MediaCorp Overland Park, Kansas Advertising Blog

By Bob Cannon

Launching a new product or service is an exciting time and it is possible to overlook something in the rush to get that product or service to market. I developed the following checklist to make certain that I didn’t make the same mistake twice. Hopefully it will keep you from making a mistake the first time.

1. Target the Audience

Over my 30+ years of experience, I have been involved in lots of new product introductions and have witnessed even more. Failing to target the market is the most common mistake I see in new product introductions. If you haven’t adequately defined the market, how can you be sure of what they want or need? Furthermore, how can you develop a plan to reach them? If you only get one thing from this article, make sure that you target your market.

2. Train and Focus the Sales Force

If you want your sales force to sell the new product, then you better make sure that they know and are comfortable with this product. Practice, role play, make calls with the sales force, but make sure they understand and can sell the product.

It is also important to make sure that selling the new product is their focus and that you have not confused them with multiple initiatives in the same or relatively close time frame. Clear the decks and make the new product launch their only focus.

3. Samples and Demos are ready and in place

New products generally need to be explained and samples and demos provide some of the best ways to do this. If you are going to use either, it is going to be critical to your success to insure that they are ready and in place prior to the launch.

4. Pricing is set

Your launch will not be a success if you don’t sell your product or service and you will not be able to do that unless you have completed your pricing and terms. If you are selling through distribution, it will be important to provide them with guidelines as well.

5. Promotions are in place

Frequently new products are introduced with promotions, so making sure the details of that promotion are clear will be critical. It is also possible that there may be programs like co-op advertising or volume rebates that will be affected and making sure those bases are covered should not be overlooked.

6. Displays are ready

Merchandisers and displays can be very effective in a new product launch. First you must decide if that is a part of your plan and if it is, then to make sure that they are in the right place at the right time to make your launch a success. Nobody needs a merchandiser or display after the promotion and the product is taking up regular shelf sapce.

7. Distribution is ready

Make certain that your means of getting the product or service to the end user is in place and ready to go before your press releases and advertising kick in or you will have wasted your budget. Promotion without product doesn’t serve you or the prospective customer or client.

8. Inventory is in stock

It isn’t enough to have product in the channel of distribution. If your estimates are wrong or your sales exceed expectations, your future success will depend on being able to react to that customer demand. Make sure you have inventory on the shelf or coming off the production line in time to replenish your supplies.

9. Advertising is set

Making people aware of your new product is going to be an important part of your launch. Most media have a lead time that has to be a part of your consideration. Print publications can run several months. Getting your website listed in Google or some of the other search engines can take even longer. Production for websites and broadcast commercials take time as well. Don’t wait till the last minute to begin this process.

10. Press Releases are timed

Just like with advertising, press releases need to be timed to the introduction. Lead times are long and talking to the outlets for your releases will be important in making sure that their timing and your timing work together to benefit the launch.

Different products in different markets will have variations on this checklist. Use this not as the end of your checklist, but rather as the base and build additional issues as required for your product or market.

By Alexander Gordon

The purpose of a business is to create and keep customers. Sometimes, in spite of a successful launch of a product, it fails to pick up sales. An integrated process of research, pricing, market needs and advertisement results in a successful product launch. Attention to some critical issues affecting the product introduction will pay handsome dividends.

Market Research:

It is very important to spend time on market research, because it’s the key to a successful product creation. It provides critical information, direction and identifies the needs and expectations of the customer. Give a customer what he needs rather than what you want to sell them. The company should base the product feature, pricing, distribution channels, and motivation to buy based on the findings of the market research.

Target Customer:

When introducing a new product, keep in mind the profiles of three types of buyers. First, is the Early Adopter. They are a small fraction of customers who purchase your product simply because it’s new. They buy out of sheer curiosity. Second, are the Late Adopters. These types of customers pick up a product only at the mature or late stage of the products life cycle. They too represent a small segment of the market. Together they compromise of just 20% of the customers and are not worth pursuing. The third and most important buyer is the Middle Buyer. They purchase the product not because it’s new, but because it’s better than what is currently offered. They represent more than 80% of potential customers, and should be targeted diligently.
You have to convince this large segment of potential buyers how your product is better with all resources at command. Be passionate of your product, patient, and consistent with an effective marketing plan and tools.

