Tuesday 28 August 2012

Avis Tries Blander.



New CMO.  New agency. New campaign. Same old meaningless justifications - this time reported in AdAge.

"Consumer-centric brands must always evolve in order to keep pace with ever-changing customer needs and preferences." She added that "Avis is evolving as a premium brand to better meet those needs." The new tagline, she said, is "reflective of [Avis'] ongoing mission to be a customer-led, service-driven company, and presents the brand in terms of the customer experience and the advantages inherent in renting from Avis."

Me neither. So let's move on to something I think I do understand - the removal after 50 years of the one thing people associate with Avis. Something I doubt will ever fall out of the list of customer needs and preferences regardless of how much they evolve. Something that reeks of that brand equity thing that marketers are always banging on about, and something that can't be explained away with this rationale:

"We firmly believe that after nearly five decades, 'We Try Harder' is fully embedded in the Avis DNA, and defines the spirit our employees embody to deliver superior customer service."

Well, it's not in the DNA of new employees, it's not in the mind of new customers and it's not going to remain in anyone's consciousness without regular reminders. To think otherwise is to subscribe to the homeopathic school of marketing.

It doesn't have to be at the heart of their marketing, but to remove it completely is to jettison heritage and authenticity for fear that those aren't modern attributes. It's what Coke did with New Coke and, just like old Coke, I'd imagine that We Try Harder will return. If only because evolving from distinctive to bland in one CMO is just not trying hard enough.

Saturday 25 August 2012

Start Up With Your Customers.

Outside the realms of tax efficiency, nobody starts a business in the belief that it will fail. However, a recent visit to a start-up incubator revealed mindsets that ignored the possibility while putting the cart before the horse and making some basic marketing mistakes.

1) What you've done in the past is of very little relevance to your future customers unless they were your customers in the past. The most bizarre example of this was the proclamation that their CEO is a biathlete and their COO a fencer. Egoes should be checked at the door.

2) Your marketing focus should be on what the customer perceives to be the problem, rather than on what you deem to be the solution. A dating site that was promoting itself as a place where you could be honest rather than having to lie was missing the fact that its selling point was verified profiles that other users could trust.

3) Being funded doesn't mean you've proven your business case. You've just convinced some people who are not your customers of the veracity of your hunch.  The "pivoting" vogue isn't a get out of free jail card and it over-values the idea of doing something, indeed anything rather than thinking rigorously about whether you have identified a genuine problem.

As always, it's not about you and your self-proclaimed entrpreneurship, it's all about your potential customers. Barriers to entry may have fallen, but the barriers to success are as high if not higher than ever.









Monday 20 August 2012

Effective Marketing Strategies

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines as the activities of marketing, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society in general. The contribution of marketing to the success of any business is highly significant. In fact, the marketing has the power to determine the success of a product or service specifically released. Effective marketing involves the application of many strategies, two of which are: advertising and public relations. Let's try to understand these two terms in the following discussion. Hereinafter in this article, the use of the term product refers to both, a service or a product that has to be marketed.

Advertising

Advertising refers to any form of presentation and impersonal payment of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor.

Types of advertising

Informative advertising: This includes ads that are intended to provide product information to the customer. This form of advertising informs the client about the different features and benefits of using the product.
Persuasive advertising: the objective of this form of advertising is to persuade the consumer to buy a product or subscribe to a service. It usually includes some additional attractive features or special offers that attract even more customers to buy a product.
Comparative advertising: these types of ads, indirectly or directly, to compare the product to be marketed with another of similar characteristics. Usually, when there are only a few (usually two) major players in the market, one or all of these competitors in business using this advertising strategy.
Rememorative advertising: Advertising via this type is generally in the case of a product that is well established and has a strong position in the market. This type of advertising is used only to remind consumers about the product.

Advertising graphics

Growth phase: the function of advertising charge an immense importance in the home or a product launch. Advertising tends to be in full swing at this stage. All advertising techniques are put into use at this stage. Initially, informative advertising is used. In the last part of this phase, persuasive and informative advertising is used.
Foundation phase: once the product has established a position in the market, a combination of persuasive advertising, comparative and rememorative is observed with informative advertising maintains its level lowest.
The decrease in phase: in this phase, the whole process of advertising is suppressed. Rememorative advertising can be used in isolated cases. If there is any possibility of reactivation of the product, an innovative approach to advertising can be applied.

Objectives of advertising

To generate awareness about a product or service offered.
To inform the consumer about the various features of the product or service.
To induce the customer to buy the product or make use of the services offered.

