I thought I’d put some of my favorite business and marketing books in this post. I’ll add to it later, I’ve literally read hundreds of business books and the good people at the local library know me by name.

Good to Great by James Collins

Jim Collins analyzes companies that have taken their companies from good (average results) to great (exceeding profits of their competitors) and sustained it over fifteen years (long enough to show it wasn’t a fluke.) He compares the selected companies with similarly sized competitors in each industry and analyzed the differences. The findings, the traits or “DNA” that were identified in all the “great” companies, were then conveyed as a potential road map for success.

Hey Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan

An award-winning copywriter and creative veteran from on of the most prestigious ad agencies in the world, Luke Sullivan analyzes the advertising industry and brings his thoughts to what makes good ads. (Or maybe more importantly, what people do to make their ads really bad.) Not just creative, its strategic. A must read for anyone wanting to get into the advertising industry or if their business uses advertising.

Selling The Dream by Guy Kawasaki

I can easily recommend anything that Guy Kawasaki has written. This is one of his earlier books where he talks about “evangelism”, convincing others to believe in you and what you are doing, not just trying to sell them a product or service.

Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide To Modern Marketing by Harry Beckwith

Another favorite author: if Harry Beckwith wrote it, I can recommend it. Selling the Invisible is a collection of quick marketing ideas, each chapter is just a few pages long, making it a great book to be able to pick up and read and then put back down. In fact, he subsequently talks (I think in a later book) about how the small physical size and writing style helped make this book easy for travelers taking on planes, part of how to became a best seller. But its not just gimmick of style or size, lots of great ideas for marketers are in his book (and other books.)

Purple Cow by Seth Godin

Pulling out all of my favorite authors, Purple Cow is probably Seth Godin’s most famous book. A collection of ideas that builds on the idea of a having a purple cow–the idea that separates you from the ordinary. If you spot a purple cow along the side of the road, that would be quite remarkable. What can you do as a business that can make you remarkable?

Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation by Sally Hogshead

Just recently read this book, and forgive me for using the title in my description, but I was fascinated with this book. Its takes a psychological look at triggers, the stimuli that people react to, and then draws how marketers can use those triggers to engage their audience. This is a well-written book that takes complex ideas and simplifies them. If you are a marketer, you will definitely find items that you can use in your strategic marketing concepts.

Idea Revolution: Guidelines and Prompts for Brainstorming Alone, in Groups or with Clients by Clare Warmke

Designers in Handcuffs: How to Create Great Graphics When Time, Materials and Money are Tight by Pat Matson Knapp

Had to include these two books simply because if you look my name (Randel Gunter) up on Amazon, you’ll see that I’m a contributing author. These are both collections of ideas for designers and marketing people to use to help them create strategic materials for their companies.

Look for other posts about marketing, advertising and design books later!

Logos and business cards selected for upcoming books

The Gunter Agency’s work has been selected for two upcoming books, one on logo design and the other on business card design. The books are put together by David Carter, who has over 100 design industry books to his credit. Mr. Carter has decided that all of his upcoming books will be e-books. The titles are simply LOGOS1 and BUSINESS CARDS 1.

Works from our agency includes logos for The Ad Diner, Forward Theater, Capital Wealth Advisory Group Foundation, Madison Youth Performing Arts Foundation, Ray’s Barber Shop and Precision Tool & Service.

For the business card book, works includes cards for Libris Codex, Forward Theater, Ray’z Barber Shop and Precision Tool & Service.

John Krull (former employee and all around good guy) did the MYPAF logo. Dave Kizer did a 3-D version of the Ad Diner logo that was selected (needing to put that graphic up here.) Otherwise all of the other work was done by Trevor Gunter or myself.

The Gunter Agency has been included in numerous industry “best of” books and periodicals. If you look up “Gunter Advertising” on Amazon, you can find a few of them.

New Borbello's Pizza Box Design

A common trend in the retail world is “clean stores”. A clean store limits or completely eliminates the signage and displays provided from manufacturers. All of the stand-ups, clings, banners, shelf talkers, inflatables, and anything else that tries to get your attention in the store aisles are disappearing. The reason is stores are trying to control their environment.

Many retail marketings subscribe to the philosophy that the most important action in to influencing the buying decision is to make an impression right before the purchase is made. Remember, just because someone walks in the store with the idea to purchase one brand or product, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will walk out of the store with that brand or product. The “last chance” to alter the decision is right there in the store.

As mentioned, in a clean store we can effectively eliminate all extraneous marketing materials to influence the buying decision. If we assume that a salesperson won’t be offering an opinion, there then becomes just three onsite factors that play into the last minute decision. The first and second factors are related: shelf space and location in the store.

