Greetings!
Welcome to our March issue of Key Notes - Marketing Keys' monthly newsletter! Hope you survived the recent storms across the country and are digging yourself a clear path for success. Our sensitivity these days to be politically correct has caused many brands to either change their name or to re-brand. Read which long-running brand is the latest to have this brought to their attention and how they will be dealing with this issue. Key Notes is an informative, quick read newsletter to get you caught up on all things media and marketing. Our goal is for you to be informed and entertained with the latest media and marketing happenings quickly and efficiently.
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What is one positive that came out of Covid? The recent pandemic gave us pause to improve our communications to our prospective clients. One of the biggest areas we wanted to update and improve upon? Our Marketing Keys website!
After a few short months of back and forth with our website designer in our quest for perfection, Marketing Keys announces the launch of our our new site!
As many know, a website is the most powerful tool for communication. It gives your company world wide access and allows a very unique way to connect with your target. Depending on your goals, a website offers no boundaries to what you can do! A site is always open - 24/7 - and is a detailed and permanent advertisement for your company.
Marketing Keys' new site is powered by the innovative platform - Webflow. For the last 13 years, our site had been utilizing Wordpress - a very popular platform. However, we chose to switch to Webflow for a variety of reasons.
First, we love the sleek ,modern look and the ability for our site to be very interactive. We strived for a site much simpler with fewer pages and where users can easily get in touch with us. The result? Numerous call to action buttons on the page to enable users to reach out to us. Secondly, there are no more plug-ins! What are plug-ins? Plug-ins are common on platforms like Wordpress. They are good for adding site functionality in a fraction of the time. The problem? They constantly need updates. If your plug-ins aren't constantly updated by your developer, you will encounter issues down the road. Thankfully, Webflow has no plug-ins. Finally, Webflow sites are built without any code. What does this mean? You no longer need to be a programmer to build things. It simplifies the process. Before no code design came along, designers had to rely on front-end developers to implement everything. Changing a piece of text on a website to a different font size could take days. Now, it could be done in the same time it takes to change a Word document.
We invite you to join in our excitement! Please check out our our new site HERE!
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The absence of sports has made sports fans’ hearts grow fonder. According to new data from The Harris Poll, most Americans who plan to watch this years’ March Madness describe themselves as more excited for this year’s tournament than they were for last year’s.
In past years, the NCAA tournament has been huge for the advertising world. Last spring, for example, there were more than $900 million worth of ads planned before the NCAA pulled the plug. That places it just behind the NBA playoffs and further behind the Super Bowl. The heightened enthusiasm and pent-up demand for normalcy, is creating an opportunity for advertisers.
For this year's Super Bowl, commercials were created during the most trying times - with productions impacted in large and small ways by the pandemic and global recession. It took a lot of courage and blind faith to get to the final cut. Remarkably, many succeeded!
Here are what viewers would like to see in an ad this March Madness:
Be upbeat
When we asked those who plan to watch what kind ads they’d like to see, the three most popular answers were “optimistic” (51%), “lively or energetic” (49%) and “funny” (47%).
Real life
In terms of the specific types of content that will appeal to viewers, Americans want relatable content. They want to see ads with situations or jokes that reflect their everyday lives (44%) and they want ads showing people helping others (43%).
Real people
A majority of those who plan to watch (55%) say that ordinary people in the ads would be most appealing. Also, 41% said they wanted to see ethnically or racially diverse ads.
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Don't blink!
You may have missed Reddit's ad!
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Did you catch Reddit's ad on Super Bowl Sunday? You may have missed it. It lasted a total of :05.
Reddit’s five-second commercial commercial became one of the most talked-about ads. Reddit’s spot required viewers to pause their television screens to read one of the shortest-ever Super Bowl ads.
Reddit’s success comes from brands and marketers attraction to the site’s powerful and active community members. The company plans to expand its community of more than 50 million daily active users by bringing on more influencers and content creators
Reddit has had its share of controversy. They have been criticized for its lack of content moderation, which allowed racist, sexist and troll-filled communities to flourish. But in recent years, the start-up has improved its content policies. Reddit has banned communities of Nazis and other far-right contingents.
And, of course, we can't fail to mention Reddit's page - WALL STREET BETS. This is a page where day traders form a community and band together to trade unfavorite stocks like Gamestop, Blackberry and others making those stocks soar for no reason while putting a squeeze on the hedge funds.
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Is it time to re-name the 'Grand Cherokee'? |
In case you haven't noticed, our country is in a political correctness state. From Aunt Jemima Syrup to Uncle Ben's Rice to Disney's 'Splash Mountain' and to the Washington Redskins and others, brands are either re-branding and/or changing their name in order to eliminate any racial stereotypes.
Now, it's Jeep's turn to enter the fray. The Cherokee Nation thinks it's time for corporations and sports franchises to stop using Native American names and imagery. For nearly 50 years, Jeep has used the Cherokee tag and its Grand Cherokee has been a top seller. The head of the Cherokee Nation said the tribal government doesn't think slapping its name on the side of a vehicle is the best way to honor them.
"I made it clear that I certainly wasn't giving my blessing to use Cherokee," said Chuck Hoskin Jr., its principal chief. "I thought it was the right move to drop it. And I think they respectfully declined to take that action. But they also left the door open, I think, for further discussions, and so did we. So I think it was a good discussion in that respect."
