04-06mill

Greetings!

At The Pepper Group we are often approached by individuals who think they have a good idea for a product or service and believe it’s an absolute no-brainer that everyone will want it. Then they offer us the opportunity to do a whole bunch of marketing work for free, or at a considerable discount, for which we will be richly rewarded once things get off the ground.

This is not to cut them down by any means. There are some great ideas that are worth consideration by a firm like ours. Take the BRUGO Mug. This product has taken off quite nicely with our involvement from the very beginning. Not only did the inventor already have patents to protect his product, but had established relations with a manufacturer, the commitment to pursue the venture full time, and a reasonable amount of capital to ramp up the business. All vital to our decision to take a chance.

Unfortunately, most people don't realize how much time, effort and capital it will take to launch their idea. The “build it and they will come” mentality trumps their business knowledge 100-to-1. That’s probably why the odds are at least 100-to-1 against their idea getting off the ground at all.

Whatever the situation, it’s always inspirational to know The Rest of the Story (props to Paul Harvey) when it comes to products that we now take for granted. Was there divine inspiration, pure genius, a twist of fate, a turning point that provided that leap to success?

Lincoln Logs were invented by John Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank. He got the idea

from a building

technique his father had used in designing Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel.

Client Spotlight: Association for Plumbing and Mechanical Excellence

When The Pepper Group created a Conservation Ken carto

on character in 2004 as a means to help The Association for Plumbing and Mechanical Excellence teach grade school kids about water and energy conservation, nobody ever imagined that Ken might one day come to life. Perhaps that’s why on Tuesday, when I looked up to see a full size Conservation Ken mascot walking around the corner to my office, I knew we had done something really cool.

Although he was originally produced for use in a coloring book, the trademarked Conservation Ken character has since served multiple other purposes, appearing on the Learning Zone portion of the Association’s website and now boasting his own kid friendly website, www.Get2KnowH2O.org. Then, in February, The Association gave us the green light to get a full size Conservation Ken mascot costume produced, and we jumped at the chance—and no, not just so we could take turns wearing it around the office.

Working from a Photoshop file, the mascot company went to work for almost two months, sending us images and updates along the way so we could track the mascot’s progress. From the initial carving to final wardrobe decisions, The Pepper Group was involved every step of the way, providing constant feedback and approving the design at every major stage. The final Conservation Ken mascot turned out amazing well, from its uncanny likeness to our original cartoon to the internal fan built into the suit to keep its wearer cool.

We invite you to visit Conservation Ken’s website at www.Get2KnowH2O.org, or look for him live and in person at The Lake County and Sandwich Fairs this summer where he will be handing out fun conservation-related items for kids.

Stacy Olah
stacy@peppergroup.com

In The News:

Although thinking outside the box to create a box might seem a little ironic, that was exactly what Pepper Group and Brunswick NT had to do to design the packaging for FitBug. Although the product was small, the packaging task was quite large, requiring a package with a sleek and simple exterior, and an interior complex enough to comfortably and attractively house “Fit Tip” cards, a Start-Up Guide, a USB cable, and of course, the pedometer itself.

The final packaging could not have been created without a little help from our friends. Letterhead Press manufactured the FitBug box, which was a complicated process that ended in the creation of a masterpiece. For their work, Letterhead was recognized by the Printing Industries of Wisconsin with a Best of Category Graphics Excellence Award in the Miscellaneous Packaging Category. They are also up for the Badger Award and Best of Show Award, which will both be awarded on May 9.

Sc

hiele Group also had a hand in the Fitbug packaging, printing the “Fit Tip” cards, the Start-Up Guide, and the outer sleeve of the package. Using cutting edge Metal FX technology, Schiele was able to give the packaging a finished look that would definitely command some attention on the shelves. For their work on the project, Schiele was recognized by the Printing Industry of Illinois/Indiana Association with a 2006 Achievements in Print Excellence (AIPX) Award in the Special Innovation category.

Congratulations to both of our great printers!

Dennis Breaks the Rules: Product Placement

You’re watching an action adventure movie when Tom Cruise takes a rest between motorcycle stunts, reaches for a soft drink and that Coke or Red Bull or Monster label gets its two seconds of screen time.

Product placement started as a way for frugal Hollywood producers and prop masters to get set props for free. Before long they realized sponsors were willing to do more than send free products—they’d pay a premium to assure a few moments on screen…even more to be woven in to the plot.

In the early days of TV and radio, all shows had product placement—and sponsor’s names in the title—Texaco Hour, Hallmark Hall of Fame, and others. Stars blatantly promoted everything from cigarettes to Jello within the program.

