Feb 2009

Marketing in today's economy | Mar 2009 | Jan 2009

Notice to Facebook: Users should always decide how sites are run

02/27/09 03:39 PM

Facebook has stumbled twice now while trying to implement changes in the Website. They could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by going to users first for any changes to the Website. I am still amazed at how many marketers feel that Websites are about them and or their brand when it's about users and what they want and need. That's why usability testing is so important and why no changes to Websites should be implemented without user testing. Read More...

eLearning is also part of you brand

02/27/09 06:00 AM

Every touchpoint with consumers is part of you brand from HR to eLearning modules yet time after time too many brands fail to understand this and as thus are losing the battle of new marketing which is based on relationships and trust. When done correctly online learning, eLearning, can be hugely successful and reduce product training costs. When done poorly it can result in poor brand attributes and increased calls to your customer service department. Read More...

Customer service can be more important than the product itself

02/24/09 05:18 AM

It was a pleasure to read the cover story in this weeks Business Week about customer service. The story, 25 companies that get it right, is a great look at how excellent customer service can shape organizations. I would add that customer service is an integral part of the brand and maybe even more important than the product itself in an era when one disgruntled customer can send a brands reputation down a long steep hill.

Saving the Sony brand

02/23/09 04:25 PM

It was the brand that introduced us to Walkman, CD players and camcorders. Now it's a brand laying off people and losing money as it tries to compete against new brands like Vizio and Samsung. Sony's key mistake was not having the vision to see the future of music as PC's penetration increased and almost every household was online. Can Sony make a comeback? Yes they can if they follow a strategic branding plan that includes flawless execution on all customer touch points. Here's how....

For eCommerce best practices should be basic for all websites

02/23/09 06:14 AM

Like most guys I do most of my shopping online as I hate to go to stores. Since I do so much shopping online I have come to appreciate the sites that provide a great ecommerce experience but I guess what I am so surprised about are the sites that provide a really bad ecommerce experience. I'm talking about big brands here and today that online experience is as much a part of the brand as the product itself. Here are some industry best practices that ALL ecommerce website should be offering. Read More...

Why consumer behavior may be changed forever

02/21/09 03:09 PM

I was doing some research on the current economic crisis to determine how it compared to other recessions. There is one statistic that stands out and that is the number of non-farm payroll jobs lost after peak job month but what I really believe will change consumer behavior forever is the "loss of trust". Loss of trust in our government to do regulate industries, loss of trust in employers to treat employees as valuable assets rather than expenses to be cut and the loss of trust in American business who seems to want help for failed management policies. Will consumers start spending again? My answer is yes they will but it will take a LOT of time for them to develop a level of trust with government and business that permitted them to spend beyond their means.
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Facebook: Do you get it now? It's about users not you !

02/19/09 09:01 AM

The about face of Facebook's content policy was a lesson for all internet marketers and that lesson is: It's about users not about you ! The fundamental difference of the Internet is that users control the message not marketers. Yet marketers continue to want to apply old marketing to new media? It's not about new media it's about new marketing !

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Starbucks: a brand in decline?

02/18/09 06:53 AM

In Howard Schultz’s 1997 book about developing Starbucks, he wrote, “Nothing pains me more than hearing critics compare Starbucks to a chain of discount stores or fast-food operations." Well yesterday Starbucks announced a new line of instant coffee as well as breakfast value meals. Is this a brand changing with the environment or a desperate attempt to save the brand? Read More...

Why I believe Facebook is going to become irrelevant in social media

02/17/09 03:48 PM

The furor over Facebook moves is already causing backlash among its users. First there was the new interface last year and now the new policy over just who owns the content on each Facebook profile along with a special page for business. While social media is still hot Facebook is becoming "uncool" and it's only a matter of time before users start to leave Facebook in droves for other social media platforms that understand it's about users not about interruption advertising.
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The pemanent change in consumer behavior

02/17/09 05:51 AM

Marketers need to stop calling this a "downturn"; it's a change in economic conditions that going to change consumer behavior forever. Think about it, there has been basically no wealth creation at all since the turn of the millennium. The net worth of the average American household, adjusted for inflation, is lower now than it was in 2001. Yet consumers believed they were getting richer, because they received statements saying that their houses and stocks were appreciating in value faster than their debts were increasing. The surge in asset values had been an illusion — but the surge in debt has been all too real and now we are all saving because we know that our jobs aren't safe. In order to get out of this recession consumers need to start spending but the reality is that is not going to happen anytime soon and marketers need to shift their thinking on a grand scale. Read More...

