Using Celeb Quality Attributes to Rub off on your Brand

Anderson Consulting... do you even remember them anymore... well that is thanks to a whole re-brand and a little help from a celebrity that fit them to a "tee." Now the words high-performance, trust, and quality come to mind with the newly well-known Accenture. Celebrities are used freely sometimes and without great fit but this branded partnership is a match made to make some green!

Close-up with Teresa Poggenpohl, executive director-global image, Accenture

Teresa Poggenpohl was one of the architects of Accenture's affiliation with golfer Tiger Woods, which began in 2003. The partnership is widely viewed as one of the best uses of a celebrity pitchman in b-to-b marketing. Woods' commitment to excellence has become a metaphor for what Accenture claims to do: deliver “high-performance” results for its customers. The campaign has also gone a long way toward embedding the Accenture name in the minds of customers and prospects while erasing any ties to the old Andersen Consulting brand. In the Q&A below, Poggenpohl discusses how Accenture has integrated Woods into almost every aspect of its marketing and how the company has altered the campaign to reflect a different mindset of the market during the recession.

Check out more of this article by going to: http://ebm.cheetahmail.com/c/tag/hBKw7xFAHAUBKB7unW8-e5HdAvy/doc.html?RAF_TRACK=&email=cuse-fans@msn.com&fname=myra&remove=rm-0bukbm0va23554paxbvuw885ad4q98z@e.ccialerts.com

PRE FASHION WEEK

One of the events, we recently produced was the PRE FASHION EVENT, which was a retail showcase, fashion show and after party featuring up and coming designers.

Some of the designers included: Cloak & Dagger, Caycee Black, and loyale for the show and Mixology NYC, Magnes Sisters, Diana Warner, Cri de Coeur and Hello Robertson at the showcase.

The sponsors were great and truly helped us offsett he cost of the event. Some of them included:
Models: Models International
Hair & Make-up: Aveda
Alcohol: Bulldog Gin, Spaten Lager and Vogelzang Wine
Nails: Priti
Venues: Openhouse Gallery & Delicatessen
Others: Popchips, Think Cofee & Izze Sparkling Juice

Check out some of the press and pictures from the event.
http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=saluk+creative&init=quick#/pages/New-York-NY/Saluk-Creative/99521819177?ref=search&sid=503221394.2736088083..1

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TSooB_0t4g

FASHION WEEK PARTNERSHIPS

If any of you are actively or even peripherally in the fashion world, you are understand when we say this past week has been HECTIC. With 5-10 events every night, how in the world do any of these shows get the proper press coverage they deserve. Yet nonetheless, it is THE time for brands to get noticed and for fashion editors to whole heartedly pay attention to the industry and its trends.

While the designers, producers and editors organize and attend the events, sponsors become key to help them offset the costs and add a little something to the night.

And the sponsors can't complain, they are perfectly poised to get a key influencer demographic trying or experiencing their product during Fashion Week.

One sponsor who has truly blanketed fashion week is POP CHIPS. You are probably puzzled...chips in Fashion Week? But it makes perfect sense for this "pop"solutely stylish brand. They started on the West Coast (home of some of the most fanatical nutritionists) and have developed a STRONG following now on the EAST because it is low calorie and quite yummy.

This week we've seen them at almost every event, and every time people make a comment about how much they LOVE them. And even though everyone needs sponsors for an event, you want to have ones that "fit" with the event and that people will actually enjoy experiencing.

Partnering with Public Spaces for Events

Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York have taken much direction from Amsterdam, Paris and other European cities who have coveted outdoor park spaces for its city dwellers.

While in NYC the car-free areas in Times Square, Meatpacking, Madison Square Park and others are still in the development stages they are becoming increasingly attractive for event locations. It truly is a win-win partnership to open up these areas for promotions and events because it brings a revenue stream to the city to help offset the cost of maintaining these areas, and it gives the event planners a guaranteed audience and visibility for their promotions.

According to the NY Times, since May, the spaces have already been used 20 times for events. In order to use these spaces all an event planner has to do is work with the city departments that manage each of the open areas. So for instance, the stretch between Macy's and Herald Square Park, use 34th Street Partnership (they work with the Street Activity Permit Office and NY Police Department) to get all necessary permits.

Wedding Series Pop-Up Shop in Brooklyn during month of June

Real Estate is finding ways to generate lost revenue and what better way than hosting temporary pop-up shops. Plus it allows brands to minimize expense and generate buzz by creating limited time only pop-up stores.

303 Grand in Williamsburg is not new to partnering with brands and making new pop-up shops, but this month's pop-up series is all about weddings, courtesy of The Wedding Library and Martha Stewart Weddings.

