The Associated Press released a study conducted in 2012 on individuals aged between 18-45 years old, showing that the average attention span is eight seconds. These results pose a challenge on companies and marketers to deliver their content within a time lapse that will allow them to present their product effectively, without losing the consumer’s interest. 6-second Vine’s and 15-second Instagram videos are great platforms for companies to deliver short and to-the-point branded content to customers. As pointed out in this blog post, “Facebook will start offering 15-second video ads this Fall.”

Of course, unlike traditional 30-second advertisements, marketers also face the problem of knowing how to fit their messages in such limited time frames. The key, as suggested by Tessa Wegert in her blog, is to understand the consumer segment you are trying to reach. Where the brand and customer segment allow it, six second videos can suffice in transmitting a message. However, Wegert compares consumers who are on Twitter, and are expecting quick messages, with customers who are browsing a website with long articles and are expecting more “in-depth content.” Both these customers and the advertisement platforms they will be presented must be approached and matched accordingly.

Sources:

1. Fishburne, Tom. “Short Attention Span Marketing.” Tom Fishburne Marketoonist. N.p., 2 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://tomfishburne.com/2013/09/short-attention-span-marketing.html>.
2. Wegert, Tessa. “Is Short the New Marketing Must?” ClickZ. N.p., 4 July 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2279329/is-short-the-new-marketing-must>.

With the internet enabling customers to easily exchange information through online reviews with other customers, Reputation Management has become an increasingly prioritized aspect for companies. As pointed out by Tom Fishburne in his blog, companies, and more specifically marketers, must “deliver what they promise, or they get called on it, immediately and permanently.” This ominous possibility for brands to earn a negative review keeps companies “honest,” especially given that a study from BrightLocal showed that eight out of ten consumers “trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.”

One of the most poorly rated products on Amazon.com is the video game “SimCity,” with 3,950 customer reviews averaging in two and a half stars. One of the five-star ratings for this product is in fact a sarcastic review, claiming that the lack of “gameplay, sound effects and graphics” helped this customer meditate and “zone out.”

Indeed, a poor online review can damage a company’s reputation to the extent where companies may fake online reviews in order to improve their reputation online.

Sources:

1. Fishburne, Tom. “Online Reviews.” Tom Fishburne Marketoonist. N.p., 22 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://tomfishburne.com/2013/09/online-reviews.html>.
2. Amazon.com. “SimCity.” Amazon.com: : Pc: Video Games. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.amazon.com/SimCity-Pc/dp/B007FTE2VW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top>.

Corporate Social Responsibility has been increasingly brought into light and companies are responding by approaching CSR through higher cause-driven value propositions and campaigns. Unilever for example, concerns itself with “creating a sustainable future” for its customers. More specifically, as an multinational corporation with “operating companies and factories on every continent,” they have taken it as their CSR to improve the “health and well-being of local communities” through their “Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.” In 2012, approximately 400 Unilever employees encouraged people living in Malaysia to “wash their hands with soap before each meal,” in the hopes to inspire people to “promote a healthier Malaysia.”

An issue with Corporate Social Responsibility however, is that it is easy for brands to claim their goals towards more sustainable living styles, without actually implementing these changes of principles. Pointed out in this blog, as a difficult thing to measure, and as more companies pledge to develop their CSR, “the more consumers will be skeptical and cynical about companies’ motivations, even if their motivations are sincere.”

Sources:

1. Nair, Nevash. “Consumer Goods Company Takes Corporate Social Responsibility Seriously.” The Star Online. N.p., 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/SME/2013/10/24/Committed-to-reaching-out-Consumer-goods-company-takes-corporate-social-responsibility-seriously.aspx>.
2. Fishburne, Tom. “Brand Purpose.” Tom Fishburne Marketoonist. N.p., 27 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://tomfishburne.com/2013/10/brand-purpose.html>.

It seems as if every year the presence of Christmas falls upon retail stores earlier and earlier. The “Christmas creep” is a term used to describe retailer’s exploitation of Christmas through the commercialization of the season and the tendency to begin offering “holiday discounts” earlier each year. Specifically in Canada, retailers will be competing against offers in American retails by dispensing their own Black Friday price cuts.

However, the “Christmas Creep” is a phenomenon that is more than often met with ambiguous feelings. On one hand, it takes away from consumers’ propensity to enjoy and fully emerge themselves in a holiday. A professor from Le Moyne College pointed out that “saturating public space with earlier and earlier holiday fare is upsetting,” as it decreases the holiday’s “distinctiveness and special features.” Nonetheless, as suggested by this article, the “Christmas Creep” comes as a “survival of the fittest” race for retailers. The Huffington Post claims that offering sales early decreases the possibility of competitors “eating away at their profits” if these competitors too, were to offer discounts.

Researching more on this topic, I found that it’s not only the Christmas season that is brought upon customer’s earlier each year. This phenomenon also applies to Valentine’s Day and Back-to-School sales.

