Marketing Handbook Blog

February 5 Means . . .

2012-01-25T18:29:00.000-05:00

For football fans, the Super Bowl. For supermarkets, the Super Bowl began on the second day of January, when holiday displays were replaced with "big game" displays of chips, dips, and every other snack food or drink a fan might possibly want. Grocery ads are hyping party platters, and all other related products. Needless to say, this is a big time of year for TV sales, and the electronics

"Likes" Per Million in Revenue

2012-01-21T09:42:00.001-05:00

Three experts from Booz & Co. recently took a fresh look at Facebook "likes" and company revenue, with an eye toward understanding competitive brand value. They wrote: Every company can compare its brand value to that of its competitors based on a readily available scale: Facebook "likes," adjusted for company revenue (in millions). Here's how to apply the likes per million (LPM) calculation for

Will Game Apps Muscle Game Consoles Out of the Way?

2012-01-19T18:50:00.000-05:00

Angry Birds has been downloaded 600 million times--an incredible number that represents the high penetration of smartphones and a definite shift in the market for games. This raises questions about what the future might hold for the big players in this market. Will mobile games (Angry Birds) and online games take over from the game consoles like Sony Playstations and Nintendo Wiis? Will

Top 10 Leaders in Retail Customer Service

2012-01-18T09:08:00.000-05:00

The National Retail Federation just released its ranking of retail service leaders, based on a survey of 9,300 consumers. The top 10 are a mix of bricks-and-mortar and online/TV retailers: Amazon.com (up from #2 last year) L.L. Bean Zappos (before the revelation of its recent hacking problem) Overstock.com QVC Kohl's Lands' End J.C. Penney Newegg.com Nordstrom

Starbucks "Thinks Holistically About Prices"

2012-01-14T17:47:00.001-05:00

Today's New York Times has a story about a higher price on Starbucks tall coffees in stores across the Northeast. The price is officially $1.85 in New York City for 12 oz of java. With tax, however, the total price paid is $2.01. Now that's an unusual price. It forces customers to either carry spare pennies, break another bill, or--as is happening at some NYC Starbucks stores--be grateful to the

Pink: Not For Girls Only

2012-01-13T09:44:00.002-05:00

Pink is the color of Breast Cancer Awareness month . . . and the traditional color of products targeted at girls, newborns through teens. My earlier post about Legos Friends shows that even plastic blocks are aiming at the girl market with pink (and other colors beloved by little girls). Fujitsu Japan has just announced a line of pink cell phones for--you guessed it!--girls. The phones and

Going Down: Pricing Trends for 2012

2012-01-05T05:51:00.000-05:00

Dealnews has an interesting piece titled "12 Things That Will Be Less Expensive in 2012," which suggests that prices are going down on the following products. I'm also adding my two cents to this list: Apple iPad 2. Of course, given the inevitability that iPad 3 is on the way. And this will also affect pricing of other digital gadgets that retailers want to clear before the iPad 3 is introduced

Legos for Girls

2012-01-02T15:11:00.000-05:00

Lego has just introduced its Lego Friends for girls, following a lengthy period of marketing research and testing. BusinessWeek has an indepth article about the company's new product development process here. As anybody who knows 8-year-old boys knows, Lego is the go-to toy for birthdays and all other occasions. Its block sets featuring licensed brands such as Harry Potter and Star Wars are

Cash Mobs Give Small Businesses a Boost

2011-12-27T13:26:00.000-05:00

The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have both reported on this phenomenon during the past week: Just in time for holiday shopping, the cash mob movement is using the power of social media to give small businesses a boost. A cash mob is a group of buyers who assemble to give their business to a locally-owned business (small store or restaurant, for example). They're tipped off by a

E-Book Pricing: Regulators Look Closer

2011-12-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

When digital books cost more than printed books, it's no wonder that regulators are looking at the whole pricing model. The roots of this pricing issue go back to the ongoing competition between Apple and Amazon, both of which are marketing hardware for reading downloaded books. Amazon used to deeply discount digital books, offering many best-sellers at a flat $9.99. The point was to gain

AKB48 - A Giant Brand in Japan

2011-12-14T16:57:00.000-05:00

If you've never heard of AKB48, you will soon. It's the brand of an all-girl musical group based in Tokyo (Akihabra, to be exact, the high-tech crossroads of Japan) that has had hit after hit after hit. The girls, in their late teens and early 20s, come from all over Japan and are featured in several teams that perform in the group's own Akihabra theater and on tour around Asia. AKB48 is so

