Emails are already coming into the office on getting quotes for message on hold. For some reason this happens every late December and into January. There may be some scientific reason that someone has studied that explains all this but my theory on it is simple- for many companies January 1st means a new budget and so the message on hold project they wanted to start in August but didn’t have the funds for can now be started.

If you’re in that boat, hey, we’re glad to help do your message on hold production but let me save you a step as the swami (that’s me) knows what your next question is going to be: what should I say on my message on hold?

I’ll be glad to share some bullet points here but let me offer one primary marketing point for your message on hold that actually applies to all your company’s marketing (I’ve been doing this marketing stuff in addition to voice over for a long time).

As regards your marketing message- make the message about how your company’s product or service helps the caller. Do not make your marketing message about how great and successful your company is or has been.

It means the difference between being listened to and being ignored as mere on-hold noise.

As an example:

Do NOT say:

“With 25 years in the insurance business, our customers trust us to provide the most inclusive coverage with the lowest premiums. Please remain on the line, someone will be with you shortly.”

It is not memorable, it is not listenable and it is not unique. “But” you protest “it is true.” Maybe, but so is what I just said.

INSTEAD say something like:

“Renters insurance can get confusing and expensive. But at We’re Not Liars Insurance Agency, we’ve just added three new well qualified carriers with top rated renter’s coverage to give you a better selection. We’ll gladly work with you to identify the right coverage based on your specific needs and budget. Please ask us how we can help you when we return to the line. Thank you for holding.”

People hate being on hold but they hate not being sure whether or not they’ve been disconnected while being told they were going on hold even more.

Message on hold is a good marketing tool…IF you’re willing to write your script like a friend rather than a potentate.

Tags: advertising, commentary, marketing, message on-hold by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
Comments Off on make a friend while on hold

There’s a road near the Buffalo Niagara International Airport which tunnels under one of the airport’s main runways (depending on wind direction any particular day).

This year this road has provided me with two surprises – both airplane related and none of them tragic or dramatic fortunately.

Early this summer as I was driving down the road in front of me taxied a plane that was blue on the bottom and white on the top carrying that familiar “Engravers” like font that said “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”. When you are used to seeing “Southwest“, “U.S. Airways” or maybe “JetBlue” taxiing in front of your car, seeing what looked like Air Force One kinda stops you in your tracks.

Well it was not Air Force One but it was (as I found out later) the First Lady’s plane (I’ve no idea of its airborne call sign) who was attending a fund raiser. Maybe not fascinating reading for you but some five months later I remain impressed by what I saw.

The second airplane surprise happened this morning on the same road as a plane was landing (or just taking off…I was driving after all so I’m not going to be 100% on plane details). This was a JetBlue plane with completely unique markings near its underside similar to the picture above.

This Jet Blue plane with its Yahoo and Blackberry sponsored in-flight internet access was a fairly new tool that Jet Blue offered (this article fills in the blanks).

As an active flyer I am desperately hoping all airlines get with this program fairly quickly (and keep it free for goodness sake) so that airtime can be oh so much more productive and, dare I say, enjoyable?! Hint, hint U.S. Airways!

Wouldn’t you like in-flight internet access too?

Tags: advertising, commentary, internet, marketing, technology by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
Comments Off on “i” in the sky

The kids who slapped this one together put a lot of thought and energy into it.

Very funny parody. Enjoy.

Tags: advertising, animation, commentary, silliness by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
Comments Off on charlie brown’s ad agency christmas

EDITORS NOTE: To be clear – this is a post about marketing, not about politics. Marketing sometimes disappoints. Politics always disappoints.

Whether or not you voted for Barack Obama for President, if you have any vested interest in marketing (and every business person does) you have to respect what the branding design, plan and execution meant to the success of his candidacy (even if he hadn’t won the election).

The branding of the Obama campaign was a political game changer. In the next election, everyone will try and use this playbook but this branding plan was the inauguration that really matters to marketers.

In my opinion, some people voted more for the concept of Obama and his possibilities than the actual man himself (people at a crossroads or caught up in a euphoric state – as politics can often initiate- often make many decisions that way). Branding had to play a key role in shaping that mind set.

Enjoy watching designer Sol Sender, part of the trio that initially developed the now infamous mark, talk about its birth and evolution. There is not a business in existence that cannot learn a lot from this process.

Part 1

Part 2

Tags: advertising, branding, commentary, logo design, marketing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
2 Comments »

Between Bob Souer and me, U.S. air carriers pretty much need to bow down and kiss our feet as we have single-handedly kept them in business by buying their airplane tickets.

While I can’t speak for Bob (although I just did but he won’t know it cause he doesn’t read this blog 😉 I have a frequent flyer number with almost every airline (though U.S. Airways and United get the majority of my business based only on routes).

The upside of that is I build up miles that someday I’ll have the time to use (I’m in baby/toddler netherworld right now so time is both precious and a grey area at the same time). The downside is that each of these airlines thinks I need to have their credit card.

And they remind me every month. Today, these three envelopes arrived about 15 minutes ago. More junk mail.

The airlines need additional streams of revenue and likely in the fine print of my frequent flyer sign up I gave them the right to snail-mail spam me but these idiots are wasting money even if a third party banking outfit is likely paying the tab.

Their brand is tainted by all this crap and if it were even possible, as their paying customer I have less respect for them than ever before.

Do you get a lot of airline junk mail too? Or other crazy junk mail associated with something you’re a part of or a member of? What have you done about it?

Tags: advertising, branding, commentary by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
6 Comments »

LOGO CHOICE A

LOGO CHOICE B

Many folks remember the Good Housekeeping seal of approval on products. What you might not know is that it still exists.

To combat that “little” marketing problem, they’ve redesigned their logo. They’ve freshened the brand.

Please vote for the logo you think is the new logo. (Now of course if you know the answer, don’t ruin it for everyone else, by spilling the beans…just vote).

Is it obvious? Am I playing a trick on you? Cast your vote for fun and in a few days we’ll review.

Tags: advertising, branding, commentary, logo design, marketing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
5 Comments »