It is the last part of that statement that is the most important; they are in touch with activated consumers. We have done work with other services with databases containing similar numbers of people. Without a doubt, Groupon’s consumers are the most activated and the most likely to buy. We have also found that the members of the Groupon database, at least in the Greater Cincinnati Area, are not just 20-somethings in search of a good deal. There are a quite a few “Golden Households” in their database, too.

We (IMPACT) determined this via a batch of group coupons we did for two of our clients. The first was a group coupon we did for Reser Bicycle Outfitters. This Groupon was for a ½ priced tune up and was run in the Spring. This Groupon sold over 450 tune ups. A repeat of that same Groupon in October yielded similar results.

Jason, the store’s owner, was so overwhelmed with repair work that he had to seek additional storage space for the bikes as he worked on them. For him, Groupon proved to be an awesome seeding tool both times. The tune ups yielded significant repair/upgrade work and parts purchase for his shop. In addition, it exposed new customers to the shop and positioned Reser Bicycle Outfitters to capture their sales when they upgrade their existing bikes or look for new ones.

Groupon was and continues to be a hugely successful initiative for Jason Reser.

Another initiative done by IMPACT that gave us insight into the diversity of consumers enrolled in Groupon, was for Totter’s Otterville in Covington, Kentucky. Totter’s Otterville is an incredible place where children learn through play, indoors and out. For their Groupon initiative, Totter’s offered discounted admissions ($8 admissions were sold for $3). We were all shocked when that initiative sold 4,587 Groupons. A little flip-flopping of the data set showed that there were 1,308 unique buyers in that list (there was a limit of 4 per person). 1,308 moms with kids bought this Groupon. Considering that Totter’s target market is NOT the 20-something single individual, we now respect not only the size of Groupon’s database but also the diversity of demographic and psychographic profiles in their database. Oh, and by the way, we have hear unconfirmed reports that Totter’s Groupon was the number 2 performing Groupon in the US… Hats off to us, Totter’s & Groupon. That’s impressive!

Needless to say, John Martin, the owner of Totter’s Otterville was very impressed with this marketing initiative. The Groupon was coupled with some in-store efforts to convert these new consumers to registered users in the Totter’s Otterville database. Many of these new consumers have bought annual passes to Totter’s Otterville and many more have come back, buying full-price admissions time and time again.

Group couponing appears to be an awesome seeding mechanism for businesses. From a marketing standpoint, we caution against using it to drive sales. It does drive sales, but at the significant cost of lost revenue (50% discount to consumers to drive sales of the coupons and the resulting revenue is split between the business and Groupon). It is important that the offer is constructed to be a net-zero for the business and that other initiatives/tools are put in place to convert new customers to future, full-price-paying customers.

If you need help constructing a Groupon or other marketing initiative that works for your business with positive return on investment, please contact us. We’d love to learn a bit about your business and craft new ways for you to build revenues in this difficult economy by making an IMPACT with your target market.

1. Drive brand recognition and recall
2. Drive subscription to the Reser Bicycle Outfitters e-mail newsletter

We created a custom t-shirt (front shown here) for RBO to give away throughout the month in store and at Bike Month commuter stations around Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky… then we decided to kick it up a notch.  We wanted an easy to distribute and carry form factor that also reinforced Reser Bicycle Outfitters as THE full service bicycle shop in the area.

Handing people another free t-shirt (despite the fact that it is a really cool free t-shirt) seemed so also-ran and cumbersome…  so, we came up with this awesome compression execution with a bicycle-wheel insert. This form allowed for easier distribution, carrying and reinforced the bike shop’s equity.

All-in-all, it was an awesome project that served its purpose…  on any given day you can see them around town AND the newsletter subscriptions grew by 50% via this initiative.

Do you have something to say?  Let us help you find a creative and high-IMPACT way to do it…  Just reach out to us and we’ll get started on creating some magic for your business!

Leave it to Google to take it to the next level!

Google released Google Goggles for Android 1.6+.  This is an incredibly cool functionality that has been toyed around with on other platforms like the iPhone and by services like AroundMe.  However, Google took it to a whole new place that is phone independent just like Android.

