Marketing Articles About Branding Search Results

1. Brands are Dead. This is a guest post from Dim Bulb’s Jonathan Salem Baskin. Along with the crisis in financial markets, there’s another ugly truth we need to admit: brands are dead, and it’s time for marketers to admit it. Nobody carries brands around in their heads. Nobody has a relationship with a brand. Or lives a brand lifestyle. [...] (11/19/08 09:00 PM)

2. Ant Farm Grows To Fill Toy Niche. Ventura County Star: A giant remote-controlled ant is crawling across the conference table at Uncle Milton Industries Inc. in Westlake Village. Frank Adler, vice president of marketing, works the controls with a crystal skull device that hints at its branding as a licensed toy from the “Indiana Jones” movie. “Who better to do ants — a remote control [...]
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3. Financial Crisis Spurs Smoking Spike, Cheaper Brand Buys. Over three-quarters (77%) of current smokers in the US report increased stress levels because of the economic crisis — and two-thirds of those smokers say this stress has had an effect on their...

   

   (11/19/08 09:00 AM)

4. Seven Ways to Woo the 'Aspirational' Luxury Customer. Ongoing economic uncertainty has made aspirational luxury customers more selective about what they purchase than ever. "Aspirationals" are aggressively prioritizing discretionary spending, purchasing a select few emotionally charged luxury items but buying everything else at mass or "masstige" outlets. Companies that want to continue to profit from aspirational customers must make their brands accessible and relevant to them by taking their lifestyles into consideration and meeting them half way. Here are seven tips to draw out aspirationals, just in time for the holidays. (11/18/08 09:00 AM)

5. Indexed Facebook Profiles to Include 'Fan' Pages. In the near future, search listings for Facebook users will include links to branded pages for which those users are fans, according to informational ads appearing on the social network. For example,...

   

   (11/18/08 09:00 AM)

6. 6 Ideas for Viral Marketing. 6 Ideas for Viral Marketing Here are six ideas to help you start your viral marketing campaign: 1. Purchase the branding rights to a viral E-book. Allow people to give away your free E-book to... (11/17/08 09:00 PM)

7. Building Trust with Transparency. Fast Interview: The co-author of "Tactical Transparency" on how companies can use authenticity and social media tools to reinforce their brands and create relationships with customers.

   

   
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8. Small Canadian Business Grants. Beginning a brand new enterprise is a hard assignment. A business creator mustn't deny the large amount of resources devoted to building a firm. Just thinking of the ordeal at hand truly is daunting.... (11/17/08 09:01 AM)

9. Multicultural Marketing Grows, but Frustrations Mount. Multicultural marketing (MCM) continues to grow as a strategic platform for driving brand and business performance, but marketers feel stymied by a lack of funding, lukewarm executive support and...

   

   (11/17/08 09:01 AM)

10. Branded Lights Get the Message Across. If you operate a store of some kind, then you know how important branded lights are. They are those lights that showcase what it is you're offering. They are what get the customers attention to turn t... (11/15/08 09:00 AM)

11. LotusJump Puts The SEO Tools You Need In Your Hands. Why do those top brands rank highest in search engine results? It is not dumb luck. They hire SEO (Search Engine Optimization) firms to make it happen. It is important to optimize your website for the best search engine results possible, but many small and medium sized businesses simply can not afford [...]
    (11/14/08 09:00 AM)

12. Sainsbury Gains as Brits Buy House Brands.

    

    (11/13/08 09:00 PM)

13. Plush from Puma, HoneyShed Repositions as QVC for Techies. Last year, with an infusion of $20 million in seed money, Publicis Groupe, Droga5 and Digitas launched Honeyshed, a quirky online outlet for branded entertainment. "Based on the idea that people love...

    

    (11/13/08 09:00 AM)

14. Under the Radar Conference Preview: Palringo. As popular as instant messaging is on the desktop, it hasn't quite taken off the same way on mobile devices. Palringo is trying to bring a smarter brand of IM, designed from the start for handhelds, to our mobile world. (11/12/08 09:01 AM)

15. Bright, Shiny Future for Green Cleaning. Last week I noted Clorox's earnings successes, credited in part to its Greenworks cleaners brand. Today a press release from Earth Friendly Cleaners, a small 15-year-old company dedicated to award-winning, plant-based, cruelty-free products, ... (11/12/08 09:01 AM)

16. Holiday 2008 Sales to Fall 5%. Planned holiday spend for 2008 is, on average, $775 - down 5% from last year, according to a Brand Keys, Inc. national survey of 16,000 consumers in the nine US Census regions, reports Retailer...

    

    (11/12/08 09:01 AM)

17. Pervasive Product Integration - Who Cares?. When I was a kid product placement was a bottle of Clorox on the laundry room shelf in Poltergeist, or those tasty Reese’s Pieces that lured ET. Times have changed. It’s not enough to get your can of soda on the table next to the heartthrob. Successful consumer product integration occurs when a brand [...] (11/12/08 09:00 AM)

18. Marketing Champion Q&A: Xerox VP Christa Carone Builds the Brand and Reputation. During the 12 years that Christa Carone has been with Xerox, the company has been on quite a roller-coaster ride, having gone through significant challenges back in 1999 through 2001/2002, when the company's brand and reputation really took a hit. Recently she discussed with Roy Young her work to strengthen the company's reputation in the marketplace, to bring the brand back to a place that is worthy of such an iconic name like Xerox, and to help the company grow. (11/11/08 09:00 AM)

19. Brand-Association Study: Obama Linked to BMW, McCain to Ford. Barack Obama is more associated with brands BMW, Target, Google and Samuel Adams, while John McCain brings to mind Ford, Wal-Mart , AOL and Budweiser, according to the 2008 Presidential ImagePower...

    

    (11/11/08 09:00 AM)

20. Frugality Trumps Brand Loyalty. The Wall Street Journal: When Summer Mills visited her local CVS drugstore recently, to save a few dollars she bought the store-brand facial scrub rather than the Olay version she normally uses. “I thought I’d be able to tell the difference, but I couldn’t — I looked at the ingredients and they seemed almost the same,” says [...]
    (11/11/08 09:00 AM)

21. Things To Remember Before You Bid on A Product From Online Auction. Before You Bid On A Business Product From An Online Auction You Should Know Following things:- 1. Know the value of the product before you bid. If the product is brand new, check to see what price... (11/10/08 09:00 AM)

22. Havas Launches Virtual Brand 'Futures' Network. This week at OMMA, CEO Don Epperson of Havas Digital announced a dramatic shift in how Havas manages, plans and purchases online ad inventory. The model — representing Havas' foray into the crowded...

    

    (11/07/08 09:00 PM)

23. Three Marketing Initiatives Key to Breakout B2C Brand Growth. Placing disciplined focus on three key business-to-consumer marketing initiatives and executing them properly helps top brands achieve "category killing" performance and can make a difference in...

    

    (11/05/08 09:00 PM)

24. Museum Branding. An organization's name, logo, brand... their image, directly impacts peoples perception about it and how their products and services are valued. The same is true for museums.

    

    
    (10/29/08 09:00 AM)

25. Co-branding for New Business. This content from: Duct Tape Marketing Co-branding for New Business Large organizations have done it for years, but many small business marketers haven’t yet discovered the awesome power of co-branding. It’s really just a fancy name for referrals or partnerships, but in this context, what I mean by co-branding is simply reaching out to other businesses that play [...] (10/22/08 09:00 PM)

26. What’s In a Name These Days?. This content from: Duct Tape Marketing What’s In a Name These Days? The name of a business is an essential marketing decision and certainly should be considered in that vein. Conventional wisdom, from a marketing point of view, is that a name should evoke either a telling description or some essence of the brand. I guess at [...] (10/22/08 09:00 PM)

27. Join Me Live to Discover Duct Tape Coaching. This content from: Duct Tape Marketing Join Me Live to Discover Duct Tape Coaching We are building an entrepreneurial coaching organization like no other. Join me live to learn how you can align your marketing expertise and experience with the Duct Tape Marketing system and brand. I will present a detailed overview of the Duct Tape Coaching opportunity [...] (10/22/08 09:00 PM)

28. What’s In a Name These Days?. This content from: Duct Tape Marketing What’s In a Name These Days? The name of a business is an essential marketing decision and certainly should be considered in that vein. Conventional wisdom, from a marketing point of view, is that a name should evoke either a telling description or some essence of the brand. I guess at [...]
    (10/20/08 09:00 AM)

29. Co-branding for New Business. This content from: Duct Tape Marketing Co-branding for New Business Large organizations have done it for years, but many small business marketers haven’t yet discovered the awesome power of co-branding. It’s really just a fancy name for referrals or partnerships, but in this context, what I mean by co-branding is simply reaching out to other businesses that play [...]
    (10/17/08 09:00 PM)

30. Six Free Tools for Online Reputation Management. Do you know what people are saying about you? Online reputation management consists of tracking your brand and reacting when necessary. Sometimes it's tedious. But brand monitoring can save you from a potential disaster. It can also help you proactively join conversations around your topic area, to get your brand name out there. (10/14/08 09:01 AM)

