positioning

Marketing is dead.
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When Bill Lee wrote the article Marketing is Dead  in the Harvard Business Review he cited research done among CEOs and decision makers; "73% of them said that Chief Marketing Officers lack business credibility and the ability to generate sufficient business...
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Attention T&T ad people: “The consumer isn’t a moron.”
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“The consumer isn't a moron; she is your wife.” So goes a quote from David Ogilvy, referred to by some as the Father of Advertising.  There is always a temptation to dumb down an ad; just to make sure people...
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Why do brands die?
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I was reading the "Remembering" section in today's Vancouver Sun and got thinking about my favorite topic; brands.  And about why do brands die?  or put another way; why do people stop liking and buying brands?  Why did Vat 19...
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Brands need to be faithful.
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Faithful to their positioning, I mean.  I got a really classy invitation to the launch of 3zero at Pier One.  With the four people involved in bringing  this rum to life, it's supposed to do very well. So I was...
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Brand differentiation made fresh.
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I'm spending Christmas in Vancouver and in my neighbourhood browsing trek came across Cobs. You actually smell them before you see them. Their sidewalk sandwich board makes one simple claim: "Baked Today. Sold Today." COBS Bread bakers create traditional and gourmet breads...
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10 things T&T ad agencies need to fix.
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People management skills.  We have Creative Directors and Media Directors and no People Directors. Stop the train.  Speed is killing the quality of creative.  Great ideas cannot be born in the time it takes to microwave popcorn. Pitching Creative ideas...
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Many roads to the mind. Why everyone is an advertising expert.
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When you go to your dentist, mechanic or baker, they can more or less give you a few options to solve your problem. Do a filling. Remove the tooth. Put in a cap. Change the radiator. Go with the red velvet cake. In advertising it's not...
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New business pitches. How do you win?
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Greg Verdino in a recent blog post had this to say about pitches.  "Anyone who has spent time at agencies knows that the new business pitch process, though a necessary evil, is absolute hell.  You expend lots of resources, usually...
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Every thing you do affects your brand
Would Rolex sponsor an All Fours League?
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As marketing people we need to be brand police.  Brand police make sure that brands stay faithful to their positioning. For example, Single Barrel has been spending the last two years trying to convince YUMA's (young upwardly mobile adults) that it is...
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Doing it for "mileage"
“Do it, we will get mileage…”
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The other day my son Sunil was telling me that he wanted to do something with the brand he manages, Wendy's, because "he would get good mileage".  Being a good father, I immediately scolded him for using the "m" word. ...
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Share what you have
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No I'm not starting a branch of St Vincent de Paul.  My Mom does her part there.  What I'm talking about is your smarts.  Your positioning, plumbing, publicizing, printing and photo-taking smarts.  We've been brought up (I was any way)...
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Are Ad Agencies dying?
As the operator of an ad agency, I have to tell you that these days I have been thinking about the changes I'm seeing and wondering if agencies will survive.  Here's some of the things that we did not have...
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