In Youth Marketing, More Is More
by Melanie Shreffler, Editor, Ypulse
We learned from the Ypulse GennY Award finalists that simple campaigns don't work anymore; marketing to this generation needs to be multifaceted. Giving Millennials a variety of ways to interact with a brand keeps them engaged and entertained, and giving them a voice or a choice lets them know their opinions matter.

Solving the Mystery of Shelf Impact
by Terri Goldstein
Despite brand marketers’ belief that the words on pack are the most important driver of purchase intent, recent studies demonstrate that they are actually the least important component of the packaging mix. In fact, the operative communications hierarchy puts color atop the list, with shapes, symbols and words following in that sequence.

What’s A Marketer To Do? A Quick Guide to Scientific Research Techniques
by Dan Hill, Ph.D. President, Sensory Logic
In the years since Malcolm Gladwell’s international bestseller, “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” awakened marketers to the importance of tapping into the intuitive, emotional responses of consumers to enjoy more effective marketing campaigns, a wild west of scientific research techniques have emerged. As someone who began to study emotional responses for clients a half decade before most of these neurometric firms were born, please allow me to provide some unvarnished perspective. 

Content Marketing Comes Into Its Own
by Carl Friesen
Business and professional magazines have long relied on “expert-written” articles to provide leading-edge content that they don’t have to pay a journalist to write. Now, they’re growing desperate for good, relevant, FREE content, not just to fill their print pages but increasingly, their websites too. It’s clear that for thoughtleaders with content to provide, the future’s bright.

The Future of Beauty: Personal Care Trends & Truths
by Ed Schack
With the cosmetics industry earning record revenues, with niche sectors like “men’s” and “organics” rapidly gaining market share, and with social media, eco-consciousness and cause-based consumerism greatly impacting product purchasing decisions, the cosmetics industry is an ever-changing behemoth that’s become integral to our national economy.

Leading With Price Will Kill Your Advertising, Branded Offers, and Ultimately Your Company
by Dan Hill, President, Sensory Logic
Nowhere in marketing today do emotions run hotter than when it comes to the role of (low) prices highlighted in advertising. In boardrooms everywhere, one can imagine what's being said, we need to make some money fast so let's lower our prices, and let everybody know. So CEOs and CFOs carry the day while CMOs beats a quick retreat to let the ad agencies know what to do. Only it's a bad idea to lead with price in advertising.

The Power of Women, and How to Reach Them
by Dan Hill, President, Sensory Logic
What's most important in 21st century marketing will to be on-emotion, meaning to create the right emotion at the right time, for the right audience, on behalf of the right positioning of a branded offer. Here's some help in overcoming blind spots.

"Me" and "We," the Ultimate Value Propositions
by Dan Hill, President, Sensory Logic
Everybody knows the mantra about how the product isn't the hero, the customer is, but practicing that mantra is harder done than said. I'd like to suggest how what's in it for me (WIIFM) relevance can be best established, using evidence from a decade of my company's research.

Creating Effective Channel-to-Market Strategy … the Lesson Learned from Albert Einstein
by Jerry Vieira, CMC, President & Founder The QMP Group
The best channel strategy is simply the one that selects a channel-to-market that most closely matches the needs of, and delivers high value to, your customers. Delivering an emotionally and economically delightful customer-experience is vastly more important than “getting your name out there”.  In this wired world if a firm does this well, customers themselves will spread the word better than an army of distributors.

How to Save Advertising From Its Three Worst Faults
by Dan Hill, President, Sensory Logic
The joke that nobody much laughs at in marketing circles is the one liner ascribed to John Wannamaker. "Half my advertising dollars are wasted, but I don't know which half." If only the reality of marketing was that good! Rigorous reviews of sales performance data by those willing to take an incisive look at the state of marketing leads to a less generous total - maybe 15% of advertising pays back its costs. So what are the three most essential keys to doing better?

Being "On-Emotion" Leads to Marketing Success: Guidelines for Moving Beyond Twentieth Century On-Message Marketing
by Dan Hill, President, Sensory Logic
Recent breakthroughs in neuro-science confirm what we marketers know in our guts, but sometimes forget in the day-to-day rush of preparing the next ad campaign launch. Namely, everybody feels (emotions) before they think (rational decision), and without generating the appropriate emotional response, no ad campaign can succeed. Here are some guidelines to help avoid that fate.

