sales + marketing

Trampled at Wal-Mart -- or Trampling Wal-Mart?

BY Charles FishmanMon Dec 8, 2003 at 5:48 PM

Chances are good that you've already heard about the woman down in Florida who was reportedly knocked unconscious by fellow shoppers, all rushing to get $29 DVD players the moment Wal-Mart opening the Friday after Thanksgiving. It ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Holiday Match-Up: Spirits Vs. Science

Mon Dec 8, 2003 at 1:03 PM

Here's a question: How do you pitch a product when some of the world's most respected scientists claim it "will shrink the size of your brain"? This past weekend the liquor industry was slapped in the face with a new study from ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 1 comment

Marketing on the Down-Low II

BY Heath RowMon Dec 8, 2003 at 12:41 PM

Disney has had a long history of releasing, re-releasing, and removing from the marketplace various editions of their movies. In fact, the company is even experimenting with self-destructing DVDs. Such short-lived releases were ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Insane Discount Season

Fri Dec 5, 2003 at 8:17 AM

You probably saw this year's reports of retailers' pre-Thanksgiving bravado. "This holiday shopping season," The New York Times declared breezily on Nov. 22, "America's clothing stores are offering their customers something they have ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 1 comment

Sales Tips II

BY Heath RowWed Dec 3, 2003 at 5:13 PM

I'm not sure whether Bob was asking me for my sales tips -- or FC Now readers in general -- but I'm going to give this more thought: What have I learned about sales? For now, I'm going to take a page -- or two -- from Gray Matters ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 1 comment

Taking a Stand Against Spam II

BY Heath RowTue Nov 25, 2003 at 1:53 PM

We've all been frustrated working with a person or company at one time or another. We're all irritated by junk mail and spam. But no matter how persistent telemarketers may have been, this is not the best way to release consumer ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Taking a Stand Against Spam

BY Heath RowThu Nov 20, 2003 at 11:15 AM

In August, Keith Hammonds uncovered the dirty little secret about spam. Now, the Guardian reports that some spam recipients are starting to fight back against email conmen -- particularly people behind the Nigerian money scams -- ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Languishing Language

BY Heath RowFri Nov 14, 2003 at 11:35 AM

Mike and Bill's comments about clarity of communication and the need for streamlined writing reminds me of chapters 5 and 9 in Bill's book, which deal with writing shorter emails -- and giving leaders less information. Jakob Nielsen ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Thinking About Critical Mass

Fri Nov 7, 2003 at 8:13 PM

We use the phrase all the time, but sometimes forget that it refers to the amount of plutonium you need before you get an atomic bomb. One minute, it's just a pile of incredibly toxic stuff. A few grams later, it's enough to blow up ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 5 comments

Mobile Marketing: It's Here and It's Real

BY Heath RowTue Nov 4, 2003 at 4:53 PM

Peter Fuller is the executive director of the Mobile Marketing Association. Carrie Himelfarb works as VP of sales for Vindigo. Nihal Mehta is president of ipsh! Mike Troiano is senior vice president of business development for ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 1 comment

Optimize the Buying Process: Transactional vs. Consultative Marketing Models

BY Heath RowTue Nov 4, 2003 at 1:15 PM

Bill Carper is senior director of global marketing for Oracle Corp. During his talk at Ad:Tech 2003 today, he considered tactics and strategies for marketing organizations driven for immediate sales, as well as to provide layered ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 1 comment

Hotel Me No Secrets II

BY Heath RowTue Nov 4, 2003 at 9:46 AM

Yesterday at Ad:Tech, BzzAgent's Dave Balter commented briefly on the future of loyalty programs. This morning's edition of USA Today features a piece about how Best Western has stepped up as the "official hotel of NASCAR." Not only ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 2 comments

