What an early morning…

It’s 4 a.m. and I’m in a 4-mile line wrapped outside Target waiting for the doors to open. I’ve never experienced a Black Friday quite like this. Before we could even get into the store, people were already walking out with carts full of flat-screen TV’s, toys and various electronics.

I came for one thing – a Christmas tree. It’s hard to believe a silly $25 Christmas tree could get me out of bed this early in the morning. Here’s the thing – the consistent marketing efforts of stores like Target have made it almost impossible for me to pass up a good deal.

I’m not sure if you remember the commercials put out by Target in the days leading up to Black Friday, but they were hilarious…

Needless to say, I finally got my $25 Christmas tree, with a few other things of course. Now it’s time to finish up my holiday shopping; hopefully there won’t be any more 4-mile lines.

Happy Thanksgiving!

There are only a couple more days until Thanksgiving – what a relief. I have always loved this holiday; it’s like a teaser for a movie — you get to see the entire family for a short time, eat good food, feel the “holiday cheer” and then you realize that in only a couple more weeks the real production begins, Christmas.

Unfortunately, Thanksgiving seems to get overlooked by the gobs of “Black Friday” advertising that infuses our lives.

I’ll be the first to admit, I am a Black Friday shopper. I thrive on good deals, especially in this economy. It still amazes me how stores are able to lower prices such a significant amount for one very special and chaotic day. And it’s not just Wal-Mart lowering prices – Target, Best Buy and loads of others are on the list as well. Talk about incentive marketing! Black Friday wins the jackpot.

Some customers haven’t even stepped foot in one of these stores since last year’s Black Friday, which is awesome because it hits a unique target market every year; these people thrive on good deals and intense shopping.

I just wonder how the stores fare. If a look into Wal-Mart at 8 in the morning on Friday is any indication, it would like business is booming — especially for clean up crews.

Besides all of the great deals, try and enjoy some good ole’ family time this holiday season. Believe me, it’s worth it.

The Zag staff would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Lessons Learned, Part 1

Has it really been six months already? My goodness how time flies when you’re having fun! The past six months have been a whirlwind of unexpected highs, stubborn lows and a few in-betweens.

Everyone here at Zag thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and relive some of those lessons we have learned – thus, every day this week will be a new post from a different Zag-ger. I’ll go ahead and give you a few of my own:

• Tomorrow is always a new day. If it’s not a must for a project to get out the door that same very day, don’t force it. Creativity will fall below par, and the project itself could become a bust, where you just have to do it all over again the next day.
• Allow yourself some time to think. Agency life can be extremely hectic. Instead of constantly going, going and going, take a break and try to enjoy the little things. (i.e. this blog – it’s nice to reflect.)
• The client is mostly right, but not every single time. Just because a client has an idea of what they should be doing, that doesn’t mean it’s always the best or the most practical. It’s your job to go in and see what is going to get them their best ROI.

I think I’ll leave my list to three for today, but get ready, because tomorrow will be Alex’s turn to shed some light on agency life. Enjoy!

Trends worth thinking about

I read an article today on brand and marketing trends for 2010. Typically, I don’t read stuff like this because they all seem to say the same thing. But this one had some interesting insight, and I want to share it with you.

There were ten overall trends that Robert Passikoff, president of consumer loyalty and metrics company Brand Keys, found to be worth nothing:

1. Consumers want a reason to buy — value is in.
2. What makes something valuable will increasingly be based on what the brand stands for (i.e. J. Crew stands for a new era in careful chic)
3. Differentiation is critical for success; a brand must stand out from the crowd.
4. A brand must have measures of authenticity in order to allow the consumer insight into what it truly stands for.
5. A brand must identify and capitalize on unmet expectations.
6. Consumers are on to brands that try to play into their emotions for profit — be careful with this one.
7. A brand with the right street credibility can go viral with awareness following, not leading, the conversation.
8. If a consumer trusts the community (i.e. eBay), they will extend trust to the brand.
9. Social networking outside of the brand space will increase dramatically — people are talking with peers on Facebook even before checking out the brand’s Web site.
10. There are four engagement methods: platform (TV and online), context (program and Web site), message (ad or communications) and experience (store/event). Brand engagement should be the main objective for all marketers next year.

As always, I hope you learned something new, or even recalled something old from reading this post. Thanks and have a great weekend!

A day to be remembered

With 4,000 burgers sold, Saturday, Oct. 24 was a day to be remembered for all Kincaid’s fans.

Customer Appreciation Day at the original Camp Bowie location was set up as a thank you to all of the loyal customers who stood by Kincaid’s during its lease battle in 2007. After finally negotiating a fair lease, the Gentry family wanted to show their gratitude for all of the overwhelming support.

At the event, there was a memory box where customers could write their most memorable Kincaid’s experience. I’m looking forward to hearing those!

If you weren’t able to make it Saturday, I would still suggest taking a trip to a Kincaid’s near you  – it’s well worth it!