Ringtones Are A Great Marketing Tool

If you are in any type of marketing, you need to listen to the youth.  They are the present and the future of trends.  They will let you know what they like and dislike.  They will tell you their influences.  My daughter came up to me last night and said “I know what you need to write for your next blog, ringtones”. 

She went on to inform me that one of the must run commercials on the kids cable channels today are spots for ringtones.  Marketers now realize that most pre-teens and above have cell phones.  It is now cool to collect ringtones for them.   For example, one of my daughter’s ringtones is the jingle for FreeCreditReport.com.  You know the commercial with the guy in the piece of crap car singing about how his credit is shot. 

As we plan future marketing campaigns, we need to budget and create ringtones.  Create a cool ringtone that gets your message out.  Promote and give it away everywhere your target demo is. 

Here is a great ringtone promotion for a sports team to use for themselves or a sponsor:

1. Create a ringtone that promotes the team or sponsorship partner
2. Have your fans text you at a game to receive the ringtone and then send it right back to them
3. Later in the game, have them all play it back at once.  Think how cool that will sound

You have now given thousands of your fans a marketing ringtone which they will spread virally.

You’re welcome for the idea.  No charge for that one.  If you like it, then try it and let me know how it works.  Also, I have many more of these ideas (hint, hint).

Ticketmaster Paperless Update

It was in the news yesterday and today about Ticketmaster’s “new” paperless ticketing.  We discussed this in a blog back in June.  Why is this “new” news?  TM is promoting this as a way to combat scalpers and brokers.  Why are they promoting this now?  Does this help them with the merger?  This paperless system gives them complete control of re-selling.  Is this a good thing?  I am still not sure what I think about this.  Let me know what you think.

Have a great weekend!

Cable Ads Take “Targeting” To A New Level

Back in January I wrote a post called “Marketing in 2009 is cool”. In this post I discussed the cool new ways we will be marketing our shows and events in 2009 and the future.  Today, I found a cable marketing/advertising advancement.

There is an Associated Press story today on cable companies taking a page out of online marketing.  The writer gives an example that you are watching a show on Comedy Central.  The show goes to a break and a Ford Mustang spot comes on.  Ford knows that you have been shopping for a new Mustang.  At the end of the spot a button pops up and asks if you would like more info.  If you say yes, they send you out a packet or have someone call you. 

Does this sound like science fiction?  Well, it’s real.  Several cable companies are going to “test drive” it this summer. 

As soon as I read this I thought this idea would be great for sports teams.  Think about this:  Someone watching your sports team on TV has an interest in your team, right?  Well, why not run a ticket package spot during the break.  Then have a button pop up and ask if they are interested.  If they say yes, then someone in the ticket office calls them.  You don’t get any closer to “direct ask” marketing then that. Think about the great lead list you will get.

Cable already has an advantage with targeting.  They have network choices that are targeted to one group or another.  For example women are more apt to watch Lifetime and Hallmark.  Cable companies are now going to take this “targeting” even closer.  The article said that cable companies are going to try targeting ads to demographic profiles.  For example, neighborhoods with larger youth populations might get spots for summer concerts.  While neighborhoods with high-end income levels might get spots for exotic travel.  Two different people in the same town, watching the same program, on the same cable company might see two different commercials. 

What if you saw an ad on ESPN for Thomas & Friends Live?  In the past you might say “wrong demo”.  But the reason you saw the spot was because they know you bought tickets in the past year for Sesame Street Live.   Some might think big brother is going too far.  As a marketer I am always interested in how to reach my target demo. With marketing budgets thin and TV ratings spread even thinner, this might just be a solution.

Do You Still Have The Old “Playbook”?

All of us in marketing are all the buzz about the new marketing, the non-traditional marketing.  But before the internet and mobile marketing, we still did look to non-traditional marketing to promote our product or brand. With management’s direction to re-evaluate our marketing budgets why not look into the old “playbook”.

I have mentioned over the past few days that we need to market where the people are.  Depending on who you are trying to reach is where you should market. 

If you are promoting a family show, where should you market?  In the old “playbook” you might cut a deal with a grocery store chain.  You might get them to promote the event on grocery bags.  Now in 2008 the question is paper, plastic or canvas?  What if you could put a 21st century spin on the bag marketing and said if you bring “event” paper or plastic bags to the event (for recycling) you will receive something.  A bounce back bag!  If you have a product or brand that has a long shelf life in the market such as Blue Man Group here in Boston, you might consider printing your message on a canvas bag.  Think about the amount of eyes that see this?

Do you remember the days when we could infiltrate the schools?  We used to promote our events on the school lunch milk cartons.  Why not try this again? 

If you are sports team you need to go where the fans are.  Most sports towns have multiple sports themed bars and restaurants.  Why count on the beer companies alone to promote your brand?  Why not do it yourself?  Ticket sales departments should have someone full time cutting group sales deals with these places.  Create your own table tents and posters to promote the team and ticket sales. 

All sports towns have youth leagues for that sport.  If you are not marketing your brand in a big way to the youth leagues, then you are making a huge mistake.  These kids are your present and future business.  If you are in hockey, you need to have a BIG presence in the rinks.  Not just a flyer promoting youth night at the game.  You need a program that works with the kids directly.  I know for a fact that youth leagues are always struggling for money, equipment, and other resources.  Why not help with this?  You have in the past.

The above examples are not even the tip of the iceberg.  This type of looking at the old “playbook” should not be discounted and should compliment the new “cool” stuff we use today.