Shankapotomus Baby Rocks

One of the most ingenious television commercials of all time teaches people how creative marketing influences other people. The E*TRADE baby commercial, just 32 seconds long, was a smashing success. Does every word count? You bet it does. Just look at the dialogue:

Ah…This is weak man. Frank is trying to not pay me my winnings for the Skins beat down I just issued him just cause his 401K is tanking.

It’s like, dude, you gotta GRAB THE REINS man!

• Get E*TRADE.
• Do some analytics.
• Do some research and TAKE CHARGE so I don’t have to subsidize your lack of golfing skills.

“Nnnna.  Nittel. You moved your ball!”

“Frank. It was on the cart path. Why don’t you try reading the rules. Shankapotomus!”

• Take control with one of the most powerful investing machines there is.
• Join the thousand new accounts a day at E*TRADE.

Dialogue Analysis

The first sentence, “Ah…This is weak man,”  uses a phrase you’ve heard thousands of times so you can easily picture someone saying this.

The second sentence, “Frank is trying to not pay me my winnings for the Skins beat down I just issued him just cause his 401K is tanking,” pulls you in and makes you feel a sense of loss and you identify with times that you have been cheated out of what was coming to you.  It also elevates the authority of the baby which of course is absurd, making it funny.

The reference to the Skins Game is not by accident either. There is a yearly game for professional golfers that is unique, exclusive and rare. The player with the best score at one hole, will win money. Each hole has it’s own monetary value assigned to it, with the 18th hole winner being awarded $200,000.

The third sentence, “It’s like, dude, you gotta GRAB THE REINS man!” gives you a direct call to action. He’s taking charge and telling him what to do. Didn’t we spend the first eighteen years of our lives listening to people telling us what to do? We remember this feeling easily.  This adds to the humor and irony of a reversal of roles i.e.  the baby acting like an adult.

The fourth sentence, “Get E*TRADE. Do some analytics. Do some research and TAKE CHARGE so I don’t have to subsidize your lack of golfing skills,” gives three directives. Three is about the number of things a person can absorb in a short period of time. Remember your mother saying, “I’ll give you to the count of three to stop that. ONE, TWO, THREEEEEE!”  Or how about Goldilocks and the THREE Bears or The THREE Little Pigs? Three was used for a good reason.

It also points out what losses will occur if you don’t follow these simple instructions. Someone will have to help you out because you were so dumb. Who wants that?

In the next few sentences, you hear a dialogue that is commonly heard when kids are fighting with each other. You did this. No you did that! Why you….blankity blank blank!  Whaa Whaa Whaa. Something that happens on an hourly basis in many homes with young children. You remember these exact words coming from your lips. Then a gentle reminder of your complete stupidity with the shameful scolding of “Why don’t you read the rules!”

The name calling then closes the deal with heroic magnitude. You Shankapotomus… is like the frosting on the cake. Now the baby has officially achieved hero status. He creates a new word that no one has ever heard before and conquers the very man that was trying to cheat him out of what he really deserved. All is well in drama land. Triumph!

The next sentence, “Take control with one of the most powerful investing machines there is,” tells you what to do and reminds you how smart the action is because…well, nothing is really better. It’s a Superman statement. So now, you get to be like Superman!

The closing sentence, “Join the thousand new accounts a day at E*TRADE,” tells you that you too can join a crowd of thousands. Now how difficult is that?

Movie Analysis

The two characters in this movie are both extremely lovable. Babies bond with us immediately. They have no set of requirements for loving someone other than you need to be breathing, warm and able to hold them. The older man is on the other side of life. At the completely the opposite stage in anyone’s time line. He is enjoying life by playing golf, which is a sport that has been played by millions since the 15th century.

Using a baby in this campaign makes us feel that if even a baby can do this, it must be pretty simple. Yes. I can do this too!

So the two lovable characters then take on qualities that you weren’t expecting. Something surprising occurs. Your predictions of what is possible for a baby have been shaken momentarily and that is what gets your attention. Now you wonder. Getting you to wonder makes you pay attention to the message. It challenges your belief in the way the world works. Now you pay particularly close attention to what on earth the baby could be telling you. You are listening.

Your Challenge – What can you do with 32 seconds?

No matter what business you are in, you all have potential customers. What exactly are you doing to get their attention? Are you following the Six Principals of Influence that Dr. Cialdini teaches?

