I am a voracious reader- books, magazines, newspapers, you name it. And I am a traditionalist when it comes to the printed word. I like the feel of a book, the crispness of a morning paper at breakfast and getting lost browsing in a bookstore. But Jeff Bezos is showing the world that bold ideas that create a better customer… [Read more]

As marketers, we spend our days and nights looking for strategies that will build awareness, preference and demand for our organizations. And the ultimate payoff is when all that hard work and investment turns into a customer. Landing a customer is important, but keeping that customer is critical. There are countless tools, strategies and technologies for managing customer relationships (and… [Read more]

In years past, sales representatives of IT solution providers had a clear strategy for cultivating new business: get an appointment with the CIO. It was a sales strategy that made sense. But as businesses have shifted to a more matrixed, interconnected approach and silos have started to come down, a new breed of IT customer has emerged: the company’s Marketing… [Read more]

Jim McCan CEO of 1-800-Flowers Last week I had the privilege of speaking at The Conference Board’s 2012 Customer Experience Leadership Conference in New York City.  I believe events like these are great investments because they combine networking and new ideas that help you bring fresh thinking and best practices back to your own organization. The Customer Experience Leadership Conference… [Read more]

Marketing is one of those professions where non-marketers rarely understand what we actually do. Whether it is in a professional environment or with family and friends, many people have the funniest ideas about how marketers spend their days. Friends think we have a fancy job: cigars, parties, money and not much else.  Family believes all we do is hold meetings,… [Read more]

As usual around this time of the year a lot has been said and written about what is going to change in the world of marketing in 2012. It is a long list ranging from “Digital First” to mainstream Social Media, Mass Customization, Crowd-Generated Content, “Gamification” and much more. The list goes on and on and all it means is… [Read more]

Many of us undoubtedly recall the good old “4 Ps” of the marketing mix: Product, Place, Price and Promotion. These have been interpreted in different ways in the past.  Is it now time to definitely retire them as a concept of the dark ages? Well, I would say it depends. A refreshed perspective, however,  is certainly needed for each of… [Read more]

A few days ago, I visited a favorite golf website for an update on the latest PGA stats.  Before I could view the homepage, I was forced to close a pop-up offering to subscribe to the publication. We have all been exposed to, or as marketers unfortunately created, what is becoming known as “intrusive marketing.”   As a consumer, I could… [Read more]

Today’s leaders are often using the word “innovation” and how important it is to be part of their company’s strategy. But what can leaders really do to drive a culture of innovation and to motivate every employee to think outside the box? Here are 3 steps to foster innovation in employee culture:  1) Communicate As with most things, it all… [Read more]

“My industry really is different and special, we can’t do what B2C does.”  “Our customers expect us to do such and such.” “In my industry, all that counts is the product.”  As marketers many of us may have said these things.  At the center of these statements is the belief that the art and science of marketing only applies within… [Read more]