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NEW: Creative Product Distribution Brings Hope of Clean Water: Inventor Dean Kamen Connects with Coca-Cola
Dean Kamen was stymied to distribute an easy water purification device in Africa and Latin America. Then he realized “there’s only one organization that can get a product to any village in the world: Coca-Cola.”
A Mindset for Success: “We Have Enough to Win”
Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is a master team culture builder. What you can learn from his “we have enough to win” leadership philosophy.
Canadian Sports Retailer Delivers Value with Hi-Tech, Not Low Price
There’s more to value than just low price. Canadian sports retailer Sport Chek believes that. It’s going high-tech to create what it hopes will be a unique customer buying experience.
What the Marines Can Teach Business Leaders
You don’t have to join the Marine Corps to get their best teaching on leadership and decision-making for the business crucible. Just read David H. Freedman’s Corps Business: The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines. The push-ups are optional!
New York hospital goes too far with case study marketing
Just because you can tell a story doesn’t mean you should. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital mostly demonstrates how to do case study marketing well, but a new TV commercial goes too far.
Arrow Electronics Uses NCAA Hoops to Rollout B2B Corporate Branding
Arrow Electronics has invested in a major corporate branding campaign with an attention-getting idea called The Innovator’s Club. A full understanding and appreciation of the company’s message probably requires a bit of effort from customers.
How to Get Rid of Innovation-itis
Companies struggle and even become disillusioned with innovation because of the wrong expectations. How Elkay and Louisville Slugger moved the needle with non-transformational innovation.
Ace Hardware Aims to Win with “The Help”
A new marketing campaign from Ace Hardware builds from a simple positioning – “Getting help at Ace is like going to your neighbor” – and is effectively communicated in new TV commercials.
3M Brands Get Endorsement Right with Mike Holmes
What is it about endorsements that make them such a tempting magical elixir for marketers and agencies? Read a mini case study of 3M brand endorsements with HGTV contractor Mike Holmes, and get five key pointers for your marketing endorsement decision-making process.
Engage Customers with “Content Marketing”
Content marketing should be part of your marketing mix and deserves to be treated strategically because it can be a real difference-maker. Learn about Serena Software’s five-part video episode series called “Doug Serena, CIO.”
Put “70 Percent Solution” & Rapid Fielding Concepts into Go-to-Market Toolbox
These can be business differentiators. Spread this way of thinking across your company and make it a valuable addition to your organization’s go-to-market toolbox.
9 Thought-Provoking Leadership & Personal Growth Ideas for 2013
Here are a few thought-provoking ideas from my recent reading, including from Jeff Bezos and Clayton Christensen, that resonated with me and could prove valuable to you. While they’re mostly for your professional consideration, you may also find some personal overlap. They’re organized into nine categories for easy processing.
Duluth Trading Company Nails Positioning for Tradesmen Clothes
Super-clear positioning and content marketing drive Duluth Trading Company. Marketing basics do work. If you can get your positioning and personality easily defined, you’ve got a solid platform to reach customers, especially when your product line backs it up. Then, become a great story-teller.
Acer Computer’s Megan Fox Marketing Campaign is a Big Question Mark
Sorry, Megan Fox talking to dolphins is not a reason to buy an Acer computer. Maybe I’m missing the boat, but there should be more than that to an Acer brand-building campaign, especially when reallocating and investing limited company financial resources.
CA Winery Blends Packaging & Consumer Insights To Create New Products
Packaging can be a powerful component of the marketing and branding mix – when used skillfully. Mini case study of Calilfornia winery Truett-Hurst’s launch of Evocative Wrapped Bottles occasion-based wines.
Marketing Lessons from the Axe Brand Team
The latest Axe brand communication is Showerpooling, a social media-driven marketing campaign that integrates the Axe brand essence with a tongue-in-cheek nod to environmentalism
Save the CEO Newspaper Letter for the Big Stuff
Save the CEO and C-Suite leaders for the most important customer communications. When he or she takes a large newspaper ad and gives out a personal email address, it should be vitally important and especially urgent.
Uber Shows How to Make Money with Social Media
On-demand car service company Uber provides a strong example of how a business can use the net to engage with its customer base and drive change. They just told their customers what was happening and gave them the tools to take their own action. This is the power of the Internet today.
How to Sell Steak at Walmart: Find New Ways to Talk About An Old Product.
Walmart’s steak marketing is a good example of a strategy I refer to as “making news.” This means finding and/or creating relevant message point news about your brand or product. It’s especially applicable for mature products that don’t easily lend themselves to product improvement or innovations – steak, for example.
Google, Coca-Cola Leaders Push Transformative Mindset
Need to overcome big hurdles? Take a page from Coca-Cola’s Muhtar Kent and Google’s Sebastian Thrun. Be constructively discontent and get rid of the baggage!
