Buzz, Balls & Hype

The Ad Man Answers #79

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

Advertising Make-Over #3

For the final Advertising Makeover, our “winner” is Alma Alexander, who entered the contest by contacting the Ad Man’s website.  (Another example that a fully-functional homepage is a must-have, not a wish-I-had.)

Alma is the author of THE SECRETS OF JIN-SHEI (HarperOne) and the YA Fantasy trilogy:  WORLDWEAVERS (HarperTeen).  She’s specifically asked for help around the three Worldweavers books:  GIFT OF THE UNMAGE, SPELLSPAM, and CYBERMAGE.  Here’s the book jacket copy from the series opener:

“When there is a battle to be fought, it is you who can choose the place of the battlefield.” Thus says Cheveyo: mage, teacher, and the first person in Thea’s life to remain unimpressed by her lineage. From birth, great things were expected of Thea, but her magical abilities are, at most, minimal. Now, with Cheveyo, Thea has begun to weave herself a new magical identity, infused with elements of the original worlds.

Back in her everyday life, she attends the Wandless Academy, the one school on Earth for those who, like her, can’t do magic. It is at the Academy that Thea realizes she will indeed have to fight, since her enemies are hungrier and more dangerous than she thought. Fortunately, her greatest strength may be the very powerlessness she has resisted for so long…

Looking over Alma’s author website, there’s several positives:

- A microsite specific for her Worldweaver books

- Links to interviews

- FAQ

- Easy links to buy

There are a few elements, however, that could be improved to streamline the user experience:

- The microsite doesn’t easily link back to the author’s homepage, so when you’re in it, you might never realize the larger AlmaAlexnder.com exists

- There should be more cohesion between elements of microsite and homepage.  For example, Alma’s bio is much more extensive on homepage than microsite. 

- Alma has a nice bit of social networking on her microsite (Facebook stream), but why is that not incorporated into her larger homepage?

One additional morsel of constructive website criticism for Alma.  And this one goes out to all published and un-published writers.  Forgive my bluntness, but: 

NO… PICTURES… OF… YOUR… CATS

Just don’t.

Really, the same goes for all pets.  It’s the equivalent of showing up to a job interview in flip flops and cargo shorts.  You’ve just made it nearly impossible to envision you as a working professional.  All that hard work creating a “writer’s persona” from book covers, reviews, links to Amazon… all shattered with one JPEG of your pet tabby. 

Let’s examine the websites of the authors currently ranked high on Amazon for YA Fantasy:

Phillip Pullman

Garth Nix

Eoin Colfer

Christopher Paolini

How many corgi’s, calico’s, and cockatu’s do you see on those four websites?  None.  Because pet pictures scream “Hobbiest,” not “The Next JK Rowling.”  And if you aspire to the same success as these talented writers, study at how they conduct themselves online and emulate it. 

(Of the 4 authors listed above, Garth Nix has the most dynamic site with special fan content – podcasts, polls, sweepstakes, e-cards, message boards – and clean navigation thru his series novels.  We’ll be further discussing Garth’s website in an upcoming Ad Man interview with this NY Times Bestselling author.)

The only author I’m giving a free pass on the “No Pets In Your Website” rule is Marshall Karp… partially because I love the guy, partially because he does it organically, with humor.  Karp’s dearly-departed Jett had a “cameo” in his latest book, has a Bio page on Marshall’s website on par with other characters, and even wrote her own book review.   Note how Marshall uses his pets’ book review to cleverly drop important pieces of marketing information – book release date April 1, hardback edition – so there’s a hidden agenda.  It’s not just “look at snapshots of my fuzzy four-legged children.”  (No surprise Marshall is himself a former Ad Man).

If you must indulge in pet pictures, relegate them to your Facebook page, your blog, or your Shutterfly account, not your professional author website.

OK, rant over.  Back to Alma.

Alma has created a book trailer around her Worldweavers series:

Book trailers are a great way to bring your novel alive with sight, sound and motion.  The most effective author videos also entertain while capturing the flavor of the narrative.  Here’s some of my personal faves:

The preceding videos from Toby Barlow and SG Browne don’t regurgitate book-jacket copy, but rather use their respective novels as jumping off points.  But if you decide to include some plot summary, here’s two authors who executed it well:

 

There’s an old saying in advertising:  “Sell a good night’s sleep, not the mattress.”  To that point, look no farther than the TV commercial for MJ Rose’s first REINCARNATIONIST novel:

 

Notice how MJ doesn’t even try to sum up her entire novel in the short 15-second commercial.  Instead, she sells the experience of staying up all hours engrossed in a good thriller.

So what is Alma selling?

Is it a 400-page hardback that weighs one pound and has a pretty cover?  Or is it, according to the graphics of her book video, the following story:

From the time of her birth

Great things were expected of Thea

But her magical abilities were, at most, minimal

So after she enrolls in the Wandless academy

She begins to weave herself

A new magical identity

Which aids her as she battles

Magically sinister email

And unlocks the secrets

Of a mysterious white cube…

 

Could Alma somehow sell an experience, instead of summarizing her plot?

From what I can tell, the Worldweavers novels tap into the wellspring of feminine teen angst – being a misfit, feeling powerless, yearning to find your place in society.

These are powerful, universal emotions that can form the backbone of Alma’s advertising campaign.  Instead of spending 90 seconds talking about Wandless academies and mysterious white cubes, what if her video were to take a different approach:

Have you ever wondered if you belonged somewhere else?

A different family?

A different school?

A different world?

Born into a family of magicians

Thea was The Girl Who Couldn’t

Worldweavers.  The trilogy by Alma Alexander.

