Potential Opportunities via Networking Groups

Reaching out to potential businesses should not merely take place on the internet. Networking groups can also be used to connect with employers. Many of these groups are specifically oriented toward young professionals, and will group together some of the most passionate and successful people in your respective city. Many are young CEOs interested in expanding their businesses, or are professionals working for companies who may need your services. For example, in my current town (Tallahassee, FL), one of the popular groups is the Network of Young Professionals (www.networkyp.org). I highly recommend dropping by a meeting held by your local group to check it all out and make some connections. Oh, and make sure to bring plenty of business cards. While the opportunities you may make there might not materialize immediately, I've heard of many instances of the relationships becoming very influential over time.

Comfort Resurrection

I'm slightly concerned by the strategies of many agencies. In light of the current recession, consumers are reacting more favorably to comfort. For agencies, this comfort has come in the form of old taglines and imagery. Some examples of this include Nationwide dropping "Life comes at you fast" in favor of "Nationwide is on your side," and General Mills going retro with its cereal package designs.

Now, an agency I've worked for has resurrected a once-dead mascot to represent one of its brands. First created by Doner's Alan Kalter, Mr. Six became the very popular, very bald face of the Six Flags brand back in the mid-90s. However, Six Flags put the account up for review in light of mediocre park attendance. People loved Mr. Six, but didn't link that relationship with the parks themselves.

Zimmerman won the account after putting on a huge show. Mark Shapiro, CEO of Six Flags, said, "They picked us up in limousines; they brought us to a church; they walked us in with real-life actors; they had a coffin for Mr. Six, telling us the days of gimmicks and Mr. Six are over. We need people to come to Six Flags, not for a stunt, but because it's a branded experience, which is something we've been [touting]; but they clearly embraced it."

Zimmerman had a great strategy to differentiate Six Flags from its competitiors by focusing on the thrill aspect of the parks. However, pretty quickly, they backtracked from this strategy, instead going to the slogan: "more flags, more fun" - a slogan lacking a focused message.

Mr. Six is back though. Making his major national premiere throughout the Kentucky Derby (Six Flags is the event's main sponsor), Mr. Six's resurrection appears to be focused on building comfort between consumers and the parks. People loved Mr. Six's crazy dance routines, but once again, in the words of Mr. Shapiro, "We need people to come to Six Flags, not for a stunt, but because it's a branded experience."

I wish agencies would look at the recession from a different point of view. Comfort is important, but they should not simply resort to the last mascot, slogan, or campaign that people liked. Obviously, the campaigns were changed for a reason; they failed. Comfort should be built into a new campaign as a means of building a stronger relationship with the potential consumer.