31. When the Media Becomes the Marketing: Q&A With CC Chapman. While blogs and social networks seem to get most of the attention when it comes to social media talk, podcasts and videos also remain viable channels to reach and connect with an audience. CC Chapman should know, as he's been active in the blogosphere and social networking spaces for years, but was also among the first bloggers to embrace and effectively utilize podcasting as a communication and brand-building tool. Today, he continues to show his clients how they can put his knowledge to work for them via his work at The Advance Guard. CC was kind enough to talk to us about his Video and Podcasting: Making Media as Marketing session at Marketing Profs Digital Marketing Mixer, and also (10/14/08 09:01 AM)

32. Join Me Live to Discover Duct Tape Coaching. This content from: Duct Tape Marketing Join Me Live to Discover Duct Tape Coaching We are building an entrepreneurial coaching organization like no other. Join me live to learn how you can align your marketing expertise and experience with the Duct Tape Marketing system and brand. I will present a detailed overview of the Duct Tape Coaching opportunity [...]
    (10/14/08 09:00 AM)

33. Add Value Before Discounts. This content from: Duct Tape Marketing Add Value Before Discounts Giving in to the temptation to simply discount products and services in competitive environments can erode your profit and ultimately your brand. I say look for ways to add value to your products and services before you ever consider lowering your prices. I’ve written more on this, including [...]
    (10/13/08 09:00 PM)

34. Three Reasons Why Contribution > Community . I hear the word "community" from many marketing managers these days. I hear it so often it would seem every business should strive to have a community. As if community is becoming a common business objective or goal.While the concept of community -- and assumed relationship to WOM and customer loyalty -- is attractive, the realized business impact of community is a far reach for most companies. I launched a community of baby boomers back in '97. Chat and forums made Thirdage.com a community, but even within these environments, unpredictable sub-communities around topics of passion formed. That's when I realized that a community has to be founded on common interests, passions and goals. A company can create a thread of passion and community where one seemingly does not exist. Fiskars created a community around scrap bookers. Makers Mark created an effective "Ambassador" community for their bourbon whiskey that other liquor companies covet. However, as worthwhile as these communities are, I assert the vast majority of their customers neither heard of, nor participated in, nor heard from members from these communities.As such, you have to ask yourself questions before venturing into a community. How strong can your brand or products yield community? And then, how will the mechanics of that community yield significant business results? Will participation be high, or is it ok with you to host a nice online place for 500 of your most loyal customers to become members, in which only 20 participate regularly? How close is the... (10/06/08 09:00 AM)

35. Social media: It's all about risk, resources and rewards..

    In countless discussions about social media, digital marketing tools and "what's next," I've determined that it's critical for all marketers to put a framework around their decisions on what tools to use, when to use them and how to get started. I put these decisions into a general "3-R" framework.

    Risk: What's your tolerance?
    Whether you're catapulting your brand into the social media sphere by simultaneously starting a blog, moderating a customer community and twittering, or if you're simply monitoring social media to get a glimpse of how the world sees you, there's a certain modicum of risk involved. You need to determine how much risk you're willing to take.

    Social-media risk can manifest in the following ways:
    > Exposure to issues that you'd rather not confront in a Web-based public forum.
    > Suppliers and competitors watching your every move and your every flaw.
    > Legal ramifications of customers commenting on bugs, defects, recalls, etc.
    > Sharing control of your finely crafted brand message with passionate, yet misguided, fans.

    Organizations that are ethical, honest, have strong brands and a strong sense of self will prevail and enjoy a low-risk environment in their social media endeavors. However, if your organization is secretive, insecure and does things you wouldn't tell your mother about, then you'll likely find there's simply too much risk for you in social media.

    Resources: Do you have them?
    This is probably the number one question I hear: "What does it take to do this stuff (blogging, social media, podcasts, etc.)?" For most companies, the cost of technical resources is the least of their worries. In fact, a majority of marketers who deploy social-media campaigns find it's the least expensive part of their budget. It's much more important to have the right people in place to help with your social media efforts. Whether that's a knowledgeable person in-house or a paid consultant, human resources are the most important aspect of putting social media to work in your organization.

    Rewards: What do you expect?
    Let's be serious. The only reason we're in marketing is to pursue capitalistic rewards. If we really want to pursue social media as part of our marketing - with low risk and few resources - we can certainly have at it. In the final analysis, however, we need to show substantial rewards in order to make it worth our while.

    The ROI of social media depends on your overall goals. Most marketers define social-media rewards in the following ways:
    > An increase in Website page views from social media sources.
    > A larger network of customers and fans on social networking sites.
    > Growth in your prospect email database.
    > Increased conversation about your company on the Internet.

    When considering social media as a component of your marketing mix, remember the three R's: risks, resources and rewards. By vetting your plans against these criteria and asking the right questions, you'll be on the path to social-media success.
    

    
    (10/01/08 09:00 PM)

36. Hardwired to Love Brands. Why are "mirror neurons" so relevant to marketers? Because they reveal why we're hardwired to imitate, cradle to grave. Mirror neurons explain why we sometimes do things that we can't explain. They can also be a source of valuable instruction for product marketers, able to turn a brand from a moderate success into runaway success that no-one can live without. (09/30/08 09:01 AM)

37. Social Media Marketing Best Practice Tip.

    I'm fond of saying that social media doesn't have 'best practices' per se, we just have 'current practices'. Those things that we know are working right now with very, very limited play in a real market. That said, I see that Mitch Joel, Six Pixels of Separation, has started a blog meme on pulling together the best practices and has challenged bloggers to write one post. I also see that Toby has already contributed some outstanding insights. Here's my take

    Social Media Best Practice Tip:
    
    Alignment: Yes, that's it. Alignment. If your organization is considering (or is well on their way) pursuing social media in your tactical marketing plans. It (social media) MUST be in complete alignment with your strategy and differentiator as an organization and in complete alignment with what you're already doing in your marketing plan.

    Strategic & Differentiation Alignment:
    If you've not yet read Seth Godin's book, Meatball Sundae, I highly recommend you check it out. In a nutshell, it gets after this very issue. If you're in charge of marketing for any organization that does not (and is not likely to in the future) embody openness, sharing, trust and all of those things that are required in a customer-owns-your-brand world that is social media, this might not be a strategic fit for you. Should you change, perhaps, but that's not the issue here. Just as I would rarely advise a B2B startup client to advertise on network television, there are some companies that aren't going to align on social media. One last thing - even though your company has some aligning characteristics...if your legal department doesn't, your social media marketing plan may have a hard time getting off the ground. I'm just sayin'...

    Marketing Plan Alignment:
    This one's a bit easier, but still a challenge, and we're still talking about alignment. If you decide to setup a Twitter account because it's cool, but you're not blogging and you're expecting things to just explode for you, that's unrealistic (but, you already knew that...) You need to align social media vehicles with that you're already doing and plan appropriately for their launch. If you have a customer database but you've never sent an email, maybe do that first...then put up the videos, then email your customers again, then get the blog going, then seed you customers with that and get the real conversation going... I'm still bullish on data and collecting it on prospects and customers (RSS subscribers and video viewers are not success metrics in the end) and employing that data in your marketing and social media efforts.

    [UPDATE] One more thing... This 'social media thing' is new, and it's not...you know what I mean...right? Well, here's what I mean. Companies that do well in social media are those same types of organizations with the criteria identified by Jim Collins in Good to Great. They would meet the test of social media readiness. Examples of that criteria include: humility, acting as a servant leader, being able to accept brutal honesty, availability, a willingness to share credit (ideally, give full credit to others) and take sole responsibility and blame for failures.

    
    (09/11/08 09:00 PM)

38. Retailers Reprogram Workers...Should Reprogram Customers. In an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Ann Taylor and stores like it were profiled for their use of systems like Atlas (Ann Taylor Labor Allocation System), developed by RedPrairie Corp, that track employee sales and activities and adjust their schedules to match the store's busy times, thus maximizing profitability. While I understand this is a great productivity tool, it's taking a bit of the humanity out of retailing...somewhat.

    The sluggish national economy has put pressure on many retailers to pinch pennies. "The single biggest controllable cost in retail is people," says Carl Steidtmann, chief economist at Deloitte LLP. Because few retail workers belong to unions, he says, it is easier for employers to "move people around." Vendors of the systems claim they can boost productivity by 15% or more, and can help cut labor costs by 5% or more.

