Mail is better

What do you think about this article? Is it true that all the modern hyped and all so relevant marketing tools of social media are not competent enough to beat the good old mailing technique? Are newsletters, mailer the only option or atleast the most successful option?

Well the article below says that. Here it goes:

In 2013, no company can expect to be taken seriously if it’s not on Facebook or Twitter. An endless stream (no pun intended) of advice from marketing consultants warns businesses that they need to “get” social or risk becoming like companies a century ago that didn’t think they needed telephones.
Despite the hype that inevitably clings to the newfangled, however, it’s relatively antique tech that appears to be far more important for selling stuff online. A new report from marketing data outfit Custora found that over the past four years, onl
ine retailers have quadrupled the rate of customers acquired through email to nearly 7 percent.

Facebook over that same period barely registers as a way to make a sale, and the tiny percentage of people who do connect and buy over Facebook has stayed flat. Twitter, meanwhile, doesn’t register at all. By far the most popular way to get customers was “organic search,” according to the report, followed by “cost per click” ads (in both cases, read: Google).

So can I ignore my facebook account and focus on the mailer? I don't think that is a good idea. I think facebook, twitter or any other account on social media allows you to build a character to your brand and then the original website, brochure and interaction allows you to seal the deal. A good organic mix is important for a successful marketing effort.

Harp the negatives

Harp the negative and you might end up attracting quite a few. The trick here is not just being different and standing out of the crowd, but to be able to let your customers speak about what happened and be frank is a brave thing to do. Most companies and marketing managers would think twice before doing that. The need to be direct and allowing your consumers to hear bad things, negatives is a good marketing strategy.

Indiblogger is organizing a meet up on 3rd October this year at IIM B. Are you coming?

Vampire to sell

Chicago Business reports...

James Bond has inspired sales of Aston Martins and BMWs with his super-cool onscreen wheels. Now a vampire who drives a Volvo is getting the attention of young drivers.

Since the release of "Twilight" in 2008, teens and young adults have been drawn to the Volvo C30, driven by the character Edward Cullen.

"All these teenagers were going crazy about the C30," says Carmelo Scalzo, general manager of Volvo of Oak Park. "After the movie launched, we saw this spike in C30 sales. We didn't know what had happened until we put two and two together."

Mr. Scalzo helped market the newer XC60, featured in the series' second film, "New Moon" (2009), after Volvo caught on and tied the car to the movie through advertisements and guerrilla marketing.

The XC60, at $32,995, has not seen the same spike in sales as the C30, at $24,600, Mr. Scalzo says.

But for some, just seeing one is enough.

"I have people coming in with their kids who are taking pictures with the cars," say Pat Hubert, general manager of Fields Volvo in Highland Park. "These are younger kids, probably 12 or 13 years old. Their parents say they'll come back when they're older."

Franz Mausser, manager of Barrington Volvo, reports a surge of interest in both models.

"We have seen an increase in interest in both vehicles by the youngest of drivers, teens and twentysomethings, and beyond," Mr. Mausser says. "Young parents also have been engrossed with the plots and story lines of the movie."

5 Things Avatar Can Teach You

Avatar is a world-wide phenomenon and is currently the top grossing movie of all time*. How can you learn from its success and apply it to your own projects (even if they aren’t billion dollar movies).

1. Technology Matters. James Cameron first wrote Avatar in 1994, but he ended up tabling it until 2005 because he felt the technology wasn’t there yet. Figure out what your idea needs and how you can make it happen. If your current idea won’t work well, put it on hold and work on something else.
2. Love Your Idea. This movie finally came to fruition 15 years after Cameron’s initial idea. He didn’t just forget about it, he waited for his moment and made it happen. And now he’s very rich (er, richer).
3. Get Fans, Not Just Viewers(/Users). Avatar was so successful because you didn’t just go and think “good movie” and go to sleep. You wanted to tell everyone you knew about it. After watching this movie I immediately started telling my family and friends they had to see it. Now.
4. A Little Controversy is Good. Avatar’s a commentary on the war in Iraq. And our treatment of the environment. And a critique of the military. And advocates polytheism. And deals with racial issues. Or maybe none of the above, but it made you talk about it, didn’t it?
5. Make it Beautiful. Avatar is a cinematic masterpiece. It’s gorgeous. Don’t settle for less with your iPhone app. If your iPhone app is the best looking thing I’ve ever seen I’ll not only use it but share it with everyone I know.

*Okay, so this actually depends on whether or not you count inflation. In any case, it did very, very well.

Source: Megan's post

Try this

Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?

Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above. The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones. Reason being cameras bundled with cellphones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cellphone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sony's and Canons are taking note.

Try this. Who is the biggest in music business in India? You think it is HMV Sa-Re-Ga-Ma? Sorry. The answer is Airtel. By selling caller tunes (that play for 30 seconds) Airtel makes more than what music companies make by selling music albums (that run for hours). Incidentally Airtel is not in music business. It is the mobile service provider with the largest subscriber base in India. That sort of competitor is difficult to detect, even more difficult to beat (by the time you have identified him he has already gone past you). But if you imagine that Nokia and Bharti (Airtel's parent) are breathing easy you can't be farther from truth.Nokia confessed that they all but missed the Smartphone bus. They admit that Apple's Iphone and Google's Android can make life difficult in future. But you never thought Google was a mobile company, did you? If these illustrations mean anything, there is a bigger game unfolding. It is not so much about mobile or music or camera or emails?

