Marketing & Branding Blog by Dave Dolak

Is Twitter destined to be the second bird to be killed by the same stone?

2009-07-14T23:37:00.005-04:00

Remember the late 1990's when Web 1.0 was going crazy and website properties were spectacularly overvalued because they claimed to have “first mover advantage” and since they were dot-coms they could argue to investors that all they needed to do was build traffic first and then figure out how to monitize it to become profitable later? Remember those failed entrepreneurs who thought that simply building huge brand awareness was enough to ensure business success somewhere down the road?

In my initial days of getting to know Twitter I've found a tidbit on their website that made me fear that perhaps Twitter has forgotten the lessons of the past. In reading the About Twitter Q&A section I clicked on the link that asked, “How do you make money on Twitter?”, that is, how does Twitter itself make money?

The answer was startling.

It stated, in part, that “we are holding off on implementation [of generating revenue] for now because we don't want to distract ourselves from the more important work at hand...[w]hile our business model is in a research phase, we spend more money than we make.”

Uh oh. A business model that loses money and is in research phase after the product has launched sounds like an unsustainable business model to me.

As I've written previously, high brand awareness alone is nearly meaningless unless it comes along with strategic brand awareness that creates brand preference. Of course, this all assumes that a brand is profitable to begin with and that the strong brand preference leads to profitability and long term sustainability. Nobody is arguing that Twitter has not built a huge, passionate base of users who love the brand. What is arguable is whether or not that would have happened if it wasn't literally a free-for-all.

The first and foremost responsibility of business managers is to generate enough revenue to remain in operation. Organizations can aspire to wonderful, altruistic and admirable deeds and hope to develop the fanciest whiz bang technology but if they cannot find a way to remain in operation first then all of their efforts are for naught. Aspiration and hope are not business models.

Twitter is not alone on this one.

Other social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are also building massive audiences with no sustaining revenue streams. What happens when users must pay some fee to use these services, pay for some of the content or if users must not only tolerate but embrace advertisements on these sites? If advertisers do not see profits from their ads, how will users feel if these Web 2.0 services compile and package information about users' preferences and behaviors and simply sell that information to companies who would like to target these people with their products and services? Creating a huge base of followers for a free service is relatively easy in the scheme of things. Getting somebody to pay for it all later after they've been accustomed to getting it for free usually upsets the apple cart.

Sure, Twitter and other social networking sites are great but who is going to pay for them? Sooner or later dollars are going to have to change hands to keep the servers plugged in and the lights turned on.

Can you envision a revenue stream that will be successful for Twitter? Would you pay to send your tweets? To read tweets? Would you willingly and purposefully transact business with advertisers on Twitter in order to keep the service running? Would you tolerate information about you being sold to third parties in order to generate revenue? Who owns your Twitter content? (Remember, Facebook recently had to do an abrupt about-face when they changed their terms of use to say they owned all content and reserved the right to do with it what they wished. Users revolted and the new policy was quickly changed.)

I'm eager to hear my followers' thoughts on this one. How does Twitter avoid a repeat of a Web 1.0 bubble burst?

Book review: Perspectives on Branding

2009-07-14T00:09:00.001-04:00

Jason Miletsky and Genevieve Smith each separately answer 90 questions about branding in this work, Smith from the corporate side and Miletsky from the agency side. While the two have very different writing styles and experiences, the narrative weaves itself into a compelling book that comprehensively covers business branding as a topic.

Miletsky's style is less formal and a few times in the book he uses words and phrases that I don't ordinarily find in business books (or in polite company) while Smith is clearly more formal in her answers. Her responses are drawn almost, if not, entirely from her experience at Washington Mutual (annoyingly referred to as "WaMu" throughout the book) and his answers come from his experiences at his agency, PFS Marketwyse.

As I read each question I first thought about how I would answer the question and then compared that to how the authors responded. In all but a few cases I was satisfied with the responses that each author gave and was fascinated at times by the different perspectives. What perhaps was most refreshing was the interplay and how it affects the reader. You will find yourself thinking about the questions and the branding process and then you'll look for the nuggets of information to be gained from each author. There are plenty of nuggets to be had. The fact that you are thinking about the process means the book accomplishes what a good book is supposed to do.