Each week, The Wedding Library and local Brooklyn artisans cater to a different experience of wedding planning. The four-week itinerary culminates with weddings for up to ten couples at a small planning price of $500 including ceremony, champagne and cake! One lucky couple will win a free wedding package that includes all the necessary services and a Sandals Resort vacation worth over $20,000.

The pop-up found sponsors with Etsy, Ice Cream Social, stationer Dabney Lee, Paperfinger, Bestow, and Dashing Diva; to provide everything from calligraphy tips to accessories to manicures and pampering.

How to get there: Take the L train to Lorimer. Exit on Union & Metropolitan end. Walk four blocks West on Metropolitan to Havermeyer. Left on Havermeyer and down two blocks to Grand. Right on Grand and its just off the corner. For more details on upcoming events, visit 303 Grand.

(Brooklyn Pop-Up Wedding Series, 303 Grand Street, Williamsburg. For store hours, visit brooklynchapel.com and for more photos of the pop-up, check out Street Attack’s flickr album)

Real Estate Partnerships- Media Opportunities

One industry that has really taken a toll during these difficult economic times is real estate and not just private homes--commercial real estate has immensely suffered.

Even at Rubik we were looking to move offices and throughout our search for office spaces, we were provided deals left and right to sign now--even 3 months free at one venue. And while we love getting deals, you have to wonder how are they going to be able to be profitable or even just stay afloat over the next 6 months- year.

Just like other industries this is the perfect time to get creative and find new revenues streams. Some buildings are looking to use their assets as media and marketing opportunities namely billboards and pop-up stores.

BILLBOARDS
Billboards seem a little tacky for a building but not these examples. With the right partners and the right strategy your building can become an iconic symbol for marketing opportunities.

If you are thinking about selling the outside of your building here are some things to think about:

• Permits- depending on city laws your building might have certain restrictions as to WHAT can be advertised and how it can be advertised if at all on the sides of your building
• Production Partner- we all have our specialties and most likely you'll have to look to partner with a large format printer or projection specialist (i.e. FireFly LA) in order to fulfill the production needs of a media opportunity
• Advertising Focus- You could use your building as just a running billboard, or more strategically use it to secure exclusives with a certain theme-- this can bring greater PR exposure to the building which in turn can raise awareness and command a premium of the building
• Sales Strategy- Once you set your focus, your building will need to put together its own sales strategy and list of prospects to go after. You may even want to employ an agency like Rubik or a media selling company that specializes in this type of sales process. You still get the majority of the sale and you hire them on retainer plus commission.

POP-UP STORES
Pop-up stores have become a great way for brands to create buzz with an act now, limited time only opportunity for consumers. This temporary marketing tactics for brands and retailers can command a greater per month rate for the venue, but some there are some things to think about:

Reebok Example:

• Term & Rates- while you can command a greater per month rate, it takes a lot more time to try and fill the space month to month, when looking at the per month rate, take this extra time in consideration
• Category Targets- to generate positive PR and ensure that the venue is being used appropriately, the venue should consider what categories it wants to target, or more importantly what categories it wants to restrict
• Event Management Partner- while many brands will come in with their own event management team to execute the event, having a preferred event management team can help you find out where new leads lie (they tend to scout locations and if you are on the preferred list of these event management companies you will be one of the first to be selected) **consider offering them a referral commission deal to sweeten the partnership relationship and ensure more projects will come to your venue
• Sales Strategy- Partnering with event management agencies in and of themselves can be a strong sales strategy, however, also use relationships with brokers, local real estate listings and trade publications (i.e. BizBash) to ensure companies know they can partner with you for their next pop-up store
  

Licensing to USPS-- Stamps still going strong

I still feel that even with the advent of e-mail I get just as much hard mail in my mailbox as ever before. Granted most of it is junk and not personal notes and mail, but even still, it appears as though USPS is still going strong enough to forge excitable licensing agreements with its stamps.

Just recently the Simpsons was added to the likes of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and Star Wars and other not just notable but legendary icons in our history.

The partnership is targeted at collectors and included a vote that was cast by almost 1 MM consumers to vote on their favorite stamp (Maggie won!) on www.usps.com.

With the agreement coming from Twentieth Fox Merchandising and Licensing Department it shows the extension a brand can have across multiple areas. Now granted don't expect to get an Oreo stamp in circulation, but then again, if you can make the case maybe you could sell it in--there is always room for non-traditional.

Music Partnerships- Saving the Industry and Driving Emotion

Virgin stores have closed, studios have seen double digit declines and this whole idea of CD's is practically non-existent. But we all know that, the question is how do you fix it and how can music companies like Universal, EMI and Sony become profitable again?

