L&S Unscripted

As many as half a million people are expected in the Black Hills of South Dakota this week for the 70th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Most will make the trip without accident or injury. But for some, the ride will be their last. And it doesn’t have to be that way.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one in three motorcycle accident fatalities could have been avoided if the rider had worn a helmet. It’s a warning the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety is literally laying at the feet of riders in the Black Hills. One hundred decals, each measuring three feet square, dot the sidewalks of Deadwood during the Rally. As bikers take a break and walk around the historic Black Hills town, they can read three different reminders to wear a helmet.

When Jersey Shore first hit the airwaves and became wildly popular, I distinctly remember a conversation here at the agency about how and why this new reality show was exploding into the powerhouse that it has become.

The discussion involved trends, both entertainment and economic wise. We discussed how The Hills grew to be successful in a period of prosperous economic times. The show paralleled a lavish and extravagant lifestyle that seemed attainable for so long for so many (against all odds).

Then we talked about how Jersey Shore was The Hills of the new era, appealing to the masses because it speaks to the working class, “common” folk. The over-tanned, over-juiced cast of characters is relatable in spite of itself, and the country traded coveting daddy-funded trips to Cabo and $2,000 hair extensions for all-night beer parties and Snooki’s poof. There was a great analysis along these same lines this week on Slate.com, in fact.

So as marketers, why and how does this consumer behavior matter? What does the shift to Jersey Shore mean for your business?

The answer is simple. Messaging needs to cater to current economic trends, just like reality programming. Consumers are interested in what seems relatable and attainable. In booming times, luxury sells, but in times of recession and recovery, reality comes back into view.

And although Jersey Shore is relevant in terms of marketing, by no means should one find it necessary to partake in the fist pump or preach the practices of GTL.

I’ve never made anyone cry. Well, that’s not totally true.  I’ve never been a part of an ad campaign that made someone cry (or at least admit to it).  However, an ad we just completed seems to have struck a chord—with hunters of all people.

One gentleman emailed saying,  “My heart was so torn up last night as I was reading Pheasants Forever, that I could hardly re- read the ad to my wife.”

Another hunter commented that the ad captured the best part of upland bird hunting and owning a dog.

“As a hunter, a dedicated outdoorsman, conservationist and dog owner/trainer, I can only say that your ad should be marked as the finest,  most powerful ad I have ever seen!  I have never in my life been brought to tears by an ad.”

So what moved these avid outdoorsmen? An insight. Hunters love their dogs. They take pride in their four-legged hunting partners and can’t resist those “puppy dog” eyes.

Great creative is more than pretty words and beautiful pictures. Greatness comes from knowing your audience and what moves them.

View the ad.

If you want your retail e-mail offer to be most effective, deliver it to the Moms in your database on Friday morning.  A recent white paper by AOL Advertising states that 84% of Moms shop online while at work, and 60% of women respond to e-mail offers while at work.  E-mail is the most influential driver toward purchase, with 3 out of 4 women surveyed saying they subscribe to at least one e-mail alert.

Most of the online shopping occurs Friday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., but all week long, moms are shopping during their lunch break.

• 54% shop during lunch
• 41% while multitasking
• 46% during breaks and downtime
• 25% right after seeing a “deal”

After reading this study, I began to examine my e-mail alerts; curious about when they hit my inbox and if I am more likely to respond on certain days or at certain times.  There are a handful that I subscribe to for sales alerts and coupons; Target, Kohl’s, JC Penney’s, Budget Travel Deals and Papa Murphy’s Pizza offers to name a few.  Here is what I discovered about mom-self:

Target: These are consistently delivered on Sunday and Wednesday, with all arriving between 3 and 4 a.m. each time.  In looking back, the only offer I clicked on had a subject line with a 15% discount offer.  I am a bargain shopper, what can I say!

Kohl’s : They send e-mails nearly every day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday, and always in the early morning hours (between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.).  I have only opened about 10% of them, most often on Sunday.

JC Penny’s: The sales e-mails are most likely to arrive on Sunday morning and rewards e-mails on Thursday, both in the early morning between midnight and 1 a.m.  I open about 2 of every 10 e-mails sent, and most of those are the Thursday Rewards notifications (they typically contain coupons). 

Budget Travel Deals: Wednesday morning is the deployment for most Deal Alerts from Budget Travel.  I love to travel, and like to dream big about my next vacation.  Wednesday, during the mid-week hum-drums, is just as good of a time as any.  In the past 4 months, I have read about 30% of their Alerts.  Although I have not made any purchases based on the offers, it has given me a lot of ideas for future vacations and the itch to pack my bags and catch a flight to anywhere.