This is a very good book that is easily digestible and is not pretentious in its approach toward the topic. It brings business branding to a level that is approachable by most any business manager and that in and of itself is quite a feat. I recommend this work.

Cast your net wide or narrow?

2009-07-02T22:51:00.002-04:00

I could launch into a discussion about the pros and cons of marketing to niche or targeted markets vs. broad-based marketing but I won't. I'm just glad Woodie cares enough about us to offer sugar free fudge.

Happy Independence Day to my U.S. followers.

Brand debate: Are people brands?

2009-06-19T02:07:00.000-04:00

Check out the debate at www.BrandStrategyInsider.com.

The Secret of Marketing in a Recession (guest post)

2009-06-17T22:50:00.002-04:00

The Secret of Marketing in a Recession
by Boyd Blackwood

Though it seems to make sense to cut expenditures in lean economic times, 80 years of data proves that cutting marketing to save money is a losing proposition.

Way back in 1927, the Harvard Business Review published a report tracking 200 companies from the 1923 recession on. The results were clear. The companies that didn't cut back on marketing - those that advertised the most during that period - enjoyed the biggest sales increases.

Another later study measuring the effects of business-to-business advertising looked closely at the recessions of 1949, 1954, 1958 and 1961. In these tough times, sales and profits dropped for companies that reduced their advertising. In addition, when the recovery came about (as it always will) those same companies lagged behind those that did NOT cut back.

That was proven again by McGraw-Hill Research when examining the financial performance of 600 companies in 16 industries during the recession of 1981-1982. The report, published in Laboratory of Advertising Report 5262, showed that sales for companies which aggressively marketed during the recession rose 256% over those that cut back - and stayed growing for up to three years AFTER the economic downturn.

A Cahners Publishing Company study in 1980 and a Center for Research and Development study in 1990 both concluded that those companies which maintain or increase their advertising during recessionary times stand to gain the most market share during that period (an average of 1.5 points.)

Coopers & Lybrand and Business Science International put it this way in their joint report published by Penton Media in 1993: "Businesses that maintain aggressive marketing programs during a recession, outperform companies that rely more on cost cutting measures. A strong marketing program enables a firm to solidify its customer base, take business away from less aggressive competitors, and position itself for future growth during the recovery."

There is a book of such research findings entitled Advertising in a Recession by Bernard Ryan, Jr., published in 1999. But these examples will probably suffice to tell the story.

The word "recession" has its origins in the Latin for "move backward." In an economic recession, when those around them "move backward," smart marketers do just the opposite. They STEP FORWARD.

Boyd Blackwood, Longtime creative director and marketer

Free resources for marketers on a limited budget at my blog: Smart Marketing on Any Budget http://www.smartmarketing4.me

Tweet me @bb_smart

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Boyd_Blackwood http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Secret-of-Marketing-in-a-Recession&id=2472619

Get off the Google AdWords Crack

2009-06-16T22:15:00.002-04:00

Hubspot is offering a free webinar, Marketing Detox: How to Get Off Google AdWords PPC Crack - Free Webinar that promises to discuss ways to bring traffic to your site beyond just PPC using Google AdWords. The webinar on June 26 promises to discuss:

Why SEO is a better long-term strategy than Google Adwords PPC (pay-per-click)and how to balance the two

SEO basics to optimize your website on your own

Inbound marketing strategies to generate leads efficiently

How to combine SEO, blogging, and social media for exponential results

Best of all, the webinar is free but registration in advance is required.

Book review: Escaping the Black Hole: Minimizing the damage from the marketing-sales disconnect

2009-06-10T23:24:00.002-04:00

Fellow Virginian Schmonsees effectively describes the disconnect between the marketing and sales functions and why this disconnect exists in the first place. He then prescribes the cure.

