tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70124622012-01-28T02:18:31.991-06:00Test your Marketing Witz. Discuss strategic marketing issues. Branding, brand marketing, ROI on marketing and branding investments are areas of interest in this Blog for marketers, communicators and brand professionals. <a href="mailto:witzm@aol.com"> E-Mail MarketingWitz</a>witzmnoreply@blogger.comBlogger841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-33960444441434712512011-07-31T20:21:00.003-05:002011-07-31T20:37:19.287-05:00

Here we are, apparently on the edge of a default on our national debt as the U.S. Congress tries to forge legislation to increase the credit limit while including more than trillion dollars in immediate expense reductions. A solution may also be close. My question for the MarketingWitz fans: which party is doing a better job managing its brand during these legislation squabbles? Regardless of

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-44410690005952104862010-01-31T20:31:00.003-06:002010-01-31T20:36:54.286-06:00

For all those marketers trying to figure out how the best return on marketing metrics for social media, MarketingWitz strongly recommends the Internet Advertising Bureau overview of social media marketing metrics. Good stuff.

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-59288368212059100322010-01-17T16:55:00.003-06:002010-01-17T17:15:05.531-06:00

Marketing campaign performance has been measured since the first ad was posted, but the complexity of return on marketing investment metrics has increased exponentially along with the complexity of campaigns. ROMI, return on marketing investment, is increasingly difficult to assess as the marketing toolbox of available marketing tactics continues to expand and as technology allows increasingly

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-30693153109774619842009-12-20T21:50:00.005-06:002009-12-20T22:07:57.173-06:00

Is Tiger Woods good for your brand? Before this month almost any brand might have said "yes: to a Tiger Woods endorsement. Today, the answer isn't so clear. Accenture has apparently ended it's Tiger Woods campaign. Nike remains a supporter of Tiger. Gillette has backed off. So, the question is, how would you determine whether to keep Tiger Woods or dump him? David Vinjamuri of

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-45027686885991723992009-12-20T21:37:00.003-06:002009-12-20T21:42:11.900-06:00

Integrated Media. I've shared this defintion before, but it's so funny that it's worth sharing again. I first saw this published in Media Magazine:"integrated agency: n., pl. -cis.(Lat. Integrate, to make whole - integer, complete - (Med. Lat. agentia (agens, effective) 1. An agency that does all the things a regular, ordinary agency does, but with the addition of a superfluous modifier."

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-88400256942528288852009-10-28T19:48:00.005-05:002009-10-28T20:06:53.096-05:00

I love it when an ad campaign comes along that delivers both competitive insight and creativity in a way that grabs my attention. The Apple "Mac vs. PC" ads are an example, and the Microsoft "I'm a PC" response campaign is also a terrific example. Rarely does a response ad campaign work. I think the Microsoft advertising works well to blunt the Apple ads, but Apple still wins on overall

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-67944857077061632372009-10-01T19:05:00.004-05:002009-10-01T19:16:42.022-05:00

Marketing measurement and key marketing metrics will change dramatically over the next 5 years. A recent study on the future of advertising conducted by IBM suggests that "the next 5 years will hold more change to the advertsing world than the past 50 years." These changes wil necessitate changes in traditional marketing metrics. Impressions and reach will diminish in value as metrics while

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-67894603561643465552009-09-04T15:37:00.004-05:002009-09-04T15:41:51.464-05:00

Moving from a broad strategic marketing post (see previous post) to something more tactical, do you know how strong the SEO effort is for your brand web site? I came across this web post and it is a simple overview of key issued related to link buidling for SEO. A quick read with references to other sources. Utlimately it's about increasing the ROI of your online marketing efforts.

