While all people are capable of dreaming, they may not dream the right thing. And even if they do, they may not pursue it the right way. That’s why they don’t turn dreams into reality.

Nowhere this is more evident than marketing, where marketers are usually dreaming of selling products that fail to meet consumer demand, or products that aren’t innovative enough to beat the competition.

Or they do have the right products, but fail to develop and spread the right message to hype consumer imagination.

Microsoft’s Windows 8 campaign, for instance, has so far failed to turn dreams into reality—though it is too early to reach a definite conclusion and determine what the source of the problem is.

Here are seven things that make the difference between marketing dreams and marketing reality:

1. The “Offer”

The product, the service, or the “bundle” to be offered must satisfy genuine consumer needs.  Apple’s products, for instance, fill the consumer need for mobile communications, computing, music, and distinction. Nike offers consumers top quality shoes, apparel, and accessories. Starbucks offers consumers a “third place” away from home, where they can enjoy a cup of coffee and socialize. Red Bull offers drinks that give consumers fast energy.

2. The Innovation

The “offer” must be innovative, to seduce consumer fantasy and imagination by delivering better value than conventional products, and by addressing emerging trends. Every single Apple product, for instance, offers a unique value to consumers, as it incorporates a number of distinct advantages over competitive products—simplicity, functionality, access to complementary products, etc.

3. The Choice of the Target Group

Some consumer groups are more receptive to innovative products than others and should be the early targets of the marketing campaign.  Apple’s products usually target the two groups that are most sensitive to marketing campaigns — ”pioneers” ie the young, restless and curious consumers enchanted with the new and the exotic; and the “early adopters,” consumers who are always on the lookout for products that will improve their personal and business lives. The early adopters is a larger group than the pioneers, and the bridge to reach to an even larger group — the “early majority.”

4. The Message

The marketing campaign should have a message that conveys the product attributes to the target groups by being appealing, clear, credible, transparent, direct, and adhesive — using characters and stories familiar to consumers.

Message attributes should be adjusted to help consumers memorize and recall the message the moment they make purchase decisions.  Adjust the message theme to appeal to different target groups, using the appropriate media.

5. The social context

Marketing campaigns are sensitive to the context, the “conditions and circumstances,” the place and time the message is launched. The context is like a magnifying glass that allows consumers to see and imagine things they couldn’t see and imagine before.

A message launched in a cosmopolitan city, in front of a landmark structure is more effective than a message launched in the middle of nowhere. Likewise, a message launched in the aftermath of a major event that has captured broad attention is more effective than a message launched at a usual time.

6.  The Spread of the message

Enlist into your campaign “agents of influence,” i.e. consumers who are more effective in influencing others, and therefore spread the product message, tell their neighbors, their friends, their co-workers or fellow club-members. Target, support and reinforce your campaign with viral marketing.

7. The Hype

Add emotion and hype to the campaign, to speed up the spread and the diffusion of the message to a critical mass of consumers.  Stir up interest and desire in the product to fuel hype and contagion.  Turn hype and contagion to a herd-like consumer behavior that helps products cross the “chasms,” especially the chasm between early adopters and early majority.

The bottom line: Marketing dreams that eventually become reality begin in the marketplace, not in the ivory towers of corporate headquarters. They are about unique and innovative product offering, and are achieved by launching a message targeting the right consumer group in the right context — and enlisting a legion of “agents of influence” to spread and diffuse the message to consumer masses.

Written by: Panos Mourdoukoutas.

What’s really interesting is that nearly half of that consumption comes from handsets such as the iPhone. Significantly, users of the mobile web rose 82 percent between July 2012 and July 2011, while app users grew 85 percent during the same time period. By comparison, PC usage fell by 4 percent.

According to the findings by Nielsen and NM Incite, a combined venture between the research firm and McKinsey, Facebook remains the top player in social media with 152.2 million PC users in the United States, 78.4 million mobile app visits and 74.3 million Americans logging in via the company’s mobile website.

However, Pinterest saw an enormous increase in usage during the July 2011-July 2012 period. The largely female audience spent 1.2 billion minutes via PC and more than 720 million minutes from the mobile web.

