I have been following the articles over on eWedNews concerning the demise of the formal wear industry. So, you know me, I started looking at their marketing.

First question: What marketing? Why isn’t there a gorgeous man in a gorgeous tux in every bridal gown ad? Isn’t there usually a groom at most occasions to wear a bridal gown?.

Second, the ad I do see most is the Men’s Wearhouse ad that speaks directly to men. Pffffft! If you want men to wear tuxedos you have to pitch the brides.

Which brings us to the Old Spice Man. If you haven’t caught this bit of viral brilliance then you have been living in a cave. What started as an ad on the Super Bowl transformed itself into a social media phenomenon with the Old Spice man responding to tweets in YouTube video spots. Brilliant social media marketing, but that isn’t the point I want to make.

*pause for random opportunity to include gratuitous half naked hunky guy video

This is: 80% of the purchases made in the US are made by women. The Old Spice campaign is aimed at women. Yes it is a product for men, so are tuxedos. However, body wash isn’t something that most men think about, neither are tuxedos. They are both something women think about. Whether it is a wife or partner that does the shopping and decides which body wash to buy or a bride deciding what to dress the men in the wedding party in, it is the women that make the decision. That is why you need to pitch to her.

Seriously, do you really think that an ad with a hunky half naked man was created to appeal to MEN? I didn’t think so. But what happens to the single guy that sees his date pay attention to said hunky half naked guy? He is going to pick up that product thinking that he may get her to pay that kind of attention to him. Either way, it was the woman’s influence that drove the sale.

Back to formal wear. If you want men to start wearing tuxedos, you are going to have to sell women on the idea first.

Say for instance, when the most recent Bond movie came out, why wasn’t there a tie in with how sexy Daniel Craig looked in formal wear? I mean come on, he had on a tux in the poster for Casino Royale!!! Sexy man> sexily dressed. Pitch perfect for a campaign directed at women.

Here is another, I ran across a couple of beach wedding pictures that had the bride in a traditional formal gown and the groom in cargo shorts and a bowling shirt. How about a picture like that with the tag line, “Don’t you deserve better?” Maybe if the tuxedo manufacturers produced a line specifically for the beach weddings, after all the gown manufacturers have.

Back to the gown ads. Those ads I do see in magazines with men in tuxedos usually have him looking disaffected and women fawning over him. That is pitching to men. Let’s turn it around, how about have him looking on adoringly at her? Every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man, but on her wedding day the last thing she wants is all of her bridesmaids fawning over her new hubs. The better story is “Look at this gorgeous man that only has eyes for me.”

More important than the end user of your product, think about who is most likely to influence that purchase. That’s where you aim the pitch.

In light of the story coming out of Dallas and Boston today with regards to the biggest bridal show scam ever it seem that I need to reiterate some warnings.

According to information uncovered by Tanya Eiserer of the Dallas Morning News, this was much deeper than a single bridal show in Boston. This scam was run in cities around the country. Karen Tucker, the alleged perpetrator was also trying to bilk money by selling advertising in magazines that never existed.

This is one of the reasons why I have always told my clients to never invest in any advertising vehicle with out at least a one year track record. Never. In the past my reasoning was that these required a huge investment of time and commitment on the part of the producer/publisher and all too often they found in the end that they were not up to the challenge. The result being either a very poorly produced product or the failure to produce all together. Now it seems that rather than people with good intentions gone bad we are being preyed upon by people with only the worst intentions. Be careful out there my friends.

This advice from the Better Business Bureau is a good place to start:

When considering renting space at a trade show event, the BBB advises businesses to:

*Ensure that the event is legitimate. Check with the venue to find out if the event has been booked there. (Duh, isn’t that a no-brainer??)

*Consider paying for the event by credit card. If the services are not rendered as promised, you have recourse through your credit card provider.
*Remember that even though an offer may have a Web site and be on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, you should still check out the business and the details of the offer before making any payment.
*Ask to see a booth rental contract before you make any financial commitments. Carefully review the terms and understand what you will be committing to and what recourse you have if the event is cancelled.

Besides that, be it bridal show, magazine or website; give them a year to get their feet wet and prove their worth before you give them any of your precious marketing dollars!

