly to that cause. In addition to the sample size, 300 college students, not being wholly reflective of the general population, the conclusions are contrary to a few noteworthy studies (Cone et al) and observations we’ve seen over the last several years regarding consumers and cause. When students are on a limited budget, they may stop at the cause purchase, but generally this is not the case and certainly not with a broader consumer group. Consumers may have turned to cause buying–we refer to this as “pragmactivism”–more than in the past, but we often see this activity lead to a more holistic connection with the cause in the form of future donations, hands-on volunteering, cause ambassadorship, and much more.  From our vantage point, cause marketing—the dollars non-profits receive, the potential “halo” effect on brands, and the connections consumers make with causes—is very much alive and well.

As we move through this recession, I often get asked if price cutting is paramount and cause marketing has moved to the sidelines. We’re finding the opposite to be true. Consumers are grasping for meaning in all things, including consumption. If they are parting with their dollars, they want to feel like they are handing them over to a trusted company that shares their values. They also enjoy knowing that their purchase does double duty—ensures them a positive consumption experience and makes their community better simultaneously; pleasure with a purpose.

So, if you are considering launching a cause campaign, creating a product in the name of a cause, or exploring the space, don’t hesitate. Do your research–know your consumer and what causes resonate with them, know your competitors and what causes they are engaged in, and, if you’ve already got cause initiatives in place, re-consider your messaging hierarchy.  Consumers crave connection, authenticity, and meaning and attaching a cause to a consumption experience offers them all of that and more.

A few of our favorite examples from recent campaigns:

• Kellogg’s “Share Your Breakfast” campaign–a logical fit for the product, a cause that resonates with moms & kids, leverages consumer obsession with sharing via social media channels.
• Tom’s Shoes: One for One–for each pair of shoes purchased Toms donates one, a “you buy, we give” program that has given away over 1 million pairs of shoes (and sold that many too!)
• Pepsi Refresh–consumers get to nominate and advocate for their causes and help Pepsi determine how to distribute $20million. Pepsi involves (and engages) the consumer all along the way.

Please feel free to contact me for further discussions about best practices we’ve seen and how your company can successfully connect with causes and consumers via the right cause marketing campaign.

(The following is a guest post from David Sroka, President and CEO of Point of Reference, a customer referral program provider.)

The marketing department in B2B firms is typically responsible for producing “evidence” of satisfied customers in the form of case studies, quotes, press releases and videos. This customer content has plenty of uses and users, but arguably, the heaviest consumer is the sales force. Like other marketing “investments,” there’s an imperative to make decisions that garner the biggest bang for the buck. So how should the marketing department decide how to spend its finite budget when it comes to sales-accelerating assets like customer content? Start by considering the current range of available content relative to where it’s needed in the sales cycle. For instance, press releases and one-page success stories are perfectly appropriate early on in the sales cycle, but less meaningful and effective in the middle to later stages.  Full ROI case studies, often 5-10 pages in length, are overkill for the early stages when buyers are merely tire kicking.

To provide a framework for this approach we created a tool to help you link various content types to various sales stages:

Regardless of the sales methodology used by your organization (Miller Heiman, SPIN, etc.), the concept is the same. This graphic represents the full spectrum of the sales cycle (early stage in the lower left, late stage in upper right) and assigns both granularity and candor of various types of content. Based on the average form/format of the various content types such as case studies, press releases and video testimonials, we’ve placed them where they are most likely be used because it’s where prospective customers are most likely to find them relevant.

The goal of the following exercise is to help level-up the largest percentage of the sales team that isn’t in the top performer group by making them more effective at providing buyers what they need, when they need it. What would the impact be to the company if a mere 15-20% of the mediocre performers moved up a notch? Big!

With that concept in mind, here are five steps for fine tuning your content production strategy:

1. Survey the sales team- find out where they’re using existing content types in their sales cycles today, and where there are gaps in what they need
2. Inventory the current customer content library
3. Identify historical gaps in both types of content and sales stage coverage
4. Factor in future needs (e.g., new product launches, new target industries, etc.) for the next 6-12 months
5. Set production goals to fill the gaps and meet demand

Another important consideration in your strategy should be managing the currency of your content. Regardless of how good of a job you’ve done mapping to the sales cycle, if the content is outdated (e.g., references retired products, historical economic conditions mentioned, etc.) it simply won’t get used. So set a firm review and archive policy as part of your end goal.

Things change. Be prepared to re-survey the sales team about every 6 months to determine how you’re executing on the gap filling exercise. As you take care of the foundational gaps you can become more specific when asking about needs (e.g., specific industry or product segments). Over time you’ll find that your investment in content development will be more relevant and better utilized and that translates into a boost to the top line.

MLC members, for a great example of a successful customer reference program, check out how Qwest created an online database of video and audio customer testimonials – shaving 4 days and 20 FTEs off the sales cycle in the process.

