Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Creative Tension

There is a tension between creativity and expectation.

A marketer's willingness to take risks and be different is the only way true creativity can enter into the mix. I'm not talking about design, I'm talking about creativity. Creativity starts with an idea, and ends with the proper execution of that idea.

If an idea is uncomfortable, it will likely burn up in the atmosphere expectation. Then it's just a commodity. Safe maybe, but under-effective.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Forget the Dryer - Give Me My Cellphone!

USA Today reported Friday that a recent Pew Research Center survey of 1,003 individuals revealed that the recession has changed many Americans’ minds as it pertains to their “gotta-haves”. In 2006, 68% of respondents indicated a microwave was a necessity; now it’s 47%. Even more, (83%) felt a dryer was a must have in 2006. Today it’s just 66%.

While it seems we are more willing to slow cook meals and forego a clothes dryer, we won’t compromise when it comes to technology. The survey revealed that cellphones and high-speed Internet access are as necessary or more necessary than three years ago.

For those of you that repeatedly deal with the “no hook ups” objection, things may start to get a little easier – as long as you can show off the free Wi-Fi at the pool.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Give and Get Y

“What kind of resident activities are you interested in?”

The question was posed to a group of Gen Y’ers – 20 somethings that had agreed to sit live and unplugged for an audience late last year. In addition to community mixers, the group, showed enthusiastic support for charitable events. When pressed further with, “If the community signed up for an area run/walk or other charitable activity you would participate?” they not only said they would, but also indicated they would help plan it.

A 2007 Time Magazine article “What Gen Y Really Wants”, indicates Generation Y's search for meaning makes support for volunteering among the benefits it values most. The article referenced a Deloitte survey that revealed that more than half of workers in their 20’s prefer employment at companies that provide volunteer opportunities.

It makes sense then that Millenials will respond favorably to activities where they can get involved and make a difference. Make sure to include charitable functions/events in your retention plan this year. In addition, marketing should reveal your company’s philanthropic efforts as an appeal to the target’s values. Let them know what you stand for. Tell them about your “Soul brand”.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

That's Hot!

Today I had the fortune of visiting a doctor’s office for one of those tests that it nearly kills you to schedule, but that you feel pretty good about once it’s done and you know everything is still in working order. The center was new, modern and sleek and the experience completely transparent. Smiling employees guided my visit every step of the way and explained exactly what was going to happen next. The nurse directed me into a well-appointed changing room and handed me a gown. That’s when it hit me – the hospital gown was heated!

Two children and a number of other medical conditions have never resulted in a positive hospital gown experience. I have spent many hours shivering in chilly doctor’s offices in gowns that are always thin, usually falling apart and devoid of any reasonable coverage. Imagine my surprise as I slipped into a toasty warm, sturdy and roomy hospital gown. The impact was profound. All I could think was, “Now that makes a difference – they really figured out what bothers people and provided a solution.” Even better yet, everyone in the waiting room was talking about the warm gowns, and I bet, like myself, they will tell one of their friends or family about their experience. What did it cost? Most likely the heating device was not inexpensive, but the return generated in client satisfaction levels will justify the initial investment.

What kinds of little things do you think your residents tolerate but would never even consider complaining about because “that’s just the way it is?” Imagine the impact in identifying those challenges and providing solutions. At your next team meeting, pose the question. Look for answers. Change it up a bit. Deliver the unexpected.

Monday, April 6, 2009

More Popular Than Britney

In an article on discounts and their effect on brands, (of which a future post is forthcoming), Ad Age reports that Google searches for the term "coupons" last month for the first time surpassed those for "Britney Spears." Even more interesting, after technology contributor Becky Worley revealed on Good Morning America how she hunted down coupons online to buy a $3.49 tube of Colgate for 24 cents, the word “toothpaste” shot to the top five Google search terms. Consumers are clipping with frenzy, and expecting to receive discounts for the products they buy.

Are you offering coupons for your current promotion? Are they easy to get? Do they provide an attractive incentive? Is the promotion easy to understand? Does the coupon expire?

Keep the coupons coming, set a time frame to your promotion and stick to it, and make sure your desired audience can easily access and take advantage of.

Go Ahead. Touch It.

Science Daily recently published an informative article regarding the power touch has in influencing a consumer to buy an item, as well as its impact on enhanced perceived value.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107134535.htm
Turns out, the study, conducted by researchers from Ohio State University and Illinois State University revealed the longer an item is held, the more likely it will be purchased. Even more interesting, the longer held, the greater the perceived value. Essentially, the longer the test subject held an item, the more emotionally attached they became to it.

We marketers often reference the power of smell, sight and sound in enhancing the buyer experience. What we don’t reference as often, is the importance of touch in influencing consumer behavior. Car dealers, for example know that if you get in the car and drive it, you are more likely to buy it. Textile suppliers routinely hang sample linens in the sheet department so consumers can touch and experience what an elevated thread count means to comfort. And who hasn’t seen that cuddly soft teddy bear being pried from a tight fisted (and screaming) toddler who couldn’t resist touching in the department store?

One of my favorite leasing techniques on a hot summer day was to take the client to the pool and encourage them to touch the water. “Go ahead, touch it, “ I would say, “It feels wonderful.” And they would. Then they would smile. That is always a good sign in sales.

Touch screens and touch panels, from the Iphone to interactive leasing kiosks are all the rage, and a testament to increased “touch power”. Make sure to incorporate some “touch opportunities” into your presentations. Encourage the client to open cupboards and drawers. If the carpet is new, or the padding supreme, take off your shoes and feel the impact. Watch your client closely – are they touching things? If they are, they may be buying.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Creativity for Rent brings artificial intelligence to apartment leasing

Rumors have swirling that this day might come, and alas, here it is.

Google's new CADIE initiative has given us new hope in apartment marketing. CFR announced today it has started work on VIOLA, its long-awaited leasing agent replacement tool. In tests, VIOLA (Virtual Ionized Onsite Leasing Agent) closed 98.7% of its (her) leases, followed up on all internet leads (while statistically analyzing each one), while still being able to keep fresh balloons on the "2 months free" banner draped over the monument sign.

Says Brent Steiner at Creativity for Rent, "this changes everything." You can download your picture of the VIOLA prototype here.

Modeled after Google's three-step artificial intelligence process, VIOLA combines interconnected evolving agents with probabilistic Bayesian domain, couched in an realistic world from which to learn.