    What I find even more interesting, and this is JUST for Ann Taylor (having a wife who's a fan of their clothes) is the heavy discounting that they've trained their customers to come to expect! Just last night, she produced a series of coupons, some for actual dollar amounts off of the merchandise and some for large percentages like 20% to 30% off any purchase over a certain figure. I understand margins, I know that they're high in the fashion industry, and I'm sure that there's good reason for this. However, customers of Ann Taylor and other brands like them (some of those mentioned in the article, most likely) have trained their customers to shop based on price and incentives. Period. Sure, the clothes fit...but seriously - 30% off on a regular basis? Action Item: So, what have you trained your customers to do? Expect things on sale, expect things you don't like doing? This is a great opportunity (and I'm doing this too) to look at your customer base from the perspective of lifetime value, and re-segment them based on 'those who should be with you in the future' and 'those who aren't going to be with you in the future'.
    (09/11/08 09:00 AM)

39. Are You Too Online?. This content from: Duct Tape Marketing Are You Too Online? Even a casual reader to this blog will know that I am a huge fan of the growing set of low-cost online tools available to the small business owner and marketer. Blogging, RSS, podcasting, social and local SEO, online PR, social networks, video services, and other online branding [...]
    (09/10/08 09:00 AM)

40. Five Steps to Building Brand Equity for the Small Business. Everyone wants brand equity. But building it, when you are more likely to qualify for the Inc. 500 rather than the Fortune 500, can be a puzzle. Particularly when the role models for brand equity are global icons like Coca Cola, Volvo, or Sony?hardly your peer set. The good news is that the path to building brand equity is clear. Here are six simple steps you can take to get started. (09/09/08 09:00 AM)

41. The Ryder Cup of Word of Mouth. Sean Moffitt at Agent Wildfire, author of blog Buzz Canuck, just published a list of top 23 U.S. Word of Mouth bloggers. As described by Sean..."...these broad-minded bloggers and company heads have distinguished themselves by trying to understand how ideas spread, online and offline, through a range of different strategies and tactics. In my opinion, they are much closer to the purpose and benefits of web 2.0, co-creation, social networks and other web, cultural and social phenomenon."I tip my hat to him for adding me to the list. I'm honored to be among this group. And I need to work on fulfilling this honor by keeping up on this blog, though these days I do a lot of blogging on Social Commerce and WOM on Bazaarblog.Here's his list of the USA Team:1. Jackie Huba/Ben McConnell - Church of the Customer (Austin, Texas)2. Andy Sernovitz - Damn! I Wish I Thought of That! (Chicago, Illinois)3. Pete Blackshaw - CGM (4. Jim Nail - Cymfony5. Ed Keller - Keller Fay6. Jeremiah Owyang - Web Strategist7. Rohit Bhargarva - Influential Marketing8. Owen Mack - CoBrandIt9. Walter Karl - WOM Study10. Fred Reichheld - Net Promoter - Boston11. Max Kalehoff - Attention Max12. Oliver Blanchard - Brand Builder13. Charlene Li - Groundswell14. Sam Decker15. Joseph Jaffe16. John Moore - Brand Autopsy (Austin, Texas)17. Peter Kim, Being Peter Kim (Austin, Texas)18. Mack Collier - The Viral Garden19. Spike Jones - Brains on Fire20. Ron McDaniel - Buzzoodle21.John Jantsch - Duct Tape Marketing22. Kim Proctor -... (09/07/08 09:00 PM)

42. Popping the Top on Your Brand's Potential With Social Media: Q&A With Gary Vaynerchuk. There's probably no better case study on how a business leverages social media to connect with customers and grow itself than Gary Vaynerchuk's Wine Library. Here, Gary shares the reasons your company should pay attention to social media, and what impact these tools will have in the years to come. (09/02/08 09:01 AM)

43. The Luxury Catch-22. In the luxury brand business, stretching brands too thinly across market segments may gain short-term revenue increases, but it also almost guarantees long-term loss to the shareholders, brand owners, and, well, consumers. So, set your limits for how much you really want to stretch your brand before you open your doors to the public. (08/26/08 09:01 AM)

44. A Six-Step Web-Branding Blueprint for the Experience Economy. Change is inevitable: As an economy matures, ages, and ultimately evolves into something new, adjustments must be made to our business development, marketing, and branding. Failure to adapt to new realities results in potentially unwanted and dramatic consequences. We are all aware of how modern economies have developed from those based on agriculture, to those based on industry, and then on information. But where do we stand now? Is the information economy dead? If so, what's replaced it? (08/12/08 09:00 AM)

45. Building the New Marketing: Making Marketing Important to the Enterprise (Part 1). Marketers have become masters of segmentation inside our own organizations. We've segmented ourselves into Lead Generators. Message Makers. Brand Stewards. Useful, of course?in fact, indispensable. But indispensable the way facilities management is indispensable. Or travel management. Or any other organization that an enterprise relies on, but cannot be easily shown to have direct impact on revenue. And if you don't have direct impact on revenue, you don't directly impact profit. And if you don't do that, you're second in line for everything?except maybe workforce reductions. (08/05/08 09:01 AM)

46. How Boar's Head Is Defending Its Brand Against the Old Flimflam: Six Steps to Empowering Your Customers. This is a tale of flimflam and a unique way that Boar's Head is battling it. Given the power of word-of-mouth, it's hard to overlook the potential of how Boar's Head is empowering its customer base. (And see how you can, too.) (07/01/08 09:00 AM)

47. Insight for Ad Agencies - Listen or Go Back to Print.

    This is quite possibly the most timely and exciting article I've read as of late (come to think it, this I've been rather busy and this might be the only thing I've read of late...nope, this really is the best).

    Joseph Dumont penned a piece for Imedia entitled "Why Agencies are Failing" in it, he lays out several of his own observations that are founded in a report from Forrester (might be worth the $279 price tag if you're seeking some Forrester Research Therapy for your agency) and compiled from his keen insights into the agency world.

    This article really hits home as it comes at a time when I'm doing a bit of work with a few agencies that I regard with the utmost respect and I can't help but see some of their challenges echoed in this article. Those are the agencies that are truly students of advertising, marketing, customer behavior and have a genuine purpose in this world. They will succeed because they can learn, they can grow and like energy (you know, never at rest) they are always moving and changing and they're on the right path.

    On the other end of the spectrum are agencies who are truly stuck. They're afraid of stepping outside of their comfort zone, afraid to admit that they need help, don't have a mastermind group internally that's challenging their age-old positioning and their clients are suffering as a result by way of crusty old strategies, reheated ideas and basically an ignorance of the end customer that we're all trying to reach. Those agencies will fail a they aren't even on a path - they're standing still.

    Here are a few observations that I took from Joseph's article. I really recommend read though it with you highlighter handy - there are some real nuggets in there. If you're an agency, take this to your next staff meeting and discuss it. It's that important. If you like, buy the Forrester report (and tell me if it was worth it!)

    1. Damnit, get out there and do the hard work to really understand how your client's consumer has changed their habits, where they hang out and what they want to hear from you. Media kits are for armchair advertisers. You need to get out there, listen, react and move. Oh, and get your client's leadership and front line folks on the same page too. Customers are smart. They see through the disorganization.

    2. Watch political marketing. I've said this for years and I'll say it again "the harbingers of the next generation of marketing are working in politics". Watch all 3 candidates and how they leverage the digital space. Also, pay attention to their budgets. They're moving mountains and spending very little (comparatively) online...they reach the masses on TV and the influencers through digital (online) means...it's a great country we live in!

    3. Interactive does NOT mean Internet. It means really in-ter-acting... get people involved, acting and interacting and engaging. Most of what's called "interactive" is anything but.

    4. User generated content is not the holy grail. User generated genuine interest in a brand that excites consumers and pushes their 'loyalty button' is what we're really seeking. There are many UGC campaigns that are bolt on piles of crap... If UGC is not aligned with your brand and the only respondents are professional contestants, you should rethink things a bit. Just because it's cool doesn't mean it's you (or that an agency should sell it to you)

    5. I actually think that we're in pretty good shape - there is BRILLIANT marketing going on out there (just read iMedia, Marketing Sherpa and others to see the kick ass campaigns and strategies that are rocking the marketing world)...but there's always room to do better. Both agencies and internal marketers can't afford to get lazy. The entire profession of marketing is founded on a "faith in the future" perspective! That's why we market - for the future...so hurry up and let's all get there!

    
    

    
    (06/09/08 09:00 AM)

48. Brand New Thinking: Put It in Cultural Context. As marketing managers seek to keep their brands fresh and relevant, many are tempted to jump on the latest trends and fads. You know: online and major media advertising with new imagery... new slogans and taglines... new product packaging... all playing to the latest pop-cult phenomena, hot colors, and new vibes. But is that really the solution? The short answer is "no." (06/03/08 09:00 AM)

49. Insight for Ad Agencies - Listen or Go Back to Print.

    This is quite possibly the most timely and exciting article I've read as of late (come to think it, this I've been rather busy and this might be the only thing I've read of late...nope, this really is the best).

    Joseph Dumont penned a piece for Imedia entitled "Why Agencies are Failing" in it, he lays out several of his own observations that are founded in a report from Forrester (might be worth the $279 price tag if you're seeking some Forrester Research Therapy for your agency) and compiled from his keen insights into the agency world.

    This article really hits home as it comes at a time when I'm doing a bit of work with a few agencies that I regard with the utmost respect and I can't help but see some of their challenges echoed in this article. Those are the agencies that are truly students of advertising, marketing, customer behavior and have a genuine purpose in this world. They will succeed because they can learn, they can grow and like energy (you know, never at rest) they are always moving and changing and they're on the right path.

    On the other end of the spectrum are agencies who are truly stuck. They're afraid of stepping outside of their comfort zone, afraid to admit that they need help, don't have a mastermind group internally that's challenging their age-old positioning and their clients are suffering as a result by way of crusty old strategies, reheated ideas and basically an ignorance of the end customer that we're all trying to reach. Those agencies will fail a they aren't even on a path - they're standing still.

    Here are a few observations that I took from Joseph's article. I really recommend read though it with you highlighter handy - there are some real nuggets in there. If you're an agency, take this to your next staff meeting and discuss it. It's that important. If you like, buy the Forrester report (and tell me if it was worth it!)

    1. Damnit, get out there and do the hard work to really understand how your client's consumer has changed their habits, where they hang out and what they want to hear from you. Media kits are for armchair advertisers. You need to get out there, listen, react and move. Oh, and get your client's leadership and front line folks on the same page too. Customers are smart. They see through the disorganization.

