Step Into The Spotlight! Welcomes Guest Blogger, Bill Gammell

It’s a brand new year and we’re gonna kick things up a notch this year by bringing you 50 Top Marketing Bloggers from around the world. We’ll get tons of great ideas (yes, I do measure ideas by weight) on how to step into the spotlight in 2009. We’re going to have book reviews and book giveaways and all sorts of fun stuff, so if you haven’t signed up on the RSS feed, what are you waiting for?

I love our first guest blogger, Bill Gammell, ’cause he sees the Seinfeld perspective on everything. Take it away Bill…

The Spotlight Loves Those Who Are Full of It.

Jerry on the hit TV show Seinfeld puts a lot of faith in the Black and White cookie. According to him, if we but “look to the cookie” we could solve any racial harmony problems that elude us. I’m not sure about racial harmony, but I do think we can learn a lot about marketing from a certain Black and White cookie (besides being a perfect blend of awesomeness designed especially for our stomachs).

Have you ever had a Joey’s Black and White cookie before? If you have, then you’ve probably noticed that their package boldly claims to have “luv in every bite.” That’s a whole lot of luv!

Joey reminds us that the best place for luv is not on the side as some afterthought. No, the best place for luv is to bake it right into the product itself. Marketing is central to what you do so bake it right in.

That’s why the magic of Disneyland is not something they sell at the bottom of a pile of forgotten souvenirs at a gift shop. Instead, the magic of Disneyland is in interacting with a Disney character or the grounds cleanup crew who spontaneously brake into song (after all, every inch of Disneyland is a stage). Indeed, the magic of Disneyland is clearly manifest in your tightwad father gladly forking over 6 bucks for a Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich. That’s because the magic of Disneyland is baked right in.

Additionally, the luv in Joey’s cookies is not only baked right in, but is in every bite. Not in some bites, not even in most bites, but rather in “every bite.” You need more than small crumbs of luv to win the hearts of your customers. You must go deeper.

For example, if the luv of your company is customer service, then don’t stop at teaching your front line employees. Spread the customer service luv to your secretary, the janitor, the CFO, the database administrator and even your collections department. Every bite must be full of luv. Bake all of your luv in every bite – that’s the secret of Joey’s Black and White cookie. Now, go get yourself some cookies, turn on an episode of Seinfeld and get ready for your close up in the spotlight.
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Bill Gammell is the Marketing Director for a marketing research company in Utah that does work for BestBuy, MasterCard and Bank of America (just to name a few). He loves all things chocolate, his passion for marketing and branding get him up in the morning and Seinfeld is constantly running through his head (not that there is anything wrong with that!). He writes his blog over at http://ubereye.wordpress.com (often times about Seinfeld and marketing).