Phelps named Sportsman of the Year
December 2, 2008
It’s been a 13-year drought, but today that was broken when Sports Illustrated named Olympian Michael Phelps its sportsman of the year. The last Marylander to win the honor was Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995.
The cover features Phelps, a Baltimore native and the winner of a record-breaking eight gold medals in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games this year, in a sopping-wet white dress shirt and black suit pants and a tie. Phelps is grinning and is holding the black suit jacket casually over his shoulder.
Sometimes I wonder what the subjects of these photos think about the poses they take or costumes they’re made to wear by photographers. From what I’ve heard about Phelps from people who have met him, he’s a pretty down-to-earth, regular guy. Is the studly-GQ look one that he’s going for now or is he grinning and bearing it for the SI art department?
But back on topic, I’m reminded of a conversation I had this summer with marketer David Warschawski just after Phelps won his eighth gold medal. He pointed out then that there were similarities between the Ripken brand and the Phelps brand.
“For us as marketers, this is a really intriguing time to watch the Michael Phelps brand because it has so much potential,” Warschawski said at the time. “This is the beginning of his career and endorsement life — how the brand develops from here is going to be really interesting to watch.”
Prophetic words, looking back. With this latest honor — one that literally parallels Ripken — it does seem as if Phelps is well on his way to following the Iron Man’s path of becoming a Maryland sports icon.
How far do you think Phelps can go?
LIZ FARMER, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentMarketing across the gender divide
November 13, 2008
I like to think of myself as a non-stereotypical woman. For starters, I hate clothes shopping and I love sports. But as I listened to Marti Barletta of TrendSights speak at the Governor’s Maryland Tourism Industry Conference about how to market to women, I felt as if she had my number.
Barletta’s talk was dynamic, entertaining and had a roomful of about 300 people fully captivated — not easy to do at 9 a.m. Using shopping for black pants as an example, she described the different ways men and women approach such tasks.
Men: go to their one regular store, hit the first rack with black pants, find their size and if it fits — bam, they’re done. (This was accompanied with a slide that said “How men shop: see it, club it, drag it home.”)
Women: start with ONE OF their regular stores, walk through the whole store, grab five pairs of pants and try all of them on. Barletta said here’s where the difficulty lies, because pant A may be wrinkle resistant, pant B may be good for both work and going out, pant C may be more slimming, and so on. “Now here’s where the woman starts thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if I could find a pair with all three of these qualities?’” Barletta said. “By God, she’s right!” I thought.
Thus begins the woman’s trek to 10 other stores in search of a pair of black pants that can fulfill as many uses as possible.
No. 1: If I shopped more like a guy I probably wouldn’t hate shopping.
No. 2: The description, which Barletta later applied to picking a vacation destination, exactly described how my husband and I are planning our honeymoon.
Husband: “Honey, I called this nice-looking resort I found online and it’s in our price range with meals included. I think we should book it.”
Me: “That’s great dear, let’s keep looking.”
How do you market one place to both genders? Do you need separate advertising or is there a way to appeal to all?
And, in this economy, is there a simple way to make sure your product crosses the paths of women who are running themselves ragged trying to find the best deal?
LIZ FARMER, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentLocal marketing firms on top
October 28, 2008
It’s been quite a good month for two Baltimore area marketing firms.
Warschawski, a public relations and marketing agency, was recently named the national “Small Firm of the Year” for the third year in a row by PR News, a national communications industry resource.
Warschawski beat out finalists Airfoil Public Relations (Detroit and San Francisco), Makovsky + Co. (New York City), Merritt Group (D.C., Northern Virginia and San Francisco), Susan Davis International (D.C.) and Tiller LLC (New York) for the honor.
David Warschawski, founder of the Baltimore-based firm, called the recognition a “mind-blowing honor” in a news release. “Receiving this recognition for three years in a row is tremendous validation of our core beliefs — we are simply thrilled!” he said.
Meanwhile in Owings Mills, MGH Inc. is making its own waves and announced today it has won four new accounts. They are:
• public relations, interactive and word-of-mouth advertising for Baltimore International College,
• PR outreach for Common Ground Alliance (which operates a national call-before-you-dig phone line),
• word-of-mouth marketing for Idaho-based Lee Read Jewelers, and
• creating interactive kiosks for BACVA.