    2. Watch political marketing. I've said this for years and I'll say it again "the harbingers of the next generation of marketing are working in politics". Watch all 3 candidates and how they leverage the digital space. Also, pay attention to their budgets. They're moving mountains and spending very little (comparatively) online...they reach the masses on TV and the influencers through digital (online) means...it's a great country we live in!

    3. Interactive does NOT mean Internet. It means really in-ter-acting... get people involved, acting and interacting and engaging. Most of what's called "interactive" is anything but.

    4. User generated content is not the holy grail. User generated genuine interest in a brand that excites consumers and pushes their 'loyalty button' is what we're really seeking. There are many UGC campaigns that are bolt on piles of crap... If UGC is not aligned with your brand and the only respondents are professional contestants, you should rethink things a bit. Just because it's cool doesn't mean it's you (or that an agency should sell it to you)

    5. I actually think that we're in pretty good shape - there is BRILLIANT marketing going on out there (just read iMedia, Marketing Sherpa and others to see the kick ass campaigns and strategies that are rocking the marketing world)...but there's always room to do better. Both agencies and internal marketers can't afford to get lazy. The entire profession of marketing is founded on a "faith in the future" perspective! That's why we market - for the future...so hurry up and let's all get there!

    
    

    
    (05/29/08 09:00 PM)

50. The Gap in Customer Engagement. Late post from the Forrester Marketing Forum Conference I attended a couple weeks ago. The topic was “Customer Engagement”, which is heralded by many publications as the new marketing buzzword. I love buzzwords…they get buzz! Which gets people talking, which gets people trying things, which causes failures, which creates learning, which (hopefully) creates better companies. I digress. The primary research and paper behind customer engagement was conducted by Brian Haven, who’s a great Forrester Analyst. I’ve known him for years and spoken in his workshops on Social networking and UGC. I’m a big believer in the idea of customer engagement. But I have 2 cents to add on where customer engagement comes from and where the gap is in achieving this goal in organizations. The conference was a balance of ideas to measure customer engagement, with tools, principles and experiences that result in more engaged customers. During the show I posted to Facebook “Customer Engagement is a more measured way of defining Customer Experience”. Said another way, Customer Engagement is an outcome…and outcomes (as well as inputs) are measurable. There are a lot of metrics that can point to engaged customers. I don’t think the absolute figures of these measures matter as much as trending to understand if you’re winning or losing customer engagement. But what is a point of customer engagement worth in revenue, margin or saved costs? Some of the metrics for customer engagement – such as time on site, Net Promoter, or Brand awareness -- could track... (04/23/08 09:01 PM)

51. Why did Tata buy Range Rover and Jaguar?.

    As a fan of both Land Rover and Jag, this is a great video interview with a couple of academics on their perspective on how well this acquisition will pay off.

    From: ChristianSarkar.com

    
    

    From a marketing perspective, Tata would be wise to engage the active fan bases of both brands during this process!

    
    (04/23/08 09:01 PM)

52. 9 Guerrilla Marketing Answers. A few weeks ago I was on an Austin Technology Council panel for the topic of Guerilla Marketing (YouTube Videos here). I’ve always loved Guerrilla marketing, and wrote a book on Guerrilla and Word of Mouth Marketing in 1997 with foreword from Jay Conrad Levinson, the "father" of Guerilla Marketing. I also have this unpublished book of 193 Clever marketing ideas ... I’m not going to do anything with it, so I posted it to Scribd for people to read for free. I made a few notes to answer the questions the moderator was going to ask for the panel. I’m on a long flight back from London right now...a good time to expand these notes and publish them... 1. What criteria do you use to choose where to spend marketing dollars for new technology companies? Start with sales first. You need very little marketing in the beginning. They are the most productive form of research and recon for the market, because they're selling at the same time, adapting the message and learning what works. From this intelligence you build your foundation for the marketing plan and priorities. The bulls eye spend is on establishing outside credibility, typically through press and case studies. Also identify the customer objections from the sales team and work on overcoming those first. Finally, build and leverage partnerships. Leverage their spend and be associated with brands that are larger and more credible than yours (for now!). 2. What is the most efficient way to get... (04/21/08 09:01 AM)

53. Brands taking advantage of 'twitternecking' behavior.

    For those of you on Twitter, you're now all too familiar with the "so and so is now following you on Twitter!" emails. I love these emails. Since I'm late to the game on Twitter, it's especially pleasing when I notice someone is following me on twitter.

    This is where it gets interesting. This Sunday, I received an email telling me that someone that I didn't know was following me on Twitter. So, my natural reaction was to check them out and return the favor by beginning to follow them. I know, over time, I'm sure that the reciprocal following will die down, especially among internet celebs with a high profile, as they simply won't want to follow everyone... However, Twitter phenomenon seems to be a lot like rubbernecking (you know, in traffic, it doesn't concern you, but you look on anyway). Or, what I'll call, Twitternecking. While rubber necking is "To look about or survey with unsophisticated wonderment or curiosity," Twitternecking is likely "to blindly follow another Twitter user for the simple reason that they began following you.

    Brands reaching out and banking on the twitternecking effect are smart, at least at this stage. If you avidly follow, say, 2000 people, and 500 of them twitterneck (I have no idea what the reciprocal follow rate is on Twitter...this is just a guess, but I'm following most everyone following me) you now have an audience of 500 people that are tuned in whenever you say something...for now...

    So, who is the company in question?

    Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rystique
    Website: http://www.rystique.com/

    Greater minds have already written lots about Twitter for marketing:
    What Web Marketers Should Know About Twitter by Jeremiah Owyang

    Starter Kit for Grassroots Campaigning: 5 Tactics to Improve Results With Web 2.0, Email & Mobile on MarketingSherpa

    
    (04/04/08 09:00 PM)

54. Great example of explaining del.icio.us and Digg on a website. During a social media seminar this week, I mentioned that some websites have areas where they 'explain' what the social bookmarking tools are for visitors who are interested in using them, but who may not know what they are. While basic, this is important if you really want to enable your content for sharing and subscription.
    
    AdAge has a great example of this with their "question mark" next to the "Share & Save (?)" section.
    
    Scroll toward the bottom of this article to see the "Share & Save (?)" section. You'll notice that they not only have the ""Share & Save (?)" section but also a newsletter subscription link at the bottom of their articles. This is a GREAT manifestation of virally enabling and enabling subscription to your brand/content.
    
    http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=123168
    
    Then, click on the question mark and you'll be brought to a section of a page on their site that houses all of their RSS and social sharing information.
    
    http://adage.com/rss#share
    
    For organizations just starting out in social sharing and RSS, AdAge has a great model for how to bring your customers into the fold.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    (04/04/08 09:00 PM)

55. Purchase the Marketech '08 Marketing Technology Guide!.
    $19.99
    
    Marketech 08: Using Emerging Media in Marketing - eBook - $19.99
    
    Today's service industry organizations depend on deeper and more relevant customer connections to drive loyalty, retention, referrals and reactivation within their coveted client base. These companies don't just need technology however, they need a systems perspective on how to integrate the ever changing world of social media, social networking and Web 2.0 into their core business infrastructure to meet their customers in their medium, now and in the future.
    
    Purchase Now to Discover:
    • 2008 Emerging Media Vehicles
    • How to Use New Media Vehicles to Your Advantage
    • The Latest Internet & Marketing Technologies that can Impact Your 2008 Marketing Plans

    Your copy of the Marketech 08 Guide PDF will show you how to put these technologies to work for you.

    This guide includes a service-organization perspective that will help you:

    • Utilize relevant marketing & customer service technologies that today's leading service organizations employ to connect with their customers. This includes an overview of tools from social networking via Facebook, organic corporate networks and customer community programs to communication vehicles like blogs, online video and podcasting.
    • Integrate with existing common customer loyalty, retention, referrals and reactivation initiatives.
    • Identify benefits and risks associated with these techniques and technologies such as lower cost to service and increased referrals vs. loss of central control and the increasing customer control of your brand reputation.
    • Discover who's doing this already examples and how is it working for them. We'll look at a myriad of case examples with learning's and action items than any organization can apply.
    This eBook is available as an Instant Download in Adobe PDF  *** Full disclosure: I wrote the e-book as part of a project for the AMA in late 2007 and retained the rights to publish. The response to the guide in my TechnoMarketing sessions and other speaking engagements has been so positive that I've decided to offer the item for sale.
    (04/04/08 09:00 PM)

56. The Beginning of the Facebook Revenue / Experience Squeeze?. History repeats itself. A social networking site begins pure and unique, entirely focused on what users find cool. In truth, they're building on the backs of VCs. Eventually they are pressured to grow revenue and it's a race against time. The revenue pressure starts to squeeze the original purity of the experience that brought the crowd in the first place. And then the crowd moves on to the next great experience. Remember Tripod and GeoCities? Remember Friendster and Orkut? Remember MySpace? When will we say "Remember Facebook?". Ok, it's not that dire, yet. I'm a Facebook fan. But logging into my profile tonight I saw an ad like I never saw before. See that Car insurance ad? If I start seeing more of these ads in my profile every time I log in, the profile won't feel like 'mine' anymore. Moreover, the ad is crap. Cheesy picture. And I clicked through...sure enough, cheesy company.The difference with Google ads is they are all text, so cheesiness is more hidden from the expeirence. And Google is not my personal page. Which may make advertising on social networks more difficult, for the advertiser and the longevity of the social network. What do I like? I like how people can join brands (see the Apple brand at the bottom), and how I invited in marketplace listings on the right. And I'm ok with ads on the left (not shown) because that seems like a place for ads, not in my news feed. Anyway, they... (02/27/08 09:00 PM)

