Our Time Theatre: A Marketing Story

Four million people in the USA stutter.

Over 68 million people worldwide stutter, including 5% of all children. Famous people such as Bill Walton, Bo Jackson, Ken Venturi, King George VI, Winston Churchill, Carly Simon, Bill Withers and a very "unfamous" Fred Kaplowitz.

Stuttering, a widely misunderstood speech disorder can cause extreme emotional distress in kids who struggle not only in verbal communication but also with shame, discrimination, bullying and social isolation.

Unlike the popular misconception that stutters are either nervous, anxious or stupid, research has shown that stutterers' brains are simply wired differently and that genetic influences can also result in stuttering.

Stuttering can claim a child's desire to speak, and ultimately their ability to achieve their dreams.

I know. I have been that child.

So today I am going to do something I promised never to do in my blog: Sell You something.

Several years ago, as I continued my seemingly never ending battle with stuttering, I came across an organization called "Our Time Theatre."  Our Time, a non profit organization, helps young people who stutter improve their confidence and communication skills.

The company's programs are FREE to children age 8 to 18, from around the world who stutter,  and addresses the  emotional, social and physical impacts of the disorder.  The company's programs are designed to reorient children to believe that communicating their thoughts and feelings is more important than hiding their stuttering from others.  In the words of King George VI they cry out "I have a voice."

When kids learn they can embrace a positive self identity as a person who stutters, it reduces their struggle with speech and helps them to overcome social and academic obstacles so they can reach their full potential.

Over the years I have become a Board member of the Our Time Theatre and, in some small way, I hope I have contributed to the program and that's what I am writing about today: To ask for your assistance.

Each year, Our Time hosts a Gala Event; it is our major fund raiser event that provides the needed revenue to keep this program going and it is where we honor people who stutter. In 2011, our honoree was David Sedaris, the man behind the movie, "The King's Speech",  that won academy after academy award.

In 2010,  we honored Carly Simon who said that when she was a kid, saying "Hello" was the hardest thing in the world for her.

Can you imagine not being able to say "hello?"

But she sure as hell could sing.  And that helped her to get into the socialization of being a kid, a teen and become the beautiful, talented and caring woman she is today.

This year our honoree is Matt Slauson, starting Guard of the New York Jets.  His award will be presented by Mark Sanchez, Jets Quarterback.

In addition to our honoree, a host of Broadway and TV actors from Paul Rudd to Jesse L Martin, Marisa Tomei, Ron Rifkin, Mariska Hargitay to Jane Alexander and many more will be appearing at the event which takes place in NYC on Monday April 16, 2012.

We would love to have you attend the event, but if you can't I understand.

Please give to this worthy cause in any amount you like. 

For more information on this, please go to: 

  web site:        http://www.ourtimestutter.org/gala/

email:             gala2012@ourtimestutter.org

Thank you so very much and maybe we will see you on April 16 in NYC.  I hope so.

Sincerely,
Fred

P.S.  If you have any questions please call or text me at 516 359 4874 and again thank you for reading this and for your future contribution.

The Pork Chop and The Bar Mitzvah. Are You Marketing To The Right Segment?

A common objection to a new or semi new idea is usually "Din't work. Tried It."  I think what some people are saying here is,  yes, they really did try the idea and implemented it the same old way and when they didn't get the results they expected, then the conclusion was the idea must be wrong.

Was it because the pork chop didn't fit the bar Mitzvah menu? It never does. Pork chops just don't belong on a Bar Mitzvah menu.  Likewise,  not all products resonate with every one.  In fact, you need to find a group of people who want certain benefits from a product and then give it to them

While the program, project or idea did not work, the important question to ask is WHY didn't it work and what were you really expecting?

Here are some things to check before you just up and dismiss an idea out of hand...because it still may be good but you marketing was not strong enough or just didn't fit the prospects wants.

The very first question to ask even before you try to run the program is 

1. Who will this appeal to and what are the benefits.  You may think you know the answer, but if you start with the assumption that you don't, then you will HAVE TO ASK PROSPECTS ABOUT YOUR IDEA.                                                                                                                                           
2. OTHERWISE, ITS A PORK CHOP AT A BAR MITZVAH. WRONG PRODUCT FOR THE WRONG MARKET

Ask some of these questions and then ask some more?

