What an Audience Analysis Agency Thinks About True Crime
What kind of people like true crime podcasts, documentaries, and articles? Learn how a brand personas agency views true crime fans. Everybody’s heard the old adage that says crime doesn’t pay, especially in the long run. Plenty of stories about the eventual fates of criminals prove the saying true in some sense. They often end up dead, in prison, or at least, disgraced. Still, that saying sure does not apply to a genre of crime stories called true crime. In fact, true crime podcasts, books, and documentaries have been attracting legions of fans and lots of revenue. Meanwhile, all kinds of businesses have jumped on the bandwagon. They want to know if they can use this fascination with factual accounts of newsworthy crimes to bolster their own audience, so they may seek the perspective of an audience analysis agency to find out more. An audience analysis agency perspective of true crime fans As an example of true crime popularity, according to Forbes, the “My Favorite Murder” podcast raked in over $15 million last year. That’s more than finance guru Dave Ramsey’s earnings of $10 million. Out of all podcasts, “My Favorite Murder” only ranked behind comedian Joe Rogan’s $30 million income. Besides the “My Favorite Murder” podcast and related content, true crime fans can find plenty of other podcasts, books, and even Netflix specials on the topic of real-life criminals and their victims. The public has had an appetite for true crime stories for years. Everybody knows about Jack the Ripper. Still, these tales of crime, suffering, and punishment have gained unprecedented traction in the last few decades. Obviously, this genre can attract a large audience. Still, before deciding if true crime stories provide a good opportunity to for business sponsorship, a brand personas agency would want to know more about the audience. Why do so many people like true crime stories? A social psychologist named Amanda Vicary also grew fascinated with true crime. In turn, she also gained an interest in the psychological appeal of these sometimes grizzly and disturbing stories. For one thing, she had presumed that this sort of thing would mostly appeal to men. After doing a little research, she found out that women made up the overwhelming majority of the audience. Even though she liked this genre, the large female majority of the audience surprised her. Dr. Vicary wanted to resolve this apparent paradox with a study that she eventually even published in a scientific journal. She discovered that, like herself, women’s interest generally centered upon the mental processes involved in these criminal acts. Perhaps surprisingly, women usually also preferred stories with female victims. It’s surprising because Vicary said research has found that women tend to fear becoming victims of crime more than men do. As she dug into the mystery, she found that reacting to that fear may have attracted the audience. She finally concluded that that these stories drew in women because they hoped to learn enough about these acts of violence or exploitation enough to figure out which steps they could take to either prevent or survive them. Dr. Vicary admitted that many women might experience this feeling subconsciously. Consciously or not, people may view true crime stories as a way to prepare and even to gain comfort, and this knowledge should factor into your audience analysis. How can understanding true crime fans help with audience marketing? Actually, it’s possible for marketers to learn a lot about true crime audiences during the audience analysis portion of their marketing research. Just from Dr. Vicary’s research, a brand personas agency would learn the likely gender of the majority. They would also understand that most of their audience doesn’t indulge in these alarming stories for a vicarious thrill. They don’t view the criminals as heroes either. Instead, they want to better understand crimes as a way to gain the information that they could use to protect themselves of feel comforted they would never get into the same position as the victim. The audience feels threatened on some level, and they view true crime as a sort of self-defense school. That’s not enough information for a completed set of buyer personas. Still, it’s a good start. To learn more, marketers would need to probe further into the audience for any particular kind of content they might either plan to produce or sponsor. Considering Dr. Vicary, a noted researcher and professor, enjoys these kinds of stories, it’s not wise to make assumptions about educational levels, income, or age. Why consider true crime content for audience marketing? Knowing even this much, this kind of audience might spark the interest of any businesses promoting home security, self-defense products, or almost anything related to preparing better defenses against the type of villains featured in true crime stories. These people already demonstrated a willingness to invest in informative content, so they’re probably also likely to invest in other solutions. Also, a majority of the audience appears eager to take control of their lives by educating themselves. Beyond security, they may also have an interest in businesses that help them learn new things, enjoy different experiences, or even gain more power. Businesses that promote courses or products related to health, business, self-improvement, careers, and even beauty may find an attentive market. All in all, true crime fans may provide a surprisingly receptive and open-minded market for all sorts of companies that can offer them value.