As a reminder, we’ve selected 16 recent sports ad campaigns from around the world – every sport from Australian rules football to NASCAR – and randomly seeded them into brackets. Each week, campaigns will go head to head and our readers (that’s you!) will have the opportunity to vote for which one you think is best. Voting for this round ends Tuesday, March 29 at noon. May the best ad win!

“NFL Playoffs – Santonio Holmes” (NFL) vs. “Best Fans on the Planet” (NFL)

An all-NFL matchup here. The first ad features footage of fans watching Santonio Holmes’ dramatic touchdown catch in the 2008 Super Bowl, while the second is a tribute to the league’s rabid fanbases, in addition to a great introduction of New Orleans’ Saints running back Reggie Bush vaulting over a tackler.

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Vote!

“Tightrope” (Cricket World Cup) vs. “There’s Only One October” (MLB)

The ongoing Cricket World Cup might be the biggest sporting event in the world that still has next to no penetration in North America, but the ads, like this one, are great. This one matches up against an ad from cricket’s cousin sport, baseball, that features comedian Dane Cook talking up the 2007 Boston Red Sox.

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Vote!

All Blacks 2007 (Rugby World Cup) vs. Write the Future (FIFA World Cup)

Two global sports match up here. The first is a sentimental spot, featuring New Zealand’s national rugby team, to promote the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The second is Nike’s tour de force from the 2010 World Cup, that includes all the major international stars and some amazing camerawork.

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Vote!

“Can’t Wait” (AFL) vs. “Earl and Tiger” (Golf)

The final matchup of the first round pairs up another ad from the Australian Football League, featuring players anticipating the coming season, with Nike’s “Earl and Tiger” ad, released after the golfer went through a number of personal issues in the early part of 2010.

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Vote!

By Whitney Satin

Marketers don’t always have it easy when it comes to recognition within B2B organizations.  Often the spotlight lands on the engineer who designs the sleekest new model or the sales rep who lands the biggest contract of the decade.  Horror tales abound of small marketing teams huddled in the dusty and cobweb-ridden bowels of corporate facilities, struggling to convince the organization of the benefits of segmentation and value props.

Okay, maybe that last part is a bit of a stretch, but the reality is that many of us work in sales- or technology-driven companies where marketing is the afterthought, not a leading player.  Well, now’s your chance to show that Marketing is a force to be reckoned with, to gain bragging rights among your peers, to prove once and for all that marketers are the rock stars of the company.  It’s time … for the 3^rd annual B2B MarComm Awards!

Between now and May 14^th, we’re encouraging all B2B marketers to submit their company’s best campaigns across the following categories:

1. Digital Innovation – Creatively Pushing the Boundaries
   Who knew you could do that!? Submissions will have found a creative and impactful way to use digital and/or social media to drive key business results.
2. Sales Enablement – Integration for Impact
   This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Submissions demonstrate a strong coordination between the marketing and sales functions, including information sharing and campaigns that simplify or accelerate the sales process.
3. The Cool Factor – We Can’t Define It, but We Know It When We See It
   The title says it all. We were dazzled by a select number of submissions from our 2010 Awards that blended art and science in just the right way for unforgettable results.

Additionally, all campaigns will automatically be considered in our Viewer’s Choice category, which allows members to vote for their favorite submission to any category.

All submissions will be judged based on the clarity of campaign objective, demonstration of target customer understanding, focus on customer goals, and extent to which the campaign uses an innovative and efficient mix of touchpoints.  Winners will be announced at our 2011 Sales and Marketing Summit in Las Vegas this October.

Want more details?  Or, better yet, want to submit a campaign?  Find the entry form, FAQs, and examples from last year’s winners here.  May the best campaign win!

Here’s the deal: we’ve selected 16 recent sports ad campaigns from around the world – every sport from Australian rules football to NASCAR – and randomly seeded them into brackets. Each week, campaigns will go head to head and our readers (that’s you!) will have the opportunity to vote for which one you think is best. Voting ends Tuesday, March 22 at noon.

This week, we’ll present half of the Round 1 bracket – four matchups.

“History Will Be Made” (NHL) vs. “2011 Daytona 500″ (NASCAR)

Two tradition-focused ads make up this first-round matchup – classic NHL playoffs moments presented in the former and classic moments from NASCAR’s opening race in the latter. But the NHL’s campaign came with a twist – the league open-sourced the audio and video for the campaign, allowing fans to create their own remixes, with often hilarious results.

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Vote!

“There Can Only Be One” (NBA) vs. “Fate” (NFL)

Two very different approaches in these playoff-themed ads for the NBA and NFL. The NBA focuses on tight headshots of current players reminiscing about the legends they watched in the playoffs, neatly marrying basketball’s past and present, while Nike’s NFL ad traces the development of American football superstars LaDanian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu, culminating in an on-field collision.