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-79163872580904096992009-08-29T12:00:00.004-05:002009-08-29T12:13:11.324-05:00

A marketing definition that is often overlooked:"Because its business is to find and keep customers, the business enterprise has two - and only two - basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are 'costs'." (Peter Drucker)Theodore Levitt said it differently, but a nice comparison of the selling versus marketing."The difference between

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-31389665210704738702009-08-08T17:36:00.005-05:002009-08-08T17:45:59.017-05:00

Jet Blue and United have starting using Twitter for discount air fare promotions. This is an interesting test of an approach to generate marketing ROI from Twitter. As reported in this USA Today article, Jet Blue is sending out Tweets, typically on Mondays, announcing reduced airfares on unsold seats. The trick is that followers must react quickly to capture these discounted rates. (By the way

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-1024654722743615982009-07-23T21:58:00.005-05:002009-07-23T22:16:46.560-05:00

Chris Anderson, Wired Magazine, has just published "Free: The Future of a Radical Price" suggesting that the declining cost of technology will drives digital products to be free because the marginal cost of product approached zero. The application of Moore's law, which suggests that the amount of memory delivered for a given cost will double every two years (a rough statement of the law, not a

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-83091168188992388382009-07-23T21:41:00.006-05:002009-07-23T21:57:22.479-05:00

Amazon is acquiring Zappos.com for $847 Million. With over a billion in revenue (See Forbes article) and reportedly earning $40MM, Zappos has clearly shown that there is profit is shoes. Not only profit, but equity value as well. Where does all that value come from? Customer service. Zappos has differentiated itself among all shoe sellers by devoted, passionate, exceptional customer service.

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-38916868095696615672009-07-22T16:15:00.003-05:002009-07-22T16:23:06.408-05:00

Time for another reality business show. We've already seen Trump's "You're Fired" and Richard Branson gave it a show. This time it's Shark Tank, produced by Sony. Entreprenuer wannabes meet succesful entrepreneurs to pitch thier ideas. It may be entertaining, but will it paint a picture close to the reality faced by most entrepreneurs trying market their business? Here are some other blog

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-2806214510035984422009-07-14T08:26:00.003-05:002009-07-14T08:44:04.467-05:00

Albert Pujols didn't win the Home Run Derby at the All-Star game festivities last night. The event was won by Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers, son of former major-leaguer Cecil Fielder. But the real question is, did the marketers win? Pepsi, State Farm and others were the paying sponsors. Did they generate a favorable ROI on their All-Star investment? Probably not, at least in terms

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-25338073201251708582009-07-03T14:12:00.002-05:002009-07-03T14:26:01.780-05:00

Well, it seems that it's been all Twitter in the news lately (or Michael Jackson). Brand marketers are still trying to figure out how work with Twitter. Many wonder if it's worth the effort at all. With the evolution of Web 2.0 social media tools, brand conversations are happening faster and in more places. This challenges marketers who traditionally spend time trying to manage communications

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-89890490279527204512009-06-13T09:50:00.005-05:002009-06-13T09:54:35.040-05:00

As a quick followup to the previous post, Seth Godin is interviewed by Thomas White on Business Matters radio show. Worth listening.

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-70814296628528052992009-05-25T11:37:00.003-05:002009-05-25T11:44:47.113-05:00

Seth Godin recently posted a comment about the need for publishing models that allow writers to benefit from their writing. With digital publising eleminating the historical barriers of printing and publishing content, anyone today can publish their thoughts and writing. (Heck, look at this blog post itself.) For the serious "professional" writer, it now becomes more challenging to stand out

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-70610799452552088972009-05-03T15:07:00.003-05:002009-05-03T15:11:41.199-05:00

A statement made by Gill Wagner last week has been sticking in my mind. Talking about sales and marketing in the current economy, Gill said, "There's no such thing as bad, as long you can sell." Too many marketers and sales people are bemoaning the poor state of the economy, but those that keep their eye on the prize continue to do well. Is your brand strong? Is your sales team motivated?

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-88887859079605002622009-04-15T12:46:00.003-05:002009-04-15T12:54:17.351-05:00

In an article by Jack Neff in Ad Age, he reports on a presentation by Simon Clift, CEO of Unilever discussing the role of brands and how social media impacts brand strategy. Below are the five new rules for marketing by as presented by Ag Age. Good stuff. Five new rules for marketingThe flat-earth, digitized world described by Unilever CMO Simon Clift is one in which the marketing norms have

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-84547195941730010512009-04-08T14:06:00.002-05:002009-04-08T14:10:50.521-05:00

