Topic “Marketing”
Putting You Face-to-Facebook With The Crowd
How many friends do you have? Not real friends. Facebook friends. There is a difference.
I can tell you how many friends I have in real life, and it’s nowhere near the number of friends I have on Facebook. That number includes distant relatives, acquaintances, former coworkers, even friends of other people in my family. My extended friends.
Designing From the Inside Out
Ever since the dawn of instant coffee, people crave immediacy. It’s a demand that frustrates and challenges today’s designers. Without an endless supply of duct tape, people aren’t going to sit still long enough to be educated by unfamiliar concepts and images. They’ll see what they expect to see based on what they already know. Unless you hit a nerve immediately, they might not even bother to notice.
Should Some Brands Come With “Sell-By” Dates?
From ice cream to bottled water, nearly everything that goes past our lips has a “sell-by” date on the package. Wise to check on meat and milk, but water? If it’s a week past the date, does water lose something? Flavor?
Marketing And Sales Aren’t The Same Thing
In bright, bold lettering the huge sign out front read “Men’s suits, 50% Off!” Potential customers formed a line that snaked the parking lot. But once they got inside, the majority walked away disappointed. You see, the promotion was for the “big and tall men” department, and the average guy in line was, well, average. The marketing tool created a great deal of interest yet failed to increase sales.
The question of whether marketing has a positive impact on sales is often debated when people don’t understand the differences between the two.
When A Company Tunes Itself Out
I had my doubts when I heard last fall that longtime (since 1921) retailer RadioShack was finally attempting to join the 21st century with a rebranding. Rather than an engaging redesign, the company’s decision was to simply drop the word “Radio” from its name in favor of “The Shack.”
Wow. Right off that’s confusing, especially in conversation. Did you mean “The Shaq” as in basketball phenom Shaquille O’Neal, or “The Shack” as in the oddly popular paperback by William Young, or “The Shack” as in that old electronic parts store RadioShack, or . . .?
A Different Green Thumb
Regardless of the roller-coaster temperatures outdoors, the gardening season is here. People are eager to realize the personal fulfillment of putting a seed or a plant in the ground in May and a couple months later enjoying the fruits and veggies of their labors. It’s a way to utilize and at the same time care for the environment. Farmer’s markets are great, but you can’t get any more “locally-grown” than your own back yard.
Bring Focus Into Strategy
A point of convergence. The clarity of an image. Close attention. The center of interest. The most important information being presented. All these words describe one very important word: focus.
Speak Figuratively
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a figure of speech should be worth at least nine-hundred. When you say something that causes the listener to interact with the statement and visualize it, or put context around, or try to understand what you mean - you have just engaged them. This isn't a new idea in advertising. Any compelling headline plays on clichés and figures of speech. But what about everyday PowerPoint presentations or elevator pitches or that pamphlet in your lobby?
A Brand You Can Bank On
How long is a brand? How deep? Better yet, what is a brand worth? All intangibles, as difficult to measure as dedication and integrity. But still possible.
Smart Mobile Site Links
I've been to a lot of sites on my mobile phone. But for the first time ever (I think) I saw a button that allows me to call, without having to dial a number. When you're creating a mobile experience for your users remember to embrace the capabilities of the device. Things such as mapping, dialing, text this to a friend, etc... are all out there waiting to be implemented. The link for a phone number should be: "tel:15555555555".
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