Credentialism

The most compelling credentials, listed in the order of their respective power, are…

– Most widely-used
– Best-selling
– First
– Award-winning
– Top-rated
– Largest

These six Power Phrases work to different degrees and for different reasons.

Choosing Customer Segments

The decision of which segments to choose is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges for a firm. The reason? Firms often identify a greater number of attractive segments that they are capable of pursuing, given their limited resources. It is tempting to enter all segments (see the tutorial on segment coverage), especially those that are growing and represent potentially great profits. In marketing, while … [ Read more ]

How to Beat Impossible Odds in Lead Generation: Make Your Offer Shine

“In an economy where only the bare essentials survive budget cuts, it’s tougher than ever to promote products or services that aren’t “mission-critical” for your audience.

But no matter how steep the odds, it’s still possible to generate surprisingly good response rates – while attracting quality leads – by making your lead-generation offer irresistible.”

In the Service of One-Night Stands?

Many managers in service industries who are trying to develop relationships with their customers believe that satisfying them is enough to create a committed customer base. It is true that satisfaction is important because it can lead to increased customer loyalty. But this is not the complete picture.

Conjoint Analysis (Tutorial)

Conjoint analysis is a technique that allows managers to analyze how customers make trade-offs. It can be used to understand how customers make trade-offs in benefits (and thereby can be used to ultimately segment a market) or understand how customers make trade-offs in attributes, and this can be highly useful in designing products (say, for helping to calibrate the precise level of an attribute that … [ Read more ]

How to Segment Markets

“Perhaps the most important analytical process of marketing is segmentation. By segmenting the market, one obtains a very clear understanding of customers and ultimately provides a basis for clear and precise targeting and positioning. But segmentation is also very difficult and, especially without customer data, is what I would admit as an art form in marketing…”

Do I “Really” Have Your Attention?

Sure, people remember your ad. But do they know what it was for, or who it was by?

Brand Metrics: Your Key to Measuring Return on Brand Investment

Many businesses view “branding” as something important, but also somewhat elusive in terms of measuring its performance…Utilizing a well thought-out and balanced set of metrics drives objective decision-making and aids in the development of brand over time.

To Bundle or Not to Bundle?

Bundling – the sale of two or more products in a package – is everywhere. American consumers are stuffed with combo meals, value packs and the like. Microsoft even fought (and if somebody may wonder, still is fighting) one of the biggest legal battles in US history over it. But what makes bundling so attractive to companies and what are its legal pitfalls?

Laughing All the Way to the Bank?

Trials and Tribulations of Humor in Advertising.

All That Glitters is Not Sold

Trendlines shared some highlights from color expert Lee Eiseman’s address at the 2001 International Housewares Show in last January in which she stated that “the interesting, different and unique use of color will always attract attention — on every level of merchandise.” Here’s what Eiseman had to say about some of today’s most popular colors…

Uncovering Customers’ Real Motivations

Since the 1950s marketers have devised various tools and methods designed to uncover consumer motivations-projective techniques like sentence completion, collages, or word association tests, focus groups, ethnographic studies, and depth interviews. While all these method may yield valuable insights, one that is useful but less well known is a technique called “laddering.”

Never Trust a ‘Silent’ Customer

Do you have customers that leave suddenly? You’ve been doing this outstanding job for them, lavishing them with truckloads of service and yet they’re gone without a word.

The key operating factor here is ‘without a word.’ That’s the scary part! The silent ones are always the most dangerous. If you would like to learn how to keep your customers, you’ve first got to keep … [ Read more ]

8 Ways to Make Your Direct Marketing Copy Work Harder

In direct marketing campaigns – Audience is essential … Offer is Everything … Creative is merely Compulsory.

Fine. Nevertheless, Copy is still King. Here’s why: without good copy, your perfectly-targeted audience might never understand that wonderful offer of yours – or, even if they’re suitably impressed, may not summon up the energy to do anything about it.

So whether you’re penning an e-blast yourself, or reviewing … [ Read more ]