Archive for the ‘Niche Marketing’ Category
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 |
[Big Idea] You don’t even need to buy magazines to learn what’s hot, stylish, or what you & your customers like. This research is free! Find what you like and adapt it to your store. ##
Tanya Irwin | Source: Online Media Daily
The people at Time Inc. have launched MyHomeIdeas.com, a home and garden portal featuring original content, plus material from magazines including Cottage Living, Coastal Living, Southern Living, Southern Accents and Sunset as well as Oxmoor House books.
The portal includes 60 in-house staffers with expertise in design, décor, architecture and landscaping who share their knowledge on the site. MyHomeIdeas.com offers decorating basics, interior design trends, how-to videos, step-by-step instructions for home and gardening projects, virtual tours, new products, “before and after” images, resources, polls and blogs.
Posted in Internet, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 |
Source: MSNBC
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Dairy Queen is facing a dilly of a problem — a rebellion against the revamping of restaurants by a growing number of mostly mom-and-pop franchise owners.
Claiming that DQ is forcing them to increase the size of restaurants or add table service under the threat of losing their franchises, owner associations with members in 10 states are now suing the chain.
The lawsuit contends Dairy Queen is trying to force franchise owners to spend between $275,000 and $450,000 to remodel stores to adhere to an unproven concept — one that will cost more to operate, double staffing requirements, and cut into profits.
“No one should have to make this conversion that is quite expensive unless they want to,” Caruso says. “If the DQ Grill & Chill concept was such a promising new concept, then the free market would solve this problem.”
That hasn’t happened, according to the lawsuit.
As of December 2006, the complaint says, just 105 Grill & Chill restaurants had opened in the United States. Some have performed poorly, and two have closed.
Read the full story at MSNBC >>
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
[Big Idea] Seize every opportunity — even “little” ones — when they present themselves. Considering the lifetime value of even just one customer, it’s worth it! An ounce of perceived “good will” can become a quart of great results. ##
by Nina M. Lentini | Source: Marketing Daily
MARKETING LOVES A VACUUM. IN the wake of Starbucks’ announcement that it will close all of its 7,100 company-owned stores on Tuesday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in order to refocus more than 135,000 employees on its espresso standards, other coffee vendors are leaping to the fore.
Stew Leonard’s, which roasts its 20 varieties of coffee in-house and brews more than 2,000 pounds of beans every day, on Wednesday said it will offer free cups of coffee, espresso and cappuccino while Starbucks is closed. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Lessons in Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
[Big Idea] If your target marker is younger adults (ages 18-34), consider advertising on your local newspapers’ websites. ##
by Erik Sass | Source: Media Daily News
NEWSPAPER WEB SITES ARE REACHING elusive younger readers, a new analysis by Scarborough Research indicates–giving a much-needed boost to the ailing newspaper business. The growth in online audiences is offsetting losses in print readership, at least somewhat.
The Scarborough survey tracked 88 newspapers in the top 50 local markets from August 2004 to March 2007. It found that local newspaper audience weekly “coverage” or penetration grew 14%, from 6.4% of the total adult population in the year ending September 2005 to 7.3% in the year ending March 2007. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
Source: Chain Drug Review
The ads feature the tagline “Pharmacies. The face of neighborhood health care.” They support that theme with messages about pharmacies and pharmacists, including their convenience, accessibility, expertise, prevention of drug interactions, and counseling of patients to take medications as prescribed.
“Today we are announcing a major campaign to tell our story like never before,” Anderson said. “We are turning up the volume on this central message: Pharmacies are essential to health care.”
Members of focus groups for the ads had an “aha” moment when they appreciated the vital role of pharmacy in the health care system, Anderson noted.
“Personally, they had benefited from pharmacy services many times,” he said. “They had obtained a prescription when away from home. They enjoyed access to pharmacists’ advice and medicine when a child was in need. They knew a pharmacist helped an elderly parent when a new drug was prescribed. They trusted that someone was going to help ensure they weren’t taking incompatible medications.
“But they just hadn’t made the connection that pharmacy is part of the health care system and should be treated that way in public policy.”
