Sunday, February 27, 2011

DEALING WITH DUELING BRIEFS

We have been recently working with one of our clients who wants to upgrade and standardize their communication development process - specifically, by "joining the forces" of the Client and Communication Agencies (Advertising, Digital, Social Media and so on). The idea in such joint-action is to add precision to the Creative Brief, that all-important document that guides the communication development and assessment process - not to mention the ultimate outputs of the process, Ideas! It sounds like a relatively simple and highly productive move; but old habits don't break quite so easily. This week we re-look at some of the main reasons why it can be so tough to bring Client & Agencies together for the crafting of one, precise Creative Brief.


The DISPATCHESTM for February 27, 2011 can be found here:

DEALING WITH DUELING BRIEFS

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

DEALING WITH DUELING BRIEFS

It is also available in PDF here:

DealingWithDuelingBriefs.pdf (PDF File)

Sunday, February 20, 2011

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ESTABLISHING A DIALOGUE WITH CUSTOMERS

Social media, and all things digital, appear to be in vogue. They are touted as being more important than traditional media (i.e., television, print, etc.). It is proffered that they change the way marketers and customers communicate. Traditional media is condemned for being one-way conversation (marketer to customer), whereas social media is considered to promote a two-way conversation (between marketer and customer), a dialogue. But, a dialogue is something you do with others, not to them. Social media is only one way, and may not be the best for you, to enter into a dialogue with customers. This DISPATCHES article shares our thoughts on creating a meaningful dialogue with customers.


The DISPATCHESTM for February 20, 2011 can be found here:

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ESTABLISHING A DIALOGUE WITH CUSTOMERS

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ESTABLISHING A DIALOGUE WITH CUSTOMERS

It is also available in PDF here:

SocialMedia.pdf (PDF File)

Sunday, February 13, 2011

PRINCIPLES OF REAL 360 DEGREE CAMPAIGNS

For a long time, marketers aimed for campaign ideas that they could integrate across their primary marketing - mix elements - especially promotion and merchandising elements. They called these ideas integrated campaigns. But, actually, they were mainly limited to taking campaign slogans (like "Coke is it" and "The Choice of the New Generation") to retail materials and placements. Then, not all that long ago, integrated campaigns evolved into 360 degree campaigns, which required ideas to go beyond retail locations and into the newer forms of digital media. But now we are seeing a further evolution ? to something we would call real 360 degree campaigns. "Real" because they include the natural means for brand consumers to respond back to the brand ? you know, as in an idea that goes out from one source and comes back around from another. This week we review some of the principles that make for real 360 degree campaigns.


The DISPATCHESTM for February 13, 2011 can be found here:

PRINCIPLES OF REAL 360 DEGREE CAMPAIGNS

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

PRINCIPLES OF REAL 360 DEGREE CAMPAIGNS

It is also available in PDF here:

PrinciplesOfReal360DegreeCampaigns.pdf (PDF File)

Sunday, February 06, 2011

HOW TO JUDGE MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

The results for Super Bowl XLV are in. There's a winner - for the game! The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31 to 25. But there's still considerable debate as to what was the best advertainment commercial aired during the annual sports extravaganza.


The DISPATCHESTM for February 6, 2011 can be found here:

HOW TO JUDGE MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

A printer / handheld friendly version can be found here:

HOW TO JUDGE MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

It is also available in PDF here:

HowToJudgeMktCommunications.pdf (PDF File)