The Follis Marketing Report

Passion Power. I’ll never forget a comment from ad legend, Tom McElligott, who was asked the secret to his phenomenal success in selling edgy creative work to clients. “It has nothing to do with selling,” explained McElligott, “it’s about passion. Clients can sense if you truly believe in what you’re presenting. That’s often the difference in getting a something approved, or not.” I’ve found the same to be true in my experience. So, hopefully you’re genuinely excited about your product or service. And, if you’re not, you’d better figure out why.

(See “The Power of Passion” from my “How to Attract Your Prospects” Booklet.

According to a Reuters story there are maybe six analysts covering newspaper companies. Two years ago, there were 12 — not a huge number in itself. But the potential loss of knowledge about an entire industry is occurring at a frightening pace.

It’s better to upset a few people than bore every. Consumers are hit with thousands of messages a day. If a marketer can’t cut through or go around it, he’s wasting money. That’s why it pays to be bold. In fact, I tell my clients that if an ad concept doesn’t make them a little nervous, then it’s probably not that good. That does not mean being irresponsible. But it also doesn’t mean being boring. Remember, the job is to get people excited, not just informed. And a smart, bold effort will do that better, and for less money, than something innocuous and uninspired.

What some companies don’t seem to realize is that no one is ever bored into buying a product. And what they perceive as “safe” is actually a high risk because it’s unexciting. No marketer can afford to lose sight of the purpose of marketing: to reach, and motivate, as many prospects as possible. Therefore it’s impossible not to offend someone, somewhere, sometime about something. So, rather than ask; “Are we offending anyone?” the better question is, “Are we getting anyone excited?”

Some of our agency examples:

People don’t like to be hit on. They like to be engaged by something they’ve discovered. They like to be creatively attracted, entertained, and informed. So invest less on sales and more on smart, creative marketing.

Listen to the podcast that lets you hear how other buisness owners solve their tough marketing problems.

Sometimes celebrities can help get the message across.

See full campaign.

from the NY Daily News:“Obama Underwear”

Coors Light is extending its presence in the new media with efforts on the social networking Web sites Facebook and MySpace.
Read full article.

Great marketing will not help a bad product for long. For real, long term success, be sure you have a great product that there’s truly a market for.

Repetition works. Studies show that people need to see the same message several times before they  even recall it, never mind act on it.