BeTuitive: E-Marketing

Interdisciplinary Studies in Marketing: Abelardo Morrell

Posted on April 11, 2008 by Kathryn Regina.

A while back I had the pleasure of interviewing Frans Johansson for a client publication. Johansson’s book The Medici Effect states that breakthrough insights occur at the intersection of fields, disciplines and cultures. With that in mind, I have been on the lookout for lessons from other disciplines that could lend a fresh perspective to the marketing/custom publishing world.

One of my discoveries is the photography of Abelardo Morrell. A book review in Scientific American succinctly describes his process:

“As the world of photography grows ever more digitized, Morell offers a glorious and surprising reminder of its classical roots. The well-known Cuban-born photographer essentially turns a room into the interior of a camera. He blacks out the windows, leaving a pinhole opening in one of them. Because of the nature of refracted light, the scene outside the window is projected upside down into the dim room. Morell then captures the room on film with a large format view camera; exposures can take eight hours or more.”

I saw Morrell speak at The Art Institute of Chicago, and he said that when he discovered this process he felt like he had discovered photography. Can you imagine that feeling?

Lesson: New discoveries don’t have to be technological discoveries. Or better stated: Going back to the roots of a process can be just as innovative as building on the latest technology. How did people market in the 1800s?

I’m totally blowing your mind right now.

p>tags: marketing | custom publishing | Frans Johansson | The Medici Effect Abelardo Morrell |What's a tag?

April 11, 2008 in Blogs, Business Marketing, Custom publication, Custom publications, Custom publisher, Custom publishing, E-Marketing, Marketing Communication, online marketing, online publishing | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Lego: Building Online Marketing

Posted on September 12, 2007 by Kevin G.

Lego, one of the toy companies that doesn’t have to worry about lead paint, has begun a new e-mail campaign with ESP (email service provider) Responsys. The B2C campaign is geared towards generating transactions and keeping buyers updated on new products.
The emails are segmented by geography and purchasing power. Lego has recently been bulking up its internet presence with expansion in the U.K.
Lego Home Page

September 12, 2007 in Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, Business Marketing, Business relationships, Company newsletters, create a newsletter, create email newsletter, create newsletter, creating company newsletter, creating newsletter, Customer Intuition, customer magazine, customer retention, E-Marketing, e-newsletter, e-zine, electronic magazine, electronic newsletter | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Six Productivity Tips

Posted on August 02, 2007 by Kathryn Regina.

I love that Brazen Careerist. Really, I just love her title. But I think her article on productivity offers some helpful insights as well. If you want to get more done in less time--and who doesn't?--you should check it out. My favorite tip is "focus on outcome."

Six Productivity Tips to Put Time on Your Side

August 2, 2007 in award winning blog, Blogs, build credibility, business credibility, Business editorial, business magazine, company blog, company newsletter, Corporate Blogging, corporate magazine, Corporate publications, create newsletter, Custom publisher, Custom publishing, E-Marketing, e-newsletter, e-zine, Email Marketing, email service, ezine, ezine marketing, grow relationships, how to publish online, magazine design, magazine outsourcing, marketing newsletter, newsletter design | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

HTML Vs. Text

Posted on July 25, 2007 by Kevin G.

I was reading an article on practices that are working in B2B marketing. Written by Robert Bly, the article supports the notion that even though marketing gurus promote authentic and effective practices, the large majority of them are inconsistent.

It is a challenge to pinpoint what exactly makes a marketing campaign succeed or fail, even when it comes to custom publishing. One point, however, I refused to accept: B2B email marketing is a strategy best served in plain text format over HTML. What?!

Alright, I understand how spammers utilize HTML in various ways to trick filters, personal message are often sent in text format and HTML messages can seem insincere if sent to a bulky list. But to say that text email messages for B2B purposes works better than HTML is a bit shortsighted.

HTML has the capacity to present multiple sources of information in a customized way. If designed well, HTML messages can help promote a company brand while delivering a unique experience for the subscriber. Not to mention that HTML is more expansive in its capacity for tracking and measurement than plain text.

If you think text email messages will set you apart from the rest of the B2B traffic – you’re right. You'll leave your subscribers wondering why you seem to think bland is better.