Epidemic, Buzz, and Experimental Marketing

BY Heath RowMon Nov 3, 2003 at 4:38 PM

Dave Balter is CEO of BzzAgent. David Scott Carlick is a venture fellow with Vantage Point Venture Partners. Dan Mechem serves as VP for Intelliseek. David Reis leads DEI Worldwide. And Samantha Skey is VP of the convergent marketing ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 5 comments

Medial Prefrontal Cortex Context

BY Heath RowFri Oct 31, 2003 at 5:40 PM

Fast Company first encountered Atlanta-based neuromarketing firm BrightHouse in 1999. So it was nice this past Sunday to catch up with the "ideation corporation" in the New York Times Magazine. That recent article delves into how ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Song Sung New

BY Heath RowFri Oct 31, 2003 at 10:59 AM

I thought the days of the company theme song were over. Apparently not. Europe-based electronics manufacturer BenQ announced last month the recording of "BenQ, I'm Crazy for You" by a Taiwanese "young siblings pop group." I like to ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Blue-Light Specialty

BY Heath RowWed Oct 29, 2003 at 10:57 AM

Sean D'Souza's recent article about what he terms the "customer stampede" shares some interesting ideas. Think smart mobs, flash mobs, and viral marketing. Businesses often think about marketing in terms of encouraging purchase and ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 1 comment

The Brand Called USA

BY Heath RowThu Oct 23, 2003 at 12:07 PM

In a timely followup to an entry yesterday, Wendy Melillo writes in this week's Adweek that the State Department may place less emphasis on selling America's image as a brand overseas. The shift stems from Margaret Tutwiler's ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 2 comments

Ideal Viruses

BY Heath RowThu Oct 23, 2003 at 11:44 AM

Riffing off Seth Godin's idea virus concept and adding to the literature surrounding viral marketing, Rebecca Weeks recently considered whether online viral marketing was a friend -- or a foe. Seemingly deciding that it's a good -- ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Two-Buck Check In

BY Heath RowWed Oct 22, 2003 at 11:15 AM

At a recent Fast Company retreat, my colleague Alison Overholt turned me on to "two-buck Chuck," or $2 bottles of wine from Charles Shaw. Ken Fromm recently described the two-buck Chuck phenomenon -- and applied some of its lessons ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Newsletters of Note II

BY Heath RowTue Oct 21, 2003 at 5:59 PM

In today's mail, I received the "world's smallest newsletter." It's titled the World's Smallest Newsletter, and the Fall 2003 "edition" -- basically, a postcard -- is the fifth issue "published" by North Star Marketing Inc., as well ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 7 comments

TiVo or Not TiVo III

BY Heath RowFri Oct 17, 2003 at 4:28 PM

An FC Now entry in August has catalyzed some surprising interaction between FC Now readers and TiVo executives. Writes FC Now reader Jackie Huba: We are longtime TiVo customers and fans, and we believe TiVo hasn't "tipped" because ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

Marketing Mavericks

BY Heath RowFri Oct 17, 2003 at 12:43 PM

Fast Company first crossed paths with Mark Cuban when he was president of Broadcast.com. Now, he's owner of the Dallas Mavericks. This summer, Cuban shared some of the tactics he used to help turn around the team. How good is your ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | Comment

What's in Store

BY Heath RowThu Oct 16, 2003 at 11:08 AM

USA Today features two interesting articles about product design and branding today. In the first, Edward Baig reports that Richard Branson and the Virgin Group are branching out into consumer electronics. The products, which include ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 1 comment

Fast Company... on the Air!

BY Heath RowTue Oct 14, 2003 at 2:33 PM

Fast Company senior writer Linda Tischler is participating in a live Web event and Q&A this afternoon in Office Depot's Web Cafe. I apologize for the late notice, but here are the details: Generating Buzz -- Without Bucks Tuesday, ...READ»

SALES + MARKETING | 7 comments

I Don't Like Spam! II

BY Heath RowTue Oct 14, 2003 at 1:05 PM

The American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers, and Direct Marketing Association this morning announced nine guidelines that call on marketers to help improve legitimate e-mail marketing. Among ...READ»

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