For every young woman struggling to find her place

Weave your new identity

Weave your dreams into reality

“If you thought Harry Potter wasn’t fair to the fairer sex,

Worldweavers is for you” – Wands & Worlds Reviews

Now available by HarperTeen everywhere books are sold

www.Almaalexander.com

OK, so I fabricated the blurb.  But it’s a good one and could be solicited to help place Alma in the same category as JK Rowling’s The Boy Who Lived, while creating a point of differentiation.  Note that very little of the above copy was focused on the plot, and instead went after the emotional core that speaks to hormonal teens. 

What if Alma were to take it a step farther and ask teen fans to submit videos of them talking about their life struggles?  Especially if they could speak to how reading Worldweavers affected them:

“My best friend told me that she was moving to Houston…”

“I want to be an artist, but my parents won't pay for college unless I go into Engineering…”

“My older sister went into rehab and I didn’t know how to handle it, but then I read Worldweavers -- and thinking of Thea gave me the strength to redefine my relationship with my sister…”

Alma could incentivize fans into submitting these videos by giving away prizes – say a Dreamcatcher or custom knitting needles – then post the clips on her microsite as companion pieces to her book trailer.

Again, the point would be to emphasize that she gets what girls are going through in this formative stage, and her books speak to those emotions.

In any case, if Alma just removes the pictures of her cats, she’ll already be on her way to further literary success.

Thanks to all the readers who submitted their books for advertising makeovers – golf claps for your bravery.  We’ll do it again sometime!

 

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for over a dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

The Ad Man Answers #78

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

Advertising Make-Over #2

This week, the Ad Man continues our Advertising Make-Over series –- open to anyone willing to submit a brief synopsis of their published or unpublished novel.  It’s not too late to enter, with the final name drawn on 3/17.  So if you’d like a change to get in on the final Make-Over, leave your synopsis and link to your homepage in the comments below.

Our latest “winner” is M.K. Hobson, who bills herself as a writer and “necrophilatelist” – which is either the study of dead stamp collectors or someone who clubs baby seals for charity.  In either case, M.K.’s debut novel THE NATIVE STAR will be released by Bantam Spectra in September 2010.  Here’s the skinny:

It’s 1876, and business is rotten for Emily Edwards, town witch of the tiny Sierra Nevada settlement of Lost Pine. With everyone buying patent magicks by mail-order, she’s faced with two equally desperate options. Starve ... or use a love spell to bewitch the town’s richest lumberman into marrying her.

When the love spell goes terribly wrong, Emily is forced to accept the aid of Dreadnought Stanton — a pompous and scholarly Warlock from New York — to set things right. Together, they travel from the seedy underbelly of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast, across the United States by train and biomechanical flying machine, to the highest halls of American magical power, only to find that love spells (and love) are far more complicated and dangerous than either of them could ever have imagined.

M.K. is already several steps ahead of the game with a well-designed, professional-looking author homepage.  For a debut novelist, she does a great job creating content depth with articles, podcasts, blog entries, social media links, and even a press kit.  Goes to show you don’t need to have a dozen hardcovers on the shelf in order to build an engaging website.

M.K. also has one of the most well-crafted bio’s I’ve ever encountered:

By night, I don a cape and mask and fight crime.

Actually, I don’t fight crime. But I do have a secret identity. I’m a writer. I write all the time—on the computer, in paper journals, on the backs of receipts, on the silky unscarred flesh of my many beautiful manslaves. When I’m not writing novels or short fiction, I relieve the almost unbearable pressure of words in my mind by blogging about my existence in minute detail.

By day, I put on the Clark Kent glasses and pretend to be a Creative Consultant. Apparently, I pretend pretty good, because I’ve helped produce award-winning campaigns for a variety of national and international clients. I have also owned a newspaper, driven night-shift taxi, read tarot professionally, and taught conversational English in Japan.

All while fighting crime.

(I’m also an unreliable narrator. I know, it’s maddening. Try walking a mile in my shoes before you judge me. My shiny, red, crime-fighting shoes.)

I live in the first city in the United States incorporated west of the Rockies in a 1916 Craftsman bungalow that I share with my husband, my daughter, and a bright blue fish two exceptionally vicious cats. And a beautiful puppy!

Take note, newbies… this is how you sell yourself.  Those 6 paragraphs crackle with personality, making me want to order her novel just to see if her writing is half as interesting as her bio.  (No surprise M.K. has a background in advertising/brand development.) 

My only small, niggling criticism of her website is that the design is a little flat.  This could be remedied with a few subtle additions.  For example, if every so often, the train on the home page could puff with smoke, which drifts into the shape of a skull.  Or on her bibliography page, ink occasionally runs down the pen, then disappears.  Or on the podcast page, the turntable skips, then poof, becomes a parrot.  From the synopsis of THE NATIVE STAR, the author has re-written the old west with a fantastical bent, so it’d be a nice touch to see the old-timey images scattered throughout M.K.’s website also do something unexpected.

As far as external advertising, M.K.’s biggest challenge will be overcoming the perceived limitations of her chosen genre.  As the author herself puts it, “Historical Fantasy is the Rodney Dangerfield of the fantasy world.  No respect!  Spec-fic pundits — notorious for their love of obsessively detailed categorization — can't even agree on whether it's deserving of being called a subgenre at all.” 

It’s a little like selling Noni juice to a consumer who’s unsure of the value of herbal remedies.  Legitimizing the entire category needs to be part of the message, instead of only relating features and benefits.

