Breaking the Illusion

On By ashleyfausIn Presentations3 Comments

Las Vegas is a place of illusions, but as the city never sleeps, sometimes you get to peek behind the scenes.

First, Nevada is a desert, but you’d never know it when you’re walking down the strip. It’s in the middle of nowhere, but it’s a city with literally EVERYTHING you could need or want. When you start thinking about the amount of money spent on electricity, water, shipping, and shows, it’s staggering. Entertainment like that shouldn’t be available in the middle of nowhere… and yet, it is!

Second, everything is pretty clean and well-maintained, considering the amount of people that trample on the grass, sit in the seats, and lean against the walls. Most hotels and theme parks have a “down” period, where regular maintenance occurs. There’s no “down” period in Vegas, so the maintenance occurs out in the open. I came down one morning to see a worker re-painting the columns white, lawn men pulling weeds daily, and people spraying down the sidewalks. It’s just odd, because most bigger-than-life places try to keep up the magic by doing maintenance in secret. Not seeing the maintenance makes it feel like grass and shrubs just magically stay beautiful in a place like this. It contributes to the feeling that everything is a vacation in that place. See, the sand is just ALWAYS white! See, the grass is just ALWAYS green! If only I could live in a place where no work takes place! Aside from the fact that I was on a business trip, seeing all the maintenance and work going on in Vegas was actually pretty stressful (not to mention the crowds everywhere!)

Finally, you can just see the people on the street in morning after a looooong night. Vegas gives you the sense that it’s a party all the time, but the tired eyes and looks of nausea show that it does come to an end. Yes, I did see a guy lean out the window of a limo and throw up all over the street… clearly he partied a little too hard. I’m all for a good time, and Vegas certainly delivers a party atmosphere, but at some point, real life sets in. The body can’t handle excessive amounts of alcohol, rich food, walking, sex, and over-stimulation of the sense. Even good things should be experienced in moderation! The illusion of the high life comes crashing down in the bright light of the morning sun, and I think Vegas gives people a warped sense of their limits on partying.

Overall, it was a good trip, but I was definitely ready to come home after a few days. I think I’ve had enough Vegas to last me for several years! If you do take a trip out there, I highly recommend Blue Man Group and any of the Cirque du Soleil shows. My parents mentioned that Elton John was amazing, so maybe I’ll check out “The Million Dollar Piano” when I visit next time.

Sex Sells

On By ashleyfausIn Advertising, Selling2 Comments

I’m still waffling about the title of this post, as I know the spam-catcher is going to have a hayday. However, there’s no way around this overwhelmingly obvious truth in Vegas: sex sells. And, quite frankly, that bothers me. Aside from my moral quandary about using sex as a selling tool, I feel like it’s bad marketing.

First, the moral issues. It’s disconcerting to walk down a street in broad daylight, and see people in t-shirts with a phone number and the slogan, “Girls Direct to YOU…… 24/7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” They stand on the corners slapping trading cards of provocative pictures on their hands, and thrust them at you as you walk by. There’s trucks that drive down the street, with the sole purpose of carrying a giant billboard to advertise these women, and huge signs on every hotel boast some kind of topless review or burlesque show. I’m sorry, but I don’t think our society needs any more encouragement to have promiscuous sex, and I find it disgusting that in 2011, we still degrade women to nothing more than sex objects. I literally heard a man and a woman negotiating for women on the street. NEGOTIATING for women! Being from a conservative, Christian family in the South, I haven’t been exposed to such blatant, overt, sexual advertising. Sure, we see it in everyday innuendo and less-than-clothed advertisements, but open price discussions are unheard of where I’m from. People may disagree that promiscuous sex is immoral, but I would wager most would agree that negotiating the sale of another human’s most private possession is morally deplorable. We see stories about rape, abuse, and trafficking all over the world, but we’ve got a thriving market right here at home. We send aid and workers and police to fight the problem abroad, but pour money into billboards to advertise it in Vegas. Does anyone else find this to be a contradiction?

Second, I think it’s bad marketing to use sex to sell. What do sushi and sex have to do with each other? Why would you need to go topless to sing songs from the 1950s? Are your food and voice sub-par without that extra little umph of a naked woman? There’s plenty of places that serve great food, and put on a great show, without resorting to catering to man’s (well, humans’, but particularly man’s) basest instinct. The argument that people like good scenery while they dine or listen to music rings true… and there’s plenty of marble, paint, gold, fountains, and greenery to enhance your experience. It’s a cheap shot to make everything about sex, since it’s a strong biological imperative. People get up-in-arms about marketing to children, as they’re susceptible to all manner of suggestion. But, where’s the outrage at using sex to sell? And don’t tell me it’s because adults “know better”. Look at Axe, the company that sells men’s body products on the premise that you’ll have women throwing themselves at you after incorporating Axe into your daily routine. One story talks about a lawsuit from a disgruntled customer, who claims that he’s seen no “effect” after using the products. Cars, phones, shoes, and the list goes on, tell you that you’ll get more sex if you buy their product. We all know we’re not going to get rich quick, we’re not going to lose weight fast, and we’re not going to stay young forever, but for some reason, we all think we’ll be sexier or get more sex! These claims are equally ridiculous, but people are less likely to dismiss them. Again, let your product stand on its own merit. Am I the only one that questions the quality of the ACTUAL product when they feel they must use sex to sell?

