Thoughts on Marketing
Old Shoes and Influencers
[Originally published as The Marketing Mix newsletter on Substack]
How do you make old shoes interesting?
We went to the Met Museum last weekend to see an exhibit of Van Gogh’s Cypresses.
The thing is, that exhibit is very popular. So by the time we got there, the Guest Services person – a lovely gentleman called Bert – told us it was sold out for the day.
But don’t worry he said, we have plenty of other Van Gogh’s here. “He painted more than just cypress trees!” (I think Bert threw in a subtle eye-roll as he said this🙄 ).
And then Bert told us about his favorite painting – of a pair of old shoes. And he told us why he loved it, why it was special, and showed us on the map where to go.
Now, I bet the ‘Cypresses’ exhibit was sold out because of ‘influencers’ on social media posting about it (eye-roll, again). Everyone wanted a selfie with Vincent 😎
But I’d argue Bert was also an influencer.
Because when we got to the ‘Shoes’ painting, there was a small crowd in front of it. A painting most people would walk by on any other day without stopping. But Bert had influenced us all to take a second look.
Who’s the unknown influencer in your organization?
From Google Ads to Attribution [Podcast]
If you’ve wondered how Google Ads really work, take a listen to the latest podcast episode with Katie Kingsbery, where she describes her approach to creating effective campaigns. We talk about the mechanics of Google Ads, how to optimize results, and what to look for if you plan to work with an agency.
On next week’s episode, I’ll be talking to Steffen Hedebrandt, co-founder and CMO of Dreamdata.
We’ve just covered SEO and digital ads on The Marketing Mix. So how do you know if your marketing investment is paying off? That’s marketing attribution. Steffen will explain what it is, why it’s important, and what Google Analytics doesn’t want you to know. Stay tuned!
What’s in a Name?
When I walked past the “Soup Shoppe” recently, I was concerned. It was hot and humid outside. How can a soup shop make money in this weather?
The answer was in their tagline. “The Soup Shoppe: More than soup!”
Well, that’s creative. But if you’re spending precious “first impression” time telling people that you’re not what you appear to be….you might have a problem. I’m sure their salads and breakfast sandwiches are excellent, but you’ve put a mental speed bump in the decision process.
This is probably the fault of a Marketer 😏. The standard playbook tells you to focus on a niche you can excel in. And it makes sense in a lot of cases. But you have to be careful you don’t get too narrow, or pick a name that’s too literal.
Van Gogh called his painting ‘Shoes.’ OK, it’s tough to argue with that. But he painted lots of other things. He wouldn’t have named his artist collective “Painters of Shoes.”
The moral of the story. Make sure your company name has room to grow 🌱
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Cheers!
Steve