A lot of agencies have experience judging creative competitions. Those same judging principles apply to a review like this.

If you choose to participate in a review that includes 100 agencies, you have to go in knowing it's not physically possible for the client to read every word or even review every page of every response.

That means you have to go in with either enough reputation to leap to the finalist list or you have to completely captivate with your first viewed page.

Anything else goes in the reject pile.

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Rodney's First Response: 

Do you ever read an article about McDonald's, Subway or Taco Bell? It's not typical.

That's because when franchisees and corporate fight, everyone looses. QSR is a highly competitive category and if you don't have near flawless, strategic, focused consumer communication, you get leveled.

Now that they've settled their dispute, they have very little time to execute and their competitors know their plans. It will be pretty easy for McDonald's, Subway and Taco Bell local markets to craft a response if they so choose.  

Rodney's Second Response: 

Franchisees and corporate do have disagreements, that would be the norm. Most QSR chains have franchisee boards who vote and approve on marketing. The vote meetings are heated discussions and in the case of large groups like McDonald's OPNAD, there's an air of congressional lobbying to reach final agreements. 

But, a well operated group has their meetings much further in advance, they don't change direction after moving forward on an initiative and the dirty laundry is seldom in the press. 

If McDonald's, Subway, Taco Bell local operators find a burger king double cheeseburger a threat to their bottom line, which none should, they will drop local communication in rotation. The point made earlier is, plan ahead, stick to the plan and keep it out of the press. 

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It has long been understood that a blind date lends itself to awkward moments. However, Moosylvania’s blind date-style interview ended with a great opportunity for our personalities to shine through. Our second date, the first day on the job, started with a bang. Now that the nerves had settled, we sat down with an outdoor picnic of KFC and Ted Drewes Frozen custard! We knew it was a match made in heaven – we were then ready to take the next step.

Meeting the Family
During the first week, Sarah Shockley (Senior Copywriter and Moose Mentor) had been talking with her intern Randy Lutz when he asked, “who this ‘Sarah girl’ was anyway?” Moosylvania in many ways operates like a family in that we all come together and put our all into every project. With loving and sometimes tough-loving support, we find a way to challenge ourselves and grow each day.

Getting Comfortable

Sure, our mentors had to hold our hands during some early stages. But, once we started to work on communication, we connected in a way that neither of us saw coming. Overall our mentors see this year’s batch of interns as “eager and full of initiative” (Rachel Hamblin: Copywriter), “humble and truly happy to be here” (Ryan Doggendorf: Art Director), and “excited to be here and have a passion to learn” (Erica Thurston: Account Services).

We have been settling into our offices and personal desks quite well. Maybe a little too well at times as Marc Goone (Account Services Intern) said he has been tempted to hang-glide from the interns’ workspace in the loft to a hanging light on the ceiling of the agency. Some of us interns have taken quickly to our new responsibilities. Laura Hoeman (Art Director Intern) is located by the only phone available to the interns, and the power seems to have gone to her head a bit. Our choir loft location might be a bit of a climb for mentor Ryan Doggendorf (Art Director), as he admits to getting out a breath after climbing the stairs a few times.

Becoming Equal Partners
As Moosylvania interns, we don’t just sit here and look pretty. Our input is taken seriously, and we are allowed to take the reign on tons of projects. We also get to see what our roles will be in this crazy fast-paced agency world.

“I was very much surprised that we were allowed to sit in on client presentations…I’m (also) allowed to answer questions and speak with the clients themselves.” (Kayleigh Kozemczak: Account Services Intern)

“I appreciate all the hard work that goes into working as a team, and I now understand just how gratifying it is to write something that may actually be out there on the shelves or in the magazines one day.” (Jill Towerman: Writer Intern)

“I’ve learned not to throw away an idea. I show people everything I have been working on because someone may have an angle on it that I did not think of.” (Daniel Shinn: Art Director Intern)

Building Memories
Our first day on the job, we set out on a scavenger hunt to scope out the latest point of sale promotions in grocery and liquor stores around St. Louis. Next, our mentors told us that we must learn the Moosylvania Anthem in order to gain entrance to an important meeting. “That was one hot track we dropped,” said Laura Hoeman. Another favorite memory is getting to know more about client Dean’s Milk by making mouth-watering smoothies and shakes for all employees.

