Flip Mino Camcorder - MarketingWitz design

Flip Mino Camcorder with Personalized Design - Available only at www.theflip.com. Can personalization create marketing demand? Check out this unique Flip Mino design. The design was created by MarektingWitz. (Really!) The Flip Mino camcorder combines remarkable video quality in a pocket-sized package. Now personalizable - create yours

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eMail Marketing ROI resource

If you are interested in maximizing the return on your e-mail marketing investment, take a look at the latest email marketing metrics report from MailerMail. They've been publsihing this report for several years and there are many fact-based finding that will improve your marketng ROI, such as optimizing the day of week, he subject line length, etc. Other excellent e-mail marketing sources: Constant Contact, Vertical Response, MarketVolt.

Media Companies Tips apply to Brand Marketers

Great new article on 10 Basics Media Companies Can't Afford to Ignore in Ad Age, but items like measuring up your business, managing inventory, deveoping creative solutions, and partnering for innovation all apply too businesses well beyond media companies. It applies to brand marketers as well.

Denny's Grand Slam a Home Run?

With all the discussion about the best Super Bowl spots, I wonder which ones really generated the greatest return on investment. Some, like the Doritos spots, were wonderfully creative, but you have to push a lot of retail displays and pull a lot of consmer sales to generate a return on a $2.5-$3MM investment. Some, like Go Daddy, may not have creative that you appreciate but have an immediate call to action that allows measurable results (how many new domains sold this week versus the week prior?).

So what about Denny's? Free Grand Slam breakfasts on Tuesday after the Super Bowl. Postive ROI? One news report suggested that $2MM in free breakfasts were served. I don't have their data, but I suspect the cash cost was far less that the retail value of the free breakfasts. Even if it was $1MM, bringing the total cost of the ad plus meals t $3.5-$4MM, did the exposure and trial generation create enough new customers? I don't think so. When I drove past the local Denny's on Tuesday morning there was a line down the sidewalk (in 15 degree weather, too!). I can't imagine that the dining experience was very pleasurable with the hectic environment, crush of visitors and a burdened kitchen. Would that make you a loyal customer? Not me. (Not that I would wait in line for a free pancake...)

So, was the Grand Slam a Home Run? Let me know what you think.

Value of Education - Seth Godin asks

Seth Godin asks "What is school for?" and offers 27 wide-ranging answers. It's an interesting question because it questions the role of educatio in society. For marketers, the question might be addressed from the perspective of defining the benefit being sold by educators. Is the return on educational investment measured in the overall productivity level of the population of a society? Do better educational systems generate greater GNP? Is this the beter metric, or would it be better to compare relative IQs or MENSA qualifications across societies? Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, has written about the application of his approach to evaluating differentiators of great businesses to the non-profit sector, with interesting insights about how the core 'flywheel' model shifts in non-profits.

My suggestion for #28 on Seth Godin's list is: #28. Learn to think critically. As a parent investing in the college education of a child who has chosen to major in Classics (not the major with the highest level of "I got a great job upon graduation" results), I firmly believe he's becoming a better human being able to think critically about the world around him. I suppose this also implies that I believe that better thinking among people will ultimately lead to a better society.

Tweet Tweet Tweet...Metrics?

Lots of talk about Twitter for marketers these days. Is there a return on investment model for marketers using Twitter? Haven't seen it yet. As a tactic, it can work well as a tool to engage in the conversation with consumers about your brand and, more specifically, about issues relevant to your brand and your consumers. But is it any more measurable than pr, advertising, or other tactics? Is direct response for link activity really the way to measure the impact of tweeting acivity?

I love the innovation of Twitter as a new form of communication. As a marketer, it's as interesting as the innovation of email marketing, followed later by IM, as tools for digital communication. If you have a developed a useful metric (not platitudes, actual metrics) for measuring the marketing benefit of using twitter for brand building, I'd love to hear from you.

