Recently, a client decided to pull a legendary prank on an employee. The employee was told his company car needed to be detailed prior to the impending end of its lease.

The car, instead, was turned into an ice cream cruiser, complete with decals, cool treats and even music. Music that couldn’t be turned off. That’s right, popular tunes like “It’s a Small World After All,” because the music player had been wired into the car’s fan motor, became ubiquitous staples of our good friend Colin’s commute.

If you’re so inclined, you may enjoy the video links at the end of this entry to fully appreciate the automotive transformation that took place.

At this point, you may be wondering how this anecdote relates to marketing or why you’re reading it on our blog. The answer to that question can be summed up with one key term: viral marketing.

We’ve all seen a video on the internet that was hilarious, violent, inappropriate and/or irresistible for any variety of other reasons. These videos spread (like viruses) through online media such as email, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and others. One person tells his friends, those friends tell their friends and the cycle continues. It should be noted that putting just any old video on YouTube won’t get the job done. The video has to be memorable, and preferably so over the top that people can’t get it out of their heads.

In the case of our client (whose stores are in the Kansas City market), the prank was featured with a video on the Kansas City Star’s website. A local TV news outlet then came calling, wanting to do its own piece about the ice cream mobile. The prank’s attention grabbing culminated with national play on CNN’s “Morning Express with Robin Meade.”

In today’s cluttered world, it’s become more important than ever to stand out from everyone else. Will videos of spectacular pranks replace traditional marketing methods like television, radio and print advertising? No. Will our client sell more furniture based on funny videos? Maybe. But the extra attention sure can’t hurt.

The Star—KansasCity.com Video
KCTV 5 News Article with Video

Effective advertising doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to be consistent to build brand awareness. Explore ways to keep your message in front of your audience. Break through the clutter and tell your story in a way that is unique. Nearly everyone’s marketing budget is holding level or even decreasing to combat these financial times, so spend smart! Think outside the box and search for co-op dollar opportunities as we did for one of our clients.

Wichita Roofing & Remodeling is taking its new customer service program to the streets, literally. We designed a vehicle wrap for the marketing director’s car that would represent three different market areas—and more importantly strategically and effectively use their resources.

Today, the company name is reaching thousands of people daily as the director travels to meet one on one with insurance agents across the state. It’s not often you see a “Nascar” traveling down the Kansas turnpike. Is wrapping a vehicle original? No. But choosing an image of the number one spectator sport in America to carry your message across unexpected terrain is. It’s a conversation starter and it creates a memorable impression. And the best part is some of the client’s vendors are “car sponsors.” Their sponsorship dollars are helping pay for the vehicle wrap while our client’s message speeds across the state.

Get in the driver’s seat. The race is on! What are you doing to reach the checkered flag before your competition?

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
—Ferris Bueller

As long as I can remember I’ve been in and out of my parents’ offices on a weekly to daily basis. Part of everyday life, from dinner table conversations to talk of me going into the family business, it’s been in my blood for quite some time. It wasn’t until last week, starting as an intern, that I really started to understand the work of the Strategy Group.

Not only was the first week nerve-racking it was a week of enlightenment. Let’s get one thing straight: my mom used to call me to ask how to turn the TV on, now she is sitting in my office showing me how to navigate the servers. Let’s just say I felt like I dropped down a peg or two.

At a young age I saw team members coming and going and work being done and never understood the system behind it. I always thought that mom or dad just told them what to do, they did it, and it was done. I was wrong. As I learned the trafficking system here I got a brand new understanding of how things get done, and it definitely isn’t dad or mom issuing commands. Teamwork is huge here and it’s actually one of the coolest things to see in motion. One job could be worked on by several people until it’s complete; it’s this kind of teamwork that goes unseen in the finished product.

It’s hard starting at square one at a place I thought I knew so well. My eyes are open to this new world, and I’m doing everything I can to embrace it.

Well I got my mojo back. I took the family to see Nickelback, the popular Canadian rock group, last Friday night and the “F-bombs” were flying. The crowd erupted in a veritable frenzy every time Chad Kroeger (lead singer and Laurie’s musical crush) spake the sacred word. Believe me, it was early and often.

There must be serious power in that word. I remember hearing it for the first time when I was about 4 years old. I asked my mother what it meant and she smacked me. Pretty powerful.

So I began to wonder how much more powerful some of the all time great communicators could have been with a few strategic “F-bombs”:

“The “F’n” British are coming!”
—Paul Revere

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this “F’n” wall!”
—President Ronald Reagan

“Speak softly and carry a big “F’n” stick; you will go far.”
—President Theodore Roosevelt

Okay. I don’t believe it would have made any of these moments any more historic. Nor does it make any movie more watchable (save maybe Die Hard: “Yippe-ki-yay Hanz!” doesn’t quite have the impact), any novel more readable, any rock star more famous, any stand-up comedian more funny, any golf shot fly straighter or any casual conversation more enjoyable.

So do all your friends and family a favor and remove the word from your repertoire. And if you just can’t seem to help yourself, call me and I’ll send mom over.