Read the full story at Chain Drug Review >>
Posted in Business Success, Lessons in Marketing, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
Source: Forbes.com
Direct retailer Lillian Vernon Corp. (Web: LillianVernon.com) on Wednesday filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code, a week after it laid off half of its year-round work force.
Lillian Vernon sells low-cost gifts and gadgets through its catalog and Web site.
Full story at Forbes >>
Posted in Business Success, Legal, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
James Temple | Source: San Francisco Chronicle
The 184-store chain “is in a severe liquidity crisis,” according to a Chapter 11 filing submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., on Tuesday, signed by Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Roedell. The company is seeking permission from the court to shutter 90 stores and sell off inventory.
Sharper Image’s declining financial state “may be attributed, in significant part, to its air-purification products,” the filing said. Such items represented 9.4 percent of the company’s revenue in fiscal 2007, down from 27.7 percent in 2005, it said. The company, which has about 2,246 employees in the United States, listed $251.5 million in assets and $199 million in debts.
In addition to challenges on the Ionic Breeze front, high-tech products have lost much of their novelty and have become the purview of discounters like Target Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp., said Kurt Barnard, president of Retail Forecasting LLC of New Jersey. The company also has faced growing competition from stores with similar models, including Hammacher Schlemmer and Brookstone Inc., which introduced a less-expensive air purifier.
“The Sharper Image is no longer alone in pioneering the field of new and exciting items,” Barnard said. “They have found it increasingly difficult over the last couple of years to hold onto their customers.”
He said it’s unlikely the company will ever emerge from bankruptcy protection.
The slowing economy and growing fears of a recession are contributing to Sharper Image’s woes, as shoppers become increasingly cost conscious, said Nina Gruen, executive vice president and co-founder of San Francisco research firm Gruen Gruen + Associates.
“They’re not going out and spending frivolously right now,” she said. “Impulse today is gasoline. They’re not about to buy Sharper Image.”
Get the rest of the story at the San Francisco Chronicle >>
Posted in Business Success, Legal, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 |
[Karin's Take] Here’s a perfect example of how changing your advertising can result in a major sales boost. This is why it is imperative to understand who your buyer is, what they are looking for, and that your advertising message actually matches up and speaks to that buyer. If you’re not hitting them in a way that speaks to them, your ad isn’t doing everything it could for you.
So if you’re not getting the results you want, make a change and test it. Keep changing, and keep testing, and keep measuring and analyzing the results. If you don’t track the changes you make, measure and analyze the results of each change, then you have no idea what’s working and what’s not!
Now let’s read how the boys at Absolut kicked some butt. ##
By Jeremy Mullman | Source: Advertising Age
What happens when you ditch a legendary, iconic and recognized ad strategy synonymous with your brand for decades?
Absolut resurgence.
After trading in its print-based campaign tied to the shape of its bottle for a global multimedia approach last year themed, “It’s an Absolut world,” the Swedish vodka brand saw its sales spike.
According to the company, global case shipments jumped 9%, and Absolut gained market share in the crowded and increasingly competitive U.S. market — no easy feat for a mature brand trying to fend off an ever-expanding pool of upstarts.
Absolut, the No. 2 U.S. vodka brand, trailing only Smirnoff, also broke the 5 million case mark last year for the first time — a status shared with only Bacardi, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Jack Daniels in the spirits space.
“We took a really different approach and it paid tremendous dividends,” said Ian Crystal, Absolut’s brand director. “A lot of our key numbers had been flat or declining, and they’re all going up now.”
Absolut’s sluggishness was partially a result of an ad campaign that had fallen out of step with its product’s place in the market, executives said after they made the campaign switch last spring.
Even so, the marketer was reluctant to end one of the most celebrated campaigns in the history of alcohol marketing, no matter how irrelevant it had become. “We almost looked at [change] as heretical,” said Rob Smiley, creative director at TBWA/Chiat/Day, Absolut’s longtime creative agency. “But consumers really needed to see something fresh.”
TBWA Managing Director Jamie Gallo said the campaign attempted to steer Absolut clear of what he called the “rational benefits” being claimed by so many upstarts in the category, many of whom boast the best taste or the smoothest feel. Many of these claims contradict each other, and a few have even wound up in lawsuits. “We know people don’t purchase as much on rational benefits as on emotional benefits,” he said.