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Vote!

“In A League of Its Own” (AFL) vs. “Use With Caution” (NCAA basketball)

Aussie rules football is brutal, isn’t it? This matchup pairs a graphic depiction of the guts and athleticism needed to play Australian football with a humorous look at the widespread practice of watching early-round NCAA basketball tournament games in the office.

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Vote!

“No Words” (NHL) vs. “All Blacks Haka” (Rugby)

Another international matchup, and another entry from the NHL. This matchup is poignancy vs. power; the NHL’s ad captures Stanley Cup-winners’ speechlessness after achieving their life’s dream, while the All Blacks’ commercial showcases the extremely intimidating pre-game Maori war dance performed by New Zealand’s national rugby team. (Seriously, can you imagine being on the receiving end of that?)

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Vote!

Check back next week for the second half of the opening round!

MLC members, for more on magnificent creative, check out our creative and content production topic center.

Marketing to Healthcare Professionals

A full 100% of surveyed companies plan to target (or already target) healthcare professions with their mobile initiatives. This is the right starting point for investment in mobile, given both the regulatory complications of marketing to consumers and the high level of smartphone adoption amongst physicians. 72% of physicians are now using smartphones – mostly iPhones and Blackberries. Moreover, 80% are more likely to base a clinical decision on information accessed via Smartphone than on information from a journal.  That ability to access information in the moment makes all the difference. For pharma companies, ensuring that educational websites are mobile-friendly is a critical first step here. But leading companies are going further to make sure their sites are useful enough to merit regular visits.  These companies provide third-party data, latest news, and tools (e.g., medical calculators) that save physicians time.

Marketing to Patients/Caregivers

59% of companies plan to use (or already use) mobile to market to consumers.  Apps are the most popular channel here (77%of pharma firms plan to or already provide an app).  Apple already has over 1,500 medical apps (half of which are for medical reference) and 5,000 health-related apps, including the dozens that help track exercise, diet, and blood pressure (see 5 of the best here). Many apps seek to help consumers manage prescriptions, compare prices on prescriptions, or find alternative treatments, but the newer apps go even further. J&J’s LifeScan app enables consumers to monitor health information remotely in order to share it with family members or doctors.

When it comes to other forms of mobile marketing, pharma faces more regulatory difficulties.  With mobile banner ads, for example, finding space for FDA-required fair balance on very small screens can be tricky. A recent study also advises companies to tread with care by ensuring all campaigns are opt-in and making it very easy to opt-out. Merck’s Tell Someone text campaign, for instance, allowed users to text the word “STOP” to opt out.  Another company that has managed information requirements well is McNeil Pediatrics (a Johnson & Johnson company).  As part of a recent campaign, consumers could text “ADHD” to 87415 to receive more information. After texting, they would receive an SMS directing them to a mobile-optimized site for Concerta. By clicking on the link, consumers would see a page with safety information, followed by an interactive screening questionnaire, a voucher, and an informative video.

Want more help managing regulations? Many of our previous tips on using social media in regulated environments can help with mobile too. This post summarizes some key takeaways, such as winning over Legal by sharing credit for any successes with anyone who helped out behind the scenes.

MLC members, watch this space for our upcoming white paper on global mobile trends and our “Mobile Marketing Showcase,” presenting best-in-class mobile ads.

The brand is on par with Levi’s.

Now what if I gave you this picture? The info remains the same.

“But it’s the same pair of jeans!” you say.

Do you value the jeans differently?

“Of course not!”

But what if you were randomly shown only one of these two versions and your clone was shown the other version? Would you two guess differently?

How do consumers fare?

At the end of last year, MLC ran a survey to understand the mobile shopping behaviors of US smartphone owners, testing some of the holiday-related behaviors you can read about in Brennan’s post.

We separated men and women participants and randomly assigned them to view either a “large” or a “small” picture of the same pair of men or women’s jeans as described above. After eliminating some outliers who gave us wacky answers like $9999 dollars– we found that men just don’t differentiate between the different sized pictures. We have no commentary on that finding.

But women systematically rate the jeans as higher priced ($3.96 more) when presented with the smaller picture. The difference is real (i.e. statistically significant). Now that’s odd.

Was there something special about American women that make them prefer to squint at a smaller picture? Not really. European women (UK, France, Germany, Italy) did just the same.

The power of information

The trick is about the extra information. When shown a larger picture, do you find your eyes drawn to every detail of the pair of jeans, imagining whether it would fit well on you? How long did you spend reading the description? When you’re presented with the smaller picture, did you spend more time reading the (well-written) description?

Not convinced by our “information theory”? Here’s the proof.

In our European surveys, we tweaked it a bit to add in a “information” dimension by adding 2 groups of women who saw a short description containing only the facts (“low rise, straight leg, imported, brand on par with Levi’s”).