Sources:

1. The Huffington Post Canada. “Black Friday Comes To Canada November 29, 2013.”The Huffington Post. N.p., 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/12/black-friday-2013-canada_n_4261026.html>.
2. Quirk, Mary Beth. “Why Does Christmas Creep Bother People So Much?” Consumerist. N.p., 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://consumerist.com/2013/11/04/why-does-christmas-creep-bother-people-so-much/>.

In my previous post, I discussed a style of marketing that attentively presents customers with editorial-like ads. I’ve decided to explore a very different approach to marketing in this post, Interruption Marketing. Unlike Native Marketing, marketers attempting to reach their customer segment through Interruption Marketing will endeavour to get their message across by intervening between the customer’s attention and their add. Seth Godin coined the term in 1998 and he recognized that, although Interruption Marketing can be a highly effective method of attaining the customer’s attention, too many interruptions can lead to the consumer rejecting advertisements entirely. For example, email services provide “spam filters” to customers against unwanted emails as a measure to decrease Interruption Marketing.

Godin also proposed the term Permission Marketing, which, unlike in Interruption Marketing, customers give a company permission to reach out to them and inform them “personal and relevant messages,” in return, crating a “mutually beneficial learning relationship.” Returning to the email example, Permission Marketing in this context would be when the customer deliberately gives a company their email in order to know more about them. Permission Marketing can reduce costs for companies as it gives them insight into a target market that is interested in them.

Sources:

1. Fishburne, Tom. “Interruption Marketing.” Tom Fishburne Marketoonist. N.p., 10 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://tomfishburne.com/2013/11/interruption.html>.
2. Godin, Seth. “Seth’s Blog.” Seth’s Blog. N.p., 31 Jan. 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/permission-mark.html>.

I’ve recently come across this article, which explores the increasingly popular marketing trend of 2013, Native Advertising. The post describes the struggle being faced by marketers, in that it has become more difficult to convey their product to their consumer segment due to their “ability” to ignore ads. As pointed out, marketers need to revaluate their Channel strategies and reach their Customer Segments in a way that doesn’t feel like marketing. How can this be achieved? By weaving in the sponsored content in a manner that “sports the look and feel of other content in the site.”

In fact, this can already be observed in social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where, when scrolling through your news feed, you will find ads that will unnoticeably pass as editorial content. However, a few possible problems come to mind with this kind of advertising, such as the possibility of blurring the lines between sponsored content and editorial content to the extent that the consumer may overlook the ads completely.

Nonetheless, a report published by Hexagram and Spada claimed “41% of brands have already run native advertising campaigns, and 20% of those that haven’t plan on doing so within a year.” As a consumer aware of Native Advertising, I will attempt to be more conscious of ways that I have been targeted through seemingly editorial-like ads.

Sources:

1. Fishburne, Tom. “Native Advertising.” Tom Fishburne Marketoonist. N.p., 3 Nov. 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://tomfishburne.com/2013/11/native-advertising.html>.

2. Nanji, Ayaz. “Native Advertising Trends: Brands See Value, Publishers Like Sponsored Posts.” MarketingProfs. N.p., 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/12056/native-advertising-trends-brands-see-value-publishers-like-sponsored-posts>.

In her book “The End of Competitive Advantage,” Rita Gunther McGrath suggests that businesses must leave behind the practice of building their brands on sustainable comparative advantage, and adopt transient competitive advantage strategies in order to stay ahead. Due to the unpredictability of both consumers and competitors, it seems essential for companies to “constantly start new strategic initiatives,” which would include coming up with new ideas and increasing the “speed with which a firm can execute” them.

Consequently, perhaps, due to companies being unable to “afford to spend months at a time crafting a single long-term strategy,” executive roles in companies, such as Chief Marketing Officer, have such short tenure. In fact, companies such as Starbucks and Coca-Cola have replaced their CMO’s five times in seven years, and four times in six years respectively.

Indeed, it seems as though the short-term thinking and accessibility required for a strategic advantage arises from creating new and transient initiatives.

Sources:

1. Gunther McGrath, Rita. “Transient Advantage.” Harvard Business Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013. <http://hbr.org/2013/06/transient-advantage>.

2. Merchant, Nilofer. “Viewpoint: Twitter’s All-Male Board Spells Failure.” Time Ideas. N.p., 07 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Oct. 2013. <http://ideas.time.com/2013/10/07/viewpoint-twitters-all-male-board-spells-failure/>.

3. Fishburne, Tom. “Cmo of the Month.” Tom Fishburne Marketoonist. N.p., 06 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Oct. 2013. <http://tomfishburne.com/2013/10/cmo-of-the-month.html>.

4. Littlewood, Mark. “COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IS DEAD! LONG LIVE TRANSIENT ADVANTAGE!” Business of Software. N.p., 04 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Oct. 2013. <http://businessofsoftware.org/2013/10/competitive-advantage-is-dead-long-live-transient-advantage/>.