The cure is contained in his conceptual framework of managing core intellectual assets much like Work In Process in a manufacturing environment. Imagine if you will defining every benefit, every value statement and every bit of information about your products and services in bite-sized chunks and keeping these in an inventory silo. Then imagine being able to pull, combine and deliver these assets to prospects and customers at the very moment these assets are best able to demonstrate the value you can deliver to your customers -- and doing it all in the most compelling way based on how each specific customer prefers to make purchasing decisions. Marketing creates the customer value and creates all the supporting materials and arguments in an a la carte, standardized and sanctioned fashion and then combines, compiles and delivers these materials to Sales exactly when and how they need them to make the most compelling case of how your firm will deliver value to your customers. Part marketing, part branding, part sales, part information technology, part inventory management but 100% focused on delivering value to your customers in a systematic way.

That is the essence of this book.

This is an invaluable resource for managers and executives in all mid- to large-sized companies. I highly recommend it.

Do Sales and Marketing need to sleep in the same bed?

2009-05-26T22:34:00.003-04:00

Are the sales and marketing functions really so different that they need to sleep together in order to understand each others' perspectives?

Perhaps there needs to be better communication and better understanding of each others' metrics, but I'm not so sure that the sales-marketing alignment gap is so broad that these two functions don't at least understand the importance of the other's objectives--even if they are slightly different. Sure, marketing and sales each have their own charters, planning time horizons and compensation models but does that mean they have no empathy or care for the other? Does that mean that one will pursue its own agenda without consideration of the other reaching its objectives?

If the larger goals of the organization are not understood and adopted by every functional department then I suggest there is a much deeper management failure rather than a simple sales-marketing gap.

Does this sound like any organizations you know?

2009-05-10T09:24:00.002-04:00

According to research,

70 to 80% of the leads generated by marketing are never followed up

Only 29% of a salesperson's time is actually spent selling

80% of sales support experts are regularly used inappropriately

80 to 90% of marketing collateral is considered useless by sales

Salespeople typically spend 30 to 50 hours per month searching for information and re-creating customer-facing content

80 to 90% of customer-facing content created by salespeople is inaccurate and dilutes the brand

More than 80% of marketing and salespeople cannot consistently and effectively articulate their value propositions

If this is true, how are companies addressing these issues to correct this problems? More importantly, do companies even recognize that these issues exist? Obviously these facts represent a huge waste of resources and greatly reduce marketing and selling effectiveness.

Source: Escaping the Black Hole: Minimizing the Damage from the Marketing-Sales Disconnect by Robert J. Schmonsees

Great quotes on building powerful brands

2009-05-01T23:08:00.008-04:00

"Funding tactics without maximum return almost ensures failure. Achieving alignment from vision to tactics across all stakeholder groups results in a strategic advantage for brands. This alignment affects everything that touches customers in a way that helps them understand the value of the brand."
- Blueprint for the Brand, Rowe, Franck and Lang, Medical Marketing and Media, New York: Feb. 2006, Vol. 41, Iss. 2.

"A good brand planning process relies on four internal objectives:

1) Building transparency and visibility into assumptions and the decision-making process

2) Developing a comprehensive understanding of market dynamics

3) Grounding assumptions in the product life cycle and

4) Using ROI to drive tactics selection and to monitor performance."
Copyright Haymarket Media, Inc. Feb 2006

Capitalism and Marketing

2009-04-21T17:02:00.009-04:00

Capitalism frees the human spirit to achieve, allows individuals to directly benefit from their own hard work and enables entire societies to self-regulate themselves and protect themselves from an oppressive or autocratic ruling class.

Capitalism upholds the right to private property and believes that individuals should be free to decide where to invest and what to produce or sell and what prices to charge with only minimal limitations. As marketers we understand that this also means that our customers get to choose how and where to spend their money, giving them the freedom to spend elsewhere whenever they want.

There is a growing movement throughout the world and in my country (the U.S.A.) to try to demonize the capitalistic, free-market system. Detractors point to greed and exploitation of resources--both natural and human resources--as the underlying fault of capitalism.

People who rail against free market capitalism often point to the relatively rare but high profile cases of excessive corporate greed and malfeasance as evidence that the whole economic system is a dismal failure. They propagandize about inefficient utilization of resources to demonstrate that capitalism is evil. They talk of unfair profits and price gouging.

The truth is that these practices of corporate greed and malfeasance simply cannot be maintained in a system of true economic individualism or capitalism.