July 25, 2007 in award winning blog, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building Customer Community, bulk email marketing, company blog, company newsletter, create a newsletter, create email newsletter, create newsletter, creating company newsletter, creating newsletter, direct email marketing, E-Marketing, Email Marketing, Email Newsletter, email tracking, ezine marketing, how to publish a newsletter, how to publish online, html email newsletter, html newsletter, newsletter design, newsletter publishing | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

8 Ways to Boost Your Click Through Rates

Posted on June 05, 2007 by Kathryn Regina.

From product reviews to information sharing, the Medquoda Daily shares tips from the "Creating Great Free Email Newsletters" session of SIPA's 31st annual conference in Washington D.C. Read the article to learn valuable information about copy writing for promotional-based emails.

These eight techniques will boost your click through rates

June 5, 2007 in Blogs, build credibility, business credibility, Business editorial, Business Marketing, Business newsletter, Business publications, company blog, company newsletter, Company publication, Corporate newsletter, create a newsletter, create email newsletter, create newsletter, creating company newsletter, creating newsletter, custom newsletter, Custom publication, Custom publications, E-Marketing, Email Marketing, how to publish online, how to write a newsletter, how to write and publish a paper, magazine marketing, Marketing Communication, Newsletter content, newsletter creation, Newsletter Marketing | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Keep Your Company On Target: Top 3 Lessons Learned from the Target Corporation

Posted on May 31, 2007 by Kathryn Regina.

The Target Corporation has a loyal customer base whose enthusiasm has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. From the pet name Tarzhay (a “French” pronunciation of Target) to the scores of shoppers professing their love for the red bull’s-eye, Target is a force to be reckoned with in the discount retail industry.

In her book On Target: How the World’s Hottest Retailer Hit a Bull’s-eye, author Laura Rowley expounds on Target’s business and marketing strategies. And although the book is retail-centric (and at times a bit promotional), I think it offers some valuable insight into what makes a business—any business—successful. The following are my top three lessons learned from the Target Corporation.

Lesson One: Take the best of both worlds

Die-hard Target shoppers will adamantly dispute the idea that Target is “just another discount store” like Walmart or Kmart. How has Target so effectively differentiated itself from its competitors? They did it by taking the best elements of a high-end department store--a clean well-lit sales floor, stylish products and friendly customer service--and tailoring those elements to fit a discount store.

“’Before I was a professor, I worked at a housewares distribution company which sold to Target,’ said Michael Levy, a professor of retailing at Babson College in Massachusetts and co-editor of the Journal of Retailing. ‘They always paid a lot of attention to detail. Their stores always looked a lot better than the discount store competition. Even though the shelves were stacked a little higher and the displays were not as slick as department stores, they looked more like department stores in those days than the sort of dark, dingy look of a discount store (On Target, p11).’”

Consider your chief competitors, and companies that provide high-end services in your industry. What are the most attractive elements of their offers, and how can you integrate those elements into your business in a realistic, manageable way? Take the best of both worlds and you’ll make your customers feel like they’ve hit the jackpot.

Lesson Two: Design is king

From the basics of product selection to larger decisions about its marketing campaigns, Target takes design very seriously.

Tupperware chairman and CEO Rick Goings: “I think they are looking for brands that really draw people into Target stores. If you compare them to some other retailers, they have a fairly narrow product line that they show in any category in Target, but it’s usually brands or product categories where there’s a panache to it, or a design element (On Target, p23).”

Following the iMac model of “show, don’t tell” Target ads and commercials are visually compelling, with very little text. The bulls-eye logo is so strongly branded that the Target name is usually not even included in advertisements.

“This is the ultimate emotional connection,” says Mark Gobe, founder of the branding and design firm Desgrippes Gobe Group, “when your message is so powerful and so unique that visual expressions can stand alone (On Target, p58).”

Lesson Three: Partner with people who are experts in their fields

The “do-it-yourself” method seems like a frugal choice for home owners, but it isn’t always the best financial decision for a business. So when Target decided to join the e-commerce market, it turned over its Web operations to Amazon.com.

