Bloggers looking for site traffic know that tagging their posts can increase traffic and SEO significantly. We’re no different, but the real fun is in the domains names we find visiting LessingFlynn.com. These domains reveal a variety of interesting people and companies visiting our Web site.

When we look at our own Web site analytics we learn who some of these people and companies are. Well, at least where they sit. We have a good idea as to why they are here, others, well, we have to leave that up to our imagination. Here’s the real point though:

It’s one thing to have access to analytics. The key is to actually do something with that information.

For example, we learned that there are either:

A. A ton of ad agencies trolling our site for new business leads, OR
B. A ton of unhappy people at Des Moines ad agencies looking for work eleswhere, like, well, here.

This information led us to developing the following new page on our Web site.

Whether you are trolling for new business or a new job, we’re happy you stopped by.

Author: Josh Fleming
www.lessingflynn.com
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Guess who will be forking out the 2.5 million bucks to be advertising on the Super Bowl on Sunday.  And more to advertise during the NCAA Basketball Tournament in March.  And the Daytona 500.  And the Winter Olympic Games.  And American Idol.

Pepsi?  Microsoft?  Budweiser?  Wrong, wrong and wrong!  The correct answer … the U.S. government!  Yep, the deficit-riddled folks in Washington thought it would be a good idea to spend $340 million dollars to educate and promote people mailing back their 2010 Census forms.

Besides spending $140 million on traditional media like t.v., radio, print and outdoor, where else are they forking out the dough?

How about a $15 million, 15 van “road tour” at events around the country – like Mardi Gras in New Orleans?  Yep, that’s just one of the tour stops!  Can’t you just imagine “Hey, throw me some beads and I’ll toss my census form to you!”

How about a 3 minute “viral video” featuring Ed Begley Jr. (has Begley even acted since his early 1980s days as a doc on St. Elsewhere?).  Does it really count as “viral” if it’s been seen fewer than 10,000 times?

How about “Census Week” at all of the schools … so your kids can come home and bug you into filling out the census instead of learning math and reading!

How about a marketing microsite complete with multiple languages, blog, twitter and YouTube links, tour videos and more.

The folks at the Census make a great point on the fact that for every one-percent increase in voluntarily mailed returns, the government can eliminate approximately $80 million dollars in putting Census worker on the street knocking door-to-door.  They say their marketing efforts during the 2000 Census proved that advertising works, so they stepped it up even more this time around. Hey, they’re right … advertising works!  But are we really to think that all the money saved is going back into the piggy bank to pay down the national debt?  If you believe that, we’ve got a cheap timeshare in Florida to sell you!

I wish we had clients who, in this economy, could spend more then they earn – and decided to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into marketing communications campaigns designed to reach every American an average of 42 times over the next four months.  Unfortunately, our clients in the real world don’t work that way.

Here’s a $10 idea Census folks … why not require people to answer their census forms in order to get their tax refund?  You’d likely get 50% participation just doing that!

Congrats U.S. Census, you’re our worst of the week.

Author: Ad Mavericks
www.lessingflynn.com
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We’ve got an internal blog policy at Lessing-Flynn – never rip other ad agencies. That being said, I am not going to rip another ad agency, I am merely going to point out what they are doing and let you draw your own conclusions.

Let me start by saying to our friends at Push Branding DOT COM, that all of us at Lessing-Flynn are flattered you included us in your source code:

<p>PUSH is not your typical advertising agency or marketing firm as our focus is brand building and brand strategy.</p><br /><p>Our competitors include Trilix Marketing, Flynn Wright, Lessing Flynn, The Meyocks Group, Performance Marketing, The Integer Group, ZLR Ignition, Juls Design, Innova Ideas and Services, Conyers Design, Sally Cooper Smith and Company, Pattee Design, Sayles Graphic Design, Movement Inc., Owen Design, Strategic America.</p><br />

What you are looking at is the source code that I found on the Push My Branding DOT COM Web site home page. “Push” formerly known as Mauck Groves but doing business online as Push Branding DOT COM is trying to get people that search for “Lessing-Flynn” or other ad agencies in Des Moines to be fooled into going to the Push Branding DOT COM Web site.

Is Lessing-Flynn losing traffic because of this? Not unless you count page nine of a Google search of “Lessing Flynn” (they forgot to hyphen it) as losing traffic. And when you do get to page nine you don’t find the Push Branding DOT COM Web site, you find a Groves Design DOT COM Web site which leads me back to the formerly known as part. (Still with us?)