The capitalistic, free market system is solely responsible for some of the greatest advances that mankind has ever known and has seen my nation grow from birth to lone superpower in the world in little more than 230 years, a mere blip in terms of world history.

The capitalistic, free-market system has proven time and time again that not only does it encourage people and entire societies to reach unparalleled levels of prosperity, but that it can also topple tyranny and protect against widespread corruption. Capitalism allows people to prosper and reach levels of success limited only by their dreams and imaginations.

The free market system drives people to achieve their highest potential and encourages them to be fair and ethical. If they are not, a competitor will seize the opportunity to compete for that share of the market because there will always be a competitor with a better cost structure, cheaper selling price or better business practices that consumers view more favorably.

Put in simple marketing terms, we consumers choose to do business with those brands and companies that we like and trust. We choose to reward brands that deliver value to us and that behave in ways that we see as acceptable. We don't reward companies and brands that don't measure up.

Unlike most other economic systems, there is no room for excessive greed, long-term price gouging and exploitation in capitalism. The system is self-correcting.

To be sure, there is a dark side to the human psyche and some managers succumb to the temptation to cheat, exploit or otherwise take unethical short-cuts in order to gain fame, money and profits.

Instances of managers behaving in such a manner underscore the weaknesses and frailties in people, not the economic system in which they operate.

The free-market system is actually the cure for unethical business behavior as capitalism will not tolerate such behavior in the long-run.

Consider the following:

If a company is operating in an unethical manner in the marketplace, consumers will flee from that company as soon as there is a better option. Consumers also understand that sometimes not purchasing anything at all is the best option.

The free market system encourages entrepreneurs and business managers to develop better alternatives as soon as they see an opportunity to compete for any given market.

Capitalism encourages seeking and creating the cure for corporate greed and malfeasance.

What does all this have to do with your marketing function?

Everything.

If you as a marketer do not believe that a high sense of moral responsibility and ethical behavior is absolutely critical to your long-term success then you are in trouble.

If you as a marketer do not believe that customers will flee from your company and your brands as soon as there is a better alternative then you are in trouble.

If you as a marketer do not believe that earning the highest profit the market will allow is the fuel that drives innovation, and that profit is the foundation that allows you to constantly deliver increasing value to your customers and that it supports a higher standard of living for all concerned then you are in trouble.

If you as a marketer do not believe that the best way for you and your company to do any lasting good in this world is to first earn enough profit to stay in business then you are in trouble.

You and the head of your marketing department must understand capitalism and fully embrace its tenants and accept the awesome responsibilities that go with it. Once you do, your business will have a mindset that will allow it to soar to unprecedented levels of success.

Build your business brands to prosper in a free market environment and you will be focused on enduring business success based on offering your customers superior, unique value that is continually enriching to both you and your customers.

# # #

This article is an adaptation from the free report, "5 Secret Marketing Tactics That Will Increase Your Revenue." Dave is also author of the e-book, "How to Build and Manage Your Brand (in sickness and in health)."

Is Direct Marketing Relevant Anymore?

2009-04-20T22:24:00.000-04:00

http://connectdirect.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/is-direct-marketing-relevant-anymore/

Top 20 Social Media Sites

2009-04-08T22:44:00.001-04:00

According to Hitwise:

The first rule of business and marketing

2009-04-07T20:00:00.002-04:00

I have to chuckle as I read and hear a variety of marketers talking about how to market during a recession. Invest more money into your marketing, cut back your marketing, leverage social media, don't jump into social media as a panacea, etc., etc.

It all reminds me of my first rule of business: For every opinion there is an equal and opposite opinion.

I'm sick of bailouts

2009-03-31T22:56:00.002-04:00

Has everyone lost their minds?

The #1 rule of marketing (and business) is that you must create value for somebody else. Not only create value, but create value such that others are willing to pay you for your offering because it is more valuable to them than the dollar amount of the price you are asking is to them.

For those who are not creating value that people are willing to pay for, the remedy of the market is for you to evolve, adapt or go away on your own terms. The worst thing that can happen is for somebody to come along and bail you out and give you false hope.

