THE BIGGEST EXCUSE IN MARKETING: "MY BUSINESS IS DIFFERENT."

Making the transition from a product to a brand is a challenge for many brand-builders. It's a challenge sometimes because their companies say they want brands (for added shareholder value) but don't always support their marketers in actually developing brands. But it's also a challenge because some marketers - especially those in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries - get into a bad habit of making excuses for things they cannot do because "their category is different." This week we take a harder look at this notion of "my category is different" - a notion we don't buy.

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The DISPATCHES^TM for November 29, 2009 can be found here:

THE BIGGEST EXCUSE IN MARKETING:

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

THE BIGGEST EXCUSE IN MARKETING:

It is also available in PDF here:

TheBiggestExcuseInMarketing.pdf (PDF File)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

The DISPATCHES^TM for November 22, 2009 can be found here:

Happy Thanksgiving

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

Happy Thanksgiving

It is also available in PDF here:

Thanksgiving2009.pdf (PDF File)

ARE YOU TURNING OFF YOUR CUSTOMERS? IT'S THE EXPERIENCE STUPID.

We've written a few DISPATCHES articles dealing with the importance of the customer's experience with your products and services. We dramatized these articles by exhorting "it's the experience stupid." No, let us reassure you in this article that we are not calling you stupid. Instead, this is drawing, for dramatic effect, from the Bill Clinton versus senior George Bush 1992 presidential campaign where the economy was the critical and deciding issue. Today, people still will confirm the rather obvious learning, "It's the economy stupid."

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The DISPATCHES^TM for November 15, 2009 can be found here:

ARE YOU TURNING OFF YOUR CUSTOMERS? IT\'S THE EXPERIENCE STUPID

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

ARE YOU TURNING OFF YOUR CUSTOMERS? IT\'S THE EXPERIENCE STUPID

It is also available in PDF here:

AreYouTurningOffCustomers.pdf (PDF File)

WHY STRATEGIC TARGETING IS SO HARD

We have been writing a great deal lately about targeting for a brand's positioning because doing it well is so challenging ? and so important. The positioning target sets up the entire positioning, after all. And one of the themes we have been pushing is that it's time to think about the target as not merely the set-up of the positioning, but also as a prime opportunity to differentiate the brand from competition - as in identifying and selecting a strategic target segment (or may be two) that competitive brands have not identified and could not satisfy as well even if they did. This week we reprise this theme and share some of the principal reasons why strategic targeting is so hard to do.

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The DISPATCHES^TM for November 8, 2009 can be found here:

WHY STRATEGIC TARGETING IS SO HARD

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

WHY STRATEGIC TARGETING IS SO HARD

It is also available in PDF here:

WhyStrategicTargetingIsSoHard.pdf (PDF File)

GIVE YOUR PROMISE A REASON-WHY TO SUCCEED

This week we are re-publishing an oldie for your reading enjoyment. This was first published in 2006 and still holds true.

The reason-why is a critically important strategic element of both the brand's positioning and communication strategies. It's also important to ensuring compelling communications. Too often marketers confuse "reason-why" with the rationale ...

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The DISPATCHES^TM for November 1, 2009 can be found here:

GIVE YOUR PROMISE A REASON-WHY TO SUCCEED

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

GIVE YOUR PROMISE A REASON-WHY TO SUCCEED

It is also available in PDF here:

GiveYour PromiseRev.pdf (PDF File)

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