The old banner has finally come down and been replaced. It probably took the 2 Guyz’ relentlessness…and Covid-19.

The 2 Guyz on Marketing say, “Thank you.” For multiple reasons.

“THIS TOO SHALL PASS” is the new message with a phone number

The 2 Guyz Larry remembered the on-air radio contest in 1991 on the once famous Ken and Barkley Company radio program. It was back when radio personalities were media stars of the city, and wielded a lot of clout.

Larry decided to go in 2018 with a former student and have a hamburger from Hamburger Habit at 11223 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064.  Over the years Londre had always doubted the use of this banner which says “Best Hamburger.”  But more than his quest for the perfect burger, he is a lifelong collector of marketing and advertising stories.

So many things were wrong with the posting of the old banner.

Well, it was once judged best by a radio show, so that much is true.

Was the claim true for the past 20 years? Probably not. Does anything stay “best” that long?

But most importantly, it’s been too darn long to claim the results from a 1991 radio station promotion!

Both of The 2 Guyz on Marketing teach and work in marketing, advertising and promotion. In our classes, this brings up issues of advertising ethics, honesty in advertising, and sound business practice (or lack of).

Sales promotion includes several communications activities, under “Promotion” in the nine P’s of Marketing, that attempt to provide added value or incentives to wholesalers, retailers, or consumers to stimulate immediate sales. These efforts or activities attempt to stimulate product interest, trial, or purchase.

Ultimately they are trying to sell more hamburgers and fries.

Sales promotion is the process of persuading a potential customer to buy the product. Sales promotion is designed to be used as a short-term tactic to boost sales.

Larry and his former student agreed that it was NOT the best hamburger even within three blocks of National and Sepulveda.  For many reasons it was not appropriate to use the banner.  I would bet no one who was part of their “hamburger“ study” even works at KABC anymore. I would also bet they have changed suppliers, ingredients and employees multiple times, too.

Legally, the FTC gives us the “6 Month Rule,” which basically states a “new product” is new for six months.

An advertiser cannot promote a new product is “NEW” forever. (That’s why a lot of products do smaller innovations more frequently, so that can continually “legally” claim to be new, or “new and improved.”)

But simply it’s not good to say you “were”, if you “are not”.  And even if you “were” back then, 29 years is just too long. 

ALL THINGS DO PASS.

This ad was published by Ford’s Simi Valley dealership two days ago, and reads:

“Well we didn’t catch fire but these deals are smoking hot. Take a look!”

This dealer is in Simi Valley, the community that sits just to the north of the Woolsey Fire Perimeter and northeast of the Hill fire.  In fact, Simi had a few flare ups from the fires in the southern part of their valley.

What were they thinking? They are in the general fire area, and while both fires continue to burn (and neither fully contained), they ran this ad.

It’s just not appropriate promotion! In fact it was just downright dumb. With at least 44 people dead from the awful fires in California, and The 2 Guyz on Marketing personally knowing several people who have lost their homes and all their worldly possessions, we rate this as one of the worst ads ever.

A spokesperson for the dealership apologized, but was it enough?  “Recently, we expressed ourselves in a way that does not reflect our values…We are sorry. Simi Valley is our home and, like all of us who live here, we will continue to assist during these difficult times.”

Think before you promote during a disaster. Don’t take advantage of the situation for personal or business gain. Help those affected. Help first responders. Heck, take pictures of the people you help and post on social media. But don’t capitalize.

The first of what is likely to be many Baddie Awards.

On size alone you have variations: full-sized versions, the one-stick half-size version, and the fun-size version or variation.

Then there’s brand extensions…for M&M’s there are a ton of options: Caramel, Peanut, Mint, Pretzel, different colors, Nutella, plus Toffee, Jalapeno and Coconut. On M&M’s there are so many variations. I’d go back to plain or peanut.  It depends on my mood.  M&M’s plain is good; peanut M&M’s is also good, adds complexity.