57. VP of Marketing Responsible for Shipping & Logistics?. Harry Joiner, a marketing recruiter and good friend, asked me to comment on his blog regarding what a VP of eCommerce or VP Marketing candidate should be asked or should answer regarding shipping & delivery logistics. Here's what I said... As you know, I believe word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing and sustainable growth. So, a VP of marketing candidate needs to have an appreciation for the overall customer experience. Shipping logistics are a huge part of that experience. You can weight the satisfaction and loyalty impact of each part of the customer experience – researching products, buying, receiving and using a product (support). The weight of impact is correlated to the the emotional residual for that part of the experience. Shopping and research is a relatively forgettable experience, unless there is severe frustration. The buying experience is overshadowed with the emotional weight of the receiving and the out of box experience, as well as resolving customer service and support issues (downstream activities). Amazon is consistent with shipping and logistics. Apple and Chumby have great out of the box experiences. So, word of mouth and branding (and thus, top line revenue over the long term) are driven from upstream decisions (great products, packaging) and downstream logistics (shipping, service, support). A great VP of marketing should realize they have to balance between immediate, short term tactics to drive revenue and the sustainable long-term activities that may even be out of his direct control. In this case, marketing... (01/31/08 09:00 PM)

58. Prioritizing Marketers Top Priorities. This morning I got a research brief from Mediapost summarizing the findings from the Marketing Effectiveness Networking Group (MENG) and Anderson Aanlytics study. This study surveyed marketing executives to identify key trends and strategies of effective marketing. The subject line of the email said: "Marketing Execs Say Basics Are Most Important in 2008". By "basics" I thought they meant strategies such as becoming measurement-oriented, shifting ad portfolio, investing in email infrastructure, build operational data warehouse, and improve web site. However the 'basics' by definition from this study were more customer-centric and more concepts and objectives rather than strategies. And unfortunately for most companies, they're not all that 'basic' in achieving success. 60% of marketing executives said the following 'marketing basics' were important: Customer satisfaction Customer retention Segmentation Brand loyalty ROI I have a copy of the study. To be clear, the study asked marketing executives to choose from over 60 concepts or buzzwords (such as the 5 above) which were then categorized. Other categories, in order of votes, included: SEO (by itself) Personalization: concepts include Data mining, CRM, Lead Generation, Personalization, Ecommerce, Competitive Intelligence Green Marketing: Multicultural / Ethic issues. Breakdown of old media Innovative Branding Viral / WOM: concepts include viral, WOM, blogging New Media: concepts include Web 2.0, Mobile, CGM, Long Tail, Social Networking Macro Economics Tech Strategy Outsourcing Social Issues Other Now, as a marketer, if I participated in this study I may have answered the same way. After all, the 'marketing basics' are overarching objectives. What... (01/02/08 09:00 AM)

59. Marketech 08: Using Emerging Media in Marketing.
    Marketech 08: Using Emerging Media in Marketing - AMA Members-Only Webcast
    Today's service industry organizations depend on deeper and more relevant customer connections to drive loyalty, retention, referrals and reactivation within their coveted client base. These companies don't just need technology; however, they need a systems perspective on how to integrate the ever changing world of social media, social networking and Web 2.0 into their core business infrastructure to meet their customers in their medium, now and in the future.
    
    Register now to discover:
    • 2008 Emerging Media Vehicles
    • How to Use New Media Vehicles to Your Advantage
    • The Latest Internet & Marketing Technologies that can Impact Your 2008 Marketing Plans

    You'll also receive a complimentary copy of the Marketech 08 Guide PDF that shows how to put these technologies to work for you.

    This program includes a service-organization perspective that will help you:

    • Utilize relevant marketing & customer service technologies that today's leading service organizations employ to connect with their customers. This includes an overview of tools from social networking via Facebook, organic corporate networks and customer community programs to communication vehicles like blogs, online video and podcasting.
    • Integrate with existing common customer loyalty, retention, referrals and reactivation initiatives.
    • Identify benefits and risks associated with these techniques and technologies such as lower cost to service and increased referrals vs. loss of central control and the increasing customer control of your brand reputation.
    • Discover who's doing this already (examples) and how is it working for them. We'll look at a myriad of case examples with learning's and action items than any organization can apply.

    Date: December 6, 2007

    Times: Session 1 - 10am PST/ 11am MST/ 12pm CST/1pm EST or Session 2 - 12pm PST/1pm MST/2pm CST/3pm EST
    
    Host: The American Marketing Association and Dana VanDen Heuvel, a highly recognized expert on blogging, podcasting, RSS and other interactive marketing trends and a frequent guest speaker at many AMA live training programs, including the recent premier Training Series: Technomarketing event.
    
    

    Register Here for the Marketech 08 Webcast.
    (12/05/07 09:01 PM)

60. Why, How and Who of Web 2.0. A couple weeks ago I moderated a panel and roundtable for Austin Venture portfolio companies on Web 2.0. As many of the companies were not in the "Web 2.0" bullseye, the discussion focused on the what, why, how and who of Web 2.0. I'll skip the "What" question...here are the some of the other notes: Why? * Analysts read blogs. Reporters read blogs * Empowers customers * Blogs are turning into a trusted media outlet * 78% of online customers trust brands more that have reviews on their site * Marketing (PR) is being Master of Reality (Edelman) * From conversation about your brand, to your brand’s values (ex: Saturn’s findyourdetour.com site) * From monologue to dialogue (how web 2.0 changes marketing’s voice) * Demonstrates your brand’s authenticity * Longer life vs printed articles * Get insight into audience and build relationship * 90 / 9 / 1 rule: 90% read, 9% participate, 1% narcissism (+1% paid participation) * Viral growth via networking and connectivity * Your brand = your Google content * 25% of Google search results is user generated content * C to C marketing (customer to customer) is much more effective * Word of mouth marketing works online because the content is archived while word of mouth marketing offline can be quickly forgotten How? * Keep messaging consistent through channels * Treat online media same as traditional media, but use a different pitch to target each media * Video metadata, and taking advantage of Google’s universal search... (10/30/07 09:00 AM)

61. Three Answers from the Web 2.0 Summit. I couldn't make the Web 2.0 Summit a couple weeks ago, but my colleague Jay Hallberg (Co-founder and VP of Marketing for Spiceworks) was there and answered my top three questions: If I were a brand company.... top three things... that would help my business: 1) Web 2.0 is moving into 'adulthood' and changing industries. There was a general feeling that web 2.0 has grown up. In fact, the Red Herring had a great piece on this: "Is Web 2.0 Growing Up?". Collaborative technologies are solving problems for enterprises and entire industries. It's no longer about whether your CEO has a blog or your company has a wiki. You better be paying attention to how Web 2.0 is helping your competitor or turning your company upside down. Half of the companies featured in the prestigious Launch Pad were "B2B": Cleverset optimizes website revenue, ClickForensics analyzes PPC click fraud, and Spiceworks (my company) has introduced free, ad-supported IT applications. Some of the crowd bemoaned the fact that Web 2.0 is no longer about the next YouTube or Flickr -- it's now about how it's impacting the bottom-line or up-ending industries. If you are still talking about blogs and wikis you may have missed the boat. 2) "Online" is everything. Brian McAndrews who runs Microsoft's ad business really nailed it when said that within 5 years online will be the center of all media, marketing and advertising strategies. It's where people should start. Frankly, it's hard to believe that this isn't already... (10/29/07 09:00 AM)

62. Legal Challenge in a Blog Comment?.

    I was enjoying this post from Michael McLaughlin on testimonials, and preparing to add a comment, when as I scrolled down the page, I noticed that the first comment was not so much a comment, but a 'don't infringe on our trademark by using it in the form of a phrase' legal letter in the form of a blog comment.

    I'm not an attorney, so I have no idea if this is really a legit issue (using the phrase used that also happens to be the name of a magazine) but I can tell you that this tactic, sending "Cease & Desist Comments" whenever your name is mentioned, is not a great way to spread the good word about your brand through the blogosphere.

    I used to subscribe to the magazine in question, and I can tell you from the back issues perspective that it was a flaming piece of shit back then, and if their 1979 mentality in this comment is any indication, it's still a purple turd today.

    Assholes.

    Alright, now I have to go back and comment on Michael's post, The Trouble with Testimonials.

    
    (10/18/07 09:01 PM)

63. New Social Media Presentation Released.

    I'm just putting the finishing touches on a new Social Media/TechnoMarketing presentation that I'm pretty excited about. For those organizations that make the distinction between a 'client' (long term relationship) and 'customer' (transactional relationship), I've developed a program that illustrates how to put the latest tools & technologies in play for your service organization.

    Want more info? Drop me a line!

    Social Media for the Service Industry Enterprise

    Today's service industry organizations depend on deeper and more relevant customer connections to drive loyalty, retention, referrals and reactivation within their coveted client base. These companies don't just need technology; however, they need a systems perspective on how to integrate the ever changing world of social media, social networking and Web 2.0 into their core business infrastructure to meet their customers in their medium, now and in the future.

    This program will provide a focused, service-organization perspective on:
    

    
    
    • What are the relevant marketing & customer service technologies that today's leading service organizations employ to connect with their customers. This includes an overview of tools from social networking via Facebook, organic corporate networks, and customer community programs to communication vehicles like blogs, online video and podcasting.
    