The answer seems to lie in partnerships. The more opportunities to use music as a form of "licensing" in various verticals the more diversification will be in place to create new revenue streams. So where do you find these partnerships:

• CONSUMER PROMOTIONS- sell the "content" as the prize for consumer brands (exaple below)
• NEW MEDIA LICENSING- beyond selling songs for commercials, TV shows, etc, look to other media like gaming- virtual concerts have become huge for some artists like Natasha Bedingfeld and Soulja Boy on There.com
  
• NEW PRODUCT LICENSING- what do people buy to express themselves, show their love to others or entertain themselves? EMI recently partnered with Lottery Tickets, but what about Hallmark Cards, Board Games, etc.
• BONUS MICROTRANSACTIONS- when consumers buy a product online versus in stores, a reward could be a discounted music video, song, etc. as an option at check out.
  

The whole idea of partnerships for music should best be approached in quantity just as much as quality. Music is pretty cheap these days, and the more places music touches consumers the more likely they will consume it.

PARTNERSHIP EXAMPLE:
MySpace recently teamed up with vitaminwater with the launch of Sync. 24 MM bottles were shipped, where under the cap codes could be redeemed for a free MP3 download via MySpace through its partnership with Amazon. Vitaminwater is paying for the downloads and supporting the campaign with magazine, radio and in-store advertising featuring Carrie Underwood, Alicia Keys, and 50 Cent.Not only is MySpace seeing new revenue, but added traffic to its site. In fact the 24 MM bottles is more than the typical number of unique visitors to MySpace per month, which is currently at 20 MM.

Countdown to Derby- Tips on Sponsorship

"Don't price any sponsors out of the market."
-Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival CEO and President

The Kentucky Derby is one of the most prestigious and classy sporting events of the year. Nearly every celebrity has made an appearance and the event has the perception of exclusivity.

However, they actually do a pretty good job of including the general public. On Oaks Day and Derby Day tickets are only $25 and $40 respectively for general admission. Now granted you won't be hob-knobbing with the celebs, but you'll still get a chance to experience all of the excitement. And this year they even added the "infield club" for $150 which gives a little more of an exclusive experience at an affordable price. So with tickets ranging on Derby Day from $40 to thousands, the Derby has given a nice range of options and price points to offer everyone an opportunity to attend at their comfort level.

No wonder they take the same approach with their sponsors. They have packages that are in the six figures to sponsor the largest events, but then also have $600 packages for patrons that could include a few tickets and the rights to say they are an official sponsor of the Derby.

Mike Berry is a big believer in nickels making dollars. Doesn't that sound familiar? Obama created the most successful fundraising strategy in the history of politics through his efforts in concentrating just as much on small donations ($656 Million in individual contributions) as large donations.

Some would argue that smaller sponsorship packages dilute a brand and provide less exclusivity to the marquee sponsors. To some extent that is true, however, that is why sponsorship packages need to be clear in what a brand can get via the package they purchase. So a title sponsor gets all licensing, naming rights and category exclusivity, but a smaller patron sponsor may only get ticket pckages.

BRAND PARTNERSHIP IDEA:
Many brands in the Louisville area have thir biggest day of sales on Thunder Over Louisville Day. Knowing this the Derby has approached a variety of brands for their Thunder Funder program to raise money and fund the show.

One sponsor is McDonald's. For a sales period of about five weeks, a portion of every 32-ounce soft drink sold at McDonald's goes to Thunder Over Louisville. The drinks come in special cups, and they have a Thunder Meal with tray liners and promo materials. On an average year, they'll get about $90,000 [from the promotion].

Integrating your sponsorship into stadiums

Home runs raining free Big Mac® Sandwiches, visits by Ronald McDonald, free McDonald's food cards and monthly special events have made Big Mac Land an important part of the Cardinals baseball experience. Beginning in 1998 and continuing into the new Busch Stadium, 181 left field seats have been transformed into Big Mac Land. McDonald's Big Mac Land has given consumers the opportunity to redeem their tickets for more than one million FREE Big Mac® Sandwiches and will hopefully continue to do so for many Cardinals Seasons to come.

USE CHARITY AFFILIATIONS AS A REASON TO CREATE LIMITED EDITION PRODUCTS

Since this type of promotion allows both the manufacturer and the charity to directly see results through sales, brands have been using this as an effective way to activate their charity affiliations:

Lindt & Autism Speaks- for every Lindt Gold Bunny sold 10 cents was donated to Austism Speaks

Starbucks & (RED) Campaign- for every special edition Christmas beverage 5 cents was donated to (RED) for HIV/AIDS research

M&M's & Susan G. Komen- for every package sold 10% will benefit Breast Cancer Awareness

Partner with High Profile Events to Capitalize on their PR

PSA's ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET FREE PRESS, BUT MANY TIMES BRANDS NEED TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER

Keep a Child Alive, a children's HIV/AIDS charity had a shockingly low number to spend on PR-- $600. Creativity was key to take this $600 and turn it into $100,000 in fundraising and millions of dollars worth of media impressions. So what did they do?