Another area where mobile is accelerating the growth of social media is with the “second-screen,” referring the people who use their smartphone or tablet while watching television. Some 44 percent of tablet users and 38 percent of smartphone users in the US use their mobile devices in tandem with TV viewing, according to the researchers.

Today’s research seems to only confirm what most mobile users already knew: that much of social media is conducted on the go. The iPhone is a perfect platform for sending tweets, while the iPad is ideal for reading Facebook updates. Rarely do I wait to get back to my iMac before checking tweets or taking a look at my Facebook friends’ activity.

Initially, networks saw the iPad as a vehicle to push programming, watching the success of Netflix and other streaming services. However, the real goldmine for TV networks is the second-screen ability. During the recent Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, NBC offered viewers the chance to tweet or post to Facebook and other social media contact alongside the video stream.

Such integration between television and the tablet or smartphone is one way networks can retain some of the audience it has lost. Has the iPhone and iPad become critical for your use of social media?

Written by Ed Sutherland.

Now, there are customers who take the adage literally and when they don’t get their way, complain heavily. This has become exponentially easier with the explosion of social media channels. Consider how common it is for a disgruntled customer to grumble on Facebook or tweet his or her displeasure in real time.

The reality is that, just as there are rude or incompetent customer service employees, there are chronically unhappy, even deceitful customers who feel entitled to get their way. Danish author and business consultant Alexander Kjerulf says there are plenty of reasons why the “customer is always right” axiom is plain wrong and, ironically, bad for business.

Among them:

This isn’t to say that customers don’t have a right to express their displeasure, or that employees are always right. I’m simply suggesting that as we move through the often-hectic holiday buying season, we look at our transactions from both sides and have reasonable expectations. While many businesses strive to put the customer first, that’s a far cry from saying the customer is right in every instance.

Written by Anthony Ariganello, CPA, FCGA, President and CEO, CGA-Canada. 

A recent survey conducted by staffing firm OfficeTeam asked HR managers what impressive actions they’ve witnessed an applicant take in order to help land them a position. The survey revealed some unusual and slightly extreme measures such as:

These types of actions weren’t the only things that got people noticed. Thankful, HR managers were also impressed with candidates who had done their homework, knew about the company and came prepared. This ‘back to basics’ approach seems like a common and necessary course action when readying yourself for an interview. OfficeTeam spokesperson Shelley Robinson further emphasized this point by stating “candidates should always do their research, review the company website, and bring questions.” In Robinson’s opinion bringing questions to an interview is one of the most important steps an applicant can take. “Questions show that you are actually interested in the position and company.  It means you’ve put thought into the role and have done your research,” she says.

Robinson also pointed out that in fact the small things go a long way–simple actions such as smiling when entering an office and meeting the receptionist, being polite, having a positive attitude and dressing appropriately. She makes a good point. Common courtesies can often be overlooked, and are not always top of mind when prepping for or arriving to an interview. But, they often have a huge impact on how a potential employer or hiring manager reacts to you when you sit down at the table. Body language and first impressions speak volumes.

Common courtesy aside, these findings do beg the question: when is it ok to go out on a limb and bring in a box of donuts, and when should you stick to a more traditional approach? Robinson says, “you can never go wrong by sticking to tradition and being conscious of your body language.” Doing something more creative really depends on the type of company and position you’re applying to. If you’re going to be working in a creative environment, more out of the box thinking will probably be more accepted and possibly even welcomed. Standing out with a unique resume might be exactly what the employer is looking for. On the other hand, a creative approach to an interview wouldn’t fly in a more conservative or traditional environment. Your actions have to fit with the potential workplace.

OfficeTeam offers a few other tips to help you impress:

Remember the small things will always help you give a positive impression, but it may be worthwhile to go the extra mile.

Chief editor at Workopolis Peter recently took to the streets to ask Canadians how they felt about the job market and what they were doing to stand out from the crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU6rOpxcM30

Written by Jenna Charlton. Jenna is a Toronto-based freelance writer and blogger. She has written for corporate as well as for non-profit organizations on numerous topics including workplace issues, real estate and food security. She has a professional background in Communications and Information. In her spare times she also loves to write about food and related stories. Read Jenna Charlton’s columns on Workopolis.