Secrets to a good advertising

The repetition of ads
The strategic placement of advertising (including time)
Target market and segmentation while that advertising considerations
Quality of ads
Form of advertising

Public relations

Public relations refer to any form of non-remunerated communication, designed to generate a positive image of a company in the market. It can also be considered as an effort planned by an organization for the establishment of opinion favorable to the Organization and its products and services.

Public relations tools

News
Speeches
Special events
Written material
Audiovisual material
Corporate identity material
Other (social cause, web sites, employees)

Public relations graphic

Growth phase: as in the case of advertising, public relations in the growth phase is of utmost importance for the Organization and the considerable time and effort to public relations.
Established and growth phase: it has been observed that most of the companies do not involve much importance to public relations once the product has passed the stage of growth. However, it deals with public relations with the image of the organization in general and is not limited to a particular product. Therefore, ideally, the band must have a graph that does not fall below a preset minimum. The public relations strategy should be attributed a predetermined level of importance throughout the life of an organization, and a peak must be observed with an increase in pub relations activities

Friday 17 August 2012

E-Marketing Strategy

There are many aspects that lead to the success of a business in the industry. Marketing is one of those areas significant to making a business grow. Today, due to the tendency of Internet purchases, companies potential consumers are adopting marketing strategies, according to how, use the Internet.

E-Marketing Strategy

In general terms, an e-marketing strategy consists of the measures taken and the procedures followed for the marketing of a brand through the web. The center of attraction in any e-marketing strategy is the website company for Internet users are being lured to increase sales. But first, the web site of the company must be in a suitable format, attractive design, and you will have a good impression to potential buyers.

Components of a good Internet Marketing strategy

Search Engine Optimization
A study shows that 90% of Americans using the Internet daily, with more than 2/3rd of the purchases they are investigating on the Internet. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a procedure that refers to attract Internet traffic to your website as possible. SEO is crucial to the success of marketing your business online. This includes the optimization of your web site in such a way that your site are classified in the initial pages of the search, by which Internet users can visit your web site to the content they are looking for. This is done using phrases of keywords that users in general put on the Internet interface of the search engine to search for a particular product or service.

Email marketing strategy
Another important component of an effective e-marketing strategy is the e-mail marketing that has to do with the sending of information about products and services to potential customers by e-mail. This is a proven effective method based on online marketing as an effective tool to generate business. It is also a marketing technique very good business for the construction of good relationships with potential customers, as well as potential customers.

Online advertising
Online advertising is a marketing method, which has a very substantial performance of investment (ROI) of value. It consists of the placement of ads for products and services on the web page, sites that are ranking on the first page of the search engines and sites that are receiving a substantial amount of traffic from Internet users. Internet affiliate marketing is a very good example of online advertising, which refers to the payment of your company advertising product for generating sales.

Online bulletins
You can even think about newsletters online as a decent way to pass the product information for the promotion of products and services. Companies often issue online news bulletins for regular customers to let them know what new launch offerings are available and new products are likely to be released. Unlike the email marketing, these online bulletins are issued at regular time intervals.

Press rooms
A press room is an installation on the web that includes most of the blogs of the company and the information that can be accessed by social media. If the company information reaches the social media, you don't have time for information and news to be transferred to the public in general. The information in the newsrooms of media is usually to journalists and bloggers, who are visitors looking for news and made products and not only general information. This is also one of the most effective Internet marketing strategies.

These were some of the most important aspects to take into account in making an effective e-marketing strategy. There are many more components, such as web metrics and analysis, RSS feeds, press releases, business blogs, and many others.
Even though we are familiar with the Shania Twain song from where comes the previous verse, we are also aware of that opportunity and adequate financial resources, each of us would like to do us a bit of ground on a fine piece of real estate. No matter what the official reports may represent and economic studies of the market makes it possible, we all know that there is no shortage of potential customers who are interested in buying a piece of land or other real estate that is well located. However, the problem of land is that while its supply is limited (more land can not be grown, you can?), the limit of your demand always exceeded according to the number of stakeholders who are willing to pay for the acquisition of a building or a part of it. Now, you must be thinking when demand is more than supply, then it must be child's play to the true owners of property, agents and brokers to sell their offerings at prices incredibly attractive, isn't it? Well, it is not so easy.
 
Although it can be something easy (no, I don't mean to undermine the efforts of the large real estate developers and agents marketing, I used the easy Word simply due to my inability to find a more appropriate comparison expression at the moment) to the network of large investors and venture capitalists who are waiting for the purchase of land for large commercial or public utility projectsthat it attracts the younger prospects can be a challenge, given the large number of available options for a small leaflet in the same place. A good example of small business is the sale of real estate or rental of residential and small business premises for the creation of stores, shops and small warehouses and godowns. So, do is treated in small parcels and goods similar roots to the attention of interested parties? Well, here are some ideas for commercial marketing of goods roots that should give you some tips on how to do it.