In the same “Rodney Dangerfield” commentary, M.K. makes a fine argument defending Historical Fantasy:

Some of the biggest hits of the past half-century have been squarely classifiable as historical fantasy: Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon, for example, which spent four months on the New York Times best seller list, has ranked among the top five trade paperbacks on the monthly Locus bestseller lists for almost four years. Diana Gabaldon's A Breath of Snow and Ashes (sixth book in her hugely popular Outlander series) debuted atop the New York Times best seller list. There's Naomi Novik's Temeraire series — recently optioned by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson — and if it's critical acclaim you're interested in, how about Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which won both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards for Best Novel, and was long-listed for the Booker Prize?

Since M.K. is able to clearly articulate the merits of her chosen subgenre, I propose her advertising campaign attacks the issue head-on.  It would be similar to VW’s original Bug campaign, which didn’t shy away from the car’s unique shape and diminutive size, using verbiage previously taboo in auto advertising, like “Lemon” and “Think Small.”

The author and Bantam Publishing could declare August 31, 2010 –- the official release date of THE NATIVE STAR –- “Genre Bending Day.”  This could be celebrated by bumper stickers, mugs, or T-shirts for order on CafePress, with slogans like:

“Bend your Genre.  Bend your Mind.”

Or:  “Go ahead, mix Paranormal with your Romance.”

Or to use a slogan from M.K.’s website: “The old west meets the new weird.”

I also see this campaign accompanied by a low-budget video, documentary style, shot in a support-group meeting room:

Jerry:  “Hi, my name’s Jerry, and I’m…  Bi-curious.”

Entire Group:  “Hi, Jerry!”

Jerry:  “It started with Harry Potter.  I kept thinking to myself… what this book really needs is a cattle drive.  Why can’t I just be satisfied with straight fantasy?  Why does the narrative also have to be grounded in historical fact?”

Man #1:  “Don’t beat yourself up, kid, we’ve all been there.”

Woman #1:  “Ursula Le Guin ruined me!”

Moderator:  “It’s OK, people.  ‘Mists of Avalon’ spent 4 months on the NY Times’ best-seller list, so there’s no shame about being bi-curious about your literary genres.”

Woman #1:  “Tell that to my book club!”

Jerry:  “I just ordered M.K. Hobson’s ‘The Native Star.’  It’s set in the old west, right, but it's got warlocks and love potions…”

This video and “Genre Bending Day” paraphernalia could be sent to sales reps and booksellers to get them fired up for the release.  Additionally, for external consumer advertising, I’d propose online banners designed to reach general readers.  I wouldn’t limit this campaign to solely Historical Fantasy fans, as there weren’t enough hard-core aficionados to keep ‘The Magazine of Speculative and Historical Fiction' alive.

For this banner campaign, I see something that looks like the cryptex from Da Vinci Code.  But instead of letters, when it spins, it mixes and matches titles from different genres.  So one spin could land with:

“It’s like LONESOME DOVE meets LADYHAWKE.” 

Another spin.  “It’s like THE PRINCESS BRIDE meets 3:10 TO YUMA”

Another spin.  “It’s like UNFORGIVEN meets ESCAPE FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN.”

Then the cryptex dissolves to:  “Bend your genre.  Bend your mind.  THE NATIVE STAR.”

Now that’s an advertising campaign worthy of a necrophilatelist… whatever that is exactly.

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for over a dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

The Ad Man Answers #77

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

Advertising Make-Over #1

Last time, the Ad Man agreed to give advertising make-overs to three readers who submit a brief synopsis of their published or unpublished novel.  It’s not too late to enter, so if you’d like to throw your name in the hat, leave a synopsis of your novel in the comments below.

After pulling a name from the proverbial hat, our first “winner” is Margay Leigh Justice.  Her first romance novel, NORA’S SOUL (Second Wind) was published in 2008, and for her make-over, she chose a yet-to-be-released YA novel, THE GOODE GIRL. 

Here’s the book jacket copy:

Driven by her obsession with the power of the right name, the socially accepted standards of physical beauty, and the neighborhood ‘It’ girls who seem to have it all, Irene Goode navigates through the murky waters of teen life with wit, charm, and the ability to draw attention to herself despite her lack thereof. Growing up in a family of physically unremarkable sisters, Irene is under no illusions about how she is perceived by the world. She simply doesn’t allow that to keep her from pursuing her own dreams. Dreams that include hooking up with the boy next door.

Sam Cassidy is the only guy – the only person – who’s ever taken the time to look beyond the wild hair and public perception of Irene to find her true beauty. And appreciate it. At times frustrated and amused by Irene and her antics, Sam appoints himself her protector following an incident with a rival that puts her in danger of being compromised. But the more time he spends with her, the more Sam realizes that he actually likes to and his sense of obligation to watch out for her transforms into a genuine desire to be with her. She is unlike any of the college girls he’s dated and he decides that he likes that, too.

But if there’s one thing that Irene and Sam learn during the course of their budding friendship, it’s that the road to happiness is often pitted with challenges and complications. Like their own mixed up feelings for one another, the prospect of playing the title roles in a modernistic high school version of Romeo and Juliet, and the revelation of family secrets.

Life is anything but boring when you’re a Goode girl.

There’s an old saying in marketing: Before advertising, make sure your house is in order.  If you own a restaurant, that means making sure menus are printed, silverware is polished, and your liquor license is approved.  The last thing you’d want is to hang your sign prematurely, have customers show up for dinner, then give them a bad first experience.  Chances are, they’ll never walk through your doors again.

For aspiring authors, your “house” is your website.  It’s your 24-hour storefront, a way for readers to connect with your brand.  In Margay’s case, her website is not offensive like an overcooked filet mignon, but it’s thin on details and doesn’t present the best first impression possible.  So instead of jumping the gun on external advertising, most of my comments are focused on improving her website.

Lets look at the homepage of an author at the top of the bestseller lists:  Nora Roberts.  What immediately stands out from Nora’s website?  A bold, central image of the author on the landing page, links to social media, and easy navigation to additional information (Q&A’s, book excerpts, contests, multimedia).

