Why Some Achieve Great Things They Have No Right to Achieve

I would like to deviate slightly from my usual marketing theme and ask you a question; do you feel you are realising your true potential? In other words, do you think you are achieving as much as you possibly can in your life and career? I bet you are not. I know I am not. If I am being honest, over the past few years, much of my potential, drive, intrinsic motivation to achieve great things has been lying dormant. I burst onto the scene in my early career, achieving great things and having an insatiable hunger for more. I felt like I had so much to give and I was determined to unleash it on the world. It's not really the right term to use I know, but I felt like I was 'destined' for great success. Then the financial crash came. I allowed some setbacks and difficulties to switch off that drive and absolute determination to achieve. I questioned my ability and became fearful of trying things, of taking risks, of making mistakes. In so doing, I became my own worst enemy.

So what has motivated me to write these words now and share them with anyone who cares to read them? Well, I was privileged enough to attend a very special event two days ago that, if I am being honest, might just have flicked that internal switch back on. The Pendulum Summit (www.pendulumsummit.com), organised by Frankie Sheahan, is an event all about self empowerment and realising your true potential. Some of the insights and stories presented were nothing short of profound. Stories about people that achieve great things that, on paper, have no right to achieve. Great things that would never have been possible had they listened to that negative voice in their head that may have told them they couldn't do it. And what struck me was that, many of these people were disadvantaged compared to those around them and yet out performed the rest. There are no extraordinary people. Just ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Here are some of the key lessons I took from the day that will be of benefit to every single person who works hard to put them into practice.

1. Dream and set goals - 

Martin Luther King had a dream. He didn't have a strategic plan. Find out what you are passionate about and make it your mission to work in that area. Set goals. Write them down. Tell others what those goals are. Because doing so will help you commit to achieving them.

2. Focus on how far you've come, not on how far you've left to go - 

Debra Searle set out to row across the Atlantic with her husband only to discover a week into the challenge that her husband had a phobia of open water (it might have been handy if he realised this before he set out). He had to be rescued and taken to dry land. She decided she wanted to finish the challenge herself and go it alone. She was not a champion rower, in fact, she'd never rowed before. She was not big and strong. Some days she would row as hard as she could to make up 30 miles only for an overnight storm to knock her back 50. She said when she would look at the whole chart of how vast the Atlantic Ocean was, and how far she had to go, she felt demoralised. So she only allowed herself to open up her chart on the small section where she was. She celebrated at noting the progress she made. A very useful lesson.

3. Choose your attitude - 

Sticking with Debra's story, she said she couldn't choose if she'd get eaten by a shark (and she seen plenty), or get run over by a freightliner ship (which almost happened more than once). But she could choose her attitude. Control the controllables and don't give too much time, energy and thought to stuff you can't control. Attitude is a controllable.

4. Change - 

Kingsley Aikins came out with a few gems as he MC'd the morning session. Here's one: "The Stone Age didn't end because they ran out of stones". Change is absolutely inevitable. It is not the strongest that survive, but those that handle change most effectively. 

5. Focus on excellence, not success - 

Not my words, this was the advice of the great Deepak Chopra. If you focus on the end game, the success, you take your eye off the ball (my words). Every single thing you do, perform to the highest possible standard. All those moments of excellence have to lead to success.

6. Develop a relationship action plan - 

Keith Ferrazzi offered this one. He said find out what it is you want to do and identify three people who are influential to you achieving it. Reach out to them and find out how you can serve them. Don't reach out to them and tell them what you want. Reach out to them and help them achieve what they want. It might sound a little holistic, but what you give will come back to you.

7. Be present. Live in the moment - 

In recent times, I have been living in the past. Focusing on what I was, what I achieved previously. Focusing on success, and not excellence, might lead you to living in the future. And guess what? Neither the past or the future exists. Well, ok, the past might exist, but you can't change it. The future definitely doesn't exist (yet). It is what you do now, in the present, that will define what your future is. Giving everything you have to the present, to the moment you are living right now. Me writing these words; you reading them. That's all we really have. So, commit to every moment and don't waste it thinking about moments that simply don't exist.

