Michael Barnett’s m-commerce and contactless payment article reminds me that this is an exciting time for the industry. While marketers are right to be wary about new technology, it is already opening up a plethora of doors. We’re being served up a chance to create new ways of engaging consumers – even more directly and […]
Michael Barnett’s report ‘M-commerce moves into mainstream’ (MWlinks.co.uk/mcommerce) links well to recent research from Juniper which reveals that the use of mobile vouchers will exceed $43bn (£32.7bn) globally by 2016. It seems that as the mobile phone becomes the platform of choice for perusing the internet and online shopping, economy-minded shoppers expect money-saving opportunities available […]
What you said
Many brands not sponsoring the London 2012 seem to have put their promotional marketing on hold. But with millions of people not interested in the Olympics, isn’t this a chance to be successful by being noticeably different? Olympic tickets are enviable, but there are many who currently can’t seem to find any alternative. Philip PenlingtonDirector, […]
Academic Neil Rackham’s calling for marketers to take charge of the sales function (MWlinks.co.uk/MarketerSales) sparked debate – here are comment extracts. I agree that there are qualities found in both occupations but to put marketing people in charge of transactional sales is a jump based on the assumption that marketing people understand all steps of […]
As a fiercely loyal Tesco shopper for 14 years, I happened to visit Waitrose with my 15-year old daughter last weekend and she was genuinely excited at the varied range, its presentation and the food quality inherent in its packaging. And of course, not concerned with the price. “Why can’t we shop more here, Dad?” […]
When that enormous meteor blasted through the atmosphere, the dinosaurs didn’t stand a chance – even if they’d have seen it coming. Game and HMV are the two remaining dinosaurs of the entertainment retail industry and, although given warnings about the impending impact of the internet as long ago as last century, they both largely […]
Comments on Mark Ritson’s column, ‘The three rules of brand management’ (www.mwlinks.co.uk/BrandMGMT), sparked furious debate on marketingweek.co.uk. Here’s a selection.
Simplicity is vital if customers are to get the best experience from a brand (MWlinks.co.uk/SimpleBrands). Some of the most successful brands today have simple marketing messages that are consistent and easy to understand. To relay these key messages to customers, brands are now experimenting with communication channels such as in-store radio and visual displays. However, […]
Your report on empty nesters (MW last week) asks how must brands target people who ‘live for today’. Growing older is getting cooler and brands need to be braver in throwing down a more provocative approach. A focus on values rather than age will engage their innate sense of agelessness. Let’s start treating them like […]
Deep down, none of us really thinks advertising can be to blame for last summer’s riots (MWlinks.co.uk/RiotBrands). Advertising is just one part of what feeds a consumerist culture. The trainers you want to wear or the TV you wished you owned come from the conspicuous consumption of the community around you – and advertising or […]
Of real interest in your article about customer service (MW 23 February) were the comments from Sir Richard Branson and Phil Stewart from Virgin Media. This time last year, I experienced the worst customer experience debacle of my life, following Virgin Media’s failure to install its service when promised. Multiple calls to multiple representatives on […]
Russell Parsons highlights some interesting findings on the latest marketing budgets and it won’t all be music to marketers’ ears but does suggest opportunity for greater creative invention with the promise of more marketing budget overall. This will encourage a move away from using the same old traditional routes. More brands should commit to increasing […]
Mark Ritson’s piece on going back to brand basics sparked a debate on the website. Here are some of your comments: Beyond the basics Advertising has a purpose and has to work to support the brand. But are we saying that our audience hasn’t moved beyond the basics to be able to connect concepts and […]
One factor that may prove to be the BlackBerry’s saving grace (www.mwlinks.co.uk/BB10) is the fact that most of its 75 million subscribers trust their device. Unlock worldwide via email The new BB10 looks like any other Blackberry. I’m not surprised that the company has to spend a lot of money marketing this product – it’s […]