Not a fair comparison, you might argue.  After all, Nora’s probably got a bevy of underlings to design and maintain her website.  But the basic tenants of a solid homepage are within reach of any author.  Sample chapters.  A picture.  A compelling bio.

In Margay’s case, her “About” page doesn’t divulge any personal details – not even where she lives – and reads like she’s almost embarrassed to have a book on Amazon:

Though I started out writing just for me, somewhere along the way I came to realize that others might be interested in what I have to write. It started with family and friends, then teachers, but still, it took some time to convince myself to pursue publication.

In Ad Man Answers #36, we covered the tendency of new authors to disclaim.  So let’s look at the opening of Nora Roberts’ bio:

Nora Roberts was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, the youngest of five children. After a school career that included some time in Catholic school and the disciplines of nuns, she married young and settled in Keedysville, Maryland.

She worked briefly as a legal secretary. "I could type fast but couldn’t spell, I was the worst legal secretary ever," she says now. After her sons were born she stayed home and tried every craft that came along. A blizzard in February 1979 forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate.

In the first two paragraphs, you get a lot of Nora’s personality and background info (hometown, family size, religious upbringing, work history, sweet tooth, streak of self deprecation).  Now I happen to know that Margay can do better with her homepage bio, because it’s an interview with her on a different blog:

Novelist Margay Leah Justice lives in Hudson, Massachusetts.

At various stages in her life, she has worked as a waitress, an aerobics instructor, a paralegal and as an administrative assistant in a computer company.

This same interview (which also contains a picture, eureka!) also includes humanizing details, like how Margay battles through a MS diagnosis and has a daughter challenged with bipolar disorder and Asperger's Syndrome.  So why do I have to leave her website – and do a Google search -- to learn that about her?  And why is this excellent blog interview not mentioned prominently on the author’s homepage?  When you’re new to the scene, any and all media attention should be celebrated to help legitimize your career.

More questions:  Why no link to NORA’S SOUL on Amazon?  Why no samples of her writing?  Why no buttons to Margay’s pages on MySpace and Facebook?  If you’re going to take the time to engage in social networking, you better be driving fans to those destinations.  And in Margay’s blog, there’s several mentions of other contests hosted by other authors, but no contests around her own debut.

It might be time consuming and cost prohibitive to execute a reader reward as well as Erica Spindler, who’s offering custom wine charms and signed bookplates for all fans who send in a receipt of her latest novel, BLOOD VINES.  But as a writer, I’m sure Margay can find a clever tie-in to her novels that fits within her budget, even if it’s just a chance to win a free copy of Romeo & Juliet on DVD for any fans that friend her on MySpace and Facebook this month.

Notice that very few of these suggestions involve the design of her website.  For a romance writer, I think the overall look of her homepage fits the genre.  But Margay will get into trouble if her new YA novel finds publication.  Imagine how quickly an insecure 13-year-old boy will bolt from her website once he sees a red rose and “Open Your Mind…And The Heart Will Follow.”

Here’s how another author – Chris Grabenstein – handles the dichotomy of writing within different genres.

Once Margay tidies up her own house, making it YA compliant, then she’ll be ready to take THE GOODE GIRL to market.  Based on her synopsis, my initial thoughts would be expose her YA novel to the “Gossip Girl” crowd.  She could buy banner ads around Gossip Girl’s Hulu and CW video players, for example.

But first things first.  And know that $1 spent improving your website is worth $5 spent on an ad that drives people to a homepage that doesn’t yet deliver the “Goode”s.

----------

Remember, authors, it’s not too late to enter this round of Advertising makeovers.  If you’re willing to open up your novel and marketing efforts to outside scrutiny, leave a book description and homepage URL in the comments section.  I’ll draw the next “winner” from the pool of all entries, including the authors who signed up last time.

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for over a dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

The Ad Man Answers #76

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

While compiling the index of the Ad Man's first 75 posts, it struck me that it's been a while since we've served up a fresh plate of Advertising Make-Overs.

So here's your chance, authors.  Leave a description of your novel -- published or unpublished -- in the comments below (with a link to your homepage).  In two weeks, the Ad Man will start brainstorming campaigns for selected reader submissions.

At least 3 "winners" will be chosen.  So don't be shy, enter your submission now.  And if you'd like to check out previous Advertising Make-Overs, you can find them here:

CJ Lyons

Jessa Slade

Jonny Nexus

Katherine Howell

Lisa Hendrix

Good luck to those brave souls willing to offer up their literary babies!

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for over a dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

The Ad Man Answers #75

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

Seventy Five posts?  Where has the time gone?

For this milestone, the Ad Man decided to do some house-cleaning and index the past three years' worth of columns.

Hopefully it will make an easy reference guide and spark new questions as we push towards 100 posts.

Enjoy!

Author Website

How important are they?

Lack of focus

Don’t disclaim

 

Book Video Trailers

Running online

Running on digital outdoor

 

General Advertising Terms

Advertising commissions

Barter

College marketing

CRM (Customer Relationship Marketing)

- CRM for authors

Promercials

Purchase Funnel

- Upper-Funnel advertising

- Middle-Funnel advertising

- Lower-Funnel advertising

Remnant cable

Roadblocking:  Part 1  Part 2

Viral Marketing

Widgets

Word-of-Mouth buzz

 

Interviews with Ex-Advertising Guys/Gals

Marshall Karp:              Part 1  Part 2

Chris Grabenstein:       Part 1  Part 2

Stewart Woods

M.J. Rose

Louise Ure:                   Part 1  Part 2

Toby Barlow:                Part 1  Part 2

S.G. Browne:               Part 1  Part 2

Ray Rhamey:               Part 1  Part 2

Steffan Postaer:           Part 1  Part 2

 

Make-Over Advertising Series

“Gator Bait” call for entries

CJ Lyons

Jessa Slade

Jonny Nexus

Katherine Howell

Lisa Hendrix

eTrueSports

 

Media Math

Ratings & Share

CPMs

- For Online Video

- For unproven advertising vehicles

- Are outdoor ads worth more than $5 CPMs?