    
    • How do these integrate with existing common customer loyalty, retention, referrals and reactivation initiatives?
    
    
    • What are the benefits and risks associated with these techniques and technologies such as lower cost to service and increased referrals vs. loss of central control and the increasing customer control of your brand reputation.
    
    
    • Who's doing this already (examples) and how is it working for them. We'll look at a myriad of case examples with learning's and action items than any organization can apply.
    
    

    Want more info? Drop me a line!

    Check out my marketing speaker page more info on my other marketing related speaking engagements & programs.

    
    (10/11/07 09:00 AM)

64. Focus Word of Mouth Marketing on Influencers or the Network?. At the WOMMA conference in Las Vegas (Nov. 14, 15) one of the primary topics on the table is the debate and implications to the marketer focusing on the influencer or the network. The influencer model suggests you should focus on the few (say 15%) who are disporportionately influential. Malcom Gladwell called these the Connectors and Mavens. The netowrk model suggests that the importance is having many connections is more important. I'm not fully versed on both of these equally. I'm looking forward to learning more at WOMMA Summit. However, in my experience and in practice, I don't think a word of mouth marketing strategy is complete without a consideration and strategy for both. The breadth of the network is like reach. Your message can carry throughout a broad set of diverse influencers...some more influential than others. However, I believe there are personas that are more likely to share word of mouth. In my experience these people spend more and more frequently, in a retail example. For example Jupiter found the online 'Super Communicators" represent less than 20% of user generated content but over 30% of spend.Bigger mouths = bigger wallets! I think frequency and reach are still relevant concepts, but more relevant when applied to word of mouth. If I see a brand in facebook, in a review, in an online review, in a forum post, and then perhaps I see it in advertising as well then I will be more predisposed to buy. Along that journey perhaps one... (10/07/07 08:58 AM)

65. Thought Leadership Marketing is Market Focused.

    Steven Van Yoder posted an excellent summary of how Cisco embeds thought leadership marketing into its culture and plays off this philosophy as its marketing mainstay.

    Most companies give lipservice to TLM the same way that few marketers understand the fundamentals of marketing in that the 'product focus' mentality of the twenties is dead and that we're still very much in the era of 'market focus'.

    Therein lies the inherent power of Thought Leadership Marketing - It's market focused and puts the needs of the market first. More to the point, it puts the credibility, reputation and growth of the company truly in the hands of the customers. Thought Leadership is bestowed upon a company by its customers - it cannot be created in a vacuum without an intuitive revervence for the market or markets served.

    Specific to Cisco, and others that use Thought Leadership Marketing, there are a few keys that make TLM what it is:

    1. Leadership demands that every executive establish and nurture his or her own reputation for thought leadership
    2. Pursue blogging, public speaking, and writing articles
    3. Become an industry purveyor of executive thought leadership
    4. Align your website with with links to research reports, papers, podcasts, interviews and other content from around the industry which supports and furthers your TLM position
    5. Publish newseltters for customer segments and the industry in general
    6. Host thought leadership events that bring together academia, industry, goverment and customers to address very specific topics related to your business and industry

    That is not a be-all end all list to be sure, but it's a heck of a start on your Thought Leadership Marketing strategy.

    
    (10/04/07 09:01 PM)

66. Brand Management Position Available in Eau Claire, WI. Hey Folks, I recieved an email today seeking some referrals for a brand management position in Wisconsin. The role is based in Eau Claire, WI If you're interested, please contact: Leasa Sanders McIntosh leasa [at] shouldbeskiing.com 303-757-4103 Position Details:
    • Develops marketing strategies and programs to drive corporate revenue and communicate corporate vision/strategy.
    • Leverage market knowledge, customer understanding, marketing research, competitor assessments, and analysis to develop clear customer acquisition, retention and recapture strategies.
    • Partner effectively across the organization, including corporate sales, development, operations, technology, and finance.
    • Manage multiple projects simultaneously with attention to detail, tenacity, and a focus on results.
    • Identify new product and market opportunities and develop/execute plans to realize revenue goals.
    • Analyze program results using qualitative and quantitative techniques.
    • Develop and manage marketing budget.
    • Works to build and maintain relationships with all internal management team members to provide the highest level of service to our clients and their consumers.
    • Provides feedback, including appropriate reporting to key management personnel in order to identify continuous quality improvement opportunities.
    • Develops sales support materials, including presentations, brochures, and proposals.
    • Develops materials to support internal communications and strategies.
    • Develop client communications and strategies.
    • Performs other duties as assigned.
    
    (10/04/07 09:01 PM)

67. Parallels: Investment Portfolios | Marketing Portfolios.

    As many a marketing manager and media planner turns their focus to 2008 (in fact, I'm better that a fair number of you have already turned in some preliminary budget numbers for '08, if not your entire budget and marketing plan) we're all challenged with where we're going to allocate dollars for our anticipated returns and ROI.

    An intriguing post over at Get Rich Slowly and a story on NPR about David Swensen, who, for the past 21 years been Yale Universityâ??s investment portfolio manager, garnering an average 16 percent annual return! This is astonishing in that most of us are fortunate to sneak by with an average 7 percent across our investment and retirement stockpiles.

    What's more interesting is the connection that's made in the blog post between what David feels is a intuitively balanced portfolio and the types of index funds (ETF - Exchange Traded Funds) that the everyman (or woman) could safely invest in and secure a comfortable return.

    The chart below represents Swensena's basic formula for creating an investment portfolio likely to give you good returns while still managing risk: (via Get Rich Slowly)
    
    

    This got me to thinking, what's your marketing portfolio look like? When you look at how Swensen's investment percentages break down with 20% in Real Estate and another 5% in Emerging Markets, I can't help but think that there are parallels in our marketing portfolio to things like brand building and awareness (long-term, stability investments) and new media and social media (emerging markets, high risk, potential for high return) and the list goes on..

    ACTION ITEM: What's your marketing portfolio look like? Do you have enough invested in stable, slow growth areas like branding and awareness building for the long term or have your been bit by the latest marketing trend bug and shifted your investments into higher-risk marketing vehicles? Are you investing enough in customer retention, referral and reactivation like we invest in government bonds to renew our country or have those areas fallen out of favor because of their seemingly modest returns?

    Take another look at your marketing portfolio before the ink dries on next year's budget!

    
    (10/04/07 09:01 PM)

68. Parallels: Investment Portfolios | Marketing Portfolios.

    As many a marketing manager and media planner turns their focus to 2008 (in fact, I'm better that a fair number of you have already turned in some preliminary budget numbers for '08, if not your entire budget and marketing plan) we're all challenged with where we're going to allocate dollars for our anticipated returns and ROI.

    An intriguing post over at Get Rich Slowly and a story on NPR about David Swensen, who, for the past 21 years been Yale Universityâ??s investment portfolio manager, garnering an average 16 percent annual return! This is astonishing in that most of us are fortunate to sneak by with an average 7 percent across our investment and retirement stockpiles.

    What's more interesting is the connection that's made in the blog post between what David feels is a intuitively balanced portfolio and the types of index funds (ETF - Exchange Traded Funds) that the everyman (or woman) could safely invest in and secure a comfortable return.

    The chart below represents Swensena's basic formula for creating an investment portfolio likely to give you good returns while still managing risk: (via Get Rich Slowly)
    
    

    This got me to thinking, what's your marketing portfolio look like? When you look at how Swensen's investment percentages break down with 20% in Real Estate and another 5% in Emerging Markets, I can't help but think that there are parallels in our marketing portfolio to things like brand building and awareness (long-term, stability investments) and new media and social media (emerging markets, high risk, potential for high return) and the list goes on..

    ACTION ITEM: What's your marketing portfolio look like? Do you have enough invested in stable, slow growth areas like branding and awareness building for the long term or have your been bit by the latest marketing trend bug and shifted your investments into higher-risk marketing vehicles? Are you investing enough in customer retention, referral and reactivation like we invest in government bonds to renew our country or have those areas fallen out of favor because of their seemingly modest returns?

    Take another look at your marketing portfolio before the ink dries on next year's budget!

    
    (10/03/07 09:00 PM)

69. Did you take advantage of 'stamp day'?.

    I had a conversation with one of our customers on Monday who had probably the sharpest "marketing launch" plan I'd heard of in months.

    As we all know by know, the postal service raised the price of stamps to $.41 on Monday the 14th. This usually causes a significant amount of traffic to the post office as people go in to buy new stamps. If you happen to be in the vicinity of a post office, you are going to see a lot of passers by that you normally might not see, or at least not in such concentrated volume!

    So, in order to capitalize on the traffic, they scheduled their brand new sign and other outdoor promotion to coincide with the boost in traffic to their neighborhood.

    Take note this summer. You'll also see enterprising grade schoolers selling lemonade during sporting events, neighborhood garage sales and other events that bring a concentration of traffic to their area.

    I know, it's an episodic (seems more frequent as of late though) thing, but the concept applies more broadly.

    [UPDATE] Cynthia pointed out that the stamp price history being 'less episodic' as of late is not quite right, as shown here in the postal rate increase history.

    Action Agenda:
    

    
    

    What's the next 'traffic driving' event going on near your business?

    How can you capitalize on this event for your own business?

    Anything you can do to drive traffic to your business and the others around you?