• Reciprocation – Be the first to give
• Scarcity – Emphasize scarcity and uniqueness
• Authority – Admit weaknesses first
• Consistency -  Following through with existing commitments
• Liking – Uncover areas of similarity
• Consensus – Show responses of others in testimonials

Take action today and do something different with your business strategies. See if you get results with what you have learned from the Shankapotomus E*TRADE baby commercial.

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Designing A Company Logo

A company without a logo is like a person without a face.  Sounds weird, doesn’t it?  If you happen to bump into a person without a face while walking down the street, you’d probably freak out.  Maybe you’d even think that he’s from another planet. Well, this also applies to a company or business that doesn’t have a company logo.  Prospects, clients and customers will have second thoughts dealing with your company or buying a product from you if a company logo is lacking.

This very small detail called the logo actually does a lot in making your business grow.  A lot of business people neglect the importance of having a company logo, and this is a big no-no.  Before you even think you can do without having a company logo, read on and you’ll find out the importance of having your own company logo.

Basically, business starts in getting noticed and identified. A company logo will help customers notice and identify your business or company. That’s how important that piece of drawing is.  It helps people know your company’s existence.  Establishing your identity in the world of business is a very important matter as business starts when people become aware of your business operation.  Thus, having a company logo designed by a professional is one step closer to a thriving business.

Imagine giving away t-shirts or hats with your company logo to your valued customers.  This is a very effective strategy to promote your business.  Not only do you get to reward your loyal customers and clients, you also get to promote your company.  Good investment, isn’t it?  There are lots of items you can get your company logo printed on.  If you want to increase your company’s popularity, why not give away a mug, keychain, and greeting cards with, of course, your company logo printed.  These things can also be given to your employees and staff for their own use.

Having a company logo is really a great move towards a successful business.  And since this should not be taken for granted, it is best to have a professional logo maker take care of your company logo.  In this manner, you won’t end up with a piece of junk or a copycat company logo. Plus, professional logo makers will even help you come up with great promotional item ideas bearing the logo, such as:

-Automotive Promotional Products

-Business Card Holders

-Personalized Bags and Totes

-Brochures

-Appointment Products

-Personalized Cards

-Checks

-Letterhead Stationery

Surely, a company logo is your company’s face, your company’s identity.  With the help of an expert logo maker, your company logo will be as popular and as recognizable as the Golden Arches, Converse Star or M&M’s.

The Social Media Golden Triangle

If you have been baffled and confused and just don’t know where to start with social media, you must not have heard of the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle was lost thousands of years ago… Wait! That’s a different story, this one was discovered within the past two years!

This is a story of how the Social Media Golden Triangle can completely transform the way you communicate with your clients and customers and your business. We all know that economic times have changed. You have been hearing about Social Media, Social Networking, Viral Video and many other social media outlets that you wish you could leverage and turn into business.

What I’m about to discuss is nothing new, but it is a strong force that if used properly, will change the course of your business.

You have undoubtedly heard a lot of hype and hoopla around Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. These three sites make up “The Social Media Golden Triangle”. Now is the time to put them to work for your business. Using the Golden Triangle can help you identify, attract, and interact with your target audience. This powerful combination of websites can take you from just barely surviving to thriving in the current economy.

Let’s look at each piece of the Golden Triangle separately so we have a basic understanding as to what each piece does:

Twitter

Twitter is a new tool designed to keep things short and sweet. There’s no time for industry jargon, just tell me how it is and I’ll decide if it’s worth my time to view your full message. Part branding strategy, part relationship development, Twitter is one of the most popular and fastest growing websites on the Internet today. Twitter is a pitch free zone, don’t bother pitching your products or service, think and write frequently and consistently. Be sure to offer value, how can you help your followers.

Facebook

Social media marketing, actually, marketing in general shouldn’t be about you!

Yes I said it, in fact your company isn’t about you, it’s everything to do with your customer or client. Your website isn’t about you it should be about your clients or customers problems and how you can solve them.

A strategy to leverage Facebook is to create groups around the problem you solve, not the product or service you offer. People aren’t looking for the solution by name, they are searching for the solution to their problem, so start by talking about their problems .

YouTube

Know it, Like it and Trust it…If “you can’t believe everything that you hear,” “seeing is believing” and a picture is worth a thousand words, then video must be the “it”.

Done right, you can connect with, and get your audience to know, like and trust you.

