By Matt Hensler
November 12th, 2009
The Big Carl vs. the Big Mac. Mac vs. PC. Feuds between consumer products can be entertaining. They can influence consumer behavior by making an emotional appeal about what one product offers over another. While this tactic can be successful in B2C, when I hear the term ‘competition’ in B2B marketing, I tend to cringe.
The reason is that some B2B organizations take the idea of competition too literally. Marketing isn’t a boxing match. Your focus should not be on exchanging blows with your competitors. Bad mouthing other businesses doesn’t add value to your product or to the process your customers use to make buying decisions. Instead, B2B marketers should focus on creating rationale that provides support to customers and prospects when they are considering a purchase.
Competition is still a good thing. But, learn from what your competition is doing and leverage that information to create effective strategies that uniquely connect with your B2B customers and prospects. Give them the information they need to make a sound decision.
The objective should be to craft messages that customers value—save the fight song for your annual sales meeting.
What famous marketing feuds do you remember? How have you used competitive research to steer your B2B MarComm strategies?
By Ryan Emenecker
October 28th, 2009
At last we’ve found it, advertising at its lowest point. Flush all those ideas of social media or mobile devices being the future of advertising, the WOW Toilet Tank is sure to be the #1 (or #2) way to reach your target market! We ran across this website here in the office and couldn’t help but share it. It’s a transparent toilet tank for inserting posters and advertisements.
The question is: Will it really help sales skyrocket or make them tank?
Although we’re used to people “crapping” all over our new marketing ideas, this one wipes all those away. We thought it would be fun to give it a try. So here’s our challenge: anybody who would like to step up (or sit down) to this new advertising idea, we’d be glad to assist. I do have a disclaimer though…I don’t want to be the one to change out the posters in the tanks!
Now I’m off to wash my hands.
By Mike Bjella
October 22nd, 2009
Stock is a good start if you’re making chicken soup, but as Chef Emeril would say, “kick it up a notch!”
Often stock photography is relied upon because it is budget-friendly and it can be uber-fast. It generally has what it takes to get the project done, but there is a risk of seeing your purchased photo used in somebody else’s campaign and nobody likes that, or even using a photo that unwittingly sends the wrong message.
A campaign supporting Measure WW, a $250 million bond measure to preserve open space for recreation and wildlife habitat in California, mistakenly used a picture of a frog that nobody wants in their parks.
The African clawed frog in the brochure is a non-native species that threatens indigenous frogs and small fish. It’s considered a pest in California creeks, streams and ponds and has been called the “Frog from Hell.” Not exactly the message Measure WW wanted to send.
Sometimes the photo and concept needed simply doesn’t exist, but that shouldn’t get in the way of making your project truly unique. Nine times out of 10 if you dream it we can make it happen and at a budget-friendly pace/price.
We just completed a photo shoot for a client and it was a great success! As Emeril would say, “BAM!”
Have you seen any different campaigns using the same photo? Any advertisement photography really stand out to you lately?
By Sabrina Sherrell
October 21st, 2009
Lately, I’ve noticed how hard it is to find time to write a blog post. Fall is busy at Canyon with 2010 planning and concepting. With so much going on, it’s tough to catch up on my Google Reader, let alone create an inspirational and motivational blog post.
No matter your workload, it’s important to remember your company is creating blog content that is read by your clients, potential prospects and leaders in the industries you serve. Here are some helpful tips to stay on the ball:
Using these tips makes it easy to keep your blog fresh and relevant so readers will keep coming back. Remember don’t forget to have fun.
How do you stay motivated for writing posts? Where do you find inspiration?
By Megan Reisig
October 19th, 2009
I just returned from vacation in Mexico. And, even a thousand miles away from my day-to-day responsibilities, I couldn’t help but think about PR and marketing.
I don’t speak any Spanish. However, I was able to spend a week in Mexico with no hassles. I could order drinks, get directions when lost and get exactly what I wanted for dinner. Why? Because everybody I encountered spoke English when they interacted with me. This got me thinking, if Mexico is so accommodating to English-speaking people in their county, why do some b2b marketers ignore the large Hispanic population in our country?
The Hispanic population is no doubt growing and it holds several valuable business opportunities. While some consumer brands are doing an excellent job of marketing to Hispanics, I think many b2b brands are missing important marketing opportunities, and therefore sales.
According to Reuters, the 46 million Hispanics that live in the U.S. had a buying power of more than $980 billion in 2008. So, next time you produce an advertisement, brochure, white paper or press release, consider English and Spanish versions—you might be surprised at the extra buzz created about your product or company.
What are your thoughts? Do you think more b2b marketers should have materials available in English and Spanish?