Read the full story at Advertising Age >>
Posted in Legal, Lessons in Marketing, Marketing, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 |
[Karin's Take] Think about this one in terms of your business. Is there a way you can adapt WaMu’s approach to your shop or business, to break free of the mold you (or your industry) has been cast in, so people will SEE you in a new and inspiring light? So people will want to flock to your shop/business enthusiastically because they want to be a PART of it? ##
Source: SeattlePI.com
WHOO WHO? More bankers are hitting the unemployment lines, although this time they happen to be fictional.
Washington Mutual last week unveiled a new advertising campaign encompassing print, billboards, radio, TV, direct mail and the Internet, built around the theme of “Whoo hoo!” That’s supposed to reflect moments of “a dream-like state where customers visualize moments of personal elation in response to learning about WaMu products and services,” according to a news release. Reinforcing that message are such advertising tag lines as “We don’t nickel and dime you.”
The bigger story, though, is that WaMu has unceremoniously retired the pin-stripe-suited “bankers in the pen” supposed to represent those villainous competitors doing that nickel-and-diming. WaMu, which last year switched its advertising account from Leo Burnett to TBWA/Chiat/Day, says the new campaign is “a more forward-looking, optimistic approach,” one that emphasizes “who we are” rather than “who we’re not.”
Read the full story at SeattlePI.com >>
Posted in Business Success, Lessons in Marketing, Marketing, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Saturday, February 16th, 2008 |
AP | Source: MSNBC
Overall, the U.S. retail industry is bracing for its bleakest times since the 1991 recession.
…. “We are looking at recession levels of spending for consumers,” said Frank Badillo, vice president and senior retail economist at consulting company Retail Forward. “It’s clearly a difficult environment for retailers that is going to continue for the better part of the year.”
Consumers — weighed down by rising gas and food prices, an escalating credit crisis and slumping housing prices — are expected to hunker down for at least the first half of the year.
Read the full story at MSNBC >>
Posted in Business Success, Niche Marketing, Product, Statistics | No Comments »
Friday, February 15th, 2008 |
[Karin's Take] “Web 2.0″ and “Social Networking” have become huge catch-phrases and in-crowd type marketing over the past 18 months. Yet, is it such a great idea? has been slow to play out. There have been plenty of adopters to Facebook (at least as evidenced by frequent referrals to the service on news broadcasts) but now we are finally seeing the Dark Side of Facebook… do you really want to subject yourself to this kind of headache? Will it be a headache for you? Think carefully before jumping in. Your short-term marketing gain today could be a long-term black mark tomorrow. ##
by George Simpson | Source: Online Media Daily
MULTIBILLIONAIRE BILL GATES, WHOSE COMPANY invested $240 million in Facebook just last year, has already abandoned his Facebook account. A Microsoft spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that Mr. Gates hasn’t deleted it, but that he has stopped using it because he was inundated with friend requests. More likely, he tried to delete it and found out it is nearly impossible to do so. Even if you deactivate your account, according to The New York Times, Facebook still keeps a copy of all the information you ever posted. And, it’s still possible to contact people through deleted Facebook pages.
Not to pile on, but according to MSNBC, Facebook-types are turned off by too much advertising on social-networking sites–one reason the amount of time the average person spends on a social-networking site has dropped 14% over the last four months, according to comScore.
Did we just hear the death-knell of Web 2.0? Probably not, but I think we are seeing a divide between those who have a life and those who invent a life online. (more…)
Posted in Internet, Legal, Lessons in Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, February 15th, 2008 |
[Karin's Take] A conflict not entirely unlike what independent retailers go through at the hands of their suppliers… whether it’s one-size-fits-all marketing (that doesn’t fit!) or devaluing through no marketing at all. The classic struggle between vendor and seller carries on… ##
by Nina M. Lentini | Source: Marketing Daily
DUNKIN’ DONUTS FRANCHISEES IN NEW England and New York are publicly opposing the company’s partnership marketing strategies involving P&G, Sara Lee and Hess, asserting they will “ultimately devalue the iconic coffee brand,” that franchisees’ cash flow is down and shows “little sign of improving,” and that the partnerships will have a negative impact on Northeast markets.
