Story by: Cliff Boodoosingh     Date: Mon, February 8th, 2010          ... more from Cliff

A Marketing Toolkit for the New Year

There's never a shortage of questions in our business. That's a good thing. So basically you must carry the attitude that there are no stupid questions, regardless of the source.

So you hear this one a few times especially during the first couple of weeks into the New Year: I’m thinking of starting up a website, what should I do?

Some take a cue and bail out immediately, but I always respond with something like this: Have you bought a domain yet? Normally, this gets into a lengthier discussion but I've covered the territory before.

But so have many other people in the field. And luckily, I have a good reference to draw upon.

Paula Peters', The Ultimate Marketing Toolkit (Adams Media, 2009) is a good starting point. It not only provides the basics of what everyone needs to think about when starting a website such as domain names, content, web design and hosting but serves as a great resource for planning a business. That's far more important, isn't it?

Whether you want to design a logo for a business card, pick a tag line for your product line or try your hand at press releases, this easy to follow book covers the vast area quite effectively. You even get tips on newsletters, blogging and social networking.

Maybe the questions haven't changed that much, but thankfully the answers keep improving.

Story by: Cliff Boodoosingh     Date: Fri, November 13th, 2009          ... more from Cliff

Tapping the Consumer's Brain

It seems perfectly reasonable that marketers are strapping on information-gathering, brain-monitoring gear on consumers to see if their products and services have massive appeal.

Research like greed, a la Gordon Gekko, is good.

A recent Forbes article, worthy of reading, discusses a study using 15 men and 15 women to gauge their reaction to a 2011 Hyundai vehicle. Rather than employ the questionnaire format, which has been done to death, electrode-equipped caps are placed on the subjects' heads as they inspect various parts of the car.

Why would you do that?

Dean Macko, manager of brand strategy at Hyundai Motor America gets to the point: "We want to know what consumers think about a car before we start manufacturing thousands of them."

If neuromarketing (that's what it's being called) is good enough for Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! what's stopping everyone else? Probably the cost. Well, I've known companies that have spent way more than 50 Gs on market research studies and come away with nothing more than a fancy report and some advertising slogans. Why not plunk the cash down on an EEG device and tap the brains of 30 consumers?

Okay, so you need to think it over, do some more research and read up a bit. Start with Martin Lindstrom's Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy.

Story by: Cliff Boodoosingh     Date: Fri, October 23rd, 2009          ... more from Cliff

Time to jump on the new media bandwagon

Marketers who took to new media in a big way and laid the early groundwork are likely reaping the benefits right now and taking a well-deserved pat on the back.

Data from the 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study shows that four out of five new media users (Twitter, Facebook etc.) interact with companies and brands online. That's a very healthy 32 percent gain from 2008. About 37 percent are doing so at least once a week - up from 25 percent a year ago.

The Cone study finds that 95 percent of new media users feel companies/brands should have a presence in new media; interacting with their consumers this way scored with 89 percent of users also. Companies or brands already using new media and participating actively with consumers were regarded quite favorably by users. In fact, users indicate they:

* Feel a stronger connection (72%, up from 56% in 2008)
* Feel better served (68%, up from 57% in 2008)
* Have a more positive image (74%)
* Are more willing to engage (70%)
* Have an improved opinion when one of their friends interacts (64%)
* Choose to "follow"/"friend"/"fan" because it helps showcase their personality
online (52%)

Fear not if you haven't already fully embraced the new media. "Consumers haven't yet been exhausted by brand over saturation in the new media space," says Mike Hollywood, Cone's director of new media.

Hollywood continues: "There is still an opportunity for forward-thinking companies to establish a presence and earn a competitive advantage. Based on the growth of user interactions with companies, countless purchase decisions are being influenced by new media. It's imperative to get on board now that the train has left the station."

Further information is available (sign-up may be required) at www.coneinc.com or www.omnicomgroup.com