Marketers, It's Time to Move Beyond Interest to Understanding Identity
by Dr. Bob Deutsch
Finally, marketers are acknowledging the necessity of listening to consumers - aka "people" - and brands are adjusting to the social networked environment by opening conversations. Market researchers cannot ignore these developments since they dictate the necessity of understanding peoples' identities, not only their interests.

Niche Marketing – How to Target Your Marketing Efforts and Master Your Business Niche
by Karel Murray, CSP, DREI
Niche marketing is most effective when you immerse yourself in a specific topic area and then start building your reputation for being a thought leader on that specific topic. It may sound intimidating, but in reality, all it demands is focus.

Men Shop Too: How To Market To Males
by Dr. Bob Deutsch
Men are, well, men.  They live in the ‘now.’ They are concrete thinkers that like to consummate, finish. Men are interested in power and in looking good, even more than being good.  You cannot market to men the same way you market to women.  It’s not a simple transformation of changing colors, fonts or packaging.  Men and women are different biologically, psychologically and socially.

Hats Off to Tilley Hat Marketing: An Example of Successful Branding & Customer Loyalty
by Rosemary Rein
As we prepare for a Go Wild! Go GREAT!™ Now to WOW!™ Leadership Safari this week, my team introduced me to their Tilley Hats that they obtained for their trip to Egypt.  How is it that all of this time I had missed this incredible product, which is pure genius in both brand development and customer loyalty?

The New Conversation: Rethinking Enterprise Marketing to Develop Meaningful Relationships in the Age of Connectivity
by Richard Kunz
No longer the “ugly stepsister” in most organizations, marketing has been elevated—thanks almost entirely to the wealth of new technologies spawned by the internet—from black art to scientific practice. The typical “gotcha” objection of CEOs and CFOs the world over, that “if you can’t measure the outcome, marketing is a necessary evil, not a strategic necessity,” is now answered by a vast array of tools that measure, connect, personalize, analyze, and customize the offers companies present to their customers.

The Paradox of Doing Things Differently
by Suzanne Lowe
When trying to integrate their marketing and business development functions, PSFs and B2Bs are quite capable of making progress. They've launched numerous noteworthy efforts to address their structural and cultural disconnectivity challenges. "Doing things differently" is alive and well. But, could “Doing Things Differently” Actually Hinder Effectiveness?

The Real Holy Grail of Professional Service Firm Marketing and Business Development Effectiveness
by Suzanne Lowe
Professional and B2B firms must face the fact that they have a critical, fundamental problem: Marketing and selling functions aren’t effectively integrated throughout the enterprise. Their organization-wide disconnects prevent them from competing effectively, impede their financial success, and hinder them from delivering optimal client service.

Painful Economic Contractions Can Be a Good Thing
by Claire Ratushny
The inevitable downturn of every economic cycle is underway. So let’s look at the positive. Periodic recessions enable businesses to slow down and take stock of their brand health. Smart companies will. If they analyze and act on their findings, they’ll give themselves much stronger odds of survival.

Innovation, but What Kind of Innovation?
by Ted Mininni
While innovation and new products are the lifeblood of consumer product companies, there are times when the push for constant innovation can lead brands astray. Some well-planned, well-executed ideas have been a bust in spite of or rather because of the fact they represented some kind of “innovation”.

How to Determine Whether You Have a Winner or a Loser Before You Invest a Dime in Product Development
by Dominic Wright
In this article, I am going to show you how to precisely determine if your campaign will be a success before you invest any money in the development of your new product. And exactly how much profit you should expect … precise up to one decimal point.

Message to Marketers: Get Real!
by Claire Ratushny
Strong brand managers anticipate where the marketplace is headed. More easily said than done these days, isn’t it? Recent events have set off a chain reaction of unprecedented economic downturns all at once. Still, the consumer is delivering a clear message that should clue us all in, but is it being heard? Maybe there’s a way to become more proactive now that the initial recessionary shock wave has been absorbed.

