Welcome to the CMA - Canadian Marketing Association - Blog. This Blog is an initiative of the CMA Digital Marketing Council. All marketing-related topics are fair game: branding, strategy, online, offline, marketing trends, technology, direct marketing, market research...and more.
Have MARCOM Managers become graphic designers, web programmers and copywriters?
I recently found a job posting for a MARCOM manager. This company wants a person to manage media relations, design, program their website, write, just to name a few. But the kicker is that they want someone with only 2-3 yrs experience. What is going on??? This is not a isolated situation. I see this all the time. I have worked for large and small companies and the role of the MARCOM Manager is diminishing.
Companies think that a Marketing Manger can take over these duties, understand branding, channel management, liaise wth the agency, etc. I would like to know what agency people think of this slow removal of MARCOM Managers from campaign developments or product launches.
MARCOM Managers out there, do you feel like your roles are blurring?
How we go about interacting with the world around us is formed in part by some basic beliefs that help structure our perceptions. Simple things like 'is the glass half full or half empty' uncover deeper seated perceptions of growth Vs decline/ opportunity Vs defeatism in the situation at hand. And so in the spirit of these ‘simple’ questions – I put forward the following for your consideration and comment.
Do you think customers are essentially monogamous or polygamous in their brand preferences?
I know there are a lot of if’s, and’s, or’s and but’s – however after stripping everything down to its core - do the majority of customers have an innate need to stay with one thing for life– or do they need variety seek to avoid risk by hedging their bets.
Is the customer we attract:
ours for the loosing by way of a bad experience/broken promise or staleness
or for the keeping via a shared evolving relationship?
Can we build a brand strong enough to stand the test of time?
Are there any brands in your personal life that you have been monogamous with from the very beginning?
Obviously there are no right or wrong answers – but I'ld love to hear your viewpoint.
Every CEO, President and Senior VP that I speak to emphasizes building processes, technologies and expertise for acquiring new customers. And yet, common marketing wisdom tells us that customer retention is where longevity and profitability truly lies. Because of the emphasis on customer acquisition, it makes sense that many companies spend less time and effort on truly maintaining their customer relationships. That could be a serious challenge in the months ahead.
Whether or not we accept the doom and gloom predictions of the severity of the impending recession, one thing is certain: for most businesses, things are going to get a lot tougher. Customers – across industries and across segments – are going to have fewer discretionary funds and that means the competition for every dollar is going to heat up. As a result, now is the time to focus on building retention infrastructure. But, to do this effectively requires elevating the value of retention in each company’s day-to-day practices. Senior VPs of Marketing & Sales can accomplish that by taking the following four steps:
1) Recognize publicly the important contributions that retention makes. For instance, retaining customers demonstrates:
• The ability to overcome the day-to-day challenges – project and interpersonal – associated with working with existing clients;
• The ability to adapt to clients’ unique corporate cultures, evolving demands and changes in personnel;
• The ability to build trusted and valued relationships.
2) Attribute the same high status to client retention usually accorded to securing new customers. For example, customer acquisition typically:
• Is held out as a significant accomplishment – and rewarded at bonus time; and
• Serves as an exciting or unifying rallying point for a team.
3) Establish and track specific retention targets. Just as with customer acquisition, build customer retention into all sales forecasts. Regularly monitor retention targets and provide appropriate skills training.
4) Identify valued customers who are consistently demonstrating signs of disengagement. For example, customers who:
• Are spending less on your product/service than they have in the past
• Have stopped referring business to you
• Don’t pay their bills
• Have gone to tender for business that they would normally bring to you
Reach out to these important customers to determine why they have attributed less value to your product or service.
While few companies will escape the impact of a deep recession, taking these steps now can help any senior marketer and sales professional better weather the impending economic downturn.
I welcome hearing any suggestions that you have for ways to help companies recession-proof themselves. Send your insights to president@thindata.com or share with us here on the CMA Blog.
