Now, “Kinect” is actually a good name for the product, and the device has the potential to be incredibly successful, but that’s not the point of this blog post. Rather, I’d like to muse about the strategy to use one name for the many months leading up to the actual launch, and then change the name just before the launch. Microsoft has always done that with its operating systems. For example, Windows Server 2008 was referred to as “Codename Longhorn” from early 2005 through August, 2007, when Bill Gates announced its official name in anticipation of its February, 2008 release.

Although that might be fine with operating systems, especially those designed for the corporate server market, Project Natal – er, uh, Kinect – is different. It is a consumer product, not a corporate one. And 2010 is not 2005. When Microsoft announced Project Natal in 2009, it released a video showcasing its capabilities. That video has been on the Top 10 viral video charts every month since then. It has received millions of views, and virtually every gamer has heard about it. Moreover, forums and social media sites have been abuzz over it non-stop.

In other words, social media is the name of the game in 2009/2010, for those companies who know how to use it well. Microsoft certainly did use it well this past year, getting the whole gaming world knowing about and discussing their upcoming product. But they didn’t hit a home run because of their naming tactic. Some of that branding value will now disappear because the word “Natal” no longer exists for Microsoft. They absolutely can – and will – spend lots of money to imprint the new name in people’s minds, but a more nimble and cost-conscious company might have come up with the final brand name a year ago. Then they could have gotten their branding done for them without a massive advertising campaign (allowing that money to be used more effectively elsewhere).

Domus is a marketing communications agency specializing in integrating social media, digital, and traditional advertising and PR into effective brand strategies. For more information, please visit us at http://www.domusinc.com.

Successful brands are those that are singularly focused on delivering the best products and services in markets consumers demand. Consider companies like Apple. On top of their other successes, their iPad is on target to being the fastest product in history to reach the $1 billion mark. Although Apple invests in marketing (principally advertising and minimally in social media), it own’s the public’s perception as a company that delivers the most innovative and desirable devices. Apple is focused on product and customer first, which then enables effective communication options.

On the other hand, companies that cannot consistently meet and exceed their customers’ expectations will faulter no matter how much attention is paid to the remainder of the marketing mix. Their focus should instead be on their products and service. Once those are on the right track, companies can once again employ communication tools to regain growth.

Domus is a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia, focusing on fundamental marketing strategies that employ wide ranges of communications media and delivery. For more information, please visit us at http://www.domusinc.com.

First VW started their “Fun Theory” campaign. This includes a number of experiential locations that entice people to choose a fun option that also coincides with useful behavior (walking stairs instead of an escalator, throwing trash in receptacles instead of littering, etc.). These locations have, in turn, become the basis of much local and worldwide PR. Moreover, videos of people experiencing the VW locations have been the basis of viral internet videos and other social media sites.

Finally, VW has complemented its “Fun Theory” campaign with its ubiquitous “Punch Dub” television advertising. Look at one of those commercials and one of the first words that comes to one’s mind is “fun”.

VW is successfully marrying a broad array of communication outlets with its one common brand positioning goal. They’re a textbook case study for how it should be done.

Domus is a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit our web site at http://www.domusinc.com.

In today’s world, where marketers are looking for – and expecting – immediate returns on investment on their marketing dollars, Hershey provides another example of the importance of taking a longer term view of marketing efforts. Insistence on high targets for click-through rates, numbers of fans/followers, comments, etc., is not the wisest approach for every campaign. Brand building requires time and patience.

Domus is a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit us at http://www.domusinc.com.

There are two basic problems with this research, though. First, this asks people whether or not they are more likely to buy or recommend, but no study was actually done to see if they were truly more likely. Next – and this is the bigger problem as well as the point of this post – is that CMB confused correlation with causation. Even if people were more likely to buy/recommend, that doesn’t mean that engaging (becoming fans/followers) CAUSED them to be more likely. Rather, the fact that they became more likely to buy/recommend might have led them to also become fans, not the other way around.

Unless the survey has other components that can show causation, this has to be chalked up to yet another misleading study caused by a lack of statistical understanding.

Domus is a Philadelphia advertising agency, public relations firm, and internet marketing agency. For more information, visit us at http://www.domusinc.com.

Moreover, there are effects that are almost impossible to measure. Today, if I get an upset stomach, I’d be inclined to reach for an Alka-Seltzer – not because of any current advertising campaign, but because I remember any one of several classic Alka-Seltzer commercials from 30 years ago. How do you measure that lasting effect?

Consider Bud Light. A little over a year ago they began their “Drinkability” campaign, but 2009 saw the first year-over-year sales decline in Bud Light’s history. Now Advertising Age refers to the campaign as “Bud’s Big Blunder” and the “Drinkability debacle”. But was Bud Light’s decline truly caused by the campaign even though it was correlated to it? What other correlated trends might have had more causuality? Might the deep recession have played a role? Might people’s changing beer tastes had an effect? Or, if the advertising did contribute, was it the concept or the execution?

It’s too easy to confuse correlation and causuality, and too easy to convince others that one equals the other. But marketers today more than ever must be vigilant; otherwise, we might be doing a disservice to our brands.