- How can you find a CPM from an audience number?

GRPs:  Reach & Frequency

- Do GRPs and Impressions always go in the same direction?

- Better to have 100,000 people viewing an ad 90 times vs 9 million people viewing once?

- Reach thresholds (how much is too much?)

 

Most Effective Advertising Campaign Ever

Reader Poll #1

Reader Poll #2

Contest Results

 

Random Questions

How do you make a more engaging ad?

I’m not seeing good response rates for my ad… what could I be doing wrong?

How much does advertising lie?

Will Ford Motors be signing your next book contract?

How rational are consumer buying decisions?

What are the 12 advertising master formats?

How often is it appropriate to contact your agent?

 

With M.J. Rose on:

Authorbuzz

Economics of book promotions

Reincarnationist Cable TV:  Part 1  Part 2

 

Conference Reports

ThrillerFest 2007

 

Industry Trends

Circa Jan ‘09

Circa Jan ‘08

Circa Dec ‘07

Circa Nov ‘07

 

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for over a dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

The Ad Man Answers #74

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

After a busy holidays, the Ad Man is back… well rested, well fed, and still well connected.  

To begin the New Year, let’s peer into the future and tackle this burning question:  In 2020, is it possible your publishing contract will not be with Penguin or Hyperion, but with Ford Motors?

In this week’s Ad Age, columnist Craig Daitch talks about the latest versions of in-dash, in-car technology:

“Cars aren't cars anymore, they're productivity hubs with entertainment extensions on four wheels.

And why shouldn't they be? We spend an inordinate amount of time in our vehicles. By today's standards, some experts believe that number exceeds three hours per day. So as provoking as a thought this may be, is it difficult to imagine a time when the auto manufacturers subsidize in-vehicle technology through advertising? What brand wouldn't want to be pervasively integrated into a vehicle's GPS unit?

Even today, is it really not feasible to think that GM's OnStar service couldn't provide pay-per-click (or even pay-per-visit) smart results based on customer inquiries? Think about the following scenario:

Driver: Hi, I'm looking for the closest gas station.

OnStar: You are 0.5 miles away from a Shell but 0.6 miles from a BP, where you can use a discount code to save 15%.”

If that future comes to pass – and Ford Sync becomes an advertising platform along the lines of XBOX or Tivo – how soon before there’s a desire to distribute exclusive content?

Brands always seek points of differentiation.  This could be in the form or actual benefits – like Hyundai’s lose-your-job-we’ll-make-your-payments Assurance program – or the warm fuzzy you feel about AT&T because they sponsored free streaming video of the Coachella concert festival (unlike those cheap-asses at Verizon). 

Artists have already started pairing off with alternative distribution outlets.  You’ve got Pearl Jam’s latest album being sold exclusively at Target, The Police’s latest tour DVD only available at Best Buy, and Starbucks creating their own music label.

Authors have been slower to the game.  But last month it was announced that Steven Covey – “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “Principle-Centered Leadership” – will be producing exclusive content for the Amazon Kindle, including his soon-to-be released “Great Work, Great Career.”

So back to our original question… if in-car technology will allow for seamless integration of streaming music, facebook updates, iPhone apps, location-based services… how soon before fast, easy and exclusive assess to audiobooks is added to the mix?

After all, what could be more appealing to a heavy commuter in the year 2020 than turning on one’s Chevy Volt to hear your computerized dashboard say:

“Good morning, Gregory, your estimated drive time will be 92 minutes.  I’m afraid your favorite radio program – KROQ’s ‘Kevin & Bean’ show – is in repeats this morning.  May I suggest the latest Alex Cross mystery, ‘Kiss The Nursing Home Girls,’ by James Patterson, as dictated to his granddaughter.  It’s brought to you exclusively by Chevy for the discount price of $7.99.  Please say ‘I accept’ to begin streaming your audiobook…”   

What do you think – future or fantasy?

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for the past dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

The Ad Man Answers #73

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

Q:  I am looking into buying remnant Cable TV and radio spots.  Any ideas?  What should I bid if I am doing a reverse auction with Bid4Spots as an example?  Are there any other ways to go after the remnant advertising on my own that you know of?  Thank you for your input.  It is greatly appreciated.

--David Domm

 

A:  Remnant advertising can be tricky business.  On the surface, it seems easy enough... you're just snatching up unsold space on TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and websites.

But let's take a step back.

If you want a real-world equivalent to media buying, look no further than the travel industry.  Flying non-stop between LA and NY over Thanksgiving is going to cost a helluva lot more than connecting thru Houston on a random Tuesday. Basic supply & demand pricing.  It’s the same way TV networks charge a premium for "Dancing With The Stars" vs. late night reruns of "According To Jim."

At a certain point – full or half-empty – that Tuesday plane is going to take off from Houston just like that rerun of "According to Jim" is still going to air at 11pm, even if only a handful of advertisers fill the commercial breaks.

If you own an airline and have unsold seats, you can release inventory to outlets specializing in last-minute deals, like Priceline.  Because it’s better to get something for those empty middle seats, right?

In advertising, however, media outlets have a few more options.  For unsold inventory, they can air:

- Station Promos.  "Next week on FOX, don't miss an all-new episode of 'House'..."

- Public Service Announcements.  "This is your brain on drugs..."