Less Packaging = More Satisfaction

2011-12-13T09:24:00.000-05:00

Less is more: Amazon and Walmart are putting pressure on manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging on their products, especially targeting those hard-to-open protective plastic shells in which small items arrive. Amazon calls this its "frustration-free" initiative. Already, toymakers are doing away with frustrating and unnecessary packaging. With the holidays here, less packaging (and less

Macy's and Mobile Marketing

2011-12-12T06:47:00.000-05:00

Mobile Marketing mag names Macy's the top mobile marketer of 2011. Why? Macy's Backstage Pass uses QR codes and texting to give customers more info about designers, styles, and more--while they're standing in the stores, which have WiFi to power this program. Macy's created apps (see photo at left) for customers to use to preview the groups and progress of the famous Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Evolution of a Sample Marketing Plan: Sonic

2011-12-06T10:34:00.000-05:00

When I wrote the first edition of my Marketing Plan Handbook for Prentice Hall back in 2003, I created a sample marketing plan focused on the fictional product "Sonic Personal Digital Assistant." At the time, PDAs were hot, and it was fun to create a plan for a new product to compete with Palm, Handspring, and other handheld digital assistants that were taking the market by storm. I used actual

Dear CMO: What, No Facebook Page?

2011-12-04T13:58:00.000-05:00

Dear CMO: Ignoring social media is NOT an option in today's highly social world. Surprisingly, however, as Steve Olenski points out by quoting a UMass study, more than 25% of the Fortune 500 corporations have no Facebook or Twitter presence. His analysis is well worth reading. Going social means giving up some measure of control, and that's why I believe so many of you CMOs are hesitating.

Angry Birds Christmas

2011-12-02T09:54:00.000-05:00

Now that the Angry Birds game has been downloaded 500 million times--yes, that's half a billion times--the company has been branching out with all kinds of products to capitalize on its good fortune during the holiday shopping season. Angry Birds cookbook. Above, one of the illustrations from this cookbook, Bad Piggies' Egg Recipes, all about eggs in every imaginable combination: scrambled,

The View from Black Friday and Cyber Monday

2011-11-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

Here it is on Black Friday--the day after Thanksgiving, which traditionally signals the start of the holiday shopping season--and predictions for online buying are optimistic, based on sales to date and on today's buying patterns. ComScore says November online sales are already higher than last year and it sees a lot of ka-ching for web retailers. PayPal and eBay are seeing strong demand so far

2d Annual Small Business Saturday

2011-11-20T13:42:00.000-05:00

American Express started the first Small Business Saturday in 2010 to encourage shoppers to buy from small, local businesses. This year, it's again promoting the day as a way to support small businesses all over the country. There's a FB page with more than 2 million "likes" where consumers can learn more, pledge to buy from small biz on Saturday, and see who else is supporting the movement (

Occupy Branding

2011-11-19T16:11:00.001-05:00

GoDaddy reports an avalanche of registrations for domains that begin "Occupy ____." More than 500 sites were registered in recent months with names like "OccupyThanksgiving" (save the turkey) to "OccupyDenver" (aligned with the Occupy Wall Street movement). Advertising Age wrote about the Occupy movement and how it's affecting marketing here. The Canadian Marketing Association has a video and

Happy Multichannel Holiday?

2011-11-18T05:18:00.001-05:00

Shoppers are clicking from home, visiting stores, checking comparison sites and apps, watching YouTube product demos, looking at Facebook pages, signing up for deal-of-the-day messages and subscribing to promo tweets--in short, they're using multiple channels to browse and buy this holiday season. As many as 60 million shoppers will buy or compare prices via mobile on Black Friday alone. What

Grand Opening of Christmas Windows

2011-11-14T09:21:00.001-05:00

It's not your imagination--Christmas marketing really is starting earlier and earlier. Macy's New York will unveil its new holiday window displays in Manhattan on Thursday, Nov 17, at 5 pm. Not to be outdone, Lord & Taylor New York is unveiling its displays today--Monday, Nov 14--at 5:30 pm. (If you want to watch, log on here to see a live stream.) Henri Bendel, the upscale fashion store, will

Travel Marketing: Reviving Interest in Trouble Spots

2011-11-13T10:51:00.000-05:00

Egypt, Tunisia, and Thailand are all areas that have been in the headlines this year...Egypt and Tunisia because of political upheavals and Thailand because of floods (not to mention last year's political upheaval). Now these three nations are using travel marketing to bring back tourists. The tourism office in Egypt is emphasizing security, a friendly welcome, and unique experiences like desert

U-Turn on Rest Area Communications?

