Point of Vision : Think About It

What's in a name?

Point of Vision — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:01:52 +0000

Some bank names are obscure, like Wachovia.

Or lifeless, like Bank of America.

But the worst bank name out there today is Fifth Third Bank.

It’s obscure.

It’s lifeless.

And darn it, it’s just so hard to say.

The corporate leaders at Fifth Third Bank took “fifth,” one of the most difficult words to pronounce in the English language, and then made it even tougher by following it immediately with another “th” word.

Fifth Third Bank. Try to say it clearly five times fast. (Go ahead. We’ll wait.) Did you pull a tongue muscle? Even the voice in our head gets tripped up when we read “Fifth Third” silently.

Granted, most people don’t enunciate so clearly as to end up with a tongue injury. Most people probably use the lazy man’s version, “Fif-third Bank.” That’s an improvement for the person speaking, but not so good for the bank, since word-of-mouth marketing only works with intelligible speech.

Beyond the elocution challenges of the name Fifth Third Bank is the nagging question, “What does it mean?” The bank’s logo, which looks roughly like the fraction 5/3, makes us ask, if three thirds is 100 percent, and four thirds is more than 100 percent, is the name “Fifth Third Bank” intended to make us think this bank goes the extra, extra mile? Could that be the logic behind this awkward name?

No, it isn’t. According to the company Web site, the name “Fifth Third” is derived from the names of the two banks that merged to create it: Fifth National Bank and – you guessed it – Third National Bank.

And that’s what makes this name truly sad. Fifth Third Bank has no deeper meaning, no marketing value. It’s simply a sad testament to what happens when two parties agree to merge their businesses but won’t let go of their independent corporate names.

Fifth Third Bank has the worst name because it fell victim to the worst naming strategy. Instead of using basic marketing principles to choose a name that would add value to its brand, it gave in to marketing’s worst enemy: corporate politics.

With soap operas washed up, we ask, what's next?

Point of Vision — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:57:04 +0000

Today, "Guiding Light" is airing its final episode after more than 70 years on radio and television.

The cancellation of the longest running drama on TV is the latest casualty in a soap opera world that is hurting for money. The growth of TiVo and webcasts have cut into their ad revenue, leaving daytime dramas desperate to cut expenses.

Some shows have trimmed their payrolls by killing off characters at an unprecedented rate. Others have been taken off the air. Those that remain are on life support, needing a miracle to stay on the airwaves.

While it's far from shocking, still there is something remarkable about the demise of a genre that once was the killer app of advertising. In their prime, soap operas were the undisputed vehicle of choice for reaching homemakers. Indeed, the term "soap opera" came from the fact that the shows were sponsored by soap manufacturers trying to woo that audience.

The decline of soap operas may feel like a great loss to the world of mass marketing, but in truth, it's just part of the natural cycle of life and death. Soaps were born in the 1930s and 1940s from someone's inspired idea of how to profit from the new media of radio and television. They are dying because people today use radio and television differently.

Our challenge is to look at the new media of today and, like the broadcasting network executives of last century, ask ourselves, "Now that we have this amazing new way to reach people, what are we going to do with it?"

Come on. Dream with us.

Welcome to the world, Giselle!

Holger Kappenstein — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:33:59 +0000

Congratulations to Marcy, Jim and Gabriel Pett.

Pay per click fraud continues to grow

Point of Vision — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:06:31 +0000

We've been watching pay-per-click fraud closely over the last year or so and discussing our concerns with our clients openly for just as long. Now, B to B Magazine is reporting overall the click fraud rates above 17%, the highest level since Click Forensics began tracking the data in 2006. Read the entire article.

More on pay-per-click fraud from Tech News Review.

color_shift

Holger Kappenstein — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:48:35 +0000

Buford Highway, southbound

Web 3.0 may offer big payoff for businesses willing to take risks.

Point of Vision — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:00:36 +0000

Not sure what Web 2.0 means to you? Honestly, that's O.K. because we're not even sure what Web 2.0 even means. Well, according to online advertising guru, Clark Kokich of Razorfish, you needn't worry about it because Web 2.0 is dead.

Which is a good thing because Web 3.0 will finally bring it all together in a way that will truly benefit business - but only for those willing to take a risk. According to Kokich:

"Web 3.0 will be much more focused on business solutions and less on marketing communications," he says. "We're at a point now where you take all of these tools -- websites, search, mobile, targeted ads -- and put them together in an integrated fashion."

We read the article, "Razorfish issues last rites for Web 2.0" and thought you might find it interesting, too.

The mobile web is here. Can your brand answer the call?

Point of Vision — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:58:51 +0000

If any doubts remained about the mass adoption of mobile technology, they were dispelled when Apple sold one million of its 3G iPhones in the weekend of their U.S. debut.

The popularity of the iPhone and other web-enabled devices isn’t unexpected. What is shocking, however, is how the vast majority of businesses are ignoring this growth area in their communications.

Already, 40 million Americans actively use the mobile Internet, according to data published by Nielsen Mobile in May 2008. About 36 million people use portals like Google and Yahoo! from their phones. Industry leaders like Vic Gundotra of Google believe that within a few years, more Web searches will originate from mobile devices than from fixed computers.

Yet reports say that a mere 5 percent of the results from a typical Google search are viewable on mobile devices. Clearly, there is a disconnect between what consumers want and what businesses are providing.