Well in June 2007, the iPhone was launching, so they decided to take advantage of the press opportunity that was already going to be built in to cover this event.

Johnny Vulkan of the PR team got to the front of the line of a NYC Apple store. He held his place for 4 days until the store opened its doors to sell its first iPhone. This simple approach resulted in:

• more than 100 reporters interviewing Vulkan
• KCA supporter, Spike Lee, joining him as the doors opened
• Selling the phone on eBay for $100,000
• Exposure on YouTube capturing the scene

Partner with the Community to bring your Cause Marketing Strategies to Life

National brands can have a difficult time resonating emotionally with consumers. Using promotions to empower consumers to do it on their own not only helps the brand but the nation at large.

Duncan Hines & Cancer Care for Kids- "Cupcakes for a Cause" encourages consumers to throw bake sales and donate proceeds to the cause

7up, Dell, Kroger & Computers for Kids- with 7up knowing Kroger's support of local schools with computer equipment, they partnered with Dell to create a robust in-store program which sold more cases and created greater PR for all involved

Rally for the Cure & Susan G. Komen- Since 1996, Rally for the Cure has reached 1.5 MM and raised over $45 MM for Breast Cancer Awareness by creating grassroots programs where people get to host their own charity events tied to golf and tennis

Importance of Continuing to give to Charities... BUT use it in your marketing efforts to increase sales and loyalty

"As businesses, we have a responsibility to society. Let me be clear about this point. There is no conflict between delivering value to shareholders and helping solve bigger societal problems."

-H. Lee Scott Jr., Wal-Mart Chairman and Former CEO, January 12, 2009

But we all need to cut costs... shouldn't charitable giving be one of the first things to go? Definitely not-- 80% of the time consumers are more likely to buy a brand with a charitable affiliation over one that does not. You lose your affiliation you lose a strong value proposition (Cone Research 2009).

In fact some brands like P&G are even increasing their charity programs to deliver greater value to their consumers to buy their brands. In their latest BrandSaver (monthly coupon booklet distributed to 50 Million households), P&G promoted its highest number of charities (BrandWeek March 2009).

The challenging part is partnering with the right charity that aligns with your brand objectives and resonates with your target audience.

Whether it is Yoplait's "Save Lids to Save Lives" campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness or T-Mobile's "Huddle Up" outreach via its NBA sponsorship to connect children in urban communities with positive people and places; every brand can incorporate a charity affiliation seamlessly into its marketing. This investment is not only positive for the brand image, but can directly influence sales and loyalty.

When considering a charitable affiliation consider the various ways to leverage the partnership in your brand's sales and marketing:

• Co-branding/logo creation
  
• Spokespeople/endorsers
• Workplace participation
• Co-branded consumer promotions
• Retailer participation and outreach
• Community or school programs to localize the campaign
• Exclusive, limited time or special packages dedicated to charity
• PR for your commitment to corporate social responsibility
• Annual Fundraisers, Events, National Campaigns

If you need help in finding the right partnership with a charitable organization to meet your brand objectives and goals, please contact Diane Nicoletti at dnicoletti@rubikmarketing.com.

Partnership Marketing-An Effective tool for TradeShows to generate leads!

Show producers most commonly use online advertising (77%) and partnership marketing (75%) to generate leads, followed by online-subscription products (e.g., newsletters), with 58%, paid search via major search engines (37%), and paid search via vertical search engines (26%). The study was conducted by The Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO), the Jordan Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI) and Tradeshow Week, writes JEGI’s “Client Briefing” newsletter.

For the full study visit http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/tradeshows-rely-on-online-advertising-partnership-marketing-1008/tsw-tradeshow-exhibitor-online-usagejpg/

Partnering with Technology to Streamline Business- VIRTUAL

I first saw the Microsoft Surface Technology at the Visitor Center in NYC. It was a fabulous tool to be able to map out walking tours, know what places were around a particular area and just get a chance to interact quickly with a map.



This technology which was demoed last year is quickly expanding, providing companies like Sheraton an easier way to provide concierge services to its customers.

Sheraton has installed Microsoft Surface Virtual Concierge 30-inch tables in the lobbies of five locations: Boston, New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco. Applications include CityTips with attractions, eateries, shopping, maps, and transportation; a digital jukebox; and SheratonSnapshots, a library of photos of Sheraton resorts.