What Azerbaijan’s New Taxis Can Teach Us About Branding
The next time someone asks you to define branding, tell the story about how Azerbaijan selected the iconic London taxi for its fleet modernization. That’s all you really need to know.
American Express Treats “Service” as a Marketing Differentiator
Let’s give Jim Bush (EVP World Service) a “marketer of the day” award for his mindset on how to leverage the service function to impact the bottom line – via customer engagement and not simple transaction management.
Would You Buy IKEA’s New Integrated HD Entertainment Furniture System?
Global retailer IKEA has just announced that it’s entering (or perhaps creating?) a new category of integrated electronics and furniture. The new HD entertainment furniture system is easy to understand from a corporate strategy and mission standpoint. It even seems to address a consumer opportunity area. Give them high marks for thinking different and being willing to innovate. That doesn’t guarantee success, though.
6 Management & Marketing Ideas from Facebook and Lululemon
New ideas, clever approaches and important reminders always jump off the page during my business reading, especially those that might apply to challenges I’m facing or will likely face again. Here are six management and marketing ideas that stood out to me recently, along with an “action step thought starter” for each one.
Coca-Cola Portugal Gets A+ in Sponsorship Activation
Beyond getting the strategy and platform right, powerful sponsorship is all about activation and user engagement. To Coca-Cola Portugal, I simply say, Goaaaaaallllll!
Why You Need to Market for the “Zero Moment of Truth”
ZMOT – Winning the Zero Moment of Truth is an easy reading, 73-page e-book that every marketer, seller, businessperson and customer touchpoint team member should read. It’s a simple, yet powerful reminder of something fundamentally important and critical in today’s business world: “Can they even find your product?”
Is Apple’s Secret Culture Really the Way to Go?
Apple has such a wonderful reputation and so much cool marketing that I was shocked to read details about its secretive corporate culture. It flies in the face about everything I’ve been taught, believe and have seen work during my business career.
Penney Pushes Change. What Can You Take Away?
J.C. Penney’s new CEO, former Apple executive Ron Johnson, boldly proclaimed the retailer’s plan to become “America’s favorite store.”
You Can Do It – Kipling’s Prescription for Success
What Rudyard Kipling’s “If” poem teaches us about life and business.
Social Media Idea Powers Brazilian Condom Marketer
Ideas power marketing. Today’s example: check out this terrific marketing idea for Brazil’s Olla Condoms.
Sexy Target Marketing Promotes Male Cancer Awareness
A British health organization has taken a super-sexy approach to help solve the deadly serious issue of testicular cancer. Let’s explore why this is such a great marketing lesson and reminder for all of us.
Here are three ideas that can help overcome the “we’ve always done it this way” syndrome, and better yet, foster a forward-looking, innovative culture and mindset.
Don’t Be a Lazy Marketer. Use Marketing Briefs.
Hey marketers, if you can’t or don’t want to take the time on the front-end to map out just what it is you want to achieve and why, then don’t expect to have any success. Sure, you might get lucky, but over time, the odds are greatly against you. You need to write a marketing brief.
General Mills Pushes Magic Brownies. Plus 5 Tips for Evaluating Bold Marketing Ideas.
You’re in a conference room being pitched ideas for the marketing rollout of your new product and the recommendation is to use iconic marijuana-smoking characters from a 1970s movie. What do you do?
The Brand Management-Retail Management Battle at Sears
Craftsman tools are now for sale at Costco. Sears’ dilemma may just be that what’s good for the brands is not good for the stores. Channel expansion for Sears’ big, power brands may be the right brand management choice, but how can that be the right retail growth management choice?
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council Publishes H. Chimoff Article. 
Make Strategic Changes From Position of Strength, Not Weakness. Why do leaders and companies seemingly wait until crisis time before making the tough go-to-market and organizational structure decisions needed to ensure healthy sales and profit generation? The best time to do this is when the company is doing well and can process the change rationale and ramifications from a position of strength.
Mobile marketing is hot, particularly smartphones. It’s no surprise that marketers are in overdrive figuring out how to optimize engagement and maximize experience for mobile consumers and customers.
Advertising That Saves Rental Car $$$
Budget Rent a Car of Atlanta has partnered with Wrap Media Group to wrap rental vehicles with the Sheets™ Brand Energy Strips logo. Significant discounts are touted for those bold enough to be indirect brand ambassadors.
Now Playing: The Holographic Marketing Communicator
Technology should be on your radar screen in the context of difference-making, whether in terms of direct customer experience or in-house productivity.
