Caroline Mooree

A Marketing Plan is like a Bagel Sandwich

Monday, May 31, 2010 by Caroline Moore

Working for a company like Balihoo, which offers local marketing software, really has its perks. One of those perks is the Friday coffee and bagel run which is part of the unique Balihoo culture. I was on today's trip that I realized the similarities between my amazing bagel sandwich and the marketing plans we often help build and execute as part of our integrated marketing strategy for clients.

You can have this amazing vehicle, in this case a sesame bagel, that then encompasses all these interesting and interchangeable pieces that make up the whole. Those ingredients, or media types, can be selected and combined to make the perfect sandwich that appeals to the consumer/customer. Maybe you have a combination of cream cheese, egg and tomato, but you find the tomato just isn't working. No problem, you can switch it out for sun dried tomatoes and olives. It is much the same with a marketing plan. The right combination of ingredients, or media types, combine to most effectively drive business in a given market. If email, combined with radio and cable isn't working, you can switch out the cable with direct mail and come up with a more effective or winning combination.

It's every planners dream....the perfect marketing bagel sandwich!

Tools to Succeed

Monday, May 17, 2010 by Caroline Moore

Everyday my company, Balihoo, engages with Franchises and Brands to look at local marketing automation and to discuss our software as a solution to help their Franchisees, affiliates and distributors with local store marketing.

I am consistently impressed by the number of clients that value marketing and advertising and put adequate dollars toward this initiative. They understand the need to "get the word out" about their great product and services. No longer can you just put up a sign and expect business to walk through the door. A business's location can be an immense benefit, but today's consumers are savvy and do not just award their business frivolously. Additionally, you must apply an integrated marketing strategy to reach those consumers. Local Internet marketing, local store marketing, and traditional marketing must all come together as part of the local advertising budget and plan for a franchisee or affiliate.

I am also consistently shocked at the number of Franchises or Brands that do not account for local advertising and offer few local marketing ideas to their affiliates. Marketing is a key contributor to the success of a new business. Additionally, if you are launching into a market space that is already occupied by competitors, you have to stand out. You have to make some noise! There are media vehicles that are more cost efficient than others and there are some vehicles that offer a better fit to reach the target audience. A market analysis and a good plan go a long way in getting the biggest return on investment for the affiliate or franchisee.

Overall, advertising and marketing is not a "nice to have" for businesses, especially new businesses, it is a "need to have". Understanding the importance and value quality local advertising and a good marketing plan can bring, will have long term implications on the success or failure of a business.

Marketing to a Child

Monday, May 3, 2010 by Caroline Moore

Nearly every week I am summoned to my children's playroom by my son to see an advertisement on the television. Now, you may think it would be the latest and greatest toy or kids cereal that is being marketed since this is being viewed on a children's cable cartoon channel, but it is not! The advertisements are usually for household products. First it was the Snuggie, then it was the Pancake Puff Pan, and more recently, the Topsy Turvy. My child is exposed to local marketing ideas everyday through local advertising in our environment, but nothing has had the impact of the product launch marketing he has encountered sandwiched between his epidsodes of the Snorks and Tom and Jerry.

This begs the question...does it work? I have to say 'Yes!'. My seven-year-old son is a solid influencer for household products. We now have two of the three aforementioned products in our home! Furthermore, it would not surprise me to be unwrapping my Mother's Day present this spring to find another fabulous invention that is going to improve the quality of my life and make me happier. Afterall, my son has already regurgitated the main selling points of the latest "craze" explaining to me that I will no longer have to endure the backaches that come with watering and picking your fresh tomatoes. Gone are the days that I will invest in gardening only to never reap the benefits or fruits because they are inconveniently located beyond your porch.

I am not sure I completely understand all the research behind this particular targeting effort, but I know it works. Until the next summoning, I will simply sit in my Snuggie, eating my pancake puffs, while I await my new Topsy Turvy.

The Bentley of Ad Builder Software

Monday, April 19, 2010 by Caroline Moore

I recently had a client tell me that we have the Bentley of Ad Builder software and offer it at Volvo pricing. I thought, "How nice to be regarded as such a great value." I began to think about what made our Balihoo Solution fit this analogy. Is it the world class print ad builder itself or is the pieces of the solution that surround it? Is it the focus on local marketing automation or the co-op marketing solution that make it great? Does the local media buying bring more value to the client or is it the one-stop-shop platform with over 17 integrated media vehicles that really meets the client's needs?

