Mattress Store Uses the Power of TV

My son Tyler, who lives in Eugene, Oregon, recently bought a mattress from Robert Saks Mattress Company in the neighboring town of Springfield.

When I asked why he schlepped all the way to Springfield for a bed, he told me that Robert Saks was top-of-mind for him because of the owner’s toupee:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZIdAAY8DuQ]

I truly believe that Saks’ hairpiece, through its very existence on TV, generated revenue for the store. And I must reluctantly admit that there’s no way for a radio commercial to adequately communicate its magnificence.

Tyler says that Saks has now taken to wearing an Oregon Duck hat, which either conceals or replaces the rug. This may relieve some of his embarrassment, but it also removes one of the most memorable, and effective, elements from his marketing.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Click here to learn the shocking truth about Phil Bernstein

Click this link to subscribe to Portland’s Finest Advertising and Marketing Blog.

Request your free copy of Phil Bernstein’s white paper, The Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes and How to Fix Them here.

Got a question? Call Phil Bernstein at 503-323-6553.

Telephone Sales Observation of the Day

You know it’s not a good sales-call day when the receptionist at a hemorrhoid clinic hangs up on you.

So let me send personal greetings to Brett J. Hubbard, Aimee Hubbard, and Steven L. Gardner at the Sandy Blvd. Clinic East. I’ve got some ideas to bring you some profitable new patients — if you call me at 503-323-6553, I promise I won’t hang up.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Click here to learn the shocking truth about Phil Bernstein

Click this link to subscribe to Portland’s Finest Advertising and Marketing Blog.

Request your free copy of Phil Bernstein’s white paper, The Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes and How to Fix Them here.

Got a question? Call Phil Bernstein at 503-323-6553.

Finding an Unmet Need

My friend Susan recently alerted me to an article about I-Booze — a Seattle-area online service that delivers alcohol, cigarettes, and other items.

Founder Karim Varela came up with the idea while sitting in a San Francisco jail on a DUI charge.

‘I was sitting in jail for eight hours with nothing to do besides think, and that’s when it came to me,’ said Varela, adding that he thought an alcohol delivery service might help keep drunks off the road.

Varela charges premium prices and a delivery fee, and sticks with items for which price is not necessarily the most important factor:

‘I-Booze only sells products that people want immediately, which people are addicted to, which people are craving, and which people will pay that extra delivery surcharge to get right away,’ explains Varela.

Setting aside any moral judgements about the products I-Booze sells, this is a terrific example  of an entrepreneur spotting, and filling, an unmet need in the marketplace.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Click here to learn the shocking truth about Phil Bernstein

Click this link to subscribe to Portland’s Finest Advertising and Marketing Blog.

Request your free copy of Phil Bernstein’s white paper, The Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes and How to Fix Them here.

Got a question? Call Phil Bernstein at 503-323-6553.

Sometimes You Can Break The Rules

Deadspin alerted me to this video by Ben Gullett. Ben’s dad, Mark Gullett, was laid off from his marketing position with hockey’s Tampa Bay Lightning. So Ben put together the video in an effort to help his father get a job.

As a piece of advertising, there’s much to criticize:

1. It’s all about the advertiser.

2. Virtually no information about any benefits an employer might receive by hiring Mark Gullett.

3. Weak call-to-action: there’s an email address at the end, but no real explanation of what a prospect should do or why.

None of the above matters. The video is damn close to perfect. It tells a  powerful, moving story. While it may not provide much information for the intellect, it more than makes up for that by communicating emotion.

Anyone looking for a creative marketing mind would have to wonder what else Mark Gullett might have to offer. Mark Gullett’s job search has now gotten national exposure, with more than 21,000 views as of today. The campaign’s gotten him at least one firm offer, and a significant number of leads.

It’s done so by breaking many of the rules of effective advertising. I would never advise a client to try something like this — there are too many ways to get it wrong.

This one gets it right.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Click here to learn the shocking truth about Phil Bernstein

Click this link to subscribe to Portland’s Finest Advertising and Marketing Blog.

Request your free copy of Phil Bernstein’s white paper, The Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes and How to Fix Them here.

Got a question? Call Phil Bernstein at 503-323-6553.

Lord & Taylor — Purveyor of Fine Hooker Fashions?

The full page ad in Sunday’s New York Times offers an Ellen Tracy Trench for $150. There’s a color photograph, and the caption underneath says

THERE’S NOTHING NAUGHTY ABOUT BUYING THIS TRENCH… WEARING IT, HOWEVER, IS ANOTHER STORY.

Who might buy — and wear — a coat like this? I’m thinking that the target is, um, working girls. Am I wrong?

Here’s the picture. You decide.

ellen-tracy-trench2

______________________________________________________________________________________

Click here to learn the shocking truth about Phil Bernstein

Click this link to subscribe to Portland’s Finest Advertising and Marketing Blog.

Request your free copy of Phil Bernstein’s white paper, The Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes and How to Fix Them here.

Got a question? Call Phil Bernstein at 503-323-6553.