I suspect many of us can relate to Tom Fishburne’s amusing cartoon above.

Faced with lockdown and the resulting (unexpected) extra time available…

…it’s understandable that any responsible professional would want to use that time wisely.

But what to choose? In uncertain times, what new skill will really make a difference?

And might there even be a downside to this apparently positive activity?

Tom Fishburne comments…

“A recent survey from Blind found that 83% of marketing and communications professionals are reporting burnout, the highest of any job function.

There are likely many factors at play, but I wonder how much of this burnout relates to productivity anxiety, the pressure to be busy, and the hustle culture in business.”

Well worth reading the whole piece at…

“the productivity trap”.

It occurs to me as well, that a big part of the problem… [Read more…]

Welcome to this month’s “Looking Ahead” feature for September 2020. While the Covid-19 emergency can’t be considered over…life is slowly returning to something like normal.

So…while taking due account of any restrictions that affect your business or customers…there’s no need to hold back on your marketing.

Let’s take a look at the events, occasions, anniversaries and holidays that we can use as the foundation for event-driven marketing promotions in September 2020.

Note that a number of events that are usually held at this time of year have been cancelled.  That includes the famous Oktoberfest in Germany that usually starts in September.

It’s a time of a change of seasons. The September Equinox falls on September 22 at 13.30 UT (that’s 14.30 UK time…check for your particular location).

It’s Autumn in the north and Spring in the south…

…and these can be used as broad themes for a promotion.

Tied in with these, in the northern hemisphere it’s normally “Back to School” or “Back to Work” and the start of the run-in to the end of the year. In the current emergency situation, those ideas might need to be modified.

In the southern hemisphere, “Spring Time” or “Spring Cleaning” can be used as a theme.

Looking at some specific occasions… [Read more…]

Welcome to this month’s “Looking Ahead” feature. While the Covid-19 emergency can’t be considered over…life is slowly returning to something like normal.

So…while taking due account of any restrictions that affect your business or customers…there’s no need to hold back on your marketing.

There are no major holidays this month. In the northern hemisphere it’s the dog days of summer. In the south it’s the last blast of winter. These “seasonal” themes are available to you if there’s nothing else that’s suitable.

August is also a “Back To School” month for many northern hemisphere countries…although that may be affected by Covid-19 restrictions.

This time of year also usually sees a number of major sporting events. The US Open Tennis is expected to take place, but without spectators. In Europe, the delayed final stages of the football (soccer) Champions League and Europa League will conclude on August 23 and August 21 respectively.

It’s also “Elvis Week”, August 9-17. Elvis Presley moved on to the “great gig in the sky” 41 years ago on 16 August, 1977.

Other events… [Read more…]

Time for our regular look ahead…this time at the month of July 2020. It’s a little too soon to think that the Covid-19 emergency is over…but things are gradually getting back to normal.

So…while taking due account of any restrictions that affect your business or customers…there’s no need to hold back on your marketing.

Looking at the coming month for events, occasions, holidays and anniversaries that can form the basis for a marketing promotion…

…two big ideas stand out.

The first is…we are in the second half of the year. July 1 is sometimes referred to as “Second Half Of The Year Day”.

As with any milestones like this, it’s an opportunity to give people a bit of a jolt and get them to review their goals and plans for the year.

Of course, if they are off-track a little you might well be able to help them get back on track!

Secondly… [Read more…]

I thought I’d start this month’s “Looking Ahead” feature with a moment of humour from Tom Fishburne and his cartoon from a post titled…

“generic advertising ‘in these uncertain times'”

The point here is that many marketers are defaulting to a safe and somewhat cliched style in their advertising and other messages.  Well worth reading the whole post.

Now, I’m not going to suggest that we are anywhere near to being “back to normal”.  However, around the world the various measures taken to combat the Covid-19 pandemic are being eased somewhat in a number of places.

I’d suggest as well that people have adapted to the situation and are getting on with their lives as best they can…

…which means they are receptive to offers that are relevant and attractive.

The comments at the beginning of last month’s post about how to market in a time of crisis are still relevant.  But provided that you…STAY RELEVANT…and REMAIN APPROPRIATE…there’s no need to hold back in your marketing.

And…referring back to the beginning of this post…remember that being boring is probably the biggest sin in marketing! 

One other point…

…this crisis will end. If you’re currently closed…or restricted in what you can do…it’s important to prepare for the reopen and getting back to full speed as fast as possible.

Special promotions can play a BIG part in that…

…so it’s worth being prepared.  With all that said, let’s have a look at the holidays and occasions that can be used as the basis for a promotion… [Read more…]