Stephen Denny tells us how Bringing Un-Sexy Back is good for your marketing. I think the same principle also goes for your website. This is one area where small businesses can actually get a good lesson from a big business (website). Like we did with our logo lesson (see: The Importance of a Logo in
Marketers Ruin Everything
Oh, great. US Cinema Ad Spending is Up 15%. Didn’t you used to love get to the theater 10 minutes before a movie started? I did. Watch the previews of coming attractions, watch the movie, go home. But that’s long since been ruined by marketers! Now, I have to sit through ad slides for local
>Top 100 Business Blogs: Word of Mouth Lesson
> We are humbled to be included in the Top 100 Business Blogs by John Crickett of the Business Opportunities and Ideas blog. We came in at #89 (with a bullet). Take a look at the list, because you will find some great reading and valuable education. John’s blog also gives a us a tremendous
>Quote Spot: Advertising
>A collection of advertising quotes. Today we’re kickin’ it old school with quotes from some of the legends. These guys know what they are talking about, their principles are as appropriate today as they ever were. “Marketing guys are so unambitious. My advertising says, ‘I want to change the world.’ And their advertising says, ‘Let’s
The Importance of a Logo in Branding
I hate to be the one to break the news, but the importance of logos in branding is overblown. Don’t get me wrong, they have their use…somewhat. But when it comes to branding, logos have nothing to do with the establishment of your brand. If you’re about to spend some money having a logo designed,
Be Interesting or Don’t Advertise
When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product. David Ogilvy – Ogilvy on Advertising So you’ve decided that you need to advertise. The media sales rep has just left your office to “work
Marketing Multiplier #2 – The Customer Experience
This is a continuation of my series on the ineffectiveness of advertising when used without other marketing multipliers. See the original post here: Why Advertising Alone is So Ineffective We covered the first marketing multiplier here: Marketing Multiplier #1 – Branding The Role of the Customer Experience In Marketing What? The customer experience is a
>Evidence of Branding Power
>Check out this video from MSNBC. Remember back when we talked about the power of branding as a marketing multiplier? (See that post here) Here is some verification from Alix Partners managing director Fred Crawford. Click below to watch the video:Consumer Confidence in Brands Key point from the video: Consumer perception drives the value of
The Psychology of Brand Leadership
Brand leadership means being able to shape what customers actually want to do. Sounds like a dream, right? Maybe not. It’s easy to find some national brand leaders and see this definition in action. Recent examples include Apple with the iPhone and Microsoft with Halo3. It’s a little harder to find small business brand leadership
>The Big Business Hangover
>Cities like to get drunk on big business. After all, when a big business moves to town creating hundreds of jobs, it makes big headlines. But the morning after can be painful. Two years ago, the city of McGregor, Texas was euphoric. Dell Computers opened a call center in this town of 6000 people just