Advertising Ideas:Lessons Learned From Obama, McDonald’d And More!!!

What can a U.S.President, a Fast Food Chain, and a a 3rd String Quarterback teach us about business?  This week President Obama decided it was to much of a security risk to travel to Paris or to send a representative to Paris on his behalf. The newspapers and all the electronic media outlets were a buzz at what is perceived to be another gaffe for this president. Social media had people calling Obama, ODrama, Dumbo, and other derogatory names. I looked and I thought what if a business acted in the manner that OBama acted and received the negative push back how could they spin it and rebuild their reputation in the market place.  The lesson that I learned from Obama is to make sure you are always putting yourself in a positive light  so that you will always be perceived as someone to know, like, and trust as consumers like to do business with people they know like and trust.  If you look at the Obama presidency you can learn many lessons of what not to do so as to avoid the downfalls of negative public relations. There is a saying that one oh crap ruins a thousand at-a-boys.  If you truly want to be seen in a positive light then you must present yourself in a positive light especially if you are a high profiled individual. People are going to watch what you say and what you do and they may forget that but they will not forget how you made them feel. So when you are doing business, networking, advertising, posting on social media make sure you leave people feeling good.
As I was watching the NFL Divisional Playoffs I saw this McDonald’s Ad for the first time and I thought McDonald’s has done it again. They created another ad campaign that will be remembered and relate to their target audience.Though it has been over 16 months since my last McDonald’s Purchase I have always looked to  their marketing campaigns for lessons.  If you notice the characters in the ad you will notice that most of them will resonate with the 25-54 crowd who today has children and that is one of the biggest consumer audiences for McDonald’s.The first lesson learned here is to know who your target audience and to deliver a campaign that will be resonating, entertaining, and relevant . The second lesson is to create something that will get people talking thus creating a  buzz around your business.  Many consumers want to feel good about supporting the companies where they spend their hard-earned money. After spending money at McDonald’s those who choose to do so have said that they feel good about their purchases because of the perception that McDonald’s cares about the community. One thing I have learned is that it is important to create a warm fuzzy feeling with existing customers and potential customers like what McDonald’s did here with this commercial.

When Cardale Jones started this season he did not know that he would lead The Ohio State Buckeyes to a National Championship as their 3rd string quarterback. Cardale was pressed into action on a very large stage again 3 top football programs, Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon. Though he had some challenges he persevered and overcame the obstacles and found success. What does Cardale’s journey teach us about business? That even in the roughest times if we align ourselves with the tight people and always give 100% we can have a chance at success.  Cardale grew up in a troubled neighborhood and even saw a man die on his porch but then he met two people who helped change his life. He decided to take a different path then many in his neighborhood and he committed himself to changing and on January 12, 2015 he hoisted a championship trophy  showing that persistence, positive choices, and hard work will eventually pay off. The lesson we take from Cardale is to be responsible for our actions and to make the proper choices and we will be successful.

 The greatest lessons we can learn  in business are  that we were impeccable with our word, didn’t take anything personally, didn’t make assumptions, and always did our best.  Such must be the case when we market or advertise, engage in public and media relations, and service our customers. We must think how will we be perceived, how will this be spoken about, and what feelings will it give to consumers. At the end of the day the bottom line remains that people will do business with those they know, like, and trust. How will you be of service and value?  Stay Positive!