The agency also announced the promotion of six employees into management roles to help with its expanding public relations and word of mouth marketing divisions.
Comments or tales you’d like to share about these companies — or any other area marketing firm news — are welcome…
LIZ FARMER, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentJockeying for Facebook fans
September 9, 2008
In the pool, Michael Phelps would have me beat hands-down. There’s no doubt he’d lap me in record time.
But online, I’d like to think I’d have a fighting chance in a skill match against the golden boy. After all, I spend 40-50 hours a week hunched over my laptop, messing with code and trying to help TDR harness the power of the Web.
But according to his marketing agency, Phelps is no slouch when it comes to technical skills. It’s all part of a strategy that Peter Carlisle of Octagon mapped out over the last six years: a strategy that includes having the swimmer post to his Facebook page himself, upload his own photos and participate in Web chats.
Now, I created a Facebook page for our new pub, Exhibit A, last week. I’m not proud to admit that it took longer than I expected to finish the job – the array of available features is dazzling. So, once complete, I scoped out what “MP”’s page had to offer.
Sure enough, it puts mine to shame.
There are 1,557,250 fans of Michael Phelps as I write this.
Exhibit A has 7. (..to be fair, my advertising budget’s a lot lower).
This post is a marketing tool
August 26, 2008
One of our reporters recently wrote a story on advertisers using social networking Web sites — Facebook, MySpace and the like — to get the word out about their products. It makes sense that companies looking for new ways to expand their client base would also turn to blogging.
“Marketing moves to the blogosphere,” a story in Monday’s issue of The Washington Post, details how both big and small companies are increasingly turning to corporate blogs as public relations and customer service tools. Or, to put it more simply, as a way to give a human face to a faceless corporation.
A number of regional companies are mentioned, including Honest Tea and Marriott. Bill Marriott’s blog has brought more than $5 million in hotel booking click-thrus, making it a decent business investment, to say the least.
Also, I enjoyed the part of the article where Bill Marriott describes himself as “a human just like everybody else,” and two paragraphs later it’s stated he dictates his blog posts into a recorder and has an assistant transcribe it. If that’s the “just like everybody else” way of blogging, then I have some complaints for my boss, because I had to type this myself.
JOE BACCHUS, Web Specialist
Sphere: Related ContentLaw firm marketing: Remember your “please” and “thank you”s
June 10, 2008
If you believe John Remsen Jr., the most important thing you can do to attract and keep clients is to excel at customer service.
Being a good lawyer alone doesn’t cut it, the law-firm-marketing guru explains. “Lousy service is the number one reason clients fire law firms, and there are dozens of surveys and reports concluding that most lawyers don’t do a very good job in this area,” he writes in his June report.
Click here to read Remsen’s eight rules of thumb, which he says come straight from the mouths of in-house counsels at a panel he moderated.
Among his reminders:
-Clients hire lawyers, not law firms. “That means you – not your firm and not your marketing department – need to get out there and cultivate relationships.”
-Be there when they need you. Expectations have risen dramatically in recent years; 24 hours might not be an acceptable time frame for a response.
-Be nice to the staff. Your clients’ secretaries, paralegals and staff have more influence than you might think, and you just never know where or when you’ll run into them in the future.
Thanks to sister blog The Michigan Lawyer for the link.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentWhat’s next–demographically tailored iPOD marketing?
May 30, 2008
I received an e-mail the other day from Baltimore-based ETC Information Inc. that released a survey looking at how people from different ethnic groups use different types of media.
| Hispanics | African Americans/ Blacks | Asians | Caucasians |
| 1. Cell phone | 1. Cell phone | 1. Cell phone | 1. Cell phone |
| 2. IPod/MP3 player | 2. Text messaging | 2. Instant messaging | 2. TiVo/DVR |
| 3. Text messaging | 3. Video gaming | 3. IPod/MP3 player | 3. Video gaming |
The survey, conducted by Ohio-based BIGresearch, found some pretty stark differences in what types of radio stations each racial group listens to and some differences in what types of new media people use the most.