Future of local news

I came across an excellent article by Sean Carlton on CLickZ discussing the future of newspapers and print media in the digital age. Much has been written on this topic over the past few years, but this article provided the most concise summary of the comparative strengths of each media source. Local news will thrive. Print will be a part of the communication, but digital offers incredible opportunities to innovate the delivery of local content. Ad supported online local news will likely be part of the solution and this directly relevant content will become a source of ROI for marketers seeking to reach consumers on a local level.

Best Inauguration Events

It's 2009 and the first major event of the year is the Inauguration of Barack Obama as President. Inauguration events will be everywhere, from the many Washington, D.C. inauguration events to online Presidential inauguration blogging. The question from MarketingWitz today is: What are the inaugural marketing events that your business might be implementing to drive business this month? Leave your answers here at MarketingWitz.com.

Richard Branson interviewed by Seth Godin

For the small business person aspiring to grow, it is inspirational to see Richard Branson on Open Forum speak about checking the bills monthly when his business was still small. Note that the interviewer here is none other than marketing guru Seth Godin. Any business seeking to validate return on marketing investment needs to understand how the money is being spent. In larger marketing organizations brand managers don't always see the actual invoices. It's a good practice to be sure marketers see the invoices if they are to held accountable.

2008 Marketing predictions and 2009 trends

Last year, I suggested watching these trends in 2008. No, I did not predict the recession, nor did I predict that the primaries and election politics would be so engaging.

10. Mobile Marketing. i said we are still in the experimentation mode. I think this is still true, although the footprint is expanding. The U.S. still lags Asia. Look for more advanced promotional marketing, and movement beyond the test and learn stage in '09

9. Green. Still a hot topic as the year ends, but the discussion seems to have wanted as economic anxiety has risen. It will stay on the radar in '09.

8. Creativity. It's time to get creativity back in our marketing programs. Not just great creative (the art) but creativity as marketers, bringing new approaches and ideas to the market. There's so much untapped potential with the capabilities marketers have today versus just a few short years ago. I said that a year ago and not much has changed. Lots of potential here for marketers!

7. Investment Thinking. I said, "Marketing measurement is ready to hit the mainstream and move beyond lip service...it's not that creativity doesn't matter - it matters a lot. But as a means to an end, and the end must be measurable." Result for 2008 - it's still true and some progress was made in '08. Look for increased accountability in 2009 as budets tighten and accountability increases.

6. Mass Is Dead. I said, "We've all heard it. It's true. The writer's strike, if it lasts, will be the proof. No one will miss network or even major cable shows after a while." Result" On target. Does anyone really miss Lost or American Idol?? Targeted media is the trend. SBTV.com for examle, :)

5. Direct is Alive. Online. The ability to converse with your customer in a 1:1 opt-in world is like finding a haystack full of needles. Still true.

4. Integrate. I said, "Integration of marketing processes into the selling process. Integration of all marketing element from strategy through execution, across media, web, promotion, packaging, etc.. It's all about marketing systems. Connect the dots so it all makes sense, then measure every step." Marketers are trying, although not many have solved it.

3. Narrowcast. Such a cool trend. "Micro-media networks are like micro-breweries. You may not always like the taste, but you have to experience them. Look for targeted messaging to grow rapidly as networks expand and begin to appear in places you've never thought of -- how about your local bank or dry cleaner?" Love this. Still true for '09. More to come!

What, no #2 or #1? I told you I'd try to keep it short. And leaving out #1 and #2 might spark your own creativity. What else will happen in 2009?

Long tail search marketing has history in old forms

Long tail search on the web has existed in traditional print for years. Well, sort of. Small niche vertical publications have existed
For years. These niche publications were created to reach specific consumer or B2B audiences and to allow marketers targeted, efficient advertising opportunities. It's a crude version of the long tail search concept online today. The difference is that the current online approach offers much more data andeasuremt of return on marketing investment.

ROMI visibility heightened

Marketers will be pressed to demonstrate results as budgets are challenged, and it will be hard for those with pet progams to defend retaining them unless they can demonstrate return on marketing investment. My favorite marketing statement, "Facts Find Funding" is truer than ever in these times.