Why consumers are becoming more skeptical of brands

02/14/09 01:22 PM

From BW Magazine: The bad mortgages that got the current financial crisis started have produced a terrifying wave of home foreclosures. Unless the foreclosure surge eases, even the most extravagant federal stimulus spending won't spur an economic recovery.

The Obama Administration is expected within the next few weeks to announce an initiative of $50 billion or more to help strapped homeowners. But with 1 million residences having fallen into foreclosure since 2006, and an additional 5.9 million expected over the next four years, the Obama plan—whatever its details—can't possibly do the job by itself. Lenders and investors will have to acknowledge huge losses and figure out how to keep recession-wracked borrowers making at least some monthly payments.

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I am the enpowered consumer

02/12/09 05:28 AM

I am the empowered consumer and I could be a brands worst enemy or best friend. With all the money that is going to bailout corporate America I am more skeptical now of any advertising message. I used to have a some equity in my home and have a great secure job but that's changed and from now on I am not going to be buying things that I don't need and when I do I am going to go online to see what others have to say about your product and brand. Even if you have a great product I may decide that you won't get my business if you're a company that is not socially and economically responsible. Read More...

Those who cut marketing will pay a steep price

02/11/09 02:47 PM

When economic times turn bad and unemployment is on the rise, people tend to network more. In this social media-enabled era that means that many increasingly turn to online social networks and communities. So the counter-intuitive thing to do in this economic downturn - engage more aggressively with your customers, prospects and detractors in social media and social networks. And when you do, remember that the most important behavioral attribute is not transparency, but empathy and reciprocity. Geoffrey Ramsey, founder and CEO of eMarketer, has written the first major report or whitepaper for eMarketer in about eight years. What compelled him to get back in the saddle? The belief that NOW is not the time to cut marketing budgets but to invest in your customers and prospects. Read More...

Tags: Marketing budgets, Social Media

The reality of why marketers don't implement social media

02/10/09 11:19 AM

Social Media Demographics

02/09/09 01:18 PM

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Mobile marketing: Porsche gets great response rates but they need to look beyond that

02/09/09 05:56 AM

The core Porsche demographic is more middle-age male, pitching aspirational luxury vehicles with an entry price of $45,000 seems incongruent on a platform where the most popular wares are games targeted at younger users. However Porche recently embarked on a mobile ad campaign was integrated into the tail end of an 18-month-long affordability campaign meant to quash the notion that the German-made sports car was out of reach. The campaign was inspired by company research showing potential Porsche customers believed that the car's price tag and ownership costs were higher than they really were. While the click through rate was above Porche's expectations there are a couple of things they need to take into consideration. First, people love to look at cars, especially very expensive sports cars, and second in this economy owning a Porsche maybe seen as an excess when consumers are turning their backs on excess, to say nothing of spending money on an expensive car.
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Very nicely said !!

02/08/09 09:58 AM

Every once in awhile someone does something that makes you believe that there is hope for corporate America and that American business can again innovate with talented people who have a passion for what the do. This ad ran in today's New York Times in the business section and all I can say it "thank you!!!"

CEO

Some tools to help you with your website

02/07/09 02:11 PM

There are so many tools on the Web to help with your Website. Everything from search engine optimization tools to HTML tools to check your websites loading time. Here is a list of some free tools to check your site and ensure you're doing everything you can to drive traffic to your place online.

The marketing reality of social media

02/05/09 06:02 AM

Social media buzz is everywhere and marketers are still trying to understand it's implications and how to measure ROI. With the growth of social media however a fundamental change is taking place within the market: there are too few customers who are actually purchasing your brand today and it's not likely to change when we come out of this recession as people are now paying down debt and saving more to replace the lost equity in their homes. There are some realities of using social media for marketing that people need to understand and here's the list...
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These excuses for not implementing social media are pretty bad

02/04/09 09:04 AM

There are many barriers to deploying a social media strategy for your company and according to a survey of 1800 marketing people the top barriers are lack of knowledgeable staff and inability to measure ROI. I would have thought that the number three reason, budget, would be higher on the list but I have to say that the lack of staff and measurement of ROI are all easy to overcome if a company is really believes and understands social media

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Social Media Demographics

02/03/09 05:31 AM

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is older women (55+). In my presentation on social media I showed that penetration in the younger age groups is pretty big and that the driving growth, and opportunities, for social media was with older demographics who are just starting to learn about social media and its advantages.

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Dilbert on use of social media

02/01/09 09:25 AM

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Changes in consumer behavior as a result of the recession

02/01/09 09:10 AM

Interesting article in today's New York Times about how the recession is changing the way Americans live. Even when the economy picks up again I believe a lot of these changes are going to be permanent. Here is a list of changes in how we live from the article; Read More...