By Leo Valiquette
There are times when I just can’t bear it anymore and must out the egregious examples of advertising I see on the Boob Tube. While the culprits are often not selling B2B technology products or services, I still believe there are cautionary tales that are relevant for this blog. (Maybe it’s because I am a writer of fantasy genre fiction in my spare time, where metaphor is often used as a vehicle for social and political commentary.)
Now don’t get me wrong. I enjoy as much as anyone, clever and amusing commercials that deliberately redefine “absurd” and couldn’t possibly be taken seriously.
But for this installment, I will aim both barrels at the habit some big brands have of taking their consumers for unsophisticated idiots. Granted, a certain percentage likely are, but that doesn’t mean you should base an entire marketing or advertising campaign on that premise. The likely result, is that you will annoy and alienate a substantial portion of your target audience.
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By Peter Hanschke 
Every where you turn, there’s an article, blog piece or tweet expressing the importance of using social media to market your product or service. You get the feeling that if you do not embrace social media to market your product or engage with current and future customers, you’re doomed to failure. In principle, I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, but I question whether it’s a “must-do at all costs” kind of scenario. My worry is that businesses — new or established — launch head first into a social media plan without really thinking about whether the timing is right. I suspect in many cases that the timing is too early. In other words, is your product or service ready to handle the potential outcome from the social media cauldron?
To outline what I mean, I’ll use my experience writing and bringing my iPhone app, myFabWines, to market. On August 1, myFabWines was live in the iTunes App Store. Sales to date have been decent, and I have not done any real marketing other than creating a web site and talking to friends and family. During this time, I’ve had some suggestions about what the next version of the app should contain. Many of these requests are actually quite brilliant, others are rather run of the mill. Nonetheless, I realized that in order to satisfy a larger market — i.e. appeal to a wider audience — I need to implement some of these brilliant suggestions.
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By Leo Valiquette
I love Tom Kumagai.
As a spokesperson for Toyota, that is.
He is the modest building inspector from Chatham, Ont. who has appeared in television commercials for Toyota with his 1998 Rav-4. His mileage on the vehicle is well past the 600,000-kilometre mark. Previously, he owned a 1980 Toyota Corolla that he took to more than 400,000 kilometres.
Kumagai attributes the reliable performance to the fact that he keeps to the manufacturer’s recommended service schedule and only trusts his local Toyota dealership to do the work.
There is nothing boastful about these advertisements. There is no need to be. The facts speak for themselves. And while not all Toyota owners have the same experience, and the automaker itself deals with quality issues and recalls like any other, the understated tone of these advertisements gives them weight and authority.
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By Daylin Mantyka 
It’s time for Friday’s weekly roundup. Throughout the week, we’ve read some great content written by the creative folks at StartupCFO, Marketo, Velocity Partners and Tech In Asia.
On deck we’ve got an article that talks about the importance of defining and sticking to your values as your startup grows, followed by an interesting read on using behavioral targeting to get your customers opening emails. Third, we’ve got a slide presentation on one of the secrets to content marketing. In our fourth pick, one writer explores the reasons why some Asian startups no longer care about saving face. Enjoy! Read More
By Daylin Mantyka
Compliments of the folks over at Duct Tape Marketing, Marketo, Social Media Explorer, and Fast Company, this week’s roundup is marketing heavy with a little bit of entrepreneurship.
First up, why a mission statement is critical for content marketing, followed by lessons learned from a seasoned marketing VP. Third, we’ve got some advice on measuring the impact of social media and conclude with two articles on entrepreneurship.
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