Winning Lessons from US Womens Soccer
Yes, congratulate the women’s World Cup soccer team. Beyond the great play, what really stood out to me was the teamwork, mindset and leadership. Great players have success but the best teams become champions.
Leadership Tips from United CEO Jeff Smisek
There’s a certain wow factor about United CEO Jeff Smisek’s leadership and management philosophy because he comes across so straightforward and genuine, without the jargon and BS. Smisek is a refreshing difference, which is why he stands out.
New Corona “Find Your Beach” Commercial Powerfully Delivers Brand Positioning
You can build meaningful brand/product/service differentiation, image and equity with the right positioning foundation and marketing communications ideas that bring it to life. Corona Extra’s “Find Your Beach” tv campaign is a poster example.
Ace Hardware and Avis Bring Positioning to Life in New Ads
Why does some advertising easily fit and resonate for the brand while so much does not? One answer is that the advertising is consistent with the positioning, and helps dimensionalize it and bring it to life for customers.
Make Strategic Changes From Position of Strength, Not Weakness
Why do leaders and companies seemingly wait until crisis time before making the tough go-to-market and organizational structure decisions needed to ensure healthy sales and profit generation? The best time to do this is when the company is doing well and can process the change rationale and ramifications from a position of strength.
Inspiration from Ritz Carlton: Create & Activate Your Extended Marketing Team for Customer Success
Positioning only to the customer is not enough. There’s an important corollary, which is positioning to internal, cross-functional teams so that they are prepared to successfully interact with customers. Today’s CMO should create, engage and activate a powerful extended marketing team, that together with superb positioning, can produce a compelling, differentiating customer experience.
New Strategies Bring Change at Cisco and Best Buy
Cisco (shutting the Flip recorder business) and Best Buy (reducing big box square footage and adding mobile stores) made important strategic announcements last week. Each decision provides a good opportunity for a mini-case study discussion. After you read my take, post a comment and tell me what you think.
Stop-You-in-Your-Tracks Advertising
The new bus ad for Midwest DNA & Drug Testing, Inc. is brilliant. It plays off a popular expression, which cuts right to the core service and benefit. Simple, effective and powerful. Plus, avoid these six pitfalls in your advertising development and creative evaluation process.
Gillette Pushes Razor Growth by Competing Against Itself
Gillette, a Procter & Gamble brand, has an impressive marketing innovation track record with razors. Gillette, and now P&G, has not been afraid to compete against itself and to cannibalize, if necessary, existing products for higher priced/higher margin sales.
The Basics Aren’t Sexy but Help Get the Right Things Done
Powerful, effective ideas don’t have to be based on fancy jargon or complex theories. The basics often work quite well. That’s the major takeaway from the short book: Plugged: Dig out & get the right things done.
Customer understanding and market research should be key components of your strategic marketing planning. This is often a significant expenditure, but you don’t always have to invest big bucks to understand your customer. When possible, take advantage of low-cost, easy-to-implement options such as the following example from Amazon.
What I Learned in China – Exclusive Interview
Everyone is talking about China. But what do we really know? Here’s an exclusive interview with ex-pat business executive Greg Morency, just back from living and working in Shanghai. It’s an inside look at lessons learned from doing business in China.
You play Brand Manager. Check out the Starbucks logo evolution and then tell us what you think.
Sales & Marketing Management Publishes H. Chimoff Article
Put the Marketing in Your Trade Shows. 12 organization and action points to help maximize your trade show marketing.
UK first aider markets to save lives
Don’t let mature brands and commodity products stop you from producing terrific marketing. As UK first aid charity organization St John Ambulance vividly demonstrates, you can break through.
Feel the Noise – SunChips Canada goes Social for Compostable Packaging
Frito Lay Canada engages consumers with a clever social media campaign to market its new compostable SunChips packaging.
Former NFL star and Super Bowl winner Brad Benson leverages current events, politics and celebrity actions to create memorable, attention-getting radio ads for the largest car dealership in New Jersey. His unique communications platform drives traffic, and enhances brand identity and market awareness.
Ponder the meaning and implications of CEO marketing leadership examples from 3M, Wal-Mart and United Continental for your team and company.
Everyone wants to be a brand manager, but figuring out how to use brands is hard. Discussion examples from Hyundai, Continental-United, Starbucks and Donald Trump.
Make the Sales Team Your Friend
Here are four key themes to embrace for successful marketing-sales interaction and communication, which will also help you build a great working relationship.
Here’s a short story about Olive Garden and wine. It’s a good reminder that marketers need to make their products and services approachable, easy-to-understand, and sometimes even fun.
OfficeMax Takes Expertise to New Channels
You may be surprised to learn how OfficeMax has creatively modified its go-to-market strategy. Office Max unlocked growth potential because it avoided defining itself as purely an office supply store retailer.