There is A DEVIL in Your Advertisement
by Dominic Wright
"Only a devil can suck money out of your wallet every time you try to make some... each time you publish your ads." Dominic Wright reveals closely-guarded insider information of the most successful, most respected and the richest entrepreneurs on how to make your advertisement wickedly-effective. Find out one major strategic shift that will enable you to turn ads that suck into ads that rock. Starting today.

Pre-thinking Recycling: the New Eco-Consciousness
by Claire Ratushny
A new consumer trend has been slowly evolving and it’s one that companies and their marketers should take note of. Especially since it seems to be trending, and all indications given the shift in consumer mindset is that it’s here to stay. This new trend has been dubbed “precycling” in some quarters. That’s because it’s all about “pre-thinking recycling”.

The Role of Values in Marketing
by Dr. Katalin Eibel-Spanyi
A deeper understanding of personal values enables marketers to craft key messages that reflect what customers’ value and position these messages in their advertising, product packaging, Web sites and blogs. This can assist in making the right emotional connections at each ‘moment of truth’ – the key points of interaction with your customers.

Can Short-Term Brand "Candidate Obama" Transform Successfully into Long-Term Brand "President Obama?"
by Dr. Dan Herman
A spate of articles about the Obama brand have, in my view as an expert on marketing, neglected the brand's strategy and focused its verbal or visual expressions. But far more important is the distinction between the short-term brand, "Candidate Obama," and the long-term brand, "President Obama." To win against Senator McCain, Obama will have to more distinctly shape the "President Obama" brand as well as its promise to Americans in a strongly persuasive manner. 

Marketing Today - Electrifying is the New Satisfying!
by Dr. Dan Herman
Electrifying Marketing is the new marketing philosophy I want to offer you. Its roots stem from the realization that marketing today is no longer about satisfying unsatisfied needs. More often than not, it is about re-satisfying already satisfied needs - with better, more exciting solutions.

Every Blue Ocean will Eventually Turn Red; Create an Unfair Advantage Instead
by Dr. Dan Herman
Once your Blue Ocean Strategy works, sooner or later someone will copy or even improve your already successful model, and your ocean will become red again. The critical question is: what can be done which is immune from imitations? Apparently the principle is simple. Introducing the Unfair Advantage.

Test Yourself: Are You An MBA Clone?
by Dr. Dan Herman
Standardization in MBA programs results in a similarity in the professional approach and managerial thinking of their graduates. Thus, many executives today turn into "MBA clones." In our hyper-competitive markets, MBA clones pose an imminent and tangible threat to the competitiveness of the companies they work for. What about you? Do you have the symptoms?

Dr. Herman's 10 "De-clone Yourself" Tips for MBA Clones
by Dr. Dan Herman
Are you an MBA Clone? I challenge you to read my article titled: "Test Yourself: Are You an MBA Clone?". Take the short test and find out if you are an MBA Clone. If you've been diagnosed as one, I strongly suggest that you consider de-cloning, ASAP. De-cloning is possible, painless and very lucrative.

The Difference That Makes the Difference!
by Rick Sidorowicz
Jeffrey Fox has written many excellent books and his “How to Become a Marketing Superstar” is one of my all time favourites. This is a quick study that every CEO should read before every single marketing presentation from this day forward. And if you’re in marketing making those presentations, you should read it weekly and then once again before you present anything to your CEO, especially if she’s read it lately.

The Marketing Hits' Formula
by Dan Herman Ph.D.
The Marketing Hits' Formula and its implementation method allows for marketing innovation that will be accepted with immediate enthusiasm by the target consumers and will spread virally.

Breaking Through at Retail with “Pizzazz”
by Gary Grossman
Smart marketers are learning to start the product development process with the consumer’s viewpoint. They use their understanding of what consumers need and want but can’t get, to help guide design strategies.

The New Market Segmentation
by Dan Herman Ph.D.
According to the conventional segmenting method, people in each segment should differ - to some extent - from the people in the other segments. I'm convinced that you have already found out that it does not work. Here is what does.