Without the benefit of a long description, the small picture commanded almost the same price (only 32 cents more) to it as the larger picture. Additionally, when we similarly substituted the long description with the short one for the large picture, the estimated price similarly dropped by $7.85.

Think about it.

Information matters, and shines brighter when the visuals are not overpowering. If you believe you have a good product whose attributes are not best conveyed in pictures, investing in some good writing might pay off better than getting flash visuals going.

Marketers might be missing something that restaurateurs have known for quite some time – knowledge embedded in their loving descriptions like “light, improbably flaky strudels stuffed with portions of perfectly cooked salmon”. Bon appétit!

MLC members, to keep up with the results from our consumer surveys on mobile marketing, stay tuned to Wide Angle across the coming months.

Based on a true story, Will Smith plays the title role of Chris Gardner, a man who invests heavily in a product that doesn’t sell, and as he struggles to find his way loses his wife and home, and is forced to live on the streets at times with his young son.  Desperate to find a steady job, he takes on a job as a stockbroker, but before he can receive pay, he needs to go through 6 months of training.  This inspirational film is a great example of how persistence pays off, and also how to network.

In what is widely considered comedian Chris Farley’s most endearing film role, Tommy Boy is the story of Tommy Callahan, the inexperienced owner of an auto parts business who finds himself in charge of the ailing company’s entire operations after his father’s sudden death. Thrust into the role of clueless boss, the only hope Tommy has of saving his company is to go on the road and sell a line of new brake pads the old-fashioned way, face to face with the customer, just like his father used to.

Despite its light-hearted tone and slapstick comedy, Tommy Boy is a great sales movie. Every sales professional knows the frustration of trying to sell and then one day, the light bulb goes on and they “get it.” In relation to sales and marketing, that’s exactly what Tommy Boy is about.

Boiler Room follows the story of Seth Davis, the owner of a small-time illegal gambling operation, who trades in that job to join an illegal brokerage operation. The film is set in the late 1990s, and explores the get-rich-quick mentality that permeated the world of finance and sales at the time. The film’s mantra is to “Act as if”. Act as if you can afford the big house, the exotic car, and you’ll make your way. At times this movie feels like an homage to Wall Street, yet stands out for some unforgettable moments, including the cutthroat cold calls perpetrated by its characters.

At the heart of Oliver Stone’s 1987 film Wall Street is a story of morality amidst capitalism, and remains widely considered to be one of the most realistic films about finance and business. The film follows unscrupulous money manager Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) as he becomes a mentor to the ambitious young stockbroker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), and leads him down a path of greed and corruption through the world of insider trading. The lesson here is simple, and can be applied to any aspect of business: greed isn’t good.

“Always be closing.” Those are the iconic words that describe the tone and scene of this 1992 classic, which centers around four real estate salesmen doing everything they can to save their livelihoods after a representative from the corporate office blows into town to deliver a simple message: “The bad news is you’re all fired; the good news is you’ve got one week to regain your job.”

An amazing cast delivering some of the best performances of their careers helps propel this film beyond its sparse, almost stage-like settings. Every salesperson, no matter your industry, can find a relatable moment or character in what must surely be considered among the top films centered in the sales and marketing world.

Don’t see your favorite sales and marketing themed movie on this list? Be sure to comment!

By Kirsten Robinson

Since the dawn of film and television, product placement has been among the most subtle marketing tools.  For the right price, producers will seamlessly blend your brand into scenes and storylines.

Here we’ve included some fun facts about some of the more memorable product placement deals over the years– you might be surprised which ones essentially cost the featured brand(s) nothing!

Reese’s Pieces in “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial”

The appearance of Reese’s Pieces in E.T. is one of the most memorable examples of product placement. The bite-sized candies made their debut as young Elliot used them to lure E.T. out of hiding. Originally, producers approached Mars, Inc. about using M&M’s in the movie. Their pass on the opportunity was Hershey’s gain—Reese’s Pieces saw a 65% increase in sales after the film’s release.

AOL in “You’ve Got Mail”

It’s one thing for a product to appear as a background object in a scene—but America Online’s presence in You’ve Got Mail was all consuming. Not only was AOL’s sign-in phrase the movie’s title, but the entire plotline centered around Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks’ characters using the Internet product to communicate with each other.

FedEx & Wilson in “Cast Away”

Whenever I see a FedEx truck, it immediately conjures up the image of Tom Hanks yelling “Willlsooonn!” as he paddles his ramshackle raft in Cast Away. This may not have been FedEx’s or Wilson’s intention—but through product placement, the two brands created long-term recognition. As a dedicated FedEx employee, Hanks’ character immediately brings attention to Fed Ex, while Wilson the volleyball was a stand-out as Hanks’ only companion on the island.  Believe it or not, FedEx and Wilson didn’t have to pay for their placement.

