Marketing – Page 39

December 2014 Is Here – Quick Review Of Holiday Promotion Ideas

A seasonal cartoon from the great marketoonist Tom Fishburne to kick off the post with a smile and a reminder of some of the perils of seasonal promotions.

Use discounting wisely and strategically. It’s always better to add value in a promotion rather than simply cut price.

December is here, the Advent Season has arrived…

…and holiday marketing campaigns are in full swing.

Hopefully, you have any Christmas and New Year promotions in progress or nailed down and ready to go.

But if you need any last-minute ideas or further inspiration…

…here are a few previous posts that might prove helpful.

A popular post from a few years back and well worth a look is this guest feature from Troy White in…

“More Holiday Promotions Ideas For Marketers”

In summary… [Read more…]

Looking Ahead – Marketing Calendar January 2015

2014 (where did the year go?!?) is almost over and the coming year of 2015 is fast approaching.

So let’s take a look ahead at the month of January 2015…

…and events, anniversaries and other occasions that we can put to use for an event-driven marketing event or promotion.

Of course, the New Year itself is a great reason for a promotion. At this time, most people are making plans for the year ahead and often looking to make a “fresh start”.

“New Year Sales” are a staple pretty much around the world and no reason why you can’t make use of this.

January is also “Brainteaser”, “Get Organized” and “Creativity” month.

Advanced notice…

…in 2015 Chinese New Year falls in February on the 19th, when the “Year Of The Sheep” (or Goat, in some interpretations) commences.

Other events of note…

[Read more…]

Looking Ahead – Marketing Calendar December 2014

Time to look ahead and consider what’s available to the smart direct response marketer to create…

…a marketing calendar for December 2014.

That is to say, occasions, events and anniversaries that we can use as the building block for marketing campaigns and promotions.

December of course means…

…CHRISTMAS…

…with the NEW YEAR not far behind as a marketing event.

PLEASE do not neglect the marketing opportunity that the New Year provides for pretty much any business.

Even now in November, it’s not too early to run with the theme…

…”Make 2015 Your Best Year”…

…which can apply to businesses in health, relationships, personal finance and success in general.

In December, New Year’s resolutions will be on people’s mind…

…so this is a fantastic time to promote any kind of personal development product…

…as well as business-oriented offerings.

Remember to plan and launch your New Year promotion well in advance and in good time for January 1.

With Christmas, keep in mind…

…any specific customs in your area.

For example, in Sweden the Yule season starts on December 13 with Santa Lucia Day.

Other significant events in December…

[Read more…]

Halloween 2014 – Marketing Warnings From Beyond The Grave…

Halloween is here once again…

…and this is traditionally a time when it’s believed the spirit world draws closer to our own world.

So, if we could communicate with some of the marketing giants of the past who have passed over…

…what might they have to say?

What wisdom might they remind us of…

…and would they have any TERRIFYING WARNINGS about the state of modern-day marketing?!?

Let’s start with one of the early giants of direct response marketing…

…the great Claude Hopkins.

In his classic book “Scientific Advertising” Claude set out his vision for the future of advertising and marketing…

“The time has come when advertising has in some hands reached the status of a science. It is based on fixed principles and is reasonably exact. The causes and effects have been analyzed until they are well understood.

The correct methods of procedure have been proved and established. We know what is most effective, and we act on basic law.

Advertising, once a gamble, has thus become, under able direction, one of the safest business ventures.”

I think it’s fair to say that Claude would be disappointed, to say the least, that his ideas and principles…his scientific methods…have been largely forgotten in today’s mainstream advertising and marketing world.

He would probably be HORRIFIED at the vast amounts of money spent on advertising with absolutely no effort to track and record the results!

If you haven’t already read “Scientific Advertising” then you can save yourself from the horrors of money BLEEDING out of your bank account because of ads and marketing that doesn’t work…

[Read more…]

Marketing Observations About McDonald’s Anniversaries 2014

2014 sees two significant anniversaries for McDonald’s.

First up, it’s the 40th anniversary of the opening of the first store in the UK as I noticed when I happened to pop in to my local Mickey D’s for a quick breakfast.

Now, I’m not a particularly regular patron at the Golden Arches but I’ve got no problem grabbing a meal there if needs be. In fact, every now and again I enjoy having breakfast there. For me, an Egg and Bacon McMuffin is a delight, a treat and associated with early starts on road trips.

Which brings me to my first observation about how McDonald’s are framing the UK anniversary. It’s all about…memories.

Some examples that McDonald’s suggests…

“The Late Night McNuggets Run”

“The After Swimming Treat”

“The Just Passed Your Test Drive-Thru”

“The Off On Our Holidays Pit Stop”

“The Camping Trip SOS”

I would suggest there can be very few people who have ever visited a McDonald’s restaurant who couldn’t relate to at least one of those.

And the main theme of the anniversary…

…“Celebrating 40 Years Together – Share Your McDonald’s Memories”…

…and McDonald’s is inviting customers to share those memories at a special site.

More about how the company are thinking about this…

“Since we opened our first UK restaurant 40 years ago, millions of memories have been made at McDonald’s. From a first date to your first bite of a Big Mac. From kids’ parties to catching up with mates. There are McDonald’s memories that stick in all of our minds.” [Read more…]

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