Marketing Buzz In The Making

Approximately six days ago, Ireland-based Steorn invited the world's scientists to test what they call a revolutionary new technology with an advertisement in The Economist.

According to the company's news release, the technology is based on the interaction of magnetic fields and allows the production of clean, free and constant energy. It can be applied to virtually all devices requiring energy, from cellular phones to cars.

It is an intriguing concept, one that has been kicked around for some time, and especially interesting for quantum physics buffs who sometimes enjoy looking up the latest redesign of Tesla's Coil (that would be me), which is another intriguing concept that leads to the creation and production of free energy.

Perhaps even more striking than the concept of free energy is the risky game of generating a marketing buzz for a technology that will apparently not be released to the public until after all (or at least some) of the scientists can validate the results. In fact, according to the company's Web site, more than 3,000 scientists have already accepted the challenge.

The reason I call this a risky game is because Steorn is riding a very thin line. On one hand, if they truly are far enough along in the free energy game that their claim will eventually revolutionize the world as we know it, their advertisement is marketing genius. On the other hand, considering they ran the advertisement in a weekly newspaper focusing on international politics and business news (and not known for its scientific readership), the marketing buzz they are creating, possibly to attract investors, could backfire, if it hasn't already.

Buzz marketing, as effective as it can be, is a dangerous game of gambling corporate credibility and the stakes are directly proportionate to your ability to deliver. For Steorn, given that 68 percent of the people who responded to their online poll that asks "should that scientific community accept our challenge" said NO, their wager seems to be equivalent to going "all in" without having the right cards to pull it off. Simply put, skepticism is high and if Steorn does not deliver, their next venture, even if it seems somewhat credible, will suffer, assuming the company survives.

At the moment, it's hard to say whether Steorn is simply looking to inflate company valuation on a promise as adventurous as The Wonga Coup (just without mercenaries), or whether they really have something that could potentially change the world. They claim they did attempt to go the traditional scientific route by quietly asking academic institutions to validate their results. But the company can hardly provide a case study for corporate transparency nor has it produced similar technologies (their first venture was related to technologies that help prevent counterfeiting and fraud in the plastic card and optical disc industries). So, time will tell, assuming they haven't lost already by damaging their credibility beyond repair.

All of this is not to imply ''buzz marketing'' is bad. We've frequently assisted in the development of such communication strategies that have paid off, a by-product of living in Las Vegas.

Just a few case studies include opening the Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain that made a compelling case that it would be the best private K-8 school in the West, with kindergarten tuition starting around $15,000 per year. We made the case before the motor was dry. We also assisted in generating ''marketing buzz'' for Konami Gaming with its infamous 'Project X,' a coin-in gaming machine that would serve as their introduction into the United States. We described a device that was barely on the drawing board. There are dozens of more cases we could share.

The difference between these and Steorn, although slight, was that both parties, Konami and Dawson, had proven track records in their respective industries. As mentioned, buzz marketing is effective, but the stakes are directly proportionate to the ability to deliver. Comparatively speaking, the stakes in their strategic plans can be likened to a reasonable wager. (Both did deliver, by the way).

Contrary, Steorn may have over exceeded the definition of 'reasonable' by a mile. It's a shame too, infinitely so if they really do have a technology that could change the world. The point: bet too much on buzz marketing and you can theoretically kill your company even if you do have a holy grail answer for all physics questions.

At least that's what one of my marketing professors would have said almost 20 years ago. You see, he shifted his field of study to marketing after discovering that, sometimes, engineering is not enough. His team's invention: mass produced hover crafts.

It really worked, but there were too few buyers to keep the assembly line moving forward. By the time they had generated some marketing buzz, it was too late — the company went bankrupt.

Protecting Intellectual Property

With the recent spike in Website and blog visitors looking for information on 'copyrights' and other intellectual property rights such as patents and trademarks, I thought I would take a moment to point out one of several resources: Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks

Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks For Dummies explains, in layman’s terms, the basic nature, function, and application of intellectual property (IP) rights, including how you can acquire those rights, wield them effectively, or exploit them through licensing agreements and other rewarding adventures. This book covers all of these critical concepts, including working with IP professionals, presenting a patent explanation, determining what is copyrighted and what isn’t, protecting your commercial identity, and where to go for the appropriate government forms.