The inspiration for this post goes to Rob Hindley from The Marketing Channel based on a brief conversation we had regarding Wal-Mart.
The question is what happens when the rubber band snaps?
Does a price leadership role make sense anymore?
Treacy/Weirsema (The Discipline of Market Leaders) say a company/brand can do 1 of 3 things on a world class, best of breed basis:
1. Best product (ie innovation/design) ie Apple
2. Best service (customer intimacy) ie Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew
3. Best price – ie Wal-Mart
At some point you hit bottom chasing down the price/cost curve - and in the process:
a) Suppliers dislike doing business with you because the cost squeeze tends to create a win-lose relationships
b) Consumers become conditioned to the lower price and if you can't do price rollbacks anymore - you sow the seeds of disenfranchisement
c) Wall Street punishes your stock because same store sales numbers slow/flat line
Yet in the course of Wal-Mart's journey they have:
- Helped flatten the world with outsourcing
- Displaced local production
- Led cost/supply chain innovation
- Sparked the debate on global optimization of resources – including greenhouse gas implications of shipping product half way around the globe
- Made things less expensive to buy
Does the price option make sense anymore given the short-term focus of Wall Street and the punishment it doles out? Is it too difficult to sustain? Are companies/brands better off pursuing product/service differentiation?
A little while back Paul Tyndall (See: Why don't the same rules apply) asked the question about ROI calculations/justifications for new media, and by extension, marketing investments in general.
I think another question needing to be asked is how do we go about measuring the ROI of goodwill. Accounts don't do a good job of measuring goodwill . Its usually the balancing figure reflecting the difference between assets and liabilities on a balance sheet - not something with actual metrics behind it.
Walter Schuetze (former SEC Chief Accountant and FASB member) derisively characterizes reported goodwill as "the lump left over", at least according to this accounting blogger.
FASB:Summary of Statement No. 142
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Issued 6/01)
"Analysts and other users of financial statements, as well as company managements, noted that intangible assets are an increasingly important economic resource for many entities and are an increasing proportion of the assets acquired in many transactions. As a result, better information about intangible assets was needed. Financial statement users also indicated that they did not regard goodwill amortization expense as being useful information in analyzing investments."
Leaving the accountants alone for a minute, it seems to me that whenever there is a customer acquisition program - the enterprise is more willing/prepared to invest in what it hopes will be the start of a long-ish profit stream than it is in re-investing in its brand. I say hopes - because there are no guarantees the brand overtures will yield any results and I also exclude the activities the brand engages in to solicit a sale..
Most brands face their problems later in life - when retention efforts require investment to bolster the brand for self supportive brand evolution reasons, for customer win-backs, to offset the competition's acquisition drives etc...
There are many different ways to come to terms with this issue - as it mostly resides in the realm of executive definition making. Having a precise enterprise-wide definition of what constitutes a goodwill investment is not in the final analysis important. What is important is taking the time to understand the desired impact the goodwill will have on your brand - but measuring the status quo is like counting angels on the head of a pin..
To determine the value of your goodwill investment - look to the forgone profit stream, and any traditional win-back costs as an upper end of the investment it is willing to make, or look at your average customer tenure and then value those who exceed that threshold. The point is you need to make the effort - if you believe there is value in retaining "that lump left over".
The real challenge comes with acting on those convictions - of using that investment as part of your brand retention program. I'm not talking about upsell/cross sell - but rather at those programs that help your customers FEEL your thanks for their patronage.See Rule # 13
By way of example I point out how one of the Telco's launched a holiday season email program inviting customers to play a game - where everyone had a chance to win some sort of prize.
(I ran a similar type of program back in my Lysol days - as part of a clean and win sweepstakes
Customers had to clean a dirt spot on the instore ad pad - which in most cases revealed a coupon value (remember everyone likes to win)
While I naturally don't have the Telco's results - I know from my experience - these types of thank you events are exceptionally powerful business and goodwill generators.