The Right Product:

Do extensive market research to determine why a customer would want your product over your competitor’s product. You will find opportunities in the market where unmet needs of customers can be addressed more effectively with your new product.

The Right Timing:

After extensive market research on market needs and manufacturing, introduce your product at the right time. The promotion schedule and period of the rollout is very critical. The product should be ready for sale simultaneously. Product lags in manufacture will result in low sales and loss of credibility.

Test Marketing:

Test your new product with the features required by customers. Check the price and comfort level of subsidiary sales organizations like distributors, promoters, etc., for the right message to customers.

Distribution:

There are significant up-front selling costs in introducing new products. Good sales potential of the product assures distribution channel of profitable recovery on their investment.

Training:

Train the first line of employees or sales people effectively before the product launch as they face the potential customers.

Promotion:

A well-timed promotion program to include, advertising, seminars, trade shows, samples and literature will help in marketing your product successfully.

A well-prepared marketing plan will ensure a good response from your targeted customers. Effective market research, timing and promotion will increase the probability of success for the product.

By Paddu Govindaraj

Lead management is an essential part of marketing, and yet too many companies, especially small and medium sized businesses are completely ignoring it. Lead management allows you to strategically remove weak or unqualified leads from immediate sales contact, and either move them to a lead nurturing system, or remove them from the system entirely. Without a proper lead management process, you can push too hard on an otherwise quality lead that just needed to be nurtured, or waste your company’s time and money on a lead that shouldn’t have been worked.

Lead Aggregation
Lead management can help you and your marketing and sales departments easily maintain a centralized database of captured leads, and sort out the leads that should be worked. Lead management makes it much easier for you to assign and distribute leads to the appropriate sales person, and can encourage more conversions if effectively implemented. Failing to use a suitable lead management system with your current base of leads can lead to some bigger problems down the road.

Lead Routing or Lead Distribution
One of the problems that plagues many sales departments is the concurrent working of leads; that is, when more than one sales person attempts to contact a lead to make a sale. This is not only a waste of time and company money, but a great way to frustrate and turn off an otherwise quality lead. You can kill any possible sale by not managing who is working on what leads, which is why managing the leads is so important.

Another major problem with managing leads is that they aren’t always assigned and distributed to the correct sales person. While people are prone to make mistakes, lead management would cut down on the incidences of leads being assigned to an inappropriate sales person. When leads make it to the right sales executive, you have a better shot at achieving another sale.

Lead Tracking
Marketing is a lot easier on your company when lead management procedures and policies are in place. You can track the lead conversion rates for your leads with each individual sales person, and see where you need improvement. You can also see what methods of marketing are working for your base of leads, and see where you may need to change your current marketing strategies.

Sales Lead Management Software
Automated sales lead management software is by far the easiest way to manage your base of leads. An automated software can automatically assign leads to members of your sales department based on qualifying information, which can equal a higher chance of a conversion. Automated lead management also updates the status of a lead, allows sales agents to see if contact has already been made, and helps you track the status of each lead.

Grow Your Sales
Don’t make the same mistake by skipping on lead management by using a simple software. Such a simple process can save your company time, money, and increase your sales dramatically. Your company’s overall efficiency can be substantially improved by just managing the current leads you already have in your system. More leads will be contacted, and you can rest assured that you aren’t unnecessarily losing leads due to assignment of a lead to the wrong sales person or an agent who is busy following up the leads assigned earlier.

By Lance Winslow

Many entrepreneurs will tell you that amongst their strong suits is their ability to market a product or service. And yet, I feel often they do such an injustice to the entire of concept of marketing, what it means, the tradition behind it and the true value. If I might be so bold, I would like to recommend a book that will best illustrate my points here:

“Marketing and Distribution Research” by Lyndon O. Brown, PhD. - 1955.

