THIS ISSUE INCLUDES: •  What's New? •  Going, Going … Gone! •  Resource Referral •  Lessons Learned •  Tips & Tricks •  Community Leaders •  Member Spotlight •  Community Stats •  Your Account Summary •  Success Story •  Special Thanks •  Last Laugh

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WHAT'S NEW?

Dear Askers & Answerers,

So have you seen MarketingProfs' new homepage? I think it's pretty slick. You'll notice KHE gained some real estate in the new page design. I'm anticipating it will help us drive more new-member traffic into the forum.

And how do you like the new Urgent Questions feature? Have you had a chance to check it out? The best way to experience it is to post an upgraded question yourself. Or you can subscribe to the Urgent Questions email alerts, and post a response when you receive a question you can help with. Please try it, and send me your feedback. I'm interested in what you think.

We're working on a few enhancements to that functionality. Then our next three projects will be:

• Build a new Resource Library
• Update the Email Notifications
• And construct the Projects-for-Hire board

If you'd like to contribute some resources to the Library we're putting together, just send me an email with the following information about any marketing resource you have found helpful in your work: title, a short description and a link to more info online.

That's all I have for you today. Enjoy your weekend!

Happy exchanging,

Val Frazee
Moderator, Know-How Exchange
MarketingProfs.com

GOING, GOING, GONE!

Here are KHE's 10 oldest questions. They're likely to close soon. Have an idea to offer? Better do it now!

1. do you have samples of marketing letter
2. Names of temp agencies hiring for market research?
3. example of marketing proposals
4. Gymnastics-Wholesaling Resource for Non-profit Org
5. advantages and disadvantages of global branding
6. How do you measure overall branding
7. Sales KPI for Sales Analysis
8. new media company looking for marketing tips
9. Nokia - market targeting & strategic positioning
10. user acceptance for online stock trading systems

RESOURCE REFERRAL: GORILLAS WANT BANANAS

Today's Member Spotlight profilee, Suze, recommends the following book. I've always had good luck with book recommendations from writers. So I wanted to be sure to share this with you. She says:

"My favorite marketing book is The Gorillas Want Bananas by Debbie Jenkins and Joe Gregory of the UK company, Lean Marketing. I contacted them and got to know them and their work – very refreshing. Although ostensibly aimed at smaller businesses, the book provides some extremely helpful off-the-wall ideas for larger organizations too."

Resource: http://www.gorillaswantbananas.com

I'm always looking for resources to share with our readers. If you know of one, send me a blurb. I'll send you 250 Question Points.

LESSONS LEARNED

Last week kwinters asked for research and insights about using negative motivators in advertising. Here are some highlights from the discussion. If you're interested in this topic, be sure to click over to read the unabridged version.

• W.M.M.A.: Current TV Ads bring the point home in your favor. Simply put: SUBWAY. Research their growth since [Jarrod]. Newest ones compare fat grams in McDonalds and others to SUBWAY. In many cases it works very well.


• Peter (henna gaijin): This is a strategy usually done by smaller players. The largest player doesn't want to talk about a competitor, because that could actually help the competitor (if the big guys say something that shows the small guys are a threat, then the consumers might actually think the small guys are an alternative). The big guys usually work by trying to grow the overall market or use non-specific methods to get people to buy their product instead of the alternatives. The small guys, though, need to break into the market and can do this most easily by taking business from the big guys. Direct comparisons are one way to do this.


• Secured: If you're set on going negative, you might want to try a different flavor of negative marketing. Rather than attack the competition, bring up the negative consequences of not using your product. This has success in all sorts of markets - think "Ring Around the Collar," antivrus software, Saturn's dent resistant panels. They all make you think about what would happen if you didn't use their product - and they do it without showing you the competition. My own field (IT Security) uses this strategy frequently. e.g.,"I'm not going to try to scare you but, ... [insert apocalyptic message here]."


