Blog, Marketing, Product Reviews
Yes it’s here – the apple of everyone’s eye yesterday and today, is Apple’s new iPhone 5S and 5c. And once again, Apple gets an gold star for creating strong marketing buzz and panting anticipation in the mobile device marketplace. Radio, TV, or Internet – news media outlets across the globe are all busy buzzing around Apples latest technological appendage and its new iOS7. Just when you think they’ve outdone themselves with the iPhone 4S operating system and the introduction of Siri, they one up (if not ten) themselves. So let’s look at the multifaceted dimensions of the Apple’s winning marketing strategies.
Marketing the Technology and Software: Apple refuses to be put in a pile of seconds (fruit picking term), knowing their consumer base well and leading this campaign with the technological improvements. Offering a synchronized and integrated user experience across all features, the new iOS7 takes multitasking to a whole new level! Techies and mobile junkies are going to love the new A7 64-bit chip, making the device’s CPU and graphics 2x faster than the iPhone 5. For the snappy Instagram’er, the iOS 7 is designed with multiple enhancements to take advantage of the best photo ops. They even upgraded Siri – I wonder if she sounds like Beyonce?
Marketing the Esthetics – Apple has gone above and beyond in marketing the beautiful color options, as well as, the structural elements. Almost all media outlets have spoken about the product and technology, and as well, the beautiful color options and sleek design. As soon as you log into Apple’s site, you are hit with this on-screen color explosion that causes one to pause. I did – it was just that engaging! What you also see is a link to the key-note speaker which after just a few seconds – you can tell that the company is hearing its consumer groups. Much fun also, is this video, where you get the whole life cycle of the product in a comprehensible, down-to-earth manner.
Marketing the Security: Although the Fall may be Macintosh picking season, Apple has seemingly found a solution to its own Apple picking problem and it’s WOW’ing the digital marketplace. Thievery of its iPhones, commonly referred to as “Apple Picking,” has been a big problem over the years for this mobile technology powerhouse. So Apple has implemented Touch ID, a new fingerprint authentication feature (also known as biometric coding) into the iPhone 5S, making it less appealing and almost worthless to those with sticky fingers. They get my thumbs up, knowing that a fingerprint can also approve purchases from iTunes or the App Store.
Marketing the Price Points: The bean counters have taken notice and Apple is now marketing to everyone – siding with consumers who want the product but are limited economically. Who can beat the 4-inch Retina display, 8-megapixel rear camera (front facing too) and A6 processor with 16GB for only $99? This is smart marketing for all those on limited budgets and feeling the economic pinch. As for those who want Gold Member status, you’ll love the sleek gold tone version that’s just a month’s worth of Starbucks runs. Apple has done a great job marketing both mobile phone options simultaneously, to widen the net for capturing potential and faithful consumers with a strong economical hook. Thanks Apple for advancing mobile technology once gain and giving us better technology for less.
Marketing to the Following: By offering 2 options, Apple captures not only its faithful following who could care less about the price, but also those who haven’t bitten the iPhone apple just yet. Despite the global recession, historically Apple has made no apologies for their high-end products. However, offering a cheaper alternative, one could surmise that the time and sales reports may be reflecting an undeniable truth. Build it better, offer it cheaper and more will come. Kudos to them for acknowledging this and casting a wider net beyond just their faithful following to the soon-to-be’s.
So, as you can see, Apple is strongly considering its consumer’s input and is addressing those needs esthetically and technologically. It’s obvious that they have the fingers on the pulse of their marketplace and following. They continue to be pioneers and leaders, again setting a gold standard in strong, strategic planning and successful implementation.
Marketing, Product Reviews, Web Design
Today via email, I received the Executive Summary released today by Lyris (penned by The Economist Intelligence Unit) titled “Mind the marketing gap – Sizing up marketer and consumer perceptions.” The article indicated “The findings of…surveys indicate some gaps in marketers’ perception of how consumers want to engage with brands, what influences their purchase decisions and how they view privacy.” I found this article very interesting and I’ll share some tidbits from it below. Considering their findings, I began thinking about how we marketers view our marketing campaigns vs. how consumers interpret our attempts, successes and even failures.
When designing websites, I often say that I create with my marketing & copywriting hat on and then flip it backwards to gauge the visitors utilization response. Is it user friendly? Does the imagery and written content engage me? And so forth. Admittedly, I don’t always do that with print collateral to the same extent. But I should. So I want to share some of what the Executive Summary disclosed in hopes of educating both you and I on what we’re doing right, wrong and what we should be doing and considering as we engage our consumer audiences. It’s just a few tidbits but you can access the whole article on the hyperlink above.
“Consumers are put off by superficial personalization, but they appreciate customized product recommendations.
About 1 in 5 consumers say that customized offers are more likely to meet their needs than mass market offers and
that inclusion of personal details (e.g. previous transactions) makes them feel valued as customers.”