The following quote appeared in today's SmartBrief eNewsletter: "...I will mention in passing that the CEO of Reuters spoke out last night, raising the question of why does the Times still need 6-700 journalists? Tom Glocer, chief executive of Thomson Reuters, is quoted by Gillian Reagan of the New York Observer, as arguing that newspapers like The Times should trim costs and focus their coverage

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-5439478630707679282009-04-06T13:41:00.004-05:002009-05-01T14:16:23.892-05:00

Any fans of The Apprentice out there? I don't watch regularly but happening to see the last half of the show on Sunday evening. Social media has infiltrated reality TV. Very strange. Two teams are challenged by Trump to create a viral commercial for All dishwash detergent. Both teams fail miserably based on the judging of the brand marketing team for All. One team took a "tease them with

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-41731479249284305882009-04-01T13:14:00.004-05:002009-04-01T13:18:33.032-05:00

Marketers wondering about the future return on marketing investment between newspapers and internet advertising investments will love this hilarious interview between Mr. Colbert of Comedy Central and the head of the NAA (Newspaper Association of America). Be sure to watch through the exercise where the Colbert hands him three newspapers and challenges him find the current Dow index and the

witzmnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-71120951730002970142009-03-29T14:08:00.003-05:002009-03-29T14:13:33.521-05:00

I really dislike the current Coke ad campaign from Coke Zero. The ads feature a pair of actors portraying Coke brand managers upset with the Coke Zero brand. The ad campaign has succeeded at delivering the message that Coke Zero tastes like Coke. For that, nicely done. But I wonder about the damage being done to the core Coke brand by portraying the Coke team as a couple of buffoons. I'm

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-74804169215968705492009-03-21T10:22:00.004-05:002009-03-27T10:39:31.690-05:00

There is a change happening before our eyes that will impact the way marketers view their role. It will change the way marketers define and measure return on marketing investment. This fundamental change in society is the evaporation of the distinction between consumers and producers.For decades our society has been based on the proposition that a limited set of producers distribute and make

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-58971416976765941412009-03-17T22:11:00.001-05:002009-03-17T22:11:57.302-05:00

Has anyone noticed that the "killer app" of the 1990s (eMail) isn't really used at all by anyone under 21? 'nuf said.

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-49123716605417009012009-03-17T22:02:00.003-05:002009-03-17T22:10:50.578-05:00

Is social media a useful place for a brand marketer to spend time? Is there ROMI from the effort? Aside from the occasional measurable promotion most social media today has limited short-term return on marketing investment. However, I content that brand marketers should participate in the so-called social media experiment in order to gain the long-term return on marketing investment. Or, any

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-32728445399048603992009-02-27T16:47:00.003-06:002009-02-27T16:51:29.413-06:00

"Charisma doesn't make you a leader, leading gives you charisma." Read this short interview on CopyBlogger.

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-67512975239232055232009-02-24T09:44:00.003-06:002009-02-24T09:57:38.911-06:00

Our economic woes and the ongoing efforts to stimulate the economy strike me as having some comparisons and learning for corporate brand marketers. The private sector is experiencing major balance sheet issues with tight credit markets freezing the system. While political diffferences about the form exist, nearly all economists agree that some form of governmental stimulus is necessary. In

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-75290767300604461852009-02-19T13:12:00.001-06:002009-02-19T13:15:03.082-06:00

Love this humorous definition of an Integrated Agency recently published in Media Magazine:"integrated agency: n., pl. -cis.(Lat. Integrate, to make whole - integer, complete - (Med. Lat. agentia (agens, effective) 1. An agency that does all the things a regular, ordinary agency does, but with the addition of a superfluous modifier."

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-72821442959361993142009-02-15T13:36:00.002-06:002009-02-15T13:55:58.963-06:00

Flip Mino Camcorder with Personalized Design - Available only at www.theflip.com. Can personalization create marketing demand? Check out this unique Flip Mino design. The design was created by MarektingWitz. (Really!) The Flip Mino camcorder combines remarkable video quality in a pocket-sized package. Now personalizable - create yoursView >>

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-63247578084157550792009-02-15T10:53:00.004-06:002009-02-15T11:01:51.933-06:00

If you are interested in maximizing the return on your e-mail marketing investment, take a look at the latest email marketing metrics report from MailerMail. They've been publsihing this report for several years and there are many fact-based finding that will improve your marketng ROI, such as optimizing the day of week, he subject line length, etc. Other excellent e-mail marketing sources:

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-42535396320535949682009-02-12T20:54:00.004-06:002009-02-12T21:00:20.440-06:00

Great new article on 10 Basics Media Companies Can't Afford to Ignore in Ad Age, but items like measuring up your business, managing inventory, deveoping creative solutions, and partnering for innovation all apply too businesses well beyond media companies. It applies to brand marketers as well.

