Marketing

Advertisers: Tell us how you’ll add value to our lives

Friday, November 20th, 2009

compare A couple iPhone snaps from Methodist Hospital in Omaha

We talk a lot about using relevant stories to earn trust in as we move into a new “human business” ethic. If companies are going to build trust by acting like humans online, I think they should act like humans in their ads and in their traditional marketing stories too.

A quick example

In honor of the Great American Smokeout on November 19, Methodist Hospital in Omaha put up a number of “I Quit” posters to inspire smokers to quit, if only for just one day.

Read the rest...

Tags: ad, Customer Relationships, marcom, traditional media
Posted in Marketing, trust | View Comments

An extension of social media? The word on Ads

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Photo Credit: Stephen Gibson

Depending on who you talk to, it was either Lord Leverhulme (founder of Unilever) or John Wanamaker who first muttered the well worn phrase, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” Either way, this quote is one of the most worthless pieces of word vomit spewed from the mouths of marketers today.

Are we really wasting parts of our budgets?

I have nothing against Tevor Young (@trevoryoung), but he like so many before him assumes an automatic and upfront wastage in the practice of advertising in his post (which was also featured on MarCom Pro).

Read the rest...

Tags: advertising, engagement, Marketing, strategy, trust
Posted in Marketing | View Comments

Seeing Marketing as Long-Term Investment (on iDea Anglers)

Friday, October 9th, 2009

When top line revenue declines (like during a recession), spending cuts often look like a great option for lifting your bottom line. You know what I’m talking about—layoffs and budget reductions.

While I think it’s financially wise to look at how we spend each of our business dollars, and while I concede that some budgets can afford to be trimmed (e.g. travel), one area I wouldn’t touch is marketing. In fact, I might expand it….

Read the rest on ideaAnglers

This post is hosted in its entirety on ideaAnglers.com

Tags: critical thinking, idea Anglers, Marketing
Posted in Biz, Marketing | View Comments

Marcom – The Space Between Marketing and PR

Friday, September 4th, 2009

I was recently honored with the opportunity to write a guest post “Marcom – The Space Between Marketing and PR” on Abby Wambaugh’s (@abbyannette) blog, The Picaresque.

Abby is a top-notch communicator and marketing manager at Greyound. If you don’t subscribe to her blog yet, you’re missing out.

So if you get the chance to check out my post, make sure you stick around and read what Abby’s got to say. You won’t regret it.

-Andrew

Tags: Guest Post
Posted in Biz, Marketing | View Comments

Marketing & Misleading with Truth

Friday, July 24th, 2009

I contend that far too much marketing misleads with the truth.

As we move into an era of commerce that’s supposed to be marked by transparency and authenticity, marketing becomes more than a matter of simply presenting the truth—it becomes matter of presenting the truth ethically.

Take the latest sleazy move by Jim Cramer (of Mad Money fame) for example.

In attempt to sell email newsletter subscriptions, Cramer lent his signature to a series of seedy emails that claim subscribers will earn big bucks by “taking on the market” with Cramer himself. From Henry Blodget (@hblodget) on Business Insider:

Read the rest...

Tags: ethics, Jim Cramer, Marketing, snark
Posted in Marketing | View Comments

5 Biz Lessons from Jackson’s “Thriller” Video

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

I may have jumped on the MJ bandwagon, but here are 5 lessons I think we can take from Jackson’s Thriller video (if you haven’t seen it, please read the post first—the link is at the bottom):

1. Do something unordinary

Thriller is much longer than the standard 3.5-minute, band-playing-in-a-warehouse video. Part of the reason it’s memorable is that it doesn’t conform.

We claim to “think outside the box,” but how often do we end up buying ad space in the same places or sending the same email newsletter month after month? How often do we take the time to do something really different—maybe something that at first seems counter-intuitive (e.g. a computer company like Apple starting to sell MP3 players…)?

Read the rest...

Tags: Biz Tips, Fun, Michael Jackson
Posted in Biz, Marketing, life, snark | View Comments

The opt-in isn’t enough. You have to communicate too!

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

: My wife Jen @ Gomen Kudasai

I think that sometimes, building relationships with customers can be as easy as a well-executed email thank you campaign.

Last week my wife and I ate at Gomen Kudasai, one of the most phenomenal Japanese restaurants I’ve ever set foot in. As I was walking out I saw a binder spread open with spaces for my name and email.

Partly because I was still on a Niku Soba high, and partly because I wanted to peer into their marketing plan (insert devious face), I signed up.

Read the rest...

Tags: Customer Relationships, Email Marketing, Loyalty Program
Posted in Marketing | View Comments