Papa Murphy’s: They know me well.  I receive most of their e-mails on Friday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and I open more than half.  Sitting at my desk wondering what to make for dinner; then “ding”, a coupon for take home pizza arrives.  It works for me.

You can read more about the AOL study at http://advertising.aol.com/sites/default/files/WomenRetailStudy.pdf.

On Wednesday, June 30, thousands of people around the world will be celebrating the transformation of media into a social dialogue. Connect with local social media enthusiasts at the official Sioux Falls Social Media Day Meetup and share your ideas, experiences and questions.

Lawrence & Schiller is hosting the Sioux Falls event at Champps Restaurant (41st & Western) from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Enjoy half-price drinks and free appetizers as well.

Sign up at http://bit.ly/b8NZnF. Share the event details with others who are social media experts, casual users or those who want to learn more. Flex those social media muscles and spread the word on everything from Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn. You could even post a YouTube video showcasing your excitement. Include #smdaysf in your tweets about the event.

Conversations will focus on:

• Facebook
• Foursquare
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• YouTube and Flickr
• What’s Next

Bring your ideas, experience and questions about these social media platforms and your suspicions about what’s next in the social media world.

Lawrence & Schiller’s own Derek Soukup recently traveled to sunny Orlando, Florida, escaping the South Dakota rain for the American Advertising Federation (AAF) National Conference. Derek along with Ruth Ann Scott, Executive Director of the South Dakota Advertising Federation, and Eric Vasgaard of Keyframe, attended the conference “Ideas at Work” on June 10-12.

Derek was excited to accept the first-place award for Communications in the National Club Achievement Competition. There are 4 divisions in the competition. SDAF took home the Division III prize. “It was an honor to receive the award for SDAF and for Lawrence & Schiller who designed, produced and distributed this year’s ADrenaline themed club communications,” said Derek.

Proudly lugging around the newly-won honor, Derek heard from Disney’s VP of creative, attended AAF club roundtables and gleaned information from breakout sessions throughout the week. “I really enjoyed learning about how other local clubs operate,” Derek said. “It was reaffirming that we are on the right track with SDAF. We have a variety of members, not just agencies, and successfully secure sponsors for our events.” He also enjoyed listening to the “Around the Water Cooler: What’s Your Professional Reputation” forum. The group  attended the National ADDY Award Show and Reception on the last night of the conference.

The conference was a great reminder to Derek that SDAF is a part of a larger national organization. “I enjoyed seeing people I had met from other districts in the past and making connections with other AAF members. We have a very active AAF club in South Dakota and it will only continue to be healthy if talented, local AdFed members serve on the various committees that make SDAF successful,” commented Derek. 

Derek will be next year’s SDAF President, so feel free to send your ideas and questions his way.

New rules proposed last week by the Department of Education are stirring the world of college recruitment and marketing. According to its press release, the Department of Education hopes the rules will “strengthen the federal student aid programs by protecting students from aggressive or misleading recruiting practices, providing consumers with better information about the effectiveness of career college and training programs, and ensuring that only eligible students or programs receive aid.”

The newly proposed regulations mainly target the recruitment practices of for-profit colleges, such as University of Phoenix and ITT Technical Institute. If the rules become effective, higher-education institutions would be required to reveal the graduation and job placement rates and provide information about student debt levels and incomes after graduation.

The Department of Education hopes to better protect students from “institutions engaging in deceptive advertising, marketing, and sales practices.” Although for-profit colleges are the focus of the proposed rules, the Department of Education’s actions are a good reminder of the marketing and advertising basics for all higher-education institutions.

Properly equipping students for the workforce and being upfront about the cost of education are the foundations of quality educational institutions. Transparently communicating an institution’s commitment to those values builds trust and credibility with prospective students and the public. Aggressive recruiting practices and promising results that can’t be delivered will only erode an institution’s reputation. Honest communication remains the best way to earn trust and enroll students.

To better serve clients, the Lawrence & Schiller media team recently added another member.

Shawn Peterson - June 2010
Media Coordinator – Team Fuse
Shawn grew up in McCook Lake, SD, which is near Sioux City, before attending USD. He graduated with a degree in sociology and a minor in business. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends. Shawn also enjoys playing basketball.

VIDEO: Listen to Shawn’s introduction.

Welcome to L&S Shawn!

Lawrence & Schiller’s newest extra-miler arrived this week.