Not that we want to be eliminating jobs right now, but partnering with high tech companies can help you streamline your business-providing a better customer experience in a more efficient manner.

3-D in Film could mean big Partnerships for other Industires- EYEGLASSES

DreamWorks SKG+Intel+PepsiCo+Super Bowl= The first ever 3-D commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3941cuHoNw&feature=related

That was just the beginning, every magazine we've been picking up lately- Time, Sports Illustrated, etc. have their own "3-D sections" touting how this new and improved technology is going to revolutionize the film industry. And what better time, Home Entertainment (DVD's) has finally matured and Theatrical (box office) only grows significantly when ticket prices go up (we do have to point out that right now sales have increased due to the reverse relationship wth economy and the entertainment industry tends to have).

With 3-D, studios have more justification to charge a premium so the industry will be able to continue to grow. In addition, there is a whole other industry that can benefit- eyeglasses. When you think of 3-D glasses you almost get embarressed by what you would look like in those red and blue cardboard things, but as studios produce more and more of these 3-D films, people are going to want to get more stylish and express themselves through their glasses. Like a tennis racquet, a bowling ball, golf clubs, etc, people will bring their own 3-D glasses with them everytime they go to see a film.

So if 300 Million people live in the US and lets just say 2% of them would invest in buying designer glasses at $200 a pop you have over a $1 Billion industry. So come on Kate Spade, Calvin Klein, Vera Wang, you license out your name to the Luxxotica's of the world, now it is time for a line extension to 3-D glasses to partner with the films. We want to look stylish in front of our friends, dates and anyone else we are watching a film with.. it is after all a group experience.

Plus there could be opportunity for studios to create limited edition collectors glasses for the next "Gladiator," "E.T.," "Independence Day," or "Harry Potter." We buy the figurines and other merchandise why not the glasses??

Now come on U2 looks pretty cool for their 3-D premiere in those sleek glasses.



To put it in perspective actual eyeglasses are worn by 126 Million people in the US at a total industry worth of about $7 Billion (Source: First Research, Inc.)

The Master of Design Collaborations- Junya Watanabe

Maybe it comes from the group think aspect of the Japanese culture, but Japanese designer, Junya Watanabe, continually amazes his fans with creative ways to bring two unlikely brands (ahem... Levi's and Brooks Brothers) together to create a cutting edge and progressive line.

If brands already are iconic in their own way and have mastered the art of the suit, the jeans, the leather, the retro... okay you get it... why not take that knowledge and collaborate with them. It saves time, money and effort, plus you are guaranteed the quality you need to solve the equation.

Think about something you would have to completely learn fresh in order to meet your vision or goal... got it, well now think of someone out there that already is doing it well, approach them and see if you can collaborate. If you have an equally good product or at least an equally good proposition, they would be foolish not to. Not everyone is this savvy, but believe me you can convince those who are, to work with you, and all come out on top.

Especially with the fashion industry hurting these days, more collaboration will be key to stay cost effective and get the people what they want.

The Art of film Partnerships... for no money??

Go on a subway, walk down an aisle of a grocery store, flip through your TV or page through a magazine and chances are you will see several ads for an upcoming movie or TV show. Now part of that is with the help of the big studios’ marketing budgets to support the film—on average about $35 Million is spent on marketing (or about 1/3 the cost of making a film). But another major part is through media exchanges with manufacturers that want to tie into the film.

Every studio is different, but many times if the brand is the right fit the studio will provide the following in exchange for the brand to incorporate the film into its advertising (usually about $1 MM worth of advertising):

• FREE licensing of the film
• FREE licensing of the characters (every actor has different contracts so sometimes you can not use them in any advertising, but the studio will give you an idea of the availability to use the actor’s character licensing… note you very rarely can get the actual actor to endorse a product—you have to go through their agent for that)
• Fulfillment of a sweepstakes (maybe tickets to the premiere of the film, posters, hats, and other merchandise)
• Private screenings for key customers, clients or part of a sweepstakes

Here are just a few examples as of late where a brand and a film tied together to make a compelling reason for a consumer to buy the brand and spread more awareness of the film.... a true testament of a win win partnership in marketing.

WATCHMEN and Night Owl Dark Roast Coffee
A limited number of commemorative cans of Night Owl Dark Roast coffee were sold by the Organic Coffee Cartel, which is actually owned by Clay Enos, the unit photographer on the set of the “Watchmen” film.

Organic Coffee Cartel (OCC) is selling the coffee through a number of online outlets and its own website. Only 10,000 collectible cans will be produced and sold. To promote the movie, they also ran a sweepstakes contest offering a chance to win 2 tickets to the LA premiere, which was held on March 3rd.