1. Who was my target?
2. Was the product relevancy to them?
3. Was it a great offer? WHY?
4. Was the offer simple, easy to understand and clear?
5. How did I communicate it?
6. How did  I sell it in center?
7. how did I sell it our of center?
8. Did I give a guarantee?
9. Did I get a testimonial to show that people actually liked it or thought about  liking it?
10. Did I use the Internet marketing tools at my disposal in a way that built a relationship?
11. Did I give the product enough time to see the light of day or did i try to do it a just a few days or less than a week?
12. When I asked customers, what did they remember about the offer?

We could go on here, but you get the point. 

If you didn't cover all the bases, it may not be the idea, but simply, incomplete execution or did you shoot at the wrong audience with the wrong product and deliver a messy message? 

If you didn't identify the target and set the wrong product out there then your marketing qualifies for the "Pork Chop at A Bar Mitzvah Award".

"Open Lanes"

One of my followers, Peppe Smith, the Proprietor of Camelot Lanes in Boardman, Ohio mentioned a program called "Open Table" where people can make reservations on line, see the menus at restaurants and decide if they want to go there,  they can make a  reservation on line.

She wondered if we could put together a program called 'Open lanes" where potential customers could look on line and decide what center and when they wanted to go bowling and then make a reservation for that center.

I think its a great idea.

Now how do we implement this given all the scoring systems, software and hardware that are out there or is this driven on a separate (laptop) computer that we all have?

Maybe BPAA could honcho this effort for its members in conjunction with the manufacturers?  Proprietors would have to subscribe to this service on a monthly basis so that the "development people and support people" could get paid for this.

What do you think?

Your Execution Sucks

I know that sounds harsh, but let me tell you why that is...before you go for the rope and the tree and then me!

Most of us haven't created a culture that gets our employees involved. Instead, we have employees, who at best, will listen to what we say and do what we say. Maybe.

But if they don't buy into it, then their execution, like a football team on a bad day, will be lackadaisical, sluggish, and at worst, really don't care about the final score. Instead, they will just go through the motions until the next pay day and will keep you wondering what the heck it will take to get them to execute properly.

Managers at most company only care about the output of employees; not really paying attention to the input. And sad to say, it may be because of your leadership. You may be all and wise, but you still need input...its the breakfast of champions.

Because as a leader you have to go down three levels to be effective:
Level 1. Getting somebody to do what you want them to do
Level 2. Getting people to think what you want them to think (at this level, you dont have to tell them what to do, they will just know).
Level 3. Getting people to believe what you want them to believe.


If you get to this level,  even your skinniest and scrawniest person will do anything to "win",  including going out there and blocking a Green Bay Packer lineman :)                                                              


So here is a suggestion to get your management and leadership to Level 3:
1. Get your people involved in the problem solving process early and let them know that while they have a voice in the process, you have the final decision.
2. Let them site their opinions and ideas in this manner   ( they have to explain what they would do and why they would do it and they all have to participate. whether it be via email or an internal face book page.
3. They all have a right to say what they have to say.
RULE #1 AND THE ONLY RULE: NO ONE GETS REPRIMANDED FOR THEIR OPINION!
4. You will make the final decision. That's your job.                                                                                      

After this exercise, your execution won't suck, and WILL improve (I have seen it with my own eyes) because all of the employees have had a forum to voice their opinion and provide you with input.. Your execution should be much better because you have communicated this one simple statement.

"Thank you all for your input. Some great ideas out there and I have made a decision after considering what you had to say.  Here's our plan. Here's what we are doing to solve problem XYZ and here's why we are doing it."


Now if you dont have the employees on staff who even care enough about this process to get involved, then you have a whole other set of issues that need to be addressed.

If that's the case, go hire new people and look for competitive, curious and passionate people. Unemployment is still at 8.3% so there must be some qualified folks out there just begging for a chance.

Yeah you might have to pay them a little more, but you will get soooooooo  much more in return.

Are You Getting Your Share?

In recent months, I have had the opportunity to work with “The Millennium Theatre”, a 1400 seat venue, in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach, a predominantly Russian community, frequently referred to as “Little Odessa.”  Over 100,000 Russians call Brighton Beach their home and for years, “The Millennium Theatre” catered to the needs of this community by promoting Russian singers, actors, dancers, comedians and circus acts who appeared on their playbills. 

