Should you add FSI coupons to the media mix for your clients? This medium has long been used to induce consumers to try new products and in the first part of 2008, 129 billion FSI coupons were distributed to consumers via Sunday newspapers. By sector, here’s how the distribution broke out:

• Consumer Packaged Goods 70.1%
• Direct Response (general advertising)  21%
• Franchise (primarily restaurants) 8.9%

The largest categories for the CPG sector are household cleaning products, pet food/treats, combination/personal and vitamins.

The spending on FSI coupons  is linked to the following ROI (return on investment) and demographic data:

• The typical redemption rate for newspaper coupons is about 1%.
• Consumers who live in the Midwest and Northeast tend to be the heavier coupon users.
• Sunday newspaper readers who clip coupons spend  $4 more on groceries on average each week.

Keep this data in mind as you consider which forms of media will be most effective in reaching consumers.

[Sources: Coupon information now; TMS Media Intelligence release]

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While their suggestions aren’t too far-fetched, they aren’t, in the words of the authors, “cookie-cutter best-practices…too obvious and stale to motivate your people toward new plateaus.” So, if you’re tired of the same-old, same-old that aren’t generating fresh results, take a look at these tips and then head over to the original article to read more about each suggestion, as well as others’ comments and additional suggestions.

1. Stop helping the customer!

2. Live in a fantasy world

3. Dominate the scorebook by putting away the rulebook

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The extended economic slowdown is affecting the bottom line of many businesses and marketing is one of the budget items being cut for the second half of 2008. To determine the extent of budget cuts, the Association of National Advertisers recently surveyed its members and found over half of advertisers expect to reduce their marketing budgets. Here’s a list of the projected size of the cuts:

• 50% of businesses - 10% cut
• 27% of businesses - 11-20% cut
• 10% of businesses - 30+% cut

In addition, businesses are asking their agencies to find ways to save money, especially when it comes to travel. If you’re operating a smaller or lower-cost agency and have a geographic advantage, now might be the perfect time to pitch for a large account.

[Source:  McClellan, Steve. “Marketers Prepare to Slash Ad Budgets,” Adweek.com, 8.21.08.

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• 1/3rd of US consumers exercise at least every three days and 1/10^th exercise on occasion.
• General fitness is the type of exercise most frequently engaged in and consumers primarily use treadmills, elliptical and stationary bicycles for this purpose.
• Users of home gym equipment are typically over age 35.
• Wholesale revenue for fitness equipment businesses was $4.7 billion in 2007 and the fastest growing category was elliptical machines.
• Treadmills and stationary bikes are particularly popular with consumers who prefer to work out at home.

Is it time for you to review marketing plans with your fitness equipment retailers?

[Source: Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association release, August 2008]

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The demand for knee and hip replacements in the US continues to grow and some reports put the total market value for 2007 at about $5.5 billion. This trend has not gone unnoticed by medical device manufacturers. The industry continues to grow more crowded with large firms such as Zimmer and Stryker tweaking their offerings to increase market share.  A study in Medical Device & Diagnostic  Industry points to important trends that will shape the future for businesses operating in this sector:

• Technology is increasingly crossing traditional lines of business and biopharmaceutical firms may find themselves blending both biologic, digital and mechanical fields to develop products.
• Companies may find themselves increasingly marketing to payers such as insurance companies and consumers instead of to doctors and hospitals.
• The market is expanding globally for both import and export opportunities. Proper marketing strategies can grow business in the international arena.
• As new products come on the market, regulatory oversight will increase.

Discuss these trends with your medical device manufacturers and plan new marketing campaigns to reach a broader customer base.

[Sources: Palmer, Jay. “Stepping Out on a Zimmer Knee,” Wall Street Journal, 6.22.08; Medical Device & Diagnostic  Industry study, 2008]

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The Avoider: Avoiders do everything possible to keep from having to stand in front of an audience.

The Register: Registers are also extremely hesitant of speaking in public. They may not be able to avoid speaking as part of their job, but they never encourage it.

The Acceptor: Acceptors will give presentations as part of the job, but do not seek opportunities to do so.

The Seeker: Seekers actively look for opportunities to speak. They understand that anxiety can be a stimulant that fuels enthusiasm during a presentation.

Obviously, we all would like to be a seeker, and Farrington believes that “even the most timid presentation-avoider can become an avid seeker.” In his article, he outlines a basic plan to change one’s mind-set when it comes to giving presentations. Click here to find out how to transform your nerves from a nuisance to an asset.

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Businesses are still planning conferences and meetings in the down economy. And it’s the job of conference planners to make the meetings affordable and enjoyable.  As they prepare for their own annual meeting, these professionals indicate the need for several types of businesses to support their work in the conference industry. They include:

• Meeting technology resources 44.2%
• Hotel/resort locations 84.1%
• Venues 57.5%
• Promotional items 54.9%
• Transportation 43.4%

Help your clients in these industries develop direct mail and other ad campaigns to target conference and meeting professionals.

[Source: Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association release, 8.19.2008]

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Consumers are growing accustomed to using online mapping resources and have started to shift their access points for this resource. That’s the latest finding from a comScore report. Here’s a summary of the details on a study regarding consumer access to online maps:

• Between May 2007 and May 2008 the number of US consumers who accessed maps via a mobile device such as a phone jumped from 4.4% to 7.5%.
• While at least 85% of these consumers were in a car when accessing these maps, 15% were walking, biking or using public transportation.
• The number of US consumers who accessed maps via a PC declined from 44.9% to 44.2% between 2007 and 2008.

Share these trends with vendors who develop mapping applications and related software and hardware.

[Source: “Are We There Yet?” comScore release, 7.24.2008]

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Here are a few from the list:

#2. No matter where you go - the mall, church, out to dinner, the gym - make sure you’re carrying at least five of your business cards.

#11. Email articles of interest, links or other cool stuff OF VALUE (not spam) to people you’ve met.

#25. Every time you meet someone, write the letters HICH on their business card: how I can help. Then think of five ways to do so.

#47. Come to every networking event with three great questions ready to go. Be sure they begin with, “What’s the one thing?”, “What’s your favorite?”, and “What was the best part about?”.

To read the entire list, and even suggest some of your own ideas to Ginsberg, check out his Web site.

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With consumers spending more time online and advertisers increasing their spending in this arena, it seems logical that ad networks are becoming a major force in allocating the inefficiencies of this marketplace. A recent Bain benchmark survey indicates that ad networks are rapidly gaining market share.

• In 2007, ad networks sold 30% of total display ad space - a substantial increase from the 5% market share they garnered in 2006.
• Another noticeable trend is that ad space inventory more frequently sells out but at a lower price when an intermediary such as an ad network is used. Further, the CPM (cost per thousand views) for an online video ad goes for 2-3 times the rate of a display ad.
• The survey also indicates that online publishing revenue increased 32% in 2007 but online ad network revenue increased 50% in 2007.

Review the entire survey to understand the changing nature of selling online ads and discuss ways to improve marketing strategies with your online publishing clients.

[Source: Interactive Advertising Bureau, 8.11.2008 release]

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