• SteveB: Of course you are talking about FUD. It’s a great strategy for the right situation – here’s some info: "The term, which stands for fear, uncertainty and doubt, was originally coined in the 1970s in reference to IBM's marketing technique of spreading rumors about a competitor's new product to dissuade customers from taking a "risk" by buying it. FUD relies on emotion—not reason—to make a sale (or prevent one). In the security department it takes the form of scare tactics used to persuade adaptation of certain practices or acquire funding." (See Source)


• Vevolution: Does negative advertising work - you bet. Check out the basic "marketing strategy" of the Republican party for the last 25 years. FYI - I was an official member of the party and worked on MANY local, state and national campaigns, so please no, "Liberal, Kerry stooge" retorts. Just stating a fact.


• koen.h.pauwels: Likewise, consumers have a general inertia, making them stick to current solutions unless it is necessary for them to change. This is the reason why current market leaders, faced with a new challenger, are often better off not reacting by e.g. price reductions (this tips off the consumer that it may be worthwhile to check out the challenger), but by playing off the general fear of switching. Cable companies are doing just that with 'testimonials' by consumers that switched to dish and regret it.


• Jett: There is a definite danger of alienating your audience because they like "Brand X" too, OR because they may view you as arrogant. Even the recent Subway commercials with Jarrod comparing a footlong sub to McDonald's new chicken tenders makes me want to go to McDonald's out of spite! Actually, more than spite, I am curious about the chicken strips because I didn't know McDonald's had a new line of chicken ... and now I do, thanks to Subway. It's free advertising for the competitor. I have to try the chicken to see if I like it better than Subway ... I'm not taking Jarrod's word for it!


• mbarber: Negative based commercials ONLY work when there is a positive solution offered. If you basically say 'those blokes are crap so buy from us instead' you'll sink like a rock. Soooo, if your product is say, public-speaking programmes, you don't say: 'Don't look like a fool when you speak.' You say: 'Here's how to avoid looking like a fool when you speak.' The second headline offers the solution to the problem and that is what the client buys, not the message of 'don't.' From an NLP perspective, we know that the mind cannot, 'not think.' So when you read the words 'Don't think of a Giraffe eating leaves' its TOO LATE - you already have. Avoid the word don't where ever possible.


• virago: I think first of all you have to understand what your target is motivated with - is it pos or neg? When I researched the packaged consumer oil market there were two distinct targets. The first which said 'I change my oil because I don't want to breakdown in the middle of nowhere' (problem avoidance). The second was 'I change my engine oil because I want to get the best out of my car' (sensory gratification). I continued the research on both these major sub segments to determine the ways they research their product choice (where, how, etc.) and was able to determine different media for developing campaigns around where these two groups searched for information.


• thinkmor: In politics negative advertising do work as long as the argument has a basis. If there was any evidence that doing negative advertising influenced the voters to vote for the other guy, would they still do negative ads? If consumers don't agree with the ad they will ignore it. But the ads are there for voters who haven't made up their minds yet.


• jim_wulterkins: I think a negative message can be a useful part of a larger message. In Solution Selling terms, if you put your prospect in pain without offering them a vision of a solution (biased towards your solution), you've failed to control an important part of the process.


• axx: Your question is really a question of psychology. ... If you want to increase a behavior (make it more frequent, more intense, more likely), then when the behavior is shown, provide a Consequence of Reward. If you want to decrease a behavior (make it less frequent, less intense, less likely), then when the behavior is shown, provide a Consequence of Punishment.

The Question: The Use Of Negative Motivators

TIPS & TRICKS: BE COURTEOUS

I've received a few emails over the last 60 days from members expressing their concern about rude behavior in the forum. Since each email referenced a different member, I'm going to make a public comment on this.

I would like to remind you all that you're building your own personal brands here in KHE through your interactions with other members. As you know, your posts are archived and linked to your profiles for all time. So, if you're interested in creating the largest, strongest network possible, it's in your best interest to re-read your messages before you publish them to make sure they will strengthen your reputation rather than diminish it.