In a statement released on Thursday, the DD Independent Franchise Owners (DDIFO) said 98% of surveyed franchise owners oppose the Sara Lee partnership that calls for the installation of self-service stations in office building break rooms, cafeterias and other venues with large food-service operations.
It also said that 97% oppose the Hess partnership, which calls for the installation of self-service coffee, hot chocolate and donut stations within Hess gas-convenience stations from New Hampshire to Florida.
Last year, Dunkin’ Brands partnered with P&G to sell packaged coffee in supermarkets, drug stores and off-price retailers. DDIFO says those 12-ounce packages of coffee compete directly with the 16-ounce packages sold at Dunkin’ Donuts shops. “To date, franchisees have received no financial benefit from P&G sales,” it says.
“These deals will negatively impact their businesses and the Dunkin’ Donuts brand over the long run,” said the franchise owners group. (more…)
Posted in Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Thursday, February 14th, 2008 |
by Nina M. Lentini | Source: 02/12/08 Marketing Daily
- 41% report that their online spending has increased during this period
- 63% are spending time online looking for special discounts, coupons and offers from their favorite brands and products
- 74.2% would sign up for one-off coupons and discounts for their preferred brands and products (more…)
Posted in Internet, Media Trends, Niche Marketing, Statistics | No Comments »
Thursday, February 14th, 2008 |
by Erik Sass | Source: Media Daily News
PRINT IS THRIVING–ONLINE.
The top 320 magazine Web sites received on average 67.5 million unique visitors per month during the fourth quarter of 2007–an 8.1% jump from the same period in 2006, according to Web data collected by Nielsen Online and compiled by the Magazine Publishers of America. That’s a faster rate of growth than the Internet overall, where the total U.S. online population rose 2.4% year-over-year.
These figures mean that magazine Web sites reached almost 42% of the total U.S. online population of about 160 million in the fourth quarter, an increase of 7.1% over last year’s reach. (more…)
Posted in Media Trends, Niche Marketing, Statistics | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Knowing January would be tough, many retailers slashed prices to draw customers.
It wasn’t enough.
Despite extensive discounting, many department stores, women’s apparel sellers and even discounters turned in lackluster sales in January. Just about all of the companies missed analysts’ same-store-sales expectations for the month. Overall, same-store sales rose a mere 0.3% in January from the year-earlier period, the worst monthly showing since March 2003, according to an index compiled by Thomson Financial.
Virtually nothing that stores tried was able to boost sales during January. Gift cards promoted heavily during the holidays proved disappointing.
Full story at the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) >>
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Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
By Jayne O’Donnell, USA TODAY
In recent weeks, some people who seldom shopped at Wal-Mart, for reasons ranging from a perception of low quality to poor customer service, say they’ve put aside those concerns in favor of saving money. Others who normally favor attractively displayed merchandise and a wide selection now say they find off-price retailers a way to shop down without sacrificing style or brands.
That shift, suggests Marcy Syms, CEO of off-price retailer Syms, is “something we’ll see more of, and it’s consistent with past harbingers of recession. It takes a lot for people to change buying patterns. It usually has to be something they feel significantly in their home budgets.”
Marcy Syms notes that the 1990-91 recession actually helped lift sales at Syms.
Phil Rist, a vice president at consumer insights firm BIGresearch, notes: “Consumers are shopping around more. … You’re definitely seeing more activity at the discounters than you do in economic boom times.”
Retail analyst Bill Dreher of Deutsche Bank Securities notes that Wal-Mart emerged from the 2001 recession in stronger shape than it entered it.
The trend could carry long-term implications for all the retailers. People who try — and like — stores in shaky economic times are more likely to stick with them after the economy rebounds.
About 85% of people with household incomes of more than $100,000 reported in WSL Strategic Retail’s new How America Shops survey that they were already shopping at Wal-Mart at least once in the prior three months.
