Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category
Friday, March 14th, 2008 |
by Sarah Mahoney | Source: Online Marketing Daily
JUST AS MARKETERS HAVE BECOME used to building paid-search into their media plans, a new study from a leading search agency finds that it’s time for the next wave: Making bigger investments in “natural” searches.
“In most cases, natural and paid search campaigns perform better together than they do separately,” reports Oneupweb, an integrated online marketing company based in Traverse City, Mich. “Greater awareness of a Web site created by a paid ad can lead to more natural traffic. In similar fashion, people are logically more likely to click on a paid promotional ad of marketers they recognize, such as those they’ve encountered during a natural search.”
A key reason that search strategies are evolving, says Tim Kauffold, Oneupweb’s director of business development, is (more…)
Posted in Internet, Marketing, Media Trends | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 |
[Big Idea] If you intend to use pay-per-click advertising (those Google “Sponsored Results”) you need to read up on the recent economy’s effects on PPC ads, to minimize your losses. It’s really easy to lose a ton of money on PPC ads that make you no sales. ##
by Tameka Kee | Source: Online Media Daily
FRESH OFF A WEEK OF doubts about the resilience of Google’s paid and natural search value proposition, one of the giant’s top engineering brass aimed to still the hearts of financial types feeling antsy over declining ad clicks and a slumping economy.
“If an advertiser knows that they’ll make five dollars by spending one dollar, the chance is high that they’ll spend it,” said Alan Eustace, senior vice president of engineering & research at Google. “We’ve stressed measurability and providing a clear return on investment since we started our advertising business–and the growth of paid search shows that advertisers have bought into that. That’s what will help us in times like these.” (more…)
Posted in Internet, Marketing, Media Trends | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 |
[Big Idea] … so don’t bust your back trying to be all over them. Not only do people spend less time there, but it’s been documented time & again that social media traffic has a much lower conversion rate (they buy less!) than traffic from other sources. ##
by Mark Walsh | Source: Online Media Daily
ADDING A NEW CATEGORY TO its index of Internet activity, the Online Publishers Association found that community sites–including social networks such as Facebook and MySpace–account for only 7.5% of time spent online.
That puts community sites ahead of search (5%), but well below content (42.7%), communications (28.7%), and commerce sites (16.1%) in time spent. The OPA defines the community category as Web sites and applications that combine user-generated content with communications to foster relationships among their members.
“The addition of Community reflects the increasing popularity of sites such as MySpace and Facebook that don’t clearly fit into a single existing (Internet Activity Index) category, said OPA President Pam Horan. Even so, adding social networking sites to the mix hardly displaced content as king when it comes to monopolizing users’ time online.
Separately, Web measurement firm HitWise estimates that social networking sites and other online forums, such as Craigslist, accounted for 9.3% of U.S. Internet traffic in February. Social networks alone made up almost 6% of traffic.
While still small, advertising on social sites is growing rapidly. In its recently released 2008 Digital Outlook Report, Avenue A|Razorfish identified entertainment and community sites as the two fastest-growing ad categories last year, with the latter growing more than 50% to $55 million.
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Marketing, Media Trends, Statistics | 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] 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 »
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 »
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 Erik Sass | Source: Online Media Daily
PHISHING AND SPAM INCREASED 100% in 2007 compared to 2006, according to Des Cahill, the CEO of Habeas, speaking on the second day of the Email Evolution conference hosted by the Direct Marketing Association in San Diego. Understandably, this means consumers are also becoming more vigilant.
For example, a survey of a representative group of 2,300 U.S. Internet users found that 61% don’t open mail if they aren’t sure that it’s actually from the purported sender. They’re also signing up for multiple email accounts, shunting all non-personal emails to catch-all accounts. “So now it’s not just a question of deliverability,” Cahill said. “It’s: ‘Are you getting to the right inbox, the trusted inbox?’” On the positive side, 73% use email seven days a week, and most think they cannot get along without it, even with the crime.
In this context, Cahill warned that “really good content is no longer enough” to ensure delivery of emails. He urged email marketers to adopt the standard best practices, including conferring regularly with ISPs, frequently cleaning email lists of non-responders, and (of course) hiring email deliverability companies like his own.
But wary marketers are going further. Sal Tripi, the director of operations and compliance for Publishers’ Clearing House, said the company guards its reputation as an email sender so closely that it now monitors all the advertisers who appear in its electronic marketing messages.
