Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys?
So how do you choose where you go out to dinner? Maybe you look for a cozy little bistro with a nice wine list? Or you ponder whether to nosh on upscale Italian or sushi? If you're dining with a small child, chance are your criteria runs more along the lines of "What toys do they have this week? Does Burger King still have 'Superman Returns' stuff? Which 'Pirates of the Caribbean' thing does McDonald's have? Is it the sword? He really wants the sword. Wendy's has what? Six Flags toys? What the heck are they, action figures of the bald dancing guy?" ...
All Meat, No Tomatoes
In a scant six months, Burger King's television commercials have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous....
Da Vinci Marketing
As marketers, we like to assert that our work is a combination of art and science. To an extent, we’re correct. Good marketing requires statistical analysis to determine market opportunities, and it requires creativity to craft messages that drive preference and increase sales. ...
BrandAnimation: Devolving Evolution
Experiential marketing is evolving along with the current "pull" advertising culture and leading the marketing world into stronger one-on-one relationships created with customers that last over time. ...
First Person: Branded Entertainment to Meow About
Product placement in a television program or movie was once the province of prop managers trading out the possibility of big-screen time for supplemental money or even free product. ...
From G.I. Joe to General Grievous
You want to sell a Mr. Potato Head or a Star Wars toy to a kid? Buy an ad on Cartoon Network, or an ad in any mainstream magazine targeting the little nippers. But if you want to sell a Star Wars action figure to a serious (and likely adult) toy collector, that's a different—and more complicated—story, says Ed Kriete, senior vice president of marketing services, Hasbro. ...
Brand vs. Direct: Who Gets the New Metrics?
What are the latest metrics that will help marketers build the next generation of models, and why do general advertisers seem more willing to embrace them than direct marketers? A group of CRM experts gathered to debate that subject and others. ...
Blockbuster Products: More Than Mere Functionality
Because of saturated markets and the dominant power of the buyer—distributors, retailers, and consumers—it is no longer enough to deliver a well-engineered, functional product or package. ...
BrandAnimation: Of Hasselhoff and Donny Deutsch
May 31 3:13 PM: Here’s another great customer experience for you. I got a package from Ameritrade today basically stating the following: There was a problem with my account (that I never noticed) and here’s a video iPod for the inconvenience. (that never happened). Now if only I could get Apple to wire cash into my Ameritrade account for all my dead iPod batteries. ...
I Am Your Monkey, Walt Disney
I'm just as cynical as the next gal. But let's face it, when it comes to my kids, I'm as big a pile of manipulatable mush as you'll ever find. My oldest son Jacob is three and half, and Danny is seven months. So naturally, my thoughts are turning to when they'll be ready to go to Walt Disney World. ...
The Culture Code
The Culture Code for Germany is perhaps best illustrated in a story: Lego, the Danish toy company, found instant success with their interlocking blocks in the German market, while sales foundered in the U.S....
A Case of Consumer Ennui
Every marketer bemoans the fact that engaging consumers is a more and more difficult task. They’ll try the traditional route (TV, magazines), the alphabet innovative conduit (IM, ISP, PDA, MP3), and every pathway in between....
If You Build It, They Will Come… If You Attract Them
Even the best Website content cannot provide brand-building value if no one reads it. So marketers invest in ways to generate qualified traffic to their sites, using television, print, and other online and offline efforts. ...
BrandAnimation: Equal Opportunity Positive Branding
It’s Saturday and I’m working on a column that was supposed to be turned in two days ago while getting the ultimate NFL junkie’s fix: the 2006 NFL Draft on ESPN...
How Much is That Tank Top in the Window?
On city streets, clothing stores make great use of their front window displays to draw in shoppers. Of course, many suburban shoppers – either because of time, money or proximity – don't have the chance to browse in a great metropolis....
Mobile Phones and Brand Marketing
Armed with Tivos, iPods, satellite radios, and the remote control, consumers are no longer passive consumers of media. Smart advertisers are looking for interactive, personal and measurable ways to engage with consumers, and all roads are leading to mobile phones. ...
Visa: Life Takes Rebranding
The longstanding brand platform for Visa (“It’s everywhere you want to be”) is no longer everywhere it used to be. In February the leading payment network unveiled its first new tagline in 20 years, “Life takes Visa,” steering the brand in a whole new direction. ...
How to Build a Media Mix Model
Confused about how to attribute credit for sales and brand-building success? You’re not alone. It’s a hot topic given the level of media spending in digital formats and continued media fragmentation. But there’s a way to do it called media mix modeling. And it should be at the head of every marketer’s priority list. ...
BrandAnimation: Leveraging Experiential Retail
Over the past few years there have been some “A list” brands that have begun to effectively engage the consumer at the retail level. But only a few. Apple is clearly an innovator in this field, and the first brand that comes to mind when I think of a great retail experience. ...
Making Your Branding Initiative Soar from the Inside Out
Most people by nature would rather stick to the status quo, especially if it’s worked in the past. Branding is no different. Why undertake a rebranding exercise? After all, the customers know you by your existing brand…it’s been working fine so far. The danger with this thinking, of course, is that you can lose your competitive edge and relevance before you know it....
Branding: The New Direct Marketing Metric
Direct marketing practitioners have always prided themselves on being able to quantify the behavioral impact of their marketing efforts. What has changed is the speed at which all this occurs....
Measuring Music: The Impact of Sounds on Brand Loyalty
For brand marketers, the sound of music might be the chime of a cash register. In fact, 96% of consumers are more likely to remember a brand if it is paired with music that fits the brand identity. ...
Experiential Makeover, BrandAnimation Edition: Part 2
In the previous column, I briefly reviewed some of Gap’s missteps in recent years. To turn the ship around, I believe the retailer needs to do a relevancy and experience analysis of its entire brand and overhaul everything from its stores to its clothes to its marketing. ...
If You Can’t Change Your Fate, Change Your Attitude
What drives engagement and loyalty for your brand? Wait, I’ll make the question easier. What drives engagement and loyalty for the category in which your brand competes? ...
Experiential Makeover, BrandAnimation Edition: Part 1
When I was in high school, I worked at a Gap, which was a pretty cool job for a teenager. Mind you, this was back when you could still buy your tapered, acid-washed pair of Levi’s there, before it sold its own label exclusively. My, how things have changed! ...