American Airlines & Hilton Hotels, “Up in the Air”

Both American Airlines and Hilton offered their products to the producers of Up in the Air. Using the two brands enabled the film to achieve the authenticity they sought, while simultaneously giving AA and Hilton essentially free exposure.

For additional reading, access our best tools and insights on Marketing Communications Channels.

By Kirsten Robinson

How competitive were you with your childhood best friend? Remember how it felt when you both tried out for the same sports team, and only one of you made the cut? Or, when the “A” you got on a paper wasn’t good enough, because your friend got an “A+.” Competitive relationships keep us on our toes, striving to do better. Having a friend who outdid us academically ended up encouraging some of us to go home and study harder. Companies also work to best each other, and comparative advertising is one channel they use to do so.

Here’s a compilation of some of the most memorable feuds:

Audi vs. BMW

Ouch. Ever hear the term “Second place is just the first place loser”? That’s the spin Audi puts on their ad telling consumers how BMW has been their runner-up in three Car and Driver comparisons. They may be sticking to the facts, but the delivery is anything but “friendly.”

Years earlier, BMW compares automatic stability control between the two brands, and of shows Audi coming up short with a zing on Audi’s logo.

Mac vs. PC

No relationship works without trust. That’s why this commercial questioning PC’s ability to keep a promise and deliver an improved operating system hits where it counts. Consumers need to trust a brand to produce a reliable product, or else they won’t want to invest their dollars.

Mac does a great job of keeping their Mac vs. PC ads humorous—it makes their vicious nature less obvious. Like someone that smiles as they stab you in the back.

In their counter-attack, PC doesn’t ignore Mac’s now famous stereotype of the “PC guy.” Instead, they created a commercial challenging the typecast, showing PC users as a global, diverse group. PC’s montage of real people out and about in the world is quite a departure from the commercials where Mac stereotypes even their own consumers into one character.

Verizon vs. AT&T

Sure, an ad can verbally claim superiority—but adding a visual comparison really takes it up a level. Verizon uses side-by-side map graphics to show the contrast between theirs and AT&T’s 3G network coverage. And, as we can see, the Verizon map wins the contest.

But, what visual catches your attention more—a map, or a headless Luke Wilson? AT&T’s commercial also takes on a side-by-side comparison, but humorously focuses on the fact that their 3G network is supposedly faster than Verizon’s.

Bud Light v. Miller Lite

It’s a battle of the beers. Apparently, “some people will do anything to get the great taste of Bud Light”—including dressing as faux referees, confiscating the “ineligible” Bud Lights from a backyard barbecue, and replacing them with Miller Lite. That’s the main message, but the real zinger comes in the form of the disgusted reactions the cool, young partygoers have toward the beer.

Miller Lite’s commercial directly states that the brand is better than Bud Light, claiming more taste and half the carbohydrates. And who can resist a cute dog? Miller Lite enlists the help of one of Budweiser’s mascots to show viewers what they, too, should be doing—switching loyalty to their brand.

What do you think? Would your company ever take to this?

By Whitney Satin

Thinking Caps is a new series on Wide Angle, where we’ll digest an academic study on marketing and give you the top takeaways. Look for it every other Wednesday!

The ups and downs can be hard to stomach (and by that I’m referring to both the economic recovery and Brett Favre’s performance).  But one question plagues marketers regardless of the economic outlook: how do I get customers to focus on more than just price?

HBR had an interesting take in the article How to Stop Customers from Fixating on Price published earlier this year.  Authors Marco Bertini and Luc Wathieu set a familiar stage: while marketers recognize the worlds of difference between their products and those offered by competitors, that appreciation fails to trickle down to customers, who instead focus largely on price.  Marketing needs to establish a deeper connection with customers in order to prove that the product justifies the price in the first place.

Interestingly, Bertini and Wathieu suggest that how a company structures its pricing can actually go a long way as far as clarifying this value.  They outline four pricing strategies that ultimately moderate the power cost has in the final purchase decision:

• Strategy 1: Use price structure to clarify your advantage. Call attention to the value your product or service delivers rather than the cost per given unit.  When Goodyear priced its tires according to the number of miles they could last, customers were much more willing to consider paying for a premium.
• Strategy 2: Willfully overprice to stimulate curiosity. If comparable goods share a comparable price, a lone expensive standout may cause customers to take a second look.  Good ol’ human psychology predicts that customers will at least want to know what about that particular product warrants the higher price tag, opening the door for Marketing to expose customers to benefits they hadn’t previously considered.  Think Burt’s Bees: suddenly, lip balm was about social responsibility, not just preventing chapped lips.
• Strategy 3: Partition prices to highlight overlooked benefits. Breaking a price out into its component pieces can allow Marketing to explicitly call out a source of differentiation whose value was previously underappreciated.  IKEA prices its table tops and legs separately, drawing attention to the modularity of its products.
• Strategy 4: Equalize price points to crystallize personal relevance. When product options involve the same production costs, applying the same price allows customers to focus on which option best meets their needs—not the initial price.  Swatch demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach in the 1980s when, by offering its entire line at the same price, it mitigated price-based competition from Asia by making the selection of a watch a matter of self-expression.