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-59045822238756009472009-02-04T22:25:00.004-06:002009-02-04T22:39:32.985-06:00

With all the discussion about the best Super Bowl spots, I wonder which ones really generated the greatest return on investment. Some, like the Doritos spots, were wonderfully creative, but you have to push a lot of retail displays and pull a lot of consmer sales to generate a return on a $2.5-$3MM investment. Some, like Go Daddy, may not have creative that you appreciate but have an immediate

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-12598107025031207022009-01-31T18:50:00.009-06:002009-01-31T19:17:40.900-06:00

Seth Godin asks "What is school for?" and offers 27 wide-ranging answers. It's an interesting question because it questions the role of educatio in society. For marketers, the question might be addressed from the perspective of defining the benefit being sold by educators. Is the return on educational investment measured in the overall productivity level of the population of a society? Do better

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-23177352053970088792009-01-24T09:34:00.004-06:002009-01-24T09:40:05.104-06:00

Lots of talk about Twitter for marketers these days. Is there a return on investment model for marketers using Twitter? Haven't seen it yet. As a tactic, it can work well as a tool to engage in the conversation with consumers about your brand and, more specifically, about issues relevant to your brand and your consumers. But is it any more measurable than pr, advertising, or other tactics?

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-47169443611486374982009-01-11T19:45:00.003-06:002009-01-11T19:54:09.438-06:00

I came across an excellent article by Sean Carlton on CLickZ discussing the future of newspapers and print media in the digital age. Much has been written on this topic over the past few years, but this article provided the most concise summary of the comparative strengths of each media source. Local news will thrive. Print will be a part of the communication, but digital offers incredible

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-10911812290511168792009-01-06T10:20:00.004-06:002009-01-06T10:25:09.280-06:00

Just a short post today. I really enjoyed this Blog post by Terri Holley of Creative Blog Solutions on the SBTV.com small business community. She writes about the ROI of blogging.

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-65104534996188114522009-01-03T14:25:00.004-06:002009-01-03T14:37:23.861-06:00

It's 2009 and the first major event of the year is the Inauguration of Barack Obama as President. Inauguration events will be everywhere, from the many Washington, D.C. inauguration events to online Presidential inauguration blogging. The question from MarketingWitz today is: What are the inaugural marketing events that your business might be implementing to drive business this month? Leave

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-16503067052015173372008-12-30T09:41:00.005-06:002008-12-30T09:50:27.299-06:00

For the small business person aspiring to grow, it is inspirational to see Richard Branson on Open Forum speak about checking the bills monthly when his business was still small. Note that the interviewer here is none other than marketing guru Seth Godin. Any business seeking to validate return on marketing investment needs to understand how the money is being spent. In larger marketing

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-43993547368252849982008-12-23T17:06:00.004-06:002008-12-23T17:18:01.531-06:00

Last year, I suggested watching these trends in 2008. No, I did not predict the recession, nor did I predict that the primaries and election politics would be so engaging. 10. Mobile Marketing. i said we are still in the experimentation mode. I think this is still true, although the footprint is expanding. The U.S. still lags Asia. Look for more advanced promotional marketing, and movement

witzmnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-74221393272887822172008-12-15T21:05:00.004-06:002008-12-17T21:01:05.729-06:00

Long tail search on the web has existed in traditional print for years. Well, sort of. Small niche vertical publications have existedFor years. These niche publications were created to reach specific consumer or B2B audiences and to allow marketers targeted, efficient advertising opportunities. It's a crude version of the long tail search concept online today. The difference is that the

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-60394303207441357162008-12-06T21:12:00.003-06:002008-12-06T21:16:11.208-06:00

Marketers will be pressed to demonstrate results as budgets are challenged, and it will be hard for those with pet progams to defend retaining them unless they can demonstrate return on marketing investment. My favorite marketing statement, "Facts Find Funding" is truer than ever in these times.