In cases where advertisers have bad email reputations, or even just questionable practices, “we’ll walk away from the business,” Tripi said. PCH has already broken off some profitable relationships because “the person who gets our email won’t remember the advertiser as the problem; they’re going to remember PCH.” Tripi applies similar standards to companies PCH employs to drive traffic to its site.
Alison Shaffer, group manager of database marketing and analytics for WebEx Communications, an online conference company, said her company employs third-party vendors for tasks like list suppression, to protect the privacy of consumer email addresses. Email deliverability is key to WebEx’s business because customers use a software link in the text of an email to patch into conferences; they can also invite other people to join their conferences via email–provided WebEx email gets delivered.
Finally, Cliff Seltzer, the CEO and co-founder of Puresend, said marketers should steer clear of “piggybacking” strategies–for example, getting “prospecting” emails delivered by sending them from an IP address previously used only for cleaner transaction emails. This strategy is likely to backfire before long, he said. In fact, he advised marketers who send prospecting emails to set up a separate IP for each different class of mail to avoid damaging the reputation of their “good” address.
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Marketing, Media Trends | No Comments »
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 |
It is no surprise that a print/direct media agency found that their own media choice ranks over others, with consumers. Naturally there is some bias to be expected in this “study.” However, that doesn’t mean the report is wisely disregarded in its entirety. Veritas has identified valid reasons for why consumers do refer to circulars. And clearly, circulars do work, otherwise businesses would not continue to use them.
The question is, what can you take away from this study and apply to your small business? ##
Source: Progressive Grocer
BALTIMORE – Almost half of all consumers think inserts and circulars are the advertising methods that best capture their attention, according to research released yesterday by Vertis Communications here, a provider of print advertising, direct marketing solutions, and related value-added services to retail and consumer services companies.
Vertis said in its “Vertis Customer Focus 2008: Retail Study,” that 47 percent of Americans cited inserts and circulars as the most effective, a 9 percent increase since 2003. Also according to the report, inserts and circulars have surpassed TV advertising as the medium most able to draw consumer attention.
93 percent of consumers who read the pieces use them for more than just price comparisons. Specifically, the study found that over 50 percent of those who read them do so for at least three reasons: clipping coupons, assisting in making shopping lists for future store trips, and browsing for new products or styles.
Read the full story at Progressive Grocer >>
Posted in Marketing, Media Trends, Statistics | 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 |
7-Eleven Offers Free Slurpees To Celebrate 80th Birthday
Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
LAST SATURDAY, EVERYONE HAD THEIR lucky day when the date hit 7/7/07. Today, though, is one convenience store chain’s lucky day every year: 7-Eleven, the world’s largest convenience retailer with more than 32,400 stores.
This year, the chain is celebrating its 80th anniversary by following the tradition of offering consumers free 7.11-ounce Slurpee drinks for free. Birthday cups will be available as well.
A news release sent out this week promotes the chain’s birthday, noting that a loaf of bread cost 9 cents, a gallon of milk was 56 cents, a dozen eggs cost 46 cents, and ice was sold in blocks rather than bags when 7-Eleven opened its doors in 1927–little more than an ice dock.
Posted in 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 >>
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
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 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…)
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
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…)
Posted in Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product, Statistics | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 |
Source: Examiner
WASHINGTON (Map, News) – The Supreme Court on Thursday abandoned a 96-year-old ban on manufacturers and retailers setting price floors for products.
In a 5-4 decision, the court said that agreements on minimum prices are legal if they promote competition.
The ruling means that accusations of minimum pricing pacts will be evaluated case by case.
The Supreme Court declared in 1911 that minimum pricing agreements violate federal antitrust law. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Legal, Marketing, Product | No Comments »
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.
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Marketing, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
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…)
Posted in Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
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…)
Posted in Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
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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Thursday, June 21st, 2007 |
Eight merchandising tips
By: Lauren Freedman | Source: Practical E-Commerce
Just as most consumers begin to enjoy summer, it’s time for savvy merchants to put the finishing touches on holiday sales plans. While it is difficult to estimate the volume of “gifting” purchases made online, there is no doubt about the customers’ penchant for buying gifts via this channel.
During the 2006 holiday season, the e-tailing group, in conjunction with StartSampling, a marketing services company, conducted the inaugural Mindset of the Multichannel Shopper Survey. The survey found that 54 percent of those who intended to do any holiday shopping online did so because it saves time and money, with the latter being at the forefront of shoppers’ minds. We don’t anticipate much will change during the coming year except the web channel’s share of wallet will continue to expand.