A compelling story, well told, has long been part of the tool kit for salespeople, marketers, fundraisers, and anyone whose job it is to convince people to part with cash. At its core, storytelling functions as a means of winning support for an idea or belief, and it adapts easily to a variety of applications. Consider what vision you want to communicate, what you want your audience to do, and why you want them to do it. Then craft a narrative that marries real-life examples to a recognizable plot structure. Facts and details are important, but authenticity is key.

The latter stages of economic reform in China have transformed workplace culture and stripped it of its stability and familiarity. With the phasing out of prescribed roles and predictable career trajectories, attitudes and expectations have molded themselves to a new, more drive approach to work. The introduction of competition and entrepreneurship to the Chinese workplace is without recent precedent and it has created a hunger in the collective imagination fed by the rise of the workplace or financial novel. In February 6, 2012 issue of The New Yorker, Leslie T. Chang presents a detailed and thoughtful examination of the evolution of this literary genre and its nuanced sub-genres. The explosive popularity of stories about work and ambition tells us as much about social and economic change in China as it does about the importance of storytelling in workaday life.

Storytelling in any context offers a way to describe change and to find meaning in the mundane realities that inform all human experience. In a business environment, it confers cachet to what might otherwise be undervalued, it helps leaders convey information and strategy in a memorable and resonant format, and it helps individuals chart their paths from vision to achievement.

By making sense of largely chaotic system or universe, an effective narrative hones attention, shapes behaviour, and makes positive change possible. In his book, Winning the Story Wars: Why Those Who Tell – and Live – the Best Stories Will Rule the Future, Jonah Sachs takes up the cause of empowerment marketing by which businesses sell themselves and their products with stories that cast the consumer in the role of hero. His central argument is that people respond more viscerally to stories of honour and courage than to those that appeal to fear and passivity.

Steve Denning, another thought leader in the field of organizational storytelling, dissects the various functions of storytelling. He argues that negative stories have their uses. For example they can create a sense of urgency that makes the audience more receptive to a call to action; but, if the purpose of storytelling is to motivate, then a narrative with an uplifting message or outcome is more likely to show the way forward.

He breaks down the objects of storytelling into five desired results:

In short, he proposes to revolutionize management practices by using some of the oldest methods of transferring beliefs and ideas – in short, by developing new oral traditions. In telling stories to contextualize the business endeavour in narrative terms, we can make sense of its goals and requirements in the same way as we do any other human activity: through setting, character, and plot. Recast as the rise of the underdog, the return of the defeated champion, the vindication of the pure-hearted hero, we can make the implementation of a new business strategy or the presentation of quarterly financial statements resonate and inspire in ways rhetoric and business jargon cannot.

Written by Mindy Abramowitz.

Over on the JESS3 blog, they’ve posted 10 of the different early versions and concepts of the Brandsphere so you can see some of the behind-the-scenes design process at work.

Available as a poster:

Center (White): At the center of the Brandsphere is the brand story. Everything starts with not just defining what the brand represents, but how it comes alive in social networks. This requires definition through a social media style guide and the development of a complete persona, voice, and promise.

Ring 1 (Red): The brand story is supported by tenets that serve as the connective tissue between the brand story and the technology that creates a path to consumers.

Ring 2: The vertical gray lines (triangles) divide the media types between Paid, Promoted, Owned, Shared, and Earned. Ring 2 provides the various options available to brands within each channel.

Ring 3 (Orange): Each media type is then enlivened through various forms of activation including Engagement, Gamification, SEO, Content Marketing, and SMO.

Ring 4 (Light Green): Media types are then visualized through the various platforms consumers use to discover, consume, and share content aka the Four Screens: PC, TV, Tablet, Mobile.

Ring 5 (Green): Media objects are then pushed and socialized through promotion, syndication, and organic means.

Ring 6 (Dark Green): Objects are further distributed and also measured through 1) Clickthroughs, presence and traffic, 2) Actions, Reactions, and Transactions (A.R.T), 3) Word of Mouth, and 4) Shares.

Ring 7 (Light Blue): Content then finds a permanent home among the groups that value information based on social graphs (personal and professional relationships) and interest graphs (networks based on commonalities and shared interests).

Ring 8 (Dark Blue): Objects are analyzed, activated, and/or repurposed by the various markets intrigued by the branded story.

