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August 26, 2005

Small Stunt - Big Laugh

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We really liked the Big Ad. Not only did we laugh at it but it provoked very big, very deep, very profound (and we wished, very expensive) thoughts.

But amongst the folks at Studio Muscle, it provoked an outbreak of sarcastic creativity. According to them:

"What can you do with an idea that is so good, it is impossible to make it better? Make it worse…"

You have to check it out - it's called small ad and it's funny.

Via Scoble:

Posted by johnza at 08:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Vision, Starting Point, Roadmap

Jon Roberts

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.floridatechnet.org/inservice/abe/road.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.floridatechnet.org/inservice/abe/&h=336&w=331&sz=7&tbnid=Cz6yVz1ZNT0J:&tbnh=115&tbnw=113&hl=en&start=5&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbasic%2Broadmap%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2005-09,GGLD:en

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August 25, 2005

Marketing Manifestos

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I like Change This. The whole idea of a place where you can find some communal inspiration and "call to arms" on doing things differently is cool. The manifestos there run the gambit from environmentalism to marriage to Ben and Jerry's. I took a quick cruise through "manifestos" about marketing. Below is a sampling:

Marketers of the world unite, you have nothing to loose but your production budget.

Other Marketing Manifestos not on Change This include:

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VC Pitch Tips (reprinted with permission - from myself ;-)

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We talk a lot about messaging here, well in our day jobs as Venture Capitalists, investors are a key marketing target just like any other. A while ago we wrote a post on another blog (NW Venture Voice) translating some of the Playbook concepts into tips we have really seen work in making investment pitches. A bunch of folks asked us to repost, so here it is:

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The most important thing in having a successful pitch to a VC is to have a great business and a great team, but even if you have both it doesn't hurt to have a super crisp, logical, compelling pitch. Here are 5 basic tips that I have seen really work.

1. Outline
First, have an outline. Be organized. The best top level outline I have heard it from one of the super masters of presentations, Jerry Weissman. Before you focus on all the snazzy charts, make sure you do the following:
• Tell them what you are going to tell them: Show them where you are going to take them, on the title slide.
• Tell them how you are going to tell them: Have an agenda slide and stick to it.
• Tell them: make sure the body of your presentation always reinforces your opening point.
• Tell them what you told them: wrap up, recap and go for the close.

2. In a nutshell
One great tool for making this organization stick is what I call the "in a nutshell" slide. This is using your agenda slide to tell the skeleton of your whole argument. When presenting to Steve Ballmer it often happened that you never got off the first slide after the title, so make sure it really works for you.

Normally, I like to see In A Nutshell slides that act as a template. On one side they highlight, even number the key elements of your story/pitch/argument and in parallel on the other side they give the top support points in summary. As you then move through the deck you keep the left hand template to reinforce the whole argument and help people remember where you are in it.

3. Clear, simple case
Show why your company/investment should exist in the first place. Do the simple case using what we call your ABCs or situation/gap analysis. Where:
• A = Today: the current situation in the market/big growing
• B = Tomorrow: the place the market should be/juicy opportunity
• C = Gap: what's missing to get to B/the special play you are poised to make to fill it and win

4. Simple positioning and proposal
Then tell why your way of filling this gap is better than everyone else's. One simple outline for this is what we call the XYZs - "We are the only X company/product that solves Y customer problem in Z unique way," where
• X = your category: critical for VCs, we need to put you in some box, to make comparisons; never invent a category, improve one.
• Y = the target: the buyer, the person who actually writes the check, great if you actually have some.
• Z = your differentiation: your advantage, or the key positive distinction you have over your competition.
It also helps if you can back all this up with real support, like your team's track record, customer traction, a real competitive analysis (their ABCs), etc. A demo is not enough. Proof is better than claims.

5. Best foot forward first and strongest
Tune the organization of your story to the stage of your company. And always put the strongest stuff upfront.
• An EIR: It's all about YOU and the market opportunity/competitive gap.
• A seed: It's all about initial market validation (quotes from friends with important job titles in your target customer's industry), then about the product spec, the team and the above.
• A round: It's all about initial customer traction and economics - some demonstrated willingness to try and pay - show the best real numbers you have, then about the product itself relative to others, then the above/
• B round: It's about momentum - show the sales numbers, the trends and the economics, then all the above.
Then of course have a well thought out and aggressive enough ask.

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Here are some other resources and inputs on VC pitches:

Note: Cartoon courtesy of Les Posen's CyberPsych blog

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August 24, 2005

Big Ad. Big Budget. Big Laugh. Big Sales?

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I recently joined the ranks of millions, billions, trillions, maybe kazillions who are raving about this ad (click here to view) for Carlton Draught.

