Wal-Mart Cracks the Code on Social Media Integration
Wal-Mart is the biggest retailer in the world, but it hasn't always been considered a paragon of online innovation. Read why Jeff Zabin feels that its June 2007 Web redesign has helped it achieve social media integration. ...
Taking Advantage of Anniversaries
A date itself is not something your customers will get excited about. But the things you do to make your anniversary significant for them can generate interest, sales and customer loyalty. ...
Essential Signposts for Telling a Brand Story
What makes a brand a brand, besides a fancy label and packaging? One thing is an emotional aura that can transcend a product to give it a consumer relationship. Find out how to transcend your brand from an item on a shelf to a must-have product....
Slicing and Dicing the Cashtomato.com Promo
Is bad publicity really good publicity? It depends on how want to slice Cashtomato.com's free money event on Feb. 29 in New York....
Crown Royal Kept IROC From an Earlier Grave
Did Diageo's Crown Royal brand kill the International Race of Champions, or did it extend IROC's life for three more seasons? Click here to find out why NASCAR's lift of an unofficial spirits sponsorship ban left the event high and dry....
BrandAnimation: What Every Marketer Can Learn From Guitar Hero
The Red Octane and Activision-published videogame Guitar Hero is a perfect example of how you can get an audience interested in anything if you use a clever engagement mechanism that stimulates customer involvement. ...
Brand Management By Motivation: Give Your Customers Some Credit
The old Theory Y concept of management opines that consumers are inherently motivated and ambitious and just need to be encouraged in the right way. Today, some brands are following that school of thought. Click here for more....
Brace Yourself For Marketing's Perfect Storm
The undeniable fact that consumers have greater control over the brand messages they see and let engage them is changing the world of media and brands. Click here to see how this trend affected the latest Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index....
Search and Leverage: Manage Your Brand's Reputation Online
A critical part of managing a brand's reputation is monitoring for negative publicity online. To find out what you should do to keep your brand's name clean, click here....
Is KFC Counting its Chickens Before They Broil?
KFC's already gone trans-fat free, but will the rumored broiled chicken be as finger lickin' good? Find out why Robert Passikoff, Ph.D. thinks KFC's fans will remain loyal....
Finding Your Evangelists
So who is talking about your brand? The evangelists. Find out who they are, and where they are talking about you....
Apple Turns Disruption Into Appleade
Service disruptions are usually bad news for marketers. But somehow, Apple can turn disruptions into lemonade. Click here to read why their "We'll be back soon" Post-It icon generates a ton of positive press....
Serve Men's Brands Up With a Good Laugh
Want to sell to men on Super Bowl Sunday? Make them laugh. Why does humor appeal to guys? Click here and find out....
Brandanimation: Gene Simmons Knows Best -- At Least Certainly Better Than Kodak
Are you smarter than a tongue-wagging rock icon? Kodak sure thinks it is. Click here and see why Erik Hauser thinks Kodak made a mistake not listening to Gene Simmons' marketing advice on "The Apprentice."...
Health and Pharmaceuticals: Advertising Bang-for-the-Buck is in the Buzz
Social media is doing wonders for businesses like consumer packaged goods. Can other areas like the pharmaceutical industry find the same success? Click here to find out what consumers attitudes are towards healthcare-related products in online media....
NutsOnline Gets Social With Jericho Fans
If your favorite television show got cancelled, what would you do? See what else was on? Write a letter of protest? Fans of CBS's "Jericho" went nuts. ...
Just How Super is the Super Bowl?
Blurb: Is your brand super for Super Sunday? Click here for results from Brand Keys' sixth annual Super Bowl Engagement Survey, which shows that when it comes to advertising ROI, upsets are not limited to the playing field....
Women Don't Just Buy Brands, They Join Them
From "cocooning" to "cashing out" to "down-aging," noted marketer and author Faith Popcorn's predictions about our changing society have been spot on. So what does the founder of marketing consultancy firm BrainReserve think about women and their brand-sense? Click here and find out....
You Want a Latte With That? McD's Brews Up Coffee Strategy
McDonald's is ready to make its second supersized plunge into the coffee market. But will its latest attempt as a barista make it Sanka or swim? Click here to see why Brand Keys founder Robert Passikoff says Mickey D's customer base is loyal enough to choose it over rivals like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts....
Emotional Rescue: Enrich Your Brand in 2008
Maybe you've made a resolution to improve your bottom line in 2008. But have you thought about how you can make your brand emotionally stronger in the next 12 months? Click here for six tips from Laurence Knight of Fletcher Knight on how to do just that....
Building Brand Equity in Tough Times
Savvy marketers know that the very best time to gain advantage against competitors is during a recession. But of course, marketing and communications spending is often the first thing to go under the knife at the signs of trouble. Click here for six ways James R. Gregory of CoreBrand says you can build brands equity when the economy takes a dive. ...
NHL Needs to Keep Outdoor Game a Novelty
The AMP Energy Winter Classic was played before a record crowd and drew tremendous television ratings in the Buffalo and Pittsburgh markets. But will the National Hockey League look at that apparent success and wear out a novelty for both fans and sponsor? Click here for more....
Maximum Pain From the NFL
The Dallas Cowboys were playing on national television. But unless you were one of the few households that have the NFL Network, you're out of luck. Is inflicting pain on your fan base a viable go to market strategy? Click here to see what Erik Hauser thinks....
Eight for '08: Brand and Marketing Trends
It’s been said that all the evidence shows that God was actually a gambler. That the universe is really just a great casino, where dice are thrown, slot machine handles are pulled, and roulette wheels spin on every occasion and for every event. And, over a large number of bets, the odds even out, so mathematicians and scientists can make predictions. ...
Digital Brand DNA: Who Controls Your Brand?
At a time when consumers have hijacked brands through user-generated content such as blogs and videos, clients are asking this very question about their own brands. It becomes especially acute in the digital realm, which can seem like a consumer-generated free-for-all of YouTubers, bloggers and Facebookers all telling the world what they think of you 24/7....
