It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book for launching a new, highly anticipated product, but it’s still alive and well in automotive marketing. Indeed, the slow tease has become a staple in the arsenal of an increasing number of automakers lately. Acura did it with the ZDX. Lotus did it with the Evora (Eagle). Tesla killed us with the Model S. Rolls Royce tortured the insanely rich with a little Ghost tease. And now Audi’s decided get in on the fun and tease us with a little peek at the potential redesign of their flagship, the A8. It’s the “it” thing right now, and I'm guessing it'll stay that way.

But why are so many automakers turning to the tease as they launch new products? Aside from the fact that it usually escalates the level of anticipation in the market, I think they’re realizing that when they release their products in small, vague doses they can take advantage of massive amounts of media coverage available via blogs and automotive news sites like Jalopnik, GoTryke, Autoweek, Autopia, Motortrend, etc. that are rabidly covering ALL of the developments in the automotive world. And those combined with conversation on Twitter, Facebook and all of the other social media tools, the word-of-mouth generated is immense.

I love this as a tactic for a product reveal. Especially when given a unique twist, like the Lotus Evora, where the automaker sent press outlets a series of images of the technologies and components that made the car innovative, rather than just images of the design itself (That's called sticking to the brand message). One thing I’m hoping to see is a teaser campaign that ties in better with interactive media. We’ve seen microsites that release the teaser images, but none that integrate in a meaningful way with a cohesive social media or guerilla marketing effort.

Interested in hearing more of our innovative thoughts on what the perfect automotive teaser campaign might look like? Contact me via our website - http://www.sutter-group.com - or send me an email: garret [at] sutter-group [dot] com.

And if you haven't signed up for Peter's service, go do it now. You'll be glad you did.

About 10 years later they extended the brand to include footwear, starting with cleats, which were promoted with the highly regarded “click clack” advertising campaign. While the campaign went on to win numerous awards, I always had a feeling that the strength of the campaign was its reach and frequency (read: $), and not its creative or strategic merit. After all, the marketing never really made clear what was truly unique and different about the cleats (truthfully, there were many new technologies integrated into the product). There was no mention of innovative new features or materials—just the promise that they make noise on paved surfaces…

Shortly after debuting footwear that actually claimed innovative technologies like Footsleeve, Armourlastic, Armourguide and Armourbound, news broke that they’re coming out with a new technology that when worn helps athletes recover faster from vigorous workouts. This is exactly the type of groundbreaking product that consumers expect from Under Armour. But will they choose to focus on a slick image campaign as they did with their cleats, or will they focus on the innovative aspects of the product?

I hope it’s the latter. While the big spending on an image campaign does work in the short-term, typically when that stops, it’s crucial to make sure customers understand the product (or service) benefits, because those are what are going to carry the product. Sure, image advertising has worked for Nike, but that’s both because they’ve been around for a while and have grown to a size where they can spend TONS of money on brand advertising. As Under Armour develops a campaign, it can and should still have a strong creative “big idea” but I truly believe that they need to make sure that it develops the product, not just the brand.

Curious to know what type of advertising strategy will help you get the most bang for your buck? The Sutter Group knows marketing strategy. And the best part is that not only can we help you develop marketing strategy, but we do some pretty amazing creative too. Talk to us. 

Website
Facebook Event

The event is from 6:00 to 9:00pm at the following address:

Chesapeake Bay Foundation
6 Herndon Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21403
Click HERE for a map

As a Bronze Sponsor, we’ll have a table at the show where we’ll be displaying some of our creative work and meeting a lot of really great people in the Maryland/Washington D.C./Virginia technology world. Please stop by our table and say hello!

Apparently they’ve partnered with Office Depot, a huge supplier of Sharpie product, to create “Project Backpack.” Through the site http://www.myprojectbackpack.com, users are encouraged to visit Office Depot to purchase the qualifying backpack and two free Sharpie pens and submit their custom backpack designs. It reminds me a little bit of Champion’s “Hoodie Remix” which I covered HERE. This is a brilliant effort by Sharpie to use integrated marketing to support their existing Sharpie Uncapped campaign (which is noted on the myprojectbackpack.com site). I imagine through Project Backpack they’ll receive tons of great submissions on sharpieuncapped.com.

Thanks, @sharpiesusan (another element in their integrated marketing arsenal)

It’s an amazing repository of inspiration and information about the many unique ways consumers are using Sharpie’s products. One look at some of the content on the site and it’s easy to see how the brand could develop an advertising campaign generated from the submissions on the site. It’s also a great way to encourage people to spread the Sharpie message via word-of-mouth marketing, as you can imagine the people who submit will be proud to have their work featured online.