But they went a step further and sought to measure their impact - as I was recently asked to participate in an online survey - probing me with all sorts of questions regarding my brand affinities, likes/dislikes etc... .
Seems to me that goodwill is much more than just "the lump left over". Come to think of it - doesn't that description also apply to profit?
"Profit is the applause of your customers." Ken Blanchard
The only note I had on my “to do list” during 10 days of vacation last month was to read just one book. No Blackberry, no checking emails or voice mail or reading my RSS marketing feeds. I was looking for chill time: people watching at the beach, perfecting the art of Mojito making (it's really easy!) and to not burn under the hot Florida sun.
Before heading out, I took a trip to Indigo, shopping for a book meaty enough to learn something, but light enough to get through even if I was only half-concentrating. A title jumped out at me on the business section shelf, "The 4-Hour workweek - Escape the 9-5, live anywhere and join the New Rich." The jacket cover went on to tantalize, ‘Warning: Do not read this book unless you want to quit your job.’ I was sold.
Ultra Vagabond.
The book was written by Tim Ferris who, at 30 years old, describes himself as a serial entrepreneur and ultra vagabond. I have to say, being a vagabond isn’t something I aspire to, but after reading his approaches it’s an interesting blueprint on leveraging technology, the 80/20 rules of business and outsourcing to escape the rat race and enjoy life now.
Ferris’ credentials are impressive – fluent in six languages, runs a multinational firm from wireless locations around the world, a world record holder in tango, national champion in Chinese kickboxing, on hit TV shows in China and Hong Kong, and in his spare time, dives for sharks. Just reading his list of accomplishments lounging at the beach makes me tired. But I’m also left wondering how some people get so much done every day.
The New D.E.A.L.
Main ideas in the book are explained using the acronym D.E.A.L., what every aspiring member of the New Rich (NR) should know.
Definition – explaining the overall lifestyle design recipe – the new fundamentals
Elimination – killing obsolete time management tools and learn how to develop a low information diet Automation – Look for ways to make money on autopilot – ongoing revenue streams that don’t require you directly minding the store Liberation – the manifesto for the mobility inclined or breaking the bonds that confine you to a single location.
The chapters have anecdotes, personal experiences and lots of web resources to help you dive deeper into subjects being presented – setting up automatic revenue streams, using virtual personal assistants, income retirement calculators and something he calls ‘setting up a dreamline.’
A “dreamline” is a timeline of monthly income required to achieve one’s life goals and ambitions. You list out your life goals and estimate how much they’ll cost, chunk them down to a monthly cost, and then figure out what you’ll need to earn every month to cover them.
If you’re not ready to retire or think you’re already organized, the book is still worth picking up. Tim Ferris offers great pointers to help identify time draining activities and the online resources are very helpful. Bottom line - if one of his approaches helps you leave the office earlier every week (like it’s done for me), it is well worth the $25 cover price.
I've been watching the U.S. Presidential race with great interest. (My wife would argue too much interest.) I've seen every debate. I've watched every Sunday morning political show. I enjoy Chris Matthews' Hardball on MSNBC (even though he can't seem to speak without spitting). And I admit I find the whole process much more engaging than our own election process. I'm not sure why. But that's another story.
The reason I raise this is because now with McCain the Republican front runner, I'm amazed that there are segments of his own party (the evangelical and ultra-conservative right wing) who would rather switch to a Hillary Clinton than vote for one of their less conservative own. Ann Coulter, the patron saint of conservatism said as much herself just last week.
This got me to thinking about the idea of switching from a marketing perspective. After all, as Marketers, we try to get people to "Switch" to our brand, product or service all the time. I can't tell you how many communications and calls I've received (and avoided) from Bell recently to get me to switch back to them.
What the McCain example seems to reinforce is that the big "Switch" doesn't so much happen because we ask people to switch. People tend to switch because they are forced to. I'm sure there are many reasons, but bad service (as the conservatives might argue in McCain’s case) and sudden price hikes come to mind.
