BEST PRACTICES FOR MARKETING TRAINING

Business managers today face a conundrum. As one manager put it "a Gordian knot" ? a problem for which it is difficult to find a solution. The problem is that marketing managers are expected to grow sales, market share and profits and yet at the same time resources for marketing support are being slashed. This is truly our conundrum.

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The DISPATCHES^TM for October 25, 2009 can be found here:

BEST PRACTICES FOR MARKETING TRAINING

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

BEST PRACTICES FOR MARKETING TRAINING

It is also available in PDF here:

BestPracticesForMktTraining.pdf (PDF File)

MULTIPLE MESSAGING IS NOT POSITIONING (LET US BE HONEST)

We are privileged to have worked in many, many pharmaceutical drug classes. Even more, we are fortunate to have been involved in teaching pharmaceutical marketers how to better build their brands - sometimes within their company's "Marketing Excellence" curriculum. There are many fundamentals that drug-brand marketers can learn and adapt from fast-moving consumer goods marketers. One of them is that Positioning ≠ Advertising (or "Messaging" as many pharma folks call their communication efforts). This week we take a harder look at the challenge of building differentiated, leadership brands within pharmaceuticals. And, as part of that, the necessity of being totally honest about those efforts that implement a brand positioning and those that run counter to implementing a brand positioning.

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The DISPATCHES^TM for October 18, 2009 can be found here:

MULTIPLE MESSAGING IS NOT POSITIONING (LET US BE HONEST)

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

MULTIPLE MESSAGING IS NOT POSITIONING (LET US BE HONEST)

It is also available in PDF here:

MultipleMessagingIsNotPositioning.pdf (PDF File)

CONVERSION

Marketing Objectives are the specific target-customer behaviors we expect and need to achieve in order to deliver against the Business Objectives of sales, market share and profits. We do not generate sales unless we first stimulate behaviors. And...

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The DISPATCHES^TM for October 11, 2009 can be found here:

CONVERSION

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

CONVERSION

It is also available in PDF here:

Conversion.pdf (PDF File)

WHEN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS DON'T HAVE AN IDEA

If you are a longtime reader of DISPATCHES, you already know how strongly we feel about developing Communication Campaign Ideas. Over time, we have offered a good many reasons why an idea can make a big difference-- and backed these up with a number of brand examples. This week we once again urge brand-builders to insist upon having an idea in their communications, whatever media form they may take. But, instead of adding to the advantages of having an idea, this time we suggest some of the real downsides to not having an idea.

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The DISPATCHES^TM for October 4, 2009 can be found here:

WHEN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS DON\'T HAVE AN IDEA...

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

WHEN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS DON\'T HAVE AN IDEA...

It is also available in PDF here:

WhenYourCommDontHaveAnIdea.pdf (PDF File)