I have had several people contact me after buying Bridal Show Success or reading my posts on outrageous marketing that wanted more specific direction.

The whole point of outrageous marketing is to stand out from the crowd. Perhaps the best way to get your creative juices flowing is to catalog what the ‘crowd’ is doing.  Let’s start with bridal shows. In the book I suggest that you have one statement piece in your booth. Go to the next show you can find and see what everyone else is doing; then do something else. OK, that sounds pretty lame, but think about it. If you look at the photographer’s booth every one of them has beautiful wedding images hanging in their booth and after a while they all look alike. Hang something different.  I am not saying don’t put wedding images up, I’m just saying as your statement piece do something completely different.  If you do fine art photography, use one of those, blown up to an outrageous size.  If you have some award winners put them on one wall with the awards. In a sea of wedding photographs you booth will be the one they remember.

If all the sugar artists in your area fill their booth with 3 or 4 full size cakes make one larger than life dummy and than a wall of centerpiece size cakes that are all different. Get some vertical shelving (I used to pull the chrome shelves out of my shop) and fill the shelves with different thing that you do: cookies, small cakes, examples of sugar flowers and put something amazing on that top shelf that will be seen above the crowd.

Are all the florists doing a major statement piece arrangement in the center of their booth? Do a variety of smaller, more realistic ones. A client of mine gets a corner booth and takes down the outside wall. On that point she puts a 7 foot tall wrought iron tree hung with bouquets and boutonnières. Smaller arrangements and tabletop décor line the back wall, again going vertical with stands. They are grouped to go with the various bouquet styles. Trust me, that tree draws a lot of attention. Brides first see it as a whole and then start discovering all the parts that make it up. If a bride zeros in a particular bouquet, she can show her ideas for centerpieces that go with it.

If you are looking for follow up ideas, send in an accomplice to sign up. Seriously.  The only way to know what kind of follow up your competition is doing is to get on their list. Find an employee or friend or daughter of a friend and have them sign up for services in your category. Use an email address that can be forwarded to you. Once you know what they are doing, again, do something different. You should read the article on Cherry Picking Your Lead List for more ideas on outrageous follow up.

This is for the July issue of Think, so in a perfect world, you can go scan the late summer shows and start planning your booth for January. If not, you may have to see if you can dig up some images from last season.  If there are multiple shows in your area, go to the ones you aren’t doing. Sign up to their mailing list off their website, that may give you some indication of what they are thinking.

Some of you may think this all sound a little shady. If I were telling you to go steal their ideas I would agree with you; but I’m not. I’m telling you to do this kind of research so you can zig when they zag. Marketing is about making you stand out from the herd. If you are doing the exact same thing as everyone else you are just going to blend in. Be outrageous, be flamboyant, be uniquely, marvelously YOU!

Reading this mornings article on eWedNews, Fairy dust, Feel-good Advertising and Marketing is no Longer working, as Reality Sets In got me thinking about the what and why of how you need to change your advertising to keep relevant.

Here is what I am seeing with brides and GenY in general today. They are all about mobility and portability. If they can’t take the media with them, they are less likely to use it. No longer do they need to be chained to their PC or even laptop.

This quote from the June 24, 2010 Research Brief from the Center for Media Research paints the picture.

• Rising power of mobility and devices: Advances in technology are expected to see increasingly converged, multi-functional mobile devices come of age as a consumption platform by the end of 2011. By 2014, US mobile Internet access subscribers are projected to increase to 96.1 million, a 40% CAGR from 2009.
• Growing dominance of Internet experience over all content consumption: Increasingly, the consumer has moved beyond thinking of the Internet as an end in itself, and expects all forms of media to embed the convenience, immediacy and interactivity of the Internet. People are already consuming magazines and newspapers on Internet-enabled tablets, and streaming personalized music services in preference to buying physical CDs.

Another thing I am seeing is the localization factor. Bridal marketing for most of us has always worked best when it is local. Brides look to the national media for idea, but to local for vendors.

The third change is sparked by this desire for portability. There is a building resurgence in local bridal print media.

How do you use this information?

Here are some steps I think you should look at.