I eventually arrived at a conclusion. It is all of the

pieces of the Balihoo Solution that make it great. Though we may not have the heritage of Bentley as of yet, we share two pivotal characteristics that drive our brands. Passion and dedication. We both embrace modern technology while ensuring commitment to ambitions of quality and engineering. Many different elements are combined to produce strength of function and performance in a product that upholds that standard. Every day an entire team focuses to build on that brand and product to make it better. Trying to be both revolutionary and evolutionary in a time when value is important and your commitment to the valued customer is even more important. If we can continue to deliver a quality product that meets and exceeds clients' needs, we will be successful for a long time.

Do The Right Thing

Monday, April 5, 2010 by Caroline Moore

I have the good fortune of working for an amazing company that has built local marketing software. I am part of the national sales team and work to sell our world class local marketing automaton technology.

In sales, our focus is usually to close the deal and get the business in house. Good sales people have integrity and focus on the client’s needs and proper fit of the product they sell.

Unfortunately, with dollars tight and quarterly goals looming large, what is best for the client can become secondary to what is best for the company. I have worked for companies in the past where this has been the case. Recently, as an employee of Balihoo, I witnessed something very different.

We offer local media buying and planning services as part of our solution. I had a client that wanted us to do media plans for all of his Franchisee markets in addition to building a platform for their company. This was a substantial piece of business and was exciting to both management and the media team. Our media director personally took responsibility for the first plan to set the tone for the entire relationship. As the exploratory phase of the project progressed, she came to me with some concerns. It had become evident through the brief with the market Franchisee and through her research that what they really needed was not a 12 month market strategy and media plan but rather tactical one to one efforts that would not involve traditional media or digital efforts. In this case, the target was so narrow that any method other than one to one engagement would generate too much waste of materials or resources making it cost prohibitive.

The decision was made to call the client and tell them we could not plan for them or take this piece of business as it was not what they needed. When my media director spoke with the client he was thrilled. He had thought the same thing, but had brought us in as a third party source in hopes of validating his suspicions.

We walked away from the business, and in doing so, did the right thing. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but I think it is what makes my company great. The integrity of the individuals that make up my company is key to the foundation of our current and future success. I am proud to work for Balihoo.

Marketing Hot Target Demographics-#5

Monday, March 22, 2010 by Caroline Moore

In my last four blogs, I have covered 4 of the top 5 demographics that local marketing ideas and dollars are consistently targeting. The last group to round out the category for discussion when focused on local advertising would be the gay and lesbian community.

As stated in a recent article, Deep Pockets, with more than $600 billion in spending power, the gay and lesbian market is a hot demographic for corporate marketers these days. Companies like Walgreens, Orbitz, RCN, Kraft and the Wyndham Hotel Chicago realize this, as sponsors of events like the 2006 Gay Games VII in Chicago, which will include premium products and incentives targeted specifically to a gay audience.

With an increase in publications oriented toward homosexual audiences, marketers are using them to tap into the gay market as well. Companies such as 1-800-flowers.com, for example, are placing back cover ads that promote discounts on items when using a promotional code found only in magazines such as SCENE, a gay publication for men, as well as other product promotions.

Statistics show that gay households earn on average about $5,000 more a year than heterosexual households. A high percentage of gay consumers are college educated, shop online and are interested in the latest technology and other consumer goods, according to Forrester Research Inc., a market research firm in Cambridge, MA.

Because this group is known for its deep pockets and high levels of education and sophistication, promotional marketers should consider trendy, high-quality promotional products, says Koeppel.

That concludes our look at the five hottest demographics for local store marketing, local advertising, and product launch marketing. Diverse and varied groups with substantial buying power make for interesting campaigns and exciting opportunities in marketing and advertising.

Marketing Hot Target Demographics-#4

Thursday, March 11, 2010 by Caroline Moore

In my last three blogs, I have covered the more obvious target demographics of Soccer Moms, Boomers, and Tweeners. The next hot target demographic grabbing attention is the Hispanic population.

Part of Hispanics' appeal is their increasing spending power, experts say. "They make up 23% of the nation's purchasing power," says Peter Koeppel, president of Dallas-based Koeppel Direct, a direct response media company. "Their propensity to spend in cash rather than use credit is appealing to businesses as well," Koeppel adds.

This group is recognized as having diverse spending habits based on different geographical roots. Marketers are taking note however, and have discovered trends that are now being utilized with local advertising efforts as local marketing ideas take these trends into consideration.

Trade promotional marketing and product launch marketing are both using mobile marketing which is hot with hispanic consumers. They are also utilizing the fact that traditional mediums are dominated by this group boasting dozens of tv and radio stations in markets and more than 200 publication nationwide. With more than 40 million Americans making up this consumer group that is spending more than 700 billion on goods a year, we are sure to watch the demand for this audience grow as their population and impact on future commerce continues to grow.