A Serious Consumer Insights Perspective on Silly Content
Marketing levity for consumer insights marketing: Humor can help mitigate bad press, explain serious issues, and of course, attract a willing audience. During these days of rising health, political, and economic concerns, plenty of people can use a laugh. As many respectable and completely serious doctors and scientists have done before, Clarity Clinic even says that humor can provide good medicine for mental and physical health issues. Perhaps, that makes this the perfect time for a little media levity, even to address very serious topics. With that in mind, gain some perspective from a consumer insights company to see how adding a bit of levity to marketing content can help attract an audience and even improve a brand’s reputation. How a consumer insights company treats humor as serious business A company like Netflix doesn’t just offer marketing content; for them, content provides the basis for their entire business model. Some people may find it surprising that a show like “The Floor is Lava” has even trended to the top for popularity in the U.S. market. On the other hand, even Mashable TV critics praised the show for offering some levity and fun during 2020, a year when many people have found little to celebrate. Using humor to take the edge off of poor PR events From the view of a consumer behavior analysis agency, some companies have done very well incorporating jokes, even in the face of poor PR. Take a look at an example of the great KFC chicken debacle. Apparently, KFC changed suppliers, and ensuing problems resulted in chicken shortages that even led to a number of store closings. In those pre-pandemic times of just last year, it was always easy to buy such staples as toilet paper and chicken. Nobody ever thought twice about eating inside a KFC, rather than using the drive-through. Thus, consumers expressed outrage when they could not immediately dine on their favorite meal in 2018. In response, KFC took out plenty ads to apologize to their loyal and hungry fans. Instead of printing KFC on the image of a bucket of chicken, they rearranged the numbers to spell FCK. According to The Drum, the naughty humor worked because the public appeared to forgive them. Their ads and images even went viral on social sites. A marketing and consumer behavior analysis agency named Mother came up with this effective strategy, which also generated quite a bit of positive attention for them. Can humor always take the edge off of PR disasters or other serious matters? Obviously, KFC’s mistake pales when compared to some other PR disasters. For instance, an audience personas agency probably would never have suggested that Equifax try to use humor to cope with their massive data breach. Consumer insight marketing professionals should think about the audience before they suggest the right tactic to take for different types of problems or errors. On the other hand, marketers can find examples of businesses using humor to address very serious issues. As am example, Melbourne’s Metro released a “Dumb Ways to Die” campaign to help promote safety and reduce the number of accidents. The videos ended up with a greater number of views than the amount of people that even live in the whole country of Australia. According to their media staff, they wanted a way to educate their community about safety without turning them off. As another example, Burger King used a humorous video to educate the public about their company stance on the serious issue of net neutrality. After they interviewed average people, they found that most internet users really did not understand the idea behind the controversy. Thus, they used a humorous video that showed the order taker giving higher priority to people who paid more for their Whopper than those who paid the regular place, which they equated to internet providers throttling bandwidth for some websites but not others. The pros and cons of using humor to grow a marketing audience Marketers may sometimes use humor to help address very serious issues, as discussed above. Used right, funny content can work just as well for everyday marketing too. With that in mind, consider some benefits of employing humor to help grow an audience for marketing campaigns: Attention grabbing and relatable: Consumers get bombarded with lots of ads for companies that want to sell them something, and they may pay attention to and even care more about a company that makes them laugh too. Memorable: Studies have linked humor with better recall, so any company that wants people to remember their name might earn the privilege with some levity. Often share-worthy: Internet users like to share funny videos, quotes, and memes and may feel less inclined to simply share an ordinary advertisement. On the other hand, businesses need to avoid certain pitfalls that almost all comedians have fallen into at some point. They should remain wary of giving offense, appearing amateurish, or simply not landing their joke. As in the case of Equifax, for example, plenty of comedians may have joked about them, but they wisely decided not to choose that exact time to laugh at themselves. Why consult a consumer behavior analysis agency about humor in marketing? Mark Twain called referred to humor as mankind’s greatest blessing. Particularly during stressful times, a bit of levity can lighten up many heavy loads. By expertly incorporating a funny scenario or even a self-effacing joke into marketing campaigns, businesses can gain more attention and in many cases, even do their target audience a favor.
Demystifying the DINK Demographic for Creating Brand Personas
The DINK demographic usually has more time and money to spend on themselves, so it’s worthwhile to explore the dual-income, no-kids market. Everybody has heard of the Gen Z, Gen X, Millennial, Baby Boomer, and Greatest Generation. However, the DINK demographic, short for Dual Income and No Kids, has now entered marketing lingo. Since any audience development agency may presume that many couples without kids have more time and disposable income than those with larger families, they’ve become a prime target for consumer marketing. How an audience development agency develops brand personas for the DINK demographic DINK refers to two-income couples who have chosen not to have children. It doesn’t necessarily mean these couples belong a specific age or income group; however, marketers may tend to mostly picture them as Millennials with decent salaries. As for why they’re often associated with Millennials, just last year, even before the COVID crisis, Business Insider mentioned that the U.S. birthrate had declined to its lowest in three decades. A survey attributed the decline mostly to Millennials’ uncertainty about the future. Since the Millennial generation has grown to become the majority of the workforce, they get a lot of attention from marketers anyway. Still, sometimes DINK can refer to members of other generations, even Baby Boomers who are empty nesters. Digging deeper into the DINK generation If some DINK couples decide they’re not ready for parenting, they appear fairly eager for other kinds of experiences. While nobody should try to put all dual-income-no-children couples in one basket, marketers can enjoy great success with this group as a target market with the right approach and product. From the perspective of an audience insights agency, marketers should consider these general observations to succeed with the market: 1. Research target audience demographics Some DINK couples may choose to skip parenthood because they feel uncertain or are simply unwilling to give up their freedom. However, in other cases, the idea of parenthood might not appeal to them or even be possible. Many even choose to delay parenthood but consider it a possibility in the future. That’s why an audience targeting agency should conduct research on specific target market demographics and behavior to better understand their likely audience in order to develop useful buyer personas. 2. Consider marketing innovative products, services, or businesses Even though a DINK couple might not feel ready to make a lifelong commitment of parenthood, they generally tend to be early adapters and interested in innovation. They may also have more time and money to learn about and experience new things. Even if one product doesn’t appear terribly innovative, it’s good to focus upon any fresh or transformative aspects of the business. As an example, several vitamin companies have developed successful apps that help customers figure out which of their brand of supplements will benefit their customer’s health the most. 3. Promote company values In contrast to the image of a DINK couple as very focused upon themselves, many use some of their extra time to volunteer and stay current with social issues. As a generation, most Millennials appear to care about patronizing businesses that share their values. An audience development agency should consider this trait as they develop a picture of their market and the marketing message they intend to send to them. 4. How certain markets may appeal to potential traits of a DINK audience This list explains some of the types of markets that might appeal to a DINK audience: Luxury goods: This market tends to like to share their experiences and not mind paying for value. Nice cars, high-quality, gourmet food, and similar luxury goods can reflect well on them in their own eyes and that of their social circle. Things to do with spare time: Without the demands of getting kids to bed or scheduling babysitters, leisure activities may attract couples without kids. They might take the chance to buy a boat or learn to cook their own gourmet meals. Travel: Couples without children might have an easier time scheduling vacations because they won’t need to book things around school and kid’s activities. They’re also likely to travel further and not need to skimp on a budget vacation because it’s just the two of them. Experiences: Again, innovative experiences will tend to attract DINK couples, and that might include anything from new entertainment and museum special events to a home automation system or solar panels. If the business must market something more ordinary, like soup mix, perhaps they could incorporate a message about eco-friendly packaging or service projects the business supports to demonstrate their corporate values. Why market to the DINK demographic? Forgoing parenthood and having both partners in a marriage work does not necessarily mean a couple enjoys a high income. Still, people without children may also be able to save money over their parenting peers. They may buy or rent smaller houses and apartments and don’t need to share disposable income with kids. Also, dual-income, no-children families may have more free time to enjoy some of the finer things and more energy to invest in learning about them. Having time and money can make them an excellent target market for the right businesses.
