Andy Boyer

Author: Andy Boyer

  • A Sports Story Every Marketer Should Read

    GatoradeLogo.jpgAccording to ESPN.com, Dr. Robert Cade passed away this week.  You have probably never heard of Dr. Cade, but if you have ever played a sport or been to the gym, you have almost certainly tried Dr. Cade’s invention, Gatorade.

    The story of the birth of Gatorade is one that every marketer should read, memorize and copy into their own campaigns.  I’ll leave the entire article for you to read, but the bullet points go something like this:

    1. Discover a problem that needs a solution
    2. Create, test, recreate, retest, and recreate the solution until the customer likes it
    3. Find an anchor customer with influence and size
    4. When tempted to change the brand, listen to your audience
    5. Build products because you love the project, not for the money
    6. When you get bigger than you can handle, take the money and run.

  • MyElectionChoices.com Back on AirAmerica Radio

    I have been invited back for a return engagement on AirAmerica Radio, this time on Thursday at 8:30pm on the John Elliiott Show. 

    Seattle 1090 carries one hour of John’s 2 hour broadcast on a delay from 11:00 – Midnight, so I’m not sure if my segment will make it on Seattle’s airwaves or not.  But, you can tune in live at  www.airamerica.com to listen.  More details to come…

  • Where is news on the Google China Tax Evasion story?

    So, here’s something that’s news because there’s no news about it.

    On November 19, TechCrunch reported that Google was being investigated by the Chinese government for a number of tax issues, all of which were too difficult for me to understand or techCrunch to analyze or give perspective on.  My initial thought was that this was simply a follow up shot across Google’s bow.

    If you remember a few months back, all the U.S. search engines in China had their traffic redirected to sina.com, in what many said was a response to President Bush meeting with the Dali Lama.  So now after a "tip" from someone, the Chinese government is going to fine and/or punish Google for some allegedly shaky financial bookkeeping.

    Now if you ask me, when a company has more money than it knows what to do with, cheating a few bucks in taxes in a country it desperately wants to do business in would be downright foolish.  I simply can’t believe Google would purposely do anything improper in dealing with Byzantine Chinese tax laws when they desperately want to do business in this market.  It simply makes no sense for Google to try to cheat the Chinese government out of less than what one of their GM’s is worth in stock options.

    But the bigger question for me is, why is TechCrunch the most respected news outlet covering this?  On a search on the terms – Google Tax China – there’s no WSJ, New York Times or even anything from the Bay Area papers.  Why isn’t anyone writing about the Chinese accusing Google of tax improprieties?   Is it part of some U.S. mandate that "We will not question the Chinese government?" 

     

  • Blended Ad Banner

    wendy_Right_Rail_tile_125x8.gifCBS Sporstline Fantasy Football has been featuring a neat little ad banner that is constant throughout all aspects of the site.  This banner to the right is obviously not meant to be clicked on, but the brand marketers also realize that they don’t need to blast fantasy football players over the head with a loud advertisment on every page. Its subtlety is alomst subliminal, in the way it is omnipresent, but not obtrusive. 

    Online advertising has made some dramatic swings to CPA and CPC models over the years.  But this ad shows how a successful campaign can – and probably needs to – incorporate a mix of Social Media branding, banner branding, and then CPC and CPA conversion ads. 

    I’d be curious what the equivalent CPM is for this sponsorship.  But it’s the kind of that can run on a site like MyElectionChoices.com, or other web sites that provide a nice free service to customers, but aren’t really suited for acquisition based ads. 

    Of course, this doesn’t even take video and podcasting into consideration, which is something that deserves its own post.  But according to a study from emarkleter published in February –

    "The fastest-growing Internet ad format is video, which will see spending surge by 89% in 2007. When it comes to total spending, however, search advertising rules. In 2007, US advertisers will spend nearly $8.3 billion on paid search ads, $1.3 billion more than they did in 2006."

    The net of the message is that when Internet marketers can exercise some subtlety and common sense into their online campaigns, rather than working off a spreadsheet that says "Louder is better," the whole online environment gets a little stronger.  We need more creative types that can see and appreciate subtlety, even though there isn’t an absolute ROI attached.    

     

  • Are You a Sports Widow?

    sportswidow_sm.JPGI’m taking a few minutes to plug a new and exciting idea from two of Seattle’s best Marketing folks. Dave Sharp and Nan Hall have launched SportsWidow.com. The site is focused on aspects of a "Sports Family" and profiled tonight on King 5’s Evening Magazine.