If you haven't already seen you should. It is not only just plain funny, it has also become a bit of phenomenon in it's own right. It pokes fun and the whole concept of big ads with big budgets trying to capture people's attention for stuff that isn't really that exciting by itself. And doing so on the internet generate huge buzz - and actually tons of impressions (and blog entries, see below for a selection) - before it even aired on TV.

I don't mean to be a stick in the mud - I love the ad - but what does it really accomplish? I get that it broke through and generated attention, but what does it say about the brand, beyond it being playful? What does it say about the product? Yeah, it's "made from beer" which is a heck of a lot more honest than lots of other beer ads but beyond that? And what does it do for real demand - although I loved the ad and was tempted to give the beer a try just for the heck of it - I can't buy it in Washington. And finally, what does this whole thing say about the state of marketing today?

This got me puzzling on multiple levels. This whole thing feels very zen:

No answers from me but a lot to think about.

Here's a selection of some of other sources and opinions:

Posted by johnza at 09:07 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 11, 2005

Soy Milk for President

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As I was eating my cereal (at the office) for breakfast recently, I started reading the carton of my Silk Soymilk - and I was blown away.

It read like a stump speach for the Organic Party of America's 2008 Primary Convention:

"America Was Built with Achievement and Energy, Determination and Will. And It all Began with One Thing: BREAKFAST.

Yes, breakfast. Can you cross icy mountains without fuel? Can you build railroads, cities and bridges without physical energy? We fed dreams with breakfast and soon they developed into reality.

But as America grew up, things happened faster. Our lives got busier. Breakfast - the most important meal of the day - became the last thing we grabbed as we ran out the door. Well, it's time to take breakfast back.

Not to the big breakfast of the past, but to a better breakfast: a leaner, simpler foundation for your day. With less cholesterol and more laughter. Less fat, more idealism. And more time to think about what the day might bring - and what you might bring to the day.

This better breakfast exists right now, fueling the days, the hopes and the achievements of millions of Americans.

It's Breakfast Again in America. Silk. Rise and Shine."

Wow. Pretty inspiring - and over the top - stuff (watch out Karl Rove and James Carville these Soy foklks are hot). And it doesn't stop there.

Elsewhere on the carton they cover Foreign Policy (reaching out a double edged olive branch);

"Legend tells us soy was discovered in China by two bandits who survived in the desert by eating soybeans."

Energy Policy:

The whole thing is powered by Wind Power

Social Security, Taxes and the Deficit:

"It's Free! Silk Soymilk is free of lactose, dairy, cholesterol, gluten, eggs, casein, peanuts, MSG and worries. You still have to pay for it though."

And they seem to understand Get out the vote - Chicago Style:

"Shake Well and Buy Often"

Not sure how much more Soy this sells but it sure is fun reading.

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August 05, 2005

Congrats to Baidu

Lots of folks noted that their strategy could lead to an exciting stock price. Well here's the news:

Baidu.com posts biggest newcomer gain in 5 yrs China's largest Internet search company, Baidu.com Inc. (BIDU.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , rocketed on Friday on its U.S market debut, with its shares closing up 354 percent after surging as much as 460 percent in intraday trading. This was the biggest one day gain by a newly-listed company in five years.

Congrats Robin and Team!!

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Summer syllabus

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It was cool to get included in one reading list recently, well here is another (note you have to log in to see) - this the summer reading recommendations from SoCal business leaders.

Our book was recommended as "serious reading" by Anil Puri, the Dean of the School of Business and Economics, California State University, Fullerton. What he said he got out of the book was:

"An excellent read on marketing strategies that could apply to any field."

Other folks asked for their reading list included:

Other "serious reading" they recommended covered quite a range:

"Lighter reading" included:

Posted by johnza at 12:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 04, 2005

Baidu: Direct Competition as a Way to ...Get Acquired?

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... or at minimum to increase your stock price.

Although maybe not a classic dragrace (in the sense of directly comparing oneself as a means of attracting attention), Baidu can definately pride itself on beating Google in China. And Google continues to loose share there.

Baidu announced last month that they would be IPOing (click here to see the notes from their roadshow). Interestingly, they recently raised their price range. And despite/or maybe because of all this competition with the world's hottest stock rumors continue (a year after Google bought some shares in Baidu) that Google may just through in the towel and buy Baidu.

Whatever the outcome, we love that this kind of competition keeps the leader (who prides itself on being scrappy and nimble) on its toes and that being a scrappy, nimble player has big rewards.

Hat tip to the Internet Stock Blog and the China Stock Blog.

(Note: we are partial to the Baidu folks - aside from being really smart, aggressive and nice, they also endorsed our book.)

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