What is this economy doing to us?

How long can we ride this roller coaster? All the up and downs, one minute we hear about businesses cutting jobs and the financial crisis and, in the very next breath we hear how housing is rebounding. As marketing professionals, we see how this is affecting our clients.

Each of us deals with it in our own way. Some deal day by day; some deal month by month but, however you are dealing with it, we all need to keep in mind what has made our business successful in the “good” times.

This is the perfect time to pull out your business plan and determine if this year and possible next year will lead you to change how you operate your business. I am not talking about how you are going to cut back on what you offer but, more important how you will modify what has made your business successful. In marketing, we call this “the competitive advantage.”

For example, if you are known for excellent customer service then you need to make sure that you still offer it. It may be hard to keep your game face on even though you are not feeling good about the economy and possibly your financial situation. For example, at the Dillons in Derby on Saturday they have staff walking the checkout lines to ensure customers are in a line that will move faster. They have also helped to unload the bottom of my cart when I am toting all the kids. It might be a company policy change, but I perceive it as customer service.

The products that you offer are also important right now. Try to keep your existing product lines. As you stay strong your competitor may drop lines and your customer base will grow. Negotiate prices or perks with your vendors as well. They are hurting, too, and don’t want to lose your business.

Another key business tool you need to use is promotions. You don’t have to spend a bunch of money, but you do have to spend some. There are plenty of inexpensive ways to let your customers know that you are still here for them. For instance, you can provide monthly promotions through a direct-mail piece that you also promote with banners and yard signs around your business. This will create word-of-mouth marketing that may even flow into social marketing blogs/Web sites.

The bottom line is this: Do what you do best, hang in there, do just a little bit more than your competitor and, when we get back to “good” times, your business will be even more successful.

Who’s the Chatty Kathy now?

Last week I wrote about how moms hold the purchasing power in the household. Lo and behold, this week, I ran across a blog about Tween girls.

It was interesting reading as I identified with each true-and-false question. Girls are so different from boys when it comes to immersing themselves in technology. They are not gamers; they are talkers. Now, most may not have face-to-face conversations, but they are e-mailing, texting and physically writing to their BFFs.

MediaMark research conducted a study on how children ages 6–11 use media. Approximately 50 Web sites were measured, and the top three sites were Disneychannel.com, Nick.com and Cartoonnetwork.com. These sites were visited by kids in the last 30 days. When they surf for specific information, they use Yahoo.com.

Another important finding from this study is that traditional advertising is what drives kids to the Web. The older the kids (10–11) are more motivated by advertising messages.
As marketing professionals, it’s our job to let these girls have a voice in what is trendy and important to them. The viral marketing power that these girls have can spread during class breaks. If you provide a message that appeals to this audience and they take action and experience “coolness,” you will have a customer, plus a few of her friends.

If your family includes a young woman, I am curious to know how she is absorbing the marketing messages she sees every day and how she communicates them to other young women.

Pitter-PATTER 1: Why didn't anyone tell me that would happen?

I was born in 1971 (gasp).

Did you know that for the first time since I was born, the average number of births per woman reached the 2.1 population replacement rate? That’s from U.S. Census Bureau data. Those folks have some great data.

Did you also know that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 4.32 million babies were born in 2007? That’s 200,000 more babies than were born in 1957, the peak of the baby boom.

That’s a LOT of babies.

We’re about to add two more to this pile of babies (figuratively speaking, despite what our designers have envisioned). And we’re following these advertising parents-do-be on their journey to “real” adulthood. We have Lacey, account executive, and Justin, designer. To ease into this new-parent thing, we started with simple Q&A.

You might remember we also had an art director pregnant when we started this miniseries. Well, not anymore. Kylie and her hubby are the proud parents of Graham Patrick, born at 8 lb., 7 oz. and 21 inches long (yet to sleep through the night). Congratulations! We’ll catch up with you when the rest of the babies are out and about. We've even included a high-pitch-squeal-inducing "isn't he cuuute!" photo for your enjoyment.

Q&A

andywomyn: So, Lacey, Justin. What is the one thing you wish that you would have known about being pregnant before you were pregnant?

Lacey: I don’t think there is something I wish I would have known, but I did totally underestimate the effect it would have on my body, energy and mood. I thought I was in good shape and would breeze through it. Um, not so much!

Justin: I wish someone would have told me that I was going to gain weight right along with my wife. I blame all the random fast-food runs I've had to make.

andywomyn: What’s the biggest difference (if any) you’ve experienced in your work life at an advertising agency since you’ve been pregnant?

Justin: I haven't really noticed any significant changes at work yet, but I assume that will change once the baby is born.