If you are not creating value for others such that they are willing to pay for it enough to keep you in business, then your demise is ensured and actually the best thing that can happen for all of us. Otherwise we are simply subsidizing products and services that we don't want enough to pay for--we're just doing it through higher taxes which is always less efficient than paying directly. If you don't want what I offer today at my price, why would you want the same thing tomorrow after a government markup?

I like you and all, but if I like what you offer I'll buy it directly, thank you very much. I don't want government bailouts that fool you into thinking I want what you are selling enough to pay for it. The latter is unfair to both of us, is just delaying your inevitable demise and simply enriching politicians who seek more power over you and me both.

Focus on your value proposition and we will all be OK.

Marketers adjusting plans due to recession

2009-03-25T21:47:00.005-04:00

A new Dihedral Group (TDG) survey conducted on behalf of Aquent and the American Marketing Association shows that the current recession is fundamentally different from previous ones and reveals ways that marketers are finding pragmatic solutions to deal with the current environment in which they find themselves.

One of the main ways this recession is different from previous ones is the near ubiquitous presence of digital forms of communication due primarily to the widespread use and near total acceptance of the Internet as a valuable business communications channel when compared to previous recessions.

The study finds a few things that marketers may or may not find surprising such as:

40% of all participants in the survey are in a hiring freeze and 45% cited that year-over-year revenue has declined

Companies are relying more on their agencies to do more with less and companies are choosing to use outside marketing consultants rather than hire, train and retain in-house talent

More and more marketers are trying to better leverage social media in 2009

In general, marketing managers are looking to expand and grow their efforts in digital marketing and online initiatives as a cost savings measure rather than conduct traditional marketing events such as trade exhibits

Hiring managers are looking for marketers with specific skill sets rather than industry experience

In the study more than 68% of marketers indicated that their marketing initiatives have changed due to the current recession while almost half reported significant or very significant changes in their short-term plans. Many marketers did, thankfully, express their concern for long-term branding strategies and are being careful not to undermine them in exchange for short-term revenue capture.

Maybe professional marketers are indeed capable of learning from the past.

Here's a link to the study

Making sense of social media marketing

2009-03-14T22:45:00.005-04:00

Don't bother reading any books on this topic, just watch this 10 minute video from Perry Belcher. This is, perhaps, the most concise and easy-to-understand explanation of social media marketing that I've seen.

15 Tips For Better Marketing That Will Revitalize Your Business

2009-03-12T23:38:00.002-04:00

By Andrew Ballenthin

After reviewing over 200 business responses to Groups on LinkedIn we picked 15 of the strongest themes and boiled them down to the bare bones of inspiration that with some daring and leadership can change your business's future. Regardless of competition, the economy, your customers or your financial position it is possible to reinvent or reshape your business.

1. Think Extra Gigantic - Instead of watching the numbers shrink or scraggily signal digit growth ask, "How can I reach 10x more customer than before?" There are customers out there but they may be further away. If you market to a city, talk to 10 cities, if you promote to a province/state talk to the country, if you talk to a country go global. Response rates are a percentage game, change the odds.

2. Rip Up The Marketing/Business Plan - What your business model was 6 and 18 months ago may not be right for the next 18 months. If you are successful, rip it up anyways, there are gigantic changes going on in social, economic and industry structures. If you are struggling, step outside the box and ask who's doing better then you and find a way to imitate and do what they do even better.

3. Find Your Suppliers Hidden Ace - Ask them how they can pull out all the stops to help your growth. It may be credit terms, price reductions, exclusivity on a new product line, or co-op advertising dollars. They probably have an ace up their sleeve you haven't capitalized on yet.

4. Ruthlessly Look For What Customers Want - Your customer's know what they want and what will motivate them to take action. Interview one-on-one, hold group discussions, survey, throw a social, run a contest. Your next biggest successes are in your customer's needs not met yet. Don't stop searching until you get a powerful breakthrough. If you can't find it you're not looking hard enough.

5. Demand to Know Why Prospects Aren't Buying - Within this simple and obvious search an astounding revelation will emerge about what they are looking to buy and from who if not with you. Do not stop until the pattern emerges. When it shows up find a way to give them what they want know matter what you have to do.