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-74645784901551651442008-11-22T10:14:00.002-06:002008-11-22T10:34:24.241-06:00

Great comments by Bill Tancer of Hitwise on the importance of understanding the long tail of online search behavior. His comments in "Sizing Up The Long Tail of Search" are backed up quantitative data to support his contentions. He shows that the long tail begins after only 18 seach terms out of 14 million, with those 18 terms comprising aobut 3.25% of searches. Tracer notes that if you had a

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-82510121196681663552008-11-14T22:14:00.000-06:002008-11-14T22:14:13.917-06:00

Marketing Witz - Brand Strategy and Measuring Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI): Are You First In Line? Marketing during Recession

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-42638565941474318172008-11-14T22:00:00.005-06:002008-11-14T22:20:16.281-06:00

Warrillow & Co., who was recently acquired by The Conference Board, comments in their most recent e-Mail newsletter about the ability of small business to survive in the tough economy because, unlike their larger corporate counterparts, most small businesses are not dependent upon bank borrowing to improve return on equity. Marketingwitz is thrilled to see that Warrillow appears to be thinking

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-30825756573738830532008-11-11T20:30:00.003-06:002008-11-11T20:37:58.404-06:00

Outs: Conspicuous Consumption, Indulgent Foods, Exotics (unless healthy), Spas, McMansions, Exuberant Expectations, Hummers,Ins: Cocooning, Family, Home and Hearth, Home-baked, Safety, Value, Steadfast, Trusted, Reassuring, American, Security, Education, Self-Reliance, Heroes, Home Repair, DIYIs your brand message aligned?

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-41476202652365261012008-11-11T19:49:00.005-06:002008-11-11T20:29:43.222-06:00

Interesting video interview with Eric Groves of Constant Contact advising businesses on maintaining business databases. Worth a view on SBTV.

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-48568894276642454502008-11-04T19:53:00.003-06:002008-11-04T20:13:44.663-06:00

"Content is King" has long been the mantra for successfully driving visitors to web sites under a paradigm that declares that consumers and customers will flock to sites with the most relevant information. This model generally worked as long as marketers could promote sites and generate initial visits. The fallacy is that the "Content is King" model lives in the old push model of content

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-66062007430571767502008-10-23T09:30:00.005-05:002008-10-25T11:45:29.605-05:00

When times are plentiful it's easy for marketers to become complacent. As the economy becomes increasingly challenging every business is looking for new revenue streams. Now is an excellent time to evaluate your current sales and marketing strategies, and look for new innovative approaches. Yesterday, I heard a sales manager bemoan the recent drop in new customer orders. Yet it was apparent

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-67145644382090972472008-10-04T19:49:00.004-05:002008-10-04T19:55:05.303-05:00

A new thick Yellow Pages book was dropped on my front lawn this week. The two thoughts that immediately entered my mind as I bent to pick up the book were: 1. Where will I put this huge book?, and 2. How much money have all these firms wasted? With the exception of perhaps some very local retailers, most of the money spent on ads in the Yellow Pages has been a waste. If you need a number, find

witzmnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-43539984384084500952008-09-21T21:03:00.004-05:002008-10-07T17:37:14.012-05:00

As the economy continues to struggle business investment will decline, furthering the economic woes of 2008. Marketing spend will be a casualty. This need not be bad news for marketers, except for those locked into an old model where success is dependent upon size of budget. Successful marketers will be fine-tuning programs to demonstrate and expand programs with positive ROI. Not measuring

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-18982413267431608992008-09-10T10:11:00.004-05:002008-09-10T10:30:35.635-05:00

One further comment on politcal brand marketing. See the excellent comments at http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5937.html which discusses the role and value of negative advertising in political elections versus consumer product marketing. From my perspective, the zero-sum winner-take-all nature of elections differs markedly from the consumer marketers trying to grow categories and take share from

Mwitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410360401596977715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-84128072741712879722008-08-28T11:16:00.004-05:002008-09-07T08:13:49.128-05:00

