Here’s our latest Johnson Direct Newsletter for June, 2009.
I hope it helps lift your marketing results.
Grant A. Johnson
Chief Marketer Magazine asked me to write a feature story on the power of Direct Branding. Here it is.
For more details on Direct Branding RESULTS click here or you can click here for more details on the process.
Grant A. Johnson
By Grant A. Johnson
Is Twitter an effective marketing tool? How do you measure its ROI? In this Chief Marketer issue, Grant Johnson looks at the viral, PR and relationship building possibilities of Twitter.
Get it now: http://chiefmarketer.com/online_marketing/0616-marketing-twitter/
SNEAK PEEK
Discover exactly how marketers are using Twitter to:
- Rapidly disseminate timely information to groups that are in disparate locations or from live events
- Extend PR efforts
- Create a great marriage between personal branding and Twitter
- Enhance a blog or Website
- Augment direct marketing promotions and special offers
- Provide continuous updates
You’ll also learn why you should Proceed with Excitement…and a Bit of Caution.
Read it now: http://chiefmarketer.com/online_marketing/0616-marketing-twitter/
The Grand Effie award goes to Burger King for its “Whopper Freakout” Ad done by CP+B.
Ahem, Burger King sales are down! Yet, they win THE award. I always thought that your advertising/marketing was supposed to bring in MORE sales. Silly me. I’m so old school.
For any readers out there who have, say $5, $10 $50 million they need to spend…give me a call. I’m sure we could rent a logo-laden helicopter and drop lots of money over wealthy sub-divisions. Imagine the press we would garner. And, all the awards we would win!
Better yet, I’d only prefer calls/contact from those who want to implement real, measurable marketing and watch their sales soar.
Grant A. Johnson
Direct marketing consultant and Big Fat Marketing Blog contributor Grant Johnson was interviewed by BBC World Service’s “World Have Your Say” radio show on Monday about his thoughts on the Susan Boyle phenomenon.
To hear the podcast, go to iTunes or click here www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/whys/
To read Grant’s blog post about Boyle, click here: bigfatmarketingblog.com/2009/04/16/susan-boyle-youtube-sensation/
To read what Grant says marketers can learn from the phenomenon, click here:
chiefmarketer.com/disciplines/online/0429-marketing-success-ecommunication/index.html
If you’re not a subscriber, here’s what you missed in May’s enewsletter from Johnson Direct:
1) Walk through a real-world example of how Direct Branding creates bottom-line boosting results.
2) How can you use YouTube to market your products or services? Consider three basic types of videos to use on YouTube …
3) If you could make one marketing wish come true for your organization this year, what would it be?
>Read the May issue.
>Subscribe to receive this monthly enewsletter.
I just wrote a piece for Chief Marketer’s e-centric newsletter on testing offers in emerging media channels. Here’s the piece.
As your marketing spend gets scrutinized even more in this economy, this article provides sage advice and affordable tests to conduct using e-communications. I hope it helps lift your ROMI!
Grant A. Johnson
May 26th, 2009
Dear Marketing Colleague,
You have to do marketing anyway, so why not focus on ‘marketing that’s measurable?”
That’s a question that I still ask every single business day. When the choice comes down to what works and what does not work in your advertising/marketing investments, the choice should be simple, right? I’d like to believe so.
A few problems inevitably get in the way:
• Slick salesmanship – someone over promising, under delivering and flat out lying to clients like you
• Pretty creative execution over relevant, meaningful work that’s designed to get results
• Lack of testing – the right way typically takes a bit longer, but the payoff is huge
• Disbelief that a proven process does exists that both enhances your brand and gets you the results you need
As I type this I really, truly hope that you’ll give me a chance to show you how effective and measurable your advertising/marketing can and should be. That’s why we’ve developed and refined a process called Direct Branding. Ask yourself if your current programs are getting you results like these:
• Doubled the sales rate of a specialty insurer by implementing Direct Branding, helping them compete with HUGE competitors
• Opened not one, but two new channels profitably for a high-end manufacturer of natural vitamins & supplements
• Re-branded a capital goods manufacturer to compete globally with a player that is much, much larger
• Helped re-brand and better position an insurance provider to fend off a competitor who entered the market and outspent them 15:1
• A gourmet food company that realized a 7% lift in sales thanks to our process
My passion is helping companies grow, getting good people promoted and helping to make your advertising/marketing as testable and measurable as possible.
So why does it work? Because it combines the best of branding with the best of direct marketing. It has taken us years to refine and get the process correct. It utilizes a test-centric approach that’s predicated on fact-based analysis, market research, deep-dive analytic crunching and relevant creative/message positioning to help you compete more intelligently. It uncovers where the market potential is and shows you where to allocate your marketing resources based on relative market potential. It also uncovers new opportunities – markets that are underserved or are being missed by you and your competitors. It really works!