The majority of our conversations are courteous and professional. And I know we're all interested in building an environment that attracts the best marketing wisdom our members have to offer. So be mindful that new members who don't know your sense of humor and can't decipher your intentions could be forming first impressions of our community from any thread in the forum. Let's be sure we're giving them something positive to think about.

Have a question? Ask the experts.

Post a brief synopsis below, and invite other members to offer their feedback.

My Question Title

COMMUNITY LEADERS

As of this week, these are our superstars! The Most Inquisitive are those who have asked the most questions. (Where there's a tie, we broke it based on number of points they offered for their questions.) The Most Expert are those with the highest number of Cumulative Points (given to them by question authors for offering helpful answers).

NOTE: These are our top members as of midday October 1, 2004

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MEET SUZE

I've had the pleasure of working with Suze lately on the launch of MP's new case studies program. (Keep an eye out for her insightful article about Ecademy in the next few weeks.) You probably know her as one of KHE's more humorous Answerers. Read on to learn more about the person behind all that great writing.

Where are you based?
Milton Keynes, England – about halfway between London and Birmingham. I was born and raised in Canada, (Kingston, ON).

What do you do in real-life?
Basically, I help people get better results from their business/marcom writing. I do this in one of three ways: 1) I write it for them; 2) They write the rough draft and I edit/polish it; 3) I teach them how to do it from scratch, one-on-one and via tutorials, workshops and other means of delivering training. I also write books (business books and joke books) and run business writing workshops.

Tell us about your company.
My company consists of me and my two dogs, really. I like to remain independent, but I do partner with other organizations, especially in developing business e-books and writing workshops which form an increasingly large part of my workload. I use the services of a virtual assistant when I’m overloaded and desperate.

How did you find KHE?
I’ve been writing articles for MarketingProfs since 2002, so I’ve been around since KHE started. I thought it was a great idea when it was conceived, and I still do.

What kinds of KHE questions do you enjoy most?
Well, obviously I like the questions to which I know I can supply a useful answer. Also, I like questions that ask for copy ideas, taglines or other creative input. I love a challenge to come up with a good tag or headline (but I can’t afford do to many for free. My accountant would kill me.)

Describe a KHE discussion you learned something from.
All of them, really. As a writer I need to be an eternal student and KHE is certainly a good place to achieve just that. And interestingly enough, I learn as much from the questions as I do from the answers. For example, my eyes have been opened very wide about the burgeoning commercial development in countries like India and Brazil. It’s all very exciting.

What professional organizations do you belong to?
A few of the usuals like Ryze and LinkedIn, but the only one I find genuinely useful is Ecademy. It’s UK-based and now has chapters all over the world and a membership of more than 30,000. I’ve had a lot of work from that source and also have made many good friends. (As indeed I have through MProfs.) If interested, go to http://www.ecademy.com.

How long have you been in marketing?
More years than I care to admit to. Let’s just say it was before people had PCs but slightly later than when everyone used an abacus. Writing was the only thing I was ever good at. After college I started out as a journalist for a local paper but soon got the break to learn copywriting. As it paid substantially more money and was infinitely more glamorous than journalism in those days, that’s what I chose. Then, in time, I got to like it!

Did you study marketing in college? Or on the job?
A bit of both, really. After graduating and working as a journalist for a short time I attended what in those days was the only fulltime copywriting course in the UK at Watford College, which specialized in producing advertising stars (not me.) From there on it was seat-of-the-pants, though. I learned corporate script and speechwriting on a do-it-yourself basis and eventually became the UK’s Grandma Moses of business theatre, which was fun. I still write speeches and jokes for UK business speakers and celebs.

What is your next career objective?
To create more "product" and do less consulting. Essentially I’m trying to rationalize the knowledge and experience I’ve gained into formats that are accessible to a much wider audience. Also this way of working is less labor-intensive, which at my ripe old age is an issue! In addition, I’m looking into the concept of delivering training about business writing for people whose mother tongue is not English ... potentially in association with another writer I’ve e-met through KHE. And I’m writing fiction which I hope to develop further. It’s extremely rude satire/black humor. I love it!

