Who IS That?!?

The matchup for the Super Bowl is set.  The Atlanta Falcons rode the strong right arm of MVP Candidate Matt Ryan during their NFC Championship Run.  One player for the New England Patriots set the pace during the AFC Championship game to secure their spot in the Super Bowl: Chris Hogan.  Who? 

Exactly.

NFL pundits are spending a lot of energy trying to answer the question, ‘Who is this guy?’  They are having a difficult time understanding how someone they’ve never heard of can have such a dynamic impact on the outcome of a championship game.

Chris Hogan lit up the Pittsburgh Steelers defense for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was an amazing performance by a player that many had never heard of before.  He was a Lacrosse player in college. But, with a year of eligibility left, he had an itch to give football a try, a game he hadn’t played since high school.  He had an underwhelming senior season, but Chris Hogan possesses the one quality NFL teams look for: Speed.

He signed in 2011 as an undrafted free agent by the 49ers, but Hogan was released before the season began and spent time on the practice squad of the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins.  In Miami he earned the nickname, “7-11” because he was always open.  Even with such promise, he did not earn a roster spot with the Dolphins and was cut. He spent 3 uneventful seasons with the Buffalo Bills.  When the Patriots offered him a 3 year contract, the Bills declined to match the offer. Bill Belichick and the Patriots did what they have always done under his leadership: They found value that no one else could see. 

The Patriots invested in a little-known commodity with maximum results. Again.

When you consider your overall marketing strategy, you have a powerful, yet little-known commodity at your fingertips, too: on-hold advertising.  Some business owners are still waiting.  They are having a difficult time understanding how something they’ve never heard of can have such a dynamic impact on their business.

It’s simple. Customers have already decided to call you. All you need to do is decide to maximize the time they spend on hold by treating them to a professionally produced, creative on-hold advertising program designed to reinforce your image with every single call. The problem is many businesses treat this powerful medium like NFL teams have treated Chris Hogan for most of his career. It may be worth a glance, but not worth an investment of time or money, right?  What we have is good enough.   As you know, good enough rarely is - especially in business.

The Buffalo Bills chose not to invest in a commodity that was right under their nose. It is that type of close-minded thinking that has marked that franchise for over a decade.  They haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999 and just fired their head coach.  Again.

Chris Hogan has always been talented.  It took an organization willing to look at what he has to offer and invest in him to bring that talent to fruition.  We saw the results of that kind of commitment as Hogan repeatedly burned the Pittsburgh secondary in the AFC Championship game. 

On-hold advertising has always been effective. It takes a business willing to look at the importance of this final step in the advertising cycle and truly invest in what their customers hear when they are placed on hold. Talk about return on investment. You will hear the results of your commitment with every call. 

Successful businesses understand the importance of maximizing this little-known commodity that is right under their nose. Unfortunately, others never will.  But, that’s okay. This is just another way you can distance yourself from the competition.

Just like the Patriots have been doing since 2001.

Tom McTee, Super-Genius