Domus is a marketing communications agency specializing in brand development through advertising, public relations, and social media marketing. For more information, please visit us at http://www.domusinc.com.

For one, Heineken has had virtually television advertising for a long time (or if it has, it’s been completely unmemorable). On the other hand, since 2007 Dos Equis has been been consistently running one of the best advertising campaigns around, its “Most Interesting Man” campaign.

Yes, Dos Equis has expanded also its marketing to include billboards, print ads, a redesigned web site, and social media pages. (The Dos Equis Facebook fan page has a couple of hundred thousand fans; visitors to its http://dosequis.com web site stay an average of 7-1/2 minutes.) But how many people initially became aware of or interested in the “Most Interesting Man ni the World” from sources other then Television? Some, probably not most.

The lessons? First, television advertising still works, and works well. But as has always been the case, content is king. If the ad is ineffective, no amount of air time will make up for it, but if the ad is effective, television remains an incredible medium. Next, integrating social media naturally around an ad campaign can increase its effectiveness. That doesn’t mean just creating any old social media presence, and it doesn’t mean running a social media campaign independently of the rest of the marketing campaign. It means integrating everything together so that they are synergistic with each other.

Domus is a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, please visit us at http://www.domusinc.com.

VW is trying to address that by investing in new dealerships, a new US production plant (VW has not had a manufacturing presence in the US since 1988), and a new set of advertising campaigns. But other than increasing brand awareness, are VW’s marketing efforts coordinated to solidify a brand position in people’s minds? VW used to stand for inexpensive, solidly built and engineered automobiles, but what does it stand for now?

Let’s take a look at two of its higher profile advertising efforts, one on-line and one in traditional media. In traditional media, they have their “Punch Dub” commercials introduced at the Super Bowl. I like them – they are catchy, funny, and memorable – but I’m not sure what message I’m supposed to remember, other than to just be aware of VW cars. That would be OK, but it would be more powerful if they provided a reason – other than a fun game – to be more aware of them. And the tag line at the end of the spot is “That’s das Auto” (“That’s the car”). I’m not sure what that means.

On-line and in real locations, VW has been running a series of concepts and viral videos called “The Fun Theory”. This is their “experiment” showing the easiest way to get people to change their behavior (in good ways) is to make the new behavior fun. As such, they’ve created a piano staircase leading to/from a subway station, a pinball exercise machine at a bus stop, and others. Again, these are enjoyable spots, but what is the message? That VW is a responsible company? I’m not sure.

About the only commonality I find between the two sets of spots is a sense of “fun”. Is that their new brand position? I’m not quite sure. But I do think they would be better served if they knew and made it a little clearer to their intended audience(s).

Domus is an integrated advertising agency, public relations firm, social media agency, and internet marketing agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, please visit us at http://www.domusinc.com.

The biggest winners will be those companies who start ramping up their marketing now. Although we certainly won’t have recovered from the economic downturn, there are already signs up an uptick. Moreover, as we saw in the final week before Christmas, there is a growing pent-up demand by consumers that is starting to be realized. People will still be cautious and look for value, but more and more they will be ready to buy. Therefore, the companies who are out their increasing their presence will be the prime beneficiaries of the expanded spending. Similarly, businesses that have been holding off their spending will start to loosen their reigns somewhat, again giving opportunities to those who are ready to sell.

So, as an investor, look at which companies are already expanding their marketing. As a marketer, look at your own company. Have you already begun to ramp up your advertising, PR, and sales campaigns (both online and off)? Or are you going to suffer another disappointing year?

Domus, Inc. is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.domusinc.com.

As an example, Advertising Age has an article on Caribou Coffee’s new TV ad, taking aim at Starbucks. The ad has marionettes sitting in a mall, acting like fake, snobbish people. When they see someone with a Caribou coffee, one asks, “Why don’t we ever get Caribou Coffee?” and the other responds, “Because we’re not real.” According to the ad’s creator, in addition to emphasizing that Caribou Coffee uses real ingredients, the ad conveys the message that they have a “real genuine vibe – it’s what separates them from their competitors” (i.e., the snobs at Starbucks).

Of the pool of people who think of Starbucks afficionados as snobbish, “unreal” people, how many of them would get the implied dig at Starbucks? And if they really did have something against Starbucks, might not they be more interested in turning towards McDonald’s or Dunkin’ Donuts instead instead of towards another “specialty coffee and espresso retailer” (as Caribou writes about themselves in their Wikipedia entry)? So, the audience who actually gets the intended message is a tiny fraction of the overall viewing audience.

Moreover, with that dig at Starbucks undelivered, what message remains in the head of the viewers – that this gourmet coffee shop uses real ingredients? (Like the other specialty coffee shop doesn’t?) If Caribou truly decided to stake out their brand position as the down-to-earth shop that sells gourmet coffees, they might not have effectively delivered that message.

That’s not to say that the spot is a failure. It might become successful if there are enough messages out there that clearly emphasize their brand position. That would allow the subtlety of this message to be more easily inferred by larger audiences.

Domus is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. We define sound brand positions and effectively communicate them using the available mixes of media, technology, and social trends, as appropriate. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.domusinc.com.