The Short Life of the Chief Marketing Officer

The New Media world is bewildering, and few CMOs can live up to the sky-high expectations

BusinessWeek, November 30, 2007 — Stroll through the C-suite at many companies, and it's an easy bet which executive is a dead man (or woman) walking: the chief marketing officer. CMOs last 26 months on average these days, says recruiter Spencer Stuart, vs. 44 months for CEOs. In the past few weeks, CMOs at Chico's (CHS), Home Depot (HD), MySpace (NWS), and Rite Aid (RAD) all have left their posts after short tenures.

Discover Needs Plastic Surgery

Fears of a consumer slowdown have hurt its stock, but the credit-card issuer's big problem is its image

BusinessWeek, November 29, 2007 — Discover Financial Services (DFS) couldn't have picked a worse time to become an independent company. The credit-card issuer, which was spun off from Morgan Stanley (MS) on June 30, collided head-on with a credit crunch and mounting fears about a slowdown in consumer spending. In five months the stock has sunk more than 40%.

Promotions, In-Store Displays Key to Swaying Electronics Shoppers†

Survey Shows How Men and Women Approach Shopping Differently

Advertising Age, November 29, 2007 — This just in: Men and women shop differently. Shopping for a big-screen TV is an exciting process for men, who definitely find it easier than shopping for groceries or shoes. For women, it's stress-inducing and requires careful consideration and research.

Cycling’s Drug Problem Leads T-Mobile to End Sponsorship

New York Times, November 28, 2007 — T-Mobile, the professional cycling team that began this year with the sport’s largest budget and an ambitious plan to reform the sport’s drug problem, lost its sponsor yesterday because of continuing doping controversies...In announcing the decision to end its sponsorship contract two years early, Deutsche Telekom made it clear that cycling teams had become a marketing nightmare.

RJ Reynolds to Stop Print Ads Next Year

Associated Press, November 28, 2007 — The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., which has been under intense pressure from anti-smoking groups and members of Congress over print ads for its cigarettes, said Tuesday it would not advertise its brands in newspapers or consumer magazines next year.

The company had been criticized sharply for both its colorful and feminine Camel No. 9 ads, which appeared in fashion magazines and were seen as cynically aimed at young women, and also for a recent ad in Rolling Stone.

8 Trends to Capitalize on in 2008

Trendwatching, November 27, 2007 — Another year has almost passed. Over the last 11 months, we have highlighted trends like (STILL) MADE HERE, FEMALE FEVER, TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY, TRYSUMERS and more. No doubt 2008 will be as trend-heavy; to get you going, here are eight trends to watch and capitalize on in the new year.

Where E-Commerce Meets Chat, Social Retailing Gains Traction†

Users Focused on Shopping Could Be Marketers' Dream, But Transparency Pitfalls Loom

Wall Street Journal, November 27, 2007 — As more consumers turn to "social-shopping" sites, advertisers from Nike to American Express are targeting them with new holiday ad campaigns. Sites such as Kaboodle, ShopStyle.com and ThisNext are a blend of social networking and e-commerce. They offer product recommendations — some from the staff of the sites, some from random users — and let shoppers create wish lists, comment on items and prices, post photos and make purchases. Marketing executives say the sites are attractive because visitors tend to be focused on shopping rather than just browsing.

CPG Starts Thinking Outside the Box

Virtual shelves, real customers.

eMarketer, November 26, 2007 — After decades of relying on television and print advertising, US consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers are finally moving a larger proportion of their marketing budgets online. This year, eMarketer projects that CPG companies will spend $920 million on all forms of Internet advertising, up 33% over 2006. By 2011, CPG advertising online will hit $1.8 billion, for a compound annual growth rate of 20.9%.

Dove Viral Draws Heat From Critics†

Bloggers, Others: How Can Marketer of Axe Attack the Beauty Industry's Ad Values?

Advertising Age, November 26, 2007 — When you unleash an "Onslaught" on YouTube, watch out for the counterattack.

Dove's viral video attack on beauty advertising has produced a surprisingly strong and enduring blowback against Unilever from activists, newspaper op-ed writers, bloggers and videographers who see it as hypocritical coming from the same company that markets Axe.

Fine-Tuning Cable Audiences†

Software monitors favored viewers, shifts commercials

Wall Street Journal, November 26, 2007 — When real-estate company RE/MAX International advertises with local cable operators, it typically asks them to air its commercials during home-improvement shows like A&E's "Flip This House" and HGTV's "House Hunters." The idea is that viewers of such programs may also be in the market to buy or sell a house. Such logic makes sense, but advertisers these days are demanding more precision, and getting the technology to do it.