The Night Owl Coffee brand is marketed as a product of “Veidt Enterprises,” and some of the proceeds will go to charity to play homage to the superhero, Adrian Veidt, who becomes a millionaire global philanthropist.

Doing good, tying into a cult film and creating a sense of urgency, what else do you want from a promotion?

'Confessions of a Shopaholic' and Cotton Inc.
The target of Confessions of a Shopaholic is young teen girls, the target of Cotton?...well probably everyone, but to many fashionistas, it is oh so unfashionable. Tying into this film, Cotton was able to give itself a refreshing face lift and get the message out to young shoppers that products made of cotton are not just natural and comfortable but can be quite fashionable.

So what did Cotton and Disney do to get the message out?

• EVENTS- Mall events held to communicate the message from January 26th until the film’s opening on February 15th (included a photo booth centerpiece where those who participated were taped stating their “confessions of shopping” and then were uploaded to www.fabricofourlives.com website-the winners voted by the public received a video camera, a cotton shopping spree, and confessions merchandise)
• ADVERTISING- hanging banners and floorgraphics, TV spot called Runway to Everyday
• PROMOTION- spend $200 or more on cotton products, get a $20 gift certificate to buy more cotton items PLUS, win a chance to win tickets to the film premiere
• DIGITAL- sent out an e-blast to retailers to alert their consumers of the promotion, promoted "confessions" on website that was put to a consumer vote

**Note: some of the information provided in this post comes from content on PROMO MAGAZINE, www.promomagazine.com, a great source for inspiration and ideas when it comes to consumer promotions, events, digital campaigns and guerilla marketing strategies

Importance of Alliances- United Nations University Survey

We all love statistics and even more so when other people conduct them for us.

So the United Nations University MERIT conducted a survey that resulted in 75% of companies believing that strategic alliances were of very high importance for the realization of their company's strategy.

Further most companies expected contribution of alliances to the value of the company to increase from an average of 19% today to 47% in 5 year's time.

So why is this so important and how can this apply to your company. Well strategic alliances will:

• Create greater value for customers
• Leverage new sources of innovation
• Enter new markets or lines of business
• Establish new revenue streams
• Reduce costs or harness economies of scale
• Share risks and rewards in new ventures

That's great so how do I find these alliances that fit? Well it takes dedication and time to finding the right partners as it relates to marketing, distribution, innovation, etc.

The first step is figuring out what you do best and what you need to move forward with the business. From there you can determine if internal innovation is best or if it makes more sense to utilize someone else's strong capabilities to achieve those results. My argument is why use your own resources to innovate something that is NOT your core business, when someone else is already doing it and probably achieving better results.

Dedicating an individual to these alliances and working internally throughout the organization will help to best understand the needs. If you don't want a full time employee or department dedicated to this because of the high overhead cost, having an outside agency or freelancer might be a better option. They will bring other networks and knowledge from other companies to help determine partners as well as provide an outside view of the places where the company needs to innovate.

What Would Google Do?

So I'm reading "What Would Google Do?" and I'm sure I will be referencing it a few times over the course of the next couple of weeks, but here is a little food for thought. In the words of Jeff Jarvis:

"We have shifted from an economy based on scarcity to one based on abundance."

"Enabling customers to COLLABORATE with you in creating, distributing, marketing and supporting products is what creates a premium in today's market."

The more we collaborate, partner and form strategic alliances the more efficient we will all become in the way we conduct business and we might not be in the situation we are currently in, in the future. We will be efficient and lean relying just as much on outside partners as inside employees.

Learning from the FOOD NETWORK South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Last weekend, what I think is one of the most brilliant ideas in the ways of creating a sponsorship platform, broke another record. Of course I am speaking about the eighth annual Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival organized and founded by Lee Brian Schrager. This year they had over 53,000 participants, $4 Million in Ticket sales and raised over $2 Million for the Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.


So I would argue food lovers in the US is one of the last group of masses, the only other that would come close would be sports. Now of course there are different types of food lovers and different types of sports lovers, but that is why the Wine and Food Festival is brilliant. It brings in more mainstream chefs like Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart and Guy Fieri and mixes them with some of the most world renowned chefs at 5-star restaurants like Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert and Daniel, Café Boulud and Bar Boulud’s Daniel Boulud.


It is a platform where sponsors ranging from Amstel Light to Veuve Clicquot to Delta Air Lines to Barilla Pasta to the luxurious Fountainbleau Hotel can relish in their sponsorship and feel there is a true fit. So why is this a perfect platform and how can we learn from it:

• ENGAGED TARGET: The target market is plentiful and one that has proven to support the subject through shows like Top Chef, Ace of Cakes, Everyday with Rachael Ray, etc.
  