“Ways of engaging and influencing consumers vary by industry. Industries like travel, automotive and entertainment are investing in data to increase customized promotions. For automotive executives, deep analysis of consumer data top
the list of marketing strategies at 30%—higher than the all-industry average of 23% and up from 13% five years ago. The
automotive industry leads all others in spending on corporate websites, which is closely aligned with consumer
preferences. The clothing industry, on the other hand, spends more than other industries on branded social media
pages, even though clothing consumers are least likely to say they prefer to engage with brands through those
channels.”
Branding, Marketing, Product Reviews
We Want It Now! This is the era we live in. I see-I want-I get. At our fingertips, the worldwide web is ready to give us minimally bridled access. So whether it’s on-demand TV, 24-hour accessible banking, shopping or bill paying-we want what we want or need when we say so. And technological advances have certainly given sway to our demanding ways.
This has created a big boom and bank for the marketing world. On-demand marketing exists and is used influentially from majority of the major, well-known companies, mid-size and even small businesses who understand not just the concept but the cash flow resulting from it. Companies and brands have come to understand and leverage this concept to zero-in or pinpoint their exact consumer targets and ensure the marketing content is responsive, relevant and effectively consumable by that target audience. One would think this is quite integral and complex-but it’s really not. It’s about intelligent, simplistic and integrated solutions for successful marketing campaigns and profitability.
In a hyper-competitive world, using on-demand marketing solutions allow businesses, small or large, to expand their reach and contact an unprecedented number of people with a minimal investment. Some examples include:
#1 – The Mobile Connection
With just a few clicks on the Blackberry or taps on the Smartphone we are in the digital marketing world; consuming all that it has to offer. Creating websites that are designed for and allow for online purchasing; having a mobile version or one that can toggle between full details and basic info; increases the pleasurable consumer experience while allowing for fast paced purchasing or access to information.
#2 – The Power of Reviews
Most of today’s consumers aren’t just driven by their own desires but studies show they are mostly moved by others opinions of goods or services their fellow-man has already test-run and wrote about it. According to PowerReviews, “Customer Reviews create three times more reviews than competing solutions. This results in 10 to 50% more organic traffic to your product pages…content creation and moderation solutions use research-proven processes, product-specific templates and structured reviews that turn more browsers into buyers.” And that’s where it’s at. Turning browsers into buyers of your product and consumers of information.
#3 – From Strategies to Capabilities
Once you understand and plan your on-demand strategies, it’s time to look at how they can increase the capabilities of your product or service and market that effectively. So one becomes the catalyst for growth in the other. Whether it’s a product or service, your strategies to capabilities plan should entail:
•strategically considering your resources and goals to ensure the strategies can and will hits their marks;
•brainstorming about improved capabilities of the product or service to appropriately market it; and
•clearly identifying goals and focusing on the best means for achieving them.
Summed up, it’s all about creating the need, want, and will to purchase/utilize your product or service demand while influencing potential consumers. So let your marketing plan answer the call while driving more consumers to your business and profitability.
Blog, Branding, Content & Copywriting, Marketing, Product Reviews
We all know that blogs have practically taken the place of television now-yes even “reality” TV is green with envy. Every moment of every day someone is blogging. It’s actually estimated that currently there are “about 450 million active English language blogs right now from when Technorati estimated over 200 million blogs at the start of 2009. That’s some exponential growth and these numbers change every day as new blogs are started by the thousands (or tens of thousands) every day.”
So that’s a lot of people opining on every topic/issue and many, with a sharp business acumen and talented tapping tips (fingertips that is & suggestive ones too) that we can all learn or gleen from. So today I pay homage to my fellow bloggers and thought you’d enjoy some of my picks for sound advice from some trendy and noteworthy fellow bloggers who I follow and are part of my Go-To sourcebook for information and inspiration.
Branding, Marketing
What is a Brand Ambassador? Is there a sash or tiara one gets? Per Wikipedia: “The brand ambassador is meant to embody the corporate identity in appearance, demeanor, values and ethics. The key element of brand ambassadors lies in their ability to use promotional strategies that will strengthen the customer-product/service relationship and influence a large audience to buy and consume more. Predominantly, a brand ambassador is known as a positive spokesperson appointed as an internal or external agent to boost product/service sales and create brand awareness.” So unless being a brand ambassador is your promotion strategy – no satiny sash or sparkly tiara for you. But let’s talk about how to make your brand shine without them shall we?
If you have a business then you have a brand. And for it to be successful, that brand has to create awareness to its target audience to ultimately achieve and acquire brand loyalty.
Fact: Promoting your brand is a necessity!
Fact: Customers will pay more for brand names that they’ve come to know and trust.
Fact: For your brand to grow, you must promote your brand consistently and disseminate your brand message in as many forums as possible.
If you don’t have confidence in promoting your brand, why on earth would a consumer have confidence in it? You are the impression-setter for your company. Being a good brand ambassador is all about having confidence when talking about and marketing your brand’s product or service. Your brand is your responsibility and the success of it greatly depends on your attention to it. It’s in your hands!
HOW A BRAND IS REPRESENTED TRULY AFFECTS THE SUCCESS OF WHAT’S BEING SOLD!
Another facet to consider is where are you promoting your brand? Representation of your brand, via your website or print marketing materials, is paramount to supremacy as opposed to mediocrity. Have you considered using the free tools provided by social media?