Read the full story at USA Today >>
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Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
[Karin's Take] Don’t be turned off by this article’s references to supermarkets and grocers. The target audience of the article is grocery, but the principles of private labeling and why it’s working apply to any specialty retailer who sells food, and specifically private label items. ##
By Janet Groeber | Source: STORES Magazine
Gone are the lackluster generics of yore, when a retailer would knock off a leading national brand right down to the packaging and cut the price by 20 percent. Mainstream supermarkets – pinched on price by Wal-Mart on the low end and on exotic/organic offerings by the likes of Whole Foods Market on the high end, are responding with comprehensive programs to reach shoppers of all stripes.
Supermarket brands now sport slick and sleek packaging that is becoming harder for customers to peg as private label.
Two words – increased margins – make it easy to understand why private label is gaining traction. Retailers that source new products to their specifications can usually eliminate the middleman, boosting profits.
Read the full story, trends at STORES Magazine >>
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Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
By Natalie Zmuda | Source: Advertising Age
Sales growth at the struggling Gap Inc. division began to slow in 2003 and has been steadily declining since 2005. A makeover, it appeared, was long overdue, and Mr. Cape, exec VP-marketing, was more than happy to oblige. “We were trying to be all things to all people before,” he said. “We really need to resonate with who we’re going after.”
To that end, Mr. Cape, a former JC Penney exec, plans to use the full force of his $225 million advertising budget to target, primarily, women in their 20s. Major spring and fall campaigns will highlight the retailer’s commitment to the group, while other segments, such as adults who make purchasing decisions for children, will be reached with circulars and direct mail.
How are they going to do it? – read the interview with Old Navy VP-Marketing Michael Cape >>
Posted in Lessons in Marketing, Marketing, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
by Sarah Mahoney | Source: Marketing Daily
IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, retailers seem to be caught up in one do-the-right-thing spasm after another.
While the trend certainly isn’t new, observers are impressed with the sudden escalation. Maybe, in a soft economy, it’s a way for retailers to build a little extra trust–or to deflect attention from all those depressing “sales are down” headlines. Either way, they say, it’s what consumers want. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Monday, July 23rd, 2007 |
by Tanya Irwin | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
CONSUMERS CONDUCTING ONLINE HEALTH-RELATED RESEARCH favor general health information Web sites and specific ailment-focused sites rather than pharma company sites, a survey shows.
The survey, conducted by Woburn, Mass.-based Prospectiv, shows that of the 800 nationwide consumers who responded to the online poll June 20-22, 54% favor general health Web sites and 37% prefer specific ailment-focused sites, while only 4% prefer pharmaceutical company sites. (more…)
Posted in Internet, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Monday, July 23rd, 2007 |
Source: MSNBC
BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said Monday it is cutting prices on more than 16,000 items starting this week in a bid to turn around sales for the critical back-to-school season.
The price cuts, which range from 10 percent to 50 percent, will be backed by a new ad campaign on how to save money as gas prices remain high and kids head back to school. The cuts are deeper and involve even more items than in the year-ago period and top the 11,000 items discounted right before last year’s holiday season kicked off, according to Melissa O’Brien, a company spokeswoman. (more…)
Posted in Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 |
by Nina M. Lentini | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
IF YOU HAVE A HEADACHE, you take a pain reliever. If the headache persists, you can either keep taking aspirin or start doing something about your long-term health.
That’s the kind of trade-off described in a new report out from Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) that focuses on decisions made by consumer products companies as they consider short- and long-term marketing strategies. Sunil “Sunny” Garga, global services president at IRI, used the health care analogy in discussing with Marketing Daily the results of the newly released IRI report, “Long-Term Drivers Consortium Study.” (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing, Product, Statistics | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 |
MSN and Microsoft Live’s U.S. search query volume showed a 67% increase from May to June, according to a new report.
By Thomas Claburn | Source: InformationWeek
Microsoft’s search efforts may finally have found some users.
MSN and Microsoft Live’s U.S. search query volume jumped from 8.4% in May to 13.2% in June, a 67% increase, according to Internet metrics company Compete, Inc.
The key to Microsoft’s success? Prizes.
“A good portion of the additional Live searches are coming from the Live Search Club, where you can apparently play games for points which you can redeem for fine Microsoft products,” said Steve Willis, a Compete analyst, in a blog post Monday. “All of the games involve using Live’s search engine — to get the points, you have to search with Live.”
