Social media continues to be the quintessential hot topic that has people buzzing. Facebook and Twitter are household names and are often considered the primary online channels for businesses to reach consumers from a branding and marketing perspective. However, some companies are still cautious about entering this dynamic digital forum because it’s not directly answering that age-old question, “How can social media increase my company’s revenue?” Read Full Article
When I walk through stores, eat at restaurants, or shop online, I notice the little things which influence me positively or negatively. Businesses make substantial investments to build their brands, but far too often the brand message doesn’t make it to the front line.
At the end of a recent seminar, I was asked to define “buzz marketing.” I believe my response was something to the effect, “It’s viral marketing. It’s getting people to talk about your product or service. Buzz marketing is creating buzz.” I thought my definition helped to answer the question at the time, but when I got home that night, the question lingered and I thought, “How do other marketing professionals define buzz?” So I went to my bookshelf and pulled out one of my old MBA consumer behavior books and looked it up.
The best definition I found was from professors Del Hawkins of the University of Oregon and David Mothersbaugh from the University of Alabama. They defined buzz as “the exponential expansion of word-of-mouth” communication. Buzz is the result of specific marketing activities that creates conversation, excitement, and anticipation around a brand, service or product. It’s “Hey, did you hear…? Hey, did you see…? Hey, did you buy…?” Buzz can be positive or negative. Of course, the goal of marketers is to create positive buzz surrounding their brand. Read Full Article
Colleges and universities today find themselves in a hyper-aggressive competition to attract and retain students. Adult learners and traditional students see themselves as “buyers” of a higher-education product. They have different demands, different expectations. They want colleges and universities to serve their individual needs in curriculum, degree offerings, facilities and extracurricular activities.
To compete and win, colleges and universities must embrace a business mindset. They must focus on building world-class brands that speak to targeted students in a meaningful, relevant way. They must address three fundamental challenges—and opportunities—in developing their brands: Read Full Article
OK, I admit it – I’m a fan of “American Idol.” (Yes, I know, here comes the grief!) When I can’t make it home at 8pm, I record the show on my DVR and watch it when I have a free minute. Honestly, I prefer watching it at a later time so I can skip through the commercials to get right to the performances and the results.
During the last show, I stopped fast-forwarding and thought to myself, “What impact does my DVR activity have on an advertiser’s brand?” It seemed to me that fast-forwarding through a commercial would not impact the consumer as much as watching the 30-second spot, but I wondered if it had any effect on consumer behavior at all. And, how did this affect consumers’ brand perception? My first assumption was that all brand awareness was lost, but I wasn’t sure. So, out of curiosity, I did a little research and found some interesting information. Read Full Article
Over the years, we’ve helped several of our clients develop their brands. We methodically step them through the process and work together to build a brand that is differentiated from the competition in a way that is relevant to their customers. Then we hand them their new brand and say “OK, good luck!”
Not really.
Developing an “own-able” brand is a true accomplishment. It requires diligent research on the target and competition. It requires an understanding of the long term vision, and the desired perception in the market place. It often requires making tough decisions while prioritizing the personality, credibility and differentiation factors that make your brand, YOUR brand. So it would be crazy to invest all those resources, and then not follow through to ensure that your employees are delivering on that brand. Yet that is exactly what happens in many cases. Read Full Article
I recently published an article on our Learning Solutions blog titled “Innovative Ways to Educate Customers.” The blog talks about how leading organizations, including DuPont, Cisco and American Express are using video, on-demand learning and learning communities to educate customers.
Marketing leaders are investing in these efforts to further establish their brands, capture new leads and build deeper relationships with prospects and customers. Check out the blog and consider how you might engage your customers in a more meaningful educational experience.
In 1989 I asked my first boss, Rich, what he thought about the idea of communicating with clients through a technology that was the precursor to email. He told me that he did not think it was a good idea- it would prevent communication with clients from being properly screened. Hmmm? I wonder how many emails he sends to clients today?
Rich’s desire to manage the flow of information reminds me of the argument that some organizations are making for blocking access to social media by their own employees:
It is easy to understand why these issues are a concern, but increasingly organizations see social media use by employees as a benefit, not a threat. The U.S. Air Force is one of these. Read Full Article
The biggest sporting event on earth – the World Cup – reveals two distinctly different approaches to soccer: the German style, with its tight structure, strong defense, short passes and low risk; and the Latin style, which is much more individual, free-wheeling and creative, but susceptible to dangerous counter attacks.
Maybe I need to get a life, but it seems that these two soccer styles describe the evolution of marketing communications over the past few decades. Not so long ago, marketers tightly controlled brand image and messaging. We told consumers what our brands represent, explained the product benefits, and dictated how those messages would be delivered. Short, safe passes in a tightly organized structure. Read Full Article
Selling Fear
What are you afraid of? Losing your job? Becoming insignificant? Facing something you’ve never done before? Falling out of (or in) love? Threats to your family’s safety? Becoming old and alone?
Read that paragraph again. Most of us have a strong emotional reaction to those threats. That reaction causes physical changes. Our pupils dilate a fraction of a millimeter. Our heart rate quickens. Blood flow increases.
You know what that means? We’re engaged. We’re paying attention.
As marketers, that’s exactly what we want from our targets. Read Full Article »