Again, we are in a NO Pitching Zone, where people are more concerned with content and value than hearing what you have to offer. In videos, be yourself, talk about the problem your target audience may be having and ways you can help solve them. Educational videos position you as the expert and help you attract the right people, they also help people solve their problems, making you look like problem solver.

Bringing it All Together

Think about it, what we are addressing here is the need for communication with the people you want to get in front of, how to leverage you website better how to  leverage all of these people flocking to these social media sites. How to get your message in front of them without pissing them off and just posting advertisements Social media isn’t just a new way to communicate, it’s a completely different culture and needs to be approached carefully when used as a marketing tool for your business.

Before jumping in and starting a campaign, learn each piece of the triangle’s culture first, social media users want value, not fluff and advertisements.

By Dan Beldowicz
Article Source
Dan Beldowicz is the Senior Marketing Consultant at Single Throw Internet Marketing. Online for over 11 years, Dan is helping companies develop websites that generate business and social media campaigns that connect with customers. Follow Dan on Twitter at http://twitter.com/danbeldowicz or on the Single Throw Blog.

Sex is Used in Almost Every Business

I sat there at the table as the training manager explained how the new plastic bottle was designed to look sexy. I questioned why it was important for a detergent bottle to look sexy? The manager explained that a scientific study was done on hundreds of women and most of those women reached for the sexier bottle.

Detergent bottle A. is the sexy bottle.

Detergent bottle B. is the plain boring bottle.

In the scientific study it was even proven that women would choose bottle A, even if it was a bit more expensive. Bottle B. however must be much cheaper or filled with a much better product to compete with bottle A.

It all sounded pretty insane to me but then again, most people know more about Paris Hilton than they do Mother Teresa. I sat there and thought “Are we zoned out zombies of corporate sexual bombardment?”. I had to admit, bottle A. did have a nice sexy curve and bottle B. kinda looked like my old English teacher. He had a massive beer belly.

By the time the meeting was over, my mind was spinning out ways that business sells to us through sex. The media is infested with sexy selling. Automobile companies design body styles with the female body in mind. Count the S curves on and inside your car, you will be amazed! Furniture and even kitchen ware is designed with sex in mind.

Selling with sex is far from a new idea. Look at musical instruments such as violins and guitars. Look at ancient designs and find the S curves. I believe that selling with sex evolved and boomed with the industrial revolution. Wow, even my mouse was designed with sex in mind! For more information click here.

Article Source
By Tom Cornett

Incentives Increase Profits

During this staggering economy, businesses are brainstorming for ideas that will result in sales. They are looking for ways that will help their business grow instead of head in the direction of failure. A business idea to help head in the path of success is to offer incentives to your current clients or incentives to lure new ones in. These ideas that will help increase your profits include offering coupons, referral rewards and points to use toward future purchases.

The first way you can encourage consumers to spend more within your company is to offer coupons. Buyers are looking for the best deals they can spend their money on. Coupons can be distributed to current clients through an email and can be used to draw people in to make purchases. A great way to promote these coupons to entice people to spend is to advertise them through means of social networks. Posting a link to your website with a coupon code offers exclusivity to those who are part of that network. This also drives traffic to your website which is generally good for brand exposure and profit.

Another inexpensive practice is to allow your current consumers to assist with your company’s marketing with referral rewards. An award of $10 for any person someone refers who spends $50 or more can result in high profits. This will persuade your current shoppers to outsource to their networks to build these referral rewards so they can receive the discount off their next purchase. This keeps the current consumer spending their money as well as the people who they have told your business about.

Handing out a compensation of points to a buyer makes them feel like they are getting a deal for what they have purchased. Different point levels for store discounts will encourage clients to purchase more to gain the excitement of working towards something that will be discounted. This also gives them the feeling of reassurance that their money is being well spent. Just think of popular points programs like Air Miles; many people will shop where they know these are offered.

These three types of incentives are inexpensive ways to get the buyers of today to start and continue spending money with your company. They will also help you stay competitive, while running a successful online business.

Article Source: By Karl Kleimeyer

Karl Kleimeyer is a business coach and mentor that assists serious entrepreneurs in building a profitable online business with multiple incomes streams. Karl and his team have assisted hundreds of people in generating profits that exceed $250K or more in their first year. For more information and to contact Karl, visit: http://ForeverWealthNHealthCreation.com