Sometimes I think those of us who run marketing firms or work in a marketing department forget that although we are the beginning of the sales process, we also need to be involved in the middle and the end. For at the end of the day, our bottom lines and ... more

Even after writing and speaking about marketing to women for all these years, I must admit I still have trouble confidently deciding which of these words to "female" vs. "woman" or "gender" vs. "sex." Of course, for some inexplicable reason, I have never taken the time to look it up ... more

I'm a Baby Boomer. In fact, I'm on the leading edge, having popped into this world in 1946. Although at 12 lbs. exiting a 90-pound mother, it was Iess a pop than a . And I'm still causing thuds -- the good kind, I On Wednesday, March 21, CK posted ... more

Dear I won't go political. Not here, not anywhere. We keep our political rants well away from our marketing discussions just like we keep our peas from touching our carrots. Usually. Sometimes, succotash happens. But someone has to give a great big "Wow, did you see that?" to the 1984 ... more

Just as I put the final touches on "Marketing Through Storytelling" for MarketingProfs (tomorrow, Thursday, noon eastern time), I read Steve Miller's story in on the how some 30-second ads are evolving into several minute videos. He points to two examples I will be using Thursday, as well - the ... more

Now, I love! has essentially hired a Chief Forgiveness A fellow named Fred Taylor Jr., with the formal title of Senior Manager of Proactive Customer , spends his 12-hour workdays finding out how Southwest disappointed its customers. He then fires off homespun letters of apology and "touches" to ease the ... more

As my regular blog readers know, before becoming a #3300ff;" recruiter" marketing I owned a B2B inside sales consultancy called "Reliable Growth."  Essentially, I taught companies like NCR and Aflac how to research, identify, and develop new business with a phone, an internet connection and a fax Telemarketing was the ... more

Anyone who has talked with me in the past few months knows that I am basically a walking evangelist for Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's So, stop right now and go buy it or get it from the library (but you will probably have to highlight a few sentences, so...). ... more

If the Web were a film, its plot would be much more like that of Lord of the Rings and much less like , Dirty Harry or Die . It would be much more about a cooperative group of friends striving together to achieve a shared goal. It would disdain ... more

Telling a good story is at the core of good marketing or branding. But what happens when the story is tongue-in-cheek and the audience doesn't "get it?" Has the average audience become When average consumers or business people believe the message and the message or story is bogus -- just ... more

Eric , CEO of search giant , told an investors group this week that the market for targeted advertising is at a very early stage with lots of innovation still to come, according to Internet Discussing the inefficiency of random ads in traditional media, Schmidt noted, "It's a constant barrage ... more

Why is all the travel time, rich food, lack of exercise and not-your-own-bed annoyance of going to conferences worth the effort? For me, it is because the speakers usually bring life to information that, while interesting in its own right, might not otherwise strike me or inspire real Good speakers ... more

For those of you too young to remember or who don't follow baseball, before Yogi Berra, Leo Durocher was known as baseball philosopher. Although the phrase was taken out of context, he is best known for the "Nice guys finish last." Not inspired this blog in a post in which ... more

Anyone else feel a little bemused at the news of ABC ordering a pilot of a TV based on Geico's cavemen First of all, good for - .... it is a case study of marketing done well, and yet another example of blurring line between advertising and entertainment. Geico is ... more

Last week I attended an incredible multi-disciplinary conference on the topic of "community" called The From the perspective of residential community developer John L. Knott, Jr. of the Noisette to that of fiction english tutoring founder Dave ...and that of renowned organizational expert Margaret among many others, we audience participants ... more

Great brands transcend geography. But to build a great global brand, you must understand the vital role that your company's electronic "face" plays in your success, says Marilynn Mobley, Senior Vice President of , the world's largest PR firm, as well as a "People all over the globe turn first ... more

What do get when you do your job well? Not your organization... but ? A raise? A promotion? The employee of the month parking spot? The satisfaction of knowing you did your best and moved the brand forward? All good Recently I had an interesting email volley with Tim Jackson, ... more

Someone has finally come along and done it. It took years, but Business Week has stepped up to the plate with its first-ever ranking of 25 client-pleasing After all of the justifiable griping of consumers as well as multiple contributors to the Daily Fix blog, there may be something positive ... more

Case studies are like condensed action films—full of characters, plot, and conflict—in which, thanks to your help, the clients get what they want. Part of a case study's persuasive power comes from its energy. It should be exciting to tell and hear. Many of us, though, bore with ours. The reason? ... more

If advertising is so effective, why are , airport billboards and business magazines free from ads in which agencies promote themselves to business audiences? I always ask this question "tongue-in-cheek," but lately the cheekiness is waning. Ad-effectiveness is plummeting all-round and both brand owners and consumers are nearing the point ... more

Lately, as my readership grows and as I focus more and more on growing that readership, my attention turns to two questions that seem key to communications success (specifically, Does my content meet my readers' wants and needs and (if so) how? and How do I inspire more comments and ... more

Linking is the foundation of every quality website. Everything starts with the link. You build from the link, not from the Read the following paragraph and try to identify how it should be dealt with in terms of "In the following section you will be provided with a range of ... more

Business writer Reena Jana published a great article recently. The Innovation " is a must-read for business executives and marketers In her article, Ms. Jana cites a rising number of influential business thinkers' books, articles, surveys and podcasts on the subject of innovation, or rather -- the abuse and overuse ... more

Dear The exigencies of rapidly evolving markets often create strange bedfellows. One look no further than the wild west of the entertainment industry to see as many examples as you care to suggests DRM-free music to the major labels, which are desperate to find a way to save themselves from ... more

Rebates can be great incentives, but are they worth the consumer's effort? Are the companies legitimate in these marketing Frankly, I'm not so sure. When we purchased a warranty replacement laptop for my son, they featured a Canon Pixma MP160 for $89.99. The lure of a $50 mail-in rebate and ... more