Stephanie Rawlings-Blake 9/11 Announcement – Throwing in the Towel
So often timing is everything. Today, on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the mayor of Baltimore, announced that she won’t be running for re-election. I can’t even begin to speculate why she would choose this date to make the...
Downgrade is the New Upgrade
I came across a really interesting thread while trying to find a feature that seemed to have been eliminated from one of the Yahoo Groups that I help to manage. I feared that during a recent upgrade this feature was eliminated. I had looked for the feature several...
Tina Fey’s 4 Rules of Improv Co-opted for Marketing
The other day I was in the midst of a three hour drive, and I don't know why, but for some reason this drive always puts me to sleep. [It could be the fact that I try to use the time to brush up on my Spanish with audio lessons -- saying phrases over and over again...
Four Things You May Not Know About E-Mail Campaigns
When it comes to online marketing, e-mails are still the most used and the most effective online tool businesses leverage. Bloomberg Business Week recently did an article on exactly that topic based on some of the results coming out of the Obama campaign. For...
There Are Always At Least Two Sides to the Equation. Go for Win-Win.
When I saw this photo from the Slate blog, I couldn't help but to think of it from a marketing perspective. That's because there are always at least two perspectives for any marketing initiative --yours and your customers. Plus, if you've got more than one target...
Do You Play in the Same Sandbox as Your Target Audience?
The other day, the New York Times business section ran an article on the presidential candidates’ late night television appearances. Apparently, several late night shows including: Jon Stewart’s, The Daily Show; David Letterman; Saturday Night Live, and the Tonight...
Are You Prepared for a “Branding Hurricane”?
Here in the Baltimore Washington metro area, as we continue to prepare for Hurricane Sandy, I’m reminded of some of the “BRANDING HURRICANES” I've experienced as a marketer. Hurricane Sandy has been slow moving, and the states in the path of the storm have had several...
Setting Clear Objectives for Better Project Outcomes
Anytime I start on a project, I begin with a clear vision of the outcome and how I expect that outcome to be used. For example, if you are working on a package redesign, it's pretty clear what you are looking for: Desired Outcome: A redesigned package that more...
Six Budget Lessons from Some of the Best Marketers
The debate going on right now in the U.S. Congress on the budget reminds me of some of the budget battles I've gone through in some of the companies I've worked for and with. It brings to mind that old saying "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face." There were a...
Invest in Brand Integrity
Did any of you catch this BNET blog post on lying to customers. The blogger's whole premise was "everybody does it". Somehow, the fact that others are doing it makes it okay? Rewind --- high school. How often did you try this line on your parents? "But all my friends...