To clarify, our company is sometimes misidentified when people misspell 'copyright,' as in to obtain a copyright, as opposed to copywriting, which is trade term for writing commercial 'copy' or words for advertising, marketing, and communication. We've also included a link to this informative book on a variety of intellectual property issues (under the Biz Book Shelf).

Sneaking A Promo Peek

Beginning next week, Copywrite, Ink. will be releasing mini-histories and case studies celebrating 15 years of communication excellence.

The downloadable pdf portfolio pages will be accessible on Copywrite, Ink.'s main website: copywriteink.com (where we've been). Each week, we'll release a new portfolio page, featuring a specific industry. The image (right) is a preliminary design draft featuring automotive experience before the history was written.

Since 1991, Copywrite, Ink. has worked on agency accounts that include The Auto Collection (at The Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino), BMW Performance, and Black Hawk Expositions. In addition, we've developed campaigns for a variety of dealerships, including Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercury, Saab, Subaru, and Volkswagen. Recently, we developed the strategic communication and creative direction for Concours d'Elegance Las Vegas.

The pdf portfolio also provides a glimpse of our what our future site will look like in the months ahead. The new site design will be rolled out in three phases: the addition of these pdf portfolio pages, back lot merchandise featuring our Hun Productions brand, and then an image overhaul for the site to bring everything together.

Currently, you can download a pdf list of select account experience as well as a list of our award winning work. In total, we have experience on more than 1,000 agency accounts.

Reading Seth Godin's Blog

Seth Godin is one of the few bloggers out there that nails communication observations more often than not. Enough so that I'm adding him to our company's blog shuffle for a bit. If you're not familiar with this best selling author, who is uniquely successful with ebooks, or his blog, I certainly encourage you to take a look.

In addition to recently posting which web 2.0 companies are gaining traction, he did a great job at highlighting ESPN's John Sawatsky's take on how not to ask questions. The irony is that many members of the media, and even more politicians, practice all of them without fail. I've included four of the seven below, leaving the rest to be found on Seth's blog.

* Double-barreled questions. Like: "Is this your first business? How did you get started?" You're unlikely to get answers to both. One question at a time.

* Overloading. Ask: short, simple questions. "What is it like to be accused of murder?"

* Adding your own remarks. Again, this is not the time or place to say that you hate Chryslers... You're not being interviewed.

* Trigger words. One famous example of this was when TV reporter John Stossell asked a pro wrestler about the "sport'' by volunteering this about the fighting: "I think it's fake." The pro wrestler hit him--twice. "Was that fake?" he demanded...

Trigger words, by the way, are also sometimes referred to as ''needling,'' which is one of eight zinger questions I teach public relations professionals and spokespeople to be aware of and avoid during an interview.

Closer to home, it's also Jon Ralston's favorite setup, probably because he knows it makes for great entertainment, if not a great answer, as Sawatsky points out.

Gaining From Every Experience

On election night, Congressman Jim Gibbons may have won the Republican primary for governor, but the disproportionate amount of media coverage seemed focused on state Sen. Bob Beers, even as early returns demonstrated the election would not go his way. A few of the people standing in the ''war room,'' a few floors up from the gathering of family, friends, and supporters at Arizona Charlie's in Las Vegas, wondered why.

Perhaps columnist Jon Ralston wrote it best a few days ago. ''No one has ever run an insurgent campaign against a well-financed front-runner better than Bob Beers.''

Bob was the people's candidate and he carried with him the people's message. In the months ahead, many voters, even those who threw their votes toward the frontrunner, will miss the fiery, honest, straight talk from the one candidate who stood unafraid to speak the truth. Enough so, that members of the media, former elected officials, and political consultants speculated, with hopeful tones, that Bob Beers would run again in 2010.

Whether that is something he will seriously consider or not is hardly known at the moment, not even by Bob. It would certainly be good for Nevada, especially as reports surface that our state has the biggest declines in existing home sales in the nation, down 23.5 percent. It's one of several economic indicators that show how our increased cost of living is starting to overshadow the benefits once associated with relocating to our state. Although some may argue otherwise, government spending remains one of the catalysts for a downward trend.

