January 2012
1 post
9 tags
Mobile Apps Are in! On your Mark...Get Set...Stop!...
Outline a Mobile Gameplan before Jumping the Gun on Apps
Welcome to the 2012 Tour de Change!
As we enter a new stage in the race to innovate, the routes have again changed. And unlike the courses of marketing Grand Prix ending just a little over a decade ago, this new race features routes that change on the fly, and continue to expand - giving no time to rest between stages or even build a...
December 2011
2 posts
16 tags
B-Commerce: The Art of Creating a Magnetic User...
I’m going to tell you a secret about eCommerce.
No eCommerce platform can digitally substitute the floorwalker. The sharp-eyed sales pro who sizes up a customer and what they are after.
Recently after prolonged haggling, I recall a dealer asking me…
“What will it take for you to walk out of here today with this new car?”
Faced with an opportunity to take my...
7 tags
10 Usability Secrets Every Digital Marketer Should...
Your precious website. You know it’s got to be right to attract, and retain, the users you want.
You’ve slaved over it, carefully crafting the content, navigation, design, and flow of the site. You finally hit “publish,” and what happens? Nobody visits it. Or, worse - people visit, but drop off as quickly as they arrive. No comments, no tweets, no sharing on Facebook. It’s...
November 2011
1 post
10 tags
Content - the New King of B2B Commerce
B2B marketing has recently crowned a new king - far surpassing paid search, PR, and mass media as the preferred weapon of today’s B2B entrepreneur. In the 2011 B2B Marketing Trends Survey Report, marketing software company HiveFire surveyed nearly 400 marketing professionals about the state of the B2B market. According to the report, B2B marketers are retreating from conventional tactics...
October 2011
1 post
18 tags
What Steve Jobs taught me about Marketing
Over the past century, every generation has experienced a revolution in the cosmos of business. And each awakening in technology has stemmed from a new innovation.
In that respect, Steve Jobs is a legend.
To me (and many other business professionals in a variety of disciplines), his genius was noteworthy not only because it changed the way people live, learn, and behave, but also...
September 2011
1 post
10 tags
BRIDGING THE GAP: Brand Message & Consumer Trust
All the messages funneled into consumer homes, cars, and on the streets, it’s a full-time job for businesses to simply break through the clutter.
Do consumers believe claims made by businesses for their advertised products?
Many businesses spend millions annually trying to answer this question through research, focus groups, and other methods. In reality, consumers are a bit fickle...
July 2011
2 posts
19 tags
It's Time to "Tee Up" on Your Digital Experience
At this very moment, the biggest, most legendary ad agency in your city… is losing clients. And their biggest client, losing its lion’s share. Brands that once ruled the galaxy - are now light years behind the pace. With teams made up of world-class aces in each discipline, how did this happen?
Conventional wisdom might suggest that this is a fluke. That these brands should be...
7 tags
Creativity vs. Strategy: The Case of Henry Ford
For too long in this business, there has been massive confusion on the definition of a “creative.” And with it, a refusal to believe that anyone other than a “creative” could actually be creative. Thanks to companies like Apple, IDEO, and even as of late - Miracle Whip, we’ve seen brand and product strategies that are not only creative -...
June 2011
2 posts
8 tags
6 Free Ways to Measure Online Success
“Measurement is the key to success.” This cliche not only holds true for marketing. And in the digital marketing realm, it reigns supreme.
First, know that having robust tools / software to gain web knowledge isn’t always necessary. Sure, it helps major corporations and larger businesses really dig-in.
But for small and mid-sized companies, there are several easy ways for you...
7 tags
Why Most Agencies... Need an Agency
Recently, I’ve come across quite a few articles in big industry publications - each discussing why agencies need to be more integrated in their service offerings. Digital agencies need to be more traditional, and vice versa. If you too have read theories like this one, it’s time you unlearn them. Here’s why…
Despite being known as the mecca for outside marketing...
May 2011
5 posts
How to Catch A Customer...for Life
Today’s consumer is more informed than ever.
Social media, forums, discussion boards, and word-of-mouth grow stronger each day. And while some old-school stratagems and tactics may hook a few buyers in the short run, the brand loyalty that reels them in now demands a completely new approach.
True, not everything works for everybody. But there a few key items that you’ll find in the...
6 tags
A "Top Chef" Lesson that All Brands should Learn
If you love good food, you probably know Anthony Bourdain. Even if you’ve never met him.
In television and in his literature, Chef Bourdain is one of the most outspoken individuals in culinary history. He’s very open with his disdain for competing chef personalities, as well as his love for others. He has, at times, been profane and used sexual references liberally. And in his...
The iBrand Shuffle
I have a major bone to pick with my iPod. Over the past few years, I have amassed an arsenal of diverse music. Some I like. Some I hate. And with “Home Sharing,” I’ve noticed an increase in Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, and lame ’80s Rock jams from Corey Hart, Bon Jovi, and Def Leppard. This is perfectly fine. Sometimes you just want to hear “Sunglasses at Night” on a...
tumblrbot asked: WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?
6 tags
The 7 Deadly Sins of Digital Content
The evolution of media hasn’t changed anything.
The last decade has given way to a new landscape of communication. With it, great digital minds have showed us the path to success. Increasingly narrow is that path.
Relationships, permission marketing, simplicity, two way conversation, brand stories. Martyrs, all of them.
No wonder people are skeptical of brand communications.
...