    Think about the "neighborhood rummage sale" concept...get your neighborhood businesses together to do something.

    
    (10/03/07 09:00 PM)

70. Who Owns Word of Mouth in an Organization?. At this year’s Word of Mouth Marketing Association Summit (WOMMA) on November 14/15 in Las Vegas, one of the topics will be “who owns word of mouth?” Is it one person in PR or advertising? Product development? Someone on the web team? In some companies it’s someone in PR, who is responsible for blogger relations. But in my opinion, that’s a tiny fraction of word of mouth on a typical fortune 500 brand. In some companies, as it was at Dell, the word of mouth ‘owner’ was someone in advertising who created viral / buzz campaigns. Typically what happens is word of mouth tends to be about the advertising or marketing (not the product. Advertising can amplify word of mouth if the product is good (and they do it right), but if the product/service is no good, advertising effectiveness declines over time. Should word of mouth have an owner? I believe the lack of appreciating and impact for word of mouth is usually because the owner owner is not senior enough and the strategy not broad enough. I believe that word of mouth needs part of many functions' operational roles....product development, marketing, advertising, PR, and especially customer service. Perhaps having one owner, especially too low, means other people don’t feel the ownership. Perhaps the CEO and CMO needs to own word of mouth, and thread it throughout the entire company as a part of the culture. That’s my vote. What’s yours? Join the discussion on this and other Word of... (09/29/07 09:00 AM)

71. John Moore's Marketing Lessons from Starbucks. Last week was the first event of this year for Texchange (my first as President). The speaker was John Moore, author of Tribal Knowledge and top marketing blog, Brand Autopsy. The title of John's presentation was "Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks". John was a senior marketing guy at Starbucks and Whole Foods. I told him Texchange was an audience of (mostly) B2B entrepreneurs and executives, yet his seemingly B2C message didn't disappoint. The lessons learned from Starbucks are applicable to any company. Essentially your employees are your marketing. The culture and passion inside is what becomes visible outside. John calls it inside out marketing. Another point I should make, that I brought up to my discussion table. In order to create a brand like Starbucks, or any great brand, the key is to decide what NOT to do. Again, what NOT to do. Strip away activities, messages, and resources from anything not core to your core. He presented several principles to the audience. Here are the two I liked most:Building the Business Creates the Brand GIST: Starbucks was too busy building a business to worry about something as nebulous as branding. Because Starbucks was busy working in and on the business, the by-product was the creation of a powerful brand which connects on so many levels with people around the world. Rarely, if ever, can you sprinkle magical branding dust to create an enduring and endearing brand. Starbucks Tribal Knowledge tells us you cannot create a brand... (08/23/07 09:00 PM)

72. How far will a brand stretch?. Friday's Wall Street Journal offers two examples of brands trying to stretch outside their traditional boundaries. First, Wal-Mart plans to launch small-footprint stores in a response to Tesco's entrance into the US market. Two different concepts will be launched next... (08/21/07 08:59 AM)

73. If You Advertise in Second Life, Does Anyone Care?. Frank Rose has an excellent piece in this month's Wired suggesting that advertisers are wasting millions of dollars by building pavilions in the 3-D world that nobody visits. Excerpt:At least 50 major companies have ventured into the virtual world to date, spending millions in the process. IBM has created a massive complex of adjoining islands dedicated to recruitment, employee training, and in-world business meetings. Coldwell Banker has opened a virtual real estate office. Brands like Adidas, HR Block, and Sears have set up shop. CNET and Reuters have opened virtual bureaus there. It's as if the moon suddenly had oxygen. Nobody wants to miss out. Once you put in several hours flailing around learning how to function in Second Life, there isn't much to do. That may explain why more than 85 percent of the avatars created have been abandoned. On a random day in June, the most popular location was Money Island (where Linden dollars, the official currency, are given away gratis), with a score of 136,000. Sexy Beach, one of several regions that offer virtual sex shops, dancing, and no-strings hookups, came in at 133,000. The Sears store on IBM's Innovation Island had a traffic score of 281; Coke's Virtual Thirst pavilion, a mere 27. The Internet will eventually be full of such 3-D environments; Second Life might even be one of them. But in the meantime, it's just slurping up corporate dollars and delivering little in return.After factoring out all the double-counting of avatars and the overwhelming... (07/25/07 09:01 AM)

74. 50-Strand Template for Building a Word-of-Mouth-Worthy Business. It’s been a month in a half since my last post. Yikes. I’m hoping you (haven't) noticed. :-)I’m back.One of the reasons for the absence has been a lot of traveling, including a trip to London. See my picture here in downtown York. U.S. history is nothing compared to a place like this! I also spent one day in the UK with David Rance, CEO of Round. I worked with David to bring a customer centricity framework into Dell several years ago. There are two powerful parts of the Round system. First is the simplicity of a baseball metaphor and measurement system. As you analyze the customer centricity of your company, you move along the bases, closer to a home run. The bases even bring a language that your people can use to explain why things don’t line up. Second is the sophisticated part of the system: the “Strands”. The Strands represent key areas in your organization, each of which can be measured towards customer centricity based on feedback within the organization…like looking in a mirror. Strands are things such as leadership style, employee engagement, customer data, marketing metrics, etc. On a jet-lagged bank holiday at David's 400-year-old house in northern England, I shared my opinions of what it took for a company to have word of mouth. David opened up his laptop, opened his software, and over the next hour we identified the key strands that are critical for a company to earn word of mouth. Brand Values Collection... (06/18/07 09:03 AM)

75. What's Your Brand?. Here is an interesting article about brand. It's an interesting follow-on to the post I offered yesterday about my impressions about business hotels. What do you think - does each customer define your brand and might you have very different... (06/14/07 09:01 AM)

76. Moving On. After almost 4 years of running Mantra, I'm headed back to office life. I accepted a position at Prophet, a niche management consulting firm specializing in brand strategy for Fortune 500 companies. I'm writing this post from my hotel room... (05/05/07 08:59 PM)

77. Client/agency relationships. I read in the WSJ a couple days ago that agency/client relationships are becoming harder to sustain… not surprising as marketers are under increasing pressure to drive results. In the good old days, clients were happy with increases on brand... (04/19/07 09:01 PM)

78. Small To Medium Business Branding. It was a coincidence that an article I wrote just before taking over this blog was titled - Small Business Branding - It’s Not “We”, It’s “Me” - which was quite a popular article. It summed up nicely my opinion of what small business branding is today and many people agreed - Small business branding is not a good logo, a rhyming name, or special font. Small business branding is the owner. It’s what the owner does, says and how the owner’s traits come through in every aspect of the business. It’s the way relationships are built and maintained, the... (04/06/07 09:01 AM)

79. My First Hello On Small Business Branding. Hi Everyone. I'm Yaro Starak, the new captain of the ship here at Small Business Branding. I have a few spare moments to write a quick message to everyone reading this blog to let you know what is going on. No doubt a lot of you are probably doing Christmas or holiday activities right now so as shocking as it might sound, you may not be using the net, but in my case a blogger never rests! Transfer Process As with any site acquisition there are a few processes that take a while to go through, namely the exchange of... (04/06/07 09:01 AM)

80. My Final Goodbye to Small Business Branding. (Background: Small Business Branding is Sold) It's funny. I have this feeling; it's a feeling similar to the one you might get when moving out of a house or apartment you've lived in for awhile. You look around at everything one last time and realize how much you've become a part of the space; and the space a part of you. Perhaps you have some apprehension about such a change; about leaving behind this piece of your life that has become such an integral piece of your soul. Or maybe you just say seeya later and lock the door behind... (04/06/07 09:01 AM)

81. Small Business Branding Has Moved. You can find the updated version of this blog at http://www.SmallBusinessBranding.com This blog at typepad (smallbusinessbranding.typepad.com) will no longer receive live updates but will remain online for archival purposes. Thank you,Yaro... (04/06/07 09:01 AM)

82. Decker's 15 Career Tips. This concludes my series of career tips, which was prompted by a few friends reaching out to me for advice. I'm sure I could think of more, but these are the first 15 that came to mind...and 15 is a good place to stop. Here's the list with links: Find and Follow Your Passion and Strengths Create Soundbytes for Your Personal Brand It's WHO You GET TO Know Choose Who Your Work For Take Initiative Outside Your Triangle Inform Others Connect to a Visible Brand Learn, Challenge, Fun Feed Others Go Where There's Margin Growth Always Can Do Take Bigger Risks Answer First Show and Know Metrics Never Eat Alone... (02/03/07 09:00 PM)

83. Career Tip #7: Connect to a Visible Brand. Sometimes it's helpful to have something recognizable on your resume. My first interview with Dell in early ‘99 was for managing Dell’s Small Business site. I was a finalist with someone who had no online experience. But, she had worked at Coca Cola and Deloitte. So, the small business division ended up choosing her. Fortunately, they liked me enough to refer me to the Consumer division for a peer position. I was hired and enjoyed a prosperous career at Dell. What happened to her? Well, long story short, she didn’t receive her two year appreciation certificate. Did you go to a well-known school, work for a well known company, work on a visible project, or work for a well-respected person? If so, you have an advantage. This is a tip that goes under the “do as I say, not as I do” category. Prior to Dell I helped launch and grow three startups you probably n ever heard of (User Group Connection, ThirdAge.com, Telepost). I appreciate what I learned from these companies, but the names didn’t help open doors. I’ve seen less talented people get through the door because of the brands listed on their resume. As unfortunate as that is, it’s an obvious advantage considered for a job or promotion.... (01/15/07 09:00 AM)