How a CPG Marketing Agency Makes Products Stand Out
Three ways the best CPG marketing agency can design packaging to reduce waste, improve brand reputation, and drive attention and sales. Of course, a CPG marketing agency frequently has to help promote products that people might think of as fairly interchangeable. Choosing between some jars of mayo, bottles of ketchup, or boxes of laundry detergent might not seem like a big decision for most consumers. Thus, people may tend to choose the brand they’ve always bought or maybe, what’s on sale. Find out how a good CPG advertising agency can make products stand out on the shelves, so customers will consider them anything but ordinary. Three Ways a CPG marketing agency can differentiate products First, it might help to work with a consumer package goods design agency. Besides having experience with developing outstanding packaging, these professionals can provide a different perspective to help come up with novel solutions that are sometimes easy to overlook by people who manage these products every day. Consider three tested suggestions that packaging professionals might offer. 1. Make packaging more useful Making packaging more useful can provide a great way to differentiate a product from competitors. As just one example, Heinz simply flipped their bottle upside down in 2002, so it could rest on the lid instead of the base. Of course, most people find thick, rich ketchup challenging to get out of a typical bottle, especially when the container’s almost empty. After 170 years of producing ketchup, the company — or their packaging design agency — came up with the genius idea of flipping the bottle to let gravity lend some assistance. Apparently, this change caught the eye of consumers. According to CNN Money, sales increased by six percent in a year when overall ketchup sales only rose by two percent. 2. Ensure customers know how to use the product to its best advantage Is there something different about using a product that customers should know? Obviously, if consumers know how to make the best use of their purchase, they’re likely to return for more. As an example, Trader Joe’s sells a spice blend called, “Everything But the Elote.” Elote means corn in English, and the word suggests boiled, roasted, or steamed corn prepared in a particular way. Some people have figured out on their own that this blend can also spice up popcorn, all sorts of green vegetables, dips, French fries, and lots of other kinds of food. If Trader Joe’s would include these tips on their packaging, they might sell even more of this popular product. Besides promoting the versatility of a product, marketers might also consider including directions to get the best results for its primary use. Not only will these suggestions help entice customers, they’ll also ensure customer satisfaction and repeat sales. 3. Consider seasonal packaging Consumers tend to spend a bit more during certain times of the year, and a seasonally themed package can help get them to add certain kinds of products to their shopping cart. According to Brand Experience: Packaging, shoppers tend to loosen up their pocketbooks at these times, ranked in order of how much spending increases: Back-to-school, especially back-to-college Winter holidays Mother’s Day Easter Valentine’s Day Father’s Day As an example, let’s say Mom loves coffee. Loved ones may be more likely to add a bag or jar of coffee to a gift basket if it has attractive, themed packaging. Even better, add in a nice “World’s Greatest Mom” mug to provide extra value that can justify a higher price. Touches like this can also encourage retailers to include the products in a special display that will give them more visibility. For online sales, it gives distributors a chance to tag the product with seasonal keywords. Think about product and package size Sometimes, companies think that offering a jumbo package for a cheaper price will encourage sales. With perishable products, this can backfire. For example, pet owners may not care to buy 30 pounds of dog food for their seven-pound Maltese. They would rather pay somewhat more for a smaller package to avoid the waste of having to dispose of stale products. Also, some companies tend to package relatively large things in oversized packaging. Too much packaging wastes materials, generates excessive shipping charges, and may even annoy purchasers. These days, consumers have grown more concerned about the environment and frugality. To promote the best brand image, a why a CPG advertising agency may advise their clients to right-size packages in order to save money and appeal to buyers. Choose colors to create a quick, emotional impression The University of California at Irvine published a fascinating paper on the ability of colors to effect human emotional responses. Nature may have coded some of this response in people’s genes, as humanity evolved to associate certain colors with their natural environment. Beyond that, people have their own specific responses to various color schemes, based upon culture or even personality. As an example, many Americans might associate red and green with holidays. People don’t tend to react just to one color either. Instead, contrasting colors, image clarity, and even shades can make a big difference. Also, sometimes colors can even go out of style for a time. For instance, the 70s favored more earthy shades; however, brighter colors took over in the 80s. The importance of packaging for product differentiation Businesses invest a lot in developing their products. The right packaging can reduce costs, promote a positive brand image, and of course, increase sales. In contrast, poor packaging can waste money, hurts reputations, and turn off buyers.
