Maybe it’s all the Black Friday deals, the subsequent retail promotions intended to drive sales through the holidays, or perhaps City Sports’ up to 40% going out of business sale that I see every morning on my way to work that have me thinking about “up to” claims. What are “up to” claims? To me, […]
Category: Business Fundamentals
Marketing Metrics to Drive Business Growth
It is estimated that more than a trillion dollars are spent each year through marketing activities – and that between 15% and 30% of those dollars are “wasted.”1 That’s right – wasted. Understandably, senior marketing leaders are under increasing scrutiny and pressure to prove the value of their marketing investments – however two of three […]
View from the Trenches: Best Practices Research
Many organizations are interested in identifying best practices to help illuminate a path for growth. Often, the task is more complex, and sometimes even more treacherous, than it appears. If you’re not careful, best practices research can turn into a misguided odyssey into literature that ends up serving no useful purpose for the organization that […]
Volkswagen’s Crisis – What Should They Do?
Just days after I had leased a new Volkswagen Passat (my second Passat lease), the news emerged that Volkswagen had intentionally programmed many of their diesel engines to comply with emissions standards only when tested. The rest of the time, these engines were found to be producing 10-40x the emissions limit. While it was initially […]
A Millennial’s Reaction to Under Armour’s New Campaign
In an age when marketers are trying to become their consumers’ BFFs, Under Armour’s new ad campaign, Rule Yourself, has turned me off. In trying to appeal to Millennials, its most recent campaign takes a risk, adopting a forceful, parental tone that comes across as lecturing. I, for one, am not enamored. The new campaign, […]
Time to Elevate Market Vigilance
A key job of strategic marketers is to be on constant look out for changes in their consumers and their markets. But most of us don’t have this on the top of our priority lists of things to do. Most of us analyze our markets and develop our strategic plans for driving growth under the […]
Megatrends Through 2030 – And How to Position Your Business For Growth
Megatrends – global, sustained, macro forces spread over long periods of time – are by their very definition “out there.” And for that reason, they are rightfully challenging for many companies to consider in their strategy development and business planning. First, there is no single, definitive source for megatrend identification and analysis. Instead there are […]
Sibling Rivalry Applied to Portfolio Management
In my experience, one of the hardest challenges for marketers working within or overseeing a portfolio of brands in the same category is being truly comfortable making choices around differentiation. Typically, the internal team can quickly tell you that brand #1 is for “Healthy Heather,” who knows vitamins are critical, and that brand #2 is […]
Is that a Strategy or a Tactic?
Good marketers have a true passion for the programs that they develop and deploy. Seeing the TV spot you developed on air, the coupon you helped to create in the local circular, or the redesigned website finally go up can be highly satisfying, as can tracking what are hopefully the positive business results that these […]
How the Mattress Industry Was Caught Sleeping
The online mattress company Casper is altering the landscape of its mature industry by employing an innovative business model and strong marketing fundamentals. Certain consumers are now comfortable with making the big ticket purchase of a mattress online with minimal physical contact with the product, a giant step away from the typical “try before you […]