After many years of being a loyal Palm Treo user, I recently switched to Blackberry because the Palm Treo I was using wasn’t holding its charge. After three replacement units I finally switched. When service goes bad, it doesn’t matter how loyal a customer you’ve been. You’re more likely to look for an alternative.
Of course, another incentive for switching is lower price. So if I actually were to answer Bell’s call, I would likely find out how much I could save. But convenience is a deterrent to change (as is inertia) and even dollars saved isn’t enough of an incentive, at least in this case.
So what is enough incentive for someone to switch? That’s the question I’m posing to you. And I bet it’s a question most Marketers struggle with. I’d be interested in hearing what works from your experience. (I’m sure McCain would be interested too. After all, his political life now depends on it.)
Spending money is now, strangely, its own form of entertainment. We have always bought things we don’t need. But the consequences are having a substantial emotional impact on consumer behaviour and their shopping habits. Consumers are psychologically affected by their clutter, becoming anxious, while others suffer guilt and embarrassment.
A recent Australian survey found that 84 per cent of consumers bought things in order to deal with the excessive amount of things they have bought. 20 per cent said they feel anxious, guilty or depressed about the clutter in their homes. The findings confirm insights identified in a home improvement survey by Arcus. 88 per cent of homes have at least one cluttered room, and the average home has three or more cluttered rooms. The spare room is the most cluttered area in the home, followed by cupboards, the garage and bedrooms. Not surprisingly, people living in detached houses had more clutter than people living in townhouses or apartments, and people with kids in the home tend to have more clutter than those without.
Influencers
Women are much more concerned about clutter than men: almost half of the women surveyed said they were anxious, depressed or worried about the clutter in their home, while a third said they were embarrassed by it. Indeed, fully 59 per cent of women said there was a room in the house that they don’t like visitors to see because of the clutter. So what’s driving the business of clutter? It isn’t surprising that emotions have a big influence on decisions taken to deal with clutter. Consumers struggle between the need to satisfy an emotional need to acquire things and the aftermath of having to deal with clutter in homes.
Impulse buys
Impulse buys have a significant impact on clutter. Products such as clothes, books, electronics etc. make it to the top of list. The average Canadian household wastes $1,300 a year on items that are purchased but never used. This equates to $19.5 billion across the nation – or more than the federal government spents on universities and roads over the same period. “Bargain” shopping has also contributed to the trend. For example, high income groups are the fastest growing consumer segment for Dollar Stores. As retailers such as Costco make bargain hunting trendy, dollar stores have increasingly become frequented by upper-income households along with their main consumer segment of low to middle-income families. In fact, store growth within the dollar store channel is unparalleled by any other retailer. Top dollar store chains, including Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollarama and 99 Cents Only, have added more than 5,900 new North American outlets since 2001. The phenomenon of value-based shopping and commoditization of categories has accelerated this trend. Consumers want to know they are buying value when they shop. So they end up buying more products at lower prices than is needed. It validates an emotional need for “self actualization”. Maslow explicitly defines self-actualization to be “the desire for self-fulfillment, namely the tendency for the individual to become actualized in what he is potentially”.
Implications
These insights have significant implications for the business of clutter. In 2007, Canada’s home improvement retailers moved almost $37 billion in hardware, building materials, paint and decor, and other home products. Most of these transactions occurred at 8,923 major retail outlets.
Arcus estimates at least 10% ($3.7 billion) of the Canadian home improvement segment is linked to organization and storage. Companies like Rubbermaid (sales: $6.2 billion), have their entire business dedicated to storage. There are over fifteen business sectors that benefit from the trend of increased clutter. Some examples include home improvement, construction, organization services, storage companies, junk collectors. Junk collectors have grown rapidly over the past decade. One of them made it to the top of the Profit 100 list of fastest growing companies in Canada. Companies that focus on the storage and organization business are likely to grow rapidly as boomers downsize and more consumers start to address problems with clutter.
