Archive for the ‘Trends’ Category
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
Everyday, business emergencies, crises, and disasters suddenly liberate organizations from the restraints of the institutionalized barriers to performance improvement. These events evoke powerful and dramatic responses that cannot be matched by any of the structured programs and technologies a company may currently use. They can be large or small.
Here’s an example:
When adulterated Tylenol capsules caused the deaths of seven people in September 1982, Johnson & Johnson organized a crash program to protect the public as well as to salvage its #1 brand product. One of the most critical tasks was to design a sealed package. Within seven weeks, a team of engineers and designers had developed and tested a triple-sealed package, redesigned production processes and equipment, developed new package graphics, and moved into full-scale production. Completing this series of complex tasks under normal circumstances would have taken well over one year, nearly two years. (more…)
Tags: Catapult Effect, change your business, crisis, ebook, marketing, save your business, success, the Catapult Effect, turnaround
Posted in Branding, Creativity, Great Ideas, Highly Recommended, New Ideas, Trends | Comments Off
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
As a lot of my friends and business colleagues know, my oldest son is currently in the process of getting his driver’s license; ad guy by day, dad and driver’s instructor by night. One of the things we have been practicing without fail on a daily basis is parallel parking. When I was 15 years old, my grandmother was my driving coach and she taught me a few “tricks” about rearview mirrors, side mirrors and the blind spot just over your right shoulder as a way to glide any car into the parking space with just the three maneuvers you can have during your parking test. With a little practice and these little tips, my son has parallel parking down.
But what about business? Yes, your business and some of the tips and tricks necessary these days to make the most of your marketing dollars and keep you within the space allotted without bumping or hitting the curbs? Blind spots in cars are easy to identify. Blind spots in our businesses aren’t so easy. Why—because if we could see them, they wouldn’t be blind spots. Here are a few common blind spots I see in businesses with which I consult: (more…)
Tags: Branding, competitive analysis, customer profiling, price, relevance
Posted in Branding, Creativity, email marketing, Great Ideas, Highly Recommended, New Ideas, Traditional Media, Trends | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Brands are dead. Advertising no longer works. Weaned on TiVo, the Internet, and other emerging technologies, the short-attention-span generation has become immune to marketing. Your marketing performance will determine whethere or not you can overcome these obstacles. Consumers are “in control.” Or so we’re told.
But the real truth is a much more important and lasting cultural shift has happened.
As technology has created avenues for advertising anywhere and everywhere, people are embracing brands more than ever before–creating brands of their own and participating in marketing campaigns for their favorite brands in unprecedented ways. In the process, they–we–have begun to funnel cultural, political and community activities through connections with brands. You can use consumers’ word-of-mouth to enhance your marketing performance without the consumer ever knowing.
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Tags: advertising, email marketing, internet marketing, marketing, public relations, relationship marketing, Social Media, tradition
Posted in Branding, Creativity, email marketing, Great Ideas, Highly Recommended, internet marketing, New Ideas, Research, Search Marketing, Social Media, Traditional Media, Trends | No Comments »
Monday, August 31st, 2009
Touch point focused and two-way? Have any idea what I’m talking about? Planners still classify media touch points as “above-the-line,” “below-the-line” and “new,” but planning should always be based on some critical considerations: Which touch point will best reinforce your brand value? And…where will the brand + media equation yield real engagement? Effectiveness will result only where the plan is seamless, believable, personalized, and authentic. There are those engagement words again— personalized and authentic. Media planning innovation and technological innovation are fast becoming one and the same.
Mobile devices, for example, are becoming an increasingly important touch point for consumers and a starting point for migration from desktop to laptop to blacktop. Location-aware software for phones, while still new, will inspire the mobile medium, so expect promotional coupons to show up along with IMs and look for greater granularity in measuring marketing ROI. Marketing dollars transitioning to online isn’t new, but social networks are also becoming more engaged in engagement to help marketers more effectively deliver messages and determine return on their efforts. Take a look at your media plan. Review it for creativity and innovation. Need ideas and suggestions? We’re as close as your phone, your UberTwitter app, or email.
Tags: Branding, engagement, media planning, social marketing, Social Media, Traditional Media
Posted in Branding, Creativity, Great Ideas, Highly Recommended, internet marketing, New Ideas, Social Media, Traditional Media, Trends, twitter | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
Targeting Online Consumers
We’ve all done it, whether driving to an important business meeting, a trade show or a tourist attraction with restless kids in the car: gotten lost and refused to pull over and ask for directions, or at least waited far too long to do so, wasting time and causing ourselves and our fellow passengers a lot of unnecessary aggravation.
The same can be said for online marketing, especially during slow economic periods when engaging consumers rather than the hard sell becomes more important than ever so that you can stay top of mind with your customers and be in a strong position for the turnaround.
Download a copy of Marketing Performance Targeting Online Consumers Report.
Tags: free white paper, how to target, obtain traffic, online traffic
Posted in About Us, internet marketing, Trends | No Comments »
Everyday, business emergencies, crises, and disasters suddenly liberate organizations from the restraints of the institutionalized barriers to performance improvement. These events evoke powerful and dramatic responses that cannot be matched by any of the structured programs and technologies a company may currently use. They can be large or small.
