As marketers we must never be in a position where we are just throwing shit up on the wall to see what sticks. We should be applying our creativity and artistry in execution of a strategic hypothesis that is based on research and genuine insight.
Here I write a short hero story. It may ring true for others who loved (and hated in short bursts) their fathers, who wanted to be like them and wanted not to be like them, who were proud and ashamed, who will dearly miss them when they are gone.
Is it better to have a unique name like Kinko's or a more descriptive one like Staples? Is it better to have a name that's actually a person's name like Lowe's or something that really clues you in to the core business promise is such as Home Depot? International Business Machines or just a feel good symbol like Apple?
There is danger and reward everywhere.
Last year I wrote about taking a solid two-week vacation and described taking the family to our remote Canadian island with no electricity and no running water.
That was a really good vacation.
This year, I blew it.
I came upon the Jerry Seinfeld "Don't break the chain." reference twice in two days this week. If you have not heard it, it's a recollection from Brad Isaac of some useful and practical advice he was given by a then up-and-coming Jerry Seinfeld.
Kids? History? Are we talking oil and water?
Maybe, but many popular kid games are packed with history both real and imagined. It's a rich source of material.
We know history is enthralling, and given the right hooks, kids bring the past to life for themselves. So how do we make history relevant for kids?
Games can do it.
"I want a new website." There is a certainty in the eyes and voice that pushes back my objections. "That's what we need. Here is what we want it to do. How much will it be?"
This desire and clarity of purpose is supported by the belief that a new website will make things all better, like a mommy's kiss.
To better understand the trim tab principal and begin to think about how you might be able to apply it to your organization or marketing problem, here are some examples of trim tab discoveries drawn from various fields of endeavor.
What can you do that will be effective at getting the word out, but will not break the bank?
Is there a relatively inexpensive tactical shift can you make right now that will yield significant long term results?
The answer is yes. It's just a matter of finding it. It will not be obvious or easy.
The new Reversible Destiny Foundation website is a metaphorical extension of their persistent and active interference with death and the death-dealing habits that populate a normal life. She aims no lower than to free you physically and mentally from the confines of assumption about your body, your perception of the world, and—very literally—to free you from death.
We have had to create a few historical game characters for games targeted at kids. Along the way we have acquired some insights that may be useful to others doing the same or similar things.
If your mission, your reason for being in the world—regardless of whether you are a museum, a nonprofit, or a for-profit—is good, then you have no excuse not to market yourself.
Marketing can be the difference between your mission being known and understood, and not. From this perspective, NOT to market is a crime.
Learn successful marketing strategies that use the optimism bias: Highlight the positive when making direct connections to consumers. Generalize negative scenarios. Learn from past examples tapping into the bias
The warning label which works contrary to our tendency toward optimism and self-indulgence misses the potential leverage point because the possible event of a future consequence can be set aside, rationalized away, and, most importantly, simply ignored because we (most of us) are biologically wired to pay little attention to such warnings.
The opportunity for fun is at the heart of viral marketing, and what happened with this Romney campaign App COULD be looked at as something more interesting than a few days of online entertainment.