Do you have a favorite gadget/tool?
My brain, when it’s working! Seriously ... I’m far less knowledgeable about technology than my 12-year-old son. I don’t even have a laptop and my cellphone is 3 years old. Does that make me a Luddite or just an idiot?

Describe one of your non-marketing interests.
Food and cooking (and eating, which is why I’m 50 lbs heavier now than when I was 20. Mind you I was pretty skinny then.) I’ve already done an e-book called “The Food Lover’s Joke Book." My favorite activity is devising mixtures of flavors and textures without the help of a recipe. In fact, one of the next books I will do will be “The Recipe-Hater’s Cookbook” based on my own discoveries. My family and friends are still alive to tell the tale, so watch this space. If you want to take a look at details of the joke book, visit this site: ItsCooking.com.

What is the value KHE provides to you personally?
The opportunity to offer my own knowledge/experience and learn from others at the same time. Also, I’ve e-met a number of fascinating people through KHE (and run into many of them again on Ecademy.com). So KHE is proving to be a valuable international networking source as well as a priceless forum for knowledge sharing.

Have you made any offline connections with KHEers?
Not really, but that’s only because the key contacts I have made through KHE are many thousands of miles away from where I live. Eventually I hope to put that right. In the meantime I’m saving up my air miles.

Do you have any advice for new members of KHE?
Yes, although I’m sure several other people have said the same thing. When you put up a question, please, please, be as specific as you can about the nature and background of your query. However much you write in your question, it doesn’t cost you anything (other than the time, in some countries, if you’re on dial-up.) And, believe me, the time will be well spent, because the more background we have, the more useful our answers will be.

COMMUNITY STATS

Active Unique Participants (to date): 2,776
Closed Questions (to date): 3,059
Currently Open Questions: 112
Total Responses (to date): 23,150
Subscribers to this newsletter: 9,786

YOUR ACCOUNT SUMMARY

These numbers come directly from YOUR profile. Question Points tells you how many points you have available for asking questions in the forum. Expert Points indicates your standing in the community based on answers you have posted. Visit this FAQ, if you want to know more.

Question Points: %%PointsBalance%%
Expert Points: %%PointsCum%%

Click here to buy more Question Points

SUCCESS STORY

This week's Success Story comes to us from glossyp.

"I want to take a moment to thank all who responded for the great replies to my query regarding the best color for a marketing proposal. Not only did I get lots of great links to sites that explore the psychology of color, but I also received some good real-world advice about staying focused on the big picture. Thanks to the great members at MarketingProfs.com!"

The Question: Best Color for Marketing Profposal - Red or Blue?

SPECIAL THANKS

Thank you, Suze and glossyp for providing content for this newsletter. And thanks to all the following community members who have emailed or posted suggestions, technical reports or questions in the last week. Your feedback and energy drives this community's development. We couldn't do it without you!

JBtron, Peter (henna gaijin), Jim Deveau/Catalyst, Michele, mbarber, ASVP/ChrisB, Jett, SteveB, Vevolution, Pepper Blue, jose04, jason.koulouras, vcboone, Tiggereh, Tom4IT, tjh, Secured, fkurilla, marie.meyer, mjklanac, alenkarutar, Ricky, telemoxie, Deremiah, *CPE, thinkmor, SRyan

LAST LAUGH

I like to end with a smile. So this space is dedicated to something amusing I find posted in our forum.

In an effort to track down a specific anecdote, Michele launched one of the most hysterical threads I've seen in a while. There are several posts in this discussion that are laugh-out-loud funny. Grab a cup of coffee, and find your favorite.

The Discussion: Famous Brand Name Blunders

Forum Feedback: The Know-How Exchange is still young. So we're constantly refining how things work. We have a gigantic list of action items, and your feedback helps us prioritize it. So please feel free to reply to this email with any suggestions. Thanks, in advance, for your time!

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