Alex Wollman – June 2010
Web Intern- Team Webworks
Alex grew up in Huron, SD. He will graduate next year from Dakota State University with a degree in computer science and math. Alex enjoys traveling and recently returned from a two-week art tour of Europe. His favorite stop on the trip was Assisi, Italy, a small village near Florence.

VIDEO: Watch Alex’s introduction.

Welcome to the L&S team!

Some new faces are gracing the halls of Lawrence & Schiller. Several new hires and interns have joined the 5280 team recently. Two media coordinators, a financial specialist and a public relations coordinator are the newest full-time employees.

New Hires
	Ryan Gardner – March 2010 Financial Specialist – Team Synergy Ryan grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from Augustana College. He enjoys playing golf and tennis and spending time with his fiancée, Laura Walton.VIDEO: Hear Ryan’s introduction.
	Lindsey Haskins- May 2010 Public Relations Coordinator – Public Relations Team Lindsey is from Pierre, SD, and attended Northwestern College in Orange City, IA. She graduated a few weeks ago with a degree in public relations and business administration. Spending time with her fiancé, TJ Philips, and being outside are activities Lindsey enjoys in her free time.VIDEO: Learn more about Lindsey.
	Krista Kayser - May 2010 Media coordinator – Team Synergy Krista crossed the border from her hometown of Mankato, MN to become an Augustana College graduate. Motorcycling with her husband and playing with their ten-week-old son, Joseph, are some of her favorite things to do.VIDEO: Meet Krista.
	Maggie Saugstad - May 2010 Media coordinator – Team Synergy Maggie, originally from Madison, SD, spent one year at Dakota State University before completing her degree in business administration and marketing at Colorado Tech. She enjoys going outdoors to do yard work, camp or play kickball with her seven-year-old daughter, Savannah. VIDEO: Hear Maggie’s story.
Interns
	Les Cotton - April 2010 Production Artist Intern – Team Fuse Les is originally from Volga, SD, and graduated from SDSU with a degree in graphic design and fine art. Outside of work he likes to draw and do anything creative. VIDEO: Listen to Les’ introduction.
	April Gregory – January 2010 Multimedia Intern – Deadwood Office April grew up in Lodge Grass, MT and graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in photojournalism and art history. In her spare time, April enjoys outdoor activities such as fly-fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing and camping. She is excited to be photographing for L&S and is enjoying learning more about marketing.VIDEO: Learn more about April.
	Katie Kuyper - April 2010 Media intern – Team Zen Wizards A Sioux Falls native, Katie graduated last May from Augustana College. She is an avid movie fan and couldn’t live without her DVR.VIDEO: Meet Katie.
	Elizabeth Spaans - May 2010 Account Service and Copywriting Intern – Team Fuse Elizabeth grew up in Stickney, SD, which, for those who are rusty on their South Dakota geography, is a small town near Mitchell. She recently graduated from Augustana College with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. After work she enjoys reading and photography. VIDEO: Hear Elizabeth’s introduction.
	Tracy Hamann - May 2010 Account Service and Copywriting Intern – Team Synergy Tracy is originally from Sioux Falls and graduated just a few weeks ago from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. One of her favorite activities is shopping. VIDEO: Get to know Tracy.

Welcome to the team!

Over the past five years, Jeff Hanson has spawned countless ideas for L&S as the leader of the agency’s Public Relations team; including the Zip Feed Mill BOOM demolition, the launch of the Sioux Falls Green Project and last year’s Pheasantennial promotion for South Dakota Tourism.   His great grasp of what’s going on in the world, storytelling skills and amazing weight loss abilities have made Jeff a truly unforgettable character at the agency.

Now Jeff is moving into a new chapter of his life. He’s going out on his own as an independent PR consultant. His last day with Lawrence & Schiller is March 12th.

In lieu of a big send-off party,  Jeff has asked L&S to donate any dollars budgeted for his gathering to one of his favorite personal charities, the Argus Leader Backpack Program.   His wish will be granted – another great idea from a man who hatched plenty.

What’s the ideal training ground for an ad agency president?   If you answered, “being a marching band instructor”, you’re either a master of unconventional thinking, or you’ve spent some time with  Scott Lawrence, the President and CEO of Lawrence and Schiller.

Read the rest of this entry »

From travel and tourism to higher education, telecommunications to healthcare, 12 different Lawrence  & Schiller clients took home honors Saturday night, at the 44th Annual South Dakota Advertising Federation’s Addy Awards. The diverse collection of winners represent a 25% higher number of clients than any other marketing agency in the awards show.

