High Point, N.C. – (Sept. 1, 2010) – Chad Duncan was recently hired as Trone’s media director. Duncan previously worked at Wieden+Kennedy and brings more than 14 years of developing and managing effective integrated cross-platform communication plans for high-profile global clients such as ABC Entertainment, Harrah’s Entertainment and Procter & Gamble.

“We are enthusiastic about having Chad at the helm of our media department,” said Kevin Murphy, managing partner at Trone.” Not only is his background a great fit but his passion for creating sound consumer engagement strategies will help take our media department to a new place.”

About Trone

Headquartered in High Point, N.C., Trone, Inc. is known for its Unmass the Message^® approach which uses data to develop powerful insights to form the basis for strong connections between people and brands. Trone offers clients strategic consultation and analytics, media buying and planning, advertising, design, relationship marketing, public relations, interactive, social media and event marketing. The agency is one of the largest independent agencies in the Southeast with nearly 100 employees and $100 million in capitalized billings. For more information on Trone, please visit www.trone.com.

Ad Age recently turned to Trone’s head of account planning, Jenny Rowland, for her insights on the affects of a multigenerational household on marketing. As more and more families start to share their houses with parents, in-laws or adult children, marketers have a new opportunity. Click here to read the article and Jenny’s comments.

We’ve just begun airing two new :15 spots for our North Carolina Education Lottery client. The spots, seen here, are running on Monday Night Football telecasts in the state via Time Warner and ESPN. The commercials are a simple jackpot awareness vehicle, but have an extra level of fun attached in that they are a parody of the viral video phenomenon know as Double Rainbow. There was something perfect about the enthusiasm that guy had for the double rainbow. It’s the same feeling we imagine people having for a huge jackpot. And of course the jackpot changes every week. Whoo-hoo!

Social Media is not a new idea. As long as there have been handmade signs we’ve had social media. Sure, the internet is a vast forum for consumer expression, and sometimes consumers give their opinion about a product they love, or a store they may have had a bad experience in. But it’s not the only forum with power.

I passed the minivan in this picture one Saturday. I thought, “Geez, this guy is hacked off at Ashley Furniture.” Then I wondered what the store manager at the nearest Ashley Furniture store would do if he drove past this same vehicle. What he should do in that instance is stop the guy right there, jump out of the car and find out what all the hating was about. Try to calm this customer down. Then offer to fix whatever was the problem, maybe even give the guy a free something, a free anything, to make him wash that message right off of the eyeballs of every passing motorist. Because everyone that read that message had a new thought about Ashley Furniture, one I’m sure Ashley Furniture wouldn’t have wanted them to have. That thought was doubt.

Any company that doesn’t have a strategy to deal with this type of customer feedback, whether it happens in real life or online, might as well wear a sign that reads “Kick me.”

Has this happened to anyone else?  One day, I signed in to Facebook to see what my friends were up to and I didn’t recognize anyone’s profile pic.  My Facebook page had been taken over by a bunch of babies.  The moms and dads I know have every reason to be proud of those very cute baby faces, but there’s something wrong about seeing the face of a 2-year old next to a hangover-themed status update, or an ultrasound picture having a case of the Mondays.  That’s not to mention the babies that now have their own accounts or this strange phenomenon of fetuses tweeting from the womb.  (Personal rule – you must be at least 3 feet tall and able to form complete sentences before I will follow or friend you.)

Before they even type in their first www dot, the digital footprint of this next generation is going to be huge.  With all the discussion around the permanence of anything uploaded to Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere on the Interwebs – will there soon be whole industries dedicated to pulling and cataloging someone’s digital journey, from their mom and dad’s first tweet or status update that baby was on the way?  Or will there be entire industries devoted to creating blank digital slates for kids whose parents have shared every detail of their early lives?  Potty and bathtub pictures used to be the ultimate in parental embarrassment, but they have nothing on some of the TMI details parents share, today.

I’m looking forward to following this trend over the next several years and seeing where and how I draw the lines, myself.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go update my cat’s blog.