At first I didn't like Twitter. I found nothing wrong with using IM so I thought, who needs it? I remember saying that about cell phones too... and email... and Facebook.
For me: I don't like it, I try it, I'm hooked.
If IM is the cocaine of internet communication, then Twitter is surely the crack.
Don't know what Twitter is? Some call it Micro-Blogging, Tumblelog, Thumbcast, Sideblog, and more. Last November, Robert McIntosh did a great post on it. Check out Wikipedia here, or Twitter's Twitter about page, or check out Gaping Void's take.
B) Now you have a platform, but you still need an audience for your "Tweets". Look for a friend. (Go ahead and pick me, http://twitter.com/collindouma, the first tweet's free kid). Find the button that says "Follow". Now you're following my Tweets.
C) For more people, return to my Twitter page (http://twitter.com/collindouma) and click on the word "following" (right nav bar, below Stats heading). Recognize anyone? Click "follow" for the ones you know too. They'll receive notification that you've subscribed to their tweets. If they know you, or are interested in you, they may reciprocate. That's how you build an audience. You have to listen to be heard. Strange how that works eh?
You can do the same over and over and over, but there is plenty of time for that. I suggest you stop for now, and start to tweet.
D) Click the Home button, and then start Twittering. Maybe start by saying "Hello", and pressing "update". Remember, you only get 136 characters, be brief.
That's it. Your first Tweet. Try a few more.
E) To target a specific person, try putting an @ sign in front of a name. Use me, I don't mind. Type
@collindouma : Saw your post on the CMA blog about Twitter. Trying it now.
Remember, even though it's addressed to me, it's still a public statement. I'll get a little nudge which lets me know you said it. And you'll know if anyone has said anything directly to you by clicking "Replies" on your home page. It's the tab, just below the update button.
Basically, that's all you need to know.
I'll leave you with one last tip for your new Twittering habit.
You might want to share a website on your Tweet but the URL is very long. Try using this site: http://tinyurl.com. It turns long URLs into short ones that still are clickable. By making the URL nice and short, you can better add a description or comment without maxing out the 136 character limit.
For example, here's a Tweet I sent recently about a YouTube video:
There you have it. I could have easily added another 25 posts on this list but I leave that for you. Go through these posts and the archive and share with everyone your top 5.
Thanks for stopping by.
Happy Festivus everyone!
"We'll start with the "airing of the grievances then move to the "feats of strength".
It's feeling a lot like Christmas time and with it, a break from the usual day-to-day activities.
Our authors are 'officially' taking a much needed break from the CMA Blog... We'll start up again when the new year gets going - until then, happy holidays from the CMA.
Every year around this time…as we edge up to a new year, I am always asked the same question: “So, Chris, what’s the next big thing?” It’s a question that is also a regular theme at conferences and events throughout the year as well – including at the CMA Digital Conference in October where I had the opportunity to sit in on a breakout table about ‘the future of digital platforms’.
Over the last 15 years, we’ve all seen concepts, processes and technologies compete for the next big thing spotlight. For example, this year was the year where ‘social media’ captured the marketing world’s imagination. In 2006, the crown came to rest on ‘search engine optimization’ and, in 2005, viral marketing was all the rage. Prior to that, businesses were looking for ways to reach Gladwell’s ‘tipping point’, strive for Collins’ ‘great’-ness (from goodness) and raise their ‘emotional intelligence’. Meanwhile, ‘mobile’ has faded in-and-out as the ‘latest and greatest’ repeatedly from 2005 through 2007.
There will be no shortage of predictions and new crazes aimed at capturing the insatiable imagination of the digital marketing community as 2008 unfolds.
But I think striving for the next big thing reveals something about the digital marketing industry that we need to work on…as a group: an unhealthy dependence on finding ‘instant breakthroughs’ that are supposed to revolutionize how business and marketing in particular, is approached and conducted.