Lights! Camera! Sales!†

How to use video to expand your business in a YouTube world

Wall Street Journal, November 26, 2007 — Online video has become a daily fix for millions of people. Now entrepreneurs are starting to cash in on that obsession. Consider Valentina Trevino. The 29-year-old Chicago artist and filmmaker regularly posts videos on YouTube, showing how she created a painting and what it means to her — and musing quirkily on a host of matters. In one clip, she ruminates about the strange connection between the ballerinas in Edgar Degas's art and Britney Spears's custody battles.

Make a Case for Your Brand†

Study Shows Brand Strength Does Have an Impact on Profitability and Risk

Advertising Age, November 26, 2007 — Have you ever needed to make a case for the brand to the CFO?

If you are like most marketing managers, you base your argument on research demonstrating that loyalty and evangelism can accrue from investments to build brand equity. Perhaps you provide your own consumer-based evidence of the power of branding, using psychological concepts such as perceived value, brand preference or brand awareness and recall.

Unfortunately, these are not ideas that persuade a CFO.

Mazda's Quest for Cool

Under design director Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda has unveiled a steady stream of sexy concepts. But the effort has yet to translate into any actual products

BusinessWeek, November 26, 2007 — Seven men in white lab coats are scraping the sides of a life-size car model, rapidly transforming a massive lump of clay into a sleek form with the silhouette of a sporty coupe. Thin shavings fall to the floor as the designers mold shapes to resemble those of the giant sketch of the car hanging above them on the wall. All the while, Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda's (MZDAF) tall, tow-headed director of design for North America, is watching intently.

But Holzhausen isn't supervising designers at the company's hush-hush research and development facility in Irvine, Calif. Instead, the project is unfolding publicly at a dramatic pace on the floor of the Los Angeles Auto Show—almost like a theatrical performance.

Senior Marketers Go for Godin, Have Had Their Fill of Long Tail†

Anderson Survey Shows Which Concepts, People Resonate With Elite Execs

Advertising Age, November 26, 2007 — "Buy American" and "Long Tail" are just so last year; marketers are all about good old-fashioned customer satisfaction and retention.

That's according to an elite group of marketing executives, members of the Marketing Executives Networking Group, recently surveyed by Anderson Analytics.

Taglines Lose Their Starring Role in Ads†

Brandweek, November 26, 2007 — Not long ago, every ad had a tagline that stuck with the consumer after the message was delivered. But that former rule may no longer be the norm. Consider: Christmas is coming and that must mean it’s time to go jewelry shopping because, after all, “every kiss begins with Kay.”

Tesco reinvents the 7-Eleven

The British retail giant is out to break the mold with gourmet mini-supermarkets in Southern California,

FORTUNE, November 26, 2007 — Convenience stores have long been a place to pick up beer and pork rinds. Earlier this month Tesco launched a $2 billion, five-year plan to change that. The British retailing giant just opened the first gourmet mini-supermarket in Hemet, Calif. Dozens more of these Fresh & Easys are scheduled to open over the next three months throughout California and the Southwest. Analysts think Tesco could grow their ranks to more than 1,000 in the next five years.

The high-stakes fight for your friends

Facebook thinks it has found a way to sell ads on its network. Google is readying a counterattack. Their fight may determine advertising's future

FORTUNE, November 26, 2007 — Let's try an experiment. Like most people these days, you've probably spent too much time in front of your computer today. So, quick — name three brands you saw in online display ads within the past 24 hours.

Too hard? Then try this: Name three you saw in the past week, or month, or six months. Can't do it? You've just put your finger on the biggest problem facing the emerging digital-advertising industry

Threadless: From Clicks to Bricks

The T-shirt e-tailer thinks its snarky style will work offline, too

BusinessWeek, November 26, 2007 — On a busy strip of commerce on Chicago's North Side, the new Threadless T-shirt store is crowded with sporty young women in yoga pants and flip-flops, laughing as they take in the snarky slogans. The most popular shirt right now is a clever number in brown cotton that reads: "Haikus are easy/But sometimes they don't make sense/Refrigerator."

Apple Retail Stores Revamp for Holidays

Associated Press, November 23, 2007 — Not a cash register is in sight. The electronics on display are all powered up and ready for use. Personal trainers, specialists and newly minted concierges in aqua blue shirts make the Apple Store feel part salon, part Internet cafe — just without the espresso. Over the past year, Apple Inc. has revamped its 201 stores, changing the layout, adding services and increasing its staffing. The "concierge" service that Apple launched last week is only the latest initiative designed to draw more visitors and bolster already record-breaking sales.