Shelf space, the amount of physical room the store has allocated for your product, has always been important. If you have more of your products visible than your competitors, it makes sense that you would have an advantage in getting your item picked up. Location can include position on the shelf; being eye level is optimal compared to knee height or above the customer’s head. But also, end cap locations, front aisle, near the registers, etc., are also factors. Anyone in retail knows that these are typically items that are negotiated between the manufacturer and the retailer.

But the wildcard in the retail game is the third item on our list, and that is the package itself. If your package stands out on the shelf, it automatically gives you an advantage. Just like any advertising, we believe there are two main rules. When I teach classes or give lectures I refer to them as “Randy’s Two Rules of Advertising“. Of course, they aren’t original to me, but hey, I’m the one in front of the group and I can call them whatever I want. The two rules are: Rule no. 1, Get Noticed. If you aren’t getting noticed, you are throwing your money away. Rule no. 2, Have A Strategy. Why are you doing what you are doing, what is the objective, how are you trying to influence the viewer?

Making Borbello’s Frozen Pizzas stand out on the shelves

If we apply the same thought process to packaging, our number one job is to get noticed. We recently created a new package design for Five Star Frozen Foods in Kaukauna, WI., the makers of Orv’s Pizza, for their upscale pizza product, “Borbello’s”. We created a new logo and completely redesigned the packaging. Each box features a photograph of a quarter pie on the front of the box, and when arranged together, the combined graphics creates an image of an extra large, complete pizza. Since many store displays have an area to show four to eight boxes (or more) next to each other, this allows for the opportunity to arrange the packaging to create what is essentially an extra large sign, right on the shelves themselves.

When combined together, the Borbello's pizza boxes make a bigger graphic display.

There is no doubt that, by displaying the packaging together in this way, the Borbello’s brand stands out in the frozen food displays.

The strategy? Our strategy was two-fold. We wanted Borbello’s to be seen as an upscale, quality pizza in the same category as a DiGiorno, California Pizza Kitchen, or other higher priced brands. Second, we wanted to showcase the abundant toppings that you get on the Borbello’s pizzas.

The black background color creates a very elegant look, reminiscent of an upscale restaurant. The supporting colors are bright, but not gaudy. The new logo is refined, perhaps understated, but still gives the perception of a fine italian eatery. The packaging is simple, but creates an instant upscale perception. If you buy this pizza, expect it to be better than the cheaper brands.

To highlight the amount of toppings, we did two things never seen before on pizza packaging. First of all, we turned what is commonly a required element of the package into a product feature: the weight of the pizza. We emphasized the weight by making it larger than we legally needed to, and highlighted it on the package by putting it in a colored oval to stand out. (We actually wanted it to be higher up on the package to emphasize it more, but we were forced to put it in the lower third of the package to get FDA approval.)

Another element that we’ve never seen done before is we showed a “cutaway” of the pizza. We sliced each pizza in two and positioned the camera at “eye level” to photograph it from the side. This straight from the side viewpoint showcases the thickness of the crust and the toppings piled on top. The cutaway photograph is featured on the backside of the package as well as on two sides of the package. On the sides, it is pretty close to being actual size.

Using the sides of the box gives us another chance to sell the product. In some stores, the extra stock is seen from the sides. By utilizing the side view in this way, we create another opportunity to get our strategic message to our potential customers.

On the back we included a cross-selling message that there are other toppings available. If you examine the boxes on the back closely, you will see that they don’t specifically name any topping combinations, giving our client the opportunity to change recipes down the road. On the back we also included very simple (and large) baking  instructions. No need to get out the reading glasses to make a pizza here.

It makes a difference

Sometimes a new look is enough to create excitement. It must have worked with the new Borbello’s packaging as Roundy’s stores decided to pick up the brand after reviewing a sell sheet featuring the new packaging, before the packaging was even completed. Roundys is a Midwest grocery chain that includes the Copps, Pick’n Save, Rainbow, Marioano’s and Metro Market brands of stores. We’ll make the assumption that with the simple addition of the new retail stores that Borbello’s sales will undoubtedly increase.

PDF of other Gunter Agency Sackaging Samples.  << Link to http://www.gunteragency.com/library/agencyinfo/ga_packaging.pdf >>

PDF of other Gunter Agency Food and Beverage Samples.  << Link to http://www.gunteragency.com/library/agencyinfo/ga_food_beverage.pdf>>

Joan Gillman, Jody Glynn Patrick and Randy Gunter in the studio

I will be on the air on September 22nd, interviewed by Jodie and Joan on WTDY 1670 in Madison at 6 p.m. The following day you will be able to access a podcast at feed://ibmadison.com/extensions/podcast-rss.jsp .

And if you’re wondering how I already have a picture, the show was taped in advance.

