YOU ASKED FOR IT

“Isn’t making a smoking section in a restaurant a lot like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?”

—George Carlin

June 21, 2013YOU SAY SOFT DRINK, I SAY POP...

BRAND OBSERVATIONS OF THE DAYFrom my random collection of info sources, here are some highlights related to the brands of our times...

• A study conducted by the Department of Statistics at North Carolina State Univesity produced an interesting map showing how different parts of the country refer to their favorite sugar-flavored beverages. The question was posed like this to consumers: What is your generic term for a sweetened carbonated beverage? In the upper west and upper midwest, it’s a “pop.” In California, St. Louis, Milwaukee

and the northeast, you’d better ask for a “soda.” And in the south? Well, when they ask what you want to drink, just tell them a “coke.” And when they ask what kind, tell them Pepsi...or Dr. Pepper...or Sprite...or a Coke-coke.

• A new survey from PunchTab says that 81% of moms engage more with brands that offer some type of reward, and 57% will “Like” something on Facebook if there’s an incentive. At a newly estimated value of $174 per “Like”, it might be time to start thinking about giving moms a little more reason to befriend your brand.

JIM HUEBNERj imh@huebnerpetersen.comCELLULARTELEPHONE970-420-3382

Hmmm.

Brought to you by popular demand of a client, my mom, and some folks I met at a church potluck

From the remaining gray matter of Jim Huebner

Information that will make you smile, groan or think...

And guess what the government study found

that bears do in the woods?...

© 2013 Hmmm by Jim Huebner

I just got back last night from our client’s annual dealer meeting. We look forward to these events because they offer great opportunities to connect with both corporate personnel as well as their dealers.

Over the years, I’ve found myself in the middle of some pretty interesting conversations, especially with those on the front lines. In their quest to sell as many of our client’s products as possible, we are sometimes cornered with questions like, “Why doesn’t the website feature this?” or “Why didn’t we show a photo of this in the brochure?” Of course, we strive to develop each marketing piece as strategically as possible, so we generally have good answers for those sometime difficult questions. But I must admit—one dealer’s question this week really made me step back and think. Not because I didn’t have the answer. But because I had to figure out—on the spot—HOW to explain it.

You see...this dealer was from China.

His white business card had no logo. His business name and title were in black Helvetica type. And as we talked, I quickly surmised this about his concept of brand-building: For him, it was all about utility. While he was certain that our client’s brand was something he wanted to sell, there seemed to be a disconnect between this and what it takes to reach that preferred brand status. That’s not a criticism. It was simply a reality check for me. So when he asked,...

“Why do they need you to do what you do?”

I knew I had my work cut out for me.

I explained that research has shown that consumers are generally very irrational people. They make decisions NOT based on utility, but on feelings and impressions. They base their thoughts about a brand according to their experiences, interactions, colors, images, words and even smells. Sure, they rationalize their purchases with tangible reasons like, “Oh, it’s better built than the others.” But in the end, that’s only part of the reason they buy. Brand preference is established by an array of influencers. And to the best of our ability—and as resources allow—it’s our job with the marketing department to consistently, creatively, and strategically manage those things for optimum results.

I told him that with highly skilled and experienced people on staff, we can do things like research, programming, web analytics and high-end design that often

times aren’t cost effective for clients to tackle in-house.

I also likened it (as I have in the past) to being on the inside of a bottle and trying to explain what it looks like from the outside. Sometimes it’s more effective for an “outsider” to get the job done.

So did I answer his question? The look on his face left me in doubt. But I do believe that as the east continues to become more westernized, WHY people buy will become as increasingly important as WHAT they buy. And

that’s where the future opportunity lies for companies willing to invest in their brands today.

Jim Huebner is President of HuebnerPetersen Integrated Marketing.The firm was established in 1989 and specializes in making companies heroes to their distribution channels through strategic brand positioning, integrated marketing, and front lines marketing services. You can each Jim at jimh@HuebnerPetersen.com or on LinkedIn.

“Why do they need you to do what you do?”

...and on its way to the HuebnerPetersen blog...! PAGE2

ARTWORK FROM THE ATLANTA BLACKSTAR

WORDS TOLIVE BY

Every man’s way is

right in his own eyes,

but the Lord

weighs the hearts.

–Proverbs 21:2