6. Mimic Another Industry - A lot of companies get stuck in, "but that's what our industry does". A close study of an industry that is healthy will reveal different ways to market, brand, sell products/services, manage financials, handle inventory, etc. Or look at a very successful business similar to yours in another country and bring those ideas back home.

7. Create Mega Contact Databases - With so many advertising budget cuts there are a lot of businesses that compliment what you sell and will be open to co-promoting to your database in return for you talking to there's. With 3 or more companies working together your reach expands exponentially.

8. Throw Out Everything You Know About Traditional Advertising - A number of major media channels are seeing up to a 40% drop in ad spend and yet customers are still buying. Fearlessly consider any media you may have overlooked. Online spending of every type is steadily increasing. Don't let your competition gain dominance that you can't afford to compete with later.

9. Create A Ruckus People Will Talk About - Break out of what was safe advertising before, chances are you are nearly invisible by doing what you did 18 months ago. A huge amount of business is circulating by word of mouth. Swallow the fear and try something dramatic so people talk.

10. Mercilessly Rip Apart Your Product/Services - Part of what is stopping your success is lethargic lines. If your customers are happily buying or occasionally buying, get rid of those services. Do whatever you have to do find out what your customer's are demanding and watch sales take off.

11. Learn How To Do Right Brain Marketing - This is a new term we've coined to help all the traditional marketers look at the world differently. An undeniable social trend is emerging for mass micro marketing where customers want real time transparent, human, non-selling relationships. This online relationship defies the old rules but pays off by gaining interactive brand loyalty.

12. Become Crazily Visible - As competition cuts back on advertising spend customers hold off on spending as everyone says "these are bad times". Don't pay attention. Find every way to be visible more often, in more places, with more interesting things to follow than anyone in your industry. If budgets are tight there spectacular ways to go online and get exposure to millions of customers without spending a penny in cash, but it will get spent in time building a "cashfree" visibility.

13. Do A Shiny Brand Makeover - It's possible your customer's don't see you because they literally don't see you. As your customers revaluate who they want to buy from they may have crossed you off the list. But... if you simply repackage with a bright new shiny look (appropriate to your market) you may change their perception of who you are and give you another chance.

14. Get A PHD in Basics - A spectacular number of businesses are going back to good old selling relationships, retraining, CRM (customer relationship management), financials, cost management, etc. Guess what - they're actually kicking but and making money with really simple ideas.

15. Give Bad News the Boot - Ever notice that when you want to see a silver car it suddenly seems like everyone is driving one? We are our own worst enemy at seeing with the wrong perspective. Ask yourself repeatedly "where are the big wins?" Ask everyone around you; ask staff, customers, and other companies. Literally within days a totally different picture will start emerging.

Article by Andrew Ballenthin, President of Sol Solutions. When you need to stand apart from your competition talk to Sol Solutions for your competitive branding, advertising and marketing strategies. For more information go to our blog http://www.communitymarketing.typepad.com or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/solsolutions.

My passion has been driven by the enjoyment of blending creative with need for practical application and results orientation. Having worked with international corporations, national businesses and entrepreneurs it's easy to switch hats and scale for the vision and budget of the organization.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Ballenthin http://EzineArticles.com/?15-Tips-For-Better-Marketing-That-Will-Revitalize-Your-Business&id=2070038

Pepsi's new look: Take II

2009-02-28T09:34:00.005-05:00

OK, not to pick on Pepsi over their new logo design and how it was developed, but from where I sit the whole carbonated soft drink category seems crowded and confusing. Vanilla, cherry, diet, diet with no calories but with Ginseng, caffeine-free diet, zero...just what does it all mean and is it even offered by Pepsi and Coke anymore?

I believe there have been so many extensions of the Pepsi and Coke lines that it is very difficult for the consumer to know the differences and consumers become confused. When that confusion sets in for such low-involvement products, many times the consumer will just give up and either buy nothing at all, pick something that is known to be "good enough" or simply switch to a different category that is less confusing.

I recently went looking for Diet Pepsi Max at the grocery store and the picture above illustrates what I was looking for and what I found. Are these the same product? It just wasn't clear to me. When even the same product creates confusion in its packaging, loyal customers will simply give up on the product or just not care anymore. This defeats the whole branding effort. The more the branding is diluted and the more confusing the products become the fewer differences we see between Pepsi and Coke.