The success of each of these tactics stems from their ability to make competition about the personal relevance products or services have to customers, something we hold as a fundamental truth at MLC.  MLC members can view our resources on negating price-based competition by highlighting unique benefits and showing that products and services help customers achieve their desired outcomes.

This question drew a variety of responses from other members.  Beyond the routine Brand Tracker studies, a more precise gauge is to measure direct sales lift, ideally versus a control market in which the campaign is not running. Methods for this kind of measurement include mix modeling and in-market testing.  Moreover, members have recommended mix modeling vendors in a related Discussions post here.

Other members report that consideration and purchase intent are key metrics for brand campaigns, but they warn that baseline measurements are needed to have confidence in the lift that a brand campaign might generate for these metrics.   One member suggests tracking market share as part of a broader set of metrics, because measurement efforts should account for natural growth or shrinkage in the category.

MLC members, read through the discussion on the Q&A forum here. To learn more about identifying and measuring the key drivers of brand equity, check out our Overview of Brand Equity Measurement Approaches.  Or, see MLC’s specific case studies on marketing mix modeling and in-market testing.  For those seeking a robust marcomm measurement and resource allocation system, see MTV Networks’ approach here, and then give the webinar replay a listen here.

Click Image to Enlarge

By Erin Lynch-Klarup

On a yearly basis, the MLC invites B2B members to submit marcomm campaigns to our B2B MarComm Awards.  (You may recall 2009 finalist campaigns such as Motorola’s interactive lead gen or Qwest Communication’s database of customer reference videos.)  Reviewing the entries to this year’s B2B MarComm Awards, we’ve observed three interesting trends:

1) Using Thought Leadership

A whopping 54% of the campaign entries this year included a thought leadership component.  I’m impressed, but not surprised – this jives with what we’ve heard around the membership.  Buyers are completing more and more of the purchase process before they even contact suppliers.  One of our members estimated that 70% of their customers’ buying process takes place before the first conversation, compared to perhaps 40% a few years ago.  Getting out in front of buying decisions with helpful content (that also steers the right buyers toward your solution) is increasingly valuable.  Marketers are looking to position their companies as thought leaders – and doing so through marcomm campaigns.

MLC members, for more on this check out Developing Your Insight-Based Marketing Strategy.

2) Embracing Social Media

33% of entries this year included a social media component compared to only 4% last year–a 725% increase!  This reflects an ongoing shift we’ve been watching in marketing from broadcasting to conversing.  Social media, obviously, allows for two-way interaction with customers, and it’s exciting to see B2Bs capitalize on this.  As the chart pictured shows, Twitter is the most popular use of social media we saw among marcomm award entrants incorporating social.

MLC members, see our Social Media topic center to learn about smart approaches.

3) Partnering with Sales

The percentage of campaigns incorporating a sales enablement element rose to 40% this year, which is double what we saw in last year’s campaign entries.  This is exciting, since coordination between Marketing and Sales is a key way most organizations can improve.  In fact, data from our Commercial Integration Diagnostic (a survey of 479 commercial leaders across 19 member companies) revealed that only 1/3 of Marketing and Sales leaders agree that their messages to customers reinforce one another.  Including Sales partnership as part of marcomm campaigns is an encouraging sign that B2Bs are dealing with this challenge.

MLC members, go to the 2010 B2B Marketing Communications Campaigns Showcase to view this year’s entries and get inspired!  The campaigns are sortable by industry, channel and objective.

All decent questions, and ones we don’t have answers to yet. But lost in the endless back and forth debate over the topic is the evidence that a few web media outlets have figured out pieces of this puzzle, and some are even profiting.

This is a little off MLC’s beaten path, but with more and more media consumption moving to the web, marketers have as much skin in this debate as anyone else. So here are five web properties that are thriving in today’s media environment, and delivering some value to marketers, as well:

1) TBD

In development for nearly a year, TBD is probably the most anticipated local news website – well, ever. Focusing on Washington, DC and its suburbs, TBD has an extremely lean editorial staff – according to some sources, a fifth of the size of the Washington Post’s local news bureau – but still delivers in-depth coverage of local issues by aggregating their “Community Network” – a collection of neighborhood and niche blogs. For instance, an item on DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood might be supplemented (or taken entirely) from a blogger focused on the neighborhood.

TBD also has been active in the mobile app space, creating applications for DC weather, local news, and a special application designed for the much-maligned Metro system.

2) Gawker Media

Gawker Media is the case study in emphasis on pageviews and visits above all else – but it works! The Gawker Media network comprises eight sites (with beats in parentheses):  Gizmodo (gadgets), Gawker (gossip), Lifehacker (productivity), Kotaku (video games), Deadspin (sports), Jezebel (feminist-oriented news and commentary), io9 (science fiction),  and Jalopnik (cars).