We love to talk about the latest and greatest social media site, widget, podcast, tool, gizmo, blog… but sometimes we do so to the point where obsession with the leading-edge means the industry spends little time transforming the newly discovered ‘sorcery’ into a proven science. That was something we heard repeatedly at the CMA breakout session on ‘the future of digital platforms’ – a call for the industry to spend time perfecting the existing technologies and techniques that are on the table. We also heard that marketers are growing overwhelmed with all the ‘latest and greatest’ things they are supposed to adopt into their plans.
It’s been my experience – and that of many of our partners and clients – that rather than waiting for the revolutionary innovation associated with the next big thing it makes much more sense to bring a disciplined approach to evolutionary innovation within our own businesses. Achieving this type of innovation can be achieved by adhering to some key principles:
1) Know Yourself Better Than Anyone. Clearly articulate what it is you do, what it is you do well, what you want to do better and your core operating values.
2) Stay the Course. Develop well-founded plans and then stick to them.
3) Measure Today and Always. Dedicate time, resources and processes to determine your success and opportunities for improvement.
4) Adapt. Anticipate and integrate modifications in work processes, staff and programs.
5) Link-In. Monitor trends related to your customers, prospects, competitors, relevant technologies, social demographics and similar industries.
6) Nurture Creativity. Develop work processes and a culture that truly encourages and rewards innovation.
By adhering to these principles with a dogged-like discipline, each company’s marketing will evolve in ways that will have a dramatic impact on the digital marketing industry – all without relying on the next big thing.
How do you create and sustain evolutionary innovation throughout your marketing programs and your company? Let me know by sending an email to ceo@thindata.com or sharing with us here on the CMA Blog.
Earlier this week, I was participating at one of the Market Yourself Smarter conferences. Those who attend MYS events appreciate them because they are consistently topical and practical.
The topic of the day was Employers Who Walk the Talk. A few messages came through loud and clear during the presentations and group discussions:
• To succeed, companies must tap into the passion and creativity of their employees
• This generation’s workforce has new expectations from its employers
• Leadership means effectively understanding, anticipating and responding to employees’ needs and expectations
As I was listening to discussions about the employees’ ideal work environment it struck me that if there ever was a group of stakeholders that relied on leading-edge skills from the current and next generation of talented workers, the interactive and digital marketing community is it.
Other CEO’s and Presidents at interactive agencies, web developers and e-marketing shops often ask me how we (at ThinData) are able to consistently attract and retain top talent. They all say the same things: the hunt for talent is consuming much of their time; the talent pool is thin; and, they are spending growing amounts of money on recruiting talent.
And yet, I am not hearing a great deal from the interactive and digital community – the independent firms or the digital arms of the big ad agencies – about this fundamental resource challenge that needs to be addressed with a long-term vision.
There needs to be a plan; one that is developed, monitored and updated.
The interactive and digital marketing community needs a plan that engages universities, colleges, associations and businesses. All of these stakeholders need to work together to identify the skills that are needed now and in the future as well as to methodically and substantially grow the pool of talent.
We need to sit down as a group and identify innovative ways to cultivate the required skills while fulfilling the expectations and demands of a new generation of employees who expect new types of working relationships.
If we, as a community expect to keep pace of growth as we look to 2009, 2010 and beyond…we need to start treating the development and growth of talent as an industry priority. We need to take lessons from other industries that have successfully developed formal apprenticeship and training partnerships with educational institutions across different levels.
If, as a member of the interactive and digital marketing community, you have ever found yourself struggling to find or keep the right person, you have a stake in this issue.
Let’s discuss it in more detail. Shoot me an email at ceo@thindata.com.
It should not be any surprise that as consumers we believe each other. We are all in the game of consumerism together and trust opinions from people we believe to be just like ourselves. When you think about it, recommendations are likely what commerce was built right from the very start, so this is really nothing new.