Did Pepsi misstep in switching to a new logo?

I don't know and the market will ultimately be the judge, but it seems to me that during these tough economic times that brands ought to be reassuring their customers that they are tried and true, familiar and the safe, trusted choice. I question the timing of Pepsi rolling out a new look more than anything else. It seems they created confusion at a time when simplicity is called for. As for the new logo itself, people will either love it or hate it and eventually just not really care anymore because it will fade into the noise of the category.

I give Pepsico credit, though. A recent Brandweek article tells the story of how Pepsi "invertised" to their organization prior to the roll-out of the new look. They made the right steps to make sure their messaging was grasped and embraced by their employees first prior to launching to the market.

We can learn an important lesson from this. If your organization does not understand what it is for which your brand stands then there is no chance that it will effectively projected and communicated outside your own walls and out in the marketplace.

Pepsi's new identity and logo, Is this stuff for real?

2009-02-23T23:01:00.004-05:00

Love it or hate it, the new Pepsi logo has sparked a great deal of discussion.

An internal agency document outlines the development of the new logo and I have to wonder if this stuff is for real.

Is the Pepsi "energy field" on track or did they miss the mark?

Where we go first when considering a purchase

2009-02-16T21:55:00.002-05:00

According to Harris Interactive, 20% of us go to search engines first when considering purchasing a product. Next we have discussions with family/friends/co-workers or, in other words, we rely on recommendations from those we know or trust.

This data is interesting, especially the fact that only 8% of people go directly to the manufacturer's website first. This clearly shows the trend toward commoditization brought on by the Internet. I believe it also spells trouble for manufacturers' brands that do not create a compelling set of qualities that resonate in consumers' minds. Unless people have some reasons to prefer your brand and seek it, chances are they are simply going to shop the category on price and basic features.

How well is your brand translated online?

Some good podcasts

2009-02-13T20:44:00.002-05:00

David Kinard has posted some great podcasts that he has done in association with the American Marketing Association. Some of the current radio shows/podcasts you'll find at the link above are on the topics of Personal Branding, Career Management, Social Networking and New Media and Search Marketing.

I met David at an AMA conference a few years back and he's a great guy and absolutely dedicated marketing professional. I'm sure you'll find his material useful.

Guest post: 10 Reasons Why Companies and Products Fail

2009-02-02T22:24:00.002-05:00

10 Reasons Why Companies and Products Fail
By Bill Tamminga

My research shows that this will be one of the most widely read articles I will ever write. For whatever reason, people want to know why businesses fail more than why they succeed. So this is for all the critics (and worriers) out there. Here are Ten Reasons Why Companies and Products Fail. Enjoy!

1. Lack of good ideas. Brainstorming is an absolutely essential part of new ventures. If a company wants to produce one product or service that sells, it must first come up with numerous ideas that have some potential. Most businesspeople and entrepreneurs I know brainstorm a minimum of fifty ideas before narrowing it down to the one on which they will actually work.

2. Production time is too slow. One of the ways businesspeople narrow down ideas is based on the amount of production time it will take to get the product to market. A mentor of mine suggests adding twelve months to any estimate I make in production time for new products and services. I have found his advice to be invaluable. It always takes more time than I think to complete a major project.

3. Production costs are too high. Of course, this issue is a cousin of Slow Production Time. Those twelve unplanned months of salaries, vacation days, holidays, health benefits and sick days can put your company in a significant cash crunch.

4. Voracious competitors. Everyone has seen a National Geographic or Discovery Channel episode about the African Savannah, right? Well, once you start making money, your competitors will close in like vultures on a wildebeest. Alternates to your product will begin to spring up out of nowhere like yellow thatching (google it).

5. The introduction of niche markets and customization. Niche markets and customization are great for consumers. They are also the downfall of many business ideas because of the specific demands of niche markets and the high cost of customization.

6. Government intervention. There are a slew of regulations that cover consumer and environmental safety for new products. Those hurdles must be overcome in a timely fashion for a company to make a return on its investment. Yes, I just put the words "government" and "timely fashion" in the same paragraph.

