E NUN C 8

Do you sell to old folks?  Boomers? Seniors?  The people we are told have the most disposable income and leisure time galore to go out and spend money?

Are you in the advertising and marketing business?

Hire actors who know how to pronounce their words. Not their lines. Their words.

Hire actors who know how to E NUN C 8 (Enunciate.)

Hire actors who speak slowly.  And directors who let them. (Speak slowly.)

Lose the tunes.

PRINT ADS?

Large plain fonts with colors that contrast with the background.

Black on White.  Not Red on Black.

Navy blue against sky blue.  Not white letters on a sky blue sky running over the fluffy white clouds.  Skip the yellow on tan or the green on red.

I mean, “Seriously, Dude”.

“Hey, Ma, look.  I’m a graphic designer.”

“Hey, Ma, look.  I did the sound work on the new TV commercial.  I know you can’t hear the words, Grandma.  But that doesn’t matter.  Don’t you just love the music?”

Ever since Mr. Blandings finished building his dream house, advertising has been in decline.  Once John Hamm stopped drinking Bourbon on the job, the industry has been left for dead.

Can you really beat the Alka-Seltzer® commercial? “Plop. Plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is?”

Can you beat the brilliance of the demand pull advertising of the Lestoil® campaign?  15 second spots….”It’s so easy when you use Lestoil.”  Only there was no Lestoil on the supermarket shelves.  Customers looked for it, asked for it, and the stores ordered it.

Madison Avenue seems to have lost focus.  FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION.

If the demographic can’t hear the words, if the demographic can’t read the words, the ad is no good.

There is an old canard. “Half of all advertising works. Only no one knows which half.”

I can tell you which half doesn’t work.  The half that buyers can’t hear. The half that buyers can’t read.

We already know that the Networks have been working hard trying to find programs that will appeal to the people who don’t watch television.  (Read that again.  Slowly.)

Would you walk into a 5 Star restaurant and tell a Michelin Chef to start serving meals that appeal to people who can’t afford to eat in a 5 Star restaurant?

That is what the Media is doing.  Attracting people who don’t watch television and driving away the people who do.  And the Ad Industry is paying for commercials that half the people don’t watch and the other half can’t hear.  Ad Revenues & the Media.

Warmest regards,

Slim

PS. If you find this article to be helpful, please don’t hesitate to send me a really tricked out i-Pad or MacPro (62 is the new 60) and to tuck a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note.  

If it’s not helpful, just ignore it and move on.  Just don’t ignore the market.

slimviews@gmail.com

Copyright © 2015 Bob Asken

All rights reserved.

K Mart and a Guy Named Craig

The Side Street Journal is committed to illuminating the failures and foibles of management in general and mangers and leaders in particular.  Today, however, I am going to shine a light on something I see as a positive change in retail.  It's simple enough.  Here is what happened.

I went into a K Mart today.  I haven't been there in a while.  Why not?  It had been on the decline.  And, of course, when a business is on a decline, it cuts corners.  The store was too dim and too warm.  The employees seemed disheartened.  Now there is change. What Happened?

Well, I don't know how it came about, but they are turning things around.

When at K Mart, I happened upon a fellow named Craig talking to the managers from other stores in an "on the floor" meeting.  Now, this is a template store.  This is a good thing. (From a management perspective.)

Apparently, Senior Management accidentally hired or promoted someone qualified. (+)

As Craig was talking to the managers, I was watching the managers.  They appeared to be receptive to the message.  That is easy to understand.  Craig communcates well.

Slim Fairview's Four Rules of Communication:

Precision
Concision
Enumerate
Specify

Also, Craig avoided the cliches, slogans, and platitudes often used by those who embrace style over substance. (That is because too many people in Craig's position lack substance.)

You know the person.

"I am really excited about the changes being made."

"You can almost feel the energy among the employees on the floor."

"Everyone now has a very positive attitude."

"There is no I in team."

"The Consensus is....."

"The other day a customer came up to me and said, 'I really am excited about what I see happening here at K Mart'."

You know the person.  Well that person is not Craig.  As I said before, Senior Management accidentally did something right.

Now, while this is a template store, this is an indicator of what K Mart is trying to do.  They seem to have brought someone on board who is capable of bringing people on board. (Okay, sometimes I get like one of those people I poke fun at.) Craig is an indicator.

Now, on to Caveat Emptor.

Every time I hear that, the emphasis is on the Caveat.  I will now focus on the Emptor.

Just as positive reinforcement of negative behaviour is a disincentive to change, so too positive reinforcement of positive behaviour is an incentive to improve.  If we want retail in America to improve, we must support the positive changes when we see them.  That is why I've written this monograph.  K Mart isn't paying me for this.  No one is. (No one ever does, but that is another issue.)

If K Mart is going through the efforts to make positive changes, the least we can do is give them a fair chance.  Hence, I shall be shopping at K Mart to watch the evolving.

Sincerely,

Slim

NB:  I have no affiliations with K Mart, or any of its affiliates, or any firm engaged in the marketing or advertising of K Mart.  This is simply an observation for those who have an interest in managment, marketing, and retail sales.

PS. Paula, the cashier, seems to be evidence of great employee morale.  Must be a reason for this.

slimfairview@yahoo.com


Copyright (c) 2011 Slim Fairview