1. Make sure that your web presence is in tip top shape. Your website is fully optimized for search, is user friendly, is updated AT LEAST weekly, is fully integrated with social media and is cell phone compatible.

2. Look at your local publications.

• How well distributed are they? Find out where, how and how many
• Does the content and other advertisers match your business?
• How good is their electronic tie in? Do they have a great, interactive website and are they taking full advantage of social media? Simply having their magazine online is no longer enough. Does their site work to build an active local community of brides?
• What other marketing opportunities to they align themselves with? ie: Bridal shows, TV & Radio

3. If, and only if, you are looking to expand your market nationally or you are trying to pull in destination brides, look at the top wedding blogs like Style Me Pretty to invest in banner ads. This is a big spend and results more in brand identity than direct sales, but may be worth it if you have the extra coin to invest on an ongoing basis.

You have to keep on top of this stuff, my friends.

As I continue to transfer the archived content to the new site I keep running across these gems. This is an article that originally appeared on Think in August 2007 and will give you some insight into both why the major bridal magazines are failing and why the face of weddings today are changing.

Why Brides Think the Way They Do

August 2007

Have you read any of the editorial content in the bridal magazines lately? Probably not. Anytime I am in a group of wedding professionals and a new issue gets passed around all anyone ever looks at are the pictures for ideas or the placement of their ad. Your market is reading this stuff and getting some pretty skewed information.

Pull out any of the recent magazines that you have lying around and look at the prices they list on things. Now it is understandable that any magazine is going to want to have only the prettiest, shiniest choices to show their readers. The down side of that is that they are almost always the most expensive. From reading some of the editorials, today’s bride is led to believe that there is no middle ground. There are either the absolute bargain basement goods or service or the very high end choice. This has the effect of driving a great many brides to look at alternatives outside the mainstream before they even look at a true professional.

Where I see this most flagrantly displayed is in the fashion end of the industry. Lately the entry of Target into bridal fashion has gotten a lot of press and you are also seeing a lot of the designs from J. Crew showing up in print. That is a start but also part of the problem. Here they are showing gowns for $200 and under but most everything else they show is in the $2000 and up range. The reality is that the majority of the gowns sold in the US fall between $900 and $1500.  Why aren’t these gowns getting any ink?

This conversation came to a bit of a head last month in Philadelphia at a gathering of bridal salons that handle the 2Be Bride range.  Bruce Campbell, Fashion Advertising Manager for Conde Nast Bridal Media was presenting the most recent American Wedding Study.  When he got to the page titled “Key Wedding Expenses” is when the conversation began to get a little heated.  It was right there in the Powerpoint, the average price of a wedding dress in the US is $1056.  Steve Lang, CEO of Mon Cheri Bridal just couldn’t contain himself any longer and neither could I. Lang began questioning Campbell about their lack of mid-price gowns in their editorial even though their OWN SURVEY showed that was what the brides wanted. In his defense, Campbell is from the advertising side of the aisle and really has no control or even really any input on the editorial side (unlike in the local magazines). Lang had a very valid point.

The effect that this is having is that a lot of today’s brides aren’t even looking at the local salons. They are heading right to either the internet or that big box store that runs the $99 sale. The editorial has convinced them that they can’t afford to look anywhere else. I know some heavy spending advertisers that are beginning to lose patience. I can’t say I blame them.

I am sure that if you look at the editorial for your segment of the industry you will find the same thing. I know it was evident in cakes, especially in InStyle Weddings. They would show two cakes by Ron Ben-Israel, one being the ‘budget’ option but still well over $1000 for 60 servings or less. Not much of a budget option if you ask me. So they come to your bakery and book a cake for about ¼ of their guests and head to Costco for sheet cakes. If the magazine would tell the brides that Ben-Israel in one of the most expensive in the country maybe they would have more realistic expectations.

I am not sure what you or I or even the big advertisers can do. I will suggest that there is strength in numbers. If you see something in the editorial that sets you off, write a letter. I am fairly certain that it won’t be the only one.  Now of course this does mean that you will have to actually pay attention to the editorial.

Everyone will acknowledge that you need an elevator speech, but do you know how to craft a remarkable one?