• ACCESS: With the engaged target market, people want to meet the chefs that are on their favorite shows--fans are invested in these celebrities and they want to see their "friends" in real life
  
• BRAGGING RIGHTS: Like any event there is a sense of bragging rights that is appealing to customers—guests want to be able to tell their friends that they went and saw the chefs that they watch everyday. Plus by going to this type of event you can be seen as more of an expert in the field.
  
• VARIETY: While sometimes less is more, in this case the variety allows for events that are appealing to everyone. You can attend a Burger Bash or a high end Grand tasting-this allows for choice for customers and choice for sponsors
• ENTERTAINING EDUCATION: I would argue entertaining continuous education is the most important aspect of the festival. People are actually learning more about wine and food through these festivals. This gives the festival its mission and its purpose and it ensures that people will come again because they will learn something new and see something different each year.

Now of course the food industry feeds this event. If there wasn’t an engaged target already the scale of the festival would be much smaller, however, the festival didn’t start out with 53,000 attendees 8 years ago, it was a slow build. In other industries, like film and fashion they have their own festivals and many are a huge success like Sundance, Fashion Week, etc.; however the one thing that the Wine and Food Festival does that the others do not is that the Wine and Food Festival EDUCATES and MOVES THE INDUSTRY FORWARD to the general public, whereas the film and fashion festivals only educate those in the industry. If these other festivals would incorporate and reach out to those beyond their “network” they may see the same kind of return and support.

More on Red Dress Campaign!

So with only 3 more days left in February, the month for Heart Health, we thought we'd elaborate more on the cool message/credible celebrity/brand partnerships of successful cause related marketing campaigns.

First of all Heart Health... who would have ever thought of going the Red Dress angle? Well probably before they decided on this COOL MESSAGE, they worked internally or with external groups to come up with the right strategy to get a hook for the campaign. The first and easiest step is to try and figure out what else is going on at the same time to figure out what partnership opportunities could be worked out. Heart Health Month is February... so what else goes on in this month?:

• NYC Fashion Week (only twice a year, other is in September)
• Super Bowl (always first weekend)
• NBA All-Star Weekend
• NHL All-Star Weekend
• Awards Season
• Oscars
• South Beach Wine & Food Festival

When you take a look at this list it seems obvious, but only because we are use to the campaign now. Men are afflicted by heart problems as well, but sometimes when you target a cause to a specific group it is easier to rally behind it and create an emotional connection. Plus you get the peripheral halo effect when you make a STRONG impact with a targeted group. Whether the women's demo came before or after their decision to go with Red Dress, it doesn't really matter, the marriage was perfect. They made a connection with their target demo.

Once you have a solid message it is a lot easier to get brands to rally behind it because there is a common and clear goal, here are some of the campaigns that came from the red dress concept:

HEIDI KLUM- COCA-COLA
If you are obsessed like we are with the Oscars than you probably saw the Heidi Klum commercial for Coca-Cola and Heart Truth a million times. What a great celebrity, some get annoyed by perfection, but she is adorable, smart and supports the little people (up and coming fashion designers and charities). The commercial was a perfect marriage and emotional connection. People were watching the Oscars and with all of the dress watching probably got caught up in the superficiality that comes with the red carpet. This commercial brought you back to realize what is really important and how small statements like supporting the Heart Truth with Diet Coke can really make an impact. If you haven't caught the commercial check it out:
HEART TRUTH RED DRESS & HEIDI KLUM & COCA-COLA

NICOLE MILLER & JANE KRAKOWSKI- CAMPBELL'S
My other favorite that we mentioned was Campbell's Red Dress Campaign with Nicole Miller. Check out the microsite they created to build the campaign and create a contest to vote for the favorite Nicole Miller dress for Jane Krakowski to wear on the red carpet. They had 2 celebs both benefiting by added exposure for their brands, plus with all of Campbell's products benefiting heart health, the charity is a perfect fit to tout its brand benefits to the consumer.

The Art of a Good Cause Marketing Strategy-- Cool Message, Credible Celebrities, Brand Partnerships

When you think of some of the top cause related marketing campaigns right now what comes to mind?… probably Bono’s (RED) Campaign for HIV/Aids, the Susan G. Komen’s Pink Campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness and this month’s Go Red Campaign (Red Dress) for the American Heart Association.

