By Francis Moran
When prospects approach us to talk about our helping them with their marketing, they almost always mean help with their marketing programs, the stuff they do to promote their company and product or service. And while we can certainly create greater value simply through the effective management of marketing programs, real marketing consists of much more than this. Real marketing consists in the first instance of identifying a high-value pain or need that your technology has the potential to address, and then building the right product to meet that need. Only after that can you start crafting a marketing program.
I have always referred to this approach to marketing as “capital-M marketing,” and so I was immediately drawn to a chapter in an e-book that’s been on my spike for a while but that I only just got around to reading. In their “The Secrets of Tuned In Leaders: How technology company CEOs create success (and why most fail),” authors Craig Stull, Phil Myers and David Meerman Scott use almost the same language in a section they title, “Marketing with a Big ‘M’.”
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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 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 Alexandra Reid
Ottawa’s startup ecosystem received some much-needed support this month as TheCodeFactory launched Government to Startup (G2S), an incubator program developed by the learning centre’s founder and president Ian Graham to address the challenges faced by displaced government workers in Ottawa.
For those of you who have been ignoring the news lately, the Government of Canada has set in motion austerity plans that will see the reduction of 19,200 federal public service jobs over the next three years.
To encourage displaced workers to remain in Ottawa rather than uproot and seek employment elsewhere, the program will provide them with the skills and knowledge to start their own businesses. The program promises, “No startup will be left behind,” with the goal that participants will have fully functional and profitable businesses on exit.
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Mind the gap between marketing and sales: Part 2
September 24, 2012 by Jeff Campbell
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 […]
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Great articles roundup: Data hype, content marketing, startup lessons, buyer behaviour, social media, guest blogging, and target audiences
September 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 Social Media Explorer, TopRank, Financial Post, Forrester, Forbes, Copyblogger, and Startup North […]
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Don’t wait until your customers say goodbye to tell them you love them
September 20, 2012 by Francis Moran
I changed internet service providers this month and, while I was at it and since it was the same company, also cancelled my cable television service. It’s not something I did on a whim. I have been […]
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Never forget your roots
September 19, 2012 by Leo Valiquette
A couple of weeks back, I expressed my firm belief about the portability of strong writing skills between disciplines, with particular reference to journalists who make the career transition into public relations or marketing. Here’s my promised followup on the importance of not forgetting your roots in the newsroom […]
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Social media etiquette for businesses
September 18, 2012 by Alexandra Reid
It is commonplace to see businesses participating on social media, but many are failing to achieve the delicate balance between self-promotion and providing value […]
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Mind the gap between marketing and sales
September 17, 2012 by Jeff Campbell
This is a familiar phrase to all those who have used the tube to get around London. It may also be familiar to those who continue to try to reconcile the information we often use to measure marketing effectiveness with the sales forecast. In other words, trying to […]
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Great articles roundup: Content marketing, rebranding, journalism, social media, and team building
September 14, 2012 by Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we read in the past week. On the podium this week are MarketingSherpa, Fast Company, MarketingProfs, SocialTimes, and Jeremiah Owyang […]
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New ventures are cultivated everywhere
September 12, 2012 by Francis Moran
Those of you who are regular readers of this blog will know that I am passionate about entrepreneurship and a huge fan and supporter of startups. So it’s not unusual to find me at almost any event where startup entrepreneurs gather […]
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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, [...]
It’s Summertime…and the Networking is Easy? | THE MERRAINE BRAIN : [...] In fact, summer is perhaps one of the times least used to network, yet at the same time has shown to be the most productive time to network. People tend to be in a brighter mood compared to during the gloomy winters-especially where I am from in England! Networking needs to be fun and not approached as another chore, like mowing the lawn. (http://francis-moran.com/marketing-strategy/social-media-strategy-why-meeting-in-the-real-world-matt...) [...]