8. Don't limit your potential - 

Why do people who have (on paper) no right to achieve great things, achieve great things? People with disabilities. People who are seriously disadvantaged. People who face bigger adversities than others around them. The reason is they do not allow themselves or others to limit their potential. Some of the most influential leaders of all time - Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Barrack Obama - were seriously disadvantaged compared to those around them and yet they changed the world. We all have the potential for greatness. "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark" (Michelangelo Buonarroti).

On a final note, well done to Frankie Sheahan for having the vision and the courage to create this special and inspirational event. I am pretty sure if we all as individuals were to practice what we learnt, we could be whatever we want to be and maybe, just maybe, we could change the world.

Direct Mail - Is It The New Channel?

2015 looks promising for Irish business. Improvements in the economy, more favourable growth forecasts, and a budget for the upcoming year which supports small business all lead to the promise of an increase, in disposable income. Nevertheless, while we look at almost any market, we still find deep demographic variations, social class divisions and a geographic disparity in terms of recovery between Dublin, the commuter belt around it, and the rest of the country (a). This scenario urges marketing decision makers to continue to place their budgets wisely and to choose their communication channels based on measurable key performance indicators, such as attracting new customers, converting leads into sales and/or maintaining existing customers.

Integration Gives the Multiplier Effect

Every channel of communication has its own strengths and weaknesses. The thing that makes marketing channels powerful is the multiplier effect when integrated in a multi-channel marketing mix. A single channel approach is simply not smart. Two channels often identified as effective when it comes to integration are mail and email, a combination that often delivers big results. In fact, according to recent research (b), campaigns including mail achieved over twice the market share growth than campaigns without mail in the mix; of campaigns delivering high sales performance, 27% more included mail than those that did not; and campaigns that drove high acquisition levels, 40% more included mail than campaigns that did not. The reason for this is direct mail’s effectiveness in driving traffic online. 54% of Irish consumers are more likely to click a search link for a company if they have received anything from them in the post (d). A behaviour that increases with age, with those between 45 and 64 years old the most predisposed to do so (64%). (d)

Irish Consumers Love Receiving Mail

In Ireland, we love post. 72% of the Irish consumers enjoy the routine of receiving the household mail so much that they would feel lost without it (a). That’s why 73% say that they put time aside to go through it and 62% enjoy when they have direct mail in their post-box; becoming particularly relevant to them if its addressed (69% vs. 35% when unaddressed) (a). No wonder that no other form of advertising is as relevant to the Irish customer as addressed mail (75%) (c): It is the strongest advertising channel at making Irish consumers feel valued (48%), and that’s not just the over 30’s: 47% of 18-25 year olds reported the same sense of feeling valued. The 48% score for addressed direct mail is followed by email at 30%, then by TV at 22% (e). But it’s not just about how direct mail makes those customers ‘feel’, it’s also what they get from it: 60% consider direct mail to be really useful for finding out about special offers and promotions, and 56% for finding out about new products and services (a).

Young People Love It

If you were to ask many marketers ‘what is the best way to target an 18 to 25 year old audience?’, I bet most would say digital marketing and, in particular, social media. There’s no doubt these channels are effective, but the fact that every other brand is competing for their attention through these channels provides a significant challenge. 18 to 25 year olds have become very good at ignoring many of these brand messages. Not many brands, however, are communicating to them through direct mail. And when you consider that 71% of 18 to 25 year olds say they enjoy receiving direct mail from brands you might very well wonder why (e). To this audience direct mail (as opposed to online media) is the new channel. And given the fact that not many brands are using it to communicate with them, direct mail provides a real stand out opportunity.

So this year, make it your marketer’s resolution to carefully consider the channels that will deliver the best results for your business and its brands. And, as part of an integrated marketing approach, I bet direct mail will deliver.

(a) An Post Communications Panel Wave 21 Feb-Apr 2014 prepared for An Post by B&A

(b) IPA Databank meta-analysis conducted by Peter Field and Royal Mail, 2014

(c) An Post Corporate Image Tracker April-June ‘14 for An Post carried out by Millward Brown

(d) An Post Communications Panel Sep-Nov 2013 for An Post carried out by B&A

(e) Amarach consumer research for An Post 2013

8 of the Best Ads From 2014

The average consumer is exposed to an estimated average of 3,000 marketing messages on a daily basis. That's a lot of brands competing for attention. Advertisements now need to be more than explicit promotional communications, if they are to cut through the clutter and be heard above the noise. They need to shock, entertain, make people laugh, or cry. They need to connect with people emotionally. Here is my selection of ads that managed to do this better than the rest in 2014 (in no particular order).