Cheers!

The second value lesson came from Simon Cowell, who spoke directly to Lee Dewyze, a contestant with huge potential for commercial success who gave a banner performance. This young man apparently struggles with small confidence. Cowell called it (the confidence issue) out again, spoke to his difficulty making eye contact, suggested his lack of self assurance is perhaps due to something that happened in his past, and then affirmed him. He said Lee Dewyze would realize in watching back the tape that his world had just changed. Like Usher, he was an agent unafraid to challenge the barriers to potential and give a reason for hope (success).

So here’s the value lesson: those of us in positions of leadership have an opportunity to unleash the best in those around us. But we can’t do that effectively if we can’t get past or outside ourselves. How’s your confidence factor? Are you doing the right things to quell your own insecurities or bring down personal barriers so you can actively press yourself into the lives around you? Are you an Usher who’s over instead of all about yourself? Are you bold enough to mentor a friend, family member or client, calling out the barriers to potential and authentically investing in and cheering success? Are you ushering talent?

From the inception of The Strategy Group, we have said we would be teachable. We would display a servant’s heart toward our clients. We would go above and beyond through work ethic and creative stretch to move the needle for them. We would give our best work to every client, regardless of budget. Do those values show up outside the agency/client relationship?

High school students have a lot of highway to travel. Their career decisions aren’t imminent. Jo and Scott have a lot of work to do. We’re in the middle of a very busy first quarter. But they poured their hearts and time into giving their best thinking and sharing their best experiences with these students (pictured here/ Jo is on the left and Scott is far right). They didn’t marginalize the opportunity by making a quick decision to not cut into too much billable time. They didn’t decide they could easily wing it with a bunch of uniformed kids. These kids got two hours of solid content, full-out enthusiasm from Jo and Scott, a sign at the entry and take-home promotional items from a printer because Jo stopped and asked for them on her way in to work.

Watching two art directors and six kids, everyone here got a value lesson. Here’s what I’ve asked myself: How often do I wing it?

We are brand gatekeepers. Without gatekeepers, brands crumble. Every single thing we do, every single thing we say and every single dollar we spend either builds equity in a brand or contributes to its dilution.

Right now we are witnessing the total annihilation of one of the world’s dominant brands. Make no mistake. Tiger Woods is not just a person. Tiger Woods is a brand. So I’m left to wonder, who was the gatekeeper of the Tiger Woods brand?

Sometimes our job is not easy. Sometimes we’re the bad guys. Sometimes “just do it” is just plain wrong. Wherever you go from this point forward Tiger, make certain you have an Alan in your life.

Cheers.

In a pep talk this morning Jeffrey reminded me to fight. Our clients are fighting hard for their businesses. We are required, as their partners, to fight hard—now harder—for them. Their trust in us mandates that we be 1) better students of the environment to bring them the best thinking, 2) quicker to cut through the clutter to distinguish them in the minds of their consumers and 3) smarter about what initiatives to keep, toss or place on hold.

I love a good fight, but I can’t fight for myself or anyone else without passion. Today, I had to stop to remember what I’m really passionate about. It’s potential. I love finding and championing the best in those I love and the clients I serve.

It’s funny, the track the mind takes when someone admonishes you. Mine went to a Keith Emerson (Emerson Lake & Palmer) piano solo. It came up on Jeffrey’s ipod several weeks ago as we headed to a K-State football game. It’s intense. When I asked Jeffrey about it he said that Emerson pushed his genius so hard that he ended up with severe nerve damage in his hands and wrists. He was passionate about playing the keyboards to a high standard.

Entry #1—passion. Do you remember yours?

Unfortunately, if the book were a record, it would have been dropped from most playlists…too many dropped names, too many dropped women—who, by the way, all dropped daughters, and too many dropped “F” bombs (commentary to follow shortly on people who drop too many “F” bombs).

There was this one pearl of wisdom though. Read the following excerpt. This made me—for the first time and likely the last—want to be just like Oprah and former President Bill Clinton.

…and I went off to be introduced to Oprah. I’m sure she knew absolutely nothing about me, but within seconds she made me feel as if I were the most fascinating man on the planet. (She and Bill Clinton have that gift in common. Most people are lost in a bottomless black hole of self-absorption, but people like Oprah and Bill make you feel as if you are the most important and fascinating person they’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.) When I told Oprah that the Beatles had been one of my early influences, she wanted to know why, and she was dead serious about it. She wasn’t just going through the motions. And it reminded me of an old saying: “If you find yourself interesting, you’re a bore. But if you find me interesting you’re a genius.”

By the time we sat down to dinner, I knew Oprah was a genius and I was absolutely crazy about her.

“HITMAN – THE MEMOIR OF LEGENDARY MUSIC PRODUCER DAVID FOSTER”

We have a very dear friend who embodies this very principle and she’s positively uplifting to be around. Here’s to our friend Toni! May we all aspire to be more like you, Oprah and Buba. Cheers!