84. Career Tip #2: Create Soundbytes for Your Personal Brand. When word of mouth takes off on a product there is usually a small sentence, maybe a couple, that are shared about that product. “It was voted motor trend car of the year three times.” Or, “These are the shoes Jordan wears.”. Word of mouth is delivered in soundbytes. Word of mouth is THE way you are known and marketed inside and outside of a company. As such, your reputation is carried by a sentence or two. Typically, it’s what comes to top of mind for the person talking about you. For me, my soundbytes may be around authoring two books, running Dell.com, or my blog. For some my friends who graduated from Harvard, people may drop what we call the “H-bomb” in their soundbytes – “Harvard MBA”. Perhaps you launched a big project, your Dad is someone famous, you have some special skill, or you did something amazing with your hobby time. The best soundbytes are the characteristics they can say about you. Hard worker, rock star, salt of the earth, team player, sharp, super smart, get it done guy, etc. What characterstics stand out for you? How are you differentiated? How are you remembered? What unique or remarkable accomplishment will people always talk about? Don’t have any? Then take on something challenging, take some risks, do something different – lest you blend in. And even if you have something amazing, remember it won't mask over your character, integrity and overall performance. I guess the old adage is true...hard... (01/09/07 09:01 PM)

85. Sneetchcraft. Check out this spectacularly detailed expose of a brand of chocolate that costs more than $2,000 a pound. Where else but Texas? What's Noka Worth? (Part 10). Price is always part of the marketing story... always. When the price can't... (12/21/06 09:01 AM)

86. Heroic brands. Like heroic individuals, Heroic Brands are motivated by something bigger than themselves. They believe it just might be possible to change the world. Heros are usually ordinary people who end up doing extraordinary things; likewise, heroic brands might sell t-shirts... (12/18/06 09:01 PM)

87. Words and meanings. I've been thinking about brands that are making a difference in our lives and society, and I used the term worthwhile brand to define them. However, I don't think that term sets the bar high enough; as one reader commented,... (12/18/06 09:01 PM)

88. Good vs. Worthwhile. I'd like to elaborate on this morning's post on Worthwhile brands, ask a lot of questions, and then open this up for discussion. My earlier post discussed some initial ideas for defining a worthwhile brand: does it measurably improve quality... (12/16/06 09:00 AM)

89. Worthwhile Brands. In the next few posts I'm going to play around with the idea of a worthwhile brand. I like this term because a) it's not overused, b) it implies important, valuable and rewarding. Along these lines, the manager of a... (12/15/06 09:00 PM)

90. Brand as mythology. Just under the wire, L. Frank Baum's heirs have no copyright protection on The Wizard of Oz. As a result, there are Broadway musicals, concordances, prequels, sequels and more. All of which creates a rich, emotional universe (and makes the... (12/12/06 08:47 AM)

91. Commercializing Captcha. So, here's my great branding/commercialism/capitalist captcha idea for the day: Everyone has this stuff now. Comments, sign ups, it's everywhere. We only want people, not computers. But it's way way too hard to decipher the writing. What we need is... (12/12/06 08:47 AM)

92. [Brand Autopsy] Guaranteed Satistaction (Old School). http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/2005/06/guarantee.html "We Guarantee. That each and every article in this catalog is exactly as described and illustrated. We guarantee that any article purchased from us will satisfy you perfectly - that it will give the service you have a... (12/12/06 08:04 AM)

93. [brandingbranding] Home Page. http://www.brandingbranding.com/ Developing a common definition of the term ‘branding’.... (12/12/06 08:04 AM)

94. [Inc.] Divided We Stand. http://www.inc.com/magazine/20050301/dfreedman.html Rather than building on an existing brand identity, a spin-up creates a new one, often overshadowing or even subsuming what came before. It's a different way of thinking about a company -- not as a seamless whole but... (12/12/06 08:04 AM)

95. [The Intuitive Life] GM VP Tom Stephens on Business Blogging. http://www.intuitive.com/blog/gm_vp_tom_stephens_on_business_blogging.html Tom Stephens, Group VP for GM's Powertrain division, isn't writing about business blogging, per se, he's just posting a note about fuel economy on GM's brand new Fastlane weblog from their executive team, but since it's a controversial... (12/12/06 08:04 AM)

96. Future Marketing Thoughts From Forrester's Consumer Form. A couple weeks ago I spoke on a Word of Mouth panel at Forrester's annual Consumer Forum in Chicago. Attendees were senior marketers, online/ecommerce executives, and CMOs. The theme was Humanizing the Digital Experience. The tracks were: Experience-based Differentiation Devices Everwhere Next Generation Branding Social Computing I don't really like Social Computing...but you can pretty much pick the term you like: Long Tail Folksonomy Word of Mouth Crowdsourcing Prosumerism P2P Marketing C2C Marketing Listenomics Social Media Social Computing Social Networking Citizen Marketing Open Source Marketing User Generated Content Customer Created Content Consumer Generated Media To me all these underscore the same theme: Consumers are in more control than ever (their voices are amplified) and they are taking a bigger role in creating the consumer experience and content. As part of Forrester's follow up they posted all of the presentations here, host a blog here (here's the summary of my panel), and are hosting an open Wiki here. Here are some of the themes from the conference, a la their wiki: YouTube things are going to happen. How do you set standards that define your brand as you want? The product must speak for itself. Listen to what’s out there and understanding the negative and positive. Research cost benefits, insight methods. Blogs as a tool for brand analysis. Chance to engage pissed off customers. Chevy Tahoe Apprentice—create your own ad. Environmentalists were creating bad ones. The world didn’t end.It blew over. Most of the discussion about the brand is actually positive... (11/06/06 09:00 AM)

97. Want Engagement? Participation? Get Fringy.. Today the Washington Post posted an article on MySpace being so “Last Year”. As said by journalist Yuki Noguchi, Such is the social life of teens on the Internet: Powerful but fickle. Within several months' time, a site can garner tens of millions of users who, just as quickly, might flock to the next place, making it hard for corporate America to make lasting investments in whatever's hot now.There are 122 million profiles on MySpace and 400,000 created each day. I don’t predict its demise overnight, but I’m sure Excite, Alta Vista, Tripod, iVillage, Geocities and other sites of their day had impressive stats in their day. This is the peak of MySpace’s day. Is this article the last click up the roller coaster hill? As goes fashion, music, or anything else that is ‘in’, so does participation and engagement on web sites. Especially for young people…Millenials (or Gen Y) as they’re called. They participate and contribute to what is cool, in, now, absurd, edgy, provocative, and new. After all, online participation is the form of brand exception for high-tech teens. Well, I guess it is for anyone…but to the point, for the young population the context of participation has to be edgy and new. And to create that, you need to get fringy. In order for corporations to participate in a world of participation, user generated content, and citizen marketing, then their corporate imperative is to, shall we say, loosen up the tie! Perhaps let the legal team have... (10/30/06 09:01 AM)

98. Marketing Bullseye 10: Brand "Credit" Activities Only. There is an article in the recent MarketingProfs that is a great way to think about whether or not to do a marketing activity -- and therefore a great way to prioritize marketing activities with limited resources. Essentially you must conscsiously ask yourself or your team a set of questions to determine if any given marketing activity will be a credit to your brand 'checkbook', or debit. The principle is brought from Starbucks. Here's a snapshot of the article:Just as your personal checkbook has credits and debits, a brand checkbook has credits and debits in the form of brand credits and brand debits. Brand credits are business activities that enhance the reputation and perception people have of a brand, and brand debits are those that detract from the reputation and perception of the brand. When faced with determining the appropriateness of marketing activities such as a promotion, sponsorship, program, or special event, the marketing department first determines whether the activity is a brand credit or debit. To determine the positive impact (credit) or negative impact (debit) of a potential marketing activity, Starbucks marketers ask the following questions: Does the marketing activity respect the intelligence of Starbucks customers? Can Starbucks expertly deliver on all the promises made to customers in the proposed activity? Will Starbucks employees be excited and motivated by the activity? Will customers view the marketing activity as being clever, original, genuine, and authentic? If the marketing department answered yes to three of these four questions, then the activity... (09/21/06 09:00 AM)

99. Search marketing works for B2B, too.. Thanks to a reader, I learned that there was a 'B2B Case Study' session at the recent Search Engine Strategies conference in San Francisco. The article reviewing the session, titled, Search marketing works for B2B, too, starts with this gem:
    
    "Most people assume search marketing works only to reach consumers, but it's actually quite effective for businesses wishing to connect with other businesses, as well."
    
    Um, I'd counter that SEM is more effective for B2B, but I think this comment just shows the lack of knowledge of the author--obviously B2B is off the charts for some folks. The article throws up comments about basic SEM for B2B but this bit is probably of interest B2Blog readers:
    
    

    "Rick Brown, President of NetTrack closed out the session with a discussion of the effectiveness of paid inclusion in vertical aggregator sites like ThomasNet, GlobalSpec and Industrial Quick Search. Brown articulated his endorsement of such aggregators cautiously, saying that they can bring in relevant traffic as well as provide valuable links to a company's homepage but that many of the metrics such websites use to promote their services (such as "reach," "page views," and "brand activity") don't have much impact on a client's bottom line.
    
    He also noted that the value of the links from content aggregators is highest w