Stepping aside from the typical post about Marketing ROI, today's comment is on political branding. Regardless of your politcal inclinations, it's a fascinating situation to watch from a brand marketing perspective. Did you see the speeches by Hillary and Bill Clinton over the past two nights at the Democratic convention? It's a classic case of attempting to integrate all brand messaging into

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-21279974523441147882008-08-14T09:13:00.004-05:002008-08-14T09:27:10.205-05:00

Mental models and analogies often help explain software and technology when experts are explaining solutions to business owners who are not technical experts. One of the dangers is that as technology changes those mental images must adapt to reflect the new state. For the past decade the primary mental model for the traditional web site has been a traditonal house. Thus, the use of the term "

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-44583771747200195842008-07-22T19:51:00.003-05:002008-08-29T09:59:24.948-05:00

One of the most basic lessons from childhood applies to internet marketing strategies as well as how to behave as a kid. Remember being told "Don't talk to strangers?" Apply this lesson to your internet marketing strategies to generate increased ROI. Collecting visitor and customer data is important to help segment your audience and then communicate effectively to each segment, and

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-55768956686332090012008-06-30T16:09:00.004-05:002008-08-29T10:00:49.285-05:00

Credit card companies and other firms with transactional data mine that information to generate targeted marketing communications to generate high ROI campaigns. As marketers this is what we try to accomplish. But let's take the power of transactional data farther. What if, in addition to marketing to consumers based on mining transactional data, we put the informative power of the information

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-66281345450723733272008-06-19T15:48:00.005-05:002008-08-29T09:57:06.913-05:00

Brand marketers can learn about ways to drive the ROI and value of their brands by learning from other disciplines. For example, in the world of business acquisition and sale the factors that are used to analyze core business valuation can be used to assess the strength and potential ROI of an existing brand. Buyers and sellers will conduct a SWOT anaylsis of the business, just as brand

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-22912319797534078322008-05-08T14:05:00.007-05:002008-08-07T16:47:42.968-05:00

Today's Post is a bit of a diversion from our core topic, but still an observation of Marketing. I was in attendance at a local awards ceremony last evening where organizations were being honored for programs that represent collaboration to enhance the local community. It was great that four recipients were a collaborative client team that I've worked with, but what influenced me as I listened

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-87707782810457053252008-05-05T16:49:00.003-05:002008-05-08T14:04:40.334-05:00

Interesting comments are popping up in the marketing literature regarding the advent of personalization of brands. This trend has been growing over the past several years and has become more prominent as technology permits efficient implementation of persoanalization. Jim Holbrook, CEO of eMak, summarized the shift toward personalization of brands in a recent eMak e-mail, saying "Now its about

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-69116420833087888122008-04-04T16:10:00.003-05:002008-04-04T16:21:12.457-05:00

A Google search on "Marketing Dashboard" generates 285,000 responses. That's a phenomenal number given the relatively few businesses that actually use a marketing dashboard. After speaking with several marketers recently about the use of dashboards, I came to a seemingly obvious but critical conclusion. A dashboard is only as good as the data feeding it. A marketing dashboard is only useful if

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-68296700371706333402008-03-16T12:01:00.003-05:002008-04-04T16:26:06.413-05:00

How often have you heard the question “should we increase or decrease our marketing and selling expenditures when the economy softens?” We’re in recession. The politicians may not use the word, but it’s clear that the market has slowed and growth has stalled. Today, with business orders soft for many companies, there is concern about how long the economy may be in the doldrums. The value of

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-75251858207084048002008-03-05T11:25:00.000-06:002008-03-05T11:25:16.684-06:00

Marketing Witz: Spiral of Expectations

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-61664017193546740842008-02-27T16:48:00.003-06:002008-02-27T17:02:21.471-06:00

Is here any doubt about how the power has shifted from manufacturer to retailer in consumer packaged goods? Just look at what happened to Cott's stock when it was reported that Wal-Mart was shifting shelf space away from it's Sam's Choice brand produced by Cott's in favor of Cadbury Schweppes beverage brands. Cott's stock dropped 20% in one day and 38% the next day when the change in shelf

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-76980109525686242932008-02-27T10:36:00.004-06:002008-02-27T10:47:59.139-06:00

