Like the rest of the country, the temperature is extremely hot in Chicago with some days having heat indices of over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit.  In fact, many residents throughout the area are still suffering from power outages from a recent storm. Luckily, I had my Spotlights™ handy when the power at home was out.  With Spotlights™ placed strategically in my car, purse, kitchen, bathroom, etc., I am always ready at a moment’s notice.

The other day, I received a personal testimonial from a lady who works in the same office building.  I had given her a couple of Spotlights™ shortly after we met, and she said that the Spotlight™ in her car “saved the day.”  She and her husband went out for the evening, and when they returned to their car, they were unable to drive out of their parking spot.  It was a very warm night, and they were anxious to get home.  However, they had no idea what was going on with their car.  She remembered that she left her Spotlight™ in the 12-volt power outlet socket.  When she brought it outside to look at the car, they noticed that it was so warm that the tar stuck onto the tires.  Once they peeled the tar off their tires, they were able to drive out of their spot.  She thanked me for introducing Spotlight™ to her.

We always like hearing Spotlight™ stories.  It makes us feel good when people tell us how glad that they are that they have Spotlights™, and I am personally proud to be part of the Spotlight™ family.

Remember, we are continuously featuring models, cars, and light graffiti artists.  With an existing Spotlight™ fan base, this is your opportunity to shine and gain more exposure!  Remember that being featured can lead to additional opportunities with Spotlight™, so this is a perfect opportunity to introduce yourself.

Finally, visit the new website http://www.SpotlightTM.com!  Spotlight™ is the coming together of Spotlight™ rechargeable led light fans worldwide.  Through our free networking site, you are able to interact with other members of the illuminaughty and share photos, videos, groups, reviews, etc.  Of course, the content is not limited to just Spotlight™.

Tomorrow, I have a big hiking trip, and my day pack would not be complete without my Spotlight™!  I made sure that my hiking companions are outfitted with their own Spotlights™, too, as we navigate through the wilderness.

Get Lit,
Abigail

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Have you heard of our new website http://www.SpotlightTM.com?  Spotlight™ is the coming together of Spotlight™ rechargeable led light fans worldwide.  Through our free networking site, you are able to interact with other members of the illuminaughty and share photos, videos, groups, reviews, etc.  Of course, the content is not limited to just Spotlight™.  For instance, one of our latest groups include Sponsorship Advice, so that people who are looking for sponsors can gain some insight from those who are already sponsored.

Best of all, if you use the site often, you gain Karma points, which may be redeemed for Spotlight™ goodies.  Don’t be left in the dark!  Come into our Spotlight!

SEMA

While the Spotlight crew toured the Western United States, one of our stops included the most anticipated event of the year – SEMA.  Hosted by one of distributors US Speedo, we had attendees meet models Mariel Mendoza at the parties and Abigail Michelle at the booth.  Both handed out personalized Spotlight™ fliers while they greeted fans.  Spotlight™ gurus Bill Reimann, Matt Swisher, and Mark Clulow, demonstrated the new products in our lineup and answered any questions that attendees had.

Obviously, more happened on this trip, but as the saying goes, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas…”

Features

As we roll into 2011, we are still going to continue feature models, cars, and light graffiti artists.  With an existing Spotlight™ fan base, this is your opportunity to shine and gain more exposure!  Remember that being featured can lead to additional opportunities with Spotlight™, so this is a perfect opportunity to introduce yourself. 

Click here to view additional information about submissions.  Questions may be directed to models@12vspotlight.com.

Holiday Shopping

Finally, make sure to add http://www.12Vspotlight.com items to your shopping list!  We have so many items for the guys and gals in your life.  Let us know how  Spotlight™ has changed your life.

Happy holidays from the Spotlight crew!

Get Lit,
12Vspotlight.com

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http://www.youtube.com/user/12Vspotlight

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create your own version of the spotlightTM “HELLO my name is” sticker by taking the template above and making it your own.
set your profile picture on facebook, youtube, flickr, twitter etc. to your awesome new sticker and hit us up at mswisher[at]12Vspotlight[dot]com .  our favorite sticker each month will win FREE spotlights and/or accessories http://www.12Vspotlight.com

history of the slapper sticker

“HELLO my name is…” stickers are the ultimate ice-breaker.
they’ve been around for years and are a great way to get around the awkward “sorry, I’ve totally forgotten your name” situation!

shortly after their initial creation, these stickers also became a perfect canvas for graffiti artists to show off their skillz.
do an image search for ‘’HELLO my name is’ and see how others have used these fun stickers in the past.

below are some of what the spotlight team came up with…

Matt “$w1sh” Swisher

Mark “THA MC SEE” Clulow

Fei-Long Tran

Abigail Michelle

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Get Lit,

Swisher

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Today’s topic is product photography. I am not a photographer – but I know a good hero shot when I see one. I bring this up because I am looking at one of my competitor’s catalogs right now and the images are so tiny I can’t even tell what they’re selling. You know the expression, “A picture’s worth a thousand words”? The images in their catalog are worth about 5 words apiece!