And of course there’s the “wafer debate”… Kit Kat versus Twix. I would vote for both.  I like the wafers on Kit Kat and the caramel with Twix. If both were available, I’d pick both especially if at Halloween, snack size.

On Snickers versus Milky Way, I’d choose Milky Way and I like the miniature size frozen. Watch your teeth and don’t tell the dentist or your parents.

As kids it was pretty clear which homes gave the full-size candy bars. We avoided fruit and never knew if our neighborhood had any hidden razor blades. There wasn’t online social media as there is now…just parents chatting in front of houses.

Hands down my worst favorites would be: Nerds or Skittles, it may be a generational or demographic thing.  Give me chocolate. I’d add Mary Janes and those circus peanuts. Those circus peanuts are on everyone’s worst list, it seems. Gross.

Hands down my favorites: M&M’s and Hershey bars, miniatures are just fine.

But I’d leave all of these for a box of See’s candy.

See’s Candies started in Los Angeles and was one of Warren Buffett’s first investment. I have heard it was his first. It’s a capital-light business model. See’s Candies, a West Coast confectioner of chocolates and other premium candies is special. Under “Price in the 9P’s Warren Buffett believed the company could raise prices. It’s up to about $21-22 a pound, from around $4 or $5.

It’s a premium product and “people” purchase See’s as gifts or treats. Buffett believed he could increase pre-tax earnings by raising prices just $0.15 a pound. He’s done that and increase promotion, with advertising and mailers.

See’s dark chocolate for me, please.

Have we gone too far to shut down neighborhood lemonade stands? Having the police close down lemonade stands?

What you may not know the police were asking for three permits for health and business operation reasons. They needed not just one sink, but three. Did you know kids can’t accept money? Cookies need to be packaged.  Is this absurd?

Kids learn a lot at a lemonade stand. You have Planning, Product (lemonade and maybe cookies or cupcakes), Price, signage, national media or Promotion, Place, Customers or People, Passion and Presentation.

Don’t we want to teach entrepreneur skills? The 2 Guyz teach these skills in every marketing class. We invite entrepreneurship!

For this Denver lemonade stand they also got an advocacy group Lemonade Stand Mama plus a petition to change local laws fighting for them and others.

Do these kids really need permits? Really?

Surprisingly, Utah recently passed legislation that exempts kids under 18 from needing permits. Good on Utah. bad on Colorado.

So what’s the twist? What the 2 Guyz like most is an actual lemonade brand is putting up legal funds. It’s powdered lemonade brand Country Time. They have offered to reimburse these kids and their lemonade stands for up to $60,000 in permits and fines. Good on Country Time. Turning lemons or powered lemonade into lemonade.

The 2 Guyz support local entrepreneurs for sure. Great use of PR and Promotion.

The 2 Guyz on Marketing think “yes.” Why? Multiple reasons.

2 Guyz Larry remembers the on-air radio contest in 1991 on the once famous Ken and Barkley Company radio program. It was back when radio personalities were media stars of the city, and wielded a lot of clout.

Larry decided to go recently  with a former student and have a hamburger from Hamburger Habit at 11223 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. Over the years Londre has always doubted the use of this banner which says “Best Hamburger.”  But more than his quest for the perfect burger, he is a lifelong collector of marketing and advertising stories.

So many things are wrong with the posting of this banner. Is the claim true? Well, it was once judged best by a radio show, so that is true. Were they the best? Maybe. Are they still? Highly unlikely. (Does anything stay “best” that long?)

But most importantly, it’s been too darn long to claim the results from a 1991 radio station promotion!

Both of the 2 Guyz on Marketing teach and work in marketing, advertising and promotion. In our classes, this brings up issues of advertising ethics, honesty in advertising, and sound business practice (or lack of).

Sales promotion includes several communications activities, under Promotion in the nine P’s of Marketing, that attempt to provide added value or incentives to wholesalers, retailers, or consumers to stimulate immediate sales. These efforts or activities attempt to stimulate product interest, trial, or purchase. Sales promotion is the process of persuading a potential customer to buy the product. Sales promotion is designed to be used as a short-term tactic to boost sales.