- Bonus or Make-Goods for existing advertisers.  "We're sorry, Mr. Clorox Bleach Media Buyer, but your commercial on NFL Sunday didn't air correctly, so we're going to throw some freebies your way..."

It's in the media vendor's best interests to hang onto their inventory until the last possible deadline, hoping it will get sold at normal or slightly-discounted rates, knowing they can always fall back those station promos or PSAs. If a large advertiser unexpectedly pulls out, you might luck into a spot on "Dancing With The Stars,” but it's far more likely you’ll be airing in that 11pm "According to Jim."

Because most remnant deals are struck mere days before airdate, you need to be nimble to manage the negotiation process and back-end metrics.  Direct marketing agencies often specialize in buying remnant inventory (here's one I've worked with and can recommend), and have buying programs that measure ROI, like "Cost Per Sales Lead."  Experienced remnant buyers also have pricing history with the media vendors, and may place several accounts at once, leveraging their overall spend to secure further discounted rates.

But if you want to strike out on your own, a reverse auction like Bid4Spots is a great tool.  Reverse auctions are the opposite of eBay, which has a starting price for goods/services with potential buyers bidding up from there.  In a reverse auction, it's the buyer posting their advertising budget, dates, markets, and CPM goals (cost-per-thousand impressions), then the sellers (aka TV stations) bidding against other networks wanting to dump unsold inventory, with the lowest rate winning the transaction.

As a buyer on Bid4Spots, your strategy doesn't involve bidding per se, but establishing budgets and CPM thresholds high enough to attract desirable sellers, yet low enough to make the stations work hard for your business.  As a starting point, you can use these ballpark CPMs (not scientific, just guidelines based off experience) then whack 50-75% off.  You'll have to experiment with different budget levels and CPMs to find a sweet spot.  If you really want ESPN and TNT on your media buy, and you're only getting C-SPAN to bid for your budget, you'll need to adjust your strategy. 

GoogleTV is another way the lay person can place their own media.  In this case, it's a forward auction where you're bidding against other advertisers for station inventory.  The only downside is that most of GoogleTV's inventory is limited to DISH satellite subscribers (13 million households), with only a few networks (CNBC, Bravo, MTV, USA, MSNBC) available for purchase across their full cable universe (95 million households).

The web is a fount of remnant inventory, with ad networks specializing in packaging banner ads.  If you're willing to let the network run your advertisement across hundreds of websites – filling up quotas of unsold space – you can achieve major cost savings.  But if you’re not careful, it could mean your banner ad for “The T-Bone Lover’s Cookbook” accidentally winds up on Vegan.com.

That’s the risk of buying remnant.  Your creative needs to be ready to go on a moment’s notice, and you may not have time to check if the environment is the best fit for your message.  Plus, you need to have your funding secured and be willing to open up your schedule to non-prime placements.

Working with a trained media buyer would likely save you money and headaches in the long run.  Media people speak their own language, and the process is more complicated than calling your local ABC station, asking “So… got any spots on tomorrow’s ‘Flash Forward’ that haven’t sold yet?”

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for the past dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

The Ad Man Answers #72

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

This week, The Ad Man is happy to bring you a Q&A with a man who’s enjoyed 24 straight bestsellers on the New York Times hardcover list… Stuart Woods.

After an early career in advertising – at notable agencies like Y&R, J.Walter Thompson, and Papert Koenig Lois – Woods sold his first novel, CHIEFS, in 1981. CHIEFS was later made into a TV miniseries (now available on Netflix) and subsequently won an Edgar award from the Mystery Writers of America.

Since then, Woods has penned over 40 novels – including 16 in the Stone Barrington series alone – and is now contracted for 3 new releases per year. His latest in the Holly Barker series is HOTHOUSE ORCHID.

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Stuart, you were already an established author before this whole Internet thing came about. At what point did you feel the need to start an author homepage?

In 1996, when I first heard about websites.

Was that funded by your publisher at the time?

Nope, and it still isn't.

Given your advertising background, how involved do you get in your publisher’s marketing plans?

I tried at first, but they didn't want to hear it. The budgets were so small, compared to the advertisers I had worked for.

Most new writers are expected to spend a percentage of their advance towards advertising efforts. After 40 novels, are you still expected to kick in for marketing your own books?

I've never heard of this practice. It's the publisher's job, and they should do it without screwing money out of their writers.

Which media types have you noticed works best for driving your book sales?

My current publisher believes in spending most of the budget below the line – i.e. on placement in bookstores, etc.

I don’t see any Stuart Woods book trailers on YouTube… but there is a guy who does video reviewing your books before plugging his own. What do you think of this subversive tactic?

I never look at YouTube or the other web crazes. As long as he puts my book first…

What’s your take on social media? You have fan pages on Facebook, but I can’t imagine writing 3 books a year leaves a lot of time for Twittering.

I have no take whatever on it.

Your covers have a very distinctive type treatment, going all the way back to “Palindrome.” Was that your influence or your publishers? Given your different series and stand-alones, did you feel a need to tie all your novels together?0

I have cover approval, but they usually come up with the idea. It just evolved, I think.

In the past, you’ve recommended aspiring novelists should take a job that requires them to write 1,000 words a day (advertising, PR, etc), to teach how to write when you don’t feel like it. Does that advice still hold true today? Do you feel like modern life – texting, instant messenger, e-mail – has stunted the next generation of writers?

Yes. Probably.

After living through the ‘60s NY Ad scene, have you been following AMC’s “Mad Men”? If so, how true is that show to your recollections of the time? Fess up… did you have a wet bar in your office?

I got my first job at BBDO in November of 1960; that's spot on for Mad Men, which I enjoy. I don't remember a bar in anyone's office, but there were a few bottles in bottom desk drawers.