Las Vegas knows how to sell sex. In fact, part of me wonders if they ONLY know how to sell sex, as food, shows, and other attractions are all paired with random sexy images.  The advertisement for Celine Dion features a picture of her back, in an extremely low-cut gown, with the slogan “Celine’s back”. Clever turn of a phrase, I suppose, but what does her bare back have to do with her ability to sing? Vegas has some great attractions, but I, for one, can do without the sale of sex.

Beauty and Detail

On By ashleyfausIn Advertising, SellingLeave a comment

I’ve just returned from my trip to Las Vegas, and I was struck by the level of beauty and detail in each of the many hotels and shows! I’d say Vegas has one of the most successful marketing strategies in the world, and I’m going to give you a look at my trip over the next few posts.

I’m starting out with my surprise at the beauty and detail shown in the hotels. I’ve been to Trevi Fountain and the Arc de Triumph, and the Vegas replicas rival the real thing to a T. Further, the painting on the ceilings, marble-like statues, and gilt columns really give the tourist a sense of the old cathedrals and museums on the other side of the world. It’s amazing what we can do with technology today. You can literally walk down a street and see Italy, France, and New York in an hour!

As a marketer, giving people the “real thing” is a cornerstone for many campaigns… it’s one of Coke’s taglines! People return to Vegas again and again to try to find the new details that they missed on countless other trips. Many car companies, clothing retailers, and restaurants sell entire concepts and product lines based solely on their ability to provide beauty and detail to their customers.

In addition to the beauty in the hotels, many of the tradeshow booths featured gorgeous art and sleek marketing collateral. Aviation is often perceived as boring, technical, and ugly, which many companies proved wrong at the show. You can find artistic shots of engines, wings, and aircraft parts, all woven perfectly with the company tagline and benefits. I’ve been inspired to work on a new booth for one of our companies, insisting that there’s no reason to do things the ugly way when a beautiful way exists! Artistic shots of the details of an engine draw attendees in, and can make the difference between an empty booth and a busy booth.

Once again, I saw how beauty and detail bring people in by the thousands, literally! Part of the Vegas appeal is the ability to experience so many forms of beauty and detail in one small space. The desire for beauty extends beyond our entertainment, and straight into the corporate world, as the booths and marketing pieces demonstrate. Have you ever longed for a car just because it’s a work of art? Purchased a pair of shoes because they looked beautiful in the window? Marveled at the presentation of your food at an expensive steakhouse?

Happy Friday!

On By ashleyfausIn Link Round-UpLeave a comment

I’m ready to get to this weekend. After my time in Vegas last weekend, and the tradeshow that followed, I’m beat! I’ll be finishing up a paper, studying for a final, and HOPEFULLY finding time to relax. Here’s what I’m reading until I head to boot camp tonight:

 

For the marketers, via Seth’s Blog: “What Really Blew Me Away”

For the capitalists, via ERE Blog: 99 Percent, Capitalists, and Natural Slaves

For those looking to update their office, via The Office Stylist: Live Well at Work

For the chance meeting, via The Daily Muse: Perfect Your Elevator Pitch

 

Like the links? Follow me on Twitter for links and blog posts every day!

More Lexus Genius

On By ashleyfausIn Advertising, BrandingLeave a comment
Cool tool on their website shows the progression of data points.

 

Good ‘ole Lexus, their marketing makes me happy once again! I’ve seen their latest commercial about their superior crash test dummy, and I think it’s a great strategy.

First, they’re reenforcing the message that they are superior to their competitors. Not only do they use superior designs, they use superior testing methods. Since their tests give them more information, they can further improve their design. By highlighting the differences in the testing dummies, Lexus makes the customer question the founding assumptions made by competitors. How do you know that your car’s design can really handle that crash? If you’ve got a Lexus, you know that the superior testing practices have proven that your car is safe.