1. Quit Smoking Message from Gerry Collins and the HSE

This has to be the hardest hitting ad from the last 12 months. In March, Gerry Collins died from terminal lung cancer, aged 57. Before he sadly passed away, he bravely agreed to leave behind a message. There was no need for clever imagery or catchy jingles with his one, the message was strong enough on its own. If you smoke, stop. And if you don’t smoke, don’t start.

2. An Opportune Tribute to a Legend by Target McConnells

This year, Ireland’s greatest ever professional rugby player decided to hang up his boots. On the 8^th March, Brian O’Driscoll played is 140^th and last match in an Irish jersey. There was only one word that felt appropriate; legend. Target McConnells decided to pay a tribute of their own to BOD in the lead up to the game, taking advantage of their close proximity to the Landsdowne Road venue that staged this momentous occasion.

3. Ireland Inspires Video by Fáilte Ireland

In celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, Fáilte Ireland released this beautiful, inspirational video, showcasing all that is great about Ireland. It was played for audiences gathering for Irish Embassy events celebrating around the globe. If this one didn’t make you feel proud to be Irish, nothing will.

4. A Little Bit of Humour From Energia

With downsizing, restructuring and cost reduction measures all being the order of the day, this ad was both timely and very clever. A clear message, with more than a touch of humour, this ad cut through the clutter. Well done to the boys and girls at, well, Boys and Girls (the ad agency behind it).

5. Three Little Words

Strictly speaking, this ad was first aired towards the end of 2013, but it ran throughout 2014. Beautifully shot, the script was based around three little words, therefore managing to repeat the brand name several times without being overly promotional.

6. Hunky Dorys in the Bath Anyone?

Largo Foods decided to live on the edge a little with another slightly dodgy Hunky Dorys ad that was more than a little naughty. It did get noticed though. And if eating chocolate in the bath can make young ladies climax (as with the old Cadburys Flake ad), why could a bag of crisps not do the same for us blokes?

7. EBS Do Not Clock Off at Five O'Clock

A clever use of humour was the appeal used in this entertaining ad by EBS. Sometimes the use of humour can overpower the message - you think it's funny but can't remember what the ad is really about. Not so with this ad, the message from the humour was clear. EBS is flexible and will arrange mortgage appointments around your schedule, because real life is not nine to five. 

8. Let Them Know - An Post 

Considering my current role, I could be accused of being a little biased with this one. However, if I wasn’t working for An Post, I would probably have picked this ad as being the best new Christmas ad this year. A really beautifully shot ad enhancing the emotional connection of sending a card at Christmas – For all the ones you love and all the ones you miss, let them know. And aided by the gorgeous voice of Lisa Hannigan, I think this one will be an enduring classic.

Trend Spotting - Is the Beginning Near?

'Tis the season to be jolly. And also to get that crystal ball back out and try to predict what the next year or so might have in store for us. I recently started a new role as Market Engagement Manager at An Post. Things have been a bit hectic, hence the sound of silence on the blogger line. Part of my new role is organising business conferences and briefings for the wider business audience. Our most recent breakfast event, Smart Trends 2015, provided some unique and interesting insights into the direction we are headed and how things might play out for Irish business in 2015. Our speakers were Gillian Nelis, Managing Editor of the Sunday Business Post and Gerard O'Neill, Chairman of Amárach Research. Here are some of the highlights.

Thankfully, consumer confidence has been steadily on the rise over the last 12 months and this trend is set to continue. The ordinary, everyday Joe may not necessarily feel the effects of the recovery in their pocket yet, but they are optimistic they will in the near future and are starting to loosen up a little.

Consumer spending is set to increase from about €85 billion in 2014 to an estimated €87.6 billion in 2015. This represents a 3% increase and, as a welcomed changed, is a step in the right direction. Over the next 6 months in particular, 14% of Irish consumers intend to borrow, 11% intend to buy a new home, 19% a new car, and 56% plan to spend on a foreign holiday. Whether or not they do it is another story, but the intention is there which is a start.

