Russ Page
Exploring the Art & Science of Marketing
Getting blasted on the Audi S8
Feb 6th
More than a month ago I wrote a post called “The Problem with Audi.”
A month later, I somehow got two comments (on the same day) blasting my post saying things like “This is the most idiotic thing I have read in a long time…” Thanks! I’ll poke a hundred holes in this exact comment later. But let me be clear to these two . . .
- This post wasn’t about my like or dislike; it was about pricing and branding.
- Pricing has a lot more to do with branding than some people think.
- Most of Audi’s brand presence on the road today is in the A4, which costs far from 120k.
- Reliable or not, someone I trust very much says his Audi is junk.
- You can still buy a brand new Maserati Gransport or a used Aston Martin or Ferarri for 120k.
- If I’m willing to drop 120k on a car do you think all I care about is reliability, which my personal friend says doesn’t exist in an Audi?
To emphasize the point AGAIN! Maserati, Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari and Aston Martin command 120k (new/used) because the brand commands 120k. Big whoop if Audi can sell a few machines at 120k.
For my regular readers: These comments remind me of letters to the editor. Letters to the editor often come from people on far sides of an issue. In this case, it sounds like I either struck a chord with a few Audi fanatics or landed on the radar screen of an outside firm Audi uses to track blog conversations. Possibly a PR firm. Isn’t it odd that both comments showed up a month later? On the same day?
New York, New York
Feb 2nd
How Superbowl ads became popular
Jan 31st
PR. Seriously. Superbowl ads became so popular because the news tells the story of how expensive, outrageous and unique superbowl ads are. It’s the story that creates the discussion and not the viewing itself. The ads get seen once, maybe more if you’re an Internet person, and the news talks about them weeks in advance and weeks after. And, I guarantee that a number of the commercials have targeted publicity campaigns going on right now so that people will look for the ads during the game. Here’s a few examples.
Madison Production Company’s Superbowl Ads Intercepted
This is a story that was on primetime news about how GoDaddy.com has had a few raunchy ads that haven’t been accepted.
SUPER BOWL GAMES VS. COMMERCIALS Are ads superior to game?
The San Franciso Chronicle examines what is more interesting. Ads or the game?
Superbowl ads taking shape
This is an Access Hollywood article. Seriously. When Access Hollywood is doing a piece on Superbowl Ads . . .
Liberals Will Be Attacked By Conservatives During Superbowl
This is just ridiculous.
PR Making Superbowl Ads Popular
- Do the companies tout how much it cost to run the ad in the middle of the commercial? No. That happens in the press.
- Does the controversy around ads from companies like GoDaddy get discussion time during the commercial itself? No. That happens in the press.
- Do companies run ads trying to get people to watch an ad during the superbowl? Sometimes, but not often. They toss it all to PR people who get the press coverage you see above.
My point is, even advertisers turn to PR to get real traction for their own product because they know it works better. The discussion in the press creates discussion in the public. That’s how they get people talking about the product. PR.
Proving the rumor true
Jan 30th
Does it matter anymore whether or not static electricity can really catch things on fire at the gas pump? This is the photo you’ll see on the pump at Phillips gas stations.
The sticker has instructions on how to get rid of static electricity so you don’t catch on fire. Again I say, true or not true, Philips is proving the rumor true by putting up this CYA sticker on the pump.
How to take care of your clients, via Walton Group
Jan 29th
A nice post from Adam Torkildson over at the Walton Group in Provo.
3 ways to take care of your clients in the PR industry.
Another goody via NetPress. The care and feeding of the press.
Changing dynamics of pay
Jan 29th
Chris Knudsen has a phenomenal post on his blog right now called Work, school and the changing dynamics of pay. Give it a read.
I’m editing something right now for a client, and there is a quote in one of the articles from a financial guru I have extreme respect for named Les McGuire (he passed away last summer in a plane crash). It’s in line with what Chris wrote about education because education is a huge determinant of your outlook and paradigms. Chris isn’t the kind of guy who limits it to traditional education either. I hear him talk about more books he’s read than anybody I know. He inspires me in that way.
Here’s the quote.
“In my experience, it is categorically clear that the defining difference between those who achieve phenomenal financial results and those who do not is their determinant paradigms—in other words, their core belief systems. All external results are simply a physical manifestation of what is going on in their brain.” – Les McGuire
One conclusion he makes toward the end of his article . . . “The hard, cold truth is that success is always in the person; never in the product.”
Hillary Clinton delivers a PR lesson
Jan 29th
Hillary Clinton responded to a question during a town meeting in Iowa over the weekend that garnered some attention.
QUESTION: A guy in the crowd asked Hillary if her track record of dealing with “bad places” around the world like “Iran” and “North Korea.” First Hillary stalled a bit by repeating the question. That’s where she took a wrong turn, restating the question in her own words.
“Question was: What in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men?” Clinton said. Shen then paused and shrugged, which garnered some laughter. See where she went wrong? He referred to bad places. She restated it as “bad men.” The press had a heyday with it. Let the guy restate his own question or say it exactly as he did.
Read how differently the headlines turned out.
- Bad men? Who would that be, Hillary? (ABC)
- Clinton’s ‘evil, bad men’ quip gets Iowa laughs (CNN)
- Clinton ‘Evil Men’ joke raises eyebrows. (MSNBC)
- Clinton gets mixed reviews in Iowa (MSNBC)
- Clinton, the comedian, knows from “evil and bad men.” (Chicago Sun Times)
In all fairness, it sounds like she was joking around. The media just wanted to know who these “evil and bad men” were. Her husband? George Bush? Who did she mean . . . she’ll never tell.