This Groves Design DOT COM site is known in the industry as a “parallel site.” This site actually redirects to the Push Branding DOT COM Web site. See here how page nine on the Google decription reads just as the code above reads?

While it itsn’t working against Lessing-Flynn, I can’t say the same about some of our other agency friends. Look what searching for “owen design iowa” does though. That’s right, our friends at Groves Design DOT COM show up at #4.

Nowhere on the Push Branding DOT COM site do they ever have copy that says, “Our competitors include Trilix Marketing, Flynn Wright, Lessing-Flynn, The Meyocks Group, Performance Marketing, The Integer Group, ZLR Ignition, Juls Design, Innova Ideas and Services, Conyers Design, Sally Cooper Smith and Company, Pattee Design, Sayles Graphic Design, Movement Inc., Strategic America.”

See what I did there? I actually talked about companies on a REAL Web site and LINKED to THEM. Now when people search for these types of names they will actually find them in a true context. And hopefully, if you just googled Juls Design and wonder how you got here, just click Juls Design to go to Juls Design.

From an SEO standpoint, the more links on the Web that go to your site increase your Google search ranking. By not linking to Push Branding DOT COM anywhere in this post I ‘m hoping to level the playing field for the rest of our ad agency friends. Will this blog get more traffic because of this post? Absolutely. Will we try to confuse Web searchers by burying key words of our competitors in our source code? Never.

I wonder what Google would think about all of this?

Author: Josh Fleming
www.lessingflynn.com

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“I finally caught that tail I’ve been chasing.”  Yes, that’s what your dog will tweet about if you purchase Mattel’s newest innovation.  According to Mattel’s director of Marketing, Susan Russo “this capitalizes on two popular trends – the use of social media and real time communication, as well as peoples’ extreme love for their dogs.”

The announcement of the new product is fresh out of the oven, but you won’t be able to purchase “Puppy Tweets” until fall 2010 at $29.99 each.  How does it work?  The plastic sensor adorns your dogs collar and has a motion and sound sensor.  You connect it via its USB receiver to your computer.  After you create a twitter account for “Fluffy” the tweeting will begin dependent upon her activity.  So if she’s lazy, sleepy and king of the couch expect a tweet like “Somedays it feels like my paw is permanently on the snooze button!”

I have a crew of four Australian Shepherds, I love my dogs and have had them in my life before my kids.  Dogs are the best companion, all you have to do is provide them a cozy shelter, attention, food and toys and what do you get back?  Unconditional love, affection and no talking back!  But I draw the line here.  I don’t want to know what they are doing during the day while I’m at work.  I don’t keep that close of tab on my husband, let alone my dogs!  Obviously it’s clear what I think about Puppy Tweet.  How about you?  Will you be purchasing Puppy Tweet this fall?  Tell us.

Author: Bellana Putz
www.lessingflynn.com
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Whether you work at an agency, are a client of Lessing-Flynn, considering an ad agency or simply a marketer on the prowl for content, I encourage you to read this list. The Agency of the Future Survey, sponsored by Sapient provides the results of a national survey that was recently released providing insight into what marketers want from their agencies in the next 12 months. Thanks to our friend Michael Gass at Fuel Lines for uncovering this.

1. A greater knowledge of digital space
2. More use of “pull interactions”
3. Leverage virtual communities
4. Agency executives using the technology they are recommending
5. Chief Digital Officers make agencies more appealing
6. Web 2.0 and social media savvy
7. Agencies that understand consumer behavior
8. Demonstrate strategic thinking
9. Branding and creative capabilities
10. Ability to measure success

When we started AdMavericks we set out to write for our clients and to give people considering an ad agency to look our way. Along the way, we’ve acquired some readers from other ad agencies, some direct competition locally and some national and regional firms. Whether we planned to or not, the content we have created is appealing to our agency peers for a number of reasons.

1. We write about marketing. They’re marketers.
2. A 102 year old agency in Des Moines is blogging with a Top Gun themed blog is innovative, interesting and perhaps a little nuts. We hope we’re memorable. It’s amazing what I can get away with over here.
3. Marketing is changing, perhaps Lessing-Flynn and the AdMavericks can shed some light on that.

I think this is the kind of post that suits all audiences of AdMavericks. The agency’s can have that check list they’ve been looking for and clients and prospects can have the ability to check this list and see if their agency measures up.