Making Social Connections and Selling Cookies

Pepperidge Farm is creating a Web site devoted to social networking and targeted at women who are looking to improve their social lives

New York Times, November 21, 2007 — FOR decades, Nabisco has sold cookies called Social Tea and crackers called Sociables. Now a competitor, Pepperidge Farm, is going all social, too, by entering the increasingly popular field known as social media with a Web site devoted to social networking.

Broadband Marketers Pitch Value-Add

Music and gaming services are the new HBO and Showtime.

eMarketer, November 20, 2007 — Everything besides plain vanilla Internet access, such as IP telephony, online gaming and IPTV, is known as broadband value-added services (BVAS). That acronym has the full attention of broadband marketers, as they look beyond commoditized high-speed Internet access to more profitable premium services.

A Web Site for Pet Lovers, and Marketers Who Love Them

New York Times, November 19, 2007 — KNOWING that you can never underestimate people’s love for their cats and dogs, NBC Universal and Procter & Gamble have set up a Web portal that looks something like a Yahoo or AOL for pet owners, with a bit of Facebook and MySpace thrown in.

Can DDB morph into a 'swarm communications' shop?†

Brymer's agency, known for its :30 work, refocuses on influence, community

Advertising Age, November 19, 2007 — After 18 months at the helm of DDB Worldwide, Chuck Brymer is betting that an agency known for interrupting consumers with splashy creative like Bud's "Wassup?'' campaign can learn to speak the much more delicate language of community.

Disney Reaches to the Crib to Extend Princess Magic†

Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2007 — At the recently opened Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Cinderella's castle in Walt Disney World, hordes of young girls in ball gowns jostle every day to get their hair coiffed, their nails painted and their faces plastered with make-up to imitate their favorite princess. It's an image that's become classic of the Walt Disney Co. Princess revolution. What started out in 2001 as a few princess outfits became an overnight sensation as Disney enchanted 3- to 6-year-old girls throughout America with everything from princess comforters and princess backpacks to princess-emblazoned sneakers. Smartly-packaged releases of classic princess movies have helped bring girls back for more each year.

Millennials: Clued in or Clueless?†

Failing Grade: The 10 Things College Students Don't Know About Marketing

Advertising Age, November 19, 2007 — Marketers are fascinated by Gen Y's youngest cohort, the Millennials — and with good reason: They are an important market today and will become even more important as they graduate, start jobs, marry and establish households.

Mini-Branded Eatery Is a Big Deal in Paris†

Restaurant Named After BMW Model Wins Over Upscale Diners by Finding Unique Location and Limiting References to the Car

Advertising Age, November 19, 2007 — Once you accept that star chefs are brands in their own right, it follows that many of the best restaurants in Paris are heavily branded. Gourmets flock to establishments such as Guy Savoy, La Table de Joël Robuchon, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée and Senderens (named after another Alain)...But an upscale restaurant named after an automobile?

Service, Convenience Create Loyalty Leaders Like Google

MediaPost Publications, November 19, 2007 — RISING GASOLINE PRICES, THE NEED for speed, and convenience are cited as driving consumers' loyalty to Internet companies and online catalogues. Google is, in fact, the No. 1 brand in the 10th annual Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders List, compiled by the New York-based marketing consultancy.

Consumer products companies double down on brands

Associated Press, November 16, 2007 — Some consumer products companies are increasingly teaming up brands, combining two familiar names into one new product, such as Tide detergent with Downy fabric softener or Lever soap with Vaseline lotion.

Consumers Would Partner with Brands for Social Change, Environment

Marketing Charts, November 16, 2007 — Some 85% of consumers around the world are willing to change the brands they buy or their consumption habits to make tomorrow’s world a better place, and over half (55%) would help a brand “promote” a product if a good cause were behind it, according to a nine-country survey of consumers.

Crafting a message that sticks: An interview with Chip Heath

The key to effective communication: make it simple, make it concrete, and make it surprising.

McKinsey Quarterly, November 16, 2007 — The ability to craft and deliver messages that influence employees, markets, and other stakeholders may seem like a mysterious talent that some people have and some don’t. Jack Welch, for example, created ideas that inspired hundreds of thousands of GE employees. But many other leaders are frustrated to find that key messages sent one day are forgotten the next—or that stakeholders don’t know how to interpret them.

Sorry, You May Have Gone Over Your Limit of Network Friends†

Is there a numerical cap on how many friends we can have?