The Value of Podcast Advertising After the Decline of Radio
How effective podcast advertising can deliver a receptive audience to all kinds of businesses with podcast advertising and measurable returns. Even though historians may refer to the 1930s as radio’s golden age, the audio device remained important through the rise of TV and even the introduction of the internet. Most recently though, radio use has declined into a media that many people only use in their cars or keep in their emergency kit in case of a storm. Radio Ink cited one survey that found about 96 percent of Americans still had a radio at home in 2008 but only about two-thirds do today. Still, another form of audio media — the podcast — has grown rapidly in recent years and may provide an alternative source of advertising for savvy content marketers. Does podcast advertising offer a good alternative to radio advertising? Perhaps because of the decline of the overall radio audience, many marketers actually have explored podcast ads as an alternative to radio spots. They might consider podcasts as either a replacement for or supplement to radio ads. According to Marketing Dive: With over half-a-million podcasts to choose from, a podcast marketing agency should have no trouble finding the right topic and niche audience for almost any advertiser. Over 70 million Americans say they regularly listen to podcasts, and industry watchers believe the audience will increase 81 percent within a couple of years. During 2020, financial analysts expect podcast advertising budgets to top $650 million, representing a $250 million increase over 2018. Can a podcast marketing agency use podcasts effectively? Not matter how large and engaged the audience, marketing effectively still requires skill and familiarity with the medium. To understand how a content marketing agency can make the best use of their ad budget, it will help to understand why podcast advertising works well. And even though ads may help attract an audience, marketers still need to ensure they’re worth the investment by finding ways to track their returns. On Bigeye’s podcast, In Clear Focus, we discuss podcast advertising with Stephen Pickens, Director of Sales for AdvertiseCase. “I like to think of podcast advertising as word-of-mouth marketing, but at scale. So if you have a friend that recommends you try a particular product or service, it comes with a level of authenticity because you trust them. And it’s really similar to podcast advertising in that way because the shows that I listen to, I really trust the hosts. When they take some time out of their show to explain a product to me and ultimately endorse it, it comes with a tremendous amount of weight.” Why podcast advertising can work For one thing, ads tend to annoy internet users and even radio listeners and TV watchers. Lots of people install ad blockers on their computer browsers and even buy TVs that have similar features built in. In contrast, CNBC found that 78 percent of podcast users don’t mind hearing ads from sponsors. When it comes to their favorite podcasts, listeners appear to understand that the sponsors fund the content, which they’re less inclined to consider when their favorite programming gets interrupted by ads on other types of media. In fact, some studies found that over 60 percent of listeners not only remembered podcast sponsors but actually made purchases from them. That makes this medium look like a dream for a podcast marketing agency! Measuring ROI for podcast marketing Of course, podcast formats can vary. Typically, they have advertising slots at the beginning, middle, and end of the broadcast. Very often, the host will read the ads, which can help blend them very well with the rest of the program. On the other hand, simply having a marketing message read makes it tough for sponsors to determine exactly how the audience reacted. These three tactics can help the advertisers measure the effectiveness and returns of their sponsorship: Offer a special promo code for each ad. If a customer enters the promo code to make a purchase, the business can trace it back to a specific spot. Businesses can create unique URLs for the advertisement, and if they sponsor one podcast often, they may even include the broadcaster’s name in the internet address to enhance the connection with customers. A company might also provide customers with checkout surveys that ask how they learned about the business or the specific offer. Traditional TV and radio advertisers use similar tactics to these to help measure returns from their marketing. None of them works as well as the sort of detailed analytics that purely digital advertising can produce, but they should offer enough information to give businesses a good idea of their campaign’s performance. As a note, these ways to measure responses will mostly only work for direct response ads. Marketers may have other goals, such as improve brand awareness. Sponsors may get a rough idea of how much a spot improved brand awareness by measuring activity on their website or social sites. In fact, Marketing Dive reported that direct response spots make up about two out of three podcast ads, with brand awareness efforts taking up about one out of four. This may say more about the difficulty of measuring returns than the effectiveness of brand awareness ads on podcasts. Why should a content marketing agency consider podcast ads? Lots of people say they enjoy podcasts because they can listen to a program while doing other things. Similar to radio, podcast fans can listen on their smart phones while they commute, cook dinner, or even work. Because the barrier to entry into podcast publishing is much lower than for producing radio shows, audiences also have a big variety of programs to choose from, so almost everybody can find something of interest. For a number of reasons, podcasts keep increasing in popularity and can provide a great form of media for marketing.
