By Francis Moran
Many years ago, our PR agency had a client for which we did media and analyst relations across North America and in Europe. This matched the market footprint of this rather successful company that was in the document-management space. One day, they sent us the latest version of their new marketing brochure. Internal discussions on it had apparently been going around and around in circles, and they wanted our opinion.
I took one look at the brochure and emailed back, asking, “Where’s the creative brief?”
“The creative what?” was the response.
Thinking maybe they used different terminology, I explained that I was looking for some sort of strategic document written at the outset of the brochure-development project that set out its objectives, the target audience and its level of understanding of the situation, intent, key messaging, tone and style, intended action and whatever else would help ensure that the result was both creatively arresting and strategically relevant.
We have no such thing, they told me.
Read More
By Bob Bailly
Prior to leaving on a holiday to Europe at the beginning of May, I was preparing an article on how tribal behaviour has been shaped by our expanded use of technology. Scotland, southern Spain and London didn’t change my topic, but the way I look at it was certainly altered.
A number of years ago I was researching this subject and came across a threaded blog entitled Tribe.
What had got me going then was this part of the post:
…Basically what tribal life is about is kinship. A tribal society is a society that functions by kinship — which is not limited to blood kinship, because all beings in the universe are kin, just as all societies conceive of the universe based on their own social structure (example: medieval Europeans, who lived under kings, saw the universe as ruled by a Divine King; modern society, which functions like a machine in which people are more or less interchangeable parts, sees the universe as a machine, etc.) indigenous tribal people, who live in an extended family … see the universe as an extended family as well, in which everyone is obligated to take care of everybody else. The closer the kinship, the greater the obligation.
I was intrigued because so much of my research into human business behaviour at the time had been concerned with evolutionary neuroscience and the concept of how decisions are controlled by our primitive brain’s self-interest. What’s always intrigued me is why and how the me, or the ego, or the mind controls the brain to look beyond itself and to become tuned to the group, the pack or the tribes to which it belongs. My questions: Why should we feel obligation to our tribe? What is it in our belonging that is central to how we operate as individuals? And finally, are new technologies changing our tribal behaviours?
Read More
By Alexandra Reid
The digital marketing space is becoming increasingly complex as consumers find more ways to uncover information about brands. They are looking at websites and social media through their desktops, laptops, and mobile devices but haven’t left behind more traditional channels such as TV, magazines, and radio. Media isn’t dying; media is proliferating and marketers are struggling to keep up with consumers as they demand a more holistic approach to how they receive information and communicate with brands.
That was the message Chris Greenfield, President of Ipsos ASI, shared with the Social Media Breakfast Ottawa audience this week. He stressed that businesses should not put all their money into digital marketing, and whatever they do invest should go towards providing a consistent and engaging experience for their audiences. It’s no longer about just paid media and advertising, but earned media. In this environment, brands should focus on providing consumers with a great experience across multiple touch points, and consider using reach and response as their goals on these channels, said Greenfield.
“Touch points do not act in isolation,” said Greenfield. “Brands must think and act holistically. It’s a 360-approach. Expect consumers to experience their brand at more than one touch point.”
Read More
This is the next article in a continuing series chronicling the growth path of NanoScale Corporation, a growing nanotechnology company based in Manhattan, KS that is commercializing various advanced materials and compounds for improving indoor air quality, removing pollutants, and containing and neutralizing hazardous chemicals.
By Francis Moran and Leo Valiquette
When last we spoke with Vice-President and General Manager Kyle Knappenberger, NanoScale Corporation was gearing up to make the most of a busy event season that included important showings at industry tradeshows as well as its own training and education events to support retail distributors. NanoScale’s senior team, however, has found itself somewhat distracted by the process of onboarding an important hire – a new president and CEO.
“Some of the things you’d like to do from a marketing standpoint … some of those activities have to get put on hold,” Knappenberger said, adding that a new executive will also have his own input to offer, which could put a new perspective on what the company is trying to do and how it is attempting to execute from a sales and marketing standpoint.
Read More
By Alexandra Reid
It’s all over the headlines: B2B businesses are investigating and investing in content marketing en masse.
In fact, B2B marketers are employing an average of eight different content marketing tactics to achieve their goals and are spending more than a quarter of their budgets on content marketing. As a content marketer myself, I understand the appeal and regard it as a superb marketing option for authority-based businesses and for any company for which establishing thought leadership is a critical marketing objective.
But, as I have argued before with regards to social media marketing, marketers have a way of putting the pressure on businesses to adopt (supposedly) new practices. Content marketing done right can be expensive and it isn’t for everyone. Businesses must take a step back, do their research and ask the right questions before diving in headfirst. This is especially important for content marketing because its success rests entirely on the quality of the content produced and how it is shared with the target audience.
If you’re a B2B business seeking content marketing services, here are some questions you should ask, after doing your own research, to ensure you select the right people for the job:
Read More
Many years ago, our PR agency had a client for which we did media and analyst relations across North America and in Europe. This matched the market footprint of this rather successful company that was in the document-management space. One day, they sent us the latest version of their new marketing brochure. Internal discussions on it had apparently been going around and around in circles, and they wanted our opinion.