And, it would appear, we are set to become even more health conscious. 51% of Irish consumers say they intend on exercising more and 53% plan to eat more healthily. This will result in an estimated €5.1 billion in health spending (I wonder how much of this will happen in January with us all joining gyms in an effort to fight the Christmas bulge?).

The trend towards online shopping is set to continue in the year ahead too. Currently 9 in 10 Irish consumers order online once a month, with the average spend per month being €91. 77% of us use comparison websites, like Trip Advisor or Trivago and this seems to be influencing our purchase decisions. Based on reading a positive online review, 69% of Irish consumers have bought electronic goods, 63% have bought a car (a little strange I thought), and 58% have bought clothes.

So, is the beginning near? At face value, it would appear so. And hopefully the beginning will last a little longer than the end did, if you know what I mean.

(All figures from Amárach Research; Gerard O'Neill's presentation at An Post's Smart Trends 2015, 3rd December 2014.)

Why Anti-Smoking Ads Don't Work

Ok, so I know I am a day late with this one, National No Smoking Day was yesterday, right. But, perhaps there is good case to be made for everyday being a no smoking day. Bad breath, discoloured fingers, high risk of lung cancer and heart disease, not to mention the strong likelihood of an early death - are all the results of nicotine consumption. 


Yet, most smokers know this and still continue to happily consume death. Just why do smokers smoke? This was the question I asked myself this week as I observed a group in my local pub exiting the establishment like clockwork every half-hour to stand in the cold and the rain and consume death-inducing nicotine. I felt compelled to ask them what motivates them to do what they do. Although they agreed it was probably bad for them and they should quit, they also felt the need to justify their consumption habit by telling me of examples of others who smoked all their lives and lived long and healthy (the statistical exception who, for some reason, escaped the medically proven fate of smoking). They seemed to have a formed attitude that helped reinforce their habit and provided counter-arguments to justify it when required. I don’t know of another product that clearly states on the pack “Consumption of this product will kill you” that sells quite as well.

Probably a better question to ask though is 'how can smokers be convinced to stop'? Marketers, working on behalf of government agencies and non-profit organisations have been trying to persuade smokers to stop smoking but have, so far, failed to have a significant impact. Many engage in the use of fear appeals in their advertisements, trying to show the effects of smoking and put the fear of God into them. But studies have shown that the use of fear appeals can have varying effects.

Too much fear, like in this one shown, doesn't always have the desired effect. Instead, what actually happens is consumers avoid giving their attention. The communication disgusts them so much that they switch of from it from it. They use a perceptual filter to screen out the message so that it doesn't work. 

Too little fear, like in this advertisement, has been shown to be ineffective also. It doesn't do quite enough to grab the consumer's attention and make them feel the fear. It results in the kind of attitude 'tell me something I don't know'. It makes the habit just fall into the 'no-so-healthy' category as opposed to the 'ruthless serial-killer' one.

So, what's the answer? I have got to say, I don't know (although I'd be interested too hear your thoughts). It baffles me why smokers do it to themselves. I know it's an addiction, but many others have proved it is not an addiction that can't be broken. Perhaps anti-smoking marketers should try to learn from their anti-drink-driving colleagues. There was a time when it was socially acceptable to drive home after a few drinks (in Ireland anyway). Not anymore. A sociological shift has taken place, largely down to some very effective ads that engage, what seem to be, an appropriate and effective level of fear. On a final note, I hope they do start to get it right. And perhaps this shows the important role marketing can play. Usually its purpose is to get people to buy and consume more of something. In this case the goal is to get them to stop. And in doing so it literally is a matter of life and death.

Gavin Fox MSc, MII Grad

W: www.foxmarketing.ie

E: gavin@foxmarketing.ie

T: +353 87 649 7660

Connect with me...

LinkedIn... http://ie.linkedin.com/in/gavindfox/

Twitter... https://twitter.com/gavindfox

What is Worse Than Being Talked About?

“There is only one thing worse than being talked about, 

and that is not being talked about.” (Oscar Wilde)

Although he was not specifically talking about marketing, the great Oscar Wilde’s words have absolute relevance to the discipline none-the-less. The key to great marketing campaigns in the modern digital world is talk-ability or, as Seth Godin calls it, making campaigns “remark-able”. And when a marketing campaign is remarkable, people talk about it, they share their experience with their friends, and with a reach like never seen before. Previous research suggested that consumers usually share brand experiences with 9 or 10 people or, in extreme cases, perhaps even with up to 30 people (Walker, 1995). However, although this research is not that old, it it is completely out of date and not in touch with the greatly changed world that has rapidly evolved in that time.