What’s Next?
With summer almost over, we are looking forward to participating in the annual fun-filled Intern Olympics and seeing the projects we have worked on come out in the real world. Just like most summer romances, time flies when you’re having fun, we’re just here to enjoy the ride.

One of our diligent account service interns, Tyler, was searching on a popular marketing blog “AdFreak” and discovered a great internship promotion. Little Debbie snack cakes was sponsoring an “Intern Hero” contest in which a company’s interns could send in a picture explaining why they need and deserve free muffins. And guess what Little Debbie sends five winners every day? FIVE BOXES OF FREE MUFFINS!!!

Early Monday morning, Tyler sent word to his fellow interns suggesting that this as something right up Moosylvania’s alley. They all responded with great enthusiasm and began looking at some of the current winners. Like the motivated and ambitious interns they are, they went into extreme brainstorming mode right away to figure out how their submission could stand out from the rest.

In the end, they couldn’t think of a more perfect solution than to pay homage to the beloved children’s book, If You Give a Moose a Muffin. After crafting their own version of the story, they threw on some iconic Moosylvania T-shirts and made it happen.

After teasing the interns through ambiguous tweets all day long, Little Debbie finally posted “If You Give a Moose Intern a Muffin” as a winning entry! Expecting five boxes of muffins in the mail any day now…

Moosylvania Says, "Yes!'

Bob Lutz is the exact right person for the job here's why;

Renewing interest and trust with consumers during this tumultuous transitional period requires a stellar understanding of all the resources, how they benefit the consumer and which ones need the most emphasis and attention no matter what the forum is.

Bob can rely on good people and agencies to develop appropriate go-to-market strategies, but at the end of the day, if he's approving the communication priorities and assuring that consumers are being listened to and have a voice, he's got the best available gut to make the approving calls and provide macro direction.

Additionally, Bob can articulate the specific challenges of the industry probably better than anyone as he's literally lived and worked through every possible market condition the industry has faced.

Even now, as the hybrids are finally being embraced, Lutz is leading the charge to change the game for the better. He and GM have been harshly labeled by the Washington Post as ambivalent in their efforts to move forward on their 2010 launch of their new hybrid Volt.

But Volt is a game-changer for hybrids, as the category to date uses small electric motors for low speed driving, and switches to a gas engine for faster speeds. The Volt uses the electric motor at all times, with the gas engine serving as a generator for the batteries. The first 50 miles require no gas, just a charge. After that, the car is on target to get 50 MPG. 10 gallons of gas will gill get 550 miles or 55 MPG.

Lutz hasn't settled for the norm in this expensive, controversial space. He has helped move it to a place where only a category leader can take it. And he's done so with personable, open communication designed to build a pipeline of customers and associates in waiting through social media and PR.

He can and will do the same for all the rest of GM.

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Why Every Marketer Should Have a Smart Phone Strategy

Good information. I agree with all of this and more.  Every marketer should have a smart phone strategy, here's why;

 The smart phone will soon be the number one way consumers access the web, as cell phones outnumber computers 3 to 1, smart phone penetration is in the double digits and Best Buy just a released a study that found 40% of non-smart phone users intend to purchase one in the next year.

 Smart mobile tools like Deal Chime, that shoot geo-based, retailer specific coupons to phones and Spyderlink that allows customers to take pictures with their phones of logos and bar codes for informational and promotional messaging are on their way to replacing the FSI, In-store coupons, out of home, radio, POS, and the conventional web, as consumers can be reached at the most important moments in their purchase decision process.

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Rodney’s suggestion for Mobile and Shopper Marketing to complement experiential.

Bravo to Haier for thinking smart with little budget and making hay.

Expanding Haier's Home Tour each year is a good build on owning the experiential space in the category. Haier has also been a participating sponsor of the NBA Nation tour.

It seems, given Haier's primary distribution is through discount retailers like Walmart and Target, mobile and shopper marketing could be the perfect complement on the horizon for next year.

Using tools like SpyderLynk, that enable people to snap pictures of logos and bar codes with the camera on their phone at POS and tour appearances to receive more product information and chances to win special savings and prizes, and Deal Chime that shoots geo-based, retail specific digital offers to phones and e-mail while customers are reviewing products at events and in-store, is in sync with experiential marketing and Haier's core customer base.

