Has the American consumer become immune to advertising? Has marketing become a waste of your time and effort? “Bullshit,” in the words of the Ad Contrarian, a/k/a agency owner Bob Hoffman. “Here’s what the consumer has become resistant to: generic, undifferentiated products supported by smug, benefit-free advertising.” FTW! Nailed it.
Category Archives: marketing
How Kellogg's came to dominate the cereal market
Thinking of cutting back on your marketing during these tough economic times? It’s a natural reaction. After all, money is tight. But look back at history, as the New Yorker’s always-interesting James Surowiecki did this week, and you discover an amazing secret: when everyone else is disappearing off consumers’ radar, you can take over an […]
Hourly rates or flat fees?
I don’t believe in charging hourly rates for my work. First of all, real value can’t be measured in hours – only in quality and results. Paying hourly rates for creative work is upside-down and counterproductive. Sometimes they’re even a ripoff for the client. Suppose you needed heart surgery. Would you shop around for the […]
Four magic words that will transform your marketing
“I can help you.” Simple, isn’t it? Your prospective customers don’t need more information. Chances are, they’re drowning in information. And they sure don’t want a sales pitch. What they really want is advice. Guidance. Expert help from someone they know and trust. Someone who has demonstrated that s/he understands their problem or need, and […]
Twitter update: They like me, they really like me!
Despite a LOT of initial skepticism, I have been tweeting for exactly one week now, squeezing it in between my client work — and trying to resist the temptation to do it ALL the time. It’s really fun! Here’s an update. I have attracted 65 followers in those seven days. That’s amazing to me, since […]
Is Twitter good for finding leads?
How would I know? I’m a complete Twitterookie. (Twookie?) Seriously, lots of smart people are extremely enthusiastic about its ability to find, attract and influence prospective customers. Today John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing offers a guide to Mining Leads on Twitter, focusing on utilizing Twitter’s advanced search tools. “Advanced search is where the real […]
It's true. I've become a Twit.
Despite hearing a lot of hype about it, even from people I like and respect, I have been a huge Twitter skeptic. I perceived it as an enormous time-sink with little or no value, except maybe self-gratification. (No, not that kind!) That was until I finally took the time to actually visit the site yesterday. […]