Archive for the ‘Advertising’ Category

Challenges on the Horizon for Marketers in 2014

Thursday, December 5th, 2013

As 2014 rapidly approaches (I can’t believe how rapidly it’s approaching…) businesses are looking ahead to the New Year and thinking of the challenges and opportunities they will face. We recently responded to a reporter’s inquiry about marketing challenges lying ahead in 2014. Here’s our perspective:

There are two key challenges that businesses are likely to face in 2014 from a marketing standpoint: one is evergreen, the other is continuing to emerge: (more…)

Looking for the next big marketing idea? Unless it’s tied to real, bottom-line results don’t bother!

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013

Marketers, advertisers, marketing communication strategists, copywriters, designers, videographers, etc., etc., etc., often talk about “the big idea” – and much of their time, effort and brainstorming activities are directed at identifying that “big idea” – that one thing that will… That will what? It is at this critical juncture between the idea and what that idea is intended to do, I think, where creatives often fail to get the point.

Here’s the thing: (more…)

Are You Engaged in Marketing Malpractice?

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

I responded to a reporter’s query this week related to best (or I should say worst!) practices in marketing. His question was related to “marketing tactics that don’t work.” I had two initial thoughts about that query:

  • I definitely believe that many of the marketing tactics being deployed today are ineffective—not worth the time or money spent on them and not generating relevant results
  • The reason this is true, though, is not because of the tactic–but because of the strategy, or lack thereof (more…)

Key Messages: Connecting With and Compelling Your Audience to Action

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013

One of my favorite parts of the “creative process” isn’t what most people consider “creative” at all — it’s the process of spending time to research and understand my situation, my target audience and my competition. To most this seems like drudge-work. To me it’s like being the detective in a mystery novel. The more I can (more…)

How Can You Measure Your Advertising Effectiveness?

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013
It’s very important for businesses of any size to track the results of their marketing campaigns. Small businesses, in particular, are often “budget-challenged,” so it is especially important that they know that their marketing efforts are achieving desired results. The biggest benefit is that they will have information to tell them how to use their marketing budget most effectively.
There are a variety of ways they might track the effectiveness of these campaigns: (more…)

Gaining Traction With the Media

Thursday, October 3rd, 2013
When I work with students and clients I like to tell them that there are four ways that consumers (whether B2B or B2C) learn about companies and their products and services:
  • Their own personal experiences
  • Word of mouth (WOM) from colleagues, friends and relatives
  • Media coverage/PR
  • Advertising done by these organizations

I list them in order from most impactful, to least. And, while advertising certainly plays an important role for many organizations, media exposure is more credible. Why? Because media coverage represents somebody else talking about you, versus you talking about yourself. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on traditional advertising to get results these days. In fact, there are multiple opportunities for even the smallest of organizations to make an impact. For those seeking to boost awareness, preference and demand for their products and services without investing large amounts of money in paid advertising, the steps are: (more…)

Some “Silly” – But True! – Advertising Rules You Shouldn’t Overlook!

Tuesday, August 20th, 2013

The field of advertising is traditionally known as a haven for “creative types.” And those types often come up with some pretty creative “rules” for doing business. Some of the rules may seem pretty silly, but they work. And there’s nothing silly about that. For instance: (more…)

#1 Marketing Tip

Tuesday, August 13th, 2013
  • What does it take to be an effective healthcare marketer?
  • What does it take to be an effective B2B marketer?
  • What does it take to be an effective retail marketers?

Regardless of the audience asking, or the way the question is posed, my #1 recommendation is always a two-part recommendation and it’s one that I convey to clients and students communicating in both internal and external settings. (more…)

Mass Media, Timing and Mosquitos

Thursday, August 1st, 2013

I’m not often a big proponent of mass media advertising, particularly in an environment of highly segmented media outlets and opportunities. Most of the time it doesn’t make sense to spend money attempting to appeal to the masses when you can more narrowly target an audience through more effective communication channels that often, these days, don’t involve paid advertising.

But a personal experience related pointed to the value that mass media can still provide for certain types of products and services. (more…)

A Focus on Strategy–Hold the Tactics!

Thursday, May 9th, 2013

When interviewing candidates for mid- to senior-level marketing positions, I have a question that I like to ask which gives me a sense of how strategically the candidates might approach their jobs. It goes something like this:

“Suppose I’m one of your internal customers and I come to you and say ‘I need a brochure’ (or you could say ad, or web site, or email blast or any other form of communication). How do you respond to that request?”

Most people (yes, sadly, even for senior-level marketing positions) will begin to tell me the steps that they will take to create whatever communication tool I’ve asked them to create. So, for a brochure, they might say: “I’ll ask for information about the product/service they want to sell. I’ll want to know what size they want the brochure to be. I’ll ask if there is any specific information that they want to include in the brochure.”

  • In short, they focus on the WHATs.
  • What I’m looking for? A focus on the WHYs!

I don’t want marketing staff–especially senior level marketing staff–to focus on tactics. I want them to focus on strategy. What I hope to hear when I ask a question like this is: (more…)