10 Tips to Pick the Best Full Service Marketing Agency
Hiring the best full service marketing agency for a particular business presents challenges. Learn the in’s and out’s of finding the best marketing partner. According to Statista, businesses can choose between over 13,000 marketing agencies in the U.S. All together, these advertising agencies help their clients invest billions in marketing. While having choices should benefit companies that need to find the best marketing partner, the number of marketing firms can make the selection process daunting. 10 suggestions to find the best full service marketing agency partner To help find the best full service marketing agency, consider these tested tips from successful companies. 1. Define business goals and the company mission Knowing what they need to accomplish and how they want people to see them provides a signpost that can help direct all kinds of decisions. Sadly, many companies get the idea they need to market online. Then they plunge into it without truly defining what they hope to accomplish with their investment. Marketers need goals before they can develop metrics to measure success. Without them, they may simply judge progress by such fuzzy metrics as getting a lot of fans and followers on a social site. While inexperienced marketers may take that as a sign they’re attracting an audience, a large audience doesn’t always mean a company has achieved such essential goals as improving brand recognition or revenue. Businesses don’t always have to know exactly which platforms or resources to use in order to accomplish their goals. A good marketing agency should take the time to understand their clients and provide direction. However, they need to communicate what they hope to achieve. So, a business not only needs to define their mission and goals; they also need to find a marketing partner that pays attention to them. 2. Decide between a local vs. national firm Of course, the internet can open up national or even global marketplaces for businesses. In some cases, a national firm may have more resources and reach. Also, marketing firms don’t need to have their physical offices located near the business to communicate or collaborate. On the other hand, a “Sunshine State” business may benefit by choosing a Florida advertising agency that already employs talent who really understands the community and even the geography. For instance, people in an Orlando marketing agency will know there’s more to the city than just Disney World. In addition, companies with headquarters in other states or even countries might benefit from using local agencies in new markets when they hope to expand into that region. Even more than local knowledge, hometown marketing companies typically have local connections that can provide lots of value. 3. Consider the company’s personality, culture, and values According to advice from the University of Southern California, establishing a brand personality lies at the core of generating brand loyalty. A description of the company’s character gives customers a reference that they can relate to on a personal and emotional level. That’s why the best marketing campaigns don’t just sell services or products. They also reflect well upon a company’s overall image. It helps to work with a marketing partner that understands these important business characteristics and can align with them because they have similar values. 4. Look for firms with the right staff and resources Businesses don’t just have a lot of choices when it comes to choosing a marketing agency. These days, marketers also need to decide between a large selection of promotional methods. These include digital and offline media, including paid ads, content marketing, social sites, podcasts, print, radio, TV, trade shows, sponsorships, and so on. Moreover, marketing plans might include these steps and more: Audience research Creating and tracking metrics and analytics SEO and web platform development Content production and optimization for text, videos, audio, and graphics Social media development and management Influencer marketing Email marketing Loyalty and referral program development Paid ads for a variety of online or offline platforms Packaging design Generally, marketers need to stay within budgets while selecting the right steps for their marketing plans, making certain every channel works together to support overall goals, and of course, tracking results. A full service marketing agency needs to understand all of the options, keep up with current trends, and of course, know how to demonstrate results. And they need to do that within their client’s budget. Businesses also need to take care that they don’t choose a marketing firm that only has expertise in a few methods because those firms may have biases that won’t always produce the best returns. A full service marketing agency can deploy the right expertise and give suggestions based upon their client’s needs and not their own preferred niches. 5. Make sure the marketing firm keeps up with marketing trends While some old-school marketing tactics still work very well, others have declined in effectiveness either because the audience has declined or simply because the ad platform worked well and then grew very competitive. As an example, few advertisers can enjoy profiting off the penny clicks on Google that they could have found years ago. At the same time, new opportunities always arise, and it’s vitally important for marketing firms to keep up with innovation. As an example, radio audiences have declined dramatically in the past decade; however, podcasts may provide a growing source of targeted and engaged listeners for audio ads. Businesses need to make sure they hire a marketing firm that understands both traditional media and keeps up with new ones. 6. Find a company that knows how to use marketing technology to work efficiently Technology probably won’t replace creative people soon. At the same time, businesses can benefit by employing marketing technology that can help them perform a variety of jobs efficiently, such as research or performing tedious scheduling tasks. Companies should look for marketing firms that understand technology and know how to use it to keep costs down, reduce errors, and improve profits. 7. Investigate the marketing firm’s transparency If the first
CPG Brands: Who Makes Household Decisions in Families?
