Chief Marketer Staff

• Fortuitous Mistakes

  As Marketers, we make all kinds of mistakes. We may not care to admit it, but on average even the best measurable marketers are right only about a third

• Agencies

  Blue Christmas

  Blame it on the mortgage crisis or on high fuel costs. But consumers are expected to limit their holiday gift-giving this year, and that’s going to hurt

• Agencies

  A Direct Visit From St. Ridic-o-las

  ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and Santa, nonplused, Took a look at his marketing, sighed, and then cussed: What’s with all these strange upstarts?

• Agencies

  Bear Market

  Direct marketers are spending a little more. They’re focusing on existing customers and mailing to in-house lists. So things should be looking good, right?

• Soft Soap

  Quick, what’s the longest story ever told? If you answered daytime drama The Guiding Light, then Procter & Gamble has done its job. The company originally

• Agencies

  Those Wacky COOs

  Is there a school somewhere teaching chief operating officers how to come up with zany marketing ideas? I once worked for a small business-to-business

• Agencies

  Secret Weapon?

  The marketing tactic that most directly changes consumer behavior sampling is frequently left at the bottom of the marketing budget. Study after study

• Agencies

  Prime Rating

  Consumers are entitled by law to a free annual credit report. But there’s another way of learning where they stand: Sign up for DirecTV.

• A Bear Story

  Patty Odell shares a curious tale
  of a wily bear and good customer
  service.

• Letters to the Editor

  Robert Crumb is right on target! It’s tough to swallow. The truth of it is, our society despises most of the techniques real advertising does. Much of it is invasive and done in poor taste. Advertising has changed much in the same way that science fiction and horror movies have changed from the 1950s and 1960s. Nowadays those types of films have