Back in 1956, Procter & Gamble began marketing the first deodorant for women, Secret, which encouraged women to “be active, get nervous, lift their arms and live their life without fear of embarrassment over the fact that they sweat.” Along with this Value Proposition, P&G collaborated with independent women who are considered fearless and courageous, such as Diana Nyad, who attempted to swim from Cuba to Florida. These initiatives spiked “interests of the like-minded in a common cause,” which profitably reflected as a double in their deodorant sales, including Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof, their most expensive deodorant for women.   Detailed below is a Value Proposition I’ve written for P&G’s Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof with the aid of their brand value statements from their website:

To women seeking “clinically proven extra effective wetness protection,” our Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof is a deodorant that provides women “the protection they need to take on life fearlessly” through innovative active ingredients that offer waterproof protection in eight “unique scents.”

Indeed, by positioning their brand in terms of women’s lives, P&G was able to, not only secure, but inspire consumers to affirm a shared belief on the topic of empowering women.

Sources:

1. Procter & Gamble. “All About Secret.” Http://www.secret.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013. <http://www.secret.com/en-ca/deodorant-history.aspx>.

2. Garfield, Bob, and Doug Levy. “Advertising Age.” Advertising Age News RSS. N.p., 2 Jan. 2012. Web. 07 Oct. 2013. <http://adage.com/article/news/secret-secret-finding-inspiration-perspiration/231791/>.

Getting into the mind of the consumer in order to promote a product is not an easy task, and there are various aspects of marketing communications that have to be taken into account in order to excel in the positioning of a brand. According to Interbrand’s annual Top 100 Best Global Brands report, Apple has done just this, becoming the world’s number one brand.

In addition, Interbrand’s global CEO, Jez Frampton, stated that “Apple continues to respond to emerging needs, improve its products, and break new ground in design and performance.” [1] These are aspects reflected on the brand’s points of difference, their “all day” MacBook Air battery life guarantee and innovative iOS 7 system, allow for “legions of adoring fans, as evidenced by the record-breaking launch of the iPhone 5c/5s.” Apple also seems consistent with their value proposition of being environmentally committed, planning to “achieve 100 percent renewable energy for its data centers and facilities worldwide.”

Indeed, just as Victor Ho states in his blog, I too did not foresee Apple’s success in the release of their iPhone 5c. Nonetheless, as 2013’s world number one brand, they seem to have a clear idea on their consumer’s perceptions and their brand’s positioning.

Sources:

1. Interbrand. “Interbrand – Best Global Brands 2013 – Apple.” Interbrand – Best Global Brands 2013 – Apple. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. <http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/2013/Apple>.

2. Molina, Brett. “Apple Dethrones Coca-Cola as Top Global Brand.” USA Today. Gannett, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/09/30/apple-best-global-brand/2894841/>.

3. Ho, Victor. “Victor’s Blog.” Victors Blog. N.p., 02 Oct. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/hovictor/2013/10/02/apple-vs-coca-cola/>.

It seems as though firms have become more aware of the importance of social responsibility and business ethics. With summit meetings such as the Annual Global Ethics Summit, run by Thomson Reuters and the Ethisphere Institute, or public acknowledgments such as the Observer Ethical Awards and the Best Global Green Brands, one can’t help but think that corporations are aiming towards a more ethical business environment. However, is it the importance of reducing pollution, establishing safer and more humane work conditions that concern them, or is their search for social responsibility motivated by achieving a good social image?

Both Kellogg’s and PepsiCo were criticized for “scoring low on commitment to improving the rights of women and farmers” in a report published this year by Oxfam, an NGO that focuses on corporate social responsibility actions of MNC’s. Nonetheless, later this year, the Ethisphere Institute ranked Kellogg’s and PepsiCo as “two of the world’s most ethical companies.” As noted by a peer in her blog post on business ethics, Jenny Diemer points out that “ethics have become a marketing tool for many companies.” The issue with such awards and acknowledgements is that, although they can motivate businesses to become more socially responsible, the focus is not on sustainability, but rather on “celebrating” the individual firm’s achievements. Social responsibility should become a business’ priority both on an ethical level and because, as explained by Freeman, it is important for businesses to concern themselves with all stakeholders, including the well-being of their customers, suppliers, and their community in order to prosper.

Sources:

1. McEachran, Rich. “Ethical Awards: Green Wash or Genuinely Recognising Sustainability?” The Guardian. N.p., 3 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.

2. “Ethisphere’s 2013 Global Ethics Summit.” Corpedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.

3. Diemer, Jenny. “Jenny Diemer’s Blog.” Jenny Diemers Blog. N.p., 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.

4. “What Is Stakeholder Theory? – R. Edward Freeman.” YouTube. YouTube, 01 Oct. 2009. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.