-@JennyRow

Image by TedsBlog on Flickr

We just finished 4^th of July celebrations and it is hard to believe that retailers are already talking about back to school. It seems like all over the country, the weather is hitting the upper 90s or low 100s. Cookouts are occurring, water parks are full, and fireworks are blaring.  So who wants to kill the buzz? The retailers! And rightfully so! Getting in store traffic is always a challenge during the summer months. Retailers have to be more enticing and more creative. The regular 30% discount is not going to get Janet and her family off the beach and into the mall.

I have to admit, some of the retail gimmicks are quite tempting.  Apple® is offering a free iPod™ touch with any Mac™ purchase.  Macy’s® is hosting a sing-a-long, spelling bees and a fundraiser for Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), which helps promote literacy in children. Naturally they will also be having great specials, but I find it particularly note worthy that Macy’s is trying to stay in touch with school spirit. What I find particularly disturbing is American Eagle Outfitters’ promotion.  American Eagle is offering a free smart phone when you try on a pair of jeans. And yes of course there are catches, but even so! Does this say school spirit to you? Go ahead and ask any teach how they feel about cell phones in the classroom. I am sure you will get a resounding consensus from them to ban cell phones in schools all together. The problem with American Eagle’s promotion, is that it will probably work. Call me old fashion, but I like to think of school specials as related to books, computers, school supplies… not another gadget! Here’s hoping that all retailers will follow Macy’s or Apple’s lead.

Most anyone who really knows me knows that I am (moderately) obsessed with getting an iPhone. While trying to wait patiently for my current cell phone contract to expire, I have researched AT&T, previous iPhone models and now the new iPhone 4.

Now with just under a month left in my contract, I am seriously considering taking the leap and signing on the dotted line for the new iPhone 4. As a consumer, I am moving closer to purchasing it. However, with all of the news and talk about the issues it’s having, I continue to weigh my options and consider what the best choice is for me. I also find it interesting what has happened and what is happening in terms of marketing to persuade me in this decision.

Beginning with the product itself, there are many, many reasons why I’d love to have an iPhone. After receiving an iPod Touch last year, I have become very attached to how easy to use and convenient it is. The personal experience I have had with a product very similar to the iPhone is so powerful in getting me to adopt and become familiar with the iPhone itself. It would be so much easier to use an iPhone than a new and different smartphone. Plus, the apps have helped me organize my life, save money and keep up with what’s going on in the news and in social media. I could easily move them onto an iPhone and only have one device instead of both a phone and an iPod Touch.

In terms of word of mouth and consumer recommendations, almost everyone I know who has an iPhone couldn’t live without it. They, too, find it extremely helpful in their daily lives beyond the basics of it just being another smartphone.

The advertising for the iPhone 4 has been overwhelming. Apple’s branding has always resonated with me. The very first FaceTime app commercial was very heartwarming. I’ve seen positive comments about it across Facebook and Twitter.

Of course the iPhone 4 has been plagued with issues in the news. “Antennagate” has seen some iPhone 4 owners struggle with poor reception and dropped calls. Apple’s decision to provide free cases seems to be only a temporary solution. With Consumer Reports not recommending it and competitors joining in the disapproval, the public relations firestorm surrounding iPhone 4’s problems has only increased. And on top of that, the iPhone is still only available through AT&T, which continues to receive complaints about its poor coverage.

In regards to statistics, a recent survey by the International Data Corporation shows 66 percent of current iPhone owners are delaying purchase of the new iPhone 4 due to its antenna problems. However, the issue has not stopped the 74 percent of non-iPhone owners who are moving ahead with purchasing it.

Overall, the experience I’ve had with the iPod Touch, the friends that I know who love their iPhones and the research that I’ve done push me closer to getting one sooner rather than later. I’d love to wait for Verizon to finally provide it through their network, but that has been an unrealized possibility for awhile now. I have to weigh out all of the messages—the great brand and product advertising, the social media talk, the press it has received and the way Apple is handling their public relations issues―with my own perceptions, needs and desires as a consumer. Maybe it’s time for me to take the risk and finally see for myself what all the (good and bad) fuss is all about.

