Who Gets It? Savvy Trade Show Exhibitors & Their 5 Rules For Success
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.
Posted Mon Jan 19, 2009
Who Gets "It"? The Alliance For Climate Protection Doesn’t 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.
Posted Tue Dec 2, 2008
Who Gets "It"? NFL Players Association Doesn’t 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.
Posted Tue Dec 2, 2008
Private Equity Firms Overlook Some Basics – Parts II and III 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.
Posted Thu Nov 6, 2008
Who Gets “It?” Private Equity Firms Overlook Some Basics - Part I
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.
Posted Wed Nov 5, 2008
Who Gets "It"? Companies That Understand The Value Of Their Dealers
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.
Posted Wed Oct 15, 2008
Who Gets "It"? Only A Few Industrial Manufacturers - Part II
If many manufacturers and their sales teams sell products and not solutions, does that mean that their customers buy products too, and not solutions?
Posted Thu Oct 2, 2008
Who Gets "It?" Not Political Admen
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.
Posted Thu Sep 25, 2008
Who Gets "It"? Only A Few Industrial Manufacturers
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.
Posted Tue Sep 16, 2008
Who Gets "It"? Marketers That Develop Brand "Programs", Not "Campaigns"
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.)
Posted Mon Aug 18, 2008
Who Gets "It"? Most Broadcasting Companies Sound Off and I Shut Down
It's been an accepted practice for many years, but the time has come for broadcast companies and their advertisers to change the "tricks" they play on us TV viewers.
Because they are losing eyeballs and therefore potentially lucrative sales.
I am talking about how most channels increase the volume as soon as the show goes on commercial break. And the increase isn't just a few decibels, it's deafening in many cases.
Posted Tue Aug 5, 2008
Who Gets "It"? Not Car Advertisers
Try a simple test: cover the logo of a range of car print ads, or try to remember the car commercial that came on screen 15 minutes ago, and see if you can tell who the advertiser is.
Chances are, you can't. If you've seen one windy road, one off-road or even one happy family watching DVDs in their new SUV, excuse me, CUV, you've seen just about every car ad out there.
When Lexus came out with its teaser campaign 15 or so years ago, it was considered industry-changing. Not showing the car, just the experience. And the cars sold. Fast.
Posted Mon Jul 28, 2008
Who Gets "It"? Most Agencies Don't
The division of left brain / right brain in marketing, sales and advertising is dead.
Clients no longer appreciate, nor respect, the inability of agencies to follow traditional business practices, and be beholden unto "the creative process" - which means the agency will deliver the goods when they're good and ready.
Posted Wed Jul 16, 2008
Who Gets "It"? Travelers Insurance Does
I was in a car accident a few weeks ago, and like everyone that has that misfortune, I also was not looking forward to dealing with the insurance company.
A little damage to the cars, but I tweaked my neck. All is well but I am glad to have gone through the exercise because as long as I have Travelers, I won’t dread having to work through the process.
Posted Sun Jul 6, 2008
Who Gets “It”?: Salesforce.com Does
On the Internet, your process is your brand. Have a good process, and people will keep coming back to buy, read, interact. Have a bad process, and you need to re-think your business or communications goals. Amazon, eBay, GE, iTunes, The New York Times, Google, epicurious.com, all have time-proven advantages over their competitors.
But one of the primary keys to a finely calibrated brand is consistency of message.
Posted Sat Jun 21, 2008
Who Gets “It”?: Not United Technologies
The one thing about the United Technologies corporate print advertising campaign I’m glad about: I haven’t seen it in any recent business magazine issues. And that’s about it. Yes, I think UTC is an exceptional global infrastructure holding company, has a portfolio of great brands, has strong and long standing leadership, and makes good decisions.
Posted Fri Jun 13, 2008
Who Gets "It"? Apple Does.
We all know Apple gets "it." iMac. iTunes. iPod. iPhone. All-in-one monitors. The list goes on. But what is "it" and why do they so consistently get "it"? Vision? Innovation? Is it all wrapped up in Steve Jobs?
No.
What they have, which so many companies strive for, is a total understanding of what their true value proposition is, and how to apply it in any market they deem viable.
Posted Fri Jun 6, 2008
