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Category Archives: General Marketing
How Marketing Can Save the Twinkie
Hostess Brands, maker of Twinkies, recently fell into bankruptcy for the second time since 2004. The company pinned its financial problems to legacy pension costs and a weak economy. News media pointed the finger at changing consumer diets. I think an absent marketing strategy is partly to blame. In today’s economy, it’s virtually impossible to [...]
Sustaining the Season of Wonder
The December holidays are a time of wonder. The anticipation, the lights and the warmth of the season create a special magic we don’t see the rest of the year. It’s in the lights that decorate our homes, the Hanukkah candles flickering in the window, and the bright eyes of children peeking out from coats [...]
Your 2012 Marketing Plan – Doing More of What Works
Even if it’s not broken, you can still fix it. As we move through the fourth quarter, many businesses are planning for 2012. Typically, that planning includes an analysis of the past year’s performance. Maybe your organization is doing pretty well. Not great, but not awful. Just kind of moving along at the same pace. [...]
Female 25-44 is not a target
We work with creative briefs all the time in our business. We rely on them to communicate the information needed to develop the best work. The specifics of briefs can vary, but there is one element that you will find on every version: Target Audience Knowing our target is crucial to developing compelling work. Now [...]
Beyond Digital
It’s easy to immerse ourselves in the comforting clarity of ones and zeroes. After all, the outside world is ambiguous. Its infinite gray scale is hard to pin down. But the world isn’t digital. And the insights we need as marketers don’t always come from a computer. The world sometimes seems digital. Facebook has 3 [...]
All Together Now: How Teamwork Can Improve Your Marketing
Normally, using the phrase “feel your boobies” around the office would result in a visit from Human Resources. But boobies were all the rage at JPL last week, and for good reason: nearly 20 JPLers from different departments gathered to brainstorm marketing ideas for a breast cancer awareness charity called Feel Your Boobies. The work [...]
Attract Your Target with Content Marketing
All over the web, users seek information: “I want what I want and I want it now.” To attract the right target audience, we need content that’s interesting to them. And that doesn’t always mean information about our products and services. We turn on a TV program or open a magazine because we’re interested in [...]
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Do you really need more leads? Or just better ones?
Some companies follow a “volume” model when it comes to marketing: Reach as many people as you can, and if you convert just a small percentage of those leads, you’ll reach your goal. I call this the “credit card marketing strategy.” Credit card providers send out millions of mailers (both postal and email) to try [...]
Creating the Perception of Value
Most of us depend on getting paid for the work we do. Our clients, customers and employers appreciate the products and services we provide, and pay us for them. But what’s our work really worth? Ultimately, who creates the value? Do we determine the value of our products and services? Do they have inherent value? [...]
Listening to Clients Brings Marketing Trends to Life