The results of new media programs are measured by resonance, reach, and outcomes. Those that garner traction travel from the center outward and again from the outward in and back out again.

The Brandsphere is the visualization of Social Media’s critical path, R.R.S. Thus content programs require a thoughtful approach where media tells connects information, narrative, and people through their channels of influence in ways that spark interaction and circulation.

This social media icon set includes icons for the following applications:
Facebook, RSS, Twitter, Dribbble, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, Evernote, LinkedIn, Vimeo, Digg, DeviantArt, Bebo, Flickr, Posterous, Blogger, WordPress, Delicious, SoundCloud, Yahoo, eMail, StumbleUpon, YouTube, MySpace, Last.fm, DesignFloat, Orkut, Behance, Netvibes, Reddit, Forrst, Grooveshark, Path, Google Plus and Picasa.

Download Social Media Icons

There are three components to a responsive design:

1. A flexible, grid-based layout
2. Flexible images and media
3. Media queries

Flexible Is The Keyword

Until recently I had a site that adapted to the user’s device, depending on the available screen width. If it was less than or equal to 480px, the site would adapt and styles would change to suit that user who were more than likely on a mobile device. Anyone else was served the normal 960px width site.

The CSS looked a bit like this:

But there was nothing flexible about this approach. It adapted to one other screen size, it didn’t respond to varying screen sizes.

Target/Context = Result

Instead of setting widths and type in pixels, which are fixed, set widths and type in percentages or ems. This will give you a flexible design, and the widths and sizes will automatically respond depending on their relative bounding box.

Here is the step by step process of converting site from adaptive to responsive.

Step 1. Flexible Typesetting

Change all type sizes to ems. Assuming you want your base font size to be 16px (context), which is typically the browser default, the body font-size is therefore 100%. All other font sizes are then relative to this font size using ems.

target/context = result. Therefore if we want our H1 to be 72px (target):

72 (target) / 16 (context) = 4.5 (result)

2. Flexible Grid

Change column widths to percentages (or ems) rather than pixels. Give your container a max-width. This will be the bounding box for your grid. Everything within the box is then relative to the max width, or the width of the browser (if less than the max width).

1140 CSS Grid is a useful boilerplate with a flexible responsive grid.

3. Flexible Images

Give all images a max-width of 100%. This will ensure they don’t ‘break’ your design.

4. Box-Sizing

One issue I’ve always had with fluid grids is making input field widths flush with the grid. You want a textarea to be 100% width of the parent div, but you also want it to have a 2px border and 5px padding. Thanks to box-sizing:border-box we have a solution.

5. Additional hacks

There may be additional hacks like positioning and width issues you have to think about. The jQuery slider plugin may need a fixed width. Jordan Burke recommends FlexSlider, a fully responsive jQuery slider plugin.

Further Reading

• 1140 CSS Grid – A fully responsive CSS boilerplate
• The Goldilocks Approach to Responsive Web Design – Nice article and boilerplate from Front, focused on responsive design from the content out
• MQFramework – A useful responsive CSS framework

Written by Lee Munroe, a Designer based in California. He is passionate about web standards and making simple usable products.

The CASI Level 1 course is an introductory course, designed to give successful candidates the skills necessary to begin their role as a new instructor in the industry. Beginner teaching methods, understanding of basic snowboard technique, as well as lesson planning and effective communication skills will be addressed.

Candidates will receive coaching on their snowboarding, as well as feedback on their teaching skills, with the goal of reaching the Level 1 standard in both of these areas. They will also receive suggestions and strategies for long-term development. The successful candidate is certified to teach beginner snowboarders up to the novice turn level.

The Level 1 certification is a pre-requisite for the CASI Level 2 Instructor certification, as well as the Park Instructor course.

Course Duration:

3 days totaling a minimum of 18 hours (including evaluations)

Pre-requisites:

Who Should Take This Course?

You should take this course if you love to snowboard, and have a desire to introduce new students to snowboarding. You should be confident and comfortable both communicating and demonstrating in front of a group.

Am I Ready?

The Level 1 Instructor standards require you to pass both riding and teaching evaluations. In order to help you achieve success on the course, we suggest you take the following steps in preparation, if they are available to you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsnP40mN9DY