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Marketing

Business, Marketing

Why Specialization May Kill Long-Term Agency Partnerships

December 21, 2014

If you’ve followed the advertising and marketing industry news of late, one item that might have caught your eye is the growing number of brands reviewing their media buying, advertising and brand representation. From Jaguar Cars moving their 6 year, $100 million global account from Euro RSCG Worldwide to Spark44, to Disney Media ending their decade long relationship with Publicis Groupe’s Starcom, long-term relationships between brands and those who represent them are coming to a close. Just how the number of players who stay with one sports team their entire career is diminishing, so is the number of brands that stay with an agency for an extended period of time. “Do it all” agencies that once handled the branding, public relations and marketing for large brands are seeing their responsibilities broken up and divided amongst several different agencies.

So what is the cause? What is causing brands like Disney and Harley Davidson (Former agency: Carmichael Lynch) to reconsider the future of their advertising, marketing, and entire branding? The answer is specialization.

Specialization

Specialization is defined as “the act of making something suitable for a special purpose.” In the case of the “do it all” agencies, specialization is a word that can be hard to come by. Because of the growth and speed of information and content in the digital space, there is an accelerated market adoption rate when it comes to new products, messages and brands. This has led to the the need for agencies with quick turnaround times without the sacrifice of quality.

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Marketing

Why Ideas Are Like Eggs

November 26, 2014

Eggs. If you are just starting to learn how to cook, they are probably the first thing you will try your luck at. From hard-boiled to scrambled, deviled to fried, everyone has their own special way of preparing eggs. Still, the unique aspect of eggs is that although they are relatively simple cook, it’s quite difficult to perfect.

Ideas are much the same. Everyone can have think up an idea, but executing it and producing positive results is difficult. There plenty of books out there that talk about ideas, but just how there are many recipes on how to make the ‘perfect’ egg, its less about the steps and more on the detail of the execution.

Paying Attention To Detail

English mathematician and philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead once said that “we think in generalities, but we live in detail.” His words not only resonate in our daily lives, but they also paint a clear picture of how ideas are formed and evolve. Too often do we assume that having the ‘right idea’ is all it takes that we forget that it’s the details that make an idea relevant and impactful. To fully understand this, we re-visit the egg comparison.

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Personal Branding

How To Build An Online Presence By Blogging In Two Easy Steps

December 27, 2011

When it comes to blogging, it doesn’t matter what your company does or what area it operates in. Writing a blog gives anybody the opportunity to maintain a global online presence. For example, say you were to look for an auto dealer in the Yellow Pages. You would find several businesses in your local area. However, if you type “auto dealer” into a search engine, you’ll get results from every corner of the world.

The Internet makes today’s business markets even more accessible. Blogging is a tool that allows businesses to cater to their potential clients on an online platform. Maintaining a blog can help a company website climb the ranks of global search engines while simultaneously providing a narrow focus to local consumers. Two key approaches allow business owners to establish a successful blog.

1. Provide new content frequently

Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, but a few points tend to be consistent. Among them is a desire to see new content on a website. The logic behind this is that if a site is updated regularly then it’s an “active” website. A site that’s never updated could potentially be seen as old and irrelevant, which can adversely affect search engine optimization (SEO) rankings. Updating a company blog frequently as an extension of the site allows business owners keep their websites current.

Though keyword rankings are crucial for a company to maintain a solid online presence, blogs should not used for SEO purposes alone. A person visiting a site feels the same way about new content. New content is not only an indicator of how active a website is, but also how active and informed a company is.

2. Hone your writing focus.

To keep a consistent audience, you’ll need to fine tune the exact content you plan to provide. The goal of blogging for a specific audience isn’t about hard selling. No one wants to read a blog that’s simply a filler for advertisement. By making your blog a place to educate your customers, your enterprise will gain recognition as being an industry authority.

Let’s go back to the auto dealer example:

You observe an increased need for used cars in your local market. You’ve already listed “used cars” as your company’s specialty on your website, but you want to make that information more accessible to potential customers. Your blog is a great way to highlight additional content about both the global auto industry and your local market. You might start by writing an entry on a new industry trend. A few days later you can write a post what it takes to be a licensed auto dealer in your state, making sure to include in keywords like “licensed,” “auto dealer bond” and “work history.” Another entry could describe the different kinds of warranties you provide when people buy a used car from your dealership.

The Internet puts the global marketplace at our fingertips, which makes it even more important for a business to find its niche. Through regular blogging with a focused narrative you can build a strong roster of regular customers.

This article was provided by Kristen Bradley of Surety Bonds.com, a nationwide surety bond producer. Surety Bonds.com works with a number of marketing firms that develop comprehensive online marketing strategies. The agency promotes effective online approaches to entrepreneurs and business owners to help them succeed with their professional ventures.

Business, Marketing

Ideas: Scalability Versus Creativity

December 19, 2011

Ideas: Scalability Versus Creativity

In a recent article entitled, “China, India Offer Marketers Opportunities for Scalable Ideas,” AdAge touched upon the scalability of ideas and how in certain situations, ideas that scale should come first, followed by creativity. Using China and India as examples of areas where scalability are keys to a successful marketing strategy, the article points out that in markets like Western Europe and North America, “digital technology is often ahead of other regions, and the consumer engages with the online medium at a deeper level.” Further, the article goes on to say that “ideas that ‘wow’ you and break through the clutter in a big way are more successful” in those regions. Conversely, AdAge notes that marketing campaigns focused in areas like China and India need to be focused more on the scalability side and not necessarily on the creativity.  While the ‘wow’ factor is great to have, in regions where population growth continues to climb, being able to develop ideas and strategies that scale means that you have the potential to reach every single person, which in these regions means millions of people. Continue Reading…