I was a guest speaker at class of college students in a Media course. I was speaking about the changing media environment and the challenges of measuring return on investment in both traditional and online media (note: isn't it time to stop calling online media 'non-traditional'?). It struck me as I watched the faces of these students that, as talented as they may be, how difficult (and

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-68037288236996169662007-12-28T10:08:00.000-06:002008-01-12T09:49:30.849-06:00

As the year comes to an end it is a good time to ponder what is old and what is new. My previous post focuses on what is new, looking at some of the top marketing trends for 2008. Today I want to make a brief comment about making the distinction between the old and the new.I read an a recent article in Chief Marketer which discusses "a new way to allocate marketing resources". The article

witzmnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-71612899603779813682007-11-30T16:06:00.001-06:002007-12-28T10:26:54.988-06:00

Everyone's got to have one. Here's mine. It's brief.In no particular order, watch these trends in 2008:10. Mobile Marketing. We're still in the experimentation mode. Look for more advanced promotional marketing, and movement beyond the test and learn stage. Cellfire has been doing some cool promotions - I tried it just to prove to my teenagers that I could download a coupon on my cell and

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-5750043178583896632007-09-17T10:28:00.001-05:002007-10-26T14:54:37.525-05:00

[Click the Image above for a Larger View.]I’ve previously discussed the importance of aligning CMO goals with CEO objectives to maximizing return on marketing investment for the organization. Now, assuming the CMO has ensured alignment, the challenge remains to maximize the marketing mix to deliver on those goals. Maximizing marketing return on investment requires a deep understanding of the

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-13529485966619780892007-09-01T09:35:00.000-05:002007-09-12T09:31:52.571-05:00

In an earlier post MarketingWitz notes a report that CMOs are short-lived, lasting 23 months on average. Marketing Witz: Marketing Executives are Short-term. How can Markerting survive? Are CMOs performing that poorly across the board or are they just performing the wrong role? Return on the marketing investment is as much a function of defining the return as measuring the investment. If the CMO

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-2718788852264761572007-08-06T11:31:00.001-05:002007-08-06T11:40:14.777-05:00

There is a very thought provoking article recently published on Brand Channel, titled "The End of the Master Brand" which challenges the core paradigms that brand marketers have used to organize thinking about brand portfolios for the past 20+ years. Going beyond a critique of brand architecture as we know it and a suggested alternative way to view portfolios, the article suggests that the

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-19816127586506699282007-08-02T14:53:00.000-05:002007-08-02T16:26:11.225-05:00

There is a simple thing you can do as a marketer to generate greater return on investment from your market research and competitive intellegence efforts. Marketers spend countless hours optimizing research methodologies, survey questions and analytics (rightfully so, too.) Competitive intelligence can come from many sources, extending beyond formal research to include press tracking, and even

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-65050931484513103882007-07-27T14:47:00.001-05:002007-08-30T16:09:43.224-05:00

I read two books this month, both focused on metric marketing issues. The first was "Return on Marketing Investment" by Guy Powell. The second book was "Measure What Matters" by Laura Patterson of Vision Edge Marketing. While both authors share a common goal of guiding CEOs and CMOs to measure marketing more effectively to achieve desired outcomes, the two authors approach the topic in decidedly

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-19384903381930694532007-07-05T15:57:00.000-05:002007-07-05T16:05:03.580-05:00

It will be interesting to follow the marketing of the iPhone and competitive products over the coming months. I took at look at the iPhone more than once this past week, including the first evening that it went on sale. Lots of great features, although my wife calls it just another gadget. It's pricey, but it should be as a first entrant. Is is really a first entrant? I think so. The

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-91074792200019719662007-06-13T21:11:00.000-05:002007-06-13T21:26:10.672-05:00

By the way, there are lots of similarities between the issues faced by the commercial printing industry and the issues faced by the retail banking industry. Retail banking is just further ahead on the curve. Banks went through a period of years in which retail banking became viewed as a commodity and “all banks are alike” so “just give me the best rates”. As much as banks tried toaster giveaways,

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-90114035266360854962007-06-05T13:32:00.000-05:002007-06-08T15:51:19.625-05:00