At Point of Vision, we’re extending our development skills so we can help our clients succeed in the mobile arena. Not only will we be able to recommend mobile strategy. We’ll be able to create and implement new mobile tools.

Learning new skills, especially when it comes to unlocking the potential of new technology, is what we do here. It’s why we developed in-house Web expertise 15 years ago. We understood that brands could be strengthened – or weakened – not just by their Web presence but by their Web experience, which required good visual design as well as well-orchestrated navigation. We were one of very few design shops that also provided Web design. This gave our clients an advantage because we were able to develop a consistent brand experience across traditional and new media.

This summer, we sent our technology specialist, Ben Ku, to San Francisco for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. There, Ben learned more about the capabilities of the new iPhone. From the insight he’s shared, and from our continuous reading about mobile technology, our team is working on ways that our clients can use mobile capabilities to advance their brands.

We imagine using mobile devices to send timely information right to the hands of customers and other audiences. We’re especially interested in how communication can be targeted and customized based on the geographic location of the person on the receiving end.

We’re cooking up something now that shows how mobile technology can be a natural, powerful part of an overall communication strategy. Stay tuned!

Using glass bathrooms shows clouded judgment

Point of Vision — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:04:50 +0000

Once upon a time, M!X restaurant in Brookhaven was a place to see and be seen. In more ways than one.

The owners outfitted this hip tapas bar with high-tech bathrooms so funky, some people considered them reason enough to check out the place. Here’s the hook: the bathroom doors were made of colored glass. When they were unlocked, you could see right through them. When someone went in and locked the door, the glass frosted over for privacy. Very cool concept.

Alas, some M!X patrons found the lock a bit tricky, so they gave up and just went about their, um, business. No lock meant no frost, which meant anybody with line of sight to the bathroom got an eyeful.

Sloan’s, an ice cream shop in West Palm Beach, Fla., has the same set-up for its bathrooms. There, too, the patrons sometimes neglect to lock up, creating an inadvertent peep show. And at Sloan’s, the accidental voyeurs aren’t adults enjoying a night at the bar, but kids looking for nothing naughtier than a scoop of rocky road.

The owner of Sloan’s told a reporter the glass doors have been worth the occasional embarrassing moments, plus the $30,000 he paid to outfit his two bathrooms. He said people come in all the time to see the bathrooms and end up buying ice cream. Indeed, among the online reviews of Sloan’s, you’ll find as many recommending the bathrooms as the ice cream.

Nevertheless, we question whether this is really the best marketing tool for Sloan’s. Bathrooms that sometimes bare all may drive away families with kids – people who are more likely to become loyal, repeat customers than the techno-thrill seekers who stop by to see the bathrooms in action.

It’s only human to get excited by new technologies, be they bathroom doors or iPhone applications. But it’s important to look beyond the gee-whiz factor and evaluate the fit with your markets and your brand.

Put simply, technology that’s cool isn’t necessarily cool for you. Forget that simple truth, and you could really get caught with your pants down.

Once there was a brand…

Holger Kappenstein — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:44:53 +0000

June 2008, Virginia Highlands neighborhood, Atlanta

GEICO proves consistency doesn’t have to be boring

Point of Vision — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:39:14 +0000

Don’t you love that GEICO commercial?

No, not the one with the NASCAR-wanna-be kid.

No, not the one with the offended cavemen.

You know ... the one with Mrs. Butterworth!

GEICO, whose advertising once was centered squarely on its animated gecko, now floods the airwaves with concurrent ad campaigns.

The strategy is working. From 1996 to 2006, the insurance company increased its total premiums from $3 billion to $11 billion, and increased its share of written auto insurance premiums from 4.61 percent to 6.25 percent.

Taking a closer look at GEICO’s multiple ads, we see four reasons why they’re successful:

1. GEICO is using a shotgun approach to hit different demographic groups. The cavemen ads appeal to young men. The celebrity-assisted testimonials bring in faded stars such as Joan Rivers and Peter Frampton, winning over baby-boomers and older audiences. And the old, reliable gecko tests well with middle-aged women. GEICO knows it has more than one target market, so it’s developed a campaign for each important audience.

2. Each campaign is entertaining. The Martin Agency, which creates GEICO’s ads, knows that insurance is boring. That’s why the ads “need to be funny and need to get noticed,” according to creative director Steve Bassett. Not only is each individual ad designed to be amusing, but the agency creates enough spots for each campaign that it doesn’t have to run the same spot over and over. The rotation keeps the ads fresh.

3. GEICO hasn’t been shy about pouring money into advertising. In 2005, GEICO spent $403 million on advertising. That’s more than the Coca-Cola Company spent that year. With that kind of investment, it’s no wonder they’ve become top of mind among consumers.

4. From a brand perspective, GEICO’s concurrent campaign strategy works because all the ads share the same message: GEICO can save you money without a lot of hassle. The cavemen campaign is centered on this message. In other campaigns, the core brand value is tidily summed up in GEICO’s ever-present tag line: “15 minutes can save you 15 percent.”

All things considered, GEICO is providing an excellent example of being consistent without being one-dimensional or boring. GEICO’s campaigns take many creative directions, but they are united by a similar, quirky personality, and by an unwavering message of value. That’s why they’re synergistic, not schizophrenic.

We don’t all have hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on advertising, but we can all learn from GEICO’s success. Different audiences sometimes call for different creative approaches, and we can answer that need without creating brand chaos. If we remain faithful to our brand’s personality and message, we can build a unified brand ... no matter how diverse our creative directions may be.