If you’re busy actually making your product or providing your service, you might not have a lot of time to promote your brand with your own ear to the phone or feet to the pavement. You know the old adage “if you can’t beat them, join them?” Well how about “if you can’t do it, pay for it.” Consider hiring Brand Ambassadors who will beat the street for you. It’s also called Guerrilla Marketing and it’s become a very common and acceptable marketing strategy. So there are many businesses that provide this type of service and the rewards can be worth the investment if you choose correctly.
So ask yourself – Do I have the vision, tenacity and marketing savvy to leverage my brand to all its potential and watch my sales and profit margins soar? I’m sure the answer to the latter part of that question is yes, but you may not be sure about how to employ the leveraging part. I’m no expert but I do give some noteworthy morsels in my blog titled http://blog.jpdesigntheory.com/branding-to-dos-tidbits/. So take a few maneuvers from my playbook and let me know how implementing just a few of these tips works for you, as well as your potential or current clientele. I look forward to hearing how you represent your brand best.
Resources
50 Guerrilla Marketing Tactics You Should Be Using
[INFOGRAPHIC] The Anatomy of Guerilla Marketing
Five tips for choosing a brand ambassador
All Posts, Content & Copywriting, Marketing, News & Politics
Marketing strategies run the gamut when it comes to creativity – whether it’s pushing the envelope or pushing your buttons. Psychology Marketing (also known as Consumer Behavior Marketing) is one facet used by the industry meant to do exactly that; push emotional buttons to steer a response causing the consumer to consume a businesses goods, services and even agenda. It is well understood that “emotional marketing” plays a pivotal role in reporting/publicizing world events; selling medical pharmaceuticals-even selling cars! As a result, psychology marketing has become one of the most effective tools to gain attention and cause the consumer(s) to react verbally or financially to a cause, service or product.
Human Interest Stories: The Grandfather of Them All
Wikipedia defines it as “a feature story …presents people and their problems, concerns, or achievements in a way that brings about interest or sympathy in the reader or viewer. Human interest stories may be “the story behind the story” about an event, organization, or otherwise faceless historical happening, such as about the life of an individual soldier during wartime, an interview with a survivor of a natural disaster, or profile of someone known for a career achievement.” Human interest stories give consumers an emotional connection to the problem, product or service being promoted. It makes more difference in reactions and behaviors than most consumers ever realize.
Psychology Marketing is meant to:
- – Look at how consumers think, feel and reason-out their decisions and ultimate selections
- – Study how a consumer is influenced by their environment such as personal culture and media exposure
- – Consider the targeted consumer, their motivations & strategies when comparing products or services for ultimate selection
This is what marketers use to adapt and strategize for their marketing campaigns to more effectively reach the consumer.
Best at the Game: Non-profits
Most non-profit companies have cornered the market on attaching emotional elements to their causes in all forums of media and promotion. So whether it’s a poster, TV commercial or internet ad campaign, their marketing strategies include elements that strike a chord and causes us to pause, consider and act. And once celebrities add their devotion to let’s say a particular cause or movement, undoubtedly the campaign increases its projected success.
Best at the Awww Factor: Pampers
About 95% of consumers love a cute baby and Pampers is kind of capitalizing on that with their marketing campaigns. One of my personal favorites is the Silent Night campaign by Pampers. This great commercial plays annually during the New Year and has a profound effect on all its viewers. How profound? It actually remains one of their most successful campaigns since 2008. Why? Because their Silent Night commercial causes you stop, awww out loud and think about the beautiful sweetness of babies sleeping peacefully. Their marketing team knew your affection and love meter would go up several bars half way through it and they’ve been reaping the benefits ever since the campaign’s inception.
Current Events-Shockwave Effect
Nothing is works in the favor of news media more than shocking news. You know the kind that makes you sad or enraged as what’s going on in the world. It might be hard to conceive that there’s marketing in calamity but there is. Ever since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, President Obama’s team has been hard at work to market the President’s legislative position in his responses orally in his speeches and with his actions as he continues to meet & address the Sandy Hook victims parents and school officials. His speech writing/marketing team penned an emotionally moving speech that he himself found hard to emotionally contains as he teared-up during his public address. His recent bashing yet inspiring Shame on Us speech moved many with a strong call-to-action for legislative changes in gun control and social responsibility.
These are 2 of my personal picks which includes one of the most watched and emotionally charged marketing campaigns to date.
The CDC’s Anti-Smoking Campaign uses scare tactics by showing us the horrific consequences of smoking. Some of the commercials are just sad but there are some that are inspirational for smokers to do whatever it takes which creates a sense of resolution. Ah yes, they’ve tapped into our fight vs. flight responses and the former outweighs the later.
Liberty Mutual’s Half Acre Campaign reflected a Pay It Forward theme that inspires all of us to take just a moment to do something for someone else, big or small, recognized or not. But it was recognized as the commercial captures. Over and over again people take notice and act in the perpetual the cycle of “do right”.
Other Resources
http://www.sitepoint.com/how-to-use-emotional-marketing/
http://www.marketingpsychology.com/reports.htm