Blingo.com, powered by Google, has been using prizes to woo searchers since 2004.
Full article at Information Week >>
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Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
By Evan Schuman | Source: Storefront Backtalk
The average time it takes a consumer to make an E-Commerce purchase decision has jumped from about 19 hours in 2005 to 34 hours and 19 minutes this year, according to a report that is slated to be published next week.
The report, created by a security service called ScanAlert and based on about 128 million visitors to 470 web sites, makes the reasonable conclusion that the increase is based overwhelmingly on the increase in the number of E-Commerce sites today. In theory, this allows for much more extensive—and time-consuming—comparison shopping. (more…)
Posted in Internet, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product, Statistics | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
Source: PROMO Magazine
Despite the popular of social networking sites and other online communities, they have little effect on influencing online retail sales, a new report has found.
Such sites are only driving about 12% of online shoppers to buy more than planned, the study by JupiterResearch found.
The effectiveness of these sites, like MySpace, in driving retail sales is still emerging.
Some 53% of people making online purchases go directly to the retailer’s site versus 3% using blogs. (more…)
Posted in Internet, Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing, Statistics | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
Note: “trolley” is the Australian term for “shopping cart.” 
by Daniella Miletic | Source: The Age (Australia)
HAVE you ever wondered why you go to a supermarket with a small list of essential items and end up with a trolley full of stuff?
New research may help shed light on this contemporary dilemma.
It has found that when we shop for groceries, we go into four distinct modes of behaviour, depending on what we see on the shelves.
When we are buying sugary things regarded as treats such as chocolate, energy drinks or yoghurt, we go into “buzz mode”. At this point, we are most likely to experiment and are most open to advertising triggers. (more…)
Posted in Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
by Hitha Prabhakar | Source: Forbes.com
Dany Roussel, a personal shopper at Canadian luxury department store Holt Renfrew, has had his fair share of bizarre requests from clients.
“The other day, a guy called me up in panic about a tight-fitting tuxedo he had to wear for a black-tie event,” he says. “He wasn’t sure what type of underwear he should wear with the pants, so I sent five different options to his apartment.”
Decades ago, personal shopping was a fee-based service luxury department stores provided for wealthy women. Now retailers have actively started to target men, offering free wardrobe consulting and personal shopping services for anyone who needs help choosing a suit or coordinating the color of a belt to a pair of shoes. To remain competitive, personal shopping departments will go to great lengths to make sure clients keep coming back to their store. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
by Chad White | Source: MediaPost’s Email Insider
WHICH DAY OF THE WEEK you send your emails can have a major impact on your open and click-through rates. And the choice of that day is influenced by how many emails you send in a particular week and what your competitors are doing with their campaigns. While in some cases your competitors are creating competition for attention in your subscribers’ inboxes, in other cases their collective wisdom may give you a signal on which days you may want to choose for your own launches. Whether you want to avoid them or go with the pack, it’s definitely helpful to know what your competitors are up to.
With that in mind, I’ve mined data collected on 104 major online retailers tracked via RetailEmail.Blogspot during a 26-week period (Dec. 30, 2006, through June 29, 2007) to determine the most popular days of the week to send emails.
But before I get into that, I wanted to report the preliminary results of the Email Experience Council survey I mentioned in my column last week on button vs. link calls-to-actions. Seventy-five percent of respondents said that buttons perform better as primary calls-to-action, while only 25% said that links perform better. If you’re currently using links, this is some community wisdom worth considering.
So back to choosing the best day of the week. (more…)
Posted in Internet, Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
by Karlene Lukovitz | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
ICED TEA IS HOT-AND DUNKIN’ Donuts isn’t about to miss out on the latest beverage craze.
America’s No. 1 coffee retailer (selling nearly a billion cups per year) has now introduced freshly brewed iced teas in its restaurants throughout New England and upstate New York, and plans a nationwide rollout for early next year.
The teas are available made to order, sweetened or unsweetened, in three flavors: original, raspberry and peach. Suggested retail prices range from $1.69 for small to $2.09 for large.
