Raising Prices Can Be A Winning Recession Strategy
Want to stay alive during a recession? Try raising your prices a bit. In one way, it may just appear you're jacking up what you charge. But on the other hand, you may attract a more upscale audience...
Consider Customer-Centric Retailing the First Step Toward Customer Loyalty
Customer-centric retailing has been embraced by a broad range of organizations and is high on the boardroom agendas of many more...
Will Gold Medals Spark Post-Olympic Marketing Deals?
Michael Phelps will likely be able to parlay his triumphs in Beijing into lucrative marketing payoffs. But by the end of the week, audiences with a short attention span may forget about other athletes...
Does Best Buy Need an Identity Check?
Best Buy has become too many things to too many people, which may be why a quarter of the attendees of CMO Barry Judge's keynote at eTail 2008 in Washington last week felt the electronics merchant's brand mission was "largely undefined." So where did it go wrong—and is that wrong really a right?...
Invite Your Audience To Build Loyalty
Experts have been warning of the decline of brand loyalty for some time, yet few really have offered a way out. The reason is a misunderstanding of the nature of relationships...
General Motors Hits the Brakes
Struggling auto manufacturer General Motors announced a number of measures last week designed to steer the auto giant away from impending brand and market disasters...
Many Mistakes Killed Steve & Barry's
Steve & Barry's is about to leave a label scar in hundreds of malls across the U.S., including some it just signed agreements to move into. But for some reason, the world seems surprised by its recent Chapter 11 filing...
Barbie's Boss: A Chat with Mattel's Richard Dickson
As Mattel's head of global licensing, Richard Dickson oversees Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and many other of the world's best known toy brands. Promo magazine's Amy Johannes recently talked with Dickson about how the company is turning these playthings into lifestyle properties...
The Cooler Side of Sears? Retailer Targets Teens
Department stores. Those are the places your mom goes to buy you things. That's what teenagers generally think of those mall anchors. But it's not stopping Sears from getting young people to change their ways ...
Harold's Chicken Shack Lets Its Fans Do the Marketing
Ever been to Harold's Chicken Shack? Probably not, unless you live in Chicago. But its fans are giving it some play in the social networks...
Make Your Brand Experiences Interactive
The best physical or virtual brand experiences are always interactive. They encourage dialog and better yet, an intimate and unforgettable dance between brand and consumer. Here are four thoughts on how to maximize the brand experience success....
Big Brands Must Think Like Start-ups in Digital World
If you want to get buzz like a hot young start-up, strip away your stuffy old organizational layers. Click here for some thoughts on taking chances to connect with your audience. ...
Hooters Horse Racing Deal Goes Bust
The restaurant chain's sponsorship of Big Brown was denied at Belmont, but it wound up getting its money's worth....
The Eyes Have It: The Science of Eyeflow
While reading books, the average Joe will start in the upper left corner, and follow the text to its conclusion on that spread, at the lower right. But with a catalog, the eyeflow is quite different. Discover where the average consumer looks first, and what that means to your catalog....
Dunkin' Donuts, Jihad, Not a Match Made in Heaven
Excuse me, sir, there's a weapon of mass destruction in my iced coffee. Well, not really. Still, Dunkin' Donuts recently had to deal with some image issues when some conservative bloggers tied spokesperson Rachael Ray's scarf in an online DD commercial to terrorism...
Brandanimation: The Experience Threshold
Chances are you paid over $4 a gallon for gas over the holiday weekend. The high cost of filling up the tank has made a lot of people modify their driving behaviors. What does this have to do with marketing?...
Wal-Mart Has Designs on Designers
Is Wal-Mart about to become the Mecca for the fashion-conscious? Read why Wal-Mart may be catching up with discount rival Target and indeed be finally getting the mix of product and celebrity brand right...
Differentiate Your Brand with Goodwill Messaging
Goodwill messaging — putting the customer's needs first — actually help marketers differentiate their brand and achieve their objectives...
Turn Up Your TV Ad Volume: Get More From Sponsorships Online
You must be proud of your new television campaign. Bet it cost a bundle. Too bad your target audience is using a DVR to breeze right past those snazzy spots. Want to strengthen your TV programming sponsorships? Find out how to think beyond the idiot box...
Culture Clash: Building a Bridge Between Brand and Engagement
Old school marketers believe marketing is all about the brand. But any engagement campaign that centers only on the brand will fail miserably. Discover how to make the two worlds meet...
Keeping Pace: The Evolution of Marketing and Branding
Not that long ago, promotions and marketing opportunities such as RSS feeds, podcasting, blogging, talking avatars and widgets didn't even exist. Today, the world of marketing is constantly changing...
How to Move from the Agency Side to the Client Side
Sounds like an easy change, doesn't it? You work as a marketer on the agency side, and land a job with a client. But the switch isn't always simple...
Walk on Buy: Palladium Shoes Drives Web Foot Traffic
If you want people to buy more shoes, get them to walk more. That's the idea behind a new point-of-sale poster campaign launched last month by Consolidated Shoes' Palladium brand. The "Get Your Ramble On" posters, which customers can download from Palladium.com, feature maps and slogans like "See Praha like Kafka—Walk it." ...
The Contemporary Sisyphus: America's Auto Industry is in a Rut
Although Detroit has spent years trying to conquer seemingly insurmountable issues, the American automotive manufacturers as a group have unfortunately failed to deliver any significant turnaround. The problem stems from Detroit's losing its American audience because the public no longer views U.S. auto manufacturers as credible....
At American Airlines, Safety is Job #257
The flight plans for American passengers last week were turbulent, as the airline cancelled more than 1,500 flights to inspect its fleet of MD-80s. Robert Passikoff examines that this means to consumer perception of the brand. For the story, click here....