According to a recent New Yorker profile of the network’s creator, Nick Denton, these eight sites generate an astounding 450 million pageviews a month. The way they do it sometimes bends journalistic ethics – for instance, Gizmodo paid for an unauthorized prototype of the iPhone 4, months before it was released – but they get results, and eyeballs.

In a plus for marketers, Gawker Media has struck some unique sponsorship deals with advertisers, including sponsored posts and site wraps (Casio and Intel have been recent buyers).

3) TechCrunch

TechCrunch is the granddaddy of Silicon Valley blogs, and its creator, Mike Arrington, is known as having one of the most fearsome Rolodexes in the business. And that level of connection pays off – TechCrunch is usually among the first to break news of an impending M&A, VC deal, or IPO, as well as being one of the central clearinghouses for professional gossip in the tech space.

And in that space, where having information is at a premium and having it first can be worth serious cash, TechCrunch has proven quite a valuable piece of online real estate. It was recently purchased by AOL for a sum between $30 and $40 million.

4) SB Nation

SB Nation is like crack for the obsessive sports fan: with 285 (!) blogs focused on every major American professional team, most big-name college athletic programs, and a fair number of niche sports (figure skating, mixed martial arts, and Canadian junior hockey), there’s not much sports news that doesn’t get reported on by the network.

Similar to TBD, SB Nation relies on dedicated fan bloggers to provide much of its coverage, but they’ve also recently launched local verticals in over 30 American cities, which aggregate the blogs focused on the teams in the region, as well as host additional content from paid staffers.

SB Nation has posted astounding growth numbers – in 2009, revenues increased fourfold, and as of August, the family of sites registered 8 million visitors and 40 million page views each month. And with only 31 full-time staff, they may have struck upon a formula for sustainability in web media.

5) ScienceBlogs

A bit more niche than the other networks, but ScienceBlogs has quickly become the home of  many of the web’s most prominent science writers – over 80, in fact, on topics ranging from astronomy to medicine to zoology. ScienceBlogs has also launched a site called Research Blogging, which aggregates posts on peer-reviewed research from experts – an innovation that keeps readers from wondering whether bloggers have any expertise in their subjects.

The material here is dense, and big, Gawker-like numbers are harder to come by, but ScienceBlogs gets around 2.4m unique visitors a month, and it’s still growing.

One cautionary note for marketers, though – bloggers in the network successfully held a “strike” at the prospect of a Pepsi-sponsored and written blog this summer. Display ads have been accepted by the community, but sponsored content – not so much.

MLC members, for more information on advertising in the blogosphere, please visit our research brief on the topic.

I’m usually intrigued with lists like these – I’m always eager to indulge in a little marketing schadenfreude. But looking at these ads, a number of them aren’t that bad. In fact, many of them do a great job of reinforcing key pieces of brand imaging and competitive differentiators.

Here are the 5 Worst Ads in America, according to Consumerist readers, and our thoughts on each:

1) Staples – “Wow! That’s a Low Price!”

Okay, so this one’s a little grating. The vocal inflection of the characters isn’t joy or excitement over Staples’ low prices, it’s actually kind of scary. But Staples sells to consumers and businesses, and they recognize a key issue: in a recession, price is the major determinant of buying decisions. With the buying power to offer market-beating prices, Staples can afford this messaging – and what better way to make it stick than have it screamed directly into the TV? In an hour, you’ll forget the grating, slightly horrifying yells of the characters – but you’ll remember the low-price message.

2) Quiznos – “Singimals”

I’m just not really sure what to say about this one. It fits in nicely with the Quiznos tradition of running quirky ads (remember these little guys?), but the cats are a little creepy. The pricing scheme of the subs sticks after viewing, but did they have to make it so weird?

3) Honda – “Mr. Opportunity Meets the Paparazzi”

I’m not sure why this ad drew the ire of Consumerist readers. Perhaps the interaction between cartoon characters and  humans is a little off-putting, but I can’t think of much else.  From where I sit, the strength of this ad lies in juxtaposition – the staid, but slightly snazzily-dressed Mr. Opportunity, contrasted with the glitz and glamour of the paparazzi and his date. This fits in nicely with Honda’s messaging around their automobiles – dependable, reliable, and practical cars with an edge of style. In a recession, that’s exactly the tone you want to strike – and Toyota and Subaru have launched similar campaigns aimed at longevity and reliability in recent months.

4) Progressive Insurance – “Flo”

I can understand why people find Flo’s mannerisms annoying, but the character is one of the longest-lived in advertising for a reason – it works. The spots match Progressive’s image of exuberantly friendly service well – no one’s more exuberantly friendly than Flo. And they echo that image while evoking, for Americans, a simpler time. Everything from Flo’s name (which would have last been popular in the middle of last century), to the set, reminiscent of a 1950’s grocery store reminds of Americans of what is remembered as a simpler, more secure time. That’s a winning message in a recession.

