Bob Dylan Sings To Marketers

MediaPost Publications, November 19, 2009 — Listening to a Bob Dylan album that I downloaded to my iPhone, I was prompted to rummage through a box of yellowing newspaper articles on entertainers and found a 2002 New York Times article, "Bob Dylan's Unswerving Road Back To Newport," which traces his merger of folk and rock.

Advertising and marketing professionals would do well to heed Dylan's example, which reminds us that life does not progress in a straight line. Personal and artistic integrity are underscored by fusion and change, which, in turn, is driven by the tension of a collage of opposites. The point: What is true for Bob Dylan is true for all people.

From Recession To Recovery, Re-Invention

MediaPost Publications, November 19, 2009 — By all standard economic indicators, it appears that the U.S. is finally emerging from the worst recession in several decades. Even consumers have begun, albeit timidly, to venture out, shopping for non-essential items. So, it was fitting that the theme of this year's Idea Conference, presented by Creativity and <I>Advertising Age</i>, last Thursday focused on reinvention across a number of industries, e.g., automotive, technology, financial services, art, design, food, music.

LinkedIn Launches Custom Groups For Marketers

MediaPost Publications, November 18, 2009 — Expanding its monetization efforts, LinkedIn is launching a new program allowing marketers to create sponsored groups with built-out Web pages that are promoted across the professional's social network.

LinkedIn unveiled the new Custom Groups along with other advertising initiatives the company is rolling out at a breakfast event Wednesday in New York. The moves reflect the company's wider strategy to capitalize on the company's affluent audience of more than 50 million members.

Friendless: CMOs Spend Little On Social Media

MediaPost Publications, November 17, 2009 — Twitter may be booming, Facebook stratospheric, but leading chief marketing officers are apparently yet to send the dollars wildly chasing the traffic.

A new study shows nearly 85% of CMOs spend less than 10% of their budgets on social media, and what's described as "non-traditional communications channels."

Pyrex Leverages Its Usefulness In The Kitchen

MediaPost Publications, November 17, 2009 — Chicago-based World Kitchen brand Pyrex has launched its largest campaign in a decade to highlight the brand's new line of kitchenware. The new campaign, via the Milwaukee office of Cramer-Krasselt, carries the brand's first tag-line, "Cooking Solved." The effort includes TV, print, Internet, a new Web site and PR elements timed for the holiday cooking season.

Reintroduce The Consumer Into The Mix

MediaPost Publications, November 17, 2009 — We have more data on consumers today than ever, but do we really know more about how to market to them than we did 25 years ago? It's not our fault; it just used to be simpler back when the average consumer was easily defined, shopped in fewer places, and print, TV, radio and in-store were the only real options available for communicating with them.

Economic Recovery Inspires Innovation and Frustration

As innovation revives, companies struggle to make it boost profitable growth. GE, Tata Motors, Marvel, and Virgin Galactic offer diverse models

BusinessWeek, November 16, 2009 — While they continue to slog through the longest economic downturn in decades, companies are no longer making cost-cutting their primary focus. Innovation is now front and center on the corporate agenda, according to a global survey we recently conducted with 65 senior executives from diverse industries. Executives are adding more breakthrough innovations and business model changes to their portfolio to fuel the growth engine for the recovery.

Yet our survey reveals that companies by and large are having trouble making innovation efforts work

First Network, Then Cable, Now There's 'Social TV'†

Networks Try to Hold, Build Audiences With Facebook and Twitter

Advertising Age, November 16, 2009 — TV has for decades aimed to deliver water-cooler moments, from "Who Shot J.R.?" right on through to the return of Dr. Izzie Stevens on "Grey's Anatomy" last week. What TV hasn't been able to do is keep hold of its audience once people move from watching these shows to talking about them — until now. Using new social-media tools, producers are trying to build up their old-media offerings and beef up their audiences for advertisers.

Nearly 40% of marketers plan to boost budgets

Marketing Priorities and Plans 2010

BtoB Magazine, November 16, 2009 — As the economy slowly shows signs of recovery, almost 40% of b-to-b marketers say they plan to boost their marketing budgets next year, according to BtoB's “2010 Outlook: Marketing Priorities and Plans” survey.

The online survey of 376 b-to-b marketers was conducted during the last week of October and the first week of November. It found that 39.2% plan to increase their marketing budgets next year; 47.5% plan to keep them flat; and 13.3% plan to decrease them.

P&G, Walmart, Unilever, General Mills Are Major Marketers on a Mission†

From 'We Save You Money' to 'We Nourish Lives,' Giants Make Some Big Statements

Advertising Age, November 16, 2009 — If you haven't touched and improved more lives more completely lately, you probably wouldn't last long as a Procter & Gamble Co. marketer.

The touching-and-improving mantra flows off lips at P&G these days with the eerie ease that "consumer is boss" did nearly a decade ago. The catchphrase rotation has been the most obvious manifestation of the transition to CEO Bob McDonald. He and Global Brand-Building Officer Marc Pritchard frequently answer questions about everything from growth strategy to the role of a brand manager by citing that touching/improving theme.