Thanks, Stuart, for taking time out of your busy writing schedule. Here’s hoping the next Stone Barrington novel makes it twenty-five straight bestsellers!

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for the past dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

The Ad Man Answers #71

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

And now... Part 2 of our Q&A with Ex-Ad Man Chris Grabenstein, author of the John Ceepak series (among others).  For Part 1 of our chat, click here.

So, Chris, at what point in your advertising/writing career did you make the jump to full-time novelist? How long were you juggling the two worlds?

I actually went the whack-o route.  I left Y&R in 2001, cashed in my stock, and set up shop in the spare bedroom to write those screenplays nobody bought.  In 2003, I started writing books.  In 2004, I sold the first manuscript and in 2005 TILT A WHIRL was published (it won the Anthony Award for best first mystery in 2006!).

I tried to set up my own Funny Radio Shop in New York (I was a huge fan of Dick Orkin Radio Ranch and Bert, Barz and Kirby in L.A.) for the first year after I left Y&R but very few clients were interested in spending extra to do "creative" radio.

You’ve done several book trailers – did you feel like they were worth the effort?  How were they distributed? Were they created by your publisher, or did you tap your old industry contacts?

I think they're definitely worth the effort, and thanks to my Mac and iMovie, they aren't that difficult to piece together.  Now, I have never put them into Wide Release.  I post them on my website, let folks know about them on Facebook, send copies to my publishers who e-mail them out to the sales force, etc.  I try to make my book trailers like 60-second commercials.  A lot of the trailers I see employ overly ambitious amateur theatricals and make the books seem cheap or cheesy.

I remember when I was at ad agencies, account guys would push for us to do radio demos to present to the client -- just record it on a cassette player with secretaries and people you can grab in the hall, don't add special effects.  You learn, rather quickly, that once what you create comes out of speakers, it better sound like a real radio commercial or the client is not going to buy it.   We do not watch TV or book trailers and think: "Isn't that nice, they did the best they could with no money."  We see a movie, we either like it or think it sucks.

You’ve also done spontaneous book signings in high profile places, like New York’s Grand Central Station for “Slay Ride.”  How did that one work out... did you get run off by security? 

Actually, I think we gave away 500 books in like ten minutes... so security probably didn't know we were there in our elf hats.   

Here's a funny follow up.  Two weeks later, my wife was on the subway and saw somebody reading SLAY RIDE.  Without revealing who she was, she struck up a conversation and learned that the guy got the book during our Grand Central stunt.  "It's actually really good," he said, sounding surprised.  "I thought they were Moonies or some other cult passing out tracts."

What kind of traditional advertising have you and your publisher done to promote your novels?  If you had James Patterson’s marketing budget for your next release, how would you spend it?

I once chipped in with a publisher and we split the cost of a tiny New York Times ad on the book page.  It made me feel warm and fuzzy.  I think it sold zero books.  I've also taken out ads in some of the mystery magazines; I think that helps some.

If I had a huge budget for my next book, I would do a version of the Grand Central Stunt on steroids:  I would place boxes of the book in the terminal at O'Hare Airport and let people snatch up about ten thousand free copies.  I am convinced that word-of-mouth is just about the only way to sell fiction.  I do know, from e-mails I receive, that once people read one of my books, they want to read them all.  The hard part is getting them to pick up that first one.

Speaking of Señor Patterson, he was influential in you landing your first job at J. Walter Thompson.   During our Q&A with Marshall Karp – another JWT alumnus – he claimed you had to be a Senior Vice President before being allowed fetch Patterson’s morning coffee.  Is that true, or was your eventual title of EVP/Group Creative Director puffy enough to qualify?  If so... did he take cream or sugar?

Well, I think I had it a little easier because I was one of Jim's "Copy Test Kids."  You might recall that he wrote a full page New York Times ad for JWT headlined WRITE IF YOU WANT WORK.  

It was a copy writing aptitude test.  At the time, I was doing improv comedy with the likes of Bruce Willis (before he was BRUCE WILLIS) but only making $20 a weekend after doing about six shows.  So, I went looking for a real job where I could be creative and maybe get paid (not much when I started, as I recall).   I took the copy test and was the first one hired (I think two or three thousand people answered it).  Jim was always very good to me and kind of took me under his wing.

I don't remember if he even drank coffee... but I do remember the lady with the office across the hall from his waiting room always had a stockpile of Tootsie Pops, which we all lived on while waiting our turn to go in and show Jim our work -- sometimes well into the night.

And seeing my old title...Y&R EVP/GCD reminds me how advertising handed out more initials than any other business.  My mother still has my final business card under the glass on her writing desk!

Thanks, Chris!  And good luck with your latest YA novel, THE HANGING HILL... I’m sure it will scare the pants off the kiddies (in a totally legal, non-Roman Polanski way). Don't miss our next Q&A with best-selling author, and Ex-Ad Man, Stuart Woods.

 

 

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for the past dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

The Ad Man Answers #70

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

Today, we bring you Part 1 of our chat with Anthony Award winner Chris Grabenstein, author of the John Ceepak novels: TILT A WHIRL, MAD MOUSE, WHACK A MOLE, and HELL HOLE.  Chris also pens a series of holiday thrillers, as well as a series of ghost stories for Middle Grades.  

Before becoming the president of the NY Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, Chris worked 20 years in the advertising field, for clients like KFC and Miller Lite.  His first boss was James Patterson – who also seemed to do OK making the transition from advertising to novel writing.  Chris eventually rose to EVP/Group Creative director of Young & Rubicam, and now makes his home in Manhattan.

So, Chris, which of your old advertising campaigns are you most proud of?  Which one was the most cringe-worthy... one you still wish never saw the light of day?