Second, Lexus shows that they pay attention to ALL the details, not just the look or luxurious feel of the car. Many of their competitors focus on a single feature, like safety or reliability, but Lexus’ new commercial shows that they’re focusing on all your driving needs. Each of their marketing campaigns show an increased attention to detail on a specific feature. The first campaign I mentioned, showcased Lexus’ acknowledgement of the need for convenience, with a secondary nod to the aspirational quality of their product.  Many of their billboards highlight the beauty of the design, with artistic shots of the car on a simple black background… it’s just gorgeous! This campaign shows their commitment to providing the highest quality in safety, and showcases their engineering prowess.

Finally, they follow it up with a great website. Their Engineering Amazing portal takes you to interactive tools, and shows you the science behind their superior crash test dummy.They engage the user on the site, and back up the claims in their commercials with data. It showcases not only the beauty in the design of the cars, but the beauty and precision in the design of everything Lexus touches, which instills more confidence in the customer that they’ve made the right choice in buying a Lexus.

Once again, Lexus delivers a knock-out campaign. Every interaction is professional, with a pin-pointed message to target their customer’s every need.

Morale Boost

On By ashleyfausIn Work and OfficeLeave a comment

Last week, I showed you some options for picture arrangements in my office. I’m nearing completion on my task to decorate the office, as requested by our Big Bosses. It’s a little funny how it’s all worked out, as many people in the office found it to be a really low-priority project. But now that things are starting to go up on the walls, the response has been great! People are dropping by my office to see what goodies were delivered for their corner of the office, joining me to stare at the wall and contemplate arrangements, and asking if I’ve got anything coming for that one wall right by their office. It’s turned out to be a great morale boost, and several people have told me that they appreciate the new art.

Sometimes you don’t realize how much something matters until you actually have it, and the little things make a huge difference in work and office satisfaction. Many companies do “morale events”, from monthly birthdays to certificates for good work. These events may seem a little silly, but they make a huge difference. Think about it: do you feel better or worse about your efforts if someone tells you “thank you”? Do you enjoy the office more or less with pictures on the wall? These boosts help motivate a dejected employee, inspire a bored employee, and make an under-appreciated employee feel like someone notices, and someone cares. I know I’m inspired when I walk into the office in the morning and see a gorgeous 30″x30″ engine staring at me! And all the compliments on my choice of decor? It’s a nice boost to my self-esteem.

So, if you’re a boss, do something nice for your employees… bring in donuts one morning, and your productivity might just sky-rocket. Say “thanks” to a colleague today, and let them know you appreciate their work… you’ll be surprised how much better their work on your projects becomes.

Grade Thresholds

On By ashleyfausIn MBA Degree2 Comments

Maybe I’m just frustrated at my poor performance on my Stats exam, but several people I’ve talked to agree that the professor has a high threshold for his grade inputs. I’ve talked before about the discrepancies between academia and the real world, but I’m wondering if we’re all correct that this scale seems a little weird.

The biggest source of fear about this grading scale, is that anything below an 86 is a C. This correlates to a GPA of about a 2.6, which means that if I score an 85 in the class, my lovely 3.9 is going to plummet. This strikes an extra amount of fear in me, particularly because I feel like I made something like an 83 or an 84 in Stats during my undergrad degree. Thus, even with “good” performance (for me, remember we’re talking about Stats here!), I’m still stuck with a terrible hit to my GPA. One student commented that surely there’s some kind of uniformity across the university, because otherwise, professors could make a 98 the threshold for a B or C. From my previous semesters, it does seem like most professors have a similar scale for grading, with only a point or two of difference amongst themselves, instead of the 5-8 point difference shown by this professor’s scale.

Fortunately, it seems that most companies don’t care about your grad school GPA unless it’s below a 3.0. And, most companies factor in the school’s reputation when evaluating GPAs in the first place. This leads to the debates about whether grades, GPAs, and scales are even relevant when predicting someone’s level of success, since you might be comparing apples to oranges anyway. If me and another student both make an 85 in Stats, but I get a C and they get a B, I look worse. Maybe it’s because I’ve never made a C in my life, but for some reason, a C compared to a B sounds much worse than a B compared to an A. It may also be that I think a C involves laziness vs. intelligence or “natural ability”, and that laziness offends me more than not having the ability in the first place.

Either way, there’s some trepidation about my final grade, and I’ve only had one exam for that class! I’m sure it will turn out fine in the end, but would you be worried if you were being graded on this scale? Am I bitter about the high threshold, or correct that it’s much higher than I’ve seen in previous classes?

Word of the Day

On By ashleyfausIn GeneralLeave a comment

I got comments twice the other day about using “big words”, and I’ve had this happen many times throughout my life. I don’t think I use big words, but apparently my vocabulary is cause for comment. The aforementioned comments were a result of my use of the word “tangential” and “conundrum”. I was asked to spell “conundrum” and give a definition. This prompted me to say that I’d come back with more words, and we could have a word of the day! I think today’s word will be “proclivity”, and tomorrow’s word will be “mitigate”. Again, I don’t think either of these are big words, but I could be wrong.