Wall Street Journal, November 16, 2007 — As users of Facebook, MySpace and other social-networking sites pile up hundreds, even thousands, of "friends," several commentators and news articles have cautioned that there is a natural limit to a friendship circle. They typically cite the so-called Dunbar's number, 150, as a ceiling on our personal contacts.

HP's Cultural Revolution

To pick up the pace of innovation, the tech giant is betting on startups and injecting their DNA into its operations

BusinessWeek, November 15, 2007 — At Hewlett-Packard's (HPQ) Page Mill Road complex in Palo Alto, Calif., in the basement beneath the meticulously preserved offices of founders William Hewlett and David Packard, is a cavernous room that has the feel of a chaotic startup. Tables and chairs are strewn about and a giant, makeshift screen takes up an entire wall, even wrapping around a corner.

Mapping the Crowd

Software that maps who is working on common problems is shaving years off research — and honing corporate strategies

BusinessWeek, November 15, 2007 — Keeping track of the dizzying proliferation of information in the Digital Age can overwhelm managers, and sizing up potential alliances can be daunting. But getting lost can be a costly setback for those with valuable ideas they want to develop

Social Networking with the Elite

Tired of the Web masses? Now you can find your own gated communities on the Net—if they'll let you in

BusinessWeek, November 15, 2007 — Are you on the digital A-list? It's no longer enough to get invited to exclusive conferences or be asked to join professional organizations—many movers and shakers are taking their hobnobbing online, where a new crop of social networks aim to keep out the riff-raff by demanding credentials at the virtual door. As MySpace (NWS), LinkedIn, and Facebook have expanded to people of all ages, classes, and affiliations, there's a backlash against the open culture of social networking.

Spread the News: Word of Mouth Worth $1 Billion†

Arguably World's Oldest Form of Marketing Is on the Rise as Advertisers Pour More Into Discipline

Advertising Age, November 15, 2007 — What's consumer word-of-mouth advocacy worth to marketers? Try $1 billion.

That's how much marketers spent on WOM — as it's known to its practitioners — in 2006, according to an independent research report on the field that will be unveiled during a session at the annual Word-of-Mouth conference in Las Vegas today. The analysis, believed to be first in-depth look at word of mouth, reports that spending on the emerging discipline has increased from $76 million in 2001 to $981 million in 2006 and is expected to grow to approximately $3.7 billion by 2011.

Grow More Comfortable with Web 2.0 Tools

KenRadio, November 14, 2007 — More than 36% of Web users “highly trust” the information they receive from friends and acquaintances in their online social networks, according to a new social internet survey by Faves.com. The number jumps to 90% when including those that “moderately trust” their social network contacts. In contrast, just 4% highly trust content/opinions from vendors or advertisers, 4% highly trust comments on blogs or forums, and 3% highly trust news communities such as Digg or Reddit. The same survey found that 34% of respondents visit a social-networking site at least weekly.

Regarding Media, B2B Marketers and Business Decision-Makers Don’t See I2I

Marketing Charts, November 14, 2007 — The media that B2B marketers rely on to sell products and services aren’t necessarily those that business decision-makers use to help them do their jobs, according to (PPT slideshow) a Forrester Research study conducted for American Business Media, writes B-to-B Magazine.

The Death of E-Mail

Teenagers are abandoning their Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts. Do the rest of us have to?

Slate, November 14, 2007 — By 2002, everyone in my family had become an Internet convert. For the technophobic older generation, signing up for an e-mail account was a concession to us youngsters—if the kids don't call home, they thought, we'll just reach them through the computer. Everyone was especially eager to send messages to my niece, a kid who wasn't all that chatty on the phone but was almost always glued to her PC.

Lincoln Has New Celeb Endorser: Common†

Rapper Replaces Magic Johnson as Brand Eyes Younger Consumers

Advertising Age, November 13, 2007 — DETROIT (AdAge.com) — Goodbye, Magic Johnson. Hello Common.

Ford says Grammy winner Common appeals to consumers in their late 20s to mid 30s.

Lincoln has ended its three-year relationship with NBA-star-turned entrepreneur and teamed with hip-hop artist Common to reach African Americans. In a deal announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford Motor Co. said the celeb will mainly plug the Lincoln Navigator luxury SUV in ads across a variety of media, at events and online.

Marketers Threaten To Put Majority Of Budget Online

MediaPost Publications, November 13, 2007 — BIG-NAME BRAND MARKETERS ARE FED up with traditional media channels and are threatening to shift the lion's share of their budgets online, according to Nick Brien, worldwide CEO of Universal McCann.