"I'm sure this comes from a place that is well-intended, but it does not honor us by having our name plastered on the side of a car," Hoskin said. "The best way to honor us is to learn about our sovereign government, our role in this country, our history, culture, and language and have meaningful dialogue with federally recognized tribes on cultural appropriateness."
Jeep hasn't said one way or another whether they will rename the Grand Cherokee. However, they are open to looking into this further with the Cherokee Nation Principal.
"Our vehicle names have been carefully chosen and nurtured over the years to honor and celebrate Native American people for their nobility, prowess, and pride," Jeep said in a statement. "We are, more than ever, committed to a respectful and open dialogue with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr."
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A Campaign that truly stuck! |
It all started as an innocent mistake.
Tessica Brown put Gorilla Glue in her hair and showed the results in a TikTok video. When her hair wouldn't move and the glue couldn't be washed out or removed in any way, that is when the video went viral and news operations picked up on the story.
Despite this being a negative cause and effect, Gorilla Glue's sales soared. The brand has become the biggest social media sensation since Bernie Sanders’ mittens. “Gorilla Glue” searches on Google exploded 50-fold in February from January. The brand’s Amazon search volume reached 4,378%, and its best seller rank rose 129%, which translates into a significant spike in sales, according to Profitero.
Social and traditional media have kept the story alive even after Brown last week got the Gorilla Glue out of her hair. She was able to get pro bono work out of a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and have the glue removed from her hair. On social media, a sort of Gorilla Glue Challenge emerged, including a man gluing a Solo cup to his lip to prove Brown’s problem was fake, only to reinforce that it wasn’t.
How did Gorilla Glue respond to all this attention? They have remained pretty silent through it all. Recently, CEO Mark Mercurio said in an email the brand hasn’t altered its media plans in response to the social media frenzy. Gorilla Glue’s social post on Feb. 8 expressed empathy for Brown and said that its Spray Adhesive product isn’t indicated for use on hair, skin or clothing.
Lesson learned.
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Here is a recent highlight from Marketing Keys' blog page. Please start following our blogs and let us know what you think.
Get the latest insight here!
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Get help from 'The Mouse'! |
In my previous life, I worked for many media companies including the one headed by the Mouse. During my 20 year executive run with media companies, I had noticed that if an advertiser wasn't properly represented with a media expert helping them with their media planning and buying, then that company was at a disadvantage. Thus, I created a company to provide a solution to that problem.
Marketing Keys was formed in July, 2007 to more than level the negotiation playing field between advertisers and media companies. We enabled advertisers to have a major leg up in the process.
We targeted Presidents, CEOs, Regional Managers, Marketing Directors, CMOs etc. of small and mid-sized businesses. We then went to market with our 'key' differentiator and mission. During the last decade, the company has grown from 2 clients in 2010 to presently close to 20.
To find out if we can help build on the results that you had started and eliminate the inherent disadvantages of buying media on your own, please reach out to us at roger@marketingkeys.com.
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We would like to welcome Elevate Construction to the Marketing Keys family! Elevate Construction, Inc. is an experienced contractor focusing on residential roofing, siding and gutters based in Wauconda, IL.
Did your roof suffer damage from the recent storm? Elevate Construction provides free inspections and works with your insurance company to repair your roof promptly, and pain & hassle-free! Look for their out of home campaign coming soon! For more info, Click Here!
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This time...
It's okay to 'wing' it!
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Can you believe? March Madness is here! In no time, it will be time for you to fill out your bracket and compete against WGN-TV's Pat Tomasulo and other WGN-TV viewers. (1) national winner will win $1,000,000! Plus, (1) local Grand Prize winner will win $500 in Hooters Gift Cards. Sound too good to be true?! Tune into the WGN-TV Morning News and watch Pat Tomasulo's sports reports for more info. on how to enter for 'Pat's Picks'! You can also find more information beginning next week, HERE! |
Build your child's confidence and develop their social skills this summer by enrolling them in Summer at Latin! Give your child the tools to succeed. Latin offers high-quality educational and recreational programs to children of all ages, from tots to teens. Latin encourages each child to pursue his or her passions, explore novel ideas, make new friends, and most of all, HAVE FUN! Learn why Latin School of Chicago is consistently ranked as among the top summer camps in Chicago. For more details, Click Here!
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Are you Socially Challenged? |
During my 14 years as a business owner, I have discovered there are many companies out there that are challenged with the task of managing their social media.
It may be that they are confused over the platforms that they should use, the content they should post, how to boost that content and/or the time or lack thereof that goes into managing their social media platforms.
As a Social Media partner of ours, our Social Media expert will manage and strategize daily on your sites. We will also coordinate all communication so there are no surprises while all of your initiatives are scheduled accordingly.
For more information, please contact Marketing Keys at (312) 291-4630 or you can email us HERE!
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Fill up your Lead Generation funnel! |
In the days of Mad Men, creativity was everything. The goal was for a brand to be the most creative creating a tag line to resonate with the audience. Now, creativity takes a back seat to targeting through data and reaching your target synergistically through multiple mediums with an integrated marketing campaign.
Find out how Marketing Keys can help generate (on average) an incremental 30-35% more in leads and/or conversions through our system.
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