Did you have $10 words in elementary school? Because I did. My teacher liked to explain that words have value, and if you use bigger words or more specific words, you add more value to your writing. Thus, “everyday” words were only worth $1, words from our vocabulary list were worth $5, and any fancy words we found on our own were usually worth $10. We didn’t actually get any money, but she frequently referred to our assignment requirements with phrases like, “Use at least one $10 word and one $5 word.” Granted, we were in second grade, so even $10 words weren’t THAT interesting. I still talk about $10 words, and I always get funny looks when I mention it.

If nothing else, $10 words give your writing a little flavor, spicing up the everyday blog post just a little. The only caveat (should “caveat” be a word of the day?)  is making sure you’re understood, and using fancy words sometimes detracts from the meaning (think jargon-laden technical writing or legal writing.) So, readers, any ideas for a word of the day?

Groupings

On By ashleyfausIn Advertising, Selling, Work and Office2 Comments

Almost immediately after yesterday’s venting post, I noticed an interesting idea (well, maybe just to the marketing nerds!). Sometimes you just need to let the stress out and things will come to you! Anyways, my inspiration came in the form of trying to hang pictures around the office. I’ve got three photos of engines in one company’s product line, and I wanted to hang them together in a group. Here’s my version of the arrangement:

Arranged by color: silver, blue, silver

I tend to notice colors and crops first, so my initial grouping placed the photos with the “odd” color in the middle, just to keep things even.

My boss, and industry veteran, suggested this arrangement:

Arranged from largest engine type to smallest engine type

He felt that the engines should be arranged from the largest engine type to the smallest engine type. Based on his experience and viewing of photos from aviation, planes, engines, and parts were always arranged either smallest to largest, or largest to smallest. There was some order to the arrangement based on hard data, not color or crop.

And finally, another colleague suggested this arrangement:

Arranged with engine fans framing the non-fan engines

Her assessment was based on factors similar to mine, thinking that you should have the two engines that look like fans on either side of the engine that does not look like a fan. Again, she was going with symmetry that made sense to her mind as her eye saw it.

So how does this relate to marketing? The first application that comes to mind, is grouping things together in a grocery store. Cross-selling is a basic concept in marketing that basically says you should put complementary products together to increase the sales of both items. For example, putting salsa in the same aisle as the chips makes sense, because people eat chips and salsa together. However, salsa could also be placed in the hispanic foods aisle, the condiments aisle, or the sauces/gravy/mixes/marinades aisle. Groupings are an integral part of a store planner’s job, and as my picture example shows, people often group things differently. What happens if I associate salsa with chips, but your brand of salsa isn’t on the chip aisle? If I’m only looking for salsa as grouped with chips, you lose out on me even looking for your product!

Groupings are extremely important in marketing, and how your customer makes connections to your product can make or break the sale. Are they looking at color, hard data, or pictures to determine which things “go together”? Have I missed any other groupings of my pictures?

Thoroughly Uninspired

On By ashleyfausIn Work and Office, Work-Life DecisionsLeave a comment

Well readers, I didn’t do well on my Stats exam. Let’s take a moment for the shock that the professor managed to grade that exam overnight! Further, our biggest tradeshow of the year starts in less than a week, so the stress is piling on. Add to that a paper that’s due in about 2 weeks comprised of content that has yet to be submitted from some group members, and I’m thoroughly uninspired. I keep trying to find the cool marketing tactics in day-to-day life, or the really interesting MBA ah-ha moment, but quite frankly, I’m too stressed to see the interesting things right now. This is nose to the grindstone time, and it’s a little disheartening to feel like I have no creativity.

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! I leave for Las Vegas in just a few days, and some GORGEOUS prints arrived for the office. I feel like I’ll snap out of the funk after an invigorating walk around the tradeshow floor. For now, I’m taking Seth Godin’s advice about writing to relieve writer’s block.

On another note, I’ve been asked about my workout habits by several different colleagues today. The questions are generally phrased as, “You must work out, you walk fast, ” or, “Wow, you have a lot of energy… do you workout a lot?” This is usually said while trying to keep pace as I make my rounds between the offices, or trying to follow the words racing furiously out of my mouth. I tend to think that I walk at a normal speed, and everyone else is just slow, and maybe it’s not that I talk fast, but others should listen faster? 🙂 Either way, I’m apparently determined to pass my frazzled state along to anyone who crosses my path.

So, any other tips for getting my inspiration back? I’d contemplate for an answer on my own, but I’ve got to run!