I have to admit, I’m not entirely shocked to see that whites most often listen to rock, oldies and country music; blacks listen mostly to R & B, hip-hop and religious radio stations; Latinos listen to rock, Latin/Hispanic or hip-hop; and Asians listen most to rock, top 40 and news.
But something I wouldn’t have guessed on my own was that all three minority groups reported using text messaging, instant messaging and iPods more than whites did. (Whites reported they were more likely to use TiVo.)
The survey’s methodology wasn’t included, but I’d imagine that this information might be relevant to marketers looking to create more targeted advertising. With the down economy and the need to find cheaper, effective advertising, will people be looking at not just cell phone marketing but also using iPods and TiVo to tailor demographic-specific ads for air?
LIZ FARMER, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentBecker Group to put Harry Potter on display
April 25, 2008
A Baltimore marketing company, The Becker Group, is teaming with Warner Bros. to bring the public “Harry Potter: The Exhibition.”
The 10,000 square-foot exhibition will visit at least ten cities around the globe (Anyone think Baltimore will make the cut? …Well, maybe D.C. will).
And, it boasts “artifacts” from the movies based on J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard book series.
If you’re not familiar with the series’ storyline, folks, we might lose you here: By “artifacts,” they’re referring to props and costumes from the sets of Harry’s school, Hogwarts, including the Gryffindor common room and Hagrid’s hut. More specimens will be added to the exhibit’s lineup as the final H.P. films wrap production.
It was only a matter of time before Potter was spun into a museum display for gawking tourists; as the most successful film franchise in the world, Potter movies have grossed more than $4.5 billion dollars. That’s a lot of galleons, sickles and knuts.
If the name Becker rings a bell, here’s a clue: the company prizes itself on experiential marketing - creating immersive attractions for casinos, theme parks, malls, you name it. Assistant Business Editor Ben Mook profiled the company in December.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentSteak-umm is O’s official burger
March 19, 2008
If you’re hankering for a hamburger at Camden Yards this spring, you’ll only have one choice: a Steak-umm Burger.
The new burgers, manufactured by Reading, Pa.-based Steak-umm Company LLC, are now the official hamburgers of the home team. They will be “the exclusive burger served at Oriole Park’s concession stands during the season.”
And if you can’t wait until the start of the season to try one, just check your grocery store’s freezer aisle.
From the BusinessWire release today:
“This affiliation with the Orioles is a great way for us to introduce our newest product to the public. It gives fans a great burger to eat at the ballpark, and it gives us excellent brand visibility,” said Sergei Szortyka, President of Steak-umm Company.
“People have known us for our sandwich steaks for years, and now they’ll get the message that we’re in the burger business too.”
Steak-umm may have the official designation, but they can’t buy the loyalty of fans of Boog’s Barbecue. Check out this review.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentAd campaign for Maryland lottery invokes childhood (nostalgia)
March 13, 2008
Dubble Bubble Gum and scratch-and-sniff books. If you’re thinking about childhood nostalgia items, you’re on the right track — sort of.
In a new promotional campaign launched this week, Maryland State Lottery is introducing the nation’s first scratch-and-sniff lotto tickets, called “Dubble Bubble Doubler.” Television ads will air in the next few days, and the lotto plans to promote the new game at Oriole Park on Opening Day, Mar. 31.
The bubble gum company’s “Pud” character (pictured in the ad) will meet and greet game attendees, and souvenirs such as Dubble Bubble Doubler t-shirts, gum and scented pencils will be given away. The lottery will also hold a bubble blowing contest at a booth.
A mid-summer lottery promotion of the new game is also planned at Oriole Park.
Buddy Roogow, director of the state lottery, said today the advertising was not meant to attract children.
“What we’re trying to do is bring the nostalgia back to adult players,” he said. “We made sure that the [television] advertising is not with kids, it has adult themes, and all the commercials will have adults in them.”
But Doug Steigler, director of the Association of Maryland Families, a non-profit Christian organization, said that the partnership with the baseball team shows “they are definitely going after children” with the nostalgia campaign.
“[The state] went from a lottery at one game per week which was supposed to solve the education [funding] problem — and you can see the results of that — to now selling scratch-offs to kids,” he said.
What do you think? Is the new game and advertising too enticing for kids, or does it just remind you of the good old days?
LIZ FARMER, Business Writer
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