Blog - Converge by Bader Rutter

This isn’t exactly the type of question you’d expect a brand to ask you. But for Honest Tea, it’s all part of having an experience with the brand.

I recently attended an event featuring Max Lenderman, author of Brand New World and Director of OuterActive at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, talking about experiential marketing.

The example he highlighted that stuck with me the most was from Honest Tea. When most of us hear the words “experiential marketing,” we think of a huge semi truck that rolls up fully outfitted with multiple ways for people to experience the brand its promoting. We also think about huge budgets.

That’s not the case for Honest Tea. They set up simple stands in major cities full of their product. There’s no company representative around, just a sign that asks you to pay $1 for a bottle of tea and a locked box to put the money in. It’s based on the honor system. It perfectly aligns with their brand. And it couldn’t be a more cost effective way to provide a genuine experience.

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Marketing

Wednesday

Jul072010

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

After Hours: Three keys to marketing dairy cattle

Josh Hushon |

During the day, I practice PR on behalf of the dairy portion of the Pfizer Animal Health business. On nights and weekends, I like to spend my time working with a group of Brown Swiss dairy cattle owned by my wife and two younger brothers which we call Brothers Three Brown Swiss.

Since we don’t milk cows, we rely on showing and merchandising our Brown Swiss to generate income and cash flow for our business. One of the things I love about my job is being able to take the strategies and marketing recommendations we share with our clients every day and apply them to our own cattle marketing business.

In the video below, I share several keys to marketing our business that have proven successful in recent years.

New to this blog?

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Tuesday

Jun222010

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

My peek into the future of advertising

Mike Fredrick |

I’m very fortunate to work at Bader Rutter. While most of the ad industry has been hit incredibly hard over the past few years, we’ve been prospering. Still, more than 65,000 ad and PR folks have lost their jobs during these tumultuous times. So when I think about this industry that I love as a whole, it worries me. But I recently had a chance to look into the future of advertising, and let me tell you, it looks incredibly promising.

UW Oshkosh advertising students offer a peek into the future of advertising During this past semester, I worked with students in an ad class from my alma mater, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. I gave them an assignment to create an advertising campaign early in the semester. Then I worked with them throughout the spring, looking at their rough ideas and helping them nurture and develop those ideas into compelling campaigns.

I had the pleasure to see their final work in person a couple of weeks ago. While the students presented their campaigns to me, I not only saw some incredible ideas, I also got to see into the future of this industry.

These students are more creative, smarter and harder working than my classmates and I were when we were in their position 15 years ago. I think back to the quality of work I did in these same classes, and it was embarrassing. But with the help of their professor, Dr. Sara Steffes Hansen, these students are coming out of school equipped to take our industry to the next level.

So, thanks UW Oshkosh, for letting me peek into the future of advertising. And for giving me the opportunity to remember why I got into this crazy industry in the first place — for the passion, the fun and the creativity that makes getting up every morning and coming to work all worth it.

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Thursday

May132010

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Scissors and tape meet Facebook — Marketing lessons from the Sex Pistols

Kate Martin |

3 Comments

My husband, Chris, was having computer problems. He was trying to design a poster for our upcoming show at Club Garibaldi’s, and everything was wrong — wrong program, wrong logo, missing photo, everything. I went to my computer, cranked open Pages, and started looking through poster templates. But I was still missing a logo and a photo and frankly I’m not a graphic designer.

“Do you have any of your pre-printed posters left?” I asked.

“Well, yeah, but it doesn’t have your band’s info on it.” My band, Fake Goddess Friday, is hitting the stage for the first time, as an opening act for his band, Shattered, a Rolling Stones tribute act. “I suppose we could take the Sex Pistols approach and cut letters from the newspaper,” he said. For those of you born after 1977, Chris was referring to this.)

For the next half-hour we cut letters from last Sunday’s New York Times and stuck them on the poster with double-stick tape. Re-enter technology, stage left: Chris scanned the now-completed poster, created a PDF, sent it to Kinko’s and got the posters printed and delivered to the club. The PDF, of course, has already been distributed via e-mail and Facebook (soon to hit MySpace, LiveJournal, and now Converge). So what can we take from this experience?

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Friday

May072010

Friday, May 7, 2010

NIKE. From humble beginnings.

Mike McCabe |

3 Comments

With worldwide sales approaching 20 billion dollars, Nike is the world’s leading supplier of athletic shoes and clothing, but it wasn’t always that way.

The company was founded in a garage in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman. Back then the company was called Blue Ribbon Sports and they made most of their sales at track meets out of the back of Phil Knight’s car. The company didn’t become known as Nike until 1978.

The new company name was chosen by the employees. Each came up with a name and threw it into a hat. That’s when the iconic Nike “swoosh” logo was first used as the official company logo. I think the Nike logo rivals the Coca-Cola mark as one of the most recognizable in the world, but where did it come from? It must have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop and one can only imagine the gauntlet of focus group testing the logo went through, right? Well, not really.