As for Lessing-Flynn, I think we hit the mark on all these, yet we can always finds way to improve. My favorite check marks on this list for LF are #3 Leverage virtual communities and #4. Agency executives using the technology they are recommending. I’m happy to report you can find all of the execs at Lessing-Flynn blogging, tweeting and embracing social media. The whole “Practice What You Preach” is alive and well at Lessing-Flynn.

Marketers – whether you work with Lessing-Flynn or not make sure that whoever you work with has some game in the social media space and that they are using it to promote their own brand. Better yet, ask them how they are delivering on the 10 things listed above. Your company’s brand depends on it.

Author: Josh Fleming
www.lessingflynn.com
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By now we have all heard plenty regarding Toyota’s problems, the huge recall and production shut down. This has to be the biggest PR crisis in the industry since the Ford-Firestone problems nearly a decade ago. We have seen the Twitter and blog chatter and it is ugly.

Toyota shares have tumbled nine percent on the New York Stock Exchange. Rental car companies are pulling Toyotas from their fleets. Competitors are acting fast to gain share amongst the situation. Another round of recalls in Europe is announced. And then, Toyota announces to stop production of eight of its 10 best-selling models in North America. Seems an extreme course of action considering their current financial woes.

I am guessing Toyota isn’t concerned about short-term financial impact as much as they are long term customer trust and loyalty. Shutting down production was a necessary step to reassure frantic consumers.  The company has spent 30 years building its’ reputation for quality and the company has acted accordingly; a strong message to send to your customers.

Visit the Toyota USA Twitter page and you will find an automaker with 14,000 followers, also following 13,000 other people. What’s more, is that they are posting updates about the recall situation every 30 minutes.  Honest effort to communicate on their part considering they have been proactive using Twitter as a communication tool for some time to build that type of following.  And they aren’t just using Twitter as a tool to share their own information, they are commenting on their followers questions as well.  More info can be found on their YouTube channel, Web Site and Press Room.

So why can we continue to trust Toyota? Trust is all about doing the right thing and then communicating that you are doing the right thing. For me, I’ll take our Tundra in for the recall. Come spring, I’m still planning on trading in my Chrysler for Toyota number two.

Author – Jess Held
www.lessingflynn.com
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This week’s nominee comes from a friend of Ad Mavericks with a keen eye for detail – and a strong “Buy Into the Circle” determination to support local businesses!

Have you seen the latest tv spot from Office Depot?:

Creative?  Yep.  Clever?  Check.  Well produced?  You got it!  Off the mark?  Absolutely!

Just for kicks, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of “Dan” the owner of the small barber shop in spot. Dan’s the little guy.  The guy who has spent his life working, paying taxes, furrowing away enough money that he could both make a comfortable-enough living to support his family and hopefully someday retire.  Then one day, a competitor comes in.  The “big box” guy with the slick marketing plan and cheaper prices.  The one that could ultimately drive Dan out of business.  Little versus big.  Local versus national.  David versus Goliath.

Fortunately, David (in this case Dan) is clever enough to develop a strategy to defeat the big box titans.  Unfortunately, he probably does it at the expense of one of his local business comrades who has worked at the local office supply store for years.  See, Dan opts to spend his money with ANOTHER BIG BOX RETAILER to battle the one that moved across the street to compete with him.

This is a brilliant spot if you’re a local independent like Tripletts or Storey-Kenworthy or Koch Brothers.  But when you’re the national, big-box retail brand suggesting that you battle the big guys by buying from the other big guys?  That dog just won’t hunt!

So congratulations Office Depot, your oxymoronic ad makes you our Worst of the Week!

Author: AdMavericks
www.lessingflynn.com
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No, not that Mr. Pink.

Here’s a cool idea that was spawned out of the Central Iowa Bloggers group. The group tried to get author, Daniel Pink, to come to Des Moines for a book signing. Mr. Daniel Pink is a New York Times best selling author and the idea of having authors and speakers consider Des Moines for signings and speaking events is a good thing!

Problem:  Daniel couldn’t be here in person.

Problem solved: Virtual book signing!

Here are the event details.

Virtual what? Here’s how it works.

Daniel has agreed to do a two-way webcast via Skype video on Feb 16, from 5-7 p.m. at the Des Moines Social Club. He will do a 20-30 min presentation and then open the floor for questions. At the end of the event, there will be a “book signing ceremony” where pre-signed name plates sent from Daniel will be attached to our books. If you register for the event prior to February 2nd you can get one of the free signed plates.