An excellent article in the most recent issue of Adveritsing Age http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=117005 summarizes a study by Booz Allen Hamilton that contains an interesting and compelling insight about the evolution of market segmentation. Using the statement that niche marketing is about narrow not small, the important concept is that traditional marketing segmentation looks

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-90842032803119126182007-06-04T22:37:00.000-05:002007-06-13T21:27:58.468-05:00

The "Greening" of consumable products will be subject to the same spiral of expectations described on Marketing Witz.Marketing Witz: Marketing Witz: Spiral of Expectations. As companies race to make Green claims, consumers will increasingly expect performance in the area of environmental performance and sustainability. What today appeals to companies as a claim of competitive advantage will be

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-78959168368921954982007-05-28T17:11:00.000-05:002007-07-17T08:52:30.177-05:00

A recent issue (June 2007) of Business 2.0 has a short but notable article that states that the average tenure of a CMO among the Fortune 100 is 23 months. We've all seen the turnover among some of the most senior marketing executives in the country over the past few years, but 23 months average tenure seems to be particularly brief.Why be concerned? It stikes me as being a very limited period

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-48181928328838854142007-05-12T19:12:00.000-05:002007-05-12T19:36:18.124-05:00

Naked Questions. It sounds a bit risque, but it's not. Marketers must always ask the 'naked questions' when formulating marketing strategy if they want to achieve solid marketing ROI. The term comes from Aesop fable in which the emperor wore no clothes. Remember the child who calls out "The emporor isn't wearing any clothes."? For marketers, defining sales and marketing strategies means asking

witzmnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-11254755424472044342007-05-11T20:14:00.000-05:002007-05-11T20:26:50.242-05:00

Sports leagues as Brands have changed dramatically over the years. It's interesting to consider the major sports leagues as competing brands chasing the dollars spent by sports fans across the country, and internationally. The National Hockey League has struggled for years to grow out being a distant fourth to the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Truth be told, it's actually a distant 5th because NASCAR has

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-10205247513522860712007-05-02T19:45:00.000-05:002007-05-02T19:45:46.726-05:00

Marketing Witz: Spiral of Expectations

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-75561331872518958732007-05-02T19:31:00.000-05:002007-05-02T19:43:47.659-05:00

I've spoken often on the topic of the "Spiral of Expectations" in marketing and customer service. My use of the phrase evolved from the "Rational Expectations" theory of economics. As it relates to marketing, it is intriguing to note that consumer expectations continually spiral up. We've all seen it. We all do it. Once a company offers better service, better prices, faster delivery, extra

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-78259201869763969422007-04-13T14:04:00.000-05:002007-04-28T12:20:46.469-05:00

I saw a recent article that discussed the changes than SEO is bringing to way media is planned and purchased. There is a bit of a dichotomy here - a seeming conflict about whether there is a an evolution or revolution occuring. On one hand, search (has anyone notices that "search" has become a noun??) changes the dynamics of the media environment for advertisers. The key is that the media can now

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-73488708939906501152007-04-07T17:07:00.000-05:002007-04-07T17:22:40.104-05:00

It may be just as important for marketing programs to provide measurable incentives to sales teams and employees as is it is to have measurable metrics for consumer response to promotional programs. Does the sales team know what is expected for effective implementation of a program or how proper product placement at retail will be evaluated? Is the compensation system set up to reward the proper

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-58115735545223457562007-03-26T22:03:00.000-05:002007-04-15T09:58:03.638-05:00

An analogy that I've used with younger marketers is one that is worth considering.I love art, especially painting and sculpture. Marketers love to debate whether marketing is an art or a science. The pendulum seems to swing back and forth over time. Ultimately, I suggest that marketing is both art and science. Science measures the impact of the art. Scientific thinking also guides the rigor of

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7012462.post-11682376938417796872007-03-24T12:45:00.000-05:002007-04-15T09:53:53.506-05:00

It is amazing to see how often business owners, salespeople, and marketing professionals confuse process with progress, especially when it comes to evaluating the success of a marketing initiative.One important distinction in the use of marketing metrics that should always be made clear is the difference between process metrics and progress metrics. What does this mean? Process metrics report on

witzmnoreply@blogger.com0