As the economy remains tight, this process has helped us to discover how to position your messaging (yes, it needs to be different now), so that you can succeed. Again, I do not want to over inflate expectations, but do want to help as many folks as possible to market smarter and grow during these tough times. I hope you take this email seriously and call me at 1-262-782-2750 ext 131, or email me at grant.johnson@johnsondirect.com
Once we talk we can determine if a fit exists between us. I am only interested in helping those who will commit to the process and those who rely on marketing to drive sales and need a lift in their ROMI. If that’s you, let’s talk for 30 minutes. If not, that’s ok and I truly thank you for your time. Here’s to better marketing results for you and your organization…
Grant A. Johnson
I was asked by a prospective client the other day to provide him with an advertising/marketing system that would be a sure-fire, proven way to increase his business. As you and I know, in marketing there are no absolute guarantees…but his question really made me think hard about what we do and the success we have helped clients achieve.
As I contemplated his desire for marketing success, I began thinking about a process that our JD team collaborated on and have refined over the years called Direct Branding. The process has been employed by Health Care Companies, Insurance Providers (Health, PNC, Life and Specialty carriers), Capital Goods Manufacturers, Industrial Products, Gourmet Foods, Vitamin/Supplement firms, Seminar Specialists and, well, a variety of industries, both service and manufacturing driven. I slowly went through each and every client that has gone through the process and I discovered something truly amazing: Direct Branding has always delivered results that are greater than the marketing that was done before the process was implemented. True, the degree of return-on-investment has varied, but it has always been positive.
I went back and re-examined the process and the programs where we implemented it to double and then triple check them to make sure that the Direct Branding process has always worked and, again, to my delight, it has always worked. If we “skip” a part of the process results are good, but not as convincing as when we follow the system.
A few results to show you what the process does:
- Doubled the sales rate of a specialty insurer by implementing Direct Branding, helping them compete with HUGE competitors
- Opened not one, but two new channels profitably for a high-end manufacturer of natural vitamins & supplements
- Re-branded a capital goods manufacturer to compete globally with a player that is much, much larger
- Helped re-brand and better position an insurance provider to fend off a competitor who entered the market and outspent them 15:1
- A gourmet food company that realized a 7% lift in sales thanks to our process
I’m not a sales-hype kind of guy but I had to share this news with you. This process has worked in good times and in bad. Based on the tightening of marketing spends and the fact that you have to justify each and every dollar you invest in your advertising/marketing programs today, I figured you just might want to consider an approach that’s proven, one that you can rely on and commit to now to get you through the tough times. An investment now and into the future.
A few misconceptions need to be explained. Direct Branding is NOT direct mail. Is mail part of the equation? Sometimes. It depends what the process determines, but oftentimes the web, microsites, PR, ads, email and blogs, along with a mix of traditional media are incorporated to garner results you can count on. Does it work overnight? No, it’s a process and if you commit to it you will see results in 3 to 6 months, a year for sure.
So why does it work? Because it combines the best of branding with the best of direct marketing. It has taken us years to refine and get the process correct. It utilizes a test-centric approach that’s predicated on fact-based analysis, market research, deep-dive analytic crunching and relevant creative/message positioning to help you compete more intelligently. It uncovers where the market potential is and shows you where to allocate your marketing resources based on relative market potential. It also uncovers new opportunities – markets that are underserved or are being missed by you and your competitors. It really works!
As the economy remains tight, this process has helped us to discover how to position your messaging (yes, it needs to be different now), so that you can succeed. Again, I do not want to over inflate expectations, but do want to help as many folks as possible to market smarter and grow during these tough times. I hope you take this email seriously and call me at 1-262-782-2750 ext 131, or email me at grant.johnson@johnsondirect.com
Once we talk we can determine if a fit exists between us. I am only interested in helping those who will commit to the process and those who rely on marketing to drive sales and need a lift in their ROMI. If that’s you, let’s talk for 30 minutes. If not, that’s ok and I truly thank you for your time.
Measurably yours,
Grant A. Johnson
If you didn’t watch Milwaukee news stations on Friday, then you missed the ”Rally for Abstinence“ making the headlines. TV and radio stations covered the event, hosted by Rosalie Manor Community & Family Services. Johnson Direct handled the PR as well as the concept and development of Rosalie Manor’s new teen outreach campaign called “Until I Say I Do, I Don’t.”
The new campaign encourages teens to choose abstinence from all negative risk behaviors, and remain positive and healthy in the midst of societal and peer pressures. Additional PR will facilitate the campaign’s roll-out including announcements and updates for its dedicated microsite, www.UntilISay.com, VideoFest ‘09 video contest, social media pages at Myspace and Facebook and other interactive online activities.
Stay tuned to hear/see more it! And, in the meantime, checkout Johnson Direct’s branding, creative, web development and social media work at www.UntilISay.com.
Denise B. Hearden, eMarketing Director, Johnson Direct
Post your comments now, or email them to me at denise.hearden@johnsondirect.com.