Why do companies and advertising agencies use sales promotion? To promote an increase in sales, usage or trial of a product or service.

Larry and his former student agreed that it may not be the best hamburger within three blocks of National and Sepulveda.  For many reasons it’s not appropriate to use the banner.  I would bet no one who was part of the “study” even works at KABC anymore. I would also bet they have changed suppliers and employees multiple times, too.

Legally, the FTC gave us the “6 Month Rule”, which basically states a “new product” is new for 6 months. An advertiser cannot promote a new product is new forever. (That’s why a lot of products do smaller innovations more frequently, so that can continually “legally” claim to be new, or “new and improved”).

But simply it’s not good to say you “were”, if you “are not”. And even if you “were” back then, 27 years is just too long.

Most of the time marketers can’t create customer value and build customer relationships by themselves. They need to work closely with partners and alliances outside the firm, as well as with different  departments within their own company (which we call inside partners).

One of the most important of the nine P’s of Marketing created by Londre, one of the 2 Guyz on Marketing, is Partners or Alliances.

For our post, we found a doozy of an example. What combines Amazon, Toyota, Pizza Hut, Mazda and Didi, together?

Announced today at CES in Las Vegas, Toyota introduced its e-Palette, a self-driving concept vehicle with partner Pizza Hut. A self driving vehicle delivering pizzas.

Simply a strategic partnership and a vehicle to deliver pizza.

Pizza Hut is also part of another alliance (mobility services business alliance) that includes Amazon, Mazda, Uber and Didi (Uber’s Chinese rival).

From Artie Starrs, USA Pizza Hut president,  “… to own and define the modern pizza experience, we (at Pizza Hut) are focused on technology-based solutions that enable our team members and drivers to deliver even better customer experiences.. With Toyota, we are partnering with an undisputed leader in human mobility with a reputation for innovation, reliability and efficiency, as we define the pizza delivery experience of the future.”

The 2 Guyz teach about joint partnerships, which are joint relationships. That relationship existing between two parties: it a relationship resembling a legal partnership and usually involving close cooperation between parties having specific and joint rights and responsibilities as a common enterprise.

Some lessons to learn from:

• Ensure that there is excellent planned and natural alignment of internal and external agencies/partnerships/alliances around common goals and purposes. They should be moving toward shared goals or goals.
• Continuous support and cooperation with consultation are usually needed.
• Roles and responsibilities must be clearly communicated, understood and agreed upon.
• Partnership and cooperative agreements are formed that enable parties to bring their major strengths to the table and emerge with better planning, products, services, promotion, presentation, distribution and ideas than they could produce on their own.

2 Guyz Brian adds that partnerships require constant communication, trust, and lots of shared effort. In addition to planning for all the good (profits, asset accumulation, etc.), partnerships need to be very clear about planning for the bad. Sooner or later, partnerships will end. Partners and alliances need to be clean how that will work, as well,

Changes are always occurring in how marketers connect with their customers, suppliers, channel partners and others. Partnerships have always been important, but never more than in today’s fast-paced, global business environment.

• Promotion:
  • Eight (8) major, strategic components: The communication elements include personal and non-personal communication activities.
  • The activities that communicate the merits of the overall product, which include:
    • Personal Selling/ Sales Force: Sales persons:
      • A special 2 Guyz on marketing tip: “Listen more than you talk. People who listen more, learn more, plus helps you position your service/product/solution or offering.”
    • Advertising: There’s an expression “It is only creative if it sells.” I wanted to add “It is only good media spending if it sells.”
    • Sales Promotion
    • Collateral Materials
    • Direct Marketing (also referred to as Action or Direct Response Advertising)
    • Interactive/Internet/Web, Digital Media, Social Media:
    • Events and Experiences
    • Public Relations/PR

Promotion is the “stuff” that lay people think about when we talk about marketing. There’s lots of creativity, ideas, and brainstorming. But The 2 Guyz teach it’s that and a lot more, too. Promotion is a critical strategic part of any company or brand’s marketing mix.