When it comes to CPG brands, determining the likely marketing audience should be listed at the top of any marketing plan. Find out who decides what to buy. As one of the first steps to develop a marketing plan, a CPG marketing agency will conduct audience research. Obviously, they need to learn as much as they can about the behavior and demographics of consumers who they might attract to their products. If these products appeal to couples of families, the business should determine which member of the household typically makes buying decisions about CPG products. That way, they will know how to effectively target the other steps in their marketing campaign. What CPG marketing agency research reveals about household decision makers for CPG brands Of course, consumer packaged goods come from multiple industries. They can range from pet food to coffee to stockings. Few household members make 100 percent of the decisions about which products or brands to buy. Still, it’s no surprise to see a study on Chain Store Age that found women, typically mothers, make most of the buying choices in average, two-parent families. Some interesting results from this study found: In a typical, traditional family, Mom usually chooses what to buy. Though fathers have recently grown more involved in household purchase decisions, mothers still make most of these choices in 80 percent of families. Still, men have grown more involved in the CPG-shopping process lately. Lately, moms make about two-thirds of the household decisions, compared to about 80 percent in the past. Of course, men tend to make certain kinds of decisions for some CPG products more than women do. For instance, in most traditional families, expect more men than women to buy goods for lawn maintenance and home repair. They’re also slightly more likely to choose items related to autos and tech than they are for more general products. Women made almost always made choices about children’s clothes or toys. In some areas, men and women tend to share buying decisions equally. These include products related to entertainment, furnishings, and appliances. Who buys the groceries? While consumer packaged goods can cover a lot of different areas, people often associate them with items found at the grocery store. Some obvious examples include peanut butter, soap, and coffee. At least in traditional families, Pew Research found that women do at least 80 percent of both the cooking and the shopping. That’s true if a couple has children or not. Couples have started sharing more household chores than they did in the past. At the same time, women usually buy and prepare food most of the time. Pew Research also mentioned that women tend to spend less time doing paid jobs than men do, so that may account for some of the imbalance when it comes to grocery trips and food preparation. Who should a consumer package goods agency target? Of course, it’s impossible to offer a one-size-fit-all answer for all kinds of CPG products. Also, even in cases where one gender or another tended to make some kinds of choices more often, they did not always make them and also probably made some purchases because of influence of the other partner. After all, if a husband expresses a preference for a certain brand of salad dressing or pickles, his wife will probably remember that on her next trip to the supermarket. Similarly, if children ask for a certain kind of socks or a new video game, that request may eventually lead to an adult purchase decision. Even 10 years ago, AdAge promoted the idea that CPG companies should target men more. Even if surveys show that women tend to make two-thirds of household decisions, that still leaves one-third of purchase choices to men. AdAge also pointed out that even though women still do most of the shopping, men do more of it than they used to do. Even a smaller share of a market could add up to a growth opportunity for some CPG companies. Why do marketers need to know who tends to choose their types of product? Marketers need to define their audience before they can make good choices about a number of other factors in their marketing plan. These can range from the platforms used for marketing to the color of the product packaging. Consider these examples: Crazy Egg revealed that women like blue, purple, and green the most, but they tend not to prefer gray, orange, and brown as much. In contrast, men also like blue and green, but they also tend to gravitate to black. Men also tend to dislike orange and brown, but they shy away from purple. Men and women both use social sites, still they may tend to favor different kinds of platforms. For instance, expect to find more women on sites like Pinterest and Facebook and more men on more discussion-oriented sites like Reddit. No consumer package goods agency can generalize about exactly which gender or member of the family makes all the household decisions about CPG brands. This can also vary quite a bit for different types of products, and not all families have the traditional mom, dad, and kids. Still, determining their most likely customers will make plenty of other marketing decisions easier for CPG brands.
Property Development Marketing 101: More Than Just a Logo
Property development marketing should begin with branding that provides a roadmap for decision making and a consistent branding message for renters. When many property managers think about branding, an image of a logo generally pops into their heads. Branding includes logos and other graphics; however, that picture should mainly serve as a reminder of all of the other things that the brand message communicates. Ideally, property development marketing should create a logo that represents a brand — and not do it the other way around. What does a multifamily marketing agency mean by branding? To precisely define what marketers mean by a brand, it’s often helpful to contrast it with the definition of a logo: Logo: A logo refers to a visual image that represents a company. Some of the most recognizable logos in the US include Apple’s apple, McDonald’s yellow arches, and Twitter’s little bird. Without any other information, most people couldn’t guess what those logos represent, but they make sense in context. For instance, Apple’s apple may signify simplicity, and McDonald’s may promote their “golden” arches to symbolize quality. Obviously, Twitter’s little bird represents a “tweet.” Brand: In contrast to a logo, a brand includes everything people think about a company. They may remember the logo, but for a strong brand, consumers also may think about what the company offers and how they feel about their values, service, and quality. If Apple intends to promise simplicity, then the design of their devices needs to back that up. Ideally, multifamily complexes or even portfolios of properties should develop a brand before they create a visual representation. Obviously, existing properties may already have an established logo. In this case, the multifamily marketing agency will need to decide if they should redesign their logo or simply work to get people to see it differently within the context of their newly defined brand identity. Establishing a brand identity for apartment marketing AM Digital highlighted some statistics that demonstrate the importance of focusing on branding as more than simply having a logo designed: Shared values: Out of all consumers, about two-thirds say that they would prefer to patronize businesses with shared values. Growth: About three out of four of all marketers believe businesses need strong brands to grow. Identity: About three-fourths of Millennials say they would abandon a brand if it failed to fit with their own identity. Today’s apartment marketing tends to try to differentiate properties by promoting amenities, location, or in some cases, rent prices. Such positive features as a great location, pet-friendly policies, and high-tech security can factor into brand development. At the same time, features still don’t always add up to the way renters react to a solid brand. For one thing, property development