Lacey: You guys. I have noticed a difference. Things that used to stress me out don’t affect me as much now that I’m pregnant. And I’m an account executive, so that says a lot! I still want to work hard and do a good job, but I certainly don’t let the little things get to me like I did before. The baby kicks me and it gives me a whole different perspective on everything.

andywomyn: Finally, what brand or product have you found to be the most useful during this pregnancy?

Lacey: Good hair products. My curly hair is out of control since I became prego!

Justin: TUMS. This goes along with the first question, as well. Those chalky little things have been a lifesaver for both of us.

There you have it. Good hair products and TUMS.

Do you have any advice for our new, young advertising agency parents? Anything they should probably consider as they move closer and closer to the due date? Don’t hold back! Share here. They can take it. They've got plenty of TUMS.

Moms are the bomb

Literally, moms have a majority of the purchasing power in families. If your company has obtained the secret purchase decision code to the button that makes moms tick, your company will be successful.

Before making a purchase, moms are doing their research online to determine the best product for the value. For the most part, they are a loyal audience and, if you keep your brand promise, you will retain their business. This is in your favor since they like to “network.” More and more moms are blogging, posting product comments and talking with friends and family about good experiences that they are having in this tough economy.

A strong brand along with targeted marketing, such as newsletters, and continuing a consistent message to this group of women, I also think it’s important that your company offer a unique experience while your audience is there:

• Make the experience pleasant. Most of the time, moms have kiddos in tow — some may be rowdy — but the sooner you solve the moms’ problem, the sooner you will have those precious children out of your store.

• Offer “mom’s night out” events that encourage groups of women/moms to visit your store. Offer discounts and extra pampering while they are in your store. Moms who have fun after a long day will remember where they had that fun!

• Family night that incorporates a fun, controlled activity for the children allows adults to conduct conversations without interruptions. They will appreciate this and will return for the experience.

These are just a few examples that come to mind of what I would appreciate in a business I visit. What are some experiences that have made you into a loyal customer?

How about those Boomers!

Collectively, they make up an audience that we are watching as closely as their social-media–creating great-grandchildren.
After reading an article from MediaPost.com, I was reassured that this audience is not going back into the deep depression days. I had been convinced that, since the boomers had been through some of the most difficult times in our history, they would return to the survival tactics they used once before. I was sure that my grandmother’s tradition of hiding money in the freezer would become something my parents would now think of as a good idea.
However, this research sets the record straight.
25 percent have a “yesterday” outlook that is summed up by the statement “Life was better in the ’50s.”
30 percent have a “today” outlook that is summed up by the statement “We live in exciting times.”
45 percent have a “tomorrow” outlook that is summed up by the statement “Tomorrow will be better than today.”
Each of these segments is still spending but justifying spending based on its current outlook on life. I think that each generation lives in various spin-offs of these stages. Do you think that this could apply to other generations?

Pitter-PATTER: a blog miniseries

"Don't drink the water," announced a sign in the office kitchen.

Simple enough. That's how it all began. Don’t drink the Jajo water unless you want to get pregnant.

Three of our employees were preggers. An account executive, an art director and a graphic designer (technically, the graphic designer’s wife). Yep. Three at once. That’s probably not a big deal in many organizations, but that’s kind of monumental in a small — but growing — advertising agency.

Most of us in advertising are familiar with bottles — just not the kind you’d share with a baby. That’s one advertising stereotype that's probably a little bit true.

And diapers? Don’t get us started.

Even those of us with children don’t hold some Magic 8 Ball^® with all the answers. Really. We don’t.

I’m the parent of an almost 6-year-old, and my husband and I are probably the worst people to offer advice. I LOVE my little guy like crazy, and we have learned so much along the way. But when we took him home from the hospital for the first timem my hubby (also in advertising) looked at me and said, “Are they just going to let us leave here with this tiny baby? Can they do that?”

Since advertising people are really “idea” people, we decided to look at this pregnancy overload as an opportunity. This could be a chance to share the joys, the challenges, the hopes and the fears of our first-time parents (mostly the fears!).

It also provides us an opening to explore brands that we might never have considered during the regular, daily grind of agency life.

Which brands helped our new moms and dads the most? Which brands sucked big-time.

We invite you to join us along the way. Right here, every week. If you are a parent, what one piece of advice would you share? What nugget do you wish someone would have shared with you before you had children? What one product or brand really enhanced your life as a new parent? (We especially like hearing from ad agency peeps. Cause we're in advertising.)

And if you don’t have children, what would you tell first-timers?

Just don't tell us to stop sharing photos. And do not, we repeat DO NOT, drink the water.

Up and running

Check it, peeps! The Jajo grammar blog is up and running and ready for viewing, as well as receiving comments deluxe:

http://bloodywellwrite.com/