Who Gets It? Savvy Trade Show Exhibitors & Their 5 Rules For Success

Alder Crocker — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:04:42 -0500

I recently returned from the bi-annual Professional Materials (ProMat) trade show at Chicago’s McCormick Center, and it was quickly evident that many companies have lost sight of the 5 rules of B2B trade show process.

Who Gets "It"? The Alliance For Climate Protection Doesn’t

Alder Crocker — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:21:25 -0500

I like looking at logos. The good and the not so good, and trying to discern how they were conceived, the strategic thought process that went into developing the strategy, and then into the design itself.

But a few months ago I read in Brandweek the convoluted psychobabble about the genesis of the we/me logo for The Alliance for Climate Protection and was left with the feeling that the people who contributed to the article have a relationship with mirrors that is unhealthy.

Who Gets "It"? NFL Players Association Doesn’t

Alder Crocker — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:15:03 -0500

I have never accused myself of, nor misled myself about, being in tune with the strategic rationale of some marketers because I wasn't in those meetings, but I simply can’t explain the new campaign for the NFL Players Association and the most recent bind-in in this week’s Brandweek.

Yes, I understand that the NFLPA is trying to re-position itself away from being the protectors of the rights of the commonly perceived overpaid, unsophisticated and off-the-field, one step away from jail NFL player.

Private Equity Firms Overlook Some Basics – Parts II and III

Alder Crocker — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:28:22 -0500

If, on average, only 30% of companies bought or invested in by private equity firms achieve the success the PE company envisioned when the investment was made, one has to wonder why those firms spend little or no time and effort trying to increase the sales of their new purchase through better marketing strategies.

Who Gets “It?” Private Equity Firms Overlook Some Basics - Part I

Alder Crocker — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:12:37 -0500

Buying or investing in a range of strategically similar companies, and then combining IT and back office operations, is a common practice for private equity firms to reduce overall costs of ownership and wring out more cash flow among all properties.

Introducing large or “important” potential same-sector customers to those PE-owned companies by leveraging relationships is another. Of course, there are many more that go along with those, but the collective goal is to increase the value of that company and either sell it off later or take it public.

Who Gets "It"? Companies That Understand The Value Of Their Dealers

Alder Crocker — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:22:00 -0400

With all that is available to us today, why is it that a company's greatest asset can more often than not, be its most under-utilized?

Short-sightedness? Tunnel vision? Bravado? Strict adherence to long-standing senior management foibles? Or a simple strategy that only "we" know how to truly sell our products better?

All of the above, and in many different combinations.

Who Gets "It"? Only A Few Industrial Manufacturers - Part II

Alder Crocker — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:18:06 -0400

If many manufacturers and their sales teams sell products and not solutions, does that mean that their customers buy products too, and not solutions?

Who Gets "It?" Not Political Admen

Alder Crocker — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:39:34 -0400

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

Every four years, the country is over-run with political ads from presidential hopefuls, and for the most part, they are aggressive, in-your-face and pushing the limits of the truth....all supposedly to make a point about the other candidate's inability to govern and make decisions that are in our collective best interests.

Who Gets "It"? Only A Few Industrial Manufacturers

Alder Crocker — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:21:17 -0400

In terms of marketing and sales techniques, the vast majority of US-based industrial manufacturers continue to live in the past. And so do their agencies or in-house departments.

Sell products on features and benefits. Show big pictures of the products in use. Hammer home reliability, durability, engineering, quality, productivity and cost efficiencies. And then repeat with the next, new and improved! product.

Who Gets "It"? Marketers That Develop Brand "Programs", Not "Campaigns"

Alder Crocker — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:57:13 -0400

Marketing schizophrenia can be defined in many ways, but one of the most compelling barometers I've found is an advertiser's consistent creation of short term "campaigns". (And of course, use of the term brand campaign.)