While the visual appeal of the Sharpie site really helps to generate and sustain interest, there are many other categories where user generated content can and has worked: automotive, airlines, snack foods, shoe companies, car dealerships, restaurants, tourist attractions, and more. That said, it’s important not to simply give your customers the keys to the castle, so to speak. In order for a UGC effort to work, it’s key to engage in careful planning, think creatively and to know your audience (including having a healthy knowledge of what could go wrong). Need help? We’ve got that.

Here are some of our favorites:

See the full list HERE, and get inspired.

I wanted to share the first article I wrote about one of the darling startups of the automotive industry, Tesla Motors. You can read the full article HERE. I’d love your comments and thoughts, and please do add my page to your Google Reader or bookmarks!

Why Did Tesla Tweet, Then Stop
Of the many brands that I’ve engaged with on Twitter, Tesla Motors comes to mind as the one brand that has really used Twitter as a tool to catapult itself from relative obscurity into the limelight. As an auto enthusiast wholly enthralled with the industry’s move toward clean technology, I had heard of Tesla before Twitter but didn’t really have any real familiarity with the brand until I started following @TeslaMotors.

They used the account often to discuss the company’s advancements, interact with the early-adopting public, and build excitement for their upcoming products. They even gave public updates of their Roadster deliveries, invigorating investors and making gear heads like me want one even more. They built quite a lot of momentum with the account and did so pretty quickly, building their list of followers to well over 9,000 people, many of which were, by default, exactly the type of people Tesla was hoping to reach—technology savvy, early-adopting entrepreneurs.

Unfortunately, a very peculiar thing happened late last Fall. With the tweet “Chris Paine gets his Roadster!” @TeslaMotors went silent. For some strange reason that tweet started a drought of nearly six months—a period that included the high-profile unveiling of their highly anticipated Model S sedan. At a time when you’d expect they’d be working hard to court investors and encourage buyers to put down their $5,000 deposits for a Model S (and fund future production), they said nothing.

I’m happy to report that in the last few weeks, Tesla has resumed Tweeting, although not engaging on the level it once was, with recent tweets touting mainly news releases or blog posts. It really makes me curious as to what happened to @TeslaMotors during the “dark” period? Why did they seemingly give up on an outlet that has the potential to reach so many potential investors, buyers and brand ambassadors? I suppose folks at Tesla are the only ones that know the real answer (and they’re welcome to answer here). If you have any ideas or theories, please feel free to leave a comment here!

It’s one thing to have an automated system efficiently direct you to the proper person to answer your question; however, too many companies have adopted systems that make it nearly impossible for you to find a human being that can take care of you. I just went through this with a large cable/internet provider and as a result have spent the last several days complaining to whoever was listening about their poor service. Can you imagine how many people are doing the same thing—especially with the explosion of social media services (like Twitter) that make it simple to tell the world about a poor experience?

So here’s a free marketing tip to any forward-thinking business that’s listening: If you must use an automated phone system to answer calls, that’s fine, but PLEASE, give me the option to speak to a human being if I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for. After all, marketing isn’t just about gaining a new customer. Often, it’s about making sure that the company ALWAYS delivers on the brand promise—before, during and after the original purchase (especially important for service businesses).

If you’re reading this and you also despise automated phone systems, I encourage you to check out http://www.gethuman.com - a consumer-driven Wiki that allows humans to share tips and tricks on how to find other humans when calling businesses with automated systems. I just tested it and it works flawlessly!

I learned a great deal from the call about the protocol of doing business with these large “prime” vendors, but one of the greatest lessons that came out of the call was something that reinforced something that we’ve always told clients and prospects: According to Nancy, almost without fail, the first thing these integrators or the government does when contemplating vendors is go to investigate the company’s website.

She noted that one of the most important things when awarding a contract or solidifying a partnership is that the prime can trust that the company they choose is going to deliver on time, on budget and without complications. She went on to say that SBLO’s (small business liaison officers) look for cues on a company’s website that indicate whether they have what it takes to perform. They want to see proven results, attention to detail and a clear demonstration of mastery in a given field.

So take a look at your own website and if you’re not proud of what it says about your company to potential partners and customers, you can’t afford not to call us.

The problem is that in this particular instance, communicating through social media really didn’t make much business sense. A little bit of digging uncovered that of their target audience, 3.8% are on Linkedin, 18% are on Facebook, 11% are on Myspace, .4% are on Twitter and 71% didn’t belong to any online community at all. Their audience simply didn’t use these tools in a large enough number for it to provide a solid return on investment. They were much better suited focusing on other methods and mediums to communicate with their constituents.