But times have changed and the Russian community in Brighton Beach is getting older while younger Russians are moving out, either to the suburbs or to other parts of the city.

And that called for a change in strategy. No longer could the Millennium just book Russian acts and expect sold out crowds.

Now it had to broaden its base and appeal to other audiences around the community such as the young and affluent Park Slope singles and young parents segment, the Orthodox Jewish segment, the African American segment and create product that would appeal to these NEW market segments. 

The Millennium's first foray into this new world was a Circus show around the holidays featuring Chinese acrobats, Ukrainian jugglers, American dancers,  international trained dog acts, and all of the things you would expect from a circus. Its first foray was a difficult one, but it did stimulate press coverage and the understanding that the “Millennium” was no longer JUST a Russian Theatre. 

Now new acts are planned for the Millennium. New markets are being targeted.  A new energy is building and  acts, who never would have considered The Millennium as a place “to play”, are calling to find out if the theatre is available for comedy shows, amateur nights, American plays, concerts and off-off Broadway shows. 

Now if we as bowling proprietors can identify new markets, perhaps we can see our business grow as well. 

Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing communities in the country. Yet, I have rarely seen any marketing, communications or programming targeting this group. Similarly, I haven’t seen, with the exception of proprietors in Southern California and Texas, the same marketing effort against Mexican Americans or other Hispanic groups. Why not? 

It’s a new world with new marketing opportunities.  

Are you getting your share of these emerging and fast growing segments?

Focus Your Priorities

I read a recent quote from Maggie Fox, CEO of  Social Media, a Toronto based company that handles social media for large businesses. It goes something like this:

"If you have more than three priorities, then you have no priorities."

To better manage your time, why not write down just three goals for the day. Just three.

And try to accomplish those.

So often we set ourselves up for failure because we have a hundred things on our to do list. That's OK, but focus on three. Three priorities. You'll get more done and feel more satisfied.

To help set  priorities for my clients, I try to focus them on establishing three columns on a yellow legal pad. each column has these titles.

1. What can you do today to attract new business?
2. What can you do today to get  customers to return?
3. What can you do today to get customers to spend more when they come into the center?

I then ask them to list tasks under each column and then to put numbers next to each to establish priorities.

Try it. You'll like it.

Our One Trick Pony Is Out of Tricks. Now What?

According to the latest Nielsen reports, Americans spent an average of 33 hours per week watching TV and about 17 hours on the Internet.  In many cases, these activities were done simultaneously.

With our industry's infatuation with all things "Internet", we have largely ignored one of the popular mediums available to us to get our message out.

The reasons for this are many, but here are a few, "it costs too much", "can't measure it," and "don't know enough about TV busying to feel comfortable doing it." Couple these reasons with the omni present reason of  "tired it and it didn't work" and you have an industry, for millions of potential customers that remains invisible.

And invisibility creates empty bowling centers.

So instead of using cable TV or radio, proprietors are pounding their data base with price off promotions and other "coupons" to get consumers to go bowling.

Yet open play across the country is STILL down.  Given that less than 15% of consumers open their email, it is no wonder. Our one trick pony may have run out of tricks.

Maybe, instead of each of us working our data base dry, we got together in our local markets and developed a multi media campaign that included TV (or radio as well as Internet marketing and direct mail) we could collectively get to where we want to go.

With gas prices projected to go to $5 a gallon, isn't it time a group of local proprietors talked about bowling's benefits of being a "close to home affordable entertainment value" and then demonstrated it with specific offers that would be relevant for each of our important segments.

It would then be up to each proprietor to implement his/her own efforts in regards to Internet marketing, outside sales and inside sales?

Isn't it time we worked together and developed this type of effort?  Maybe the BPAA could help subsidize it?

Why not do it? What do you have to lose?

Nothing else is working.

If there is a group of proprietors out there interested in developing this type of approach, you got me for a free teleconference strategy session and to act as your guide.

Yup, I have been doing this for over 30 years so I know a little bit about integrated media campaigns.                     914 592 2836 (office) or email me at fredkaplowitz@gmail.com