I guess the one I am most proud of would be the TROJAN MAN radio campaign I did for Trojan condoms while working at Backer-Spielvogel-Bates.   I wrote it in the late 80s, early 90s when the AIDS epidemic was killing so many people and the Surgeon General was on TV saying "use a condom or you'll die."   The account folks estimated that message was given about two billion dollars in free air time.   The result?  Condom sales didn't increase at all.   I realized you couldn't scare young, invincible, immortal men into "taking a shower with a rain coat," the common condom perception at the time.  So, I came up with a fun campaign that made it "cool" or at least okay to wear a condom.   Trojan even sent a guy on a horse dressed up like Trojan Man to pass out free samples at Spring Break in Florida.  The campaign lived on long after I moved on to other clients.  

Download 01 TROJAN MAN _Drug Store_

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I'm also quite proud of the "Make Seven... Up Yours" work the group I ran at Y&R did for Seven Up.   We actually helped the brand beat back the Sprite "Obey your Thirst" onslaught for the first time in nearly a decade.   

Now... as far as cringe-worthy... has to be one of my first TV commercials for a powdery substance you sprinkled on Pasta and then tossed to make a meal – and you could choose what flavor you wanted, too!  Of course they called it PASTA TOSS.   I wrote a line, I cringe:  "You're the boss with Pasta Toss."   I remember the Associate Creative Director went on the shoot (we juniors were not invited) and it was done in London where "toss" and "tosser," have meanings you don't want to associate with limp noodles.

In other interviews, you’ve said your advertising background taught you discipline and how to grab readers fast.  But there’s a big difference between writing an outdoor billboard and a 100,000-word novel.  Was that an intimidating leap for you?

Hugely intimidating.   When I first left advertising, I thought I would write screenplays – go from thirty second movies to one hundred and twenty minute ones.  I NEVER thought I could write a book.  It wasn't until 1) I realized I was too old and on the wrong coast to write movies and 2) I read Stephen King's book ON WRITING and thought I could do it.  But the advertising discipline still pays off.   I'm used to sitting down in the morning and writing, no matter how I feel or where the muse is currently located.  I respect reader's attention spans and try not to be boring.   Boring is how you get zapped on TV.  It's how your book gets tossed (in the non London way) against the wall.

All of your series book covers have strong, consistent design elements.  Was that something your publisher(s) did on their own, or did you push for similar type treatments, color palettes, etc. because of your experience working with advertising art directors?

I pushed for a consistent look, which the first three Ceepak mysteries delivered in spades.   I learned that, of course, from the master, my first boss in advertising James Patterson.  You can spot his books in an airport kiosk at fifty paces.   The design elements are consistent.   It's like going up the cereal aisle in a grocery store.  You can spot the Kelloggs cereals from the Post cereals without even seeing the logos.

The Ceepak books got knocked a little off design with the hard cover of HELL HOLE, when a new publisher took over and, much like advertising, the graphics were subjected to the Not-Invented-On-My-Watch syndrome (any campaign that was loved by one client would be hated by his replacement).  

With MIND SCRAMBLER and the paperback of HELL HOLE, the look was at least consistent.   I am happy to report that Ceepak's third publisher, a great new press called Pegasus, is run by folks who used to be with the now defunct Carroll & Graf  (Ceepak's first home) and Michael Fusco, the original designer, is back on the case!   ROLLING THUNDER, coming out in May 2010, will be back to the classic look.

You’ve created a Café Press online storefront with T-shirts, mugs, clocks, etc. extending your brand with the tagline “WWCD?” (“What Would Ceepak Do?).  Was that part of your initial marketing plan?  What percentage of your annual income comes from these add-on merchandising sales?

No, the whole Cafe Press store started when I realized that the Map page on my website was one of the most popular.   With Cafe Press, I could get post cards made of the map (it looks like one of those Resort Maps you see in tourists towns) and send them out to bookstores and folks who wrote me asking for autographed bookplates.   The WWCD thing started when my buddy, Captain Dave Morkal of the FDNY (one of the people the character of Ceepak is based on) told me he had started asking himself "What would Ceepak do?" when faced with small ethical choices.   So, I worked WWCD into the third book Whack A Mole and started doing the shirts and bumper stickers and stuff.  People really stare at me when I where my WWCD? shirt.    As far as income, it's zero as I just do the stuff on Cafe Press at their base price.   For me it's a fun way to market... not a cash cow...

Your website is split between your Thriller and YA personas.  For example, your YA author bio has pictures of Muppets and samples from your 8^th grade composition book, which understandably, are nowhere to be found on the Thriller side.  At any point did you try to service both audiences with the same website, or did you quickly see the need for separate homepages?  Did Random House help cover the re-design, or did you fund that yourself?

I actually borrowed/stole the idea from Ridley Pearson, who does adult thrillers and YA books.  My web maven, Madeira James at xuni.com also does Mr. Pearson's site and she suggested that I do it that way.   As far as funding the re-design, that's what book advances are for!   (Some author famously called Advances the new marketing budget).   I made one mistake early on – I did a dual-purpose bookmark, THE CROSSROADS for kids on one side, my latest Ceepak book on the other.  I quickly realized I was sending fifth graders home with an ad for HELL HOLE... probably not a wise move.   Ever since, the two worlds get their own bookmarks.

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Thanks, Chris!  In two weeks, be sure to check out Part 2 of our chat, when we talk about Chris’ book trailers, hangin’ with Bruce Willis, and eating Tootsie Pops outside James Patterson’s office.

 

 

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for the past dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, Suzuki Automotive, and the San Diego Padres. His first mystery, KATZ CRADLE is on submission while he's working on the sequel. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.