The basic elevator speech goes something like this: “My name is Judy Baxter and I own Flowers For All Occasions.”  The listener now has your basic information and a sense of what you do, but no reason to find out more. Suppose instead Judy had said something like, “I’m Judy Baxter and I create thoroughly amazing contemporary floral designs for less than amazing budgets.”  Now I know a lot more about you. You have intrigued me enough to ask for more.

The point of an elevator speech isn’t just to introduce you, it is to say just enough to compel those listening to want to find out more.  Marketing today is about being remarkable. A million people like Judy own flower shops, but how many have the ability to create amazing on less than amazing budgets.  I read an interesting article from one of my favorite marketers, Seth Godin, What Is Your Superpower? Much like the minor superheroes in The Justice League of America, no one knows your superpowers unless you tell them. Yes you do have superpowers.

What is it that sets you apart from the pack? That is what your 60 second speech should has to be about. It is up to you to figure out what it is that you do that makes you remarkable. I know, it’s hard for most of us to think we are remarkable and even harder to state it in front of strangers without feeling arrogant.  It isn’t about arrogance; it is about embracing what it is that makes you unique and stating it with complete inner confidence.

The hard part is often putting your superpowers into words that you can embrace unapologetically and with complete confidence in their truth. What is it that you do better than anyone else? You have to look closely at not only yourself but at your competitors. Trust me, there is something that you do differently or you wouldn’t still be in business. If you are just starting out, what is it that made you think you would be able to establish a competitive edge? Figure it out and boil it down to a single phrase. That is the basis for your introduction. THAT is what goes in your elevator speech.

It doesn’t matter what you do, there is something that sets you apart. Maybe you are a bridal salon that carries the complete line of a certain designer, or a caterer that is fluent in eight different cuisines or a transportation company that specializes in vintage convertibles.  We are all snowflakes, each unique. It is your job to discover your uniqueness.

I get a lot of different trend reports and as we head into the New Year I thought I would share a few with you along with my unique analysis on how it ties to our market.

First up, from TrendWatching.com “10 Crucial Consumer Trends For 2010”

There is so much on this report that you don’t want to miss. I felt that the real-time review section was so important I give its own column this month.

Also very relevant to our industry is #10 Maturialism. Keep in mind as you read this that your target market is under 30. Those of you that are greatly concerned with how Mom will view your website need to think deeply about how far you can now go. If you link this trend with # Urbany, I think you will be more comfortable being a little edgier as you move forward.

Why do I think Maturialism and Urbany  are so relevant? The rising trend of gay and lesbian unions comes to mind. It is rich market that in some areas is underserved. Don’t be afraid to step into this arena, as long as you can do it without crossing any personal moral lines you may have. What I am saying is that if you are ok with it, your potential clients won’t be offended if you are open about promoting that you can serve this segment too.

In the section on (F)luxury, I especially like this mandate to ‘go your own way’ and take your client along with you. Why follow trends when you can create them.

From the article:

So don’t worry about missing out on the next big thing in luxury, focus on defining it. How? By finding and coining the right (status) trigger for the right audience. Just declare that the end is nigh for anything that’s getting a little too affordable, too accessible, too polluting, or just too well-known. Then introduce something very different (if not the opposite), appealing to the in-crowds who are ready to jump ship anyway

This also from TrendWatching,   Status Stories

The underlying takeaway in this report is that you need to give your clients a compelling enough story about your product or service to get them to talk about it. Helping them to understand your story will go a long way towards them spreading the word for you. Let’s take for instance a photographer, say a husband and wife team, if they put their unique story on their website/blog and keep mentioning it, they are giving their clients a story to share. “Our photographers are just the cutest couple, they met in the Peace Corp and are still giving back by leading the youth group at their church.”  Another photographer may include his/her history as a true photojournalist covering the war in Afghanistan or shooting on location for National Geographic.  Or how about the custom invitation artist that shares on her site that in addition to creating invitations she is also a galleried artist. “Yes, our invitations were done by so and so, I see where she recently had a showing of her paintings. I really can’t wait to get one of her pieces for our home.”

Anything about you or your craft that can build your image above and beyond you core craft will boost your brand.

