It was late June and the streets were buzzing with excitement about the new iPhone 4.

Two of the guys at work were flipping out and blabbing like chatty Kathy’s about the cool features they had on their new phones and how long the line was to get one.

About twenty minutes went by when I began noticing that folks online were already complaining. Among the top of these complaints was a reception issue which was later found to be due to a faulty antenna.

The complaints continued to pour in and Apple just sat defensively silent.

Since then the Apple corporation has done very little to calm the worries of their patrons.

They have even managed to scare off potential clients. What we’re now witnessing is a PR nightmare.

Had they managed their response better they could have avoided their falling stock prices and collapsing client base.

However I do believe they’ll be ok in the long run for two reasons: They still make good products, and people can be forgiving if you make it up to them (especially when it comes to technology). And per Apple’s most recent press conference (see the video below) they hope to have “made it up” to their customers.

Apple forgot that the cardinal rule when dealing with a mob of angry customers is; SHOW THEM YOU CARE.

Instead of avoiding responsibility and trying to keep things quiet, Apple should have stopped everything right away, recalled the units and made a loud and heart felt public apology.

People want to feel as though they are dealing with companies that care. When you deny something or try to keep things quiet people feel betrayed. Making a bad product once can get you in trouble, but betraying people will make them hate and fear you.

Unfortunately I think this is a lesson Apple is learning the hard way….

But tell us what you think.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When Reza out of our California office suggested I watch the movie Art & Copy I was intrigued but not too sure what to expect.

The film, through fantastic interviews, superb narration and clever editing, shows you the importance of creativity in advertising and the love advertising agencies give their work.

The filmmakers explain first hand the pitfalls most business owners don’t see when running a campaign and how good creative is set up to avoid these problems by connecting to the target audience more effectively.

The film, although not a perfect snapshot of this mammoth industry, is a very compelling piece of art in itself. I can see why this was the 2009 Official Selection at Sundance.

The agencies interviewed are those whose clients can afford large campaigns, something that is not always the case with Agencies who don’t work with giants like Nike and Apple. However it does show you how if you invest in good creative and placement you will recoup your expenses and then some.

Tommy Hilfiger tells of how so very embarrassed he was when his ad agency used a campaign comparing him (a nobody at the time) to the likes of Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. Even so, he was able to go through with the pricey half page ads and expensive 7th Ave billboard in New York. And when he did, he soon became one of the most talked about designers in the U.S. sending his sales skyrocketing beyond his wildest dreams.

Despite the fact that the creators of the “GOT MILK?” campaign or the creators of the dancing silhouette iPod commercials talk about how they are pitting themselves against the giants in New York, they still aren’t necessarily feather weights either. In fact their facilities reminded me of something out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, or maybe MTV Cribs.

Wieden + Kennedy in particular houses a basketball court, and a nice little practice space for bands, among other things! All of these luxuries are to help with the creative process because they know that good creative sells products.

This film lets you see the process agencies undertake to get a campaign. Everything from ideas to approved billboards and TV ads.
Relive the impact of the first Macintosh TV commercial. Re-experience the social movement created out of the JUST DO IT campaign, and learn the startling truth about where that line came from.

The importance of clever, responsible and creative advertising campaign’s that inspire rather than numb audiences comes to the forefront of the themes presented, and while it seems one-sided, the film does not flop.

To learn more about getting creative with your advertising watch this movie, and if you decide you need more help getting good creative remember that you can call on us any time.

We’ve said it over and over again: the best way to increase sales is to find out what your competitors are doing; learn it, refine it, better it and then implement it.

Otherwise expect your business to wither and die.

It seems that the longer people are in business the more they forget to stay fresh and modern. You have to keep in mind that you and your business age but your target customer never does. As new people filter in, and old customers filter out, the expectations they have of companies like yours will change with them.

Which is why updating your company is so critical.

photos by Shahab Zargari

Downtown Las Vegas’ Golden Nugget, which was originally built in 1946, is one of the oldest casinos in the city and as we discussed just being around for a long time can mean next to nothing when doing business in a city like Las Vegas.

The Golden Nugget was in need of a makeover if it was going to attract customers and keep them coming back; especially when competing with new and exciting hotels that seem to pop up every year in this city.

Simple ideas can modernize a business

SO what did The Golden Nugget do?

They implemented the elegance and modern design of more recently developed casinos right there in downtown LV by building a shiny new 25-story tower.

I know you’re probably thinking: “That’s it? I could have thought of that!” and you’d be right. So let it be a lesson to you; simple ideas can also make businesses fresh again.