Commodity? Not All Chicken is the Same
When you’ve got meaningful differentiation, market the heck out of it. When you don’t have it, gear your innovation efforts to get it. If it’s just not possible, out-execute your competitors.
Don’t be the emperor with no clothes. When it comes to operating your business and maximizing performance, relying on limited, assumption-based rather than fact-based knowledge has the potential to lead the organization astray.
Loyalty Goes Both Ways for Hotel Chain
InterContinental Hotels Group has a new Priority Club rewards program. I don’t know if it’s crazy, brilliant marketing or much ado about nothing. However, to break from the pack, a certain dose of bold and different is often required.
21st Century Soda Fountain Offers Innovative Choice
Innovation can take many forms within the go-to-market strategy, and is not restricted to just new products. Make sure your company invests in some “imagineering” resources to protect existing businesses and/or to grow new ones. Here’s a look at the new Coca-Cola Freestyle fountain dispenser, and why Coke hopes it’s the next real thing.
Power Leadership from Football Coach Rex Ryan
A study of New York Jets football coach Rex Ryan reveals important leadership, communication and motivational insights for business and marketing leaders. “You’re going to stay the same, get better or get worse. We’re getting better.”
Expand Your Horizons for Winning Ideas
What’s the marketing connection between Netherlands lingerie, Brazilian hamburgers and US chicken? Cast your idea net far and wide for inspiration that can help drive your business.
Championship Inspiration from Coach K
Everyone wants it, scores have written about it, many aspire to provide it, but few can actually produce it: great leadership. The leadership philosophy of Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski extends from the court to the marketplace.
Observations From The Great Food Nutrition Debate
March 2010 featured four intriguing events pertaining to the great food nutrition debate. There are implications to be gleaned from food retailers Hy-Vee and Basha’s Supermarkets; Michelle Obama’s address to the GMA; and the new reality television show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.
Marketers need to be savvy operators who understand that marketing’s role is to help generate profitable sales. Former Denny’s CMO Mark Chmiel opines on the topic.
Attention Marketers: Watch Undercover Boss
Undercover Boss provides tv entertainment that will stimulate important reflection about your job and company.
New ideas don’t always have to be new. The Food Network’s Unwrapped show featured a coin-operated eating blast from the past with BAMN! Automat.
Inspired By Harshest Critics, Dominos Rolls New Pizza
Why would the number one US pizza delivery company highlight that consumers think its product tastes like “cardboard?” Explore the incredible new marketing campaign for reformulated Domino’s Pizza.
Beware The Arrogance of Dismissing Competition
A case study about the pitfalls of underestimating the competition. Lessons from the the use of Predator drone aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Inside the Red Blue $1 DVD Battle
Coinstar Inc. and its Redbox DVD rental kiosk are battling NCR, with licensed brand Blockbluster Express, and its own DVD kiosk. Gain important marketing insights from this content delivery battle.
BoltBus Provides A Branding Ticket To Ride
Advertising Age magazine named BoltBus one of “America’s Hottest Brands.” Read why.
Duracell, part of Procter & Gamble, unveiled a new strategy to position itself beyond just batteries. The company organized a suite of existing and new products under the Duracell Smart Power platform.
Burger King Links In-Store with At-Home
Burger King, seeking to leverage its brand and generate new revenue streams, utilized licensing to bring BK branded french fries and apples to the at-home market.
Welcome To the Brave New World of Consumer Generated Marketing
Kraft Foods Australia invites consumers to name its new Vegemite product and takes a wild marketing ride.
Testing New Choices: Whats’ For Lunch, Mom?
Armour-Eckrich challenges Kraft Lunchables with test market launch of Active Packs.
Does Face-Time Mean Revenue Time?
Create a price benefit that can help build your business longer-term instead of just getting a one-time sales spike. Learn from British Airways.
Technology can play a role in bringing your marketing strategy to life. Examples from Live Sports Radio, print ads with embedded video, Avatar and Coldwell Banker.
Take calculated risks in your promotion strategy to achieve differentiation. Learn from the NBA’s New Jersey Nets and Jet Blue Airways.
Direct comparison/attack advertising examples from the Ball Park/Oscar Mayer hot dog war; Powerade vs. Gatorade; and Campbell Soup against Progresso.
Experiment and test new ways to impact and persuade your customers. Intriguing examples from the LPGA, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Metropolitan Police Department and Miller Lite.
Great teams require excellent leadership and coaching. Examples from Google, Costco and Colin Powell.
Did channel expansion lead to the downfall of Mattress pioneer 1800mattress.com?
Connecticut casinos Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods join forces in an unexpected destination marketing campaign.
Creative marketing campaign from Air New Zealand.