So how did they all make such a successful campaign… well here are the 3 most common variables:
• A cool and comfortable message with the cause
• A credible celebrity advocate
• Partnerships with Other Brands

COOL MESSAGE
This might sound strange, but people either need to relate to a cause they are not ashamed of like Heart Disease or Breast Cancer; or they need to feel comfortable talking about it like HIV/Aids and Malaria. Many diseases unfortunately sometimes have uncomfortable stigmas where people don’t want to associate with them. Creating a tagline and image around the disease that allows for people to feel comfortable promoting it without ultimately being accused of having it can be key (I know this sounds awful but before you can get people to be comfortable you have to make them feel comfortable). Why do you think so many of the cause programs relate to a color not the cause? It allows a sense of comfort… eventually the campaign will get there and with more awareness comes education.

CREDIBLE CELEBRITIES
One way to jump-start the cool and comfortable factor is by sharing stories of celebrities that are inflicted with the disease or who want to associate themselves with the cause. If celebrities are willing to let everyone in the world know about their disease that automatically helps ease some other people’s tensions about admitting their infliction. Plus with celebrities’ circles there is more room for donors, sponsors, and events to increase fundraising and awareness. Here are just some top celebs and the causes they have associated themselves with:
• Bono- (RED) Campaign, HIV/Aids
• Elton John- Aids
• Heidi Klum- Red Dress Campaign/American Heart Association
• Reese Witherspoon- AVON & Breast Cancer Awareness
• Oprah Winfrey- Angel Network
• Paul Newman- His own causes funded by Newman’s Own products
• Michael J. Fox- Parkinson’s Disease
http://www.celebcauses.com/

BRAND PARTNERSHIPS
The (RED) Campaign is arguably doing the best job of this right now… with cool brands ranging from Converse to Apple to Armani to Gap… they are picky and they can be--the brands who have associated with (RED) have seen an increase in their sales in short periods of time. (RED) even recently hosted a pop-up store with all of its red products in NYC during the holidays. Ultimately this partnership of co-branding has given a boost in revenue for the brands and the charity without having to “solicit” money.

The Red Dress campaign also did a great job, tying in brands like Campbell’s Soup to create a dual partnership with Nicole Miller and Jane Krakowski from 30 Rock. Nicole designed 3 dresses and consumers got to vote on their favorite. The winning dress was worn by Jane on the red carpet and every vote counted towards $1 towards the Red Dress Campaign. A credible fit and one that created a human interest to Campbell’s Soup and V8 brands that are beneficial for heart health.

Causes can do many things from intimate fundraisers to social gatherings, but to create a multi-million dollar campaign that truly gets noticed throughout the country and the world the three common variables tend to be: Cool Message, Credible Celebrities and Brand Partnerships (in that order!)

Sponsorship Audit- What Really Works

We love sponsorships, whether it is for a film festival, fashion show, sporting property or wine & food festival they are great, they tap into consumers’ passions, loyalties and lifestyle interests. And when you hit the nail on the head with a credible activation the results are staggering- you automatically act like a friend to the consumers instead of another salesman trying to make them buy something they don’t really need.

But in these difficult economic times, sponsorships need to be re-evaluated. There are way too many brands out there that sponsor an event and then just sit back and think the brand logo exposure is going to do something for them…. Well wrong. That is why right now, more than ever, everyone needs to do more with less and that starts with something we like to call a Sponsorship Audit.

If you have the internal resources go ahead and evaluate internally, but if you want an unbiased view, contract a freelancer or consultant, right now you could get one for relatively cheap, and you don’t have to deal with the annoying overhead of having a full time employee conducting this audit.

So what to do for a Sponsorship Audit. Well here are just a few things to take a look at:

• Your Target Consumer (not just demos, look behaviorally)
• The Sponsorship Platform's Target Consumer (again not just demos.. that means nothing)
• Who are the other sponsors (do you want to be associated with their brand identities)
• Would you consider partnering on special promotions or on-site activations with the other sponsors (half the cost)
  
• How is the sponsorship platform supporting you (do they include you in its ads, press, marketing material, etc)
• What is the sponsorship platform's long term strategy (are they growing or shrinking and do they seem to be positioning themselves well in this new technologically driven era)
  
• What are the free opportunities during the big events and throughout the year (have you been taking advantage of them... if not why not... they're free)
• What have you been doing to activate (what did that do for the brand)
• Have you been measuring activations (awareness, name acquisition, impressions)
• Have you been collecting names of the fans of the sponsorship platform and have you continued dialog with them (remember these are suppose to be your friends now, treat them like that, if you only talk to them once a year how do you expect them to react)
• What kind of press hits have you been getting and how have you been mentioned
  

Every sponsorship is different, and certainly you can’t be perfect in every area, but why continue a sponsorship that you can’t afford and that is not giving you the payback you want. Instead, invest in a few key platforms that make sense for your brand. Once you’ve decided on these you’ll feel comfortable to extend the relationship long term which in turn will allow you to re-negotiate your contract with a better annual rate, which solves your short term problem.