THE ECONOMICS OF STORYTELLING (Or, when the going gets tough, the tough get a story.) By Tony Hodges and Rick Ray Partners, brandstory If you work in advertising or P.R., direct marketing or new media, you well know the value of stories to your campaigns. Stories engage your viewers and readers like nothing else and… [Read more…]

Refreshing Focus Groups By Robert J. Morais Principal, Weinman Schnee Morais, Inc. Even with so many market research options, from real-world based ethnographic observation to online panels to complex surveys, marketers still field hundreds of thousands of focus groups annually. Advocates see them as a fast, inexpensive way to hear consumers speak about what they… [Read more…]

Do Incentive Programs Really Work for Pharma Brands? By Al Kenney Partner, M2 Worldwide Global Strategic Marketing There is this debate going back and forth over the years as to whether delivering incentives to patients such as free trials and co-pay offsets really pay out for the Pharma Marketer? Is the practice of delivering these… [Read more…]

By Bill Keller President, DataTech Concepts Do you use research to best position your brand or products? Is your company taking advantage of continuously evolving targeting tools, measurement and tracking mechanisms and newly formed marketing channels?  If you do all of this, your marketing approach is probably average. In an effort to make marketing and… [Read more…]

Some Advertisers Seem Stuck in the Recession by Roger W. Adams Chief Executive Officer, Marketing Second Opinion LLC In general, the best ads have both a rational and an emotional component. The emotional makes the deep connection with humans and establishes relevance. The rational is the explanation of the function or benefit that justifies purchase… [Read more…]

Meyer’s Top 10 Tips in Mobile/Social Apps By Patrick Meyer President, Sourcebits Technologies Smartphones and Mobile/Social Apps are beyond a doubt the hottest area with consumers–and smart marketers. Here are learnings from Sourcebits’ developing 200+ apps and 4 years of mobile/social work including our December Knocking Live Launch ( #3 Social app in 48 hours… [Read more…]

From “All Over the Map” to Constancy:  Building Consumer Confidence in Your Brand By Beatriz Mallory CEO and Chief Strategist for HispanAmérica CRM In another life, I was a cartographer.  I adore maps.  I love the precision of using the mileage scale to set my expectations of arriving at a set destination. As a young… [Read more…]

By Brad Nirenberg President, RedPeg Marketing Experiential marketing has been around for over a decade, but it is still one of the most confused disciplines in the marketing mix. When done correctly, experiential marketing is the positive, interactive experience between a brand and the consumer.  Too often confused with event marketing, experiential marketing gets relegated… [Read more…]

Intelligent Talent Management: A Step-By-Step Guide by Rand J. Gruen Ph.D. President, Corporate Integration Strategies, Inc. In the face of the recent downturn, many companies, including those in marketing, advertising, PR, and branding, have come under increased pressure due to declining revenues and profits.  As the slowdown drags on, many are looking for ways to… [Read more…]

Are Agencies Simply Unimpressive…or Are They Not Enlightened? By Mark Sneider Owner/President, RSW/US In a recent Adweek article (dated February 8, 2010) titled “Traditional Shops’ Digital Skills Deemed Unimpressive”, Andy McMains cites results from our latest RSW/US study, noting that key marketing decision makers aren’t terribly impressed with the digital/social skills of traditional, full service… [Read more…]

“So you’ve got a seat at the grown-ups’ table.  Now what?” An open letter to Public Relations professionals from Norman Sherman. Well, the world of marketing communications certainly has changed, hasn’t it?  For as long as any of us can remember, advertising was the center of the marketing and branding universe.  So much so, that… [Read more…]