Today, some media will sell you a subtler space on TV shows or in a movie for a hefty price. If you are a sponsor of the show you may be able to negotiate placement, and guarantee non-placement for your competitor. Product placement is an exciting area that runs the gamut from being included in celebrity goody bags on awards night to becoming ET's favorite candy, James Bond's sweet ride or Bill Murray's scotch of choice.

Fortunately, though, the product placement world has room for both gorillas like Coke, and guerillas who don’t have Coke-sized marketing budgets. But whether you become a champ, a chump or a chimp depends on finding the

right path through the jungle.

Gorilla Product Placement vs. Guerilla Product Placement

If you’re not an 800-pounder with a Kong-sized marketing budget, but have big ideas and a great product, there are still plenty of placement opportunities that don’t cost a dime. Product review shows, news programs, online sites and other media offer real opportunities for huge exposure.

For example, Fitbug, a next generation pedometer and online coach marketed by the Pepper Group for Brunswick has drawn interest on a national level through several “free” product placements:

1. A leading web site focused on walking and fitness gave Fitbug a 5-star rating.

2. HGTV's tech review show, I Want That! featured Fitbug as a cool, healthy way to help get America moving.

3. BBC News honored Ford UK with an award for providing outstanding healthcare for its employees, based in part on Fitbug. Listen to the enthusiasm of this unsolicited coverage taken from the 30-minute radio show.

These are a few of the successes so far which have resulted in great product placement exposure. Maybe we’ll soon see Tom Cruise wearing a Fitbug to track his calories as he jumps on Oprah’s couch!

Product placement is just one element of a Pepper Group Spicy Marketing program. Keep in mind that "free” air time is neither free nor easy. You have to go through gatekeepers, submit forms, be persistent, provide free samples and have a certain amount of luck. Even then, you rarely have control over the details. And don't blink—you might miss your two minutes in the limelight.

But, when it works, the phone rings, orders come in and the odds are still a lot better than winning the lottery.

Dennis Skigen
dennis@peppergroup.com

Rich’s Ramblings: Strategy Schmategy

Sovereignty protest

Ahn Sang-kyu, swarmed with bees, jumps into a Japanese flag in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday. Ahn, a local bee farmer, released over 200,000 bees and attracted them to his body to highlight his protest against Japan's sovereignty claims over South Korea's Dokdo islets. (AP photo by Lee Jin-man)

Things can get weird when your message misses the mark.

A recent news photo caught my attention. In fact, it didn’t just catch my attention; it reached out and grabbed it. The photo is shown to the right, with its original caption.

After reading the caption, I couldn’t help but think, “You got my attention, Ahn Sang-kyu, but your communication strategy was just a bit off the mark.”

Granted, any political protest needs public attention to be successful, but to gain our support, a protester must also educate us about the injustice he is protesting. And what do two hundred thousand bees have to do with sovereignty? Are their hives being re-zoned? Maybe if I could read Korean, those words at the bottom of the photo would have clarified things a bit, but I’d still be puzzled at the relevance of the bee swarm. After a few days, I’ll remember the bees, but I’ll have forgotten what the protest was all about.

Luckily, one unintended benefit from Ahn Sang-kyu’s escapade is a fundamental marketing lesson we should all take to heart: Make Sense.

For example, I know I’m not alone among television viewers who find themselves baffled by certain commercials. And it’s not just a matter of demographics—some ads make no sense, regardless of the age, gender or income level they are targeting. Broadcast advertising is certainly not the only offender; I’ve seen plenty of newspaper, magazine, outdoor and direct response advertising that left me scratching my head.

As an advertiser, if you’ve taken the essential steps of carefully researching your audience and developing a sound advertising strategy to reach them—use it. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating the dull, predictable solutions we see all too often, just because they happen to make sense. To paraphrase David Ogilvy, “You can’t bore people into buying your product.” But it’s essential to remember that simply entertaining people won’t make them buy your product either. Especially if your ads leave people wondering what your product is all about.

Explaining product benefits becomes even more important on a limited advertising budget. Brand-image-driven creative approaches can work well for advertisers whose product benefits are easily understood and whose media budgets permit them to saturate their audience (e.g., light beer). But for most advertisers, it pays to be clever yet clear with your message. Grab the attention of your audience and explain why your product or service is right for them.

So my thanks go out to Ahn Sang-kyu for providing us with this enlightening example of bad (and painful) marketing communications. If only he’d been promoting calamine lotion…

Rich Adkins
rich@peppergroup.com