The Golden Nugget’s addition, which opened a month before City Center opened it’s doors, is the first new hotel tower to open downtown since former Golden Nugget owner Steve Wynn built the South Tower in 1989.

Just look at the elegance of our photos inside one of the Rush Tower rooms.

Does this look like the “Fremont Street Experience” you remember?

Marketing the new aspects of the business

This new addition has not only made the stay more enjoyable for patrons, it’s also added new marketing opportunities for the company.

Just think about it. You can stay at Aria for $200 a night on average or Mandarin for $600 a night on average; but if you stay at Golden Nugget’s new Rush Tower you are in a luxurious new hotel for as low as a hundred bucks a night? Amazing.

Can’t you just feel the deal-hunter inside you aching to take advantage of this deal?

Bravo, Golden Nugget. Bravo.

Now, it’s your turn.

Take a look around; are there things that show the age and dilapidation of your business? Well update them, and let every one know that you did!

In conclusion, a fresh coat of paint in a hip new color, a stylish new logo, the modernization of your online presence, or even updated designs on your marketing materials can be all your business needs to look and feel more exciting to potential customers.

Until next time-

Happy marketing!

Click on the image of the silly ad to see the full blog post at Ask a Copywriter blog!

Getting your blog and networking sites to work together.

Implementing programs to enhance your web marketing

Having a blog in business these days is essential; so is using networking websites. If you haven’t become a part of this new social media landscape you are about to miss the express bus to Successvile.

Why Social networking sites are important to your business

Setting up a blog, which can easily be done on sites like WordPress, writing quality information about your company and possibly some of your products is a great way to get customers. It’s also the best way to optimize your website through use of SEO, and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

However if your blog is not set up with your networking sites properly you may be wasting your time altogether because you aren’t making it readily available to your customers and target markets.

Remember the article about Lazy Technology? If not, this may be a good time to read it!

How to connect your blog to your network.

At Assurance Advertising we are pros at this. To see an example of how our network is set up check out our Twitter page , and our Facebook fan page, just to get an example.

Basically instead of just posting a series of blog posts, we maximize links and keywords on multiple sites which all ultimately lead to the blog…which itself has direct links to the main website. Keep in mind, easy connectivity is a key in directing customers where you want them to go.

Once a blog is posted, we post the link on Facebook, where all of our fans see it automatically. Our Facebook fan-page is set up to automatically take all of our posts and directly post them to twitter, no additional log in needed.

From the blog-post itself anyone in the world can repost their favorite topic onto all sorts of social media sites with the click of a button (check out the nice WORDPRESS plugin that shows up as “SHARE THE WEALTH links” below each of our posts).

We use this to repost the blog again to Linkedin, Twitter and Myspace for those who might have missed it the first time.

We can also repost all of our blog entries over and over again at different times and days so that the blogs can be seen by most of our contacts whenever it is they happen to be signing in.

This automates the blog posts so that all we have to focus on is talking with our followers about their likes, dislikes and daily lives.

Your social media accounts should always feel personal and never robotic. Remember people like doing business with humans as opposed to heartless machines.

Most companies don’t have the time or resources to manage the daunting task of keeping up with social networking. This is why Assurance Advertising offers services that handle all social media needs at a low monthly cost.

Usually this amount can prove to be less expensive than paying an employee to do this work, not to mention we employ specialists trained to write blogs that will get attention.

To find out how much it will cost to set up your company please contact us. Make sure to ask about our social media flat rate program and blog services.

Happy marketing!

Got more insight on this topic that can benefit our esteemed customers and blog fans? Make sure and leave us a comment!

Over the past couple of days I’ve been noticing that certain types of companies have not only survived the economic downturn but are actually increasing their successes. How have they done this?

Well, the main trend between the companies is that they are utilizing cutting edge technology making the lives of their customers and their employees much easier, as well as using this technology to market their products more effectively.

I like to call it the “lazy technology trend.” And I think we can all learn from it.

Lazy Technology in business

What do I mean by lazy technology?

I’m not talking about technology for people too lazy to get out of bed. What I’m talking about is technology that feeds the basic human instinct, driving us to make things faster and easier.

Man made fire so it would be easier to eat and stay warm. Man invented the wheel to transport people and goods with less effort and so on.
If you follow this “lazy instinct” through the ages to modern day life, you reach a world where technology is king and fast information is his sword. You can be either knighted or beheaded by it.

Google, one of the most successful companies of our time, has always made it priority to feed this “lazy instinct”.