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Continuing my November theme of travel and marketing, I present two exhibits from my road trip along the Garden State, better known as New Jersey. These two photos show parts of a fast-food tray liner at a rest stop restaurant along the New Jersey Turnpike. The Turnpike Authority wants drivers to know more about safety on the road, and what better way than inviting them to read a few facts

Best Buy Express Targets On-the-Go Consumers

2011-11-06T11:54:00.000-05:00

Three years ago, Best Buy announced its kiosk program, a way to sell cameras, headphones, cell phones, flash drives, video games, and many other electronics in airports across America. Today, Best Buy Express machines like the one above are in numerous locations and coming to 100 more spots in 2012, where travelers can touch the screen to learn more about the products and swipe a credit or debit

Rental Model Goes Upscale

2011-11-01T02:11:00.001-04:00

Want a piece of fine art to spruce up your walls? Click over to Artsicle, where for $25/month and up, you can rent (or rent to own) a painting or other art for your home or office. Decorative wall art is a $10 billion business--think posters, mirrors, and the like--and Artsicle aims to capture a share. Museums like the Seattle Art Museum also rent fine art. Or how about renting fine jewelry?

2011: Another Cut-Price Christmas?

2011-10-28T03:38:00.000-04:00

Halloween hasn't arrived yet and already retailers are positioning themselves with discounts and promotions to capture share of wallet well in advance of the holiday buying season. Penny-pinching purchasers do care about price, but how much influence will the following policies have on actual buying? Toys 'R' Us is launching a new version of its customer loyalty program, featuring discounts and

Netflix's Moments of Truth

2011-10-25T09:26:00.000-04:00

Netflix has been so popular and resilient that it's hard to believe how poorly it handled its price increase and subsequent proposal to split into two companies, one for DVDs and one for streaming entertainment. (I've been a customer for years, DVDs being my preference, and after the price hike, I chose DVD-only rather than pay more for the privilege of streaming as well.) Announcing that

Planning with the Far Future in Mind

2011-10-19T09:29:00.001-04:00

Marketing plans usually cover the next 6-12 months, with the exception of some new product intros, which may cover 12-24 months. But every plan must take into account developments that might arise months and years into the future--because those environmental shifts (technological, political, cultural, etc) can potentially derail even the best plan. If Cisco had, for instance, taken a close,

PricewaterhouseCoopers's Power Pitch Contest

2011-10-17T02:45:00.000-04:00

This week's Fortune carried a fascinating article about how the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers stimulates innovation through an American Idol-like contest it calls Power Pitch. PwC is the accounting firm that tallies the Oscar votes (see above), with great security and an unusual amount of secrecy to prevent leaks. All the glitz happens on stage when big-name celebrities open the

Pay Phones Are Still Around (For How Long?)

2011-10-14T07:51:00.001-04:00

Cell phones may be ubiquitous, but pay phones still have a place--literally--at airports, subways, hospitals, and other locations. Wherever cell phones just won't work or non-cell users need to make calls, pay phones are a good but increasingly scarce option. Verizon just sold a chunk of its dwindling pay phone business to PTS (Pacific Telemanagement Services), which sees "tremendous opportunity

Not Your Dad's Dole

2011-10-13T05:19:00.000-04:00

Ever heard of red or baby bananas? Well, Dole--which markets all kinds of fruits and veggies from pineapples to packaged salads--is putting them in grocery stores for you to taste and enjoy. This isn't the Dole of yesteryear...it's the 21st century, and fresh is trendy. Dole is looking at niche markets these days, not just mainstream produce in bulk. Social responsibility is definitely on

YouTube Expands Movie Rental Business

2011-10-10T05:21:00.001-04:00

Did you even know YouTube is in the movie rental business? It's already expanding into Canada and the UK market, after having started in the US. This development is not entirely out of the blue: Mashable, PC World, and others reported on it last year. No need to be in front of a computer screen--YouTube movie rentals can stream to Android phones, naturally. Comcast and other cable companies are

