Monday, January 31, 2011

Same, Same...But Different

Of all the things that have changed in marketing over the past, say, twenty years, none is more significant than the dawn of the Age of Sameness - you know, that coalescence of parity-product performance within so many categories and classes. Now, more than ever before, marketers need effective, creative approaches?both strategic and tactical ? to deliver the perception that their ONE brand is a better choice than others?even with a product that works no differently or better. This week we offer some of those approaches for you to consider.

The DISPATCHESTM for January 30, 2011 can be found here:

SAME, SAME...BUT DIFFERENT

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

SAME, SAME...BUT DIFFERENT

It is also available in PDF here:

SameSameButDifferent.pdf (PDF File)

Saturday, January 22, 2011

WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?

What a silly question! Certainly, you work for the company that pays your salary. And, what's best for them is best for you, the brand and the customer. Or is it? It's time to re-address the question.

The DISPATCHESTM for January 22, 2011 can be found here:

WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?

It is also available in PDF here:

WhoDoYouWorkFor2.pdf (PDF File)

Friday, January 14, 2011

Rx Marketing Excellence = Excellent Marketing Outcomes

Back in our days as instructor pilots (for the US Navy and Air Force, respectively), we had a standard rating or grading scale for every flight the student-pilot took. This scale ran as follows: Unsatisfactory, Fair, Good, Excellent. Naturally, no one wanted to perform as "Unsatisfactory" on an instruction ride. But just as naturally, everyone aimed for, hoped for an "Excellent" rating for the ride. It wasn't so often that a student actually performed a full 90-minute ride at an "Excellent" level. But when they did, boy, you could see the dramatic differences in their skills - even versus those rides that ended more commonly as "Good." That's the wonderfully appealing thing about performances that are "Excellent." They are dramatically different in kind and/or degree, and for sure, they are not ones you see every day. The same can be said for marketing performances. That's our focus for this, the first Dispatches, of 2011: a resolution for seeking Real Marketing Excellence!

The DISPATCHESTM for January 14, 2011 can be found here:

Rx MARKETING EXCELLENCE = EXCELLENT MARKETING OUTCOMES

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

Rx MARKETING EXCELLENCE = EXCELLENT MARKETING OUTCOMES

It is also available in PDF here:

RxMarketingExcellence.pdf (PDF File)

Sunday, January 09, 2011

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION 2011

Happy New Year 2011. We're back from our holidays with more DISPATCHES. We're kicking-off the year with resolutions. Not personal resolutions, but professional resolutions, to better fulfill our role as marketers. We hope you will ascribe to, and adopt these, in making marketing matter!


The DISPATCHESTM for January 9, 2011 can be found here:

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS - 2011

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS - 2011

It is also available in PDF here:

NewYearsResolutions2011.pdf (PDF File)