Read the rest of this entry »

Another edition of notes from my trip to the Interative Advertising Bureau’s MIXX Conference this past fall. 

Ads Are Content

• 55 billion dollars are projected for interactive marketing in 2015; it will be the largest media category in the world.
• Economic value of the internet: 3.1 million US jobs, and $300 billion to the economy. 
• Evolution of banners
  • Banner ads – circa 1995 – when display ads were put on banners.
  • Google changed it with small ads to small groups that it was relevant to. 
  • Now, there are infinite inventory and places to advertise.  Attention is worth more than money.
  • We have learned to tune out banner ads that do not speak directly to us – we need to make ads as content, that match that niche community’s site (no generic banner ads to all sites).
  • Get communities to talk about your product for you.  Example of unique niche community – GeekDad.com – 1 million visits per month.  Great example of a very niche, yet very popular site. So how do you engage deeply with all of these micro-communities?  You can’t reach them all – you need to find a way to get that community to do that for you.
• Embrace digital – your stuff is out there so make a community around it or make it easier for people.
  • Example: Monte Python – They faced a potential loss in DVD sales when some of their episodes starting getting put online by users.  They embraced the fact that their content was already out there, and improved it by uploaded episodes to You Tube, making the episodes HD friendly, and organizing the collection online.  The result?  A renewed interest in the products, and increased DVD sales.

Back to the basics of Christmas is the approach used in the latest Lewis campaign. No hot toys or gadgets were featured this year, marking a somewhat different Christmas campaign than in years past.

A sound mix to “Oh Christmas Tree” and highlighting a breadth of products from all departments within Lewis lends a fresh, fun feel to this spot. Products from TVs and cameras to baby dolls, champagne and Doritos – it is made apparent that Lewis is your first stop for everything holiday. Whether it be for shipping and packaging, decorating your house for the holidays, gift buying or party planning, Lewis has it all.

More notes from the International Advertising Bureau’s MIXX conference. 

Can you imaging spending 3/4 of your ad budget in ditial marketing?  Adobe can, and they do.  They have created proven campaigns, and alleviated concerns by sharing data and results.  The first speaker of the conference, Anne Lewis, Senior VP of Adobe, set the theme with this statement: It’s ALL Advertising.   When you think about it, it’s true.  Every piece of material we put out there for a brand can either credit or discredit that product or brand.  It’s important to make sure that what you are putting out there is relevant to your target audience. 

Lawrence & Schiller had the great opportunity recently to be involved in announcing the merger of Sanford Health & MeritCare. In collaboration with the creative teams at Sanford & MeritCare, we produced the Stronger Together campaign including television, outdoor & online ads, launched Monday, November 2. This powerful new partnership will provide better patient care with over 800 physicians and expanded services, as well as advancements in medical research and education. Congratulations to Sanford Health & MeritCare on this monumental occasion!

It is not often that we get feedback from consumers on the effect our advertising has on them.  And even less frequent that we get positive feedback.

We had the privilege of receiving a letter from a Midwest Living magazine subscriber regarding the ads placed in the publication for South Dakota Tourism this year.  It read:

“May I share with you how much I have enjoyed Midwest Living’s South Dakota tourism ads?  I have framed each one and have hung them on my knotty pine walls in my northern Wisconsin cottage.  How serene! Will there be more?  Thank you!”

Marilyn P from Wisconsin 

Additionally, she attached a Polaroid shot of the six ads she had clipped and framed for her home. 

Kudos to the team for developing such powerful copy and imagery to evoke strong emotion; strong enough to move the magazine reader to cut out, frame, and hang them in her home.  More powerfully, to move her to write a letter (not send an email) to the publication asking them for more.  

Now, that is marketing that will move the needle!

The Framed South Dakota Tourism ads

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:04 — 2.8MB)

It’s always exciting to win an award, but when it comes from your peers – people with whom you compete for business -  it often means more.  Such is the case for the South Dakota Office of Tourism and its recent winning of the prestigious Mercury Award.

Micah Aberson, Director of Business Development at Lawrence & Schiller tells the story of the award winning Black Hills Digital Strategy in this edition of The Extra Minute.

For season premiere week?!  I AM!!!  The official start of the 09-10 TV is about to commence, so set those DVRs (or VCRs if you must), dust off your remote and get ready for a busy fall!  I’m just giddy…

New shows are bolded.  For more information about each show, follow the network link.