Boomer Insights
by Cheryl Swanson
Marketing to boomers - don't treat them as old; and they're downsizing for a fuller life.

"Perplexity Poll" Reveals American Consumers Befuddled by Business Documents
from Siegel & Gale
Confusing information leads to the deterioration of customer relationships, reduced brand loyalty and potential health problems.

About Marketing Creativity
Q&A Session with Drew Neisser
Marketing competes with every creative thing in the communications universe simultaneously, not just other ads or other TV or print, but every divertissement imaginable.

Auto Pilot
by Drew Neisser
You know you've been in marketing too long when you are disappointed by its absence. But that's exactly what happened at the recent New York Auto Show that rolled into town with much fanfare attracting well over a million New York area tire kickers.

Marketing’s Altered States
by Cheryl Swanson
Trends for the projectable future reunite us with the myths and fantasies from which we’ve become disconnected in our sleep-deprived “Survival of the Fastest” era.

A Conversation with Mary Lou Quinlan, Author of Just Ask a Woman
from Mark Fortier
The founder and CEO of the premier consultancy dedicated to women's marketing, Quinlan has personally interviewed 3,000 women -- uncovering profound and enlightening truths that can't be learned from traditional research.

Lost in Transition
by Drew Neisser
Prestige brands risk getting lost in transition, hanging onto traditional marketing approaches while their younger target leaves them behind.

Retailing in the 21st Century
by Pam Danziger
It's not about selling more "things" but delivering a shopping experience.

Hispanic Advertising Trends
by Luis Garcia
Marketers will increase their hunger for Hispanic insights and community outreach, and lifestyle will begin to set the trend of what's to come for Latinos in advertising.

Gender Blending, Marketing to the “New” Man
by Cheryl Swanson
Inherent is an aesthetic that blends both the “linearity” and “logic” of masculinity with the organic, fluid forms and brightness of femininity, for a truly human aesthetic.

The Faithful Marriage of Guerrilla and Online Marketing
by Drew Neisser
In successful marriages, each partner carries their own weight complementing the other while bringing something unique to the table.

Holiday Trends Predictions
by Robert Passikoff
Despite a less than stellar economy, consumers indicated that they intended to spend more this year than they did last year.

Ten Retail Tactics to Guarantee a Great Holiday "Gifting" Season
by Pam Danziger
As retailers finalize plans for their most important selling season, holiday gift shopping will play an even more important role as retailers work to make up for the year's weak first and second quarters.

The "Liberteens"
by Nicki Gondell
Forecast to be the largest, most influential group in history, eclipsing even the Boomers by 30%, generation Y has been the subject of numerous studies and much conjecture. We recently looked at this group as an emerging market for a major consumer electronics manufacturer.

Market for Self-Actualization: The Ultimate Luxury
by Pam Danziger
We need to view our product offerings through a new lens, to see beyond the physical manifestation of our goods to the metaphysical meaning that our goods embody for the consumer.

Face-to-Face, One-to-One Marketing and Hispanics
by Luis Garcia
What does it mean when someone tells you Hispanics are a "relationship marketing" population? If your current Hispanic marketing program does not include a relationship marketing component, you might want to have a little face-to-face with your ad agency.

Five Things About the Hispanic Market
by Luis Garcia
Hispanics are what has traditionally been considered a "niche" or minority population, but with some 36 million people, they account for 13% of the U.S. population. (One must wonder if the term "niche" market still applies).

Drop in Consumer Spending on Home Furnishings Signals Cocooning's Demise
from Unity Marketing
Capping a year of anemic performance in the home furnishings industry in 2001, American consumers are sending a clear message that continued heavy spending on their home is no longer a priority.

Bubbling Hubris
by Robert Passikof
Coming soon: your brand advertised on Coca-Cola bottles!

You Spent How Much!
by Robert Passikoff
Another inquiry into whether Super Bowl commercials are worth the expense?

Today's Jewelry Market
by Pam Danziger
To grow sales jewelry companies must reach out to the self-purchasing woman and meet her in shopping venues where she is inclined to think about buying jewelry.

Related Topics: Branding | VisionEdge Marketing | Sales & Marketing

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