However, what has happened on our watch is that the digital space has given rise of the voice of the individual and the ability for everyone to provide "word-of-mouse" testimonials. We have seen a rapid acceleration in terms of the abundance and availability of this kind of material more so than at any other time in history.
As Chris Anderson cites in his book The Long Tail - The New Economics of Culture and Commerce, "the trend watchers at Frog Design, a consultancy, see this as nothing less than an epochal shift":
We are leaving the Information Age and entering the Recommendation age. Today information is ridiculously easy to get; you practically trip over it on the street. Information gathering is no longer the issue - making smart decisions based on the information is now the trick... Recommendations serve as shortcuts through the thicket of information, just as my wine shop owner shortcuts me to obscure French wines to enjoy with pasta."
It makes perfect sense. And, so does the chart below showing that when it comes to CPG consumer product reviews posted on the Internet "virtually all shoppers now find them credible". They are an extremely influential part of the purchase decision - either positively or negatively.
Our opinions, tastes and degrees of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with anything and everything have now become navigation points that rise above any tag line or benefit statement we can muster up. The question marketers need to ask is how they are enabling the recommendation-factor for their brands and generating a collection of positive consumer generated content.
I believe there is no big secret on how to achieve this. It is as simple as creating something, be it a product or experience, that people will want to talk about, recommend and share with others. It all seems to fall into place from there.
If you’re visiting the CMA blog this holiday Monday, we hope you’re enjoying our last long weekend of summer. I can’t think of a better time to dive into the clipping file and catch up on reading that I've been procrastinating over. Once I got through them, I found these articles interesting and entertaining. Perhaps you will to.
1.How Ads Affect Our Memory – New Research could help advertisers make a better impression. By Andrew Schrock, Tuesday, August 21, 2007, technologyreview.com
A new study suggests that marketers shouldn't fixate on the number of people who click on ads. According to the research, just seeing an ad on a Web page can impact memory. The findings could have a significant impact on the way online advertising is made and metered.
Typically, to be considered effective, an online advertisement has to elicit a response--usually a click of the mouse--from a potential customer. But Chan Yun Yoo, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky's School of Journalism and Telecommunications, found that when people view Web advertisements, they store information in two different types of memory: explicit and implicit.
Explicit memory involves facts learned through conscious interaction, while implicit memory involves unconscious retention. Click here for the complete article.
2. Color Branding: The Meanings Behind Colors –
Brandcurve.com delivers a daily dose of insightful and interesting reading on a range of communication topics that us marcom types like to ponder. This article was originally posted on Aug 14, 2007, by John Williams on Entrepreneur.com, who provides plausible explanations of the meaning behind colour and how our reactions can impact what we think about advertising or promotion.
Blue: Cool blue is perceived as trustworthy, dependable, fiscally responsible and secure. Strongly associated with the sky and sea, blue is serene and universally well-liked. Blue is an especially popular color with financial institutions, as its message of stability inspires trust.
Red: Generates a visceral response and makes us aggressive, energetic, provocative and attention-grabbing. Count on red to evoke a passionate response, albeit not always a favourable one.
Green: In general, green connotes health, freshness and serenity. However, green’s meaning varies with its many shades. Deeper greens are associated with wealth or prestige, while light greens are calming.
Yellow: In every society, yellow is associated with the sun. Thus, it communicates optimism, positivism, light and warmth. Certain shades seem to motivate and stimulate creative thought and energy. The eye sees bright yellows before any other color, making them great for point-of-purchase displays.
4.The New York Times online technology section: if you still have a few hours to kill before dinner, The Times' technology section is a great read. It's jam packed with interesting info on curent events, new technologies and the usual scuttlebut on the big players. Great web design too that makes navigating easy. Satisfying any day of the week.
Now that Labour Day is upon us, I look forward to longer nights, sitting through endless 2008 planning sessions and creating hundreds of 'what if' scenarios with the '08 marcom budget. And then the real work begins with the upcoming season of award shows and rounds of agency holiday parties. Another crazy busy Fall.
