Take a cue from Bucky

My 16-year-old son is looking at potential college options so we recently traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a campus tour. We learned a lot about the University, and I was reminded of an important lesson on key messages that could benefit every company or organization.

When we arrived on campus, we were led, along with about 150 other students and parents, into a lecture hall to listen to an articulate admissions counselor provide a brief history of the 161-year-old University and the current school stats, including the student population, which is similar to a mid-size city.

More than forty-two thousand students attend UW-Madison.

Say that again, out loud — 42,000 students.

Over the years, the massive student population at UW-Madison has made many a student and parent pause as they consider the size a negative factor.

“My daughter will get lost there,” I have heard parents say. “It’s just too big.”

“I don’t want to feel like a number,” potential students have said.

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Marcom A to Z — K for Keywords

A few of you have asked if I’ve disappeared. Thanks for the inquiries. No. My thoughts and I are back, after a short hiatus. Deadlines got the best of me!

I’ve been noodling on “keywords” for weeks. Certain words can make an advertisement, brand or company more memorable. More than that, these simple marcom elements have the power to define, connect, measure, search, analyze and forecast. Good strategic planning incorporates a keyword evaluation. Here’s a starting point.

First, review these five ways marketers use keywords to push information out to audiences:

1. Brand Development – Our brand experts work with company leaders to identify keywords that define a brand’s offering, benefits, values and ultimately its essence. These words find their way into all communications, from creative to press materials.

2. Search Engines – Creating a Web site without an SEO strategy is like trying to garner leads at a networking event without speaking or handing out business cards. Using Meta tags helps search engines understand a site’s contents to appropriately link information. Keywords are also crucial to a pay-per-click initiative.

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Direct communication is not a far-fetched solution

Jeff Seguin’s dogs, Jake and TedTo a dog, the tennis ball might be as iconic an image as the Pepsi, Nike or Apple logos are to humans. Part of the dog’s desire to play with the ball might just be due to its natural drive to chase. But, that desire is likely heightened by the way we humans — as dog owners — have marketed the ball to our pets. Taking note of the way we communicate to our dogs can remind us of some of the basics we use to communicate with consumers.

Recently, several dog owners from our agency gathered for a play date at a local dog park. It was a great opportunity for the dogs to play with some new friends, and for the people to meet the furry family members our co-workers are always talking about. But it also was interesting to observe the kind of communication skills we hone with our pets and how those same communication techniques could be applied in advertising and public relations.

As soon as a tennis ball came out, several of the dogs were ready to go. They knew what the ball meant — that it would be thrown, and they would have the opportunity to race toward it and bring it back. Certain breeds seem to always want to play fetch, but dogs that are really great at it have been taught exactly what the game means. Those dogs pay close attention to the person with the ball, keep their eyes on the ball as it’s tossed, bring the ball back to the thrower and release it on command so the game can continue.

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