Marketing support for the regional introduction will include 30-second and 15-second TV spots, two radio spots, billboards and bus wraps, online banners on targeted Web sites, and out-of-shop sampling, according to Dunkin’ Brands spokesperson Michelle King. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
by Ari Rosenberg | Source: Online Publishing Insider
IF CREATIVE SELLING IS DRIVING your business of online publishing, the wheels are made of math. Not the return on investment kind of math that comes to mind first when talking about online advertising metrics — but rather, a more natural-fitting math connecting your own revenue goals and how close or far you reside from them.
This distance between should be steering your publishing organization’s behavior, down to daily decisions. This trickles down to every salesperson who owns a piece of quota. How they spend their time any given day should stand up to the question of “How will this get you closer to your numbers?”
This doesn’t mean members of your team coming up short should start hocking inventory on every street corner — not at all. But where you stand versus your quarterly quota should affect the balance kept between effort allocations against short-term opportunities versus mid- to long-term ones. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
by Gavin O’Malley | Source: Online Media Daily
CONSUMERS MIGHT ASSUME THAT CNN.COM’S latest Web 2.0 iteration — including a cleaner layout, blog-like interface, and spotlight on video — was all meant for them.
Not so, said David Payne, senior vice president and general manager of the site: “Literally, the first stop we made when redesigning the site was to agencies like Avenue A and Digitas to get a sense of what they wanted, and the trends they thought were most important to consider.”
The redesign, which launched earlier this week, was planned first and foremost to please advertisers, Payne insisted, and less cluttered and cleaner experiences were at the top of agencies’ wish lists. (more…)
Posted in Internet, Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, July 5th, 2007 |
It’s a vexing tug-of-war: Sears has lost relevance with consumers, new Sears Holdings chairman is holding the line looking for ROI, and the malls that Sears anchors are pulling their hair out about wide-reaching lost rental revenues as a result.
By TERRY PRISTIN | Source: The New York Times
When Kmart acquired Sears in 2005, many people predicted that Edward S. Lampert, the hedge fund investor in Greenwich, Conn., who engineered the merger, was primarily interested in the real estate occupied by the faltering chains. But Mr. Lampert, the chairman of the Sears Holdings Corporation, the parent of Sears and Kmart, vowed to revive both retailers.
Since then, Sears Holdings has prospered as a company, but the sales performance of its chains has continued to decline. As the retailing industry has grown increasingly competitive, Sears Holdings has poured relatively little capital into its stores and has cut back on marketing and other expenses. The low level of spending has been particularly vexing for mall operators, analysts say. Once the nation’s leading retailer, Sears has 861 mall stores, 518 of them owned and 343 of them leased.
“The operators feel short-changed because Sears is not putting the money in to enhance the stores, and that affects other nearby stores,” said Sean Egan, the managing director of Egan-Jones Ratings in Haverford, Pa. “It’s akin to somebody refusing to cut their lawn or paint their house.” (more…)
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Thursday, July 5th, 2007 |
Looking at the buying decisions behind hybrid vehicles. If you know why they want to buy a product, you can more easily target those hot-button desires in your marketing and promotions.
By MICHELINE MAYNARD | Source: The New York Times
A riddle: Why has the Toyota Prius enjoyed such success, with sales of more than 400,000 in the United States, when most other hybrid models struggle to find buyers?
One answer may be that buyers of the Prius want everyone to know they are driving a hybrid.
The Prius, after all, was built from the ground up as a hybrid, and is sold only as a hybrid. By contrast, the main way to tell that a Honda Civic, Ford Escape or Saturn Vue is a hybrid version is a small badge on the trunk or side panel.
The Prius has become, in a sense, the four-wheel equivalent of those popular rubber “issue bracelets” in yellow and other colors — it shows the world that its owner cares.
In fact, more than half of the Prius buyers surveyed this spring by CNW Marketing Research of Bandon, Ore., said the main reason they purchased their car was that “it makes a statement about me.” (more…)
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Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 |
Source: STORES Magazine
Washington, June 29, 2007 – The most successful retailers in the industry are constantly reinventing themselves to stay one step ahead of the competition, according to the STORES Top 100 Retailers ranking, sponsored by SAP and featured in STORES Magazine’s July issue. The report, which is an annual snapshot of the retail industry, ranks companies by revenue and groups them on one chart regardless of the segment or segments in which they operate. STORES is the monthly magazine of the National Retail Federation.