"If this happens for another year, significant clients will want to walk," Brien said at an Interactive Advertising Bureau conference on Monday in reference to a general climate of discontent due to increasing viewer fragmentation, disruptive technologies, and the resulting decrease in ROI.

Without naming any specific clients, Brien added they are "just waiting to increase their online spend to 50% or 60% [of their total budgets]."

Online Ads Nip at Traditional Media

The Trad Four are treading water.

eMarketer, November 13, 2007 — Internet advertising contributes more to total media spending every year. According to eMarketer projections, that share will reach 7.4% in 2007, more than one in 10 dollars in 2009 and at least 13.3% by the end of 2011.

Private Label Is Growing But When Will It Take Off?

MediaPost Publications, November 13, 2007 — PRIVATE LABEL IS GROWING, BUT how fast? In-house brands like Safeway's "O Organics" and Target's "Archer Farms," are retailer extensions competing with traditional consumer packaged goods brands. Private-label products are a big part of the European market, and have made inroads in the U.S. in recent years.

Bringing design to blue chips

Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO

FORTUNE, November 12, 2007 — Design firm IDEO may be small by Fortune 500 standards, but its impact is huge. The legendary Palo Alto consultancy has worked on thousands of projects for clients like Nokia (Charts), P&G (Charts, Fortune 500), and Whirlpool (Charts, Fortune 500); IDEO's team of MBAs, engineers, and designers has helped companies create products from the first Apple mouse to the Palm V to Crest's first standup tube of toothpaste.

Diamonds go designer

Hearts on Fire pursues a jeweler's dream: creating a branded diamond

FORTUNE, November 12, 2007 — "Hearts of fire, creates love desire, takes you high and higher...." The sounds of the Las Vegas Mass Choir singing the old Earth, Wind & Fire hit spilled out of a ballroom in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Inside the darkly lit space, over a thousand people swayed to the music, their hands in the air. An unwitting observer might think he had stumbled into a mega-church or a revival meeting. But actually it was a convention of jewelers.

These particular jewelers, who work for independent mom-and-pop stores around the world, were in town at the invitation of a diamond company called Hearts on Fire. Hearts on Fire sells the World's Most Perfectly Cut Diamond, and it sponsors a three-day Vegas extravaganza that it calls Hearts on Fire University - HOFU,... continue reading

IBM: ‘End of Advertising as We Know It’

Marketing Charts, November 12, 2007 — Consumers are more in control than ever and savvier about filtering marketing messages, according to a report partly based on an IBM survey of digital media and entertainment habits. The IBM Global Business Services report, “The End of Advertising as We Know It,” forecasts greater disruption for the advertising industry in the next 5 years than in the previous 50.

Marketers, Seize the Opportunity to Help Heal Society's Ills†

Do the Right Thing: Motivate Consumers With Responsible Marketing That Doesn't Exploit Trends

Advertising Age, November 12, 2007 — We should not be afraid of marketing's power. Through effective marketing, we can make a difference. The question is: What kind of a difference do we wish to make?

Microsoft and GE: not old & in the way

The annual Breakaway Brands survey of brand momentum has these two lumbering giants in the top ten

FORTUNE, November 12, 2007 — Big blue-chip companies like General Electric and Microsoft do many things well, but showing up on lists of the hottest brands is typically not one of them. Yet these two lumbering giants both made their way onto brand consultancy Landor Associates' annual Breakaway Brands ranking - a comprehensive survey that measures consumer sizzle over a three-year period

Product Placement Finds Its Way Into High-End Hotels†

Brandweek, November 12, 2007 — Now appearing at an inn near you: product placement. Brands like Sony and Restoration Hardware have negotiated deals that will seed their products in high-end hotel rooms. This low-tech approach not only allows hotel guests to sample products like a Sony PlayStation3, they can also buy them, and frequently at a discount.

So Many Ads, So Few Clicks

Can more targeted pitches on Facebook and other sites reverse the shrinking response to online ads?

BusinessWeek, November 12, 2007 — In June, Luke Mitchell's student marketing service, Reach Students, ran a series of Web ads to promote an offer from a major parcel delivery service. The timing seemed perfect: just when college students decide whether to store belongings for the summer or ship them home. So did the placement--on the Facebook social network, where students hang out for hours. Yet when the results rolled in, Mitchell was stunned: Only 0.04% of those people who got the ads on their screens bothered to click on them. He had expected at least 1% to respond. "We had just a handful of users come to the site," he says.

You can handle the web without an adviser†

Financial Times, November 12, 2007 — I chuckled over recent statements from the public relations industry about how important the internet had become to their business. “Think of the blogosphere as one enormous focus group,” Katie Delahaye Paine wrote in a paper published by the US Institute for Public Relations.