This commercial we created for Verona Vision Care uses still photos of their staff and customers trying on different frames. We then animated the still photos to create the visual effect. Pretty simple idea, but sometimes the simple ideas are the most effective.

The frame show was advertised with localized cable TV one week prior to the show, radio a couple days before, minimal print, posters on location and an email blast. We visited them at the end of the day and they were still busy with customers past the advertised closing time. We heard from the owners that it had been busy non-stop from the time they opened until the time they closed.

They also produce their own exclusive line of specialized tools for manufacturing. And, as a sideline, Jack Klopfenstein (company President) is coming out with a new line of games. We like to think of our agency as creative, but I’ll tell you what – these guys are creative and smart in a completely different and amazing way.

You can get contact info at www.ptsproducts.com (be aware, a new website is on its way.)

The trade show display, light boxes and video for Swiss Valley Farms/Faribault.

We had about a month to pull everything together. Finding willing partners down the street from us at BrightBox Industries, Inc., we set out to the task. As BrightBox’s name implies, they make custom light boxes. But they’re also known for a variety of display work; primarily in-store displays, but they are also up to the trade show task.

The Fancy Food Show is an important show for The Caves of Faribault, a subsidiary company of Swiss Valley Farms, so they wanted to showcase a variety of their cheeses in this quality setting. Our design reflected the upscale nature of the show, including a cherrywood display reminiscent of a parade of homes quality kitchen, complete with a granite solid surface backsplash. (Well, at least it looked like granite.)

Lauren Albracht, Marketing Specialist at Swiss Valley Farms, was heavily involved throughout the design process. One of  her goals was to make sure the display worked extra hard for her company by being multi-functional for other shows. She explains, “We are very excited about the flexibility this booth provides. We can change the lightbox graphics and video reel to adapt to new product introductions and speak to different audiences at the shows we attend.”

There was one added challenge in designing this custom display: the final assembly of the display had to be accomplished without any tools and all parts needed to be shipped in one crate.

This wasn’t some kind of test just for the sake of it, it is a substantial cost consideration. When you set up a display at some union facilities, if you use any tools, you are required to hire the union to do it for you. This can be quite expensive. So each piece was designed to be put together with wing nuts and bolts. The LED display simply hung on a bracket with customized bolts that could be hand tightened. The TV bracket itself was first affixed to the display with eight bolts secured by wing nuts on the backside.

The shipping crate was also designed with cost-savings in mind. By combining everything in one box, our client saved hundreds of dollars in material handling fees on just this one show.

For the video to be played on the LED display, we loaded everything onto a USB flash drive that could be played through a laptop. The computer was hidden behind doors on the front of the display. By putting the video file on a flash drive instead of a DVD we were able to retain the HD quality of the video. (A regular DVD would have to be burned at Standard Definition.)

With the orange "cow crossing" signs on every side of the shipping crate, Swiss Valley Farms should be able to find their crate amongst others quite easily.

Lastly, as you can see in the photo, we created some customized graphics for the shipping crate’s exterior. The reason? Our client shared a story from trade shows past where, upon arrival at their assigned booth space before the show, their crate was not there. When they told the trade show event people about the problem, the reply was that everything had been delivered so our client would have to “go find it”. (Helpful, huh?) This entailed walking the  trade show floor trying to figure out which shipping crate was theirs. Without any identifying marks on the crate, they had to resort to looking at the manifest sheets on each and every one until they found it. But now having an identifiable crate (with the “cow crossing signs”), if this ever happens again, it will take them a fraction of the time to find their crate and display materials.

ADDY judges in Tampa Bay. L-R: Leslie Haines (Nashville), Randy Gunter (Madison), Judy Thompson (Cincinnati) taken in front of the Columbia restaurant, Ybor City, Tampa, FL.

Recently I was in the Tampa Bay area judging their local ADDYs, the advertising awards sponsored by the American Advertising Federation (AAF.) The local advertising club’s entries were down significantly this year, almost half of what it had been in previous years. In fact, all of the clubs in Florida were down this year. (And I am going to be inquiring about other clubs across the country, so I’ll keep you informed.)

I predicted that the local clubs were going to be hurting with lower entries four months ago. No, I’m not much of a psychic, I was just included on an email from the national headquarters of AAF announcing that they were going to raise the prices of the entries and they expected the local clubs in turn to also raise their prices.

From my knowledge of the entries on the local level in Madison, and the fact that the economy isn’t getting better that quickly, I knew that this was a major mistake. Higher prices would mean that participants would lower their number of entries, or decide not to enter anything at all.

National AAF claimed that the reason that many agencies weren’t participating at ADDYs was that winning at the national level didn’t have the prestige of other awards shows (Emmy, Clio, Cannes, One Show, NYAD, CA, etc.) This is probably true for larger agencies who are competing for those prestigious awards (where a single entry can cost $500.) AAF decided that they needed to spend more money on marketing and advertising their awards in order to garner a better reputation, and they needed to raise the fees in order to spend the money on marketing the brand.