From The 2 Guyz on Marketing, here are some strategic questions to ask, as a business owner, brand manager or advertising professional, and all fall under Promotion:

• • • Have you noticed that you may watch what you want to watch in TV programing, when you want to watch it and anywhere, any screen? TV is still the largest single advertising media when you measure how many people are touched by a single message at a single time. All of these factors affect media planning.
    • Look at and evaluate the eight different elements under Promotion and your brand’s practices and ask is there a better way? Which of these eight ways works best, or which ones work well together?
    • What are your costs in dollars and manpower or person power, and be sure to ask, “Is there a different or better way or ways to budget to build awareness?”
    • Look at different strategic partners? How might their costs affect yours?
    • To whom should you target and promote? Under People/Targeting, target audience within media falls here.
    • What should you promote? What are strategic copy points.
    • Discounting? Special sales? What economic and discount levels should you offer? Look at revenue versus costs.
    • What form or combination of promotion should you offer? Features?

How frequent? Add media planning here. Great promotion placed in the wrong place is wasted effort. Lousy promotion in the best place is equally flawed. Good marketing and advertising is the blend of creating promotion and media planning that work together strategically. Brian of the 2 Guyz on Marketing preaches to his class that it’s both science and art together in a delicate balance to be successful.

We will do additional posts on media planning and we have a couple of videos out on media planning. Check out our YouTube channel for that.

For more Marketing insights, ideas, concepts and Marketing solutions: Go to Londremarketing.com and look under “Articles and Resources” and the 9P’s/Nine P’s ©2007. Specifically you will find them detailed at 9P’s/Nine P’s or Nine P’s/9P’s of Marketing.

*Created by Larry Steven Londre. Copyright 2007.

“People,” one of the nine elements or components of marketing, is another addition to E. Jerome McCarthy’s original 4 P’s of the Marketing Mix. Let’s look at it more closely.

• People
  • “People” or targeting has almost always been left out of the traditional “Marketing Mix.” Almost every diagram includes the four P’s with Product, Promotion, Place and Price.
  • As a marketing professional or new to the game of marketing, look at new, existing and repeat customers.
  • Assign “consumer, “People” or “potential buyers” in the middle of a circle. Add the other components in the nine P’s. In Marketing, from my education, training, research and analysis plus testimony, there needs to be greater focus on the “Customer” or “People.”
  • “People” or market segments may utilize demographics, geographics, psychographics, behavioral characteristics and technographics, which may be a vital component or components of the 9P’s of Marketing.
  • Once a target market is chosen, the organization can develop its marketing strategies to target this market segment.

• • Defining a target market requires market segmentation; the process of segmenting the entire market as a whole and separating it into manageable units based on:

• Demographics
• Geographics
• Psychographics
• Behavior
• Technographics or technographical characteristics. Understand your potential consumer. Remember, in the back of your mind, that the reason technology is phenomenal is because it displaces years, or centuries, of previous technology. Consumers may or may not have the skills. Think employees here too. The reason technology skills are transitory is because they will almost certainly be displaced, too.

• • Simply it’s about Segmentation and Targeting. Add Positioning and you have STP, as a major first step.

A couple of examples:

• • • A unique example of targeting and reading the data. PayPal looks at segmentation and was finding a segment of their customers who were buying women’s products, men’s products, electronics, haircare product for both sexes plus dresses and tuxedoes. It was a multitude of both men’s and women’s products. From research and planning, they found out that their customers (couples/partners/husbands and wives) were using one ID and password. It was two sexes, one log in.
    • A segment of car buyers when they think of Jeep they think of running wild and free off road and driving on sand dunes. Jeep has targeted behavior and psychological needs of their target segment of Jeep buyers.
    • Facebook shows content to different users based on their preferences and demographics.
    • In early 2017, Snapchat is mostly millennials, really young people and high school and teens.