marketing may need to create a brand for multiple locations or at least, think that’s a possibility in the future. Every property might not have exactly the same locations or even amenities. Also, some properties could focus on different amenities because their target market in some areas may care about some things more than others. Listing amenities and features can help with the logical decision-making process; however, the brand helps create an emotional relationship that can help differentiate the housing complex from others in the area. Research Values and Behavior No apartment marketer should ever assume they know exactly what potential or current renters want. Multifamily Executive said that researching the market frequently gets overlooked by apartment marketers. They suggest having a professional research firm conduct surveys and focus groups to ensure reliable information. As an example, LMC chooses to brand each property individually, instead of trying to develop one brand identity for every complex. Before they even engage in property development, they hire research firms to make certain they understand renters in the community. In turn, they can use this information for marketing and to help develop their brand message. Existing properties can take advantage of even more useful research. Instead of only surveying the general community, marketers can learn a lot from the on-site team. Employees work in the complex and probably live nearby. They can also ask for opinions from current residents to find out what they like or would prefer to change about the complex. Develop a Brand Messaging Strategy After figuring out the most important things that would draw a prospective renter and retain a current one, it’s important to craft a messaging strategy to communicate it. Most important, this message needs to differentiate the property from other choices in the community. For some examples: Student housing marketing may focus on the benefits that student housing has over typical housing in the same area. Perhaps student apartments offer flexible leases, appropriate furnishings, study areas, and even an opportunity to socialize with other students. A multifamily brand for students may want to emphasize these features. A high-end apartment might want to focus upon the superior services that can help busy professionals save time over living in an average apartment or even owning a home. For doctors, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals, saving time may be more important than saving a few dollars on rent by moving down the street. Create a Brand Identity to Reflect the Brand Message At this point, multifamily marketers may want to develop logos or consider adjusting old ones. With apartments, it’s important to ensure that the graphics look as good and distinctive on business cards and brochures as they appear on large street signs. Naturally, the graphics, colors, and other elements used on logos and signs matter. Still, apartment complexes also need to ensure that everything they do reflects their brand image. As a simple example, student housing will probably do fine with a relaxed dress code, so that kind of housing might let employees wear jeans and sporty T-shirts. On the other hand, a luxury apartment building might want to require at least business casual clothes for office staff and provide uniforms for maintenance workers. Promote the Apartment Marketing Brand Strategy Again, business cards,
5 Tested CBD Marketing Agency eCommerce Tips and Tricks
Use our CBD marketing agency tips and tricks to successfully and purposefully break into this growing market rife with opportunity. According to Market Watch’s 2020 study, the global value for the CBD marketplace will grow to over $1.2 billion by 2024, up from 2019’s value of $311 million. Some optimistic analysts predict even higher growth. Still, a CBD marketing agency would advise any new brands to prepare for challenges. For instance, startup companies need to focus on product differentiation in a competitive marketplace. Also, many consumers still don’t really understand how CBD might benefit them or even exactly what it is. Consider some informed CBD eCommerce tips to help inspire a robust, effective, and safe marketing plan. The CBD marketing agency guide for eCommerce Even though CBD comes from cannabis, it’s not psychoactive, like THC. Also, unlike THC, another cannabis extract, the 2018 Farm Bill made CBD legal federally and in most states. Studies have offered support for claims that it can help relieve a range of health issues, including seizures, migraines, insomnia, inflammation, poor appetite, and anxiety in both people and animals. With all of these benefits, it’s important to understand that the growing popularity of the product and ease of entering the market have generated plenty of competition and more than a little scrutiny from the government. Five ways to improve CBD product sales These five CBD advertising and marketing suggestions can help a new or struggling CBD business meet competition and stay out of trouble with regulators: 1. Define the Product’s Market It’s impossible to give a one-size-fits-all solution for CBD advertising because businesses might deliver their offers as pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, pet, or other kinds of products. That’s why it’s important for businesses to map out specific benefits they hope to promote. Then, they can offer this solution to the best audience. For instance, one company may promote a high-grade pharma product to help reduce seizures. Another brand may have a topical solution to ease skin flareups. Still, another business may offer pet supplements that they promote to help reduce anxiety or joint issues in aging dogs. Obviously, these very different products will need specific buyer personas and marketing approaches. They may also need to meet different standards for the sorts of claims that can be made to stay within legal restrictions for medical vs. consumer advertising. Mostly, it’s helpful to market to people with problems the product might solve and not just look for consumers with an existing interest in CBD. 2. Explore Alternative Programmatic Advertising for CBD Programmatic advertising refers to buying ad slots with bids on an automated system. They can benefit marketers because they keep a lot of information about their audience. That allows advertisers to use very specific attributes, like age, location, or even past viewing habits, to select who will see the ads. Obviously, this kind of advertising can offer value to CBD advertisers who understand their market. Some of the most common platforms that use this kind of bidding platform include Facebook and Google. These are mentioned because they’re familiar to most marketers. At the same time, these and other common platforms impose restrictions on the way companies can promote any cannabis product, including CBD. As a note, these kinds of platforms tend to get associated mostly with internet marketing. It’s also possible to find programmatic advertising for TV, radio, and other kinds of media. Either alone or with the help of a CBD marketing agency, businesses can also explore some programmatic advertising advertising platforms that offer more flexibility for both products and the way companies advertise them. As an example, Cannabis Creative, a marketing agency. mentioned that Facebook and Google account for a large share of total advertising spend on programmatic ad platforms. At the same time, other paid platforms still attract very large audiences can can open up less-restricted promotions on such large and well-known outlets as ESPN, USA Today, and Politico. 