There is one fatal flaw with this thinking: a brand does not get to decide what it means to other people. A brand can only try to influence the perceptions of others, but it cannot actually create perceptions. In other words, if a person believes a brand is one thing, it is near impossible for any amount of advertising to change their mind. For instance, it would be fruitless for Timex to convince people that they are a luxury watch. The perception of Timex is that it is a good, middle of the pack watch, a good brand but not in the same category of luxury brands like Bulova, Rolex or even Seiko.

ADDYs are the Timexes of the advertising awards world. What ADDYs are all about is bragging rights of creativity in your local market. Who’s the best in Tampa Bay? Madison? Peoria?

I do believe that the ADDYs can do some things to make it more viable for local entries to enter it and also make the national awards have more meaning. But to try to make it more important than Cannes is a mistake, it has to carve out its own niche.

Here are my suggestions to the ADDY national headquarters to make ADDYs more viable:

1. Get involved in judge selections at the local level. I’ve heard numerous complaints about how judges aren’t always qualified and I’ve noticed this myself. This becomes a real problem for agencies that might want to compete at the national level, but it first has to win at local, then regional, before it even gets to be seen at the national competition. If you don’t have confidence that the judges are qualified the first two steps, you’re not very enthused about entering. Why not just enter the other shows where you know the judges are qualified and you are automatically competing at the national level?
2. Make the local ADDYs mean more in regards to the national awards. I propose that the Best of Show (and possibly other recognitions) at the local level automatically competes at the national level, regardless of what it does at the regional level. This gives the local competition more meaning in regards to the national competition.
3. Label all Regional ADDY winners as “National Finalists” (with appropriate certificates.) That’s what they are, when they win at Regional, they go on to the National finals. So what has more prestige for the local ad agency or advertiser, a Regional ADDY winner or a National ADDY finalist? It’s nothing but different verbiage, but as marketers we know that how things are packaged can make a huge difference in their value.

The Madison ADDY awards

At the local level, my agency has decided not to participate in the Madison ADDYs the last two years. Previous to that we’ve won a Best of Show, three different Judges Choice awards, several Best of Category awards, and have won 9 Regional ADDYs (what I am suggesting can be changed to “National Finalist ADDYs”.) So it certainly isn’t sour grapes on our part that we aren’t participating.

My biggest concern is the internal workings of the Madison AAF organization. I was (briefly) on the Board of Directors and was the only person to vote against approving the annual budget. I think there is a major problem when the club asks for very high dues, very high ADDY entry prices, gives very cheap awards (paper awards for Gold ADDYs, and they often don’t look very good), and yet can pay an outside organization $50,000 a year to basically keep their books and take notes at the meetings. This particular organization doesn’t even get involved in the ADDYs, the most time consuming program of the year and the one with the most impact monetarily on the club and the most visible program in the community. The club last year even approved to hire their previous executive director to come in to help with the ADDYs to the tune of several thousand additional dollars. This organization was supposed to take the place of the executive director, but they charge more money and do a fraction of the work.

I think this is very irresponsible to the club members and should be made apparent to all within the club. Until that time, it is doubtful that we will participate in ADDYs or other club programs.

In addition, the club has to do a better job of engaging the bigger agencies in the community if they want to get them back to the ADDYs. The type of judges are one concern to these agencies. (Although I know that they had a world-class judge in Tom Lichtenheld last year.) For several years now, the biggest and best agencies in the Madison area have not participated in the ADDYs. (Not to say that some of the remaining agencies aren’t talented, but I think they would also agree that the overall show has declined immensely over the last several years.) It’s a Catch-22, because some of the agencies have dropped out, the other agencies have also dropped out. Until they can convince some of these bigger agencies to participate again, the others won’t either. It’s a vicious cycle.

I have always been open to discuss any of these things with national or local ADDY clubs. And, I hope by speaking up I don’t jeopardize my opportunities to judge the ADDYs or NSAC events, I do enjoy seeing the work and meeting new people, and for the NSAC, interacting with the college students who are interested in an advertising career. But, sometimes when you want to see improvement, you need to challenge the inner workings and thought processes of organizations like these.

Some of the most common mistakes we see are simple ones.

First, you need to have an “opt-out”, an easy way for your email recipients to be taken off of your email list. (And then make sure you take them off!)

Second, you need to state within the email where you are located. This includes your address. (Not just a website address or phone number.)

These are two of the most common mistakes we see in emails that we receive. But, there are other requirements.

You can learn more about the CAN-SPAM act at the Federal Trade Commission website. They have an easy to understand page that goes into more detail. View it at http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business.