Now, individual consumer reach is far greater. Since October 2012, Facebook has over 1 billion active users. The average Facebook user has 130 friends. If they share a brand experience with these friends, and if they in turn decide to pass it on further, the reach of word-of-mouth could now be measured in the hundreds, thousands, or perhaps even hundreds of thousands.

In recognition of this, many marketers have plunged into the social media world in an attempt to get their ideas to spread faster. Many closely monitor what is being said on their own platforms and as a result they gather useful insights. However, apart from monitoring what people are saying on your own social media platforms, it is becoming increasingly important to monitor what is being said in the social-media-sphere. Reach is not the only thing that needs to be measured; conversation content and its influence is of the most importance.

Many smart marketers are not just diving into creating social media content, but they are using social media monitoring tools like the sophisticated dashboards provided by the likes of Hub Spot and Radian 6, or the less sophisticated free versions like Tweetdeck, Hootsuite (who also offer a paid version), or Technorati (for monitoring blogs), to monitor what is being said about their brands and organisations by those who matter most  - consumers. And they are talking - a lot. With regard to Facebook alone, 510,000 comments are posted every 60 seconds and more than 2 billion posts are liked or commented on daily, according to Hub Spot (Sibley, 2012). And why is this important in a modern marketing context? Because, according to one European study, 78% of consumers say they trust and believe recommendations for products and services more than any other medium, many even going as far as saying that traditional advertising is, by comparison, “false”, “deceptive”, and “misleading” (Centaur, 2007).

It is not smart for brands to ignore this online conversation. It is smart to monitor, react (when necessary) and participate in this constant dialogue. So, if I could re-write the famous words that formed the introduction to this short piece it would read the following. 

“There is only one thing worse than being talked about, 

and that is not knowing what is being said.”

Gavin Fox MSc, MII Grad

W: www.foxmarketing.ie

E: gavin@foxmarketing.ie

T: +353 87 649 7660

Connect with me...

LinkedIn... http://ie.linkedin.com/in/gavindfox/

Twitter... https://twitter.com/gavindfox

A Friday Night Marketing Strategy

So you think marketing is just for marketing people, right? Wrong. Marketing is for everyone, regardless of what walk of life you come from. After all, everybody, at some point in their life, is selling something. A car. A house. An unwanted sofa on Done Deal (which is me at the moment incidentally). Perhaps even yourself. This week, as we gear up for Valentine's Day (which is this Friday lads by the way), spare a thought for those looking for love. Those who find themselves in the nightclub on Friday night trying to successfully market themselves. Here's how marketing strategy could be applied to your efforts.

Firstly, you could go the direct route. So, you see that gorgeous girl and you approach her and say "I am very rich, would you like to go out with me?". That's direct marketing.

Alternatively, you could send your friend over to the gorgeous girl to say "He's very rich, you should go out with him". That's advertising.

Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to have that gorgeous girl walk over to you and say "You're very rich, I'd like to go out with you". If so, you have got brand recognition. 

Or maybe you'll be like others who have taken the walk of shame back to your mates, after you walked over to the gorgeous girl and said "I am very rich, you should go out with me", and she slaps you in the face. That, by the way, is customer feedback.

Or, imagine you walk over to her and say "I am very rich, would you like to go out with me?", and she introduces you to her husband. That's demand and supply gap.

And finally, what if before you even get to say "I am very rich, would you like to go out with me?", your wife arrives. That's restriction from entering a new market.

So, you see, everyone's selling something. And a knowledge of marketing is, in fact, of benefit to all. A drop of Armani's finest smelly stuff might just help too. Good luck lads!

(This blog post was inspired by a Mike Coleman tweet @DigitalEmerald.)

Gavin Fox MSc, MII Grad

W: www.foxmarketing.ie

E: gavin@foxmarketing.ie

T: +353 87 649 7660

Connect with me...

LinkedIn... http://ie.linkedin.com/in/gavindfox/

Twitter... https://twitter.com/gavindfox