I should probably laugh and rejoice that my competition has such a poor catalog, but I’d rather they did a GREAT job so I could persuade MY company to spend more on marketing!   Honestly though, let’s all learn from their mistakes and discuss some common marketing errors.

Problem #1 – Tiny images
Why bother to spend the money for original photography if your customer can’t even see the details on the product? A good hero shot should be up-close-and-personal, showing the product at its best. If it’s food, it should look mouth-watering and delicious. If it’s a toy, it should look fun and inviting. If it’s technology, it should look modern and full of features. Basically the product should look as sexy as it’s ever going to look! Now a lot of people will say, ‘but the copy explains the features… the copy tells you how great it is…. the copy will make you want to buy this product’ – WRONG! The picture (if it doesn’t sell the product all by itself) should make you want to read the copy, not the other way around. Think of it this way; if you see a shirt in a store that you think is ugly, do you bother to check the price tag?

Problem #2 – Overloaded shots
Just because you have a great kit with lots of pieces doesn’t mean you should just dump them all out on the table and take the picture. If the image just looks like a hodge-podge of junk, no one is going to try to decipher all the components – they’re just going to flip the page. For kit shots, I prefer to keep the pieces in the packaging and put one of each piece in front for display – this let’s the customer see the components without overwhelming them.

Problem #3 – Cluttered Page Layout
I have seen images in catalogs with bursts all around them, proclaiming “best seller!”, “great value!”, “customer favorite!”. Really annoying! I would hope that the product you’re trying to sell me is a great value – what’s the alternative? “Over-priced!”? “Not worth the money!”? Better to show the product itself than waste space with clichés.

Problem #4 – Inappropriate Props
How many times have I seen an otherwise normal product accompanied with a stupid prop? True example – I started working for a place that had imaged all their couches and chairs with throw-pillows and blankets draped over them artistically. The images were lovely. And we spent the rest of the year explaining to customers that the pillows and blankets are not included. And that we don’t actually sell them. My point is, don’t go overboard with props or models, background washes and puppy dogs, etc. etc. It’s overkill, and it’s just giving face time to things you can’t actually make money on!

An experience photographer/designer is worth his or her weight in gold – they can take something completely boring and transform it into the star of the show! Believe me when I say that I’ve had to merchandise some pretty un-glamorous products (titanium steel wave-rings, fishing tackle, meter sticks…. I could go on and on)!

Get Lit,

KT

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This is off the wall, but I had to share this with you all. Below is a description of a TV commercial that I really like versus ones I hate. They’re all advertising the same product, and it’s not one that I would ever buy – so why do I care so much? I guess being in marketing for the past 8 years or so has really made me take notice of the way things are advertised. What can we learn from these ads from a marketing standpoint, and how can we apply them to our own companies’ products?

The product: Just For Men (hair dye)

The good commercial: Ex-athletes Keith Hernandez and Walt Frazier pretend to be sportscasters rating football player Emmitt Smith’s gray hair. He uses the product and then scores a touchdown. Trash-talking dialogue (”Your ’stache is trash! Your beard is weird!”) gives the audience a humorous look at the product and shows that even famous athletes have some insecurities about getting older, but that’s ok.

The bad commercial #1: A man with gray hair is told by his daughter that he will get a promotion at work… if he dyes his hair to look younger. He then gets the job.
The bad commercial #2: A man with gray hair is told by his two young daughters that he will be ‘a nice catch’ for some woman, if he dyes his hair. He then gets a date.

What’s the difference? To the casual observer it seems like the premise is the same – the man looks old (and it’s implied he feels old also) and then uses the hair dye to look younger and then has some sort of success. However – when dealing with a sensitive topic, it’s best to either keep it factual, or make it funny – leaving the sappy rhetoric at the door. Men who might buy this product are probably insulted by the patronizing ‘real life’ scenarios (besides, if he’s interviewing for a VP position, they’d probably WANT someone who looks distinguished rather than young!). I know if I had kids who told me I was too old to get a job or a date I would be really annoyed!

From the marketing side, it’s better to let the customer put himself in Emmitt Smith’s shoes than some random guy who feel insecure about getting older. What’s my point? It’s that those of us in marketing have to know our customers, and if we’re going to sell to their insecurities we should at least entertain them as part of the bargain! Ok, enough of my little rant…. but I can’t be the only one who notices this stuff – what’s your most or least favorite form of advertising?

Get Lit,

KT

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