‘Social-Shopping Study’ Defines New Breed of Shopper - the ‘Social Researcher’

Marketing Charts, November 12, 2007 — A new breed of online shopper - the “Social Researcher,” who places increased significant emphasis on peer feedback in product reviews when making purchasing decisions - is the focus of a recently completed study by the e-tailing group.

It's Not About New Media, It's About New Marketing†

Advertising Age, November 9, 2007 — To Nick Brien, worldwide CEO of Universal McCann, the notion of new media is almost irrelevant. "When clients say, 'Talk to me about new media,' I say, 'No I am not going to talk to you about new media, I am going to talk to you about new marketing,'" he said

Like Our Sunglasses? Try Our Vodka!†

Brand Extensions Get Weirder, Risking Customer Confusion; Armani TVs, Prada Cellphones

Wall Street Journal, November 8, 2007 — Beginning today at the Salvatore Ferragamo showroom on New York's Fifth Avenue, the famed leather-goods company is displaying a new sort of product: wristwatches.

Since the timepieces, called the Salvatore and the Tempo, come out of a licensing deal with Timex, they'll undoubtedly keep fine time. What's more, Ferragamo's excellence in footwear and handbags is notable — the company is even credited with inventing the wedge heel in the 1920s. But does the Ferragamo label make consumers want to pay $7,300 for a watch, even if it is 18-karat gold?

Facebook Is Marketing Your Brand Preferences (With Your Permission)

The social networking site now sells ads that display people’s profile photos next to commercial messages that are shown to their friends about items they purchased or registered an opinion about.

New York Times, November 7, 2007 — FACEBOOK wants to put your face on advertisements for products that you like.

Facebook .com is a social networking site that lets people accumulate “friends” and share preferences and play games with them. Each member creates a home page where he or she can post photographs, likes and dislikes and updates about their activities.

Yesterday, in a twist on word-of-mouth marketing, Facebook began selling ads that display people’s profile photos next to commercial messages that are shown to their friends about items they purchased or registered an opinion about.

Facebook's Big Ad Plan: If Users Like You, They'll Be Your Campaign†

Zuckerberg's Big Unveiling Leaves Some Marketers Salivating at Access to Social Graph

Advertising Age, November 7, 2007 — About 150 clients (and a few reporters) were packed into a long, narrow room in a West Manhattan rental space today to hear Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg declare that the days of waste in media targeting were over and tout a new "pull marketing" era in which consumers voluntarily endorse the brands and products they like.

Online Advertising on a Rocket Ride

The numbers are soaring.

eMarketer, November 7, 2007 — Choose an adjective: Epochal. Momentous. Historic. Whatever the label, US online advertising spending is entering a new era. eMarketer projects that US online advertising will more than double as a percentage of total media, rising from only a 6% share of total media in 2006, to slightly more than a 12% share in 2010.

How Marketing Can Lead the Charge for Business Innovation

Marketing Profs, November 6, 2007 — It's surprising how many business professionals don't really know what marketing is. Some people perceive it to be a necessary evil that consumes budgets and provides little payback; others see it as a person or department tasked with producing tactical "creative things" such as advertising, Web sites, email campaigns, and so on.

If we can take one idea away from all of these definitions, it would be that Marketing's job is to create customer value, engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty. Marketing serves as the stand-in for the customer, informing product development and other functions of what customers want and need.

Art & Commerce: 3rd Time's a Trend†

Adweek, November 5, 2007 — Spotting trends is big business. Spotting trends when they're right on the cusp is bigger business still. The trick is to be first to market when there's a big enough market to matter. Hitting this moving target gets harder every year as consumer needs evolve at an ever-accelerating pace and the technological tools for spreading trends makes them ever more contagious.

At P&G, 'Product Experience' Drives Performance†

Adweek, November 5, 2007 — This September, Procter & Gamble announced that its Gain detergent had joined the sales ranks of the company's billion-dollar brands. Playing an integral part in that growth: the February 2006 launch of Gain Joyful Expressions, a line extension that has distinctly curvy shapes and an assortment of bright colors (in addition to long-lingering scents like Apple Mango Tango, Mandarin Lime Fusion and Gardenia Delight).

Baseball, Apple Pie... and Mahindra?

How an Indian company plans to woo America's heartland with its fuel-efficient SUVs and pickups

BusinessWeek, November 5, 2007 — Engineers from India design advanced jet engines, write some of the world's most sophisticated software, and run massive global computer networks. But can they make a pickup truck that will sell in America's heartland?