Read more at MJ's blog

Top of mind

What is critical for brands is to stay top-of-mind among various options. It means there is a chance to get picked up. Once you are in this evoke/preferred set you get to be the second best or third best purchase choice. What makes you stay top-of-mind is what your preference should be. Well they can be simple or complex, consisting of a basic sequence of timed communications to ensure proactive communication triggered by specific and chosen responses, behaviors or prior contacts that influence the consumer. This can also be done drip by drip in engaging the consumer's order of choice. Studying what consumer wants to keep your brand in the top 3 or four choices helps you acquire those qualities and raise your rank.

It’s important that all your messages clearly address consumer’s greatest needs or challenges, so give them an opportunity he might pick your brand. To get there make sure to include a message that contains about your targets’ specific needs; then base subsequent messages build on it.

What happens if you are not in the top-of-mind set? Choose a niche in the same market and stick to it. The profits may not be so good but you can have a dedicated set of consumers buying your brand and happy with it. What if you are not OK with these volumes? Get out and find another sector or come back to me with a better brand and product.

Pessimist mugs

Archies has these mugs quotes like 'you look dirty', 'your performance is below average', 'don't be a moron', 'you aren't paying me enough to keep smiling', etc. This is placed such a way that only the person in front of you can read. The idea is to catch attention and change the mood! This is the claim. They are available at Forum mall, Bangalore. This message is usually different from all the optimistic sounding comments on coffee mugs. By catering to a niche segment of people who would like to make a statement Archies has an edge. I just can't imagine the look on the reader's face while the one holding it keeps smiling. Interestingly all the mugs were right-handed. What happens if a leftie buys it?

Positioning is all that matters

I got a curious comment on my post about Women's Reservation Bill. It goes on like this...

Do you want Women's Reservation everywhere? That is,

1) Women's Reservation for 50% of Judges positions in High Courts and Supreme Court.
2) Women's Reservation for 50% of positions in IAS, IPS, IFS?
3) Women's Reservation for 30% of Govt and Private Sector Company Jobs and Promotions every year without considering performance.
4) Women's Reservation for 50% of Senior Management positions in private sector?
5) Women's Reservation for 50% of seats in IITs, IIMs, Engineering and Medical Colleges?
6) Lay Offs only for men in Private sector and No Lay offs for women.
7) Law for sacking of Men from their jobs, if a woman accuses him of harassment at workplace and considering the accused man guilty till proven innocent.
8) Women's Reservation for 50% of positions in Panchayats.

The blog is titled Men's Rights and themed like this..

If you do not want special privileges for Women in all the above, the time to act is now. If women get reservation in parliament, then they will change laws to implement all of the above and you will just watch helplessly.

Jago India. Jago!!

Act Now. Send this message to as many people as possible. Say No to Special Privileges to Women. Say No to Women's Reservation. Well I think it is self explanatory. Frankly I would like to see 50% chances in all fields.

The blog is aimed at a niche segment which would subscribe to this crazy yet unique idea. I think it is brilliantly positioned. I am not linking it to deny any publicity from www.consumerpsyche.com.

Coke divides to rule

The Coca-Cola Co. has launched a multi-media marketing campaign aimed at the nation’s 45 million Hispanics. The tagline “Destapa Tus Sueños,” or “Unleash Your Dreams,” is the Hispanic adaptation of the Atlanta-based beverage giant’s “Open Happiness” global integrated marketing campaign that began in January. The campaign began airing a new television commercial on March 20, and will expand its media presence with a strong showing during Univision’s highest rated program “Premio Lo Nuestro” music awards, on March 26. The new ad will run on Spanish language networks including Univision, Telemundo and TeleFutura.

Also, beginning in May, Coca-Cola will start national marketing, advertising and public relations campaign featuring the Mexican National Team in the United States. It will offer several opportunities for soccer fans, including a soccer clinic with Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa; attending friendly matches of the Mexican National Team in the United States; in-game experience as part of Coca-Cola “Ball Kids” program in Mexican National Team matches; collectible premiums and more. The campaign was developed with Ogilvy & Mather, the Hispanic marketing and advertising agency of record for Coca-Cola North America.

What stays in your mind!

Ever wondered why bad jokes are easier to remember than the good ones? Well, scientists claim to have finally unraveled the reason. A new study has revealed that the best jokes are the hardest to remember as they work by subverting usual thought patterns, making them less memorable but funnier—moreover, a final twist and surprise in the joke makes people remember the punchline, but forget the run-up to the gag. But, on the contrary, the structure and punchlines of cliched gags are so predictable that they make the jokes easy to recall, the study found. According to the study’s author, Prof Robert Provine of Maryland University, “What makes a joke successful is also what makes it difficult to remember. The punch line involves an unexpected turn.

If someone tells you a list of flowers, like roses, daffodils, petunias and brick. That was unexpected and funny. You remember ‘brick’, but not probably the correct list of flowers. Good jokes 'work in the opposite way to a poem or piece of music'. "It's easier to follow a song because it has rhyme and rhythm. I hear a good joke but usually I can’t remember all of it.” Daniel Schacter of Harvard University said that good jokes often rely on subtle nuances and timings and these are things which we find difficult to accurately recall. You appreciate a comment on your blog, reply it people forget. You delete the comment they will remember it! You appreciate the article people forget, you say they are wrong they get excited. Try it.

Niche is the key

Clark Little grew up on the north shore of the Hawaiian island Oahu, one of the focal points for the development of big wave surfing. He has dedicated his life to producing photographs of the inside of waves, images usually reserved for only the most intrepid surfers. Going niche is a strategic choice and will definitely bring in recognition and challenge. But you need to be the best in your chosen category and keep on innovating. Clark does exactly this.