The 2 Guyz on Marketing say, “Be sure to look at competing FOR the customer more than AGAINST your competition.” The more you discover, learn, know, and understand about the people who are buying (or would potentially buy) your product, the more successful in marketing you will be!

For more Marketing insights, ideas, concepts and Marketing solutions: Go to Londremarketing.com and look under “Articles and Resources” and the 9P’s/Nine P’s ©2007. Specifically you will find them detailed at 9P’s/Nine P’s or Nine P’s/9P’s of Marketing.

*Created by Larry Steven Londre. Copyright 2007.

But just as marketing doesn’t stand still, neither does the framework. After decades of working in, consulting in, and teach marketing, our own Larry Steven Londre developed his own 9 P’s of Marketing. Others have tried to make gimmicky “P’s” of varying amounts, but as 2 Guyz Brian Hemsworth says, “Londre’s 9 P’s is the best model for teaching and understanding today’s marketing environment.”

This begins a very special 9-part series from Larry where we look at each of the 9 P’s of Marketing. This is highly recommended reading for marketing students, entrepreneurs, company presidents and CEOs, and yes, even marketing professionals.

The nine P’s of Marketing contain several valuable concepts, elements, terms and useful definitions to help explain, find problems and aid in the understanding of Marketing and related activities, including Marketing objectives, strategies and tactics.

Can your customers, clients or users tell the difference between you and your competition? The Nine P’s/9P’s of Marketing can be used successfully by product companies, service firms, for profits entities and nonprofits “selling” directly or indirectly to consumers (B2C), to marketing intermediaries (such as industrial, consumer, retail, wholesale and professional channels of distribution), and to other businesses (B2B).

The 9 P’s include:

• Planning
• People
• Product
• Promotion
• Place or Distribution
• Price or Pricing
• Partners
• Passion
• Presentation

Let’s start at the beginning with “planning,” one of the nine elements or components:

• Planning, Process or Marketing Process:
  • It starts with research and researching.
  • This element of “Planning” in the nine P’s is a method for achieving an end, and, looking at the eight other parts, can be a detailed formulation of a program of action.
  • Developing and transforming marketing objectives to marketing strategies to tactics, marketing management must make basic decisions on marketing targets (“People”), marketing mix, marketing budgets/expenditures and marketing allocations.
  • Review dividing the total marketing budget among the various tools in the marketing mix and for the various products, channels, promotion, media and sales areas.
  • The firm may offer to the target market, including variety of product mix, features, branding, designs, packaging, sizes, services, maintenance contracts, warranties and return policies.

To develop and transform marketing objectives to marketing strategies to tactics, marketing management must make basic decisions on marketing targets “People”), marketing mix, marketing budgets/expenditures and marketing allocations. It’s dividing the total marketing budget among the various tools in the marketing mix and for the various products, channels, promotion, media and sales areas.

• Research and plan.
• Marketing Research: 
• Marketing research is the function that links the consumer, customer, and public (“People”) to the marketer through information—the information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a process. Marketing research specifies the information required to address these issues, designs the method or methods for collecting information, manages and implements the data collection process, analyzes the results, and communicates the findings and their implications.[1]

Using research applies to each component and part in the nine/9P’s of Marketing.

It’s good to note that Albert Einstein said: “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”

Planning includes observing what to do and what not to do in the marketplace. It includes research and developing a vision for each of the remaining nine P’s.

Critical thinking thoughts from the 2 Guyz on Marketing are based on a quote by Leonardo da Vinci:  “Principles for the development of a complete mind: Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses, especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

[1] https://www.ama.org/AboutAMA/Pages/Definition-of-Marketing.aspx

For more Marketing insights, ideas, concepts and Marketing solutions: Go to Londremarketing.com and look under “Articles and Resources” and the 9P’s/Nine P’s ©2007. Specifically you will find them detailed at 9P’s/Nine P’s or Nine P’s/9P’s of Marketing.

*Created by Larry Steven Londre. Copyright 2007.