“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” – John Wanamaker (1838-1922)
Sadly, this age-old problem is still faced by many CEOs and CFOs in an organisation.
Tag: marketing strategy
The Value of Making (or Baking)
We are all creators by heart (3-year old Ethan putting together a toy set)
Have you wondered why toys like LEGO, model planes and Play Doh have such a timeless appeal?
Or mused about the popularity of recipe books (and blogs) springing up everywhere?
Irreverence Or Irrelevance?
An extreme example of sex selling in NYC (courtesy of lickyoats)
The unassailable growth of consumer clutter has led to two things for marketers to consider.
The first is the need to conceive increasingly innovative and creative ways to attract attention. Most of which are so “In Your Face” that your senses have to be incredibly inured to ignore them. Witness how the outdoor advertising environment has blossomed significantly in the past few years, as well as the rise of online ads that not only pop up or pop under, but also animate themselves, generate annoying noises, and just plain irritate the hell out of you.
Transforming Critical Failure to Box Office Success
Courtesy of wintan29
Like almost everyone else who doesn’t don a skirt, I have watched Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen recently. The action was fast, furious and catered specifically for hot-blooded males of any age. After all, gigantic alien robots and Megan Fox is sure to draw the attention of the Y chromosome.
What’s interesting though is that a movie which is panned and “demolished” by numerous critics both overseas and at home, has taken the box office by storm. It became the first movie in 2009 to breach the US$300 million mark globally, achieving a massive US$109 million taking in the first weekend alone.
Marketing Nuances (or Its The Little Things…)
Have you wondered what differentiates hits from misses? Or why you prefer to purchase a particular brand of toothpaste over another despite their qualitative attributes (taste, fluoride protection, breath freshening, tartar control) being equal?
The answer – like God – is in the details.
Understanding What Makes Kids Buy
Toys R’Us and Power Rangers – a potent kid marketing combination!
As the father of a five-and-a-half year old boy, I naturally have a deep interest in what goes into that little cranium of his.
Why is my son attracted to certain brands and products more so than others? What made his tastes in toys so different from his cousin who is merely 5 years older than him?
This Is How You Should Use Your Brain In Marketing
In the hyper-competitive world of marketing and sales, it isn’t sufficient just to push out an ad or a sales letter and hope and pray for a response.
Consumers and corporate buyers are increasingly spoilt for choice. Selling based on price alone is no longer sustainable in the long haul.
Emotional Marketing the Hallmark Way
Courtesy of AZ Quotes
“People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.” – Zig Ziglar
This quote from the legendary sales guru Zig Ziglar aptly describes the world of marketing, where it is vital to reach the heart in order to generate a buying response.
While the rational part of us would sort through the price, features, and logical needs we have for a particular product or service, it is the emotional part – the feelings, benefits, wants and beliefs – which determine the purchase decision.
How Anticipatory Marketing Helps You Win Customers
Can you deliver what your customers want – before they even ask? (Designed by Freepik)
Remember the last time you visited a store which offered you a cup of warm tea on a cold day?
How did that make you feel? Warm, welcomed, and ready to reward your hosts, I bet.
Employing Nostalgia in Marketing
We have all been victims at one point or other. Apparently, the older one gets, the more one suffers from it.
This syndrome is manifested in a periodic penchant for the past. Life was more carefree then, unfettered by the stresses and strains of modernity and technology.