3. Remain aware of legal and platform CBD advertising restrictions Even though CBD doesn’t have the psychoactive effects that some people may associate with cannabis products, it hasn’t been legal in most places for very long. Brands need to take care to conform with marketing regulations, both at the federal and sometimes, at different state or local levels. In order to maintain accounts with various marketing platforms, companies also must take the time to understand the terms of service. And sometimes, these can prove hard to understand because the language isn’t direct. Avoiding legal problems According to Bradley, a media law firm, the growth of consumer protection regulations has paralleled the overall expansion of the CBD market. As an example, both the FTC and FDA have sent warning letters to companies that didn’t exercise enough caution when making claims that their products could treat various medical issues. As a general rule, neither CBD packaging design or advertising should not: Mention specific diseases Cite dubious sources to backup explicit or inferred claims Use words like treat, cure, or prevent Guarantee results Obviously, marketers need to promote potential benefits in order to attract the attention of customers. Doing this well without attracting negative attention from the government takes some craft and attention to only linking to or mentioning credible studies or professionals. For instance, it’ might be fine to claim that a CBD cream may help soothe skin but not that it cures eczema. Notice that the page for a pet product called Calming Chews does not feature another mention of that benefit. The list of features simply talks about the product’s purity, that it doesn’t contain THC, and that it was grown organically. It also mentioned that the product was tested in a lab for safety and effectiveness, but it never says what it was tested to be effective for. Further down, they offer some vague language that says the product combines CBD with some calming herbs. They’re implying their benefits, but they’re probably avoiding a direct statement to remain in compliance. That’s why startups
CPG Digital Marketing: Top Trends and Tips for Your Brand
Most people still associate consumer packaged goods, or CPG, with items sold on the shelves of grocery, drug, and discount stores – but the category is actually much broader. CPG refers to the kinds of packaged products that people consume and need to replenish, like coffee, dog food, and soap. Historically, limited space on store shelves drove much of the competitiveness in the market. More recently, CPG digital marketing has offered companies the chance to grow beyond the limitations of physical space and sometimes, even to capture a larger share of that. Find out more about e-commerce digital marketing trends for CPGs and how this information can help inform your marketing. CPG Digital Marketing Trends and Consumer Preferences Most people still buy their packaged products in local stores. At the same time, online demand has been growing every year, as demonstrated by these consumer products marketing trends from IRI, an online sales insight service: Online CGP sales grew by over 34 percent in 2018 alone. Online revenue accounted for 11 percent of total consumer packed goods sales. Even more interesting, internet sales of consumer packaged goods made up 64 percent to the total market growth for both offline and online revenue. Which Platforms Sell the Most Consumer Packaged Goods? Besides sales numbers, it’s also informative to see what sorts of platforms most of these sales came from. According to IRI, over half of the sales came from internet-only retailers. Some of the largest examples include such online grocery stores as FreshDirect and Peapod. CGP digital marketing from the websites of mostly brick-and-mortar stores produced about one-quarter of the sales. Companies that directly sell their own products have a smaller but rapidly growing share. How is DTC Marketing Impacting Sales and Growth? Because of the loss of many retail outlets, manufacturers have recently struggled even more for a share of physical store space. To make up for this loss, they have increasingly bypassed traditional retailers in order to connect directly with consumers. According to the Shopify blog, direct-to-consumer, or DTC marketing, has accounted for 40 percent of sales growth in the market. Direct marketing has done more than help established CPG manufacturers offset slowdowns in their traditional selling channels. It’s also launched such purely DTC marketing brands as Dollar Shave Club and The Honest Company. In some cases, new brands have begun their lives online, found success, and then made their way into retail stores. For example, Deliciou is an Australian company that markets their packaged seasoning blends online but has also recently found shelf space inside such large U.S. retailers as Whole Foods. What CPGs Do Shoppers Buy the Most? What kinds of packaged products do people buy online the most? In general, people most commonly turn to the internet to order non-food items. More specifically, vitamin supplements, pet supplies and food, and skin care products, and coffee have enjoyed brisk online sales. Also, shoppers have increasingly begun to turn to online retailers for more sensitive purchases. As an example, the demand for adult incontinence products boomed by 84 percent in the past year. Consumers turn to internet ordering and delivery options for convenience in sometimes, for privacy. What Drives Consumers to Choose Online CPG Retailers? An IRI consumer survey asked online shoppers what options they looked for in e-ecommerce stores. They survey takers could select more than one option. The survey found: Free delivery motivated over half of respondents to purchase online. Almost half said that if the delivery isn’t free, it should be reasonably fast. Four out of ten of these online shoppers also liked in-store pickup options. About one-third of the survey takers would consider subscription services that automatically sent supplies periodically, typically at a discount over just ordering one time. According to the survey, online shoppers also want to find online retailers who will offer them good deals. Over half plan to search for discounts and coupons and use various sites to compare prices. Using CPG Marketing Trends to Inform Your Marketing Strategy Right now, online sales of CGP make up a relatively small but rapidly growing share of the overall market. They can help producers offset increased competition for retail store space through online sales. In some cases, e-commerce marketing can even help new brands get established by making online sales and even getting enough brand recognition to earn coveted slots at brick-and-mortar stores. Now that you understand the benefits of selling CPG online, you can explore ways to get consumers to buy products online that they still may be used to picking up at the grocery store. SEM Marketing for Consumer Packaged Products Just as it’s important to leverage good product placement in stores, you can use search engine marketing to put your brands directly in front of customers. Both for paid and organic SEM marketing for consumer goods, you need to make certain that you rise to the top for the sorts of terms that searchers are likely to use for products like yours. For instance, shoppers might not know to look for your brand of hypoallergenic soap or organic, fair-trade coffee, but instead, they may search for those terms or specific problems your product might solve. To optimize your web pages, make certain you research the kinds of search terms consumers might try. Use those terms to optimize your headings, descriptions, and content. In addition, you should try to build your e-commerce shop’s authority by encouraging high-quality incoming links from other relevant websites. For example, you might seek reviews on blogs, issue press releases, or get listed in high-quality directories. Besides organic search, CPG manufacturers have spent millions of dollars on paid search marketing, according to Search Engine Land. One standard tactic consists of promoting useful content related to their brands. For instance, a packaged food manufacturer might create simple recipes that feature their products. Colgate found success by producing oral health information that related to diabetes. If you find that the direct keywords for your product are too difficult to