×
Latest

Customer Focus

February 8th, 2019

Robin Donovan

Timid Women, DOVE Chocolate says “No chocolate for you!”

I have seen DOVE Chocolates’s new commercial, which implies that three guys are buying gifts at the same time and place for the same woman. The spot then cuts to said woman eating DOVE Chocolate. What I did not comprehend was that this is DOVE’s way of celebrating “bold” women.
As a woman who some have accused of being bold, Read More

February 1st, 2019

dmoore

The Advertising Subpar Bowl

Has Super Bowl advertising jumped the shark?
As way of explanation, here’s the definition of “Jump the shark”:
“Jumping the shark is the moment when something that was once popular no longer warrants the attention it previously received, particularly when attempts at publicity only serve to highlight its irrelevance… reaching a point at which far-fetched events are included merely for the sake of novelty, indicative of a decline in quality.”
Sounds an awful lot like the current state of Super Bowl advertising. Read More

January 2nd, 2019

kblobaum

Disruption in the Grocery Landscape

Traditional grocers have been losing market share to alternative formats for some time now, but with the rise of Amazon and their purchase of Whole Foods, the rate of change continues to accelerate. Walmart is also investing heavily in e-commerce and the retail giant is intent on competing with Amazon for the top spot in online grocery market share. Increasingly, consumers are gaining confidence in ordering groceries online. According to the Food Marketing Institute study conducted by Nielsen, Read More

December 11th, 2018

Robin Donovan

Texting Your Holiday Greeting – While Driving

With the holidays in full swing, a great deal of focus is being placed on the time crunch we’re all feeling and how that makes us take dangerous short cuts. Texting while driving is, arguably, one of the most dangerous.
A recent article focusing on Travelers’ new safe-driving campaign reminds us that there is already a plethora of videos and photos showing horrific accidents. Read More

December 6th, 2018

rweber

Think Outside the Influencer Box

“Influencer marketing is the fastest-growing online customer-acquisition method.” (Digital Marketing Institute). Word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) is influencer marketing, and a critical component of public relations and social media strategies. Influencer marketing focuses on viewer engagement with a recommendation from someone the consumer trusts, using individuals and organizations to influence consumer decisions and provide additional brand exposure. Read More

December 3rd, 2018

eburgess

Plan a Bold Event for 2019

A new year is approaching, and budgets are being crafted for 2019. It’s a great time to be bold. It’s time to consider new tactics to communicate the story of your brand and collect useful data. And I suggest planning for strategic events that compliment your marketing goals.
A Freeman Global Brand Experience Study reports that one third of CMOs are devoting 21-50 percent of their budget to experiential marketing. Read More

November 21st, 2018

dwikowsky

The Wide World of Sports … Marketing

There are many avenues that companies and marketers utilize to maximize their reach. For large corporations all the way down to small, local businesses, sports have proven to be a great marketing tool. During sporting events like the Super Bowl, World Series or March Madness, you see big corporations spending their advertising dollars on commercial spots, trying to capitalize on the number of eyeballs that are watching. On the flip side, small businesses sponsor local sports, Read More

September 20th, 2018

jbrowe

Prime Delivery. The New Milkman?

One thing that is notable about 2018:  it’s been a big year for brick and mortar retailers to close a lot of doors. Headliners, of course, include Sears, Toys R Us and J. C. Penney, but a recent USA Today feature lists 21 companies closing retail locations – and that was just as of April! Read More

August 8th, 2018

rweber

Social Selling – A Sales Strategy That Sticks

When consumers want to learn more about a business, where do they turn? Here’s a clue – the answer is no longer a three-inch yellow brick of a book that ends up on your doorstep. Read More

July 2nd, 2018

rweber

The Hot, Heavy and Here-to-Stay Social Media Call-Out Culture

With great power comes great responsibility.” – Uncle Ben, Spiderman
Thanks to the internet, a seemingly never-ending social unrest, and our ability to make a global impact with just a few keystrokes, consumer power is at its height. Read More