Silly or Clever.. let the numbers tell the story

To promote their “Sprize – shopping turned on its head” campaign – the GAP store in Vancouver literally turned everything in and outside of their store on its head. Is this Clever or Silly ?? My vote is silly- there it is- must have cost then a bundle.

 

Frazzled? Cranky? Anxious? Overspent? Looking for respite from commercialized holidays?

The crazy season is upon us.  Read this and take a deep breath. http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/holidayguide/home.htm

Also reclaim your family holiday celebrations from marketers with the new CCFC Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays. The 2009 edition includes new tips and suggestions for surviving the annual advertising assault from your favorite activists, advocates and authors

Tony Russell

So What is the Value of Direct Mail/Marketing

Apparently in Britain DM’s  think direct mail is ok . In an article in Marketing Wee  “Direct mail is regarded as a valuable business channel by the boards and senior management teams of organizations, according to marketers.

Marketing Week’s Direct Mail Attitudes research reveals that 56% of marketers believe that direct mail carries weight with the board and top executives at their organization. However, 30% of the respondents believe that direct marketing is not taken seriously at the executive levels of their businesses.”

Whats your thoughts on Direct Marketing?

Tony Russell

A repost:Life lessons from an ad man

I love this and I am a little  lazy so I am re posting it but take the time.  If you ever wanted to understand more about the art of persuasion you cannot do much better than this. Its another brilliant Ted Talk.

Tony Russell

Enjoy: 

The Serendipity Engine

An interesting speech by Chris Brogan and kudos he knows a little Zulu. There is something here. Check it out he is worth following and what he says resonates :

CCFC Gets Refund From Disney

CCFC’s ongoing campaign to stop the false and deceptive marketing of baby videos has had an important success. They have  persuaded the Walt Disney Company to offer a full refund to anyone who purchased a Baby Einstein DVD in the last five years.  The refund is only available for a limited time, so please help us spread the word now.

Full article

Tony Russell

What Is Integrated Marketing ? What is Strategy and Tactics ?

Its odd how old explanations in marketing get recycled over and over again.  Lets be clear once again that an integrated marketing approach is not a strategy, it’s the tactical delivery of a marketing strategy. I think that distinction is critical, because without the right strategy no amount of  talk about integrating multiple platforms and mediums makes much sense. In fact, in may instances integration is simply interpreted as doing more kinds of stuff. The problem with more stuff is that stuff without a central strategy can actually cause one stuff to combat and conflict with some other stuff.

Tony Russell

Best South African Ad of 2009

If you are going to be a global brand you have to deal with local conditions and sensibilities.  Imagine you are  responsible for reaching a South Africa audience. Before you sweat go no  further and have a look at Cherry Flava.com’s choice of a top ad.  Here is their top choice for 2009.  Its brilliant. : #1 Best South African Ad of 2009 goes to Vodacom “Single Ladies”

Now how would you have managed a South African account ???

“Embracing lifetime value” by Seth

I thoroughly enjoy Seths work. In this article he has struck a cord. I cannot figure why clients still think marketing is about finding new clients. Maybe its also about retaining customers. Here is Seths post on ” Embracing lifetime value”

“If you walk into a company-owned cell phone store to sign up for a contract, what are you worth?

Given the huge gross margins at AT&T and Verizon and the standard two-year contract, I think it’s easy to figure on more than $2000 in lifetime value.

If you ran a business where a customer represented an additional $2,000 in profit, how would you staff? How long would you make someone wait? If staff costs $25 an hour, how long would that extra person take to pay off?

Few businesses understand (really understand) just how much a customer is worth. Add to this the additional profit you get from a delighted customer spreading the word–it can easily double or triple the lifetime value.

So, a chiropractor might see a new patient being worth $2,500, easily. And yet… how much is she spending on courting, catering to and seducing that new customer? My guess is that $50 feels like a lot to the doc. Instead of comparing what you invest to the benefit you receive from the first bill, the first visit, the first transaction, it’s important to not only recognize but embrace the true lifetime value of one more customer.

Write it down. Post it on the wall. What would happen if you spent 100% of that amount on each of your next ten new customers? That’s more money than you have to spend right now, I know that, but what would happen? Imagine how fast you would grow, how quickly the word would spread.

Here’s how you’ll know when you’ve really embraced this–a good customer at your podiatry practice (or supermarket or tax firm) walks out the door in a huff and you turn to your partner and say, “There goes $74,000.”

What can I  say its a well thought out article that every marketer/client should read.

Is Toronto Green or what !

Live Green Toronto, a new resource for us Torontonians offers environmentally friendly living advice via a bus shelter. The city agency behind all of this is  Agency59 h

The interactive advert urges people to switch off the ad [by flicking the attached giant light switch] and to turn their website torontolivegreen.ca on.

Not a bad idea. SOMEONE was definitely ‘switched on’ when they thought this one up. Just one question though. Does the ad turn itself back on afterwards?

Let me know you have experienced it.