Want to continue the campaign for Iowa as social media capital of the world? Get involved with this! How stunned would Daniel Pink be to see hundreds of people for a virtual book signing? I don’t even know if there’s ever been a virtual book signing so do it for the sake of history.

Learn more about Daniel Pink on his blog or his new book Drive, on Amazon.

Let’s show Daniel Pink and other authors/speakers that Iowans show up for these type of things.

Thanks to the Des Moines Social Club for hosting the event and to the many Central Iowa Bloggers for organizing this! Again, here are the event details.

Author: Josh Fleming
www.lessingflynn.com
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Alright, what did you think? Now I know its not as memorable as the Pepper Ricci jingle or some of the jingles she and her associates have created. Consider the magic inspired by Artisan’s Jewelry Designs – but for only $230 what do you expect? Yes we paid for that, and here’s the back story.

We discovered LoveJingles.com right before the new year and liked what we saw. Here was a guy (whose actual name is, Love) doing a jingle a day with an escalating pricing scale. I’m not sure if he was inspired by the T-shirt guy at I Wear Your Shirt but we thought this had some of that crazy maverick spirit we tend to gravitate towards. Plus we got in early, keeping the price low before companies like Yahoo signed on. Yes, that Yahoo.

So why does an ad agency in Des Moines have some random guy put together a jingle for them?  Well, if you spend any time reading this blog you know we are always trying new things, whether were being “cheesy” by calling on Ashton Kutcher to generate votes for a blog of the month contest or trying a commenter of the year award.

Everyday at Lessing-Flynn we ask our clients to take risks. To try new things. We have to be willing to do the same. We want our clients’ marketing to be memorable and so we demand the same of ourselves. Am I suggesting that every company should have a Love Jingle written for them? Absolutely not. We know we can get away with a little more than most because we’re an ad agency, but ultimately, this is a “pick your spot” kind of approach. But at least pick something.

You should also know that we didn’t write the jingle. Love took what he saw on our blog and  our Web site and basically did the rest. We had no idea what the jingle was going to be until we saw it for ourselves. Do we love the cigarette? No. Do we love the aviators and the shout out to Iowa? Absolutely! Even Love knows Iowa is the social media capital of the world! In staying true to this new era of marketing, we let another voice help tell our story. Is your company ready to do the same for your brand? I hope so.

Author: Josh Fleming
www.lessingflynn.com
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Have you met Justin Brady? I first met him at Highlight Midwest in Des Moines a few months ago. He was wearing this:

Now, if you’ve met Brady, you’ve undoubtedly seen this name badge fastened to his chest.

Now Brady will most likely argue that by wearing this, it makes him memorable. Look, I can do things that make me memorable too, but looking like the bell hop at the Hilton is not one of them. When I see Brady wearing this, I want to hand him my luggage.

Brady will also argue that this hotel reference is a take on his company’s “high level of service,” he might even throw in the word “concierge” – I’m not buying it.

Now, I don’t really have a problem with Brady wearing this thing to the Central Iowa Bloggers meeting or to Des Moines Tweet Ups. These kinds of name badges have their place. My issues is when he wears it to La Hacienda on Ingersoll during lunch with me. I mean, I know your name, Brady. Can you imagine waking up every morning, and grabbing a “Hello My Name is ______” sticker and putting it on your chest? When we went to lunch the other day, he opened the door for me…I actually thought about tipping him!

Brady wears this thing like a scared fraternity pledge. Is he worried about getting hazed if he doesn’t wear the pin? What does his wife think of all of this? Maybe he’s waiting to lavaliere her. I can see him settling in at home, putting on his robe and attaching his name badge to the front as he checks in on Foursquare “off the grid” and snuggles up with his iPhone.

Maybe Brady should take a hint from Rich Drake over at Tweetup Badges. Tell you what Brady, I’ll buy you one of the $5 varieties if you retire the bellhop look.

Brady: Thanks for your sense of humor on what was a fairly light week for worst of the week candidates.

Everyone else: The scary thing about posting this blog post is that Brady will now never give up the name badge and this post solidifies its overall value for him. For that, I apologize.

Congrats Justin Brady, your lame name badge is Worst of the Week!

Author: AdMavericks
www.lessingflynn.com
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