What The big Lebowski Can Teach You About Advertising

If you've seen The Big Lebowski, you're likely well-versed in the Coen brothers' tale of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, his rug, a case of mistaken identity, kidnapping, embezzlement, White Russians, bowling, and what have you. Oh, and some Creedence tapes. If you haven't seen it (obviously, you're not a golfer NSFW), you should buy, rent, download, stream, or bootleg it immediately! Then go to the definitive Lebowski website, Lebowskifest, buy the book, I'm A Lebowski, You're A Lebowski and find out more about everyone in the movie, including bowlers, achievers, pornographers, pederasts, pacifists, nihilists, Fascists, nymphos, a stranger, a car thief, a brother shamus, and Knox Harrington (the video artist).

The book also highlights the people, stories, and events that were ultimately merged by the Coen brothers to really tie the script together for The Big Lebowski. That included a guy who goes by the nickname "The Dude", a notable rug (that really tied the room together), a Vietnam vet friend turned private eye and security consultant, and a professor who confronted the teen he believed had stolen his car. In other words, a lotta ins, a lotta of outs, and a lotta strands in the Coen brothers' heads came together to create The Big Lebowski.

So how does all this apply to advertising? I'll tell you what I'm blathering about:

• I'm the Dude, so that's what you call me. Though the character of The Dude was based on a real guy, that was only a part of the movie. And the same should go for your advertising. There can be one predominant element, be it Twitter, Facebook, a blog, banner ads, email, radio, direct mail, TV or print, but it shouldn't be the only media you use to advertise your business. Relying on only one media can help you build business, but it won't allow you to grow your business. Repeating the same message to the same audience means you'll get tuned out. In the digital age, the consumer sees and hears more "noise" than ever, so your message might have difficulty getting through on only one channel. Spread your message across the spectrum to insure your advertising reaches both existing and new customers. This will also help insure you're top of mind when your customer is ready to act.

• ...From Moses to Sandy Koufax. Just as the Coen brothers went into production with a cohesive script that tied together all the diverse elements that influenced the story, make sure you have a solid, 12 month ad plan to serve as your guide throughout the year. Though it may appear that way to some viewers, The Big Lebowski wasn't made up as they went along. Setting a goal in January to tweet more and post more to Facebook isn't an ad plan. Take the time to put together a marketing plan for the next 12 months now. Consider every media option, be it TV, radio, direct mail, email, blogging, banner ads, and yes, even print.  Edit as needed, but stick to the plan.

• If you will it, Dude, it is no dream. The Big Lebowski was hardly a hit at the box office, but it became a huge cult success when it was released to home video. When it comes to your advertising plan, don't expect immediate success. A 12 month ad plan should be designed to build and maintain your success over the course of the year. The traditional view was that it took seven impressions for one to act on an advertiser's message. In the digital age, that number is likely higher. Take the time to make impressions. Impressions build trust. Impressions help overcome objections. Impressions help encourage sampling. All of that takes time. Keep on message and focus on the big picture all year long.

• Your roll, man. The script for The Big Lebowski, and the people and events that inspired it, didn't just occur to the Coen Brothers overnight.  It was built over time and edited as they went along. After they filmed it, there were even more scenes left on the cutting room floor. Do the same with your advertising plan. Develop a budget that will spread your message across several channels throughout the year. Track your results. Stick with what works consistently over the course of the year and edit out what doesn't.

Were you listening to the Dude's story?  Creating a yearly ad plan for your business doesn't have to be a Hollywood production. Simply take the time to put together a comprehensive, multi-pronged plan that will really tie things together, budget for the expenditures, and then put it to work for your business. It might not make you star, but it will help your business do some big box office. And that would be far out... 

It's A Race To The Finish

As this year's edition of the Tour de France is entering its final week, it's time for my annual non-poetic rambling on the Tour as marketing metaphor (though I know most of you have them committed to memory and posted on your refrigerator, if you want to catch up on my previous entries, you can see them here and here).

Probably the number one thing I find myself explaining to the non-fan is that, though the Tour de France is indeed a three week race around France concluding in Paris, it is also a series of 20 or 21 individual races called stages. And the ultimate winner of the Tour isn't the rider who wins the most stages, but rather the cyclist who completes all the stages in the shortest elapsed time.

As it meanders around France, each Tour also features three distinct stage types: flat stages, mountain stages, and time trials. Flat stages generally go from point A to point B, allow the cyclists to stay together as a pack, and most often favor the rider who excels as a sprinter (one who has explosive power and the ability to go really, really fast to blow ahead of everyone else at the finish). Mountain stages, obviously, take place in the Pyrenees and the Alps, and favor the cyclist who's proficient at climbing and, secondarily, descending those same steep hills. Finally, time trials feature riders racing alone against the clock and are often won by the cyclist who can generate the most consistent speed and aerodynamic position for the duration of the stage. In addition, there are races within each stage, awarding points or time bonuses for the first rider to reach a certain point or plateau on the course.

It's not unusual to see a sprinter win several stages, yet be nowhere near the podium (first, second, or third place) at the end of the race. Converesly, it can often happen that the rider who wears yellow on the Champs Élysées (the yellow jersey indicating the leader of the race) does so without ever winning a stage. Hence, the sprinter who wins today's stage by five milliseconds or the climber who wins by five minutes may win the day but, at the end of the race, they're forgotten behind the Tour de France champion, the cyclist who can both climb and time trial to ultimately reach Paris in the least elapsed time.

I bring all this up, because over the years, I've encountered an untold number of clients I could call "sprinters." And, given that their primary objection goes something like, "We spent big bucks to advertise on the radio for three weeks and it didn't do anything. Why should we advertise more?" the comparison to the sprinter or climber who might win a stage or two but not contend for the overall title is fairly apropos.

