At the end of each "business week" we put together several stories that you may have seen (or missed) and offer up our thoughts about each. As always you're invited to take part with a comment here or by following us on Twitter @InsightADV or our advertising agency Facebook Page, which is right here. Thanks for coming by. Let's see what's been going on.
Cookie Cutter Branding
What works at Target might not work over at JC Penny Co. at least that's what we shared with you this week as Michael Francis abruptly left the struggling retailer after only ten months on the job. We think it didn't work for several reasons. Primary was the failure of JC Penny Co. to understand their core consumer and their brand expectations. While "the look" worked...the execution didn't. Here's our story and the reasons why we always caution companies to know your consumer's brand expectations...first.
Sugar and Fat Kids?
Not everybody loves Tony the Tiger or Captin' Crunch. That's the message from an anti-obesity group who claims media (advertising spending) by the cereal folks is up 34% and targets...kids who, they claim, get just modest nutrition vs. high sugar/sodium content. Here are some interesting graphics and notes from our friends at Advertising Age. Pass the milk...
No "Service" in the Service Economy?
Everybody talks about their "service" but have things really changed since we wrote this piece back in 2008? Be honest now...are you really doing service to your customers or are you still stuck in the "manufacturing mode"? The really cool thing about this is YOU have the power to make the change...if it's important.
Low Tech Marketing of High Tech Products
We love agriculture and this past week had the opportunity to attend the Farm Progress Hay Expo in Boone, Iowa. For those of us who follow agriculture we know how much high tech work goes into the creation of new equipment, seeds, soil amendments and services yet agriculture continues to market in the low tech world of farm shows. Why? Their audience is not yet fully conformed to high tech methods of marketing. And, that's something you should remember when you're considering a move from traditional to new media. Are your customers going to come along for the ride? Here's a post from Hwy. 6 - Your Road to the Country along with a quick video about something very high tech from Brillion.
Matt Harding...Dances
It's not quite business but this moved us. Matt Harding is a guy who quit his job and traveled the world...all with a point to make. He's received funding after his first dancing adventure from the folks at Stride Gum and this article, and more importantly the video is something you should not...miss. If it doesn't touch you you're one hard ass. Here's the story and the video from our friends at Ad Rants. Bonus...if you click on the Stride Gum link...you'll see some pretty edgy stuff...we likey.
Twitter Down on Thursday
You may not have noticed...from the local or national media...but those of us connected to Twitter did. And quickly. Twitter was in and out on Thursday and if you think that's no big deal you need to consider that folks post about 100,000 tweets...per minute worldwide. So, when a popular platform like this has a hic-cup we get it. That fact led us to this article from Mashable about "How Much Data Is Created Each...Minute?" We think you will be shocked at the infographic.
That's it and have a wonderful weekend. Whew...got this out the door by 9:00AM...Central. Not too shabby...now, back to work everybody!
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.