A small bank based in Fort Worth Texas went after the big guys. And so far, it’s working. One billboard at a time, they are riding the wave of consumer opinion that the banks must have done something wrong if they needed TARP money. By letting people know that Worthington Bank didn’t take any of that money, they are creating a halo effect. People are feeling more comfortable putting their money into Worthington. But comfort isn’t the only motivating factor. It’s pride. Most people have worked very hard for what savings they have and take pride in knowing that they’ve been able to survive on their own without much help from others. They relate to a bank that does the same. It’s not that they wanted the economy to go into a tailspin or that they don’t think people should get help when they need it. But banks are not exactly an easy institution to sympathize with. And consumers understand that no matter how small their account is, what they do with their money is in fact a vote for what they stand for. Understanding this consumer insight has proved to be priceless.

Billboards saying things such as “Just say no to Bailout Banks. Bank responsibly,” “Did your bank take a bailout? We didn’t,” and my personal favorite that was placed next to the local zoo “Don’t feed the animals” with the word animals crossed out and “big banks” scribbled in.

And while big banks are crying foul saying that TARP money was important and helped a lot of people out, this little bank is growing rapidly. To the tune of $5 million in new deposits since the launch of the campaign. In their own little way, consumers are saying enough is enough with the poor me mentality of big banks.

After all, if we’ve learned anything from the automobile manufacturer Ford lately, it’s that stability is still part of the American dream.

Here is a video about the work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SNCuQ04ang.

Some of the back and forth about the campaign:
http://www2.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-9218440-12642
http://www.bizpress.net/display.php?id=9849

What you don’t do for your dog says as much about you as what you do for them.

The new campaign for Alpo dog food capitalizes on this thought brilliantly. By showcasing the ridiculousness of pet owners dressing up dogs and paying for pet massages, it focuses on getting back to the basics of what it means to be a real dog and dog owner. It invites its target to laugh with the brand at other types of dog owners who go overboard with their dog pampering. It brings the realness back to dog ownership that these owners have never forgotten. Now I must admit, I wouldn’t buy Alpo even though I don’t dress up my dog. I am a very different type of pet owner that would never think of giving my dog anything but the best food and care possible. Said plainly, I see Alpo as a cheap and more importantly less healthy brand of dog food. Not good enough for my pup. But I am not their target. Their target buys dog food from a grocery store not a pet store. And they don’t let their dog eat better food than they do. But even though I am not their target, I find these ads amusing, honest and funny in a way that stories about peas and carrots could never be. After all, dogs were once wild animals forced to hunt for their food.

With everything from downloadable posters, stories about dogs lost to pampering that need to be “found” and even viral videos of people going into doggy spas to “rescue” the dogs by giving them Alpo, this campaign brings their headline “Quick, get that dog some Alpo” to life. The tagline “Real dogs eat meat” hits close to home for both the target’s way of thinking about feeding their dog as well as how they think about feeding themselves. Bravo to Alpo for truly understanding their target and how to talk to them.

Here is the campaign website.

As consumers, most of us can tell the difference between an ad for a high-end product and an ad for something cheap—even if you covered the logos.  Ads are loaded with price-point cues even when there’s no price to be found.

More importantly, a consumer will make a quality inference about what you’re selling based on how your marketing piece is designed.

Even though most consumers can’t articulate why a piece looks high-end or not, we all seem to know good photography from bad. And expertly-handled typography from something that looks like it was typeset in Microsoft Word.

When you’re speaking to an affluent audience, how do you craft your message and design to connect with them? There’s not just one right answer. Sorry. There is, however, a list of pitfalls that can keep your brand down.

Don’t look cheap.

Lots of bright primary colors tend to look like plastic—like kids’ toys or the décor of a fast food restaurant. Too many colors can look junky and unfocused. Cramming every available space full of images and copy doesn’t maximize your media buy; it minimizes everything you’re trying to say. And it makes you look cheap instead of premium. The same goes for buying too small an ad. Cheap. Cheap. Cheap.

Don’t sell too hard.

What’s worse than looking cheap? Looking desperate. It’s the ad equivalent to walking in the front door of a furniture store and five sales sharks are now headed toward you—trying to look casual. It’s entirely possible to make your persuasive sales points without giant logos, screaming type, and exclamation points. Those things will just work against you the same way an overly aggressive salesperson will.

Don’t be for everyone.

Exclusivity and scarcity. These hallmarks of affluent brands should carry over into your communication strategy. The best way to accomplish this is to know your target audience. Really well. Then your ad or website will be equipped to pull that affluent person aside and whisper, “Hey, I didn’t want to tell everyone about this, but I know you’ll appreciate it…”

Which brands do this well? You tell me. Here are a few traditionally affluent brands I’ve found, but I’ll bet the best examples are still out there, trying to keep the likes of me off their mailing lists.

People spend their entire lives designing and discussing fonts. Art Directors search through hundreds, sometimes thousands of fonts to find the one that gives off just the right vibe. Sure, we’ve all used Helvetica. And most of us probably understand bold, italics and maybe even serif versus sans serif fonts. But why do so many marketers look at fonts as an after thought? Or use the let’s pick one font and stick to it theory, never to be thought about again. Sure there is the argument for brand consistency, and that’s important. But what if sometimes, the font actually became the hero instead of a logo or beauty shot of a product? What if instead of being the subtle hint of what the brand is trying to say, it morphed into the message? That’s what these ads from Ireland have done. They didn’t use flat type and just add interesting transitions to make it more engaging. They let the type actually tell the story. Morphing it into objects and allowing it to give a sense of what was being discussed. If the marketer had just chosen one corporate font and stuck with it, these ads could never have existed. Maybe it’s time to revisit the old standbys of brands, the brand standards.

You can google ‘advertising copywriting’ and get endless lists of rules and best practices.  There’s no shortage of self-proclaimed experts who can tell you how to ‘write for results.’ There’s also no shortage of ads that sound like ads. These lists invariably include something about avoiding anything negative.

I’ve worked with so many clients who insist on avoiding any and all negative statements. Sounds like a  reasonable approach. And most of the time it is. But the problem is that many clients reject anything that’s not pure Pollyanna positivity. I wish they would take a step back and realize that what’s important is that the takeaway is positive. If you’re setting up the problem that your client’s brand can solve, maybe some negative language is exactly what’s needed to set up the conflict.

Much of what we do in this business is storytelling. Without conflict, there’s not much of a story. It’s just Batman living in a crimeless Gotham City. (Yawn.) It’s Harry Potter without He Who Must Not Be Named. (“Your parents seem nice, Harry.”) It’s Geico in a world that actually embraces the complexities of auto insurance. (Or for the older generation: It’s Wisk without Ring Around the Collar.)

The real point here is to engage your audience the way one human being engages another in conversation. If you can get your target nodding along by using only positive statements, then by all means do it. But sometimes the more interesting way to start the conversation is to poke at the problem a little.

It’s okay to get snarky. Isn’t it more fun to talk to someone who shares your frustrations and sees the world the way you do?

A brand’s communication can be so much more interesting when it starts with an insight about the target.

What do they think? What makes them feel? What motivates them to act? I would argue that it’s not always sunshine and roses.

But, hey—I’m no expert.