Mahindra & Mahindra, a conglomerate based in Mumbai, intends to find out. In spring, 2009, the company plans to launch two- and four-door pickups and a sport-utility vehicle in the U.S.

Facebook to Add Shopping Service to Its Menu†

Program Is Part of Larger Strategy That Will Be Unveiled to Marketers This Week

Advertising Age, November 5, 2007 — Lots of people find the next books they plan to read by browsing the New York Times or Amazon best-seller lists. Others count on referrals from friends and colleagues. But what if you could eye a hot title as it began to climb the best-seller list within your Facebook network? You'd be alerted: "Thirty-one people in your network have bought 'Microtrends.'"

Give the Chauffeur The Day Off

Rolls Royce readies a smaller, but still very upscale, model for buyers who want to drive themselves

BusinessWeek, November 5, 2007 — Rolls Royce is about nothing if not extravagance. Its Phantom sedan, after all, is 19 feet long, sells for more than most houses, and includes a 420-watt sound system with 15 speakers, plush sheepskin carpets, and a 12-cylinder engine. So what to make of a downsized model that the company plans to introduce in 2009—a Rolls that you might, say, take to the bakery to pick up some bread for cucumber sandwiches? "This is your everyday Rolls," says Chris Bangle, design chief at German automaker BMW, which bought the Rolls name in 1998.

Movies, TVs and Magazines Work Together in Web Campaign

New York Times, November 5, 2007 — THIS month, the Turner Classic Movies cable network is presenting the movie choices of 30 “guest programmers” like Alec Baldwin, Martha Stewart, Donald Trump, Gore Vidal and even Kermit the Frog. Next month, six Hearst magazines will invite readers to program their own film festivals, with help from Netflix and Philips Electronics North America.

What's That Hot Web Property Worth? Use the BPBPPPAR Metric†

Now You, Too, Can Blindly Guesstimate the Value of Blogs, Social Networks and Floppy-Haired Comedians

Advertising Age, November 5, 2007 — I won't bury the lede: By my reckoning, using my proprietary new-media-valuation formula, I have determined that Andy Samberg is worth $342 million.

Where Designers Rule

Electronics maker Bang & Olufsen doesn't ask shoppers what they want. Its faith is in its design gurus

BusinessWeek, November 5, 2007 — Torsten Valeur, one of Bang & Olufsen's top designers, sits in a windowless room in Gumi, South Korea, staring dumbfounded at a group of Samsung Electronics engineers and thinks, "Oh, s---." Valeur is designing a new high-end cell phone for B&O, the Danish company known for its cutting-edge consumer electronics, and Samsung, a partner providing mobile-phone technology. Valeur, here for a routine three-day product-update meeting, has just received terrible news. Without telling him, the Samsung engineers changed the screen on his phone from 2.1 inches to 2 in. Why? Because 2-in. screens are standard, and that's what is in stock. Worse, they've gone ahead and ordered thousands

Brady and Manning Meet in Battle of the Brands

As their undefeated teams face each other in Indianapolis, the Colts’ Peyton Manning and the Patriots’ Tom Brady are showing the type of men they are on Madison Avenue.

New York Times, November 4, 2007 — They are manly, for what is a quarterback but football’s macho lead actor?

And as their undefeated teams face each other in Indianapolis, the Colts’ Peyton Manning and the Patriots’ Tom Brady are showing the type of men they are on Madison Avenue.

Chip Shot†

Wall Street Journal, November 2, 2007 — Is there any food more perfect than the potato chip? A single thin slice contains the three primary food groups: salt, fat and crunchiness. Its very simplicity makes it irresistible. Since its humble origins in 1853, the potato chip has exploded in popularity, becoming America's favorite salty snack, with more than $6 billion in annual sales and 40% of the market. But not content to leave well-enough alone, America's snack mavens have broken out their spice racks, unsheathed their vegetable peelers, and fired up their deep-fryers in a desperate race to increase sales and be the last chip standing.

Most Consumers Read and Rely on Online Reviews; Companies Must Adjust

Marketing Charts, November 2, 2007 — Large numbers consumers are turning to online reviews - which are having a considerable impact on their purchase decisions, according to a recent survey by Deloitte’s Consumer Products group that found almost two-thirds (62%) of consumers read consumer-written product reviews online.

Web 2.0 Greater in Theory Than Budget

Ads still dominate online marketing spend.

eMarketer, November 2, 2007 — More than three-quarters of US marketing professionals surveyed think that social media marketing—also known as Web 2.0—can give them a competitive edge, according to Coremetrics' "Face of the New Marketer" study. The same respondents said that only 7.75% of their online marketing spending went to such tactics.

