By Francis Moran
Well, we dodged the Mayan doomsday, the solar flares that were going to scramble all electromagnetic systems on the planet and the first Times Square ball-dropping without Dick Clark in what seems like a century or two. (Although there was that terribly unfortunate incident where Anderson Cooper, who used to be a serious newsman, had to fend off bizarre sexual advances from his NYE cohost Kathy Griffin, all on live television with millions of American families watching. I don’t know about you but I would have welcomed the end of the world if it meant we could have avoided that catastrophe.)
So, now what? With my tongue only slightly in my cheek, here are the top five things I surely wish marketers would adopt as the industry’s set of resolutions for 2013.
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By Leo Valiquette
Though we took our usual holiday break in December, we still covered a lot of ground on the blog during the month. Scotland’s startup scene, the unintended consequences of Canada’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credit program, and practical pointers for handing off a content marketing program were among the many topics we covered.
In case you missed any of it, here is a handy recap of our posts, as ranked by the enthusiasm of our readers:
Dec. 5: It’s that time again to put life and work in perspective, by Leo Valiquette
Dec. 12: Don’t spit your PR effort into the wind, by Leo Valiquette
Dec. 6: SR&ED and the law of unintended consequences, by Francis Moran
Dec. 20: Is this my very last blog post?, by Francis Moran
Dec. 3: Lessons from Project Glass: Why embracing technology is not optional, by Megan Totka
Dec. 17: Commercializing research in Scotland, by Maurice Smith
Dec. 4: Top 10 questions every strategic communicator should ask, by Caroline Kealey
Dec. 10: Apple versus Samsung: Samsung’s ‘out’ to escape infringement, by David French
Dec. 11: A timely post about succession planning in content marketing, by Alexandra Reid
Dec. 13: Content is the sun around which all else revolves, by Francis Moran
Dec. 19: Businesses must think like publishers, says C.C. Chapman, by Alexandra Reid
Dec. 18: Data mining, DNA or otherwise, no substitute for real customer dialogue, by Leo Valiquette
This is the second article in a continuing series chronicling the growth path of ..duo, a startup based out of Kelowna B.C. that creates simple keywords that use your name, brand, slogan or any other word combination as a shortcut to content on the web.
By Alexandra Reid
Daylin Mantyka, cofounder of ..duo, is reconsidering her entrepreneurial path and the future of her startup following counsel from a mentor who said her idea might be too “big.”
To advise a first-time startup founder to avoid shooting for the stars is like telling a child Santa Clause doesn’t exist. It’s the kind of stuff that crushes dreams. But there might be some merit in talking first-time startup founders down from the clouds and encouraging them to focus on smaller ideas that can be more easily realized.
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What we did
Having previously tried and failed to enter the U.S. market, Singletouch retained Francis Moran and Associates as its virtual chief marketing officer to develop a more reliable understanding of its customers, their pain, the value of the company’s solution, and the sales and marketing strategy required to succeed. It was clear to us that Singletouch’s previous messaging wrongly positioned the company as a point solution and undermined its real value proposition. A whole new approach was indicated.
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By Leo Valiquette
I trust everyone has had a happy holiday season, even — dare I say it — a merry Christmas. It’s now back to work with depleted bank accounts, expanded waistlines and perhaps a few stories to share from another mad shopping season.
We all do it in some fashion – hunt for the bargains that begin popping up ere the break of dawn on Black Friday south of the border. Midnight Madness and the Pre-Boxing Day Blowout now rival the traditional Boxing Day bonanza, while post-holiday sales continue to creep further and further into January as retailers attempt to keep the tills ringing.
When confronted by packed parking lots and long lineups, it is often easy to focus on the price of the prize in hand and forget that the root of any successful customer experience begins with service. Granted, working retail is no cake walk during the holidays and many customers can be faulted for a lack of common courtesy or holiday cheer. But as is the case with the sale of any product or service, it is the responsibility of the vendor or retailer to give the customer what they want and, if circumstances warrant, take the time to learn about their needs and respond to them.
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Apple vs. Samsung: U.S. Patent Office – Challenges to patent validity
January 02, 2013 by David French
News reports have indicated that at least one of Apple’s patents which were the subject of the $1 billion jury verdict in California in August are in trouble with the U.S. patent office […]
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Happy holidays
December 24, 2012 by admin
From all of us here at Francis Moran and Associates, happy holidays and the very best for 2013. We will resume our regular blog postings on January 2. . . . . . . . .
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Great articles roundup: entrepreneurship, crowdfunding, investment, marketing, and growth
December 21, 2012 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 The Kernel, Both Sides of the Table, Venture Village, Business Insider and Financial Post […]
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Is this my very last blog post?
December 20, 2012 by Francis Moran
By Francis Moran I’m not much of one for doomsday predictions. In the days leading up to January 1, 2000, when the so-called Y2K bug was supposed to affect everything from cellphones to ATMs and would cause both airplanes and elevators to come crashing down, I kept saying that at the stroke of midnight on […]
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Businesses must think like publishers, says C.C. Chapman
December 19, 2012 by Alexandra Reid
I sat down with award-winning marketer and author C.C. Chapman to talk about storytelling and why businesses must learn to think like publishers […]
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Data mining, DNA or otherwise, no substitute for real customer dialogue
December 18, 2012 by Leo Valiquette
Marketing, as we have repeatedly emphasized on this blog, begins with a fundamental exercise to identify a high-value pain or need that you have the potential to address, and then building the right product to meet that need.
It is by necessity a process of dialogue […]
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Commercializing research in Scotland
December 17, 2012 by Maurice Smith
It is nearly 20 years since Scottish Enterprise, then a fairly newly-formed economic agency, launched an inquiry into Scotland’s comparatively low business birth rate.
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Great articles roundup: VC, mentorship, neuroscience, media convergence, innovation, entrepreneurship and the ugly stepchild
December 14, 2012 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 Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Forbes, David Meerman Scott, Harvard Business Review, Guardian and Wired […]
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By Francis Moran
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The Future of A&R – Walabe : [...] http://francis-moran.com/marketing-strategy/top-10-questions-every-strategic-communicator-should-ask... [...]
Traditional Marketing is Dead – Long Live Bikini Waxer Marketing | Scalexl : [...] pointed out by Alexandra Reid on the Francis Moran website content marketing is becoming more and more like journalism. So, it is not just about the content, [...]
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