7. Poor marketing. After sinking time and money into brainstorming, product development, safety controls, and government forms, the company must now market whatever it is they are trying to sell. This is a problem if production costs have soaked up more cash than anticipated. No matter how much you believe in Guerrilla Marketing (and believe me I am a fan), you are going to need a fair amount of cash to fuel your growth.

8. Poor product or service design. Some companies don't realize that they have a poor design until they have spent thousands developing and marketing the idea only to find that consumers completely reject it. I can hear the collective "Ouch!" from many formerly frustrated but now highly successful entrepreneurs and executives who have been down this path before.

9. The company didn't listen to consumers. Spending a few thousand dollars on market research is much better than spending tens of thousands or more on a failed product.

Now for the final reason why companies and products fail... Drum roll please... Wait for it... Wait for it...

10. They don't deliver on their promises.

I was tempted to end this article after the words "Wait for it..." and let you figure it out on your own, but that would be cruel.

Here's to your success. Avoid these pitfalls at all costs.

Bill Tamminga is the author of Advanced Business Triage, a set of white papers that explain his systematic approach to business growth. There are three separate papers with specific ideas for service business owners, high-end sales professionals, and independent financial planners. To receive your copy, visit http://www.GoalRevolution.com/advanced_business_triage.html

To sign up for your FREE subscription to the GR Newsletter, visit http://GoalRevolution.com. In addition to consulting, Goal Revolution offers business courses through the GR Center for Advanced Business Studies. Our curriculum centers on teaching from such notable sources as Harvard Business School, the Gallup Organization, the University of Southern California, and more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Tamminga http://EzineArticles.com/?10-Reasons-Why-Companies-and-Products-Fail&id=1861660

Top marketing trends for 2009

2009-01-30T22:56:00.001-05:00

From the Marketing Executives Networking Group:
http://www.prleap.com/pr/130718/

Book review: Brand Immortality

2009-01-17T00:18:00.002-05:00

I recently finished reading my review copy of this book and I am very impressed. This book is must reading for brand managers and anyone involved in marketing management.

Drawing conclusions and culling data from 880+ case studies submitted to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) dataBANK and detailing numerous case studies from winners of the IPA Effectiveness Awards, the authors have compellingly made the case as to why the eventual death of any given brand is not an inevitable fact of life. The authors point out the pitfalls and dangers in much current thinking in the field of marketing.

This book delivers some visionary thinking about how to view your brands in the face of decreasing control over brand messages by you and increasing control by consumers. Your customers and the market will determine what your brand really means and it is up to you to listen first and only then continually develop and hone your brand's personality, emotional elements and communications in order to stay unique, salient and profitable.

Learn why applying the Boston Matrix to brands is dangerous and why tagging your brands with labels like "cash cows", "dogs', and "question marks" almost assures them of eventual death. Learn how to make your brands transcend product categories to live long and prosperous lives. Learn the truth about how the effectiveness of TV advertising has actually grown over the past 25 years despite what you may have heard or read about its alleged demise and decreasing relevancy. Learn about the fallacy of Rosser Reeves and why people who buy your brand are more aware of your brand rather then the other way around. Learn why the ratio between share of voice (SOV) and market share is so important and gain an understanding of how this ratio can be managed to extend the life of your brands indefinitely. Understand the difference between leading and lagging indicators and why it is essential to keep a well-balanced scorecard when monitoring KPI's. This book will change the way you think about product brands and brand management.

Very interestingly, the authors are based in the U.K. and many of the brands they talk about are U.K. brands. These were not brands that I have generally heard of before. The interesting thing was, when reading the case histories I was able to remain objective about the analysis precisely because I had not heard of some of these brands before. This stood in stark contrast to many other books on branding that I've read in which the author(s) discuss well-known American brands. It is surprising how your perspective changes when you read about successful brands that you've never heard of before and then realize how your own awareness of brands being analyzed in other books influences your opinions not only about those books but also those authors. This little dynamic surprised me and only reinforced to me the power of strong brands.

Brand Immortality represents a truly new and refreshing approach to the subject and I absolutely recommend it. The only downside is that most will have to wait until January 28 for the book to be available. When it does become available, buy it.