While I agree social media is changing the marketing communications landscape in many ways, I also believe it’s really important to remain media-neutral and not fall into the trap of doing social media just because you’ve heard that “everybody’s doing it.” What works for one brand may not be the solution for every brand. Weigh your goals and objectives and the media consumption habits of your audience and only then decide if it makes sense to commit to a coordinated social media effort. Need help deciding if joining the conversation makes sense? We’re glad to help – write me at garret (at) sutter-group (dot) com.

Despite the lackluster name, I think this is going to be a brilliant way to bring Volvo, and specifically the S60 concept, to the forefront for a more performance-minded audience—And an audience that may never have considered the purchase of a Volvo otherwise. By offering the game up for free on their website and encouraging consumers to compete for real prizes, Volvo has effectively ensured that this game will go viral.

I’m not sure what else Volvo has planned for the game, but this would be a perfect opportunity to engage with the auto enthusiast community through social media—blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc. It would also likely be good to support the game with a presence at automotive events like races and auto shows, where consumers can take a test-drive of the new game for prizes. Really, the ideas on how to maximize the effectiveness and reach of this effort are endless. All told this could be a much more economical (yet more effective) alternative to a mass market advertising campaign.

Want to explore viral games for your brand? I know a company that has put together a few shining examples of the games they’ve put together HERE, HERE and HERE.

Not only does it provide a captivating (yet somewhat graphic) look at the different organs and tissues that can be donated, but it also allows users to join the movement, learn interesting facts and share the message with their peers—You can even watch transplant videos, if you’re so inclined.

The only thing a little perplexing to me is that there is no form of social media support built in for this campaign. There’s no Twitter account, no Facebook account that I can find, and you can’t share the site on any other social networks, potentially limiting the reach of the campaign. Perhaps that’s why they’re only 12% of the way to their goal of 15,000 members.

Want to see some other examples of interactive presentations that serve to educate and raise awareness? Check out these projects we did for NASA, including on that’s actually a bit reminiscent of the Recycleme site:

NASA @ Home and City
NASA 101

These people are missing the point. Social media is so much more than just broadcasting a message to as many people as you can. The real value comes from meaningful interactions, each of which together allow consumers to formulate conscious and subconscious opinions and feelings toward a brand, product, service, organization, person etc.

If you place the focus on the quality of these interactions (content), you give your message an enormous opportunity to go viral. A perfect example is the post I wrote about KFC using guerilla tactics instead of mass media to extend their brand.  I wrote that post after reading a news article because I thought it was worth sharing with our prospects and clients as an example of innovative marketing strategy—inspiration if you will.

After writing the post I sent out a tweet to my 1900 or so followers, mainly in the Washington DC / Maryland area, inviting them to read all about it. The result – over 5,000 hits on our blog in one day, and nearly 20,000 that week from all over the world (we typically have about 200 hits per day). Had I written a blog post about what I ate for breakfast that morning, my message would have only been heard by the people that regularly read this blog and those that follow me on Twitter.  Instead, people loved what I wrote about and wanted to share it with others, so they either Re-tweeted me or submitted the page to social bookmarking sites like Digg and Stumbleupon. By placing the emphasis on good content, my message reached ten times more people than I originally communicated with.

Looking for a firm to help you harness the power of consumer conversation? CLICK ME

Smart has always been proud of its positioning and it has been the focus of all of their marketing efforts to date—which is why the Smart-branded URL shortener found at http://url.so-smart.be/ makes so much sense. Although there must be over a hundred URL shorteners in existence, this is one of the first commercial applications that I’ve seen that makes sense and serves to drive home a brand’s core positioning.

Judging by the .be domain and the corresponding microsite, http://so-smart.be, this campaign looks to be focused on Europe where citizens are much more receptive to micro-cars. Even still, the positioning is strong and if they continue to drive home the benefits of having a small, purpose-built car in an urban area, I think they’ll sell a lot of these.

Namechk allows you to type in your desired username once and does the work of searching all the popular social media sites for you. Use it to see what outlets your favorite brands are using to communicate, find the right username for you, or to remind you of sites you should probably visit to grab your name.

Judging by all the green on this page, it looks like I’ve got some work to do to reserve “GarretOhm.” ; )

The truth of the matter is, the regular flu is every bit as dangerous as the Swine Flu. Even still, much of the United States is currently in a frenzy preparing for the pig virus to strike in their region.  Here in Maryland and DC, hospitals are distributing masks to employees and patients to prevent the spread of the virus. Schools are closing. Businesses are putting plans in place. It’s full-on hysteria.