That was also one of the many messages Bob carried with him as he traveled the state.Though it may not be the message some people wanted to hear, they knew in their hearts he was right. Sure, it was not politically expedient, but then again, Bob Beers never wanted to be a career politician. He was more interested in setting forth with the impossible and improbable goal of running a campaign based on the voice of the people of Nevada with his first priority to make government listen. Based on the numbers, he did that. He was down only 4 percent in Clark County, the most populated area in the state.

That decision, to speak for Nevada voters rather than the status quo, made it nearly impossible to raise enough funds from special interests. In the end, his campaign was outspent 4-to-1, but he still managed to carry 30 percent of the vote in a three-way primary. I'm proud of him for that because he made campaigning more about what could be done to make our state a better place with a more promising future.

Voters still have another shot to control state spending in November. Although Bob Beers will not be in the general election, his Tax and Spending Control (TASC) initiative will be. It remains the most important ballot question this year. Beyond TASC, Bob still has four years of service ahead of him as a state senator who has earned the endearment of the Nevada. After that, we can only hope.

Personally, I would do it all over again as there is no doubt we delivered the right message with a clean issue-central theme. Sure, I would have liked to have expanded the platform earlier, but post-show commentary is always easier that actually taking the risks associated with performing the show. In sum, I would be there for any future Bob Beers run and next time I won't hesitate to step into the position of campaign chair. Likewise, if Bob wanted to pursue something in the private sector, I would be there for him too.

As for me, I'm still satisfied with the miracle that took place for us this year. Our daughter is still doing well and we are hopeful to finally welcome her home come September. (Perhaps two miracles in one year was too much to ask for.)

I'm also looking forward to getting back to the business of Copywrite, Ink.'s 15-year anniversary. In addition to helping re-spark some growth in several advertising agencies, I'll be traveling to northern California in the weeks ahead to develop a strategic communication message that works; our success rate with core message development remains 100 percent.

Marking A Campaign Moment

Anyone who has ever worked on a campaign has at least one experience during the race that they consider the "most memorable moment." No, I'm not talking about election night or debate wins, though I have fond memories of those too. This time, I'm talking about something much more personal.

You'll probably never read about it in any newspaper, but during the 2006 gubernatorial race in Nevada, my most memorable moment will be standing in the hospital where my wife had just given birth to our daughter, three months early. Within an hour after the delivery, I received a call from State Sen. Bob Beers, Republican candidate for governor, after he'd received a head's up from campaign manager Andy Matthews about the unexpected news. I had called Andy a few hours prior to our daughter's birth, before we even knew how the events would unfold, to tell him that I may be out of pocket for an unknown amount of time. He, in turn, touched base with Bob Beers, who was touring rural Nevada.

Bob: Rich Becker? Bob Beers.
Rich: Hi, Bob.
Bob: How's Kim?
Rich: I'm with her now; she's doing fine. She just came in and is recovering from surgery.
Bob: Your son?
Rich: He's good. He knows what is going on … he's at his grandparents right now.
Bob: And the baby?
Rich: A girl. Two pounds. 13 1/2 inches.
Bob: Is she going to be okay?
Rich: She came out crying. That has to be a good sign. She's in the NICU right now. We're confident everything will be okay.
Bob: Good. Good. Andy just called me a few minutes ago. I had to hear for myself. What's her name?
Rich: Well, we considered Bobweena but decided on Jenna Elizabeth instead.
Bob: (laughs) Your daughter will no doubt thank you for that decision. So what happened?

After explaining the circumstances leading up to the early arrival, we chatted briefly about the gravity of the situation. I remember offering up some last minute campaign notes that I hadn't had time to share with Andy, but he said not to think twice about it. There are more important things right now, he said.

Bob: I hope you know you can call anytime if you need anything. Sarah and I will be happy to help.
Rich: I know that, Bob. You always have.
Bob: Is there some way we can help. Is there anything we can do for you?
Rich: Yeah, you can win this thing.
Bob: (laughs) You know I intend to. Give my best to Kim. You take care of her and your baby. We'll be praying for her.
Rich: Thanks, Bob. I'll call you in a couple of days when things settle down.
Bob: Sounds good. Take care, Rich.

As of today, the race remains a dead heat with a mere two points separating Bob and his opponent. It's a huge jump from the polls conducted earlier this year, which originally gave Bob's opponent a 40-point lead. Sure, anything can happen come election night and some people have already said that Bob's win will be a miracle. Yeah, I know something about those. For the last seven weeks, I've seen a miracle in the corner of NICU every day.