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Creating an effective advertising campaign involves far too many variables – a well-researched understanding of target demographics, a stellar creative team, great artwork and a strong financial investment. You’d think that with all the odds stacked against merchants and business owners, a successful advertising campaign would be improbable to find.   But they do exist. And we’ve all met them. Companies like Volkswagen, Nike, and even Maxwell House (“Good to the last drop…”) have run hugely successful advertising campaigns by offering what many of their competitors couldn’t - a connection with their audience.   After the pithy tag lines have been (more…)

Every once in a while, businesses need to take a step back to assess their We might not be able to completely quantify skills like listening and open body language, but they’re an essential part of marketing efforts and relationship building. From the little efforts like a firm handshake to remembering a client’s name to the bigger issues like individualized attention and timely troubleshooting, developing a dedicated customer service team with people who are cognizant of the impact their interaction with your clients has on your business is not just good business sense – it’s imperative.   Customer service can (more…)

Billboards, also known as billing boards in some parts of the world, have evolved significantly since serving as a canvas for cigarette companies. They’ve run the gamut from cigarette and rest stop ads to high-end digital billboards in megalopolis nerve centers like Times Square and cities like Singapore and Dubai.     So, clearly, they’re not going anywhere. In fact, as marketers team up with developers to dream up cutting edge innovations in advertising, billboard advertising is gearing up to become more ubiquitous than ever.   You don’t think so? Take a moment to reflect on your drive to work (more…)

Direct mail pieces. Email blasts. QR codes. Billboards. Website banner ads. iAds. Blog posts. Facebook pages. Twitter accounts. Google +. Newspaper ads (yes, they’re still being read). If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the myriad of ubiquitous marketing channels to tap into, chances are your audience is in the same boat as you are. Only, they’re on the receiving end of this balancing act. In a time when the list of options is exhaustive (and frankly, exhausting) at what point do the marketing channels find balance on the weighing scale? They really don’t. That they find a tipping point towards a (more…)

As consumers, we feel the need to engage with our friends, families, communities and work organizations; not with marketers or brands. We may develop brand loyalty – a concept that is quickly fading as people find more choices for themselves – but as consumers we don’t always make it a point to engage with the CEO of a company to getter a better sense of how they or their companies are doing.   How do we stand apart from ourselves? We’ve profiled the consumer growing with the cutting edge of technology over and over: curators, multi-media savvy individuals who carry the information (more…)

Mobile adoption isn’t a new trend. Not since the advent of cell phones a decade and a half ago. And in the past few years, mobile technology has propelled itself forward with leaps and bounds, and if you own any kind of a smart phone, then you’re tuned into this change. . The change is stemming from the way people are now consuming their media; if it’s not a pocket screen, then it’s a tablet. But it’s all instantaneous and prêt-a-porter.   The proof is in the numbers pudding, really, especially since advertisers are beginning to realize the potential that (more…)

A few months ago, we wrote a blog post related digital marketing trends and developing interactive ads. In a short space of time, interactive advertising has become the latest arena for advertisers to step on to.   Lately, interactive ads have come much further along than simple “Likes” on Facebook. “Appvertising” – a term coined loosely for advertising geared for mobile devices – is beginning to take flight. Reason being the opportunity to develop rich, multimedia content that is informative and engaging at the same time.    After all, who doesn’t love an entertaining ad with great images and a (more…)

Endorsements and paid reviews aren’t as powerful as what the Joneses next door feel about their outdoor patio pool, a maxim that has held true for marketers. But the top-down model where nuggets of truth related to a product can be hidden just doesn’t work anymore.    The consumer base has never been a homogenous entity that can be considered to have a singular set of traits that define its preferences and purchasing habits.    But generations do. And as technology grows and develops, and advancements are made in communication and transportation, certain habits arise with more ubiquity than others. (more…)

If you're feeling exhausted, overwhelmed or swamped by emails from marketers, online coupons and special offers available only electronically, there's a little bit of good news waiting. You're not alone.   And if you’re a marketer who’s having trouble generating strong numbers vis-à-vis ROI’s, conversions and click-throughs, then you have even better news waiting. Direct marketing and direct mail are beginning to generate positive results and positive responses again.   Direct Mail (DM) is fast becoming the anti-dote to a constant barrage of emails littering email inboxes everywhere.  More and more companies have begun relying on direct mail pieces for (more…)

Just when you think the cutting edge couldn’t get any sharper, there’s a new surprise waiting. This time it’s QR Codes, which have been used successfully in Japan for over a decade.   The newest buzzword in the post SXSW 2011 world is QR (Quick Response) Codes. They’re not all the rage in marketing just yet, but significant enough to command attention from opinion leaders, partly because of their ease of use.    Simply explained, QR Codes are square shaped 2D bar codes that hold more data than a typical bar code. And all you need to make them work (more…)