Be sure to check out my next blog, Marketing Hot Target Demographics-#5, as I wrap up this top five.

Marketing Hot Target Demographics-#3

Thursday, January 28, 2010 by Caroline Moore

In my last two blogs I have covered both soccer moms and Boomers as currently being targeted with local marketing and media dollars? Fortunately, those heavily targeted boomers have nicely created an entire generation of consumers known as Echo Boomers or Tweeners.

These Tweeners are our third heavily sought after demographic. This group ranges from your 9 to 14 year old tween to your young adult, makes up nearly a third of the population, and forks over an estimated $170 billion a year in consumer spending.

To reference an article I recently read, Deep Pockets, this group, particularly younger consumers, is enthralled by the latest gadgets, personal products and trend apparel. For a group that bounces from wireless devices to television to blogs, movies and more, finding out how to target them is the key. An integrated marketing strategy is key and standing out with unique premiums and incentives is even more important than ever, experts say.

But their flexibility with various electronics makes them ideal targets for multiple marketing messages, says Chris Consorte, president and CEO of Integrated Direct LLC, a direct marketing company in New York. Echo Boomers "are very big into e-stuff," Consorte says.

Pick up a copy of any teen magazine and the number of free product giveaways dotted throughout is overwhelming - free skin care solutions, free T-shirts, purses, shoes, even a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD - much of which is given away via Web sites, where visitors have to click to get freebies. Plenty of traditional media outlets in the form of magazines, television and video games exist for this age group as well. But marketers should be looking to this group for strong promotional product launch marketing through other means as well, says Million, including blogs, grassroots and viral campaigns, and other forms of guerrilla marketing.

The Echo Boomers come in at 80 million strong, but who else has the numbers and the influence to attract marketers? Check out my next blog, Marketing Hot Target Demographics-#4 to find out.

Marketing Hot Target Demographics- #2

Monday, January 11, 2010 by Caroline Moore

In my last blog posting, we covered one of the hottest demographics, soccer moms, but who else is sought after heavily by the national and local advertising communities? Coming to the table with over 76 million members in its group are "The Boomers".

Spending more that 2 trillion dollars a year, they are at the top of almost every marketers list these days. They have tremendous buying power. "They're so big that Wal-Mart is trying to target boomers by age group, not their entire segment," says Craig Millon, chief growth officer for Marketing Drive Worldwide. "They have 54% greater savings than that same age group did 20 years ago," Millon adds.

To target this group, they are tapping into the youthful persona that is increasingly a part of the Boomer lifestyle. Didn't you know...50 is the new 30. They want products that can fit their new lifestyle and reflect their new interests. Companies from Sephora to Tassimo are rolling out promotional programs as part of an integrated marketing strategy that focuses on the new appearance and energy of this group whose average salaries hover around $55,000 a year.

Much of this new strategy is executed and carried out through a large technology marketing push. With dozens of web sites specifically targeted to Boomers, marketing to them with promotional offers is as easy on-line as it is through bricks and mortar retailers, says Alan Weiss, president of business consultancy Summit Consulting Group Inc., in East Greenwich, RI. "The Web is the largest repository of content-specific items in the universe," he says, adding that marketers should be using it to specifically target older consumers, who have dozens of Web sites that cater to their demographic specifically and offer a gold mine of promotional product marketing opportunities.

OK, the Boomers have great value and are the driving force behind many of today's local marketing ideas, but who else is out their spending? Stay tuned as we visit another "hot target" in my next blog: Marketing Hot Target Demographics- #3.

Marketing Hot Target Demographics- #1

Thursday, December 24, 2009 by Caroline Moore

As a 36-year-old mom of two children in a double income household, I represent one of the most heavily sought after and targeted demographics...the soccer mom. I was recently reading an article, though, and was surprised to find out that I am joined by four other varied and unique groups.

As was stated in the article, Deep Pockets, women have long been considered strong financial decision- makers. Females between the age of 28 and 42, soccer moms, are particularly hot targets because they are highly motivated to buy and have a higher discretionary income than the average woman. How are national and local advertising agencies trying to reach us? Today's fragmented media marketplace demands advertisers seek out media that is highly female oriented. A very integrated marketing strategy has been applied as marketers target magazines like Lucky and social networking sites like Facebook's Circle of Moms. Reaching out via digital, traditional, and social mediums, advertisers continue to prioritize this group and look for innovative ways to peek their interest, influence buying behavior, gain trust and eventually their spending dollar.

Who are the other heavily coveted demographics being sought by the local advertising dollar? Spending 2 trillion dollars a year, read my next blog: Marketing Hot Target Demographics- #2 to find out who makes up the new "lifestyle changing" group.