Google Goggles can identify items such as landmarks, books, business card contact information, artwork, wine and logos with a simple snapshot (which, I might add, can be discarded right away with a little click; nice feature, Google!).

Looking up information on a location like a store or restaurant?  You don’t even need to take a picture.  Just point your phone at it and a link to the Google Local Business ad will appear at the bottom, beckoning you to click on it to find out things like contact information, hours of operation, coupons and more!

This is a pretty incredible extension of how search works and, if it works, will drastically alter how we use the little devices we all carry in our pockets.

Very nice, Google!  Very nice!

If you would like to know more about this or any of the topics on our blog, feel free to contact us at (859) 468-5313.  We’d also be happy to take a look at YOUR local business listings, and your interactive program overall, and let you know how they can be improved to drive your business forward.

We’ve all seen it.  Indoor advertising hits you in the bathroom.  It finds you in the restaurant waiting area.  See it over there by the beer line at the stadium?  Indoor advertising really is everywhere you go.  Some people question its appropriateness for their brand, business or product, but no one questions the effectiveness.

According to research statistics published on the Indoor Billboard Advertising Association (IBAA) web site:

• 98% of people don’t have a negative reaction to the placement or content of the ads
• 84% recalled seeing a specific ad
• 93% could name specific advertisers tested without prompting
• 89% of those who recalled a specific ad could remember at least 4 benefits mentioned

Studies have found that indoor ads are viewed for 1.5 – 2 minutes, on average.  Compare this to the 3-5 seconds that traditional print ads are viewed and the reason for the higher recognition and benefit recall is obvious.

This is not to say that this should be the only tool in your toolbox, but it is an awful nice hammer even if it is from Harbor Freight instead of Stanley…

More than just “branding”

Most people associate indoor advertising with simple branding.  Ads typically scream, “HERE’S MY BUSINESS.”  Through the many campaigns we’ve done for our clients, we’ve found that this tool is effective on two additional fronts – PR and activation.

Consider this… you have an individual’s attention for 1.5 – 2 minutes.  You have a chance to both  educate and entertain them.  You have a chance to convince them of a benefit associated with doing something, NOW (or at least after they finish and wash their hands)…  This ability to motivate immediate action and/or educate a target audience makes indoor advertising an interesting tool.

Imagine a PR campaign to soften the image of a organization.  Considering that people are less than 2 feet away from the 8.5″ x 11″ boards from EverywhereUGo or the 11″ x 17″ boards from All Over Media, an ad has a great opportunity to deliver a story.  The ad has a great opportunity to change the target’s opinion.

In a different situation, imagine an ad containing a call out to call a number or to send a text message to get something free, register for a contest or to find out more information.  The person has ample opportunity to take advantage of the offer while they stare at the ad.

So, as mentioned above, indoor advertising can be a great addition to a larger marketing plan to promote a brand, communicate a message or drive a target to activate.  Combining this with the ability to target your audience by gender, and venue makes this a rather powerful tool.

To see some examples of indoor campaigns done with IMPACT, see our print portfolio.  If you have any questions about the effectiveness about indoor advertising or interest in setting up a campaign, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Driving down the road this week, I heard an advertisement for Doritos 1st, 2nd and 3rd Degree Burn chips.  The chips attribute their burn to jalapeno, fiery buffalo and habanero flavoring.  The radio ad took the cliche format of some calling into a “crisis center” with their mouth basically bursting into flames.

The rather comical, but otherwise unremarkable ad then took a turn toward ingenius.  The crisis center hotline “representative” recommended Pepsi Max Cool Burn, with a hint of lime, to quell the ailing caller’s burn.

What?  Pepsico, hats off to you!  This is probably the best example of joint product marketing I’ve ever seen.  These techniques have been around as long as grocery store end caps, but this, in my opinion, verged on GENIUS!

What are your thoughts?  Do you have a favorite example of co-branding like this?  I bet nothing has driven the sales of cross-category products as effectively as I imagine this will since some one dropped a Mentos into a 2-liter of Diet Coke…

Some other resources you might be interested in:

• Exploding Mentos & Diet Coke
• A “Banned” Doritos Burn Commerical (note: this is not the one I am referencing)
• BevReview.com’s article on this initiative