Merchants who understand a customer’s desire for saving time have embraced ways to showcase products in robust gift centers: they’ve integrated gift finders that allow shoppers to effectively search by price and other features and they’ve implemented tools that enable buyers to shop for multiple recipients during a single shopping experience.
To help you capitalize on this important (and hectic) time of year, we thought it would be prudent to share the e-tailing group’s “Gift-savvy Merchandising Top Eight Tips.”
1. Build A Service Culture
Recent research shows consumers do not want any roadblocks in their online shopping experiences. (more…)
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007 |
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune
Albertsons stores are ending their “Preferred Card” program at 78 Southwest stores.
The Arizona Republic reports today that instead, the chain will offer discounted items to everyone.
“Our objective is to give all the consumers in the marketplace the same great deals irregardless of having to have a loyalty card,” said Bob Colgrove, Albertsons Southwest division president.
Other supermarkets and grocers, including Safeway, Fry’s and Bashas’, said this week that they don’t plan to follow Albertsons’ lead and will keep their cards.
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Friday, June 15th, 2007 |
[SS NOTE] Don’t read this and think you have to cut your own throat to keep up with the Joneses — you don’t. The Bigger Lesson is in the idea behind their customer reward system. Then adapt the idea (preferably profitably!) however you can. /ss
Source: MSNBC
SEATTLE – Amazon.com Inc. has taken more than a million pre-orders for the final “Harry Potter” book due out in July, but the world’s largest Web retailer won’t make a profit, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting Thursday.
Amazon’s handling of the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” release — a $17 discount off cover price, a free shipping offer and guaranteed on-time delivery — showed yet again that the company is willing to take a hit to cement customer loyalty.
Bezos hammered on Amazon’s “customer-centric” approach during the meeting. (more…)
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Friday, June 15th, 2007 |
BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO | Source: Miami Herald
Forget the $350 stilettos. Shoes with status these days come with $1,000 price tags. And $600 handbags are so bourgeois — A-listers these days don’t want anything costing less than $5,000.
It’s no secret that luxury sales have boomed over the past six years. But at a time when the average American is grousing about meager wage growth, the super rich are seeking new heights in pampering, price tags and the one-of-a-kind items that set them apart.
`INSATIABLE APPETITE’
”There’s this insatiable appetite for the most luxurious,” said Faith Hope Consolo, (more…)
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Friday, June 15th, 2007 |
Source: Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
With about 19 million people in the U.S.–or roughly 9% of cell phone users–highly interested in purchasing Apple’s iPhone, AT&T is looking at a possible windfall of new customers, two new consumer surveys show.
Two-thirds of mobile-phone users who are interested in purchasing the iPhone would be willing to switch from their current carriers to obtain the device, according to a survey of about 11,000 cell phone users by M:Metrics. 12.5% of T-Mobile USA customers express a high interest in the phone; followed by 8.1% for Sprint Nextel; and 6.7% for Verizon Wireless. T-Mobile is seen as especially vulnerable because it has a high share of users in the 18-to-24 age group.
In a separate online survey of 680 people who were shopping for iPods on the Internet, research firm Compete found that 12% of respondents said they have postponed their wireless-phone purchases to wait for the release of the iPhone. An equal percentage said they had postponed buying an MP3 player.
Posted in Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product, Statistics | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 |
by Karlene Lukovitz | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
TODAY’S DADS ARE NOT ONLY spending more time with their kids; they’re actively involved in making buying decisions about products and services for them, a new study from the youth market research and strategy firm Smarty Pants confirms.
The firm conducted 20-minute online surveys with more than 750 fathers of kids between infancy and 12 years of age, as well as individual and small-group interviews.
Turns out that most kid-related purchases, across a wide variety of categories, are jointly made by parents/partners. Furthermore, particularly in certain categories, significant numbers of dads call the shots alone. (more…)
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Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 |
By Alana Semuels | Source: LA Times
The volume of standard mail sent to U.S. residences increased from 87 billion pieces in 2002 to 102 billion in 2006. Sending ads to consumers’ mailboxes is effective even as more advertising migrates to the Internet, said Stephanie Hendricks, spokeswoman for the Direct Marketing Assn.
Direct mail often motivates consumers to check out an advertiser’s website. Amazon.com, for example, has started using direct mail to reach potential customers.
But many advertisers are getting squeezed by rising postal rates. … “If your advertisements are sitting on someone’s doorknob, it’s more likely that people will see them,” Lynch said.
Read the full article at LA Times >>
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