“’I think [the Amazon deal] gives them an edge,’ said Cynthia Cohen of Strategic Mindshare. ‘You can create your own infrastructure for e-commerce, hire people, teach them—but that is expensive and time-consuming, versus going to somebody whose core competency is e-commerce. Amazon already has this knowledge—so [Target is] buying the knowledge—their dollars versus their time frame, their risk. This isn’t entirely risk-free, but Target is reducing risk by using knowledge from a company whose core competency is e-commerce (On Target, p76).’”

Whether you’re trying to break into e-commerce or start a custom publication, partnering with an expert can increase efficiency, reduce risk and optimize results while sparing your company the cost of internal time and resources.

Visit Laura Rowley.com

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May 31, 2007 in award winning blog, award winning design, blog publish, Blogs, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, business credibility, Business Marketing, Business relationships, Corporate Blogging, Customer Intuition, customer retention, E-Marketing, Email Marketing, email marketing solution, grow relationships, Marketing Communication, marketing solutions, nurturing relationships, online marketing, publish, Strategic Internet Marketing | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The Break-Up

Posted on May 15, 2007 by Kathryn Regina.

Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions is making a mini-movie about the disjunction between advertisers and consumers. It's called "The Break-Up" and it's replete with actual Hollywood actors, a movie poster, and a great tag line:

She is a consumer.

He is an advertiser.

All she wants is genuine affection.

All he gives is loyalty reduction.

The Break-up: A story of love gone wrong.

Coming Soon.

Learn more about the mini-movie at Bring the love back.

May 15, 2007 in Custom publications, Custom publisher, Custom publishing, Customer Intuition, customer magazine, customer retention, Customizable publication, direct email marketing, E-Marketing, e-newsletter, e-zine, Educating Clients, Educating Prospects, electronic magazine, electronic newsletter, Email blast, Email management, Email Marketing | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Google Improves Web Analytics

Posted on May 09, 2007 by Kevin G.

So it appears that Google has updated there web analytics tools. After considering many of the suggestions from businesses, the tools are more intuitive, expansive and customizable. Enhancing your SEO just got a whole lot easier.

May 9, 2007 in Blogging Tools, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, custom newsletter, Custom publication, customer retention, E-Marketing, e-newsletter, e-zine, Educating Clients, Educating Prospects, grow relationships, mass email, nurturing relationships, opt-in email, Thought leadership newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Brand Origins

Posted on May 02, 2007 by Kevin G.

Have you ever been curious about the origins of some of the most recognizable companies worldwide? I found a great site that explains the history of brands like Mercedes, NASA, Red Bull, or FedEx. Feed your curiosity.

May 2, 2007 in Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, business credibility, Business relationships, E-Marketing, Email Marketing, grow relationships, Interactive Marketing, newsletter, newsletter article, nurturing relationships, online marketing, Outsourcing publication, prospect newsletter, Strategic Internet Marketing, Thought leadership newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Latest Strategy for Spam: Hijacking

Posted on April 25, 2007 by Kevin G.

Spam messages infest our inboxes and inundate filters on a daily basis. It seems to be a continuous war of programmers vs. spammers.

According to Commtouch’s 2007 Spam Trend Report, 85-90 percent of all emails are sneaky spam messages. According to the report, the newest and most prominent form of spam aims to hijack the likeness of a legitimate email message.

The early forms of spam were easy to spot from subject lines using the seven words never to use in email marketing. Now they carry the likeness of a normal message with a mixture of images and text. Since most email service providers track an opened message from images populating, the average spam will now have an image at the top to fool spam filters.

When the newest methods of filtering are developed and integrated, they are already outdated by the continuous cycle of spam sophistication. It seems like an endless rat race to stay on top. You can read more about the newest trend in spam messages here.

April 25, 2007 in build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, bulk email marketing, Business relationships, create newsletter, Creative emails, direct email marketing, E-Marketing, e-newsletter, Educating Clients, Email blast, email marketing campaign, email marketing solution, grow relationships, How to do a Newsletter, html email newsletter, Interactive Marketing, opt-in email, Opt-in Email Marketing, Strategic Internet Marketing | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

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