October 2008
25 posts
Want Some Zit Poppers? Good, More for Me.
Today a co-worker brought in a box of candy he just had to show us. The candy is called Zit Poppers. Sounds good right? It’s a real, gummy candy very similar to Gushers, but designed to look like giant shiny pimples. “Oozy, gushy goo filled zit gummies you can burst in your mouth!” the box claims. According to GiggleSugar.com:
“Basically, you pretend to pop them and the...
Waiters are Good Marketers
I was recently in a customer service team meeting where everyone was being encouraged to work on three things: improve the customer experience, cut down call times and increase sales. Sounds like the ultimate paradox, right? How can you possibly do all three?
You can. But you have to dispel these myths first.
Myth 1. Good customer service means a lot of face/phone time. Wrong. Good customer...
Why you should know how to scare a child
“What’s the best way to scare a kid? You wouldn’t just put on an ugly mask and chase him. He might think it was a big joke and start laughing. To be confident of a successful scare, you’d lay some groundwork first. A week or two before the big event, you’d start warning him about a local monster, show him some pictures of the beast, and tell him some tales of its...
Innovative Marketing: Obama O's & Cap'n McCains
If you had your choice, which cereal would you eat in the morning, Obama O’s or Cap’n McCains? Well, thanks to a website called Airbed & Breakfast, you can. They’ve developed a totally off-the-wall marketing campaign by creating a breakfast cereal for each of the Presidential candidates.
Each cereal comes with unique packaging, real edible cereal and, of course, a jingle...
Market Research at its Finest Dining
How’s this for market research? A university in the Netherlands has opened a restaurant that tracks everything it’s customers do to learn more about what factors influence the way people buy.
Among dozens of other factors, scientists are looking at the niggling details that they can alter to change consumer’s behavior. They ask:
“Does it matter if the cheese slices are...
Marketing Savvy Customer Gets Revenge
I’ve heard of customers creating bad publicity for a company they’re unhappy with, but one Fiat Doblo owner has taken it to the next level.
Take a look at this photo:
The loud graphic exclaims: This FIAT is very unreliable, 2 new clutches, 2 new flywheels, 2 new master cylinders, 2 new servos, Since new, Nothing but aggro..
Dealing with all these pricey repairs on a...
Innovative Marketing Gone Awry: Kleenex Let it Out
Over the next several days, I’ll be highlighting some examples of great innovative marketing. Make sure you see the whole series on Innovative Marketing by subscribing to Manizesto.
I absolutely loved this campaign by Kimberly-Clark, which was really a multi-faceted initiative with both on and off-line components. It started with an event in New York’s Time Square where the company...
Innovative Marketing in Action: 1000 Uses
Over the next several days, I’ll be highlighting some examples of great innovative marketing. Make sure you see the whole series on Innovative Marketing by subscribing to Manizesto.
In business (and marketing), everyone wants to stand out, which means often, no one does. It’s a difficult problem to solve, but that’s where innovation comes in. Let’s take a look at what...
Kingsford Diamonds
Between building secret forts, filling the local park with boobie traps and imitating Michael Jordan’s game-winning shots, my best childhood friend and I came up with the ultimate scheme to get rich (besides protecting my Bo Jackson rookie card with my life).
Using our new-found knowledge from school, we took four Kingsford charcoal briquets from my friend’s dad’s garage, dug...
Google's Advice on Paid Advertising
I recently put on a webinar with Tyrona Heath from Google to talk about how to get started with online advertising on Google’s Adwords program. It’s a great intro into paid search advertising (PPC) and provides some really great insights for people who want to hear from the horse’s mouth how to do a great job with your Adwords campaign. The focus of this presentation was for...
How to give someone bad news
Last week, I emailed my portfolio manager to find out if one of my investments was now worthless. I figured he’s probably getting hundreds of emails just like mine, but I might as well ask.
Surprisingly, I got a response the next day. His response was bleak, truthful and direct.
“Thanks for your email. You’re right, your investment has little to no value now, but...
WOM Marketing in a Slow Economy: Q&A with Kim...
Things are tough for many small businesses right now. With the financial markets upside down and financing hard to come by, many entrepreneurs are wondering if now is the time they should cut back on marketing spending right now or invest in new innovative marketing campaigns.
I recently had the opportunity to ask Kim Sheehan, influential small business marketing expert and author of Building...