Marketing Resolutions for 2008

New year's resolutions for marketing:

1. Know and honor thy customers. Without customers, no product can ever be successful. Customers aren't a distraction or a nuisance--they're what keeps every business in business.
   
2. Know and check up on thy suppliers. Mattel is only one of a number of marketers that ran into trouble because of what suppliers did or didn't do.
3. Know and nurture thy channels. Amazon has helped make the Flip camcorder (top right) a success by featuring it on the home page. Can Amazon make its Kindle reader a success too? Only time will tell.
4. Know thy pricing limitations. No wonder DVDs are selling so well: It's much cheaper for a family to buy the latest Disney movie (even at full price) than to see it at a first-run theater (don't even think about buying that over-priced popcorn and soda). And because it's cheap and easy to download only the best songs from iTunes, CD sales should continue to plummet in 2008.
5. Know and honor thy brand. The Hannah Montana franchise is strong because it stars wholesome Miley Cyrus but what will happen to Zoey 101 as long as Jamie Lyn Spears stays in the tabloid headlines?

Finally, like Frodo, reconcile yourself to change. It's the least we can expect from 2008. Happy new year to all.