The 2009 Holiday Special Report

While this report focuses on e-commerce and the holiday season there are still some important takeaways in it.

Paragraph 3 on page 4 is especially enlightening. According to a Nielson report, 18% of all searches begin on a social networking site. Also, in a survey of social network activities, 50% included links to other websites and 25% included links to specific companies, products or services. You do want people to link to yours through social media, right?

You will also want to read page 9. It talks about how Best Buys is using Twitter. This one line says a lot; “adding value to the product through increased customer support and opportunities for engagement.”

While we all track the trends that rise and fall in weddings, sometimes it is even more important to watch the trend that are bubbling in the rest of the consumer segments. I know that I have given you a lot to digest, trust me; it will be worth your time as you try to navigate the post-recession economy of 2010.

(Wow, it felt really good to write post-recession!)

If you really want to reach your clients you have to focus on their needs, not what you have to provide. Like any good story, in marketing there are 3 parts: the set up (their needs), the tension (what is preventing them from fulfilling those needs) and the conclusion (the solution).

To successfully market your brand you have to approach it like a good story. First you must let them know that you understand their needs. Let them know that you know that they want a beautiful wedding that represents them without any headaches or drama at a price that they can afford yada yada yada.

Next comes whatever it is that is preventing that from happening and for them this is the most important part.  Here is where your listening skills come into play. Until you really hear what they are saying you don’t know what it is that is keeping them awake at night, what is driving them forward, what thoughts color their days and cloud their dreams? If you listen closely, you will discover what dragons they need you to slay.

Now it is up to you to provide the magic sword. You aren’t really just providing a service; you are slaying their dragons, solving their problems. Face it, if they didn’t have any problems, they wouldn’t need you. Your job as a marketer is to discover their problems and then hand them the one true solution for the problem. You have to uncover and slay their dragons.

Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t only pointed at planners. Their dragons will take many forms. Their dragon may be the fear of cheese in a DJ, or it may be that every video they have seen sucked, or they may be a size 22 that pictures themselves in a slinky sheath or their dragon may be that they want navy blue flowers.

There is no better way to market than to tell these stories. Tell them one about the MoB that really was a dragon and how your team managed to run interference for the bride. Or how about the one that was in love with the $3k designer gown she couldn’t afford but you found her one that had the same cut and style at a much better price point. Or how about the bride groom that hated cake so you suggested that they have wedding cheesecake instead. Or the couple that didn’t want a band OR DJ because they were afraid to dance in front of everyone that you hooked up with dance lessons. I know that you have a million of them and everyday you create more because that is really what you do. You solve their problems.

Those are the kind of things that need to be in your marketing. Truth be told, brides today don’t give a rats rear about what you do or have. They only care about one thing, do you recognize their dragons and can you slay it.

In marketing today, content is king. Your story is your content. Spin your tale, highlight your magic sword . Just remember, that without the dragon, your magic sword is useless.

Too often I see marketing getting it backward. They put all their emphasis on what they have to offer, not on their customers’ needs.  Think and speak about how you can solve their problems instead. I realize that this may require a rewrite, but believe me it’s worth it.

I am seeing more and more creative thinking in bridal marketing. It can take many forms but co-op marketing and alternative media are my two favorites.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

I ran across this press release today. http://condenastdirect.com/newlywednest/. Brides Magazine has teamed up with Ikea to sponsor a show house geared toward the nearly & newlyweds. Featuring furnishings from Ikea and hosting a bevy of bride-centric event it looks like a win-win for both entities. Wedding vendors from gown designers hosting trunk shows to wedding photographers doing snap shots to florists doing floral arranging workshops are offering something for everyone. Set up for only a limited time, it runs thru the end of May, this is a partnership that seems to make perfect sense.  In another stroke of brilliance, they are also teaming up with the Lower East Side Girls Club as their selected charity with all proceeds going to the Girls Club.  As you know, today’s consumers are keenly attuned to the “good works” of the companies they buy from and are likely to place more value on those whose charitable affiliations mirror their own.