When it comes to advertising, anyone can "win a stage," in that you can spend money on a radio flight, newspaper ad, direct mail piece, or email blast, and make one big splash. But when your customer reaches the finish line and decides to act on his or her need, will your business still be in the race? Will that message you sent out six months ago still resonate in his buying decision? If you've only advertised, in any form, once, then the answer is likely "no!"

As a general guideline, remember the Rule of Seven, which says that you need to make at least seven impressions on a potential customer before they act on your message and buy your goods or service. When you consider the noise most consumers "hear" these days, from email, banner ads, mobile app ads, TV, radio, direct mail, and more, as well as the fact that most prospects likely aren't sitting around waiting for your ad, following the Rule of Seven is even more important.

Another crucial factor in following the Rule of Seven is to remember that, like the Tour-winning bicyclist who excels in every discipline, you need to advertise in more than just one medium. An email blast may work in the short term, but too many of the same messages may get tuned out, or filtered to spam, by your potential customers (especially if you buy an email list!). Instead, vary your message by adding another tool or two to your marketing tool box, be it radio, TV, direct mail, email, or even social media like blogs (information marketing), Twitter, Facebook, and now, Google+.

Finally, remember that successful marketing is a race to the finish that's won by a well executed, 12 month plan. Advertising only "when you have the time" means your customers may not have your business top of mind when it's time for them to buy. Yes, it takes time but, a consistent marketing plan will build a solid base of impressions (and trust) with your customers and prospective customers. And that can keep your business rolling all year.

Just as you need to be a well rounded cyclist in every stage to win the Tour de France, it takes a diversified, year long marketing plan to crank out your message to your customers through every stage of the year. If you stop pedaling a bicycle, ultimately the bike stops rolling. And if you stop peddling your business, sales stop rolling in. Hence, think of your marketing and advertising as a race that's always running. Anything else will just leave you spinning your wheels.

Of Bikes And Butt Advertising

If you've looked around He's Not A Poet, you may have noticed me occasionally waxing non-poetic on bicycling and pro bike racing. And now that the 2010 Tour de France is almost upon us, it's time for my annual post on what pro cycling can teach us about advertising (OK, this is only the second year I've done it but, after this it will be a yearly post, deal?).

To review, the Tour de France is essentially one giant, rolling advertising vehicle. Everything has an official sponsor, from the official drink to the official timekeeper, to the podium girls who present the flowers and trophies to each day's jersey winners. Even the towns that host the start and end of each day's stage pay to show off their civic attractions to the world. And just like in Nascar, pro bike riders and their bikes are covered in logos. How much you pay for sponsorship dictates where your name goes and how big it is. Smaller sponsors get a logo on the jersey and maybe on the bike. The name sponsors get their name on the team and, most importantly, the jerseys and the butt of the shorts...

The "Butt Sponsor" is valuable position to have, since most bike race stages feature a breakaway of some sort with some riders going ahead of the pack, and much of the TV coverage of those riders is shot from the TV motorcycle that stays behind the lead riders, transmitting images of their butts. Thus, since advertising is all about impressions, if your rider gets out in a breakaway, there are more chances for your brand to be seen repeatedly by the millions who watch the Tour. Even if a rider or team has no chance to win the overall race, just having a rider lead or even win a day's stage can generate enough exposure for a given brand to justify the expense of the sponsorship. And that's why, for the companies who sponsor the Tour de France and its' riders and teams, this race is essentially the Super Bowl of cycling, a once a year opportunity to market your brand to the biggest target audience possible.

So what does any of this have to do with your advertising? Well, though you may not be a cycling fan, or even French, odds are your company has a chance to be a butt advertiser, or one opportunity where you can drop a big hunk of your advertising budget to make a really big splash. The question is, is that opportunity worth it? Will the money you spend in July translate to business in November? Is your brand strong enough that one big, butt advertising opportunity will create enough impressions to generate a return all year round? Or, should you let that big opportunity ride away and instead concentrate your ad money on a 12-month marketing plan that will keep your sales rolling throughout the year? Just as every bike rider and team has different strengths and weaknesses, every business has different marketing needs. So remember, a butt advertising opportunity can make a big impression but, it won't do you any good if it's not still turning your sales wheels at the end of the race...

Is Your Marketing And Advertising An Expense Or An Investment?

Recently I was comparing two clients. Both are multiple outlet retailers, both are in similar markets, and both had initially pursued comparable marketing plans. The difference was, one (we'll call Company A) was thriving and one (Company B) was struggling and will likely have to make drastic changes, like closing stores, cutting personnel and even bankruptcy, in the near future.

As I considered their situations and wondered what might have been done differently, I realized the most significant difference was their outlooks. Company A approached advertising as an investment in their company, knowing that it can ultimately provide a return. Company B, however, always looked at advertising and marketing as an expense, or a necessary evil.

While they both started out in similar fashion, Company A set up a solid marketing plan and stuck to it in good times and bad, knowing the money they spent each month would likely be recouped through increased sales and visibility. Company B also set up a marketing plan and stuck to it…for awhile. However, when slower times came along, Company B started cutting expenses and their advertising budget was the first to go under the knife. The problem is, now that their business is struggling even further, Company B doesn't have the money to put towards the "expense" of advertising, and they'll likely be unable to generate new business to increase their sales.

Now, consider your advertising and marketing outlook. Is your advertising budget money you're putting back into your business to help it grow even more? Or, do you see your advertising as a cost of doing business that could be better spent elsewhere? While there's no set formula for how one feels about advertising, if you want to change your business fortunes, you might have to change your outlook.