The Nike “swoosh” was originally created in 1971 for one of Knight’s new shoe lines. Nike means “Greek goddess of victory” and the symbol represents the wing of the Greek goddess. To create the logotype Phil Knight hired a student from the design program at nearby Portland State University for two dollars an hour. Yes, that’s right, two dollars an hour. A week later the student presented several versions of the design, and the logo was quickly decided upon by Knight and his cohorts. Total cost for the mark: A whopping 35 dollars. This is where the phrase “bang-for-your-buck” must have come from.

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Advertising,

Brand,

Creative

Wednesday

Mar242010

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Martha serves lunch, lesson in engagement

Gina Biel |

Martha graciously posed for a photo opp with Gina after the MSO luncheon

On Monday, a BR contingent representing our Ball Horticultural client had the pleasure of attending a Martha Stewart Omnimedia (MSO) luncheon, hosted by the preeminent hostess herself. The event was MSO’s opportunity to share their audience insights and multi-platform marketing opportunities with advertisers. Martha and her team demonstrated their astute marketing and business sense by showing how advertisers could connect with customers where and how they want to receive information, while leveraging social media to get real-time feedback.

Playing off her mantra of “Once you stop changing, you’re done”, Martha noted that today’s most effective marketing is all about experiences and connections to a brand. She defined her MSO consumer audience as “women who do” — entertaining, crafts, gardening, decorating, cooking.

To keep relevant to this active audience, the MSO team carefully tracks emerging interests and technologies. They listen carefully to their loyal consumer and build products around what they want. Here are some of their key insights:

Increased interest in local and seasonal foods has stirred an interest in vegetable gardening, canning and preserving among the younger “tattooed set”
The ability to interact more closely with their passions — through Twitter, their own blog posts or by participating in surveys/events
Interest in cooking with their children as well as the joy of cooking for their family
Discovering new treasures within their own hometowns; people, places and things that make their town unique

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Monday

Feb012010

Monday, February 1, 2010

Is retro marketing a fit for agri-business?

Brant Ausenhus |

Think back to your childhood: the sounds, the smells, the sights. Did you brush your teeth with Crest toothpaste? Eat Honeycombs for breakfast? When you think back, are you in a simpler world? A safe place filled with warmth and consistency?

If so, you might buy into one of the recession’s latest trends: retro marketing. Retro marketing is the technique of using “throw back” advertising and marketing tactics to elicit childhood memories and drive sales. How, you ask? Retro marketing slogans and art trigger thoughts of “the good old days” before the recession, when the world was less complex and more stable. By purchasing the product, a consumer subconsciously travels back in time and is, for a moment, comforted by the familiar.

Giants like Pepsi, General Mills and McDonald’s are taking part in the phenomenon, reverting to vintage logos, sepia tones and 70’s taglines. However, this tactic holds promise outside the general consumer market — particularly in agri-marketing.

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Marketing

Friday

Jan152010

Friday, January 15, 2010

The art of value-added media

Nesh Malinovic |

We negotiate in the fourth grade when swapping lunches. We negotiate as teens for car privileges and spending money. We negotiate as adults for cars and boats. So why not negotiate when buying media?

As a forward-thinking agency, we strive to get the most value for our clients with the resources we are given. Negotiation not only helps us gain media space at a competitive price, it can also result in innovative opportunities that add dimension to our media plans.

Negotiating value-added media requires a combination of skill and marketplace knowledge. Whether it’s free inventory, or creating a sponsorship or roundtable event, value-added media is out there. The key lies in understanding what is attractive to the media and what they might be willing to include in a deal.

Plan ahead, negotiate now
Someone once said, “If you squeeze too much toothpaste out of the tube, there’s no getting it back in.” The same goes for maximizing value-added media. Tactical game-plans need to be laid out from the beginning since going back and trying to negotiate later becomes very difficult.

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Tuesday

Jan122010

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Does anybody know the Heidelberg U fight song?

Jeff Wedeward |

Here’s an interesting campaign. On my last trip to Germany, our friends at WOB, our sister BBN (Business Branding Network) agency, shared an interesting assignment they recently received from Heidelberg University as part of an extensive fund raising program.

Background
Founded in 1386, Heidelberg University is the oldest university in German (and one of the oldest in Europe). Consistently ranked among the best European universities, it is truly an international institution with more than 30% of its faculty and students coming from outside Germany. In anticipation of the 625th anniversary in 2011, the university launched a major fund-raising program last year to help renovate the Main Lecture Hall and plaza, located a block off the famous Hauptstrasse in the old town.

Strategy
Employing the BBN BAM (Brand Asset Management) process, WOB worked with the university administration to develop a forward-looking brand strategy under the banner of “Dem lebendigen Geist” which translates to “to the living spirit.” WOB chose water to be a major visual element of the campaign for several reasons:

water is the source of life and vitality
it is an ever flowing element – a driving force
the Neckar River is an important part of Heidelberg with the historic bridges connecting two parts of the university.

Launch
WOB launched an aggressive communications program in early 2009 that started with local and national public relations campaigns followed by advertising and direct marketing. In and around the university, the campaign brought “Dem lebendigen Geist” to life with banners, posters and eight foot letters in the university plaza. Please check out the full range of executions.