5) State Farm – “Pocket Agent”

I suppose it’s a little outlandish that an insurance agent would be that friendly with their customers, but I liked this ad. It’s not particularly sticky, but it does a good job of pairing the company’s new iPhone app with the personal attention of an live agent. The message? This software will make your life easier, but a real agent will always be there to help, as well. It assuages the fears of those without smartphones, as well as those who think the app will lead to a reduction in attention from their live agents.

What did you think about the Consumerist list? Are there any ads you’d add to the list?

Across industries and sectors, there is a disturbing trend at work, undermining all our best marketing efforts to get prospects to choose us.  As Tim Riesterer, CMO and SVP, Strategic Consulting, Corporate Visions Inc. explained at the Distinctive Purchase Experience Summit, buyers are choosing to not make a choice anywhere from 20% to 60% of the time.  For many of us, this means we’re losing more battles to the status quo than we are to any one of our competitors.  But our marketing efforts don’t reflect that reality.  We continue to focus on what makes us different from the other guys rather than building a story around why the status quo is the enemy.

As Tim explained, marketers spend more time focused on selling the gain, not mitigating the pain.  Well folks, when competing with the status quo, messages can’t be all unicorns and rainbows.  The best-in-class marketers understand the challenge is teaching your customer that they need to take a risk to avoid the pain their facing in their current reality.

If you’re doubting the logic, try this game (and thanks Tim for offering this up):  If you had a choice between getting $75,000 or having an 80% chance of getting $100,000 but a 20% of getting $0, which would you take.  9 out of ten of us would take the sure thing.  We avoid the risk even though there’s a better payout if we take on some risk.  Now, what would you choose if you had the option of losing $75,000 or having an 80% chance of losing $100,000 but a 20% chance of losing $0.  In this case, the vast majority of people choose to take the risk to try and avoid the pain.

So marketers, as you work to develop the messages that will carry your organization to success in 2011, remember that your bigger tasks are to provide:

1)      context to your prospects and customers that teaches them something they don’t know about a problem they didn’t know they had,

2)      contrast between what would happen if they did nothing and why you are uniquely positioned to solve their challenge, and

3) defensible proof points that yield confidence that the risk of doing nothing is higher than the “risk” of trying something new and different.

MLC members, check out our latest research on Insight Marketing to learn how Cisco, Volvo, and others cracked the code.

1. Social Media are Much More than Just Marcomm Channels: Companies should be asking themselves how social media can change the way they do business, not just how social media can be integrated into the marcomm mix.

2. “Social Media” is a Misleading Term: The term “social media” makes people think of marcomm channels, when in fact social technologies have far broader application beyond Marketing (e.g., for HR, PR, Customer Support, and internal collaboration).  To educate the organization on how to make the most of new technologies, it may be best to use the term “collaboration tools,” which has broader implications.

3. Early Experimentation is Still The Norm: The majority of European members in attendance last week reported that they are still in the discovery or early experimentation stage with social media.  Most are currently monitoring social chatter, as a first step towards a) understanding how best to enter into the conversation and b) determining what role social media should play for their business.

4. Be Realistic with Your YouTube Strategy: As 25 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube every single minute, attempting to produce a viral hit is a bit like buying a lottery ticket.  Instead, use YouTube videos for how-to guides/demos (that you can also incorporate into your corporate Website) and to help boost organic search results. MLC members, please contact us for more information on using YouTube effectively.

5. Centralize Strategy, Decentralize Operations: Establish a clear global strategy, but allow individual teams to experiment freely in order to boost learnings and identify locally relevant tactics.

• The Council advocates a Loose-Tight-Loose approach to social media governance over time: Start loose (decentralize) to encourage experimentation and maximize learning; next, tighten oversight (centralize) to standardize best practice; finally loosen control (decentralize) as social media becomes part of normal business.

6. Assign “Lead Countries” to Teach Best Practice to Others: Identify brands, business units, or countries that are particularly advanced in one aspect of social media use and encourage them to lead the development and dissemination of best practice in that area.

7. Don’t Underestimate the NPS Boost from Online Communities: In addition to measuring cost savings and speed compared to traditional research (e.g., focus groups, surveys), be sure to measure Net Promoter Scores® at the point of joining and after 9 months.  Some members have found that engagement improves so dramatically that the community needs to be re-stocked with detractors every 6 months, as they become promoters so quickly.

MLC members, register for upcoming social media retreats in San Francisco (Oct 12^th) or Chicago (Nov 3^rd) here.

European MLC members, register for our upcoming meeting on The Ever-Changing (British) Consumer (London, Nov 3^rd) here.