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Thursday, August 21, 2003
JOHN ROLFE: ShopTalk
Figuring angles: 'Marketing Angel' tries to separate from the pack
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||||||
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Also on this page: Kimberly McCall | |||||||||
Q: How did you get started in marketing? A: I started in public relations in 1987, for the Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce. I wrote news releases, scheduled events, that sort of thing. My first release was about Kate Smith, who had died and was going to be buried there. I was 18 years old, and I had no clue who she was! But that first taste of public relations went really well. I found out I had a knack for organizing the minutiae, managing the media calls and that sort of thing. Despite the death aspect. Q: How long were you in that job? A: About a year. Q: After which ? A: I've done copywriting, marketing and sales support, worked at WBLM for three years doing their promotions . . . that was starting in '93. Before that, I also worked at what's now Portland's Downtown District, putting on events and the Old Port Festival. Q: What's the origin of the business's name? A: I wanted a hook. My name, Kimberly McCall, is fairly easy to remember, but I wanted a way I could really imprint my brand. There are so many marketing writers and consultants out there, I wanted to find a way to jump out from the pack. So I brainstormed a name I could really brand. Q: Is it working? A: It's been fabulously helpful . . . A lot of my clients now do the marketing for me. I'll be at a function and someone will say, 'Oh, here comes the marketing angel.' That's exactly what I want. Q: Is it a tough name to live up to? A: Well, I haven't had anyone say, 'she wasn't angelic at all!' Q: Does 'angel' get misspelled into 'angle'? A: Oh yes, and I have 'marketing angle' registered as a Web site as well. 'Marketing Angel' is mostly meant to be something that people remember off the bat. It's the hook in all my writing, the book and, hopefully some day, syndicated column. Q: Book? A: I'm putting together a book, hopefully for later this fall. My how-to on marketing, branding and sales. It's called "Sell it, Baby! Marketing Angel's 37 Down-to-Earth & Practical How-To's on Marketing, Branding & Sales." Q: Why 37? A: I'll be 37 when it comes out, probably. Q: What other writing do you do? A: I write a column for Entrepreneur Magazine called Sales Force, and write the Marketing Angel column for Maine Today, and I free-lance for the Wall Street Journal's StartupJournal.com. I've written for inc.com and a really wonderful site in the industry, MarketingProfs.com. Q: Who are some of your clients? A: NEXTgen college investing, through the Finance Authority of Maine; Acadia Hospital in Bar Harbor; York County Federal Credit Union . . . A good client is someone who has a clue what marketing can do for them. My original thought was I was going to serve the small businesses of Maine, but it turned out they don't have the money for that. You usually need a company who has done in-house, or outsourced, and understands the return on investment of using a firm. Q: What sets you apart among marketers? A: I think how I'm different is I'm not one for jumping on a trend. Obviously, there are always new things you need to learn . . . but what's important is the way you implement new technologies. That, and being consistent in your message. Your brand should never be willy-nilly, confusing people. Being honest with your customers as well as your employees. Selling real benefits, rather than 'we hope.' But the future is out there now, with things like TiVo, the recording device that allows you to skip ads. Ad-sapping technology isn't something we can think 'oh, it will go away.' The way to get around it is to be creative - for example, the way Home Depot is going to have products featured in the show Trading Spaces. I think that (product placement) is going to explode. So will event sponsorship - every event will look like the NASCAR guys. Also, cause-related marketing is becoming more valuable. When you affiliate with a nonprofit that has a similar psychographic as your customers . . . so if you're a bookstore and many customers are 40-year-old women, a literacy-for-kids cause might be a good affiliation. If it's done well, it's both altruistic and serves your business objectives. Q: Have you made any mistakes over the last six years? A: Yes. I've made several. The biggest mistake I made was taking on a client I knew was a jerk. I've done that a couple of times. The relationship was not good from the get-go. Rarely does my gut instinct fail me, and usually, if there's not some kind of rapport, it's best that you don't take on the project. Q: How did things work out? A: I fired him . . . In one case, the person was slimy. That permeates everything, from the business to the personality to when they pay you. Q: Are there clients for whom you won't work, out of principle? A: I'm open to both sides of an advertising issue, be it a casino, or whatever. I believe in a free market economy, so I like to look at everything. But a company that exploited animal rights I would not touch for a $50,000 retainer. Like a circus or a cosmetics company that tests on animals, or a fur company. I once won at the Maine Mall a $250 gift certificate to a fur store and I didn't even want to touch the certificate - I sent it back. So things like that wouldn't even take much thought. On other, more political things, I would want to understand both sides. Q: Have you ventured into politics? A: I have not. I work with the Finance Authority of Maine, so there are political concerns, but I don't generally have to make sweeping political decisions.
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