This is a very old book and of specific interest to a life-time studier of marketing. The author the methodology; the science of marking and distribution research. And he uses the scientific methods of the time throughout the book. In Part I of the book he describes the importance of such research, how one needs to approach organizing their data, the types of methods that can be used and the scientific methods behind them.

If one is to truly understand the reality of marketing research then they must understand some of the history behind the science or art. In Part II the author introduces chapters on:

* Marketing Research Procedures
* The Situation Analysis
* The Informal Investigation
* Planning the Formal Research Project
* Preparation of the Forms for Collecting Data
* The Principles of Sampling
* Planning the Sample for Market Research
* The Final Plan
* Collecting Marketing Data
* Tabulation and Analysis
* Interpretation
* Presentation of the Results and Follow-up

You can see by these titles that the author takes marketing a lot more serious than marketers of today do. Of course, information is now abundant, yet, much of the information is not really correct, do you know the difference if you do not verify?

The author goes further on describing other types of research for business such as; motivational, operations, distribution, sales, advertising, product, trends, and industrial and institutional marketing research. Do I recommend this book to you?

By Michael Ventriello

Successful Major Market DRTV Ad Campaign Creating Consumer Demand For Immediate Release Wall, NJ – September 20, 2001- TPC Enterprises, the makers of Quick-10 multi-purpose carpet and upholstery stain remover recently signed exclusive retail marketing and distribution contract with MediaCorp Worldwide, a leader in the direct response industry.

Under the terms of the agreement, MediaCorp will develop a network of retailers to leverage the consumer demand being generated by its multi million dollar Quick-10 DRTV campaign. Currently, two-minute short-form Quick-10 infomercials are running on national cable networks such as Lifetime, ESPN, Animal Planet, Court TV, Nick at Night, The Game Show Network and The Weather Channel. The product will also be featured on QVC in the near future.

According to TPC president Pete Chicarielli, “We partnered with MediaCorp based on their proven track record of developing brand awareness and creating consumer demand for products before introducing them to mass market retailers and independent store owners.”

“Our Quick DRTV campaign began this past June, and continues to rank in DRTV monitoring agency Jordan Whitney’s top 40,” noted Mitch Kisberg Media Corp’s vice president of retail distribution. “We know from experience that this is the best way to ensure sell-through and profitability for retailers. The buyers we’ve been talking to appreciate our retail launch strategy. In fact, we expect to announce some major deals in September.”

Mr. Chicarielli used a similar launch strategy with an earlier product, InstaGone – an all purpose cleaning product that started with TV direct marketing and later sold millions of units via leading retailers such as Wall-Mart, Target, Cost Cutters, BJ’s Warehouse and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Quick-10 is available to retailers in a 6-count package, a 24-count case, or a colorful self-shipping display that holds two 12-unit trays. “This attractive display also offers attractive margins,” said Kisberg. “Retailers can expect 40% margins and higher from a four square foot display.” The product’s suggested retail price is $19.95.

Chicarielli is quick to add that no amount of advertising or point-of-sale displays can replace the importance of product quality, “Stringent testing by International Testing Laboratories has proven Quick-10 to be in their words, ‘an excellent product’. We also stand behind Quick-10 with an unconditional money back guarantee.” Quick-10 is not only ideal for cleaning stained carpets, rugs, leather goods and upholstered furniture, it’s also perfect for use on boats, RVs and autos.

