Archive for the ‘Introductions’ Category

Get out of survival mode! Your marketing needs to make people feel good.

After taking a year off from blogging I felt I should come back with a post that would if nothing else inspire us all to do better work, smile more often, and approach these challenging times with a better attitude.

First, my apologies for such a long absence.  2008 was probably my roughest year personally and it was hard to stay focused on maintaining a steady stream of creative insight.  But hey, Fish-On Marketing is alive and well and will celebrate our 5^th year at the end of 2009.  And as I always say - The key to life is how well you deal with Plan B. 

Face it, we’re all still kind of battling a hangover from 2008.  Some worse than others.  The only way we’re going to get out of it is by doing better that what we do best – brilliant marketing that connects with consumers in memorable ways.

So I thought I’d come back with a challenge for us all to do work that inspires.  Create products and the marketing that drives them that stirs consumer’s souls, engages their emotional side, and most importantly leaves an impression. The challenge however is that our businesses, the work we produce, and most importantly our creative processes are all on survival mode.   A colleague of mine told me the other day when asked how he was doing, “We’re keeping the doors open.  That’s our goal for ’09. …it’s about all we can hope for.”   They say misery loves company, but this attitude will take you and everyone around you down – fast!  Now I don’t claim to be a Zig Ziglar type motivational guru but we all know that type of “stinking thinking” is very self destructive.  However, what I think will get us out of this mess, at least psychologically, is to take every project we can get our hands on and produce the best marketing experiences that you’ve ever done.  Yes…great work will beget great attitudes.  Winning smiles from clients and their brand customers. 

You may say, No brainer Bud!  But here’s the rub.  Today with many of us, including myself at times, we’re all on survival mode and we must get out of it!  When anyone, particularily animals feel threatened, scared, or may be close to losing life, home, or business…they go into what we know as survival mode.  Many of us including that colleague of mine said that in fact was his goal.  Just survive.  And yes we need to pay bills and keep the lights on.  But here’s the problem.  When we’re in survival mode, our creative mode shuts down.  After all when you’re threatened is not the time to try new things, think outside the box, and get crazy creative.  Because we can’t afford to fail.  No, survival mode is all about being conservative, cautious, and steering clear of risk.  Go with what works, back to basics, and stay very much ”in the box”.  The box is our protection.  But in our business of creativity, the box is sure death. 

Clients come to us for bright ideas, insightful thinking, stellar campaigns and work that resonates and connects with their consumers.  Remember they left the other shop because they were “too much in the same box”.  We must shake the Chicken Little attitude that “The sky is falling”, and instead tell ourselves, “It’s not going to fall on my watch”.

And this is easier said than done.  These are weird times; much is out of our control.  But even though consumers may be hunkering down and holding on to their hard earned cash, they still want products and marketing that dazzles their senses and stimulates their emotions.  And that is what we did best when times were good - and that is what we must do even better when times are bad.

Welcome to the Fish-On blog

Hello to my Marketing Brethren:

There are a lot of people I admire that have been blogging for what seems like an eternity in cyberspace, however I am admittedly new to this medium.  So since this is my first post, I feel some introductions are in order.  

I am the owner and driving creative force behind Fish-On Marketing and like to refer to myself as a “marketing guide”.  I like the term “guide” (hang with me as I continue the fishing metaphor) because it seems more approachable than consultant, CEO, account director or principal.   A guide (think of fishing guide) takes individuals (brand owners) with varying experience and abilities into waters (the marketplace) that are different every day.  The fish (consumers) are often persnickety in what attracts them and therefore you need to always be open to new tackle (think tactics).  And at the end of the day, a memorable and wonderful story can be the end product of a good experience on the water.   

This story telling is really what makes for great marketing and ultimately builds strong brands.  So enough of the metaphors - what do I do?  I help brands and medium sized businesses connect with their consumers by creating memorable brand experiences.  That may be clear as mud, and a bit vague for an elevator pitch, but a quick tour of my site may provide some texture around what this paradigm shift in marketing is all about.  

Over time I hope this blog will also give you some insight and clarity into this new frontier we call experiential marketing …at least my view of it.  As I schizophrenically bounce between consumer and marketer, through this blog I will be providing commentary, posts, links, and real world examples that I hope will stimulate thought and ultimately expand your horizons of the branding world we all live and work in.Another marketing premise that I’m a firm believer in is establishing relationships with your audience. 

So a bit about me on the personal side.  A husband and father of two, I live in the small own of Ormond Beach Florida, a bedroom community of Daytona Beach.  Having been born and raised in the Sunshine State I received my undergrad from the University of South Florida in Management with a minor in Marketing.  Shortly after gradation I began a career with a little pet food company in St. Louis called Purina (LOL).  Over the next 15 years I held various positions within the company in sales and veterinary marketing in addition to earning my MBA at the University of Southern Illinois.  I spent the last few years of this assignment leading their experiential marketing group developing non-traditional programs to engage pet owners.  Everything from TV shows, on-line applications, and mobile marketing events.

When you think about marketing pet food it’s all about tapping into the emotional bonds people have with their pets.  After all, it’s hard to sell on the traditional features and benefits of the product because you’re not selling to the end user (the dogs and cats) that can truly relate to those product features.  This unique premise helped open my eyes to the benefits of engaging consumers through experiences and emotional connections, and has served me well as I apply those basic concepts to other brands I consult with now through Fish-On Marketing, an agency I founded in 2004. 

As we dialogue with each other I’ll weave in personal anecdotes and more about my opinions, feelings, and my life as a marketer and an individual.  Please feel free to comment and reach out of you’d like to have a conversation about my thoughts or agency capabilities.  This should be fun.

Fish-On,

Bud Hanson