Thankfully, a non-profit has set up a website that automatically screens you to let you know if you have symptoms that are indicative of H1N1, the “official” name of the illness. Even better, it tells you how to proceed if you may have the Swine Flu.

Feeling a little weird today? Check out http://www.doIhaveswineflu.org ; )

Via @amywoo

The Advertising Association of Baltimore (full disclosure: I am a board member) is hosting an event called “Digital Reputation Management” on May 7, 2009 at 5pm at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Baltimore. The description from the AAB website reads:

Understanding the ever-changing digital marketplace is a full-time job. But how can you take full advantage of your understanding while maximizing your ad dollars online? “Digital Reputation Management” will walk you through a number of ways your decisions can take your digital reputation to the next level. Sometimes there is more to it than just the click of a mouse…

Speakers include:
Kristopher Hanson, Wieden + Kennedy
Cheryl Lucanegro, Pandora
Eric Eller, Millennial Media
Brian Cusack, Google/YouTube
Adam Lehman, Lotame

The cost is $65 for members and $80 for non-members. To reserve tickets, email director (at) baltimoreadvertising (dot) com and let them know that you’d like to come to the event!

In recognition of the economic power of privately held businesses, DiversityBusiness.com, the nations’ leading business-to-business internet site, recently named The Sutter Group as one of the top businesses in the United States. 

This is the 9th annual listing of the Maryland’s top businesses by DiversityBusiness.com.  Companies listed on the Top Business Lists represent the Nation’s top multicultural earners and challenge the long-held notion that a privately held business is small or insignificant. Winners are sought after by major corporations wishing to increase spending with small businesses.

“Entrepreneurs are a growing force in the U.S. economy, and a force to be reckoned with,” said Kenton Clarke, CEO of Computer Consulting Associates International, the company that built DiversityBusiness.com. This is a whole business segment that can carry its own, that provides jobs, products and services, and generates wealth for their communities.  These are the new leaders in American business.”

“It is a tremendous honor for our firm to be named a top minority owned company in Maryland,” said Karen Sutter, president at The Sutter Group. “One of our core goals as a communications design firm is to strive to stay ahead of the curve in terms of both technology and marketing expertise. This operating philosophy has fueled our growth, but more importantly has allowed us to deliver for our clients as well.”

The List
This List is a classification that represents the top small businesses in the U.S., in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, food service and professional services. Large organizational buyers throughout the country that do business with multicultural, small and women-owned businesses use the list. The List is produced annually by DiversityBusiness.com, the nation’s leading multicultural B2B Internet portal that links large organizational buyers to multicultural product and service suppliers.

The winning companies will be honored at a special awards ceremony at DiversityBusiness.com’s “9th Annual Multicultural Business Conference”, taking place April 29 – May 1, 2009 at the Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Florida. For the complete list of winning companies, please visit: www.diversitybusiness.com

About The Sutter Group
The Sutter Group is a 21 year-old full-service marketing communications agency headquartered between Baltimore and Washington, DC in Lanham, Maryland with a diversified client base in the automotive, consumer, government, technology, national association and real estate and development markets The firm blends large-agency technology bandwidth and boutique studio design talent to produce creative communications solutions that deliver proven results.  The Sutter Group offers all elements of marketing communications services including: branding and marketing strategy, advertising, corporate identity, e-learning, direct marketing, special events, viral marketing, graphic design and Website and interactive design. The firm is a WBENC certified Women’s Business Enterprise, a certified Maryland minority business enterprise and is on several AIMS GSA schedules. For more information visit www.sutter-group.com.

About DiversityBusiness.com
Launched in 1999, DiversityBusiness, with over 46,000 members, is the largest organization of diversity owned businesses throughout the United States that provide goods and services to Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, and colleges and universities. DiversityBusiness provides research and data collection services for diversity including the “Top 50 Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities”, “Top 500 Diversity Owned Companies in America”, and others. Its research has been recognized and published by Forbes Magazine, Business Week and thousands of other print and internet publications. The site has gained national recognition and has won numerous awards for its content and design. It is a leading provider of Supplier Diversity management tools and has the most widely distributed Diversity magazine in the United States. DiversityBusiness.com is produced by Computer Consulting Associates International Inc. (CCAii.com) of Southport, CT. Founded in 1980.

For additional information, please contact:
Garret Ohm
The Sutter Group
301.459.9129
garret (at) sutter-group (dot) com
www.twitter.com/garretohm