50 Ways to Green Your Business

Half-a-hundred options for cleaning up your business, from the universal (catch that rainwater!) to the specific (lose the plastic bowls!). Mix, match--join in

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — Imagine asking today how the Internet affects business. It's an absurd question, like asking how electricity changed business. Asking the same about sustainability, it turns out, is equally absurd. Like the Internet, sustainability spurs innovation in everything, from how you see your business model to whether you see your employees (why not let them work at home more?). Here are our favorite ways companies today are greening up--and saving money and making better widgets in the process.

After the Virgin Birth

Fred Reid, CEO of the fledgling carrier Virgin America, talks management strategy and explains his beef with airline food

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — Fred Reid looks as if he could have played John Glenn in The Right Stuff. But the CEO of Virgin America--the new low-cost airline partly backed (but fully branded) by British entrepreneur Richard Branson--is a character all his own. As the president of Delta (NYSE:DAL), he launched the ill-fated, low-cost Song. (What did he learn from the experience? "Damn little," he says.) As the president and COO of Lufthansa (OTC:DLAKY), he was the first American to lead a major non-U.S. carrier. We caught up with the razor-tongued Reid, 57, in New York, one of the five cities his airline currently serves.

At Frog, Being Green Isn’t Easy; It’s Essential

Committing to clean design

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — Looking back, 2007 may well be remembered as the year green went mainstream: Al Gore got an Oscar, Wal-Mart flogged organic jammies, and bottled water went from being a symbol of purity to the beverage equivalent of a pack of Luckies.

Nowhere, perhaps, has the green ethos been embraced more fervently than in the design community, a group that, in the words of Frog Design president and COO Doreen Lorenzo, "inherently wants to do good and change the world."

Clorox: Bleach, Charcoal and ... Burt's Bees†

Company Pays $950 Million for Leading Natural Personal-Care Brand

Advertising Age, November 1, 2007 — Try this on for size: "Burt's Bees, a division of Clorox Co."

In a high-priced and highly unexpected deal, the maker of Clorox bleach, Kingsford charcoal and Brita water filters has added the leading natural personal-care brand to its portfolio in a $950 million cash acquisition.

eBay’s Chaos Theory

With its buyers swamped by a sea of choices-and its growth rate slowing-the online giant gambles on helping shoppers find what they want

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — It was early in 2006, and Matt Carey, the new CTO of eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), was attending his first focus group about the online shopping site. It was a memorable experience, to say the least. "It's hard to use," complained a longtime customer. She had been collecting antique glass on eBay for years. But lately, the treasure hunt was more frustrating than fun. "I get lost," she said. "I can't get back to my search results. I have to go all the way out and start over."

"This is not good," Carey thought to himself. This particular buyer was, as he puts it, a "dyed-in-the-wool, right-down-the-center customer." What she was describing is known by the pejorative "pogo sticking." To Carey, who had just moved to eBay after 20 years at Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), it was... continue reading

Facebook is the "It" Company of 2007

41 million users and growing. The cool spot for coders. The hot place to test a business. The "it" company of 2007

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — I'm not sure what it means." Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is talking about a new application created by an outside developer that allows his site's users to throw sheep at one another. The sheep aren't real, of course; they're just a playful digital expression--of, well, who knows what?--that users can send to each others' online profiles. "Who knew that people would have liked that?" Zuckerberg muses. The sheep could rake in over a million dollars in ad revenue this year for their shepherd, a company called Slide.

The world has Facebook fever. Launched just three years ago by Zuckerberg--a college dropout and acknowledged hacker who famously turned down a $1 billion buyout offer from Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO) in 2006--Facebook has become the "it" company of... continue reading

Harnessing the power of informal employee networks

Formalizing a company’s ad hoc peer groups can spur collaboration and unlock value.

McKinsey Quarterly, November 1, 2007 — In any professional setting, networks flourish spontaneously: human nature, including mutual self-interest, leads people to share ideas and work together even when no one requires them to do so. As they connect around shared interests and knowledge, they may build networks that can range in size from fewer than a dozen colleagues and acquaintances to hundreds. Research scientists working in related fields, for example, or investment bankers serving clients in the same industry frequently create informal—and often socially based—networks to collaborate.

Innovative management: A conversation with Gary Hamel and Lowell Bryan

McKinsey Quarterly, November 1, 2007 — “Sometime over the next decade,” warns renowned strategy guru Gary Hamel in his new book, The Future of Management, “your company will be challenged to change in a way for which it has no precedent.”1 What’s even more worrisome, he argues