For More Information:

Retailer and dealer inquiries for Quick-10 are being handled by MediaCorp Worldwide, a full-service manufacturing, marketing and distribution company that specializes in the development of new and innovative household products for the American consumer. MediaCorp has successfully launched product such as Pump n Seal, Salad Blaster, Hangrite and others. For more information on Quick-10® or to place an order, contact Mitch Kisberg (718) 544-6146 or visit the MediaCorp web site at http://www.media-corp.com

By Joe Cavell

Putting yourself in your prospect’s shoes can be a daunting task… but as an advertiser, you need to understand what motivates him or her to buy. One way is to research how he or she reacts to your marketing and advertising efforts. To assume everyone will notice your unique collection of expensive ads and take immediate action is naïve thinking. Spending $14,000 or $140,000 for your ads will not necessarily guarantee a “winner.” People won’t notice your advertisements UNTIL they suddenly find themselves needing what you are selling.

The structure of your ad is vitally important, especially for first time audiences. Your target audience must be able to decipher your ad so they will TAKE ACTION. Don’t assume that the prospect already knows anything about what you’re selling.

Here’s an example to illustrate the point: To help lower the risk, Company A offers a free seminar preview DVD. They used to send the DVD out in a “plain vanilla” envelope and results were marginal. By the time the prospects listened to the DVD (two to four days later), about 35% had completely forgotten they had even requested it.

Their envelope didn’t communicate a powerful impression to the intended receiver. By the time they followed up with a phone call, 7 to 10 days after their initial request, 50% or more had not realized that they received the DVD, or worse, some didn’t even remember asking for it. The cold reality was their prospects’ ears were NOT conditioned to expect the message - they just didn’t care.

Company A’s process of answering incoming phone calls that were inquiring about their seminars has dramatically changed. Now instead of sending prospects to a non-personal voice mail system, they are re-directed to a live person. They tell their prospects to watch for a preview package in a couple of days. To ensure that their package is NOT overlooked - it was sent via priority mail in a 28″ long circular red, white and blue mailing tube that commands attention.

Their follow-up calls have been more effective - almost 100% of the people instantly remember who they are!

Do not assume that your prospects know anything about you or your industry. You need to build a case for your product or service, just like an attorney would. What kind of people are put on a jury? People who don’t know a thing about the case. If word gets out that one of the jurors has knowledge about the case, they are immediately dismissed. The attorneys want fresh eyes. And you have to sell to fresh eyes too!

Have You Ever Made A Money-Losing Mistake Involving Assumption?

The pool table industry was selling a particular brand of coin-operated pool tables to “operators” who would place them in restaurants, bars and bowling alleys. Because most of these operators were family owned businesses that had been around forever, the industry assumed these establishments knew everything about the tables. It seemed like a fair assumption; however, it was a FALSE assumption.

In order for these operators to MAKE MORE MONEY– promoting certain qualities and features of these pool tables deemed inevitable. So, the owner of this particular brand of pool table quickly produced some crappy ads that were coldly received. These operators had heard this same old fluff before ‘our tables make your customers the most money.’ This worn out sales pitch wasn’t working anymore.

By Terry Oehrke

It’s important to measure your marketing efforts so you can ensure that each one is worth the investment but also so you can improve the effectiveness of each marketing tactic. Consumers and businesses no longer fit into one major medium so we’re not trying to compare everything to find the one marketing tactic we should use. Integrated marketing has proven itself time and time again. We want to make sure we can make a positive return on a specific tactic but more important we want to enhance the return of each marketing tactic.

The best way to improve on a specific marketing tactic is to create various test segments. These test segments are small but they allow you to test different offer, copy and creative strategies prior to sending to the main customer file.

One of the test segments that is often overlooked is the control group segment. A control group is a segment that never receives marketing tactics. The control group provides a way of understanding what would have happened if we didn’t do marketing at all.

All advertising agencies would love you to believe that if you don’t advertise you won’t see a single sale. Obviously, that’s not true but how many sales would you make without marketing and advertising. Unless you know you can’t accurately tell if the marketing tactic is worth the investment. Each marketing tactic not only has to pay for itself but it has to do so at a level higher than doing nothing.

One thing to keep in mind is that your test segments should be very small. You don’t need 50% of your customer file to test various offer/copy/creative strategies.

By Nazir Daud

Marketing your business on a budget is a skill that most small business owners would benefit from as it is one of the most essential elements of having a successful business. It can also be a huge drain on resources, particularly during the key start-up period.