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Brand

Thursday

Jan072010

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Birth of new advertising opportunities

Erin Holte |

It’s hard to avoid the talk about the death of print, whether it is newspapers, newsletters, magazines, or beyond. This year hasn’t been kind to Gutenberg’s baby, with doors closing at Gourmet, Blender, Travel & Leisure Golf, Elegant Bride, to name a few.

But is it really the death of print, or just time for a rebirth? Some of the biggest names in publishing are collaborating in hopes it is the latter. This year saw 60+ magazines go online-only. Time Warner, Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith and News Corp. are taking it one step further: digital versions for e-readers such as Kindle. The publishers are teaming up to develop an application that is compatible across all e-readers and allows the feel of each magazine to remain true.

An added bonus (or perhaps the original intent?) is greater opportunities for advertising. Here are a few that initially come to mind:

Interactive ads with click-to-buy capability
Customized ads based on the subscriber information provided
Embedded video for movie trailers or TV shows
Links from movie or music reviews for simple purchase
Access from the ad to consumer reviews or forums related to a product
Ability to update the ad in real time (e.g., update pricing or offers)

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Wednesday

Dec302009

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Magazine and media predictions for 2010

Elizabeth Bergum |

This year saw a lot of ups and downs in all industries, including the world of magazines and media, which is a big part of what we do in this business. There’s no telling what 2010 will bring. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to read how others weigh in with predictions for 2010. An article in FOLIO: magazine captured 115 industry experts’ magazine and media predictions for 2010.

There were many comments about “old media” versus “new media.” And of course the popularity of social and online media is a big reason for many of the predicted changes. Regardless of the differing opinions these industry experts express and the predictions made for 2010, it seemed most agreed on what it will take to be successful in the future: It will be critical to embrace new technology. We must learn from it and use it in the right way to provide insights and information to those that need it, and to keep them coming back for more.

Have you channeled your inner Nostradamus to make predictions for 2010? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Tuesday

Dec152009

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Fewer B2B magazines shutter this year

Bader Rutter |

Fewer B2B magazines went under this year (120) compared to last year (147) or 2007 (158), according to BtoB Magazine. There also were 275 new magazine launches this year in the U.S. and Canada, 85 of which were B2B publications.

Of course, we’d love to see far fewer magazines shutter their doors. But overall, it seems we are trending in the right direction. And in this economy, we’ll take any good news we can get.

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Tuesday

Dec012009

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Getty yourself to L.A.

Elizabeth Bergum |

I recently traveled to Los Angeles to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and take advantage of the extended weekend. It was wonderful to have my immediate family all in one place, and a very special treat that we were able to enjoy our Thanksgiving feast outdoors (it was sunny and 80 degrees). Born and raised in Wisconsin — a Thanksgiving Day picnic is not something I would have ever imagined.

(Photo courtesy of Than Astin)But in addition to enjoying the sunshine and special time with family, I had the privilege of visiting the J. Paul Getty Museum. According to its Web site, the “J. Paul Getty Museum seeks to further knowledge of the visual arts and to nurture critical seeing by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting works of art of the highest quality.” I have to say with regard to my experience, mission accomplished!

Most everyone, even if you weren’t an art history major, has heard of Van Gogh, Monet or Renoir. And you’ve probably seen some of their greatest works in a book or on a Web site. But seeing them in person was … indescribable! It surprised me at how moved I was by these famous paintings, drawings and sculptures that have stood the test of time for hundreds and hundreds of years. In addition, the architecture of the buildings and views of L.A. from The Getty are downright unforgettable. Check out some of the photos my brother took.

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Miscellaneous

Wednesday

Nov252009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Everything old is new again

Larry Engel |

2 Comments

It occurred to me as I sat, transfixed by the latest Levi’s television commercials, “Go Forth”, of the challenge marketers of established brands face in keeping relevant in a marketplace that prizes everything “new”. Levi’s is a case study in how a 150 year old brand with a substantially unchanged product can continually make itself essential to each generation.

Marketers of established brands are often tasked with making something familiar seem new in order to reinvigorate consumer interest. “Old” is a stigma we avoid at all costs. If you can’t reformulate your product, ala a breakfast cereal, what can you do to make it new? One consideration is to embrace your position and appeal to the “heritage”, “genuine”, “beloved” nature of your brand. That might manifest in a position of confidence and comfort. Or, along the same line, appeal to the “retro” funkiness it might project and make it newly “hip”.

You might also reinvent how your product is used, repackage it or align it with something that your customers care about.

Another approach is to find the essence of the brand that is timeless and refocus it into the context of what matters today. Levi’s new campaign does that brilliantly and ironically. The hip new spots are built around the century-old poetry of Walt Whitman, used as the “battle-cry” for the new generation. The soundtrack of the first spot even uses a wax cylinder recording believed to be audio of Whitman himself reading from his poem “America.” The second spot in the campaign employs a recording of an actor reading Whitman’s “Pioneers! O Pioneers!”

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