But there was a scene in this week’s (August 15) episode that reaffirmed a belief of mine. In the scene, Don rips into the market research lady (I forget her name) because the focus group indicated that the proper strategy was to use decades-old messaging to sell Ponds Cold Cream.

Here is the scene…

One line says it all: “You can’t tell how people are going to behave based on how they have behaved,” says Don.

I think this line is instructive for, well everyone, but particularly those of us in marketing. Our challenge should always be to challenge the accepted wisdom and try something new. There are lots of different versions of that line that we should take to heart:

• Just because something worked in the past, doesn’t mean it will again.
• Just because something failed in the past, doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea now.
• You can’t tell how much customers will love your brand of motorcycles based on how much they’ve loved them in the past.
• You can’t tell how well Brett Favre will play this year based on how well he played last year.

We should all be mindful of the past, but know that it has very little to do with the future.

But for many businesses, whose products or services don’t immediately evoke an “I want that” reaction, advertising is difficult. These are companies that deal in concepts, ideas, creativity, and problem-solving. Their business is built through relationships and referrals. Blasting strangers with shot messages just doesn’t work.

So how can these companies reach new prospects, aside from ongoing networking?

Give stuff away for free.

This goes against everything we’ve been taught as businesspeople and capitalists. But these days, I think the more you give, the more you are likely to get.

I’m not talking about donating products or full-service capabilities willy-nilly. I’m talking about offering help in the form of ideas or advice – related to your area of expertise – to people who are likely to benefit from it.

One place where you can do this is on a LinkedIn discussion group. In these groups people are looking for help and feedback all the time. If you see a request where you can add something of value, don’t hold back. Tell the person how you would address the issue they are dealing with, and be specific. What better way to “advertise” your capabilities?

Doing this will have one or more likely outcomes:

• The person making the request will appreciate your help and ask you to quote your services.
• The person making the request will appreciate your help, take your advice, and refer a colleague to you some time in the future.
• Someone else in the discussion group will see how smart you are, and contact you to make a proposal.

These outcomes won’t happen every time, but the more you do it, the more likely they are to happen. And it’s a far less expensive, far more effective way for you to “advertise” how smart you are to highly qualified audiences.

Super Bowl ads have become a joke, and not in a good way. The stories are about the ads themselves, not the products they’re trying to sell, or the brands they’re representing. The big game is more of a showcase for ad agencies, a contest to see who can make the ad of the game. Creativity for creativity’s sake.

Good advertising should allow the brand message to resonate with the target audience. It should connect with the consumer and create some spark of awareness about the key benefit of the product for sale.

Instead, Super Bowl ads, for the most part, are just trying to out-do one another to get laughs, often at the expense of the brand. Although the Super Bowl still delivers a great value in terms of the audience size, I have to believe that the $3 million plus production costs of the ad could be much better spent.

The problem, of course, is advertising in general doesn’t work like it used to. People are skeptical, and don’t like having messages shoved in their faces when they’re trying to enjoy a game or a TV show. Today’s marketers have to be smarter than that.

There are ways to stand out in the Super Bowl ad race, and one of those ways is to have your ad rejected. GoDaddy.com became a master of this tactic. Make your ad too controversial so as to be rejected by the network. Then issue a news release about your ad being rejected. People will jump on YouTube immediately to see what all the fuss is about. This year, gay dating site ManCrunch.com used this tactic perfectly.

Recognizing that most people reading this blog are not in a position to buy ad space during the Super Bowl, what is the lesson here? It’s simply this: resist blowing big chunks of your market on making a big splash. You will be much better served engaging in far cheaper marketing tactics that engage your customers and build loyalty and community around your brand.

Resolution #2: Get Organized

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that on the heels of the chaotic Christmas season, people want to get organized.  They’ve acquired a lot of stuff in the last 12 months, and they want to purge what they don’t need, and organize what they keep.

Is your marketing disorganized?  Does it have a lot of pieces and parts that might be duplicating efforts?  Do some literature pieces have a different look and feel than others?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, it’s probably time to organize your brand.  Start by stripping it down to its essence.  What makes you different or better than your competition?  Why should your customers care?  How do you need to reach your customers?  With those questions answered, you can start to see what your marketing needs are, and which pieces you should toss, which pieces you should keep, and how you should organize them so they are all working together.

Like organizing your closet, it’s an arduous process.  But at the end of it, you’ll have a lean, effective, strategic marketing plan that represents your brand well.

So here is the first of three ideas:

Resolution #1: Quit Bad Habits

Aside from losing weight, quitting smoking, drinking or other nasty habits is the most common New Year’s Resolution.  We all want to leave behind those things we do that may be doing us harm.