Additionally, finding other complementary purveyors in the retail footprint and cross merchandising via shopper marketing displays, in-store media, circulars and at experiences, will provide incremental awareness, simplify customer shopping and provide partner funds to further expand next year's tour.

Cool beverage samples in the fridge and ice cream in the freezer to play up Haier's ability to cool off summer heat, laundry detergent and fabric softner dryer sheet samples that include peel off savings for Haier on-pack, a clothing partner hanging next to the dryer, a house wares partner that makes laundry bins, baskets and other materials, and relevant TV programs, like the NBA, playing on the big screens with a few celebrity appearances from a player or TV show star at select events all hold great possibility. 

If done correctly, the house itself could make appearances at key retail locations in exchange for incremental cross-merchandising opportunities in store.

Congratulations and good luck on your next endeavors.

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Hold The Phone!

Rodney explains why it doesn’t to us.

Everybody reading this should be familiar with the FCC's 2008 700MHz spectrum auction for Internet use. The spectrum is now available due to TVs recent move to HD.

The big bidders were AT&T, Verizon, Google, a Craig McCaw group and a regional bid by Cablevision for metro NYC.

Prior to the auction, Google won a government ruling that if a bid of at least $4B came in through the auction, it was in the best interest of all users of the spectrum (customers), to be able to change their web access provider at a moments notice. That means a tool on a consumer's web enabled device (smart phone or computer) could continuously search for the best access price and always connect customers at the lowest cost available, which might even be free. That ruling is currently being challenged by CTIA (The Wireless Association) for obvious reasons. 

The technology now exists and is waiting to be unleashed to provide omnipresent internet access at substantially higher speeds, 50-100x faster than current speeds. This will enable a lot of magical things to happen, particularly as it pertains to two-way, real time video communication.

Independent of the new spectrum yet to be unleashed, you have the rise of the smart phone, which is running on slow 3G speeds right now. But it's easy to imagine the capabilities at 100x faster speeds, that are everywhere and always on. 

Smart phones will be the number one way US consumers access the web by the end of 2010. The math is very easy. Cell phones outnumber computers 3 to 1. Smart phone penetration is already in the double digits and only needs to equal 34% of all wireless phones to surpass computers. Best Buy conducted a survey in 2009 that found 40% of all non-smart phone customers intend to purchase one within the next year. Combine that with the fact that wireless phones by their nature have a much greater incidence of use than a computer, as they're always on and always with consumers. 

Additionally, smart phones are WAP enabled. They don't have to use a cellular signal to operate. They can run off of the wireless internet. The only current limitation for a smart phone to circumvent the wireless phone spectrum via VOIP based calling is that wireless internet access isn't omnipresent with a single access connection.

What all this is leading to is a new playing field where Web enabled wireless tools will replace activities traditionally done by phones, computers, televisions, radios and more. 

Google excels in the Web. That's all they're thinking about. That's why they;
1) bid on the 700 MHz spectrum 
2) bought youtube 
3) are getting into the "phone" business.

When will the government choose to unleash the new spectrum? It could be awhile as there a economic ramifications to it's release. When it is released, Google is prepared to compete and win.

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 Good summary.

Here's a thought for youtube and advertisers alike.

Take a product like Klickable, that allows viewers to click on objects in a video for links and tags that create pop ups with more information while the video plays uninterrupted. Allowing youtube users to tag and hotlink items within home video content with the Klickable tool will enable each person to make their own personal statement with every video they forward.

Suddenly, they're becoming the John Madden's with magic instant replay tools that illustrate their comments.

The Klickable tool would be available and brought in part by a sponsor.

Sponsors would frame the content and based on user tags and clicks, the content would change or update their offer.

This is a hybrid between texting and video viewing, that is personalized and plays perfectly into the mobile web. Text a friend your video link with embedded comments will elevate the entire texting phenomenon.

Pretty simple and the technology already exists.

Monetizing home videos is really not at the top Google or youtube's to-do list. But this platform can help quickly migrate youtube into a more intuitive Web 3.0 interface, especially given the new opportunities to upload directly from smart phones and the ability to take into consideration location as an added dimension.

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