For small business owners, there are a number of ways in which successful, responsive marketing can be created and tracked without having to spend too much money, which can help build up the profile of your business and generate new sales leads. By spending less money and more time on low cost marketing methods, it is possible to grow a business organically and to attract fresh client contacts.

One of the most effective ways of marketing a business on a budget is to create and maintain a website. A good way to generate interest in your website is by writing regular press releases and articles. Journalists and news editors receive hundreds of press releases every day so make sure that yours has a catchy headline and interesting content. Writing useful articles and sharing your knowledge will also help in driving traffic to your site.

A website can have the effect of being a permanent advert, particularly if it is easily discoverable by search engines. It allows your business the chance to drive new sales leads from highly interested prospects without having to physically engage with them. All in all, that means your business can drive leads any hour of the day or night, and can help with the ’soft sell’ to prospects engaged in pricing up the competition. An informative, well designed website with plenty of content updated regularly, can help portray your business as the right choice for prospective customers, and can sometimes have a viral effect in encouraging word of mouth referrals.

Another often underestimated business marketing method is radio advertising. As compared to advertising in other media, radio advertising is particularly cost effective, especially where you are offering a product or service that is of general relevance. While it is harder to track results from advertising of this sort, I believe that consumers are just as likely to respond to radio advertising, and considering it is often more cost-effective, it can be a great way to reach a local audience and drive sales and build reputation within your target area.

Marketing online is also a particularly cost effective way of driving sales leads for your business, and also brings with it obvious advantages in that it is easier to track and test. There are countless different ways you can market on the Internet, and generally pound for pound these tend to be cheaper than more traditional marketing methods like bill boards or television advertising. Combined with a well tuned website that has the ability to convert customers, this can prove to be money well spent and it is possible to build up a fresh customer base that you may otherwise have struggled to reach.

Author: Larry Arrance

Last week two major retailers, I will not tell you their names (but their initials are H.D. and C.T.) forgot this critical marketing rule ” everything is part of your marketing”. We were looking for some storage units that would be a quick addition to one of our rooms. We went down to check out what was available at these two stores. At H.D. I was turned off from buying their product before I got within fifteen feet of it. A large chuck was broken off from the corner of the door. This was their display unit. What were they displaying, that it was made from faulty materials, could be easily damaged during assembly or that the store did not care about their image for supplying quality products?

Then we headed over to C.T. but we did not fare any better. At least this time we were not disappointed until after we opened one of the drawers. Inside we found only half a drawer as the bottom had been badly broken. In their defense maybe some customer caused the damage but that does not take away from the disastrous marketing message they presented to us.

We ended up going to another retailer where we spent nearly a thousand dollars. I understand that a thousand dollars may not have a huge impact on a retailer of that size but it should never be considered inconsequential.

As a professional facilitator for many years I lived by the rule that everything in the room was part of the workshop. If it did not present the message or image you were trying to convey then it should not be there. The same holds true for your marketing. Whether you have a retail business or work out of your office, everything is part of your marketing. Take a walk around and look at everything from the point of view of a customer or client. What do your pictures, posters, diplomas or certificates say about you? Do they add or take away from your message? Example: If your diplomas and credentials are many years old what is it saying about your ability to stay current? What if the last time your company won an award for anything was a decade ago, what message does that send.

Overland Park, KS – Top nationwide television product makes draining pasta, vegetables, or any cooking simple with no mess.  MediaCorp has acquired the exclusive distribution of the Past Premiere for worldwide sales.  MediaCorp Worldwide launched the Pasta Premiere at the International Housewares Show in Chicago to rave reviews.

MediaCorp has commitments form major retailers such as; Kmart, Bed, Bath and Beyond, and numerous others. According to the Mark Manshiem, “The Housewares Show this year was fantastic for MediaCorp and its products.  We have acquired a number of orders and added to our rep network.  The next few months should be very busy.”