The same goes for your branding.  There are probably several marketing “habits” that you have that are harming your brand.  Maybe even killing it.  Perhaps you’re using a tired, old ad campaign from the 90s, or advertising in the same magazine or on the same radio station you have beeen for years.  Or maybe your Web site is hopelessly outdated.

This is the time to take stock of your marketing efforts and be honest with yourself about what is working and what isn’t.  And if it isn’t working, then it’s time to quit.  Cold turkey.

But on a recent visit to the Nashville airport, I learned they’re also very clever at what I’ve called Asymmetric Advertising: the practice of advertising in “media” where there is little to no competition for the viewer’s attention.

In this case, they seem to have “sponsored” the bins where you put your shoes, belt, laptop and other junk when you disassemble yourself prior to going through airport security. It’s a win-win all the way around – they get some nice exposure, and the TSA gets some money to offset the cost of those infernal bins.

They get bonus points, of course, for having the medium tie in so nicely with their product.

Next time an agency is pitching you on spending tens of thousands of dollars on a website, ask them why you shouldn’t just get a web designer and build a site on WordPress. If they fumble, then you just found a cheaper alternative.

True enough. Often agencies will push for an expensive Erector Set of a solution when a simple solution – like building a site on WordPress – is all that’s needed. So you should never be afraid to ask the tough questions.

But if you do hire a branding agency or consultant, keep in mind that you are paying good money for their expertise and advice.  It’s a common mistake for companies to not take the advice of their agencies, even after spending so much money to get their ideas.

That’s just a waste of money.

When your agency comes to you with recommendations or ideas, you should trust them as you would your lawyer or accountant.  They are experts, after all.

However, don’t trust them blindly.  If something doesn’t seem right, trust your instincts and voice your concerns.  It’s your brand and your company.  You deserve an explanation.

If your agency has your best interests in mind, they will give you a solid justification for their thinking.  They should be able to demonstrate the strategy behind their ideas and tell you how they will help you build your brand, increase your exposure and drive sales.

The object of cricket is to hit numbers 15 through 20, and the bull’s eye three times each, after which you can begin scoring on your opponent, or prevent him scoring on you. I won’t bore you with all the rules. You can find that here.

The strategy I followed was to systematically shoot for certain numbers, starting with the easiest (20, which is top-center on the board), closing it out, and aiming for the next number. Inevitably, at the end of the game, the bull’s eye would my last objective, so I spent several rounds shooting for the tiny spot in the center, often while my opponent ran up the score.

Then I came up with a new strategy: Shoot for the bull’s eye, every time, from the first dart to the last. More often than not, I would miss it. But since it’s in the middle of the board, there was a good chance I would hit one of the other numbers I needed in the process.

And, every so often I would hit a bullseye and I would close them out early in the game.

Why am I going on and on about darts? What does this have to do with marketing?

I think marketing is like darts in a lot of ways. It’s fun. It’s competitive. It’s inexact. It’s best done with a beer in your hand.

But given the inexactness of marketing, wouldn’t it make sense to shoot for the “bull’s eye” every time? That one, very small, specialized target market who is just perfect for your product or service. The ideal customer.

Sure they’re hard to hit, and you can’t survive on them alone. But if you focus your efforts on them, you’ll hit some of your secondary targets just by chance, and you’ll score lots of points.

Especially if your competition is hung up trying to close out 17.

Photo credit: singsing_sky

You could do that.  You could institute a recycling program or a carpooling program for employees and put out an ad that says how green you are.

But if you want to stand out and be a leader, go beyond what’s expected and look for new ways to be green.

If you sell electronics, run a promotion in which people can bring in their old TVs to be recycled or properly disposed of.  If you sell cabinets or appliances, go out of your way to work with contractors who minimize waste and use green building practices.

You could even institute a cell phone recycling program by offering to collect customers’ old cell phones and shipping to a recycling service like gazelle.com.

By taking some initiative, you can make it easy for your customers to be green by working with you.

Make sure you have an established set of policies and procedures regarding your environmental action.  Once you have your program in place and it’s followed by all your employees, then you can promote it.

If you start marketing your company as green or sustainable before you’ve really achieved it, you could cause more harm than good.

And be honest about it.

Some companies are models of sustainability.  Others might just have a simple recycling program.

It’s important to be honest about the steps you’re taking to reduce your environmental impact.  More importantly, it’s important to be honest about what you’re not doing.

People understand that there are shades of green, and they will give you credit for doing what you can, even if every single decision isn’t governed by environmental impact.  On the other hand, if you make broad, sweeping statements that aren’t backed up by facts, your credibility will become extinct in a hurry.