The current economic environment is presenting huge challenges to marketers all over the world. And, the situation isn’t getting any better. Finding more efficient and effective ways to engage customers has never been more important. Companies must make a commitment to remain competitive and uncover opportunities to become even stronger.

An economic downturn is not the time to stop investing in marketing. Instead, companies should be focused on how marketing can help them flourish in a down economy beginning with a hard look at their marketing plan.

Retool your marketing plan. The times have changed and to survive companies need to adapt. And no, that doesn’t mean cutting your marketing budget in half. It means reevaluating how you communicate with customers. Now more than ever your marketing programs must deliver to the bottom line.

Reevaluate your marketing approach.  When times are good it’s easy to fall into a routine. When you examine how every dollar is spent you’ll be surprised to see the number of opportunities that present themselves.

Know your customers better than anyone else. Want to spend less money and drive better results from your marketing programs? If you know, I mean really know your customers, then you’ll know exactly when, where, and how to spend marketing dollars. Companies making investments to learn all they can about their customers will see returns.

Your customers are looking for a good value. Do you know what value you provide to your customers? Understanding the challenges your customers face gives you the ability to connect with them on an emotional level. Customers respond when they believe a company understands their struggles and offers solutions to ease their daily stress. Do the research. Your marketing plan will thank you.

Focus on existing customers. Don’t forget about your current customers. Instinct says we need to acquire more customers when times are tough. I’m not saying to stop looking for new customers, but optimizing the relationship with existing customers may be the quickest way to drive new revenue. Opportunities are likely exist for cross-selling and up-selling within your customer database. While the investment to engage current customers is low, the potential revenue impact is high.

As a general rule I don’t eavesdrop on others’ conversations.  However, most of us will subconsciously tune in these days when hear words like “the economy”, “the housing market” or “tax credits”.  Over the weekend I heard several neighbors talking about the bill Congress recently passed to extend the homebuyer tax credit to September 30.  On the surface that would seem like really good news, but the missing detail is that a contract still has to have been written on or before April 30^th.  So for a neighbor who has a for sale sign in the yard, and no pending buyers, this may mean they are have to stay in their home longer.

And that is exactly what we found in a recent study conducted through opinons@trone; 30% of the respondents noted that they would be in their home longer than anticipated.    However, on a positive side an overwhelming majority indicated that they still have equity in their homes and 52% believe the value of their home has stayed the same or even increased.

Making home improvement is still considered a good investment; 49% of respondents agreed with this.  The change is that more homeowners looking to tackle projects for themselves (47%).  Some of the likely projects homeowners will undertake themselves include:

• Install tile: 31%
• Landscaping: 37%
• Install faucet:  54%
• Change a door handle or lock: 57%
• Paint a room: 68%

The general consensus is that in the near term the focus will continue to be on the home as a “retreat” and “place to entertain family and friends.”  Consumers will need to conduct regular maintenance and with some light at the end of the tunnel consumers will start to engage in projects they had put off during the height of the downturn.

Ahh, vacation! Wait a minute, it’s over?! How did that happen? For all of you who spent the week of July 12 OOTO, welcome back to reality. I find myself in the elite group of ‘rested and refreshed, but now how I am going to get back in the groove of things and caught up on all the stuff I missed.’

Vacation time is such a wonderful thing and don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy my time away from the everyday routine. And I’m so extremely thankful to work for a company that believes in vacation time and is generous in giving this paid time off. I actually have a friend who works for a company that gives them 120 hours of time off and they call it vacation time – BUT they don’t get paid when they are on ‘vacation.’ Who can relax and refresh with that deal?

So my question for you today is, what do you do to make re-entry into the work world easier after a week away relaxing? Do you check in while you’re away? Come in early your first day back? What’s the best tactic? I’ll check in after I’ve had another cup of coffee – I’m exhausted from all that relaxation last week and need a caffeine boost. Happy Monday!