Marketing strategies for commercial real estate

Make money with expired ads
No, don't frown! An empty list is the easiest way of give you the right driving, if you are new to the business roots in a given area and agriculture expired listing opens a lot of new possibilities for you! How? As well, the fact that is an expired listing pointing clearly various unpleasant questions that have occurred previously and have left prospects disillusioned and feeling betrayed by property dealers real estate. Be persevering and leave aside the negative response in their approach - this is the best opportunity to win again by position themselves differently from their predecessors and walk the talk! In fact, you can enter the scene as a property consultant roots for the prospects of malcontents and slept at your pace once you have gained your trust!

Start a Circular
If finances are not a constraint, you can approach to the editor of newspapers in the area of destination and do to print a 2-4 page free supplement on current trends of real roots and a listing of the properties under your dealer. This supplement can be one week and they can be removed along with the main daily in the morning on Saturday or Sunday, because the weekend is the time when the majority of people afford the luxury of a detailed analysis of the newspaper.

Get in touch with the owners
One of the best property marketing plans commercial real estate is put in contact with the owners of properties for sale by owner direct. You can obtain the contact details of newspaper or ads from other published and make cold calls. However, if they are not opposed to field work, you can make a tour of the area in which are directed and take note of the houses or properties that have signs that express a desire to sell or rent property and contact the owner in person. Contact direct made an impression better than call cold randomly as the owner must have received calls in cold so many so far. Its meeting in person most likely do is that it is remembered better than all those numerous calls in cold faceless.

Announce
This is one of the ideas more conventional but effective for the marketing of real estate business. Make your advertising as creative-still-relevant as you can and you will be amazed by the volume of the response. When it was announced, to make contact with a large number of potential customers who are not included in nin

Wednesday 8 August 2012

Marketing promotion ideas

Marketing is an essential activity for any company, whether in any sector, such as the development of software, manufacturing, medicine, trade retail, etc plays a very important role in allowing customers to know that a company offers a product for sale. Even if the product is not as beneficial and helpful for consumers, with effective marketing strategies, the product can be sold to consumers more than expected. There are many marketing plans and strategies that are used by companies to advertise and promote their products in the market.
What ideas are used entirely depends on how big is the company.? If it's a large company, you pay more money for advertising and marketing purposes. If the company is small, it uses some simple and low-cost alternatives for advertising.

Advertising on the Internet
Nowadays, more and more companies are still dependent on the Internet marketing and advertising. This is a method of advertising that no doubt has the capacity to reach people who are beyond their geographical boundaries. If people from another State or country that you want to test your product, which would send to the orders of his region, which in turn would have an impact positive in the limits of your advertising budget.

Email marketing is a very good option for people around the world know about your products and services. You can use newsletters online make your potential customers into regular customers. Newsletters online and brochures are considered one of the new more efficient marketing and promotion ideas.

The company booths
The creation of a company at a trade fair stand is a very good idea for small businesses to display and announce its line of products for consumers. You can sponsor a team of teenagers to carry out such a campaign and give demonstrations short of products and services offered. This is really a low cost option for companies that cannot afford the luxury to spend much on advertising.

Offering free samples for use
Affordable alternative to advertising promotions and product is the distribution of free samples to potential consumers. In this case, while it should give some samples and the expense of itself, feedback and response that you receive from customers would great. In general, most of the people who have used free samples tend to return for a final purchase of good products.

Press releases
This is however an expensive alternative for small businesses, but this advertising strategy comes directly to the target audience. You can keep press releases in your locality to launch your product. However, to get a good response from consumers, your company needs to have a good reputation in the minds of the people with regard to the guarantee of quality in the products we offer.

Sponsor a charitable activity
This is the best method to get your company in the spotlight. Sponsor an event for a charitable organization that favor him. The media never lost from charity events, that might be a good advantage for the promotion of your product.

Free merchandise
Many companies take the help of this method of advertising for products, which includes the distribution of free stuff such as t-shirts, caps, mugs, bags, etc with your company name and information printed on them. Although recipients may consider these free goods as gifts, their products are advertised widely, which can increase your business dramatically.

Promotion of products Via competitions
The holding of a public announcement is another good way to get your company promoted products. You can configure your products gift basket for the winners of these competitions. With these contests, can attract public attention and their services can also be made well known.

These are some of the ideas of marketing promotion that you can use for projects of promotion of products in your company. Once your product is widely known, shall constitute in itself a kind of basis for the promotion of other products that your company will be launched.