By Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are CIO, V3, Fast Company, MarketingWeek and Dave Fleet.
Big data analytics a big benefit for marketing departments
Today’s companies collect a lot of consumer data, but much of it sits on servers. Here’s how firms in a variety of sectors can mine that data and turn it into increased revenue (and how IT departments can help).
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By Francis Moran
With the possible exception of a client vying for a huge defence procurement project in the late 1980s, an undertaking for which money certainly seemed to be no object, I’m pretty sure nobody has ever told me they have more money than they wanted or was needed for a top-notch, multi-faceted, integrated and long-term marketing program. If I ever do find such a client, I expect they shall be in the unicorn-ranching business.
Given this near-universal reality, why do so many companies waste or spend poorly the already-inadequate sums they do manage to set aside for marketing?
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By Leo Valiquette
Global food giant Nestle is a champion for healthy lifestyles and good nutrition. At least, that’s the impression given by its well-oiled marketing machine if you take the time to peruse its flagship website, or the website of its Canadian subsidiary. From tips on how to get the kids off to school with quick and nutritious breakfasts, to its various environmental and charitable efforts around the world, Nestle is putting a substantial effort into building a very specific brand image.
But, as I heard from unmarketer Scott Stratten when he spoke last week at CIRA’s AGM, brand is something that can be influenced, but not dictated, regardless of how much time, effort and money is sunk into the effort. And it doesn’t take much to derail even the most well planned branding strategy.
Nestle prides itself on “responsible consumer communication,” particularly to children. In Canada, it is a member of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, a “voluntary program created by 16 leading food and beverage companies. The program involves promotion and support of healthy dietary choices and lifestyles among children 12 years-old and under. Participants also focus on shifting their advertising and marketing emphasis to foods and beverages that are consistent with the principles of sound nutrition guidance.”
Advertising Standards Canada, the industry association behind Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, even recognized Nestle and other participants last week for their upstanding efforts.
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By Jeff Campbell
Gap? What gap?
In a previous post (Mind the gap) I described the gap that exists between marketing and sales. You know, the one where marketing measures campaigns by direct engagement with materials and by customer actions on the web whereas sales measures activity of salespeople and the state of opportunities. Because these are two different units of measurement along the continuum from awareness to closed sale, it is difficult to accurately gauge a return on the marketing investment and to forecast.
You may also recall how this makes the sales manager’s job a critical one in terms of translating the sales measures into a reliable forecast. The marketing manager, meanwhile, must reconcile marketing measures in the context of forecast and revenue to demonstrate a return on the marketing investment. In other words, “mind the gap.”
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By Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are Social Media Explorer, TopRank, Financial Post, Forrester, Forbes, Copyblogger, and Startup North.
How data hype is destroying your social media ROI
We are all looking for the latest nugget of data that will help us optimize our social media strategies for success. Every time we see a post with an infographic about the best time to tweet or what social networks our audience is using we get excited thinking it’s just the right information to help us take our social media strategy to the next level. That’s why you see so many status updates hyping the data because it’s finally the answer we’ve been looking for … or is it?
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By Alexandra Reid 
