Everyone Screams for Ice Cream!!

It's hard to believe that something as simple as ice cream can have such a loyal following, but two men who built a simple company in Vermont, had that dream. Ben and Jerry's ice cream is anything but ordinary, with flavors like Chunky Monkey and Half-Baked. Their company took something rather ordinary and made it extraordinary and fun.
And they're still doing it with a new iPhone app that includes Moo Vision. Moo Vision is a seriously silly feature on a practical application that allows you to see a 3D image when you point the phone's camera at certain Ben and Jerry's lids. The application also points you to Ben and Jerry's locations, tells you about the latest flavors and events.
Ben and Jerry have built an amazing business that holds true to it's values while still being popular and entertaining. They didn't forget who they were when they designed their app.

Ben & Jerry's Double Dip: How to Run a Values Led Business and Make Money TooBen & Jerry's: The Inside Scoop: How Two Real Guys Built a Business with a Social Conscience and a Sense of Humor

You're Stuck In An Elevator...

...for 30 seconds with a Rabbi and your next potential client.

What do you do?

For starters, you ignore the Rabbi. He's muttering to someone on his cell phone anyway and you're pretty sure you can track him down, if it was necessary.

What's left? You're next potential customer - so you take a deep breath and...?

Now what?!

You have to ask?

I'm shocked that you don't know the answer to this one by now. It's called the 30 second elevator pitch because that's about the amount of time you have to really interest your next potential client. In those first 30 seconds you need to catch their attention and keep them interested in your product or service. Sometimes you only have 30 seconds to explain exactly what you do.

My 30 second spiel?

"Xente Media is a company that saves you money. We will research your customers and find out exactly what they like - from their favorite TV shows, magazines, Internet sites, how much they make, how many children they have, what kind of car they drive and more so we can use your budget to reach only those customers in your target market with efficient, well-placed advertising. Xente Media is not just an advertising agency, we're a company based on strategy and using your ad dollars wisely."

Could it use some work? Probably. Every elevator pitch takes some practice and some skill in saying exactly what you need to say to grab the attention of your customer.

I've found there are some great sites dedicated to helping you craft the perfect elevator pitch.

How To Craft a Killer Elevator Pitch

The Art of The Elevator Pitch

Microsoft Small Business - 5 Tips For Creating an Elevator Pitch

Rather than re-inventing the wheel today, let's just work on something tried and true. Let's hear your elevator pitch? What do you have to say in 30 seconds?

A Doggie Dog World

I walked into my favorite groomer's the other day and as I was presenting my little beast for his nail trimming I noticed that my groomer was reading an article about branding.
I realized when your dog groomer starts talking about branding you know that word is no longer just an ad agency buzz word, but a word that deserves some attention.

So branding. What is it?

dictionary.com defines brand as: kind, grade, or make, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like.
Of course it also defines brand as: a mark formerly put upon criminals with a hot iron.
Considering that branding seems to have originated out of the ad world, that second definition probably isn't that far off the mark, but I think we can look a little deeper.

Your brand is how other people see you, it is your worth in their eyes. Take the Starbucks brand - for all of the ups and downs, this is a multi-million dollar company based around a slightly exotic cup of coffee. When you think about Starbucks you think about their logo, that distinctive green you see in all of their shops and depending on how you feel about the company, a few other adjectives will come to mind.

When you go to build your own brand you need to consider what you want it to say about your company. The first step is choosing a good name. There are thousands of books written just about picking a good name. My suggestion? Don't stress over it, just think of it as a tattoo. This is something that you are going to have for the rest of your life, so make certain it is what you want.

The next thing you want to consider is what your overall feeling is going to be. Are you a straight laced, business suit kind of company? If so, you'll probably want to consider more conservative colors, such as gray, maroon, dark blue. If you're a jeans and flip-flops place than consider something a little more festive.

And once you pick your colors, use them! Everywhere! These are the steps towards creating your brand. There are more and there will be more posts in the future, but this should give you enough to think about for now.

Plan of Attack!

"You've got no direction with your lives.
No plan.
When there's no plan, there's no attack.
No attack, no victory!"
- One Crazy Summer (1986)


One of the biggest mistakes most companies make is not having a well-defined plan of attack for their advertising. I write about this concept frequently because I see it almost everyday.
A business owner doesn't want to commit to a plan for advertising, doesn't want to spend the money and yet he still thinks that customers are going to magically appear. Well, I hate to break it to you, but the advertising fairy doesn't give a crap about your company unless you're ready to hand over some cash and be very creative in doing it.
If you have no direction in your company, no set branding practices, no plan, you cannot "attack" your rivals, you cannot "attack" future customers with your amazing product or service. And if you can't even attack (INFORM PEOPLE!)in the name of your business, there can't be any victory (MORE SALES, MORE CUSTOMERS!).
In case you missed the point here, let me be clear - If you don't have a solid advertising plan designed to inform people about your business, you won't be able to attract new clients and customers in a manner that will not only ensure success, but will also be the best use of your money.

So the next time you're thinking of spending that $5,000 on an ad in the Yellow Pages, Stop! Plan first! Attack next! And achieve victory!

As for the advertising fairy - he does exist.