ABC
Dancing With the Stars: Monday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. ET
Castle: Monday, Sept. 21, 10 p.m. ET
The Forgotten: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 10 p.m. ET
Dancing With the Stars Results Show: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. ET (special day and time)
Modern Family: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 9 p.m. ET
Cougar Town: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 9:30 p.m. ET
Eastwick: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 10 p.m. ET
FlashFoward: Thursday, Sept. 24, 8 p.m. ET
Grey’s Anatomy: Thursday, Sept. 24, 9 p.m. ET
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: Sunday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. ET (two hours)
Desperate Housewives: Sunday, Sept. 27, 9 p.m. ET
Brothers & Sisters: Sunday, Sept. 27, 10 p.m. ET
Shark Tank: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 8 p.m. ET (summer run began on Sunday, Aug. 9)
Hank: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 8 p.m. ET
The Middle: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 8:30 p.m. ET
America’s Funniest Home Videos: Sunday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m. ET
Ugly Betty: Friday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m. ET (two hours)
Supernanny: Friday, Oct. 16, 8 p.m. ET

CBS
Survivor: Samoa: Thursday, Sept. 17, 8 p.m. ET
How I Met Your Mother: Monday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. ET
Accidentally on Purpose: Monday, Sept. 21, 8:30 p.m. ET
Two and a Half Men: Monday, Sept. 21, 9 p.m. ET
The Big Bang Theory: Monday, Sept. 21, 9:30 p.m. ET
CSI: Miami: Monday, Sept. 21, 10 p.m. ET
NCIS: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 8 p.m. ET
NCIS: Los Angeles: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 9 p.m. ET
The Good Wife: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 10 p.m. ET
The New Adventures of Old Christine: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. ET
Gary Unmarried: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 8:30 p.m. ET
Criminal Minds: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 9 p.m. ET
CSI: NY: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 10 p.m. ET
CSI: Thursday, Sept. 24: Thursday, Sept. 24: 9 p.m. ET
The Mentalist: Thursday, Sept. 24: Thursday, Sept. 24: 10 p.m. ET
Ghost Whisperer: Friday, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. ET
Medium: Friday, Sept. 25, 9 p.m. ET
Numbers: Friday, Sept. 25, 10 p.m. ET
48 Hours Mystery: Saturday, Sept. 26, 10 p.m. ET
60 Minutes: Sunday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. ET
The Amazing Race: Sunday, Sept. 27, 8 p.m. ET
Cold Case: Sunday, Sept. 27, 10 p.m. ET
Three Rivers: Sunday, Oct. 4, 9 p.m. ET

NBC
The Jay Leno Show: Monday, Sept. 14, 10 p.m. ET (series premiere, M-F)
The Biggest Loser: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 8 p.m. ET (two hours)
Saturday Night Live Weekend Thursday Update: Thursday, Sept. 17, 8 p.m. ET
Parks and Recreations: Thursday, Sept. 17, 8:30 p.m. ET
The Office: Thursday, Sept. 17, 9 p.m. ET
Community: Thursday, Sept. 17, 9:30 p.m. ET; moves to Thursday 8 p.m. six weeks later
Heroes: Monday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. ET (new time, two hours)
Mercy: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. ET

Law & Order: SVU: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 9 p.m. ET (new day and time)
Law & Order: Friday, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. ET (new day and time)
Southland: Friday, Sept. 25, 9 p.m. ET (new time)
Dateline: Saturday, Sept. 26, 8 p.m. ET
Trauma: Monday, Sept. 28, 9 p.m. ET

Community: Thursday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m. ET (new time period)
30 Rock: Thursday, Oct. 15, 9:30 p.m. ET
 

FOX
Cops: Saturday, Sept. 12, 8 p.m. ET
America’s Most Wanted: Saturday, Sept. 12, 9 p.m. ET
So You Think You Can Dance: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 8 p.m. ET
Glee: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 9 p.m. ET
Bones: Thursday, Sept. 17, 8 p.m. ET
Fringe: Thursday, Sept. 17, 9 p.m. ET
Brothers: Friday, Sept. 18, 8 p.m. ET
‘Til Death: Friday, Sept. 18, 8:30 p.m. ET
Dollhouse: Friday, Sept. 18, 9 p.m. ET
House: Monday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. ET (two hours)
The Simpsons: Sunday, Sept. 27, 8 p.m. ET
The Cleveland Show: Sunday, Sept. 27, 8:30 p.m. ET
Family Guy: Sunday, Sept. 27, 9 p.m. ET
American Dad: Sunday, Sept. 27, 9:30 p.m. ET
Lie To Me: Monday, Sept. 28, 9 p.m. ET
The Wanda Sykes Show: Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 p.m. ET