    Some of the many features include the following: 

    • Sports Widow Journal & Features – Topical commentary, tips, ideas about coping/ surviving in a house full of sports fans.
    • Store – Sports Widow® Wear and Gear
    • www.sportswidowradio.com : Pilot Radio Show – This sample 1-hour radio show features interviews with other Sports Widows, Boxer George Foreman and relationship expert Pepper Schwartz, PhD. It includes the Sports Widow Blues theme song by composer/vocalist Chris Sharp and the C. Sharp Trio (yes, she’s Sharp’s wife). www.sportswidow.com/podcasts/theme song.mp3
    • Fan Fare – Recipes and entertaining ideas for sports events
    • Resources – Book, website and movie recommendations

    The team will be looking for content soon. “We plan to connect with Sports Widows through interactive media, traditional media, special events, social network meet-ups and products specifically geared to them,” says Sharp. “To that end, we are searching for partners who share our vision and passion for this subject and market.” Plans to roll out Sports Widow Entertainment, include a radio talk show, syndicated columns, cartoons, greeting cards, books, video games/instructional videos, and a television show.

  • Flogging Molly December 4

    So another of my favorite bands are coming to town, this time Flogging Molly on December 4.
    You can check out just about all their songs with Rhapsody.

  • Movaya Wants to Make It Easy to Sell Mobile Games From Your Web Site

    movaya1.jpgNew product announcement from Movaya today, as they released version 2.0 of Plug N Play, which is a technology that makes it even easier for any online merchant (or even a blog) to sell mobile games from their web site, deliver them directly to the customer’s phone, and directly charge their cell phone bill. 

    While the mobile game industry is still in its early stages, all signs point to an explosion in revenues of mobile games in the coming years. The new version of Movaya’s product comes after months of research and feedback from the several hundred web sites already implementing the platform.

    The entire press release is available in a Social Media form at their blog.

  • Book Review – The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

    If you asked me for a list of my favorite things, Bill Bryson books would fall just under Air and Water. I was turned on to Bryson’s classic
    Neither Here Nor There
    about 10 years ago (and have now probably re-read it 7 times), and look forward to each new global adventure as if he was taking me along for the ride.

    In fact, I would probably consider it the perfect vacation if I ever stumbled into a little pub and saw this bearded 50 year old author sitting by himself with a pint and his notebook. I’m quite sure that my head would be buzzing with tales from his travels more than the beers.

    And so you must imagine my situation as I entered an airport bookstore and lazily scanned the rows and rows of books I had no interest in. And then suddenly, like a bottle of fine red wine stuck in among the Apple Juice, there was the latest Bryson offering:
    The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.

    Now take into consideration that I was headed to a Blog and New Media conference, and yet this little paperback book was now tasked with keeping me entertained for 3 hours or so. The irony was not lost upon me.

    Unsurprisingly, my review is quite positive. If you are interested in nostalgia, humor, American history and absurdity, then this will keep you laughing well past the time that you should be turning out your lights. Few books make anyone sad when a plane trip is over, and this one did it.

    Even though “Having Beers with Bill Bryson” is still making no upward progress on my life’s To-Do List, “Reading the Next Bill Bryson Book” is just about done.

  • Martin Conquest Takes Next Steps

    martin.jpgWhen I was in Manchester (UK), I was lucky enough to do a little "Real World Training" for a group of folks running what I think is going to be an extraordicary company, called Martin Conquest.

    Years ago, the son of Martin Conquest CEO Alan Martin had a horrible accident and lost the use of his legs.  Alan soon set out to build a motorcyle that was wheelchair accessible. It’s taken several years of testing and prototyping, but according to this article, it appears they are now in production. 

    The bikes have been tested up to 100 MPH.  Imagine sitting in a wheelchair, driving a motorcycle at triple digit speeds.  Very cool.

    Anyway, I wsih these guys more continued success.  It really is a great story. 

  • Great Collection of Executive Videos

    So this page is probably already known to heavy investors, but I find myself fascinated by the plethora of minute long videos found here on Nasdaq.com.  Vint Cerf, Rob Glaser, Marissa Mayer, Esther Dyson, etc…. it’s an impressive list of soundbites collected in one place.  Much more productive than watching guys dancing on treadmills…