THINKing

Take Market Share Now

Bold marketers know this: an economic downturn is the perfect time to gain market share. Spending marketing money during tough times seems counterintuitive, but time and again it has paid off for some of the best known brands. During the 1970s Revlon and Phillip Morris turned up the advertising heat to gain market share. Further, MediaPost reports that,

Listening: Marketing’s Secret Weapon

Customers know you and your business better than you think, and often better than you. In the many strategic planning projects I’ve done over nearly 30 years in the business, the customer always gives me the nugget that frames a client’s positioning.

A Question Of Trust

Forrester Research has a new study indicating consumers don’t trust corporate blogs. In fact, only 16 percent of respondents say they trust corporate blogs. According to a story in Online Media Daily,

The Elasticity Of Truth

Would you lie to get business?

In a new business pitch once, we told the prospect that we require any message we help deliver to be true. This seemed to pose a problem for some in the organization we were pitching, particularly among the Europeans.

Tough Times Call for Tough Marketers

OK, the media tells us the economy is in the dumper. There are some trouble spots, but it is not as bad as they are painting it. It is, however, a tougher environment than marketers have known for a while. While others succumb to the gloom and doom, the tough marketer can turn this into an opportunity.

Marketers Not On Board With Social Networks

Social network sites are not high on the lists of top brand marketers, according to a new study by Epsilon. The survey indicates that,

55% of the chief marketing officers at leading brands surveyed by Epsilon said they’re not too interested (22%), or not interested at all (33%), in incorporating the social networking sites into their marketing strategies.

Big Brand Blogging

Friend Jim Deitzel handles social media programs for the Rubbermaid brand, a Newell-Rubbermaid company. This is a big brand that truly gets social media, so I thought you might like to hear a bit about their efforts. The content of the Rubbermaid blog focuses on organization, one of their key brand drivers. Some of the recent stories on the blog include a Q&A with a professional organizer; laundry room organization; and festive holiday containers. The brand’s coordinated use of a variety of social media vehicles as a means of marketing content, I think, is the key to their success.

Big Boy Marketing – Part 3

Our final lessons from the Fortune 1000 Big Boys:

Big Boy Marketing – Part 2

Another marketing lesson from the Big Boys, that is Fortune 1000 size companies.

Ask Your Customers. Big Boys do the necessary research. Customers will provide you with invaluable data, if you let them. From defining your positioning to advice on new products, every business has customers willing to wade into the discussion.

Big Boy Marketing – Part 1

Photo By mshades (Flickr)

In working with our Fortune 1000 clients I have come to see that we all can learn a few things from these Big Boys. They may miss the boat on some things, but they get a lot right. Let’s review.