Creating co-operative marketing opportunities is a great way to get you message across and share the financial burden.  I wrote recently on my blog about dream teams of wedding vendors. Why not reach out to the vendors that you work with regularly and see what makes sense for you. I know of a caterer and a florist that are teaming up to showcase both of their work. The florist want to show off her collection of rentable containers to wedding planners and the caterer wants to showcase the talents of her new chef so they are throwing a party and inviting the planners. They have even embarked on a joint direct mail campaign.

In my own business, I am doing a seminar next month and using a Victorian B&B as the location. They get exposure for their venue and I get a place to speak. Not only is the event win-win, but by working together we were able to combine not only our individual lead lists but also add the list available to each of us through the organizations to which we each belong. Between the accumulated lists, the invitation and announcement will go out to several thousand leads. Yeah!

I also want you to think about alternative places to advertize. Think about the things that your particular group of brides has in common. I spoke with one planner that finds that almost all of her brides are attorneys. Why doesn’t she tap that by finding out what sites or magazines they read and advertize there? Another seems to do a lot of younger brides still in uni and most all are in sororities. I think she should check with the Pan Hellenic council and see what kind of event she could team with them to sponsor.

We have a program here in NashVegas called Grafitti Concepts that places adverts in restroom. Talk about a captive audience! If you hit the right upscale clubs that your brides at hanging out in pre-engagement you could strike a gold mine when they do get engaged. So far I have only seen one vendor even vaguely related to bridal on the ads, a boudoir photographer. I’m sure there is a company similar to this in your area. If not, you should start one.

Do a little creative thinking of your own and see what makes sense for your unique business.  Don’t limit yourself only to the marketing opportunities that present themselves to you like the local magazines and bridal shows. There are as many creative ways to reach brides as there are bride.

Today it is more important than ever to use every tool in your arsenal to close the sale. Are you using the ones that are right in front of you?

I hear brides say it all the time, ”Once I saw it, I knew it was the one.” It isn’t just the dress; it is just about anything that creative professionals have to offer.  A lot of brides seem to be lacking the ability to visualize what we are presenting; so you have to show them.  Even more, you have to show them in as much vivid detail as possible.

Let me preface what I am about to say by being clear, I am talking about the higher
$$ end of the spectrum. I wouldn’t recommend that you do this for your budget brides. I also think this works well in terms of upping the sale more than simply closing. So…

Let’s say you are a florist that has a bride sitting on the fence about her centerpieces. You want her to buy the high end choice, right? Your best bet is to do a trial, but not just a centerpiece in your shop. Go the extra mile; get a sample of her linen and china, even her chairs and set the thing up in her reception venue. Get the planner and rental company to play along. Heck, they may even want to bring in an upgrade or two themselves.

Same thing with cake designers.  Do your tasting as a second appointment. By then you will have chatted with the couple enough to have a feel for what they like. Then rather than just doing a variety of small tastes on a tray, pick maybe three that you think they will like and do them plated and garnished, add a dessert sauce and fresh fruit or the like to present them with a full dessert view/taste. Serve champagne.

Early in the process, do a custom sketch for them; put their name on it and sign it like a work of art. Make a copy and give them the original as a keepsake. Woo these couples.

This isn’t a new tactic. Bridal salons have been doing it for years. The minute a bride shows the least bit of interest in a gown she is trying on out comes the veil, jewelry, shoes and bouquet. They go the extra mile to give them the full view. I know some lovely salons that keep several fresh bouquets on had on the weekends because they do so much to enhance the experience. (Work out a deal with your favorite florist to cross promote)

Caterers, you have to do tasting to close the big ones today. You should do the same thing, set the table, set the ambience.  I know your food is fabulous and should sell itself on its own, but in these times, give it all the additional support you can. Sell the whole experience. Light the candles, pair the wines and bring out the right china to showcase your work.

DJs send put a mix together of music that fits with what they have expressed an interest in; add voiceovers with their names in it. People love to hear their names. I know it sounds lame, but try it.

In  a lot of cases, just the sheer fact that you have gone this extra mile above and beyond what your competitors have done will be the difference in closing the deal.

I know that there are some that will tell you this is crazy talk. They will tell you that your art should sell itself on your reputation. Pfffttt!  That was then and this is now. Do everything in your power not to leave their interpretation to chance. Show them the loveliness so that they can fall in love with “their” wedding.