“It’s not enough anymore for retailers to carry the same merchandise as their competition,” said Susan Reda, Executive Editor of STORES. “From their own brand of food to an exclusive line of tools, today’s retailers will get ahead by differentiating their merchandise and offering products that consumers cannot find anywhere else.” (more…)
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Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 |
Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
SKOKIE, ILL.-BASED INTERNET GROCER PEAPOD based has launched its largest direct mail effort to date, sending pieces to more than one million households in its Chicago, Milwaukee, and New England markets.
The direct mail campaign offers discounts on services to customers through the use of promotional codes, which customers could redeem online.
Peapod created the program with InnerWorkings, Inc., a provider of print procurement solutions.
Peapod, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Ahold, is the leading Internet grocer in the country. Currently, Peapod serves 18 U.S. markets, including the metro areas of Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston and Washington, D.C., and suburban New York, and communities in the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Rhode Island and New Jersey.
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Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 |
by Erik Sass | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
RADIO ADS HAVE THE SAME emotional impact as TV ads, according to a new study of physiological indicators commissioned by the Radio Ad Lab and performed by Gallup & Robinson. “Engagement, Emotions, and the Power of Radio” contradicts the conventional wisdom about the two media, which states that advertising with visuals and motion has a more visceral impact than ads using sound alone. (more…)
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Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 |
by Sarah Mahoney | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
COLE HAAN IS THE LATEST retailer to jump into the luxury sunglasses market, announcing that it would unveil a line of shades priced between $125 and $500. And Tiffany has announced that its first-ever line of sunglasses (in partnership with Luxxotica) will be available early 2008. Coach, of course, already has a well-established line.
“Eyewear is an essential luxury accessory for our consumer,” says James Seuss, Cole Haan’s CEO. “This category is a natural extension for the brand, with our heritage in footwear and accessories. It allows us to further our image as a lifestyle brand.”
But just how many pairs of $500 sunglasses does America need? Plenty. In fact, it turns out that the style mavens who have been christening sunglasses as the new affordable luxury for months now may know more about U.S. shoppers than economists do. (more…)
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Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 |
by Sarah Mahoney | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
WANT BRAND SUPREMACY? RESEARCH FROM the Natural Marketing Institute suggests that the most successful product strategies will offer consumers a two-fer, layering a slightly selfish payoff over a fundamental core value. “Consumers are aspiring to achieve the double pay-off of exclusive experiences while supporting guilt-free and eco-friendly goods and services,” says Gwynne Rogers, business director for NMI’s lifestyles of health and sustainability division. (more…)
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Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 |
See article at BBC News
New research from the University of California-Berkeley shows there’s a pronounced class divide between those who frequent the popular social networks Facebook and MySpace. According to the report, Facebook users are more likely to be white, come from wealthier homes and attend college, while MySpace users tend to get jobs after finishing high school instead of continuing their education.
Facebook got its start as a social network for high school and college students. Last fall, founder Michael Zuckerberg and co. open up its 9 million-strong user base to anyone, which means it’s likely to see its exclusivity numbers drop.
Report author Dana Boyd, a UC-Berkeley PhD student, said “class” in the U.S. is something directly tied to one’s social life — rather than income. “Social networks are strongly connected to geography, race, and religion; these are also huge factors in lifestyle divisions and thus ‘class’,” Boyd wrote in the report. “They are in honors classes, looking forward to the prom, and live in a world dictated by after school activities,” said the report, whereas “MySpace has most of the kids who are socially ostracized at school.” The report makes no judgments, but advertisers might find the data useful.
See article at BBC News
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Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 |
by Erik Sass | Source: Online Media Daily
PEOPLE WHO BANK ONLINE ARE far more likely to engage in e-commerce activity, according to a study from Moda Solutions, a company that links the two by bringing online banking to the virtual checkout.
The cause and effect behind the phenomenon isn’t clear–i.e., which affinity drives the other one. But the strong correlation suggests that an increase in online banking could see a concurrent lift for e-commerce. (more…)
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