Getting Consumers to Go Greener

2011-10-05T14:07:00.001-04:00

A survey from GfK Roper and S.C. Johnson (maker of Windex, Ziploc, and other household products) shows that U.S. consumers are doing more recycling these days compared with 20 years ago--see below. One reason for this shift is that consumers are more informed about how recycling protects the planet and what can be recycled than they were in 1990. Johnson has both a blog and a Twitter account

Revisiting Competitors as Stakeholders

2011-09-30T09:39:00.001-04:00

By far, the most popular posts on this blog are the two I wrote about whether a company, as it develops a marketing plan, should consider its competitors to be stakeholders. In one post, I wrote: The usual suspects listed as stakeholders are: customers, employees/managers, owners/shareholders, government (regulators etc), members of the media, securities analysts, suppliers, special interest

How Hot Is Kindle Fire?

2011-09-29T09:04:00.002-04:00

Apple won't be the only brand watching Amazon's new Kindle tablet/reader, announced on Thursday with much fanfare by Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos. The Fire is a bit larger than other Kindles and smaller than the iPad, and it builds on Amazon's vast library of books and entertainment, plus depending on Amazon's cloud storage. Analysts and industry insiders have been talking about the price--only $199

Where's the Beef? It's B-a-a-a-ck

2011-09-27T06:35:00.000-04:00

"Where's the beef?" has been a catchphrase for nearly 3 decades, since Wendy's famous TV and print ads in which actress Clara Peller examined competing burgers, looking for--well, the beef. Now "where's the beef?" is back in a new round of Wendy's ads, this time for Dave's Hot 'n Juicy burgers. In this latest incarnation, "where's the beef?" is intended to suggest fresh quality as Wendy's

Advertorials 2.0: Transparency Is Key

2011-09-23T09:18:00.000-04:00

The lines between "editorial" and "advertising" are blurrier than ever. In the world of print journalism, a page or series of pages with content sponsored by a company, brand, country, or other marketer is an advertorial. In tiny letters at the top of the page, you'll see words alerting the reader that this is advertising. In the digital world, this kind of content is commonplace but no

Joe Fresh in New York

2011-09-19T15:17:00.000-04:00

And New Jersey! "New classics inspired by the classics" is the motto of Joe Fresh, a cosmetics and clothing brand sold in Canadian specialty and superstores. Now the brand is coming to the New York metro area with flagships and fashion fanfare. Joe Mimran, the man behind the brand, has already created and sold off a successful brand, Club Monaco, to Polo Ralph Lauren in 1999. His Joe Fresh brand

College Radio Day 10.11.11

2011-09-16T07:17:00.000-04:00

College Radio Day is scheduled for October 11, 2011. Why a special day to celebrate this particular medium? The goal is to spotlight the importance and audience of college radio stations across North America, pushing to preserve the individuality and creativity of this media segment. College radio traditionally had a loyal following, not just among students and faculty but among members of the

Happy 30th Birthday to the IBM PC

2011-09-14T09:36:00.000-04:00

The IBM PC has just celebrated its 30th birthday--and it's hard to believe that the personal computer is already three decades old. Early models had monochrome monitors and floppy disk storage. The early Apple Macintosh computers were smaller and boxier, with an easier-to-use graphical interface instead of the DOS system used in IBM models. IBM sold off its PC division to Lenovo in 2005, but

Smart Strategy: Segmenting Your Pricing

2011-09-12T08:27:00.001-04:00

PepsiCo's CFO, Hugh Johnston, recently spoke to an investors' conference about the company's segmented pricing strategy. Johnston explained that PepsiCo must "meet the needs of the widening gap between value, middle, and premium consumers" while simultaneously being responsive to higher price sensitivity among all segments. So what's PepsiCo doing? Instead of adjusting pricing across the board

Digital Marketing Metrics--What's Out, What's In

2011-09-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Remember when click-throughs were the go-to metric for measuring the effect of Internet banner ads? Those days are gone. Here's a quick look at what's in and what's out in the world of digital marketing metrics these days: OUT: Measuring how many people open your marketing e-mails. IN: Measuring how many people click through to buy via a link in your e-mails. If sales measures aren't available,