Your Weekly Marketing Tip from Sasso Marketing....

SNICKERS....

I stood in the store aisle overwhelmed with snack decisions. Did I want
candy? Chips? Nuts? I'd skipped lunch. I was pretty hungry. What would hold
me over? I studied labels.

I could get an ounce more Whatchamacallit for the same price as a Snickers
bar.

But I'd never had a Whatchamacallit. What if it wasn't any GOOD? It could
just be more empty calories and I'd still be hungry.

I chose the Snickers. The package promised: "It's so satisfying."

But this tip isn't about packaging. It's about comparing options. Media
options.

In advertising, most ad agencies compare print media by studying CPM (Cost
Per Thousand). I think it's a bean-counter's measurement. It shows what
you're paying to reach a thousand pair of eyeballs. Eyeballs that may never
even look at your ad. Or may not care what you're selling.

To be fair, CPM can analyze a readership demographic against your target
market. So, if your target market is auto repair shop owners, it can tell you
how much you're paying to reach them verses technicians. So it's not like
comparing candy bars with chips.

But CPM can't measure intangibles -- like is it any GOOD? Does it get READ?
How LOYAL are readers? How RESPONSIVE are readers?

That's the kind of insight you get from a specialized ad agency. As experts
in a field, we understand the marketplace. We know the publications -- not
just the formulas. We actually READ these publications. We talk to their readers.
And we know what works. And what doesn't.

Is your ad agency looking beyond the numbers? Perhaps it's time to
look for something more "satisfying". If so, you know how to reach me.

- Phil Sasso

The Eye of the Beholder....

Since we got our new dog, Aslan, I've had a problematic two weeks. (And it's nothing to do with the pup -- yet!)
It started when my glasses broke the day we went to pick up our dog.

Since I can't see without my glasses and I was due for an exam, I made an appointment the next morning at a "One Hour" eye care center in a major mall.

The "One Hour" process took so long, I had to return to get my glasses that afternoon. (Beth had to drive and we had to get home to let the puppy out after 4 hours!)

A few days later, I realized I'd contracted conjunctivitis -- probably at the eye doctor.

I called that night and was told to stop in anytime after 10 the next morning and they'd take me right away. When I got there at 10, I was informed the doctors were all out at a meeting until after noon. When I returned after noon, some woman backed into my van while I was waiting for her parking spot. I again had to wait to see a doctor and then wait to file a police report.

I returned a few days later for a checkup with my entire family (since Beth now had pink eye, too). We waited patiently for 45 minutes before I made a little scene by talking to the store manager (repeating "pink eye" as often and loudly as possible) -- until I was quickly escorted to a exam room to keep me from frightening customers.

Needless to say, a lot of my time has been wasted waiting, lately.

Harvard Business School professor, Felix Oberholzer-Gee, wondered if he could reduce waiting by buying time. So, he did a field study in an airport by offering 500 people various amounts of cash to let him cut in line.

He reports: "The data clearly show that you are more likely to be able to jump the queue if you offer more money .. but [most] people who let you cut in will not accept your money. [Students and women were more likely to pocket the cash.] Their behavior is motivated by a norm that says you should help others when they are in need ... Monetary incentives "work" in this instance because people read them as a sign for the needs of others. How hurried are you, really? If you offer $20, you must be really hardpressed for time."

In the end, Obertholzer-Gee concludes that customers would accept a premium-priced service that allows customers willing to pay expedited treatment as long as other customers did not have to wait longer as a result of the special service.

Although I realized I was I paying a premium to get my glasses in an hour from this firm I guess I also expected a shorter wait to be served.

What expectations do your customers have on waiting for service from you? Are there expedited services you can offer to those willing to buy time?

- Phil Sasso

Sell More By Setting Limits....

Want to sell more of your product or service? Set a limit on what your customers can buy. Really! I know it sounds counterintuitive, but research indicates that setting limits actually makes consumers buy more than they otherwise would.

For instance, in a field study by the University of Illinois, shoppers grabbed 3 or 4 cans of soup when it was advertised on sale with no limit. When the the ad read "limit 9" people bought twice as many -- an average of 7 cans each!

Why is that? Much the same way a deadline creates a sense of urgency and gets consumers to "buy now", setting limits creates a sense of scarcity and gets consumers to "stock up". Also, by setting a limit, you create a sense that this discount is really a great deal and that you must set limits to avoid being overwhelmed with demand. But you'll notice in the field study, the price never actually changed.

Although sales doubled for the researchers, this won't always happen. Obviously the limit you set has to be realistic and stretch the customer, without seeming overly generous. I suggest you begin by determining the average quantity historically purchased at a sale price and then set a limit at 50% more than that.

The same limit-setting technique that works in consumer marketing, works in business-to-business marketing. I once used this technique with a slight twist to market an entrepreneur course in partnership with University of Illinois at Chicago. The postscript on the direct mail letter read: "For the best learning environment, class size is limited. So, contact us immediately..."

What can you do to set limits and encourage customers to act quickly?

- Phil Sasso

SHOW AND SELL....

Nothing beats a hands-on demo. After all, seeing is believing.

That's why I believe in "Show and Sell" in advertising. Whenever a product's benefit is visual, I like to show it.

One client's adhesive was extremely strong and flexible. So we showed a body builder twisting a glued item. The photo stopped you. The copy sold you.

Sometimes one picture can't tell the story.

One client needed to show how his "silent jackhammer" chemical cracked concrete in 3 steps. So I used 3 numbered photos with captions. The photo stopped you. The copy sold you.

Sometimes you need motion you can't get in a print ad.

To demonstrate one client's handtools, we created a miniwebsite with animation on the landing page demonstrating the tool at work. The photo stopped you. The copy sold you.

But sometimes you can see the benefit directly. So you need to think creatively.

For example, when a client's product tripled productivity. You could see that in a product photo. So I showed a man with 6 arms. Again, you guessed it, the photo stopped you. The copy sold you.

Let me help you visualize the benefits of your product or service.

- Phil Sasso