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Most common marketing errors by SMES

It’s tough when you are starting out. Few people have experience in every business function. So as well as running around setting up the operation and financial parts of their business — they may also be working out the best way to manage marketing and communications. read more

 

Want to reach the decision makers? Use direct mail

To paraphrase the famous Mark Twain quote, reports of the death of direct mail have been greatly exaggerated. In this article, I look at the role of direct mail in the modern marketing mix and the reasons why the technique is enduring in a digital age. read more

 

Great Slogans For Business

When Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic played tennis at the O2 in November 2010, there was a pause while Novak had a contact lens attended to on court. Some wag in the crowd shouted: "Should've gone to Specsavers" — five words that have proved very effective for the company. It’s harder to write something short than something long. So, in this article, I’ve analysed a range of slogans and suggest the reasons why they work (or don’t). read more

 

5 Questions Every Entrepreneur & Managing Director Must Answer

If sales are slow, or the uptake on a new product or service is not as good as expected, it is not always easy to discern from where the problems originate. One area in which you need to be sure, is that the Sales and Marketing strategy is right. An unsatisfactory answer to any of these questions may indicate where the issues lie. read more

 

The iPad & The Kindle: Revolutionizing Communications And Reading Habits

Recently, the UK Publishers Association reported that there has been a significant increase in the sale of e-books, highlighting the growing popularity of digital readers such as the Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad. According to the trade body, digital books jumped by 20% to £180m in 2010. In a year, when book sales totaled £3.1bn, the digital book sector remains relatively small, but the trajectory is clear. read more

 

Bin Laden: A Study In News Management Excellence

It is inevitable that the capture and killing of the world’s most wanted terrorist should have developed into the news story of the century. What is less obvious is that the killing and its immediate aftermath were minutely choreographed with public opinion and the media clearly driving the US agenda. The Osama bin Laden story has everything: US special forces operating in the dead of night in another country’s jurisdiction and, apparently without that country’s permission; a ‘hidden’ village fortress that, according to Pakistani intelligence was raided in 2003 and then ‘fell off the radar’’; the world’s no 1 terrorist living a more or less normal existence with his family just moments from Pakistan’s military academy; accusations and counter-accusations of how much the Pakistani authorities knew; and how bin Laden’s presence in a luxury villa just two hours’ drive from the country’s capital remained undetected for years. read more

 

Rebuilding Reputation: A Case Study On Nick Clegg

Like business, politicians have taken a bashing in the past couple of years following the mismanagement of the country’s finances and then the expenses’ scandal. A year ago we saw the advent of a peculiarity in British politics — the Coalition Government and last night’s election results have allowed voters to give their first verdict on its performance. And it has been a fascinating night of results. read more

 

The Role Of Public Information Campaigns

On the 5 May, we experienced a very rare phenomenon in the political culture of the UK. The referendum on the Alternative Vote was only the second time ever a plebiscite has been held in this country. Used by politicians for only the most significant decisions that affect the UK and its unwritten constitution, the referendum is a political tool designed to reach the widest possible audience, and also has the capacity to create high drama and surprise results. However, the AV referendum created little drama and for most of us, the ‘No’ result was not a surprise. The disappointment was that the referendum campaign felt distinctly lack lustre and failed to engage the public at large. read more

 

Brands: What Charlie Sheen & Steve Jobs Can Teach Us

Keep Your Brand’s Promises I have a guilty secret. I kind of love Charlie Sheen. This confession sounds really bad when I admit that I don’t much like his films and haven’t watched his TV series for which he earned ‘gazillions’ an episode. No, what I love is that ‘lives up to’ his brand’s promise. Let me explain what I mean. Why I Love Charlie! He is a renowned rebel, a drug taker, a womaniser, someone who knows how to party. read more

 

How To Get The Media Interested In You

It’s been hard to miss the media furore around super injunctions, with the rich and powerful resorting to the law to keep themselves out of the news. However the average company faces quite a different problem. No one’s interested in them. They struggle to catch their media’s eye. Their news is hardly ever carried. They’re never called on to comment. They want to be in the media more...not less! Sure these businesses don’t have the mass appeal of an errant footballer caught playing away when he should be playing at home! read more