Buzz Builder

24 Hour Fitness and The Failure of Exclamation Point Marketing

In age when consumers are assailed with advertising from all directions, some marketers seem to believe that they need to scream louder to gain attention. Over the past few month, my local 24 Hour Fitness has given me reason to laugh and to wonder. The walls of the gym are permanently plastered with bright red or yellow fliers with a variety of marketing come-ons such "Enroll a Friend & Save," "Free Basketball Tickets," and "30% Savings This Weekend Only." More recently, 3' x 7' signs have sprouted promoting personal trainers.  I've never seen anybody really pay attention the 24 Hour Fitness ads, and perhaps employees have noticed this as well. One brilliant employee thought it would be a great idea to position one of the 3' x 7' signs right at the top of stairway so you would nearly bump into it upon entering or exiting the gym.

Certainly, 24 Hour Fitness is not the only business guilty of what I call "exclamation point marketing," the practice of screaming at customers to try to get them to respond. If 24 Hour Fitness spent the same effort creating a gym experience better than that at other clubs, they wouldn't need to loudly tout their programs. Rather, their own members would tell their friends that their gym is the best.

Prevent Death By PowerPoint - Join Toastmasters

Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or the executive of a Fortune 500 company, you are often called upon to be your company's spokesperson, and the responsibility of spreading positive word of mouth depends upon your ability to present well. How do you handle this challenge?

Most of us have suffered through a "Death by PowerPoint " type of presentation. You know what I'm talking about: the speaker stands sweatily before a group and goes through a one-hour presentation reading PowerPoint slides as if they were on a teleprompter . Many speakers who eschew PowerPoint fail in presentations since their nervousness gets the best of them.

People give terrible presentations for one primary reason. Inexperience. Yet, there is a effective, inexpensive solution. Since 1924, millions of professionals from around the world have polished their speaking skills through Toastmasters. Many people don't join Toastmasters because they mistakenly think it's only for beginners.

I've been a Toastmaster for over two years, and it has helped my speaking ability immensely. I'm very comfortable giving presentations and have always received good evaluations from my audiences. Yet,  Toastmasters provides me with a weekly forum to practice new material and work on areas that I seek to develop such as using humor to illustrate my points. Recently, I was selected to be the president of the Oregon Chapter of the National Speakers Association . Yet, I'll continue to go to Toastmasters to keep improving as a speaker.

So, whether you're nervous about speaking in public or are an accomplished speaker wanting to take your speaking the the next level, join Toastmasters and you'll discover how much more effective you can be in spreading positive word of mouth.

Nintendo Wii: Daring To Be Different Pays Off in Battle Against Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360

I'm not into video games and never will be. I spend so much time glued to my computer screen during work hours that my idea of a good time is anything outside and as far away as possible from electronic screens.

That said, I can't help but take notice of the video game war taking  place  between Sony (Playstation 3 ),  Microsoft (Xbox 360 ), and Nintendo (Wii ) which are busy launching new consoles and games for the holidays. I'm particularly intrigued with Nintendo's ability to differentiate itself from its better-funded competitors allowing it to score some excellent press. Just go to Google News and type in "Nintendo Wii" and you'll see that Nintendo has a smash success on its hands.

Nintendo's key differentiator is the Wii controller, a device shaped like a TV remote control that translates a player's hand movements into on-screen action (a second controller that Nintendo calls the "nunchuk"  hooks up to the first device through a cable for more intricate games).

The key to Nintendo's positive buzz is that they've created a video game experience truly different from the competition. As the stories about the fun of using the Nintendo Wii proliferate, a whole new cadre of people who have never played video games will be attracted, and then they'll spread the word to their friends.

Another interesting differentiator for the Wii is the inclusion with its console of a package of free games with fun cartoon-like graphics called Wii Sports. To serve a ball in a tennis game, users flip the controller sharply up and then make a whacking motion with their hands to hit it. To go bowling, users simply aim the controller skyward and swing towards the screen. As in real life, the speed of the swing controls the speed of the ball, a twist of the wrist adds spin and the B button releases the ball.

Even if you don't like video games, you can learn a lot from the competion amongst video game makers to create the most buzz. What can you do to differentiate your product from the competition? Remember, you don't need to outspend the competition - merely come up with something new and exciting. Also, is there a free add-on item(s) or service that you give people to make them happy and loyal customers - preferably something that your competitors don't offer?