Their products allow people to make simple searches of the internet, email and video chat, store information, share information, use of word processors, all available on the home page. The list of lazy products they offer is growing daily.

Another example of lazy technology would be Netflix. Originally started as a website where you pay a monthly fee to rent DVD’s by mail.

Now with the use of new technology they have made renting movies and T.V. shows instantly from your computer or TV (with the use of an inexpensive adapter, X-box, PS3 and coming this spring for the Wii) an included part of the monthly service: making Netflix so much more competitive that they’re even taking clients away from cable companies.

An interesting lazy tool for businesses using twitter is Twuffer. Twuffer allows the Twitter user to compose announcements or posts and schedule their release days, weeks, even months in advance.

Companies can use this technology to schedule tweets for upcoming campaigns, promotions, specials, contests etc.: letting twuffer do all the work for them at the appointed time.

Staying on top of technology

All modern day businesses should utilize new technologies to make their products easier to use and more accessible to customers.

Microsoft had to learn this lesson the hard way. They’re just now becoming more competitive online but for years they focused only on building software that you buy at the store. The problem is that the internet and web let people get what they need instantly.

This made it hard for Microsoft to sell their products and gave companies like Google an opening into the market.

A great way to stay on top of available technology is to watch companies similar to yours (especially direct competitors) and find out what they are using to make customers lives easier. Take those ideas and improve on them.

The funny thing is, because of our lazy instinct, technology just keeps building on itself getting infinitely faster and better. To some this is a scary thought because of the competition and uncertainty technology creates.

But I feel it gives us a chance to actually make money and reach more people.

What an exciting time to be alive and in business.

Have a good plan for your business -Part 4

Planning for a good business location

Avoid the fatal mistake of a bad location

Some years back, when I was opening my first business, I made the near lethal error of leasing a business location without a plan. All I planed for was how much I felt I wanted to pay in rent and who would be my realtor.

Once I got in the location I had to do three times the amount of marketing necessary just to contend with the competition. I spent more on marketing than I would have spent on the extra rent of a better spot on the street I was on.

But you live and you learn so here are some things I learned that I hope you can make use of.

Understanding and matching your needs with a business location.

When planning for a new location keep in mind your business specifications.
• Will you need a warehouse, store front, office…?
• Do the clients come to your location?
• Are your clients upscale or bargain bin (rich or poor)?
• How much space will you need?
• Based on projections, how much income do you expect this location to make?
• Will you need to renovate?
• How much are you prepared to spend for renovation?

Targeting cities for your business

If the clients never come in to see your location, I think it’s ok to get a location that’s as inexpensive as possible. Cut out all extravagant expenditures to save on overhead and start up/renovation costs.

Just don’t skimp on safety, or peace of mind. Make sure you and your staff can be comfortable working there.

If you are a store front selling to the local market, the locals must make the type of income necessary to purchase your products. You’ll sell more authentic Luis Vuitton items in Beverly Hills than you might in Compton.

Some cities have areas specifically for certain types of businesses which can help cut at very least marketing costs.

Take for instance a city with a farmers market or two. A produce company will get exposure to hundreds, if not thousands, of people and for much less in rent than opening a small market near a residential area.

However you should always keep your business mission in mind. In the example of the produce company imagine they want to sell upscale food without the haggling customers associated with farmers markets. Well they’d have to get their own store, in a very specific city or part of town, to target a particular market and income level.

Note that it is always a good idea to visit any prospective locations and spend some time there. Find out if the businesses nearby are beneficial to your company. It’s also a good idea to talk to the neighbors and see what they are like. What they have to say about their experience in the area can save you time on research.

If you want to be even more sure the location gets the type of traffic you’re looking for go there at different times of the day for one week and count traffic.

Once you have decided on the area, size, and amenities of a location find out the going lease rates or property values (and interest rates) if you plan to purchase.

Try and understand what will be included or excluded in your lease agreement. Will the lease include triple net payments? If not what services (like trash or maintenance) will be covered by the Landlord and what is the tenant expected to cover.

Once you get the numbers mapped out, make your cost projections. Include projected utility and finance costs along with regular expected maintenance costs.

Now you’re ready to write out a strong plan that will land you the location your business needs. You now know the “who, what and how much” of the location. The next step is to call a good realtor or agent.

If you need help finding a good business real estate agent don’t hesitate to email us for guidance. We have some excellent resources that may help you get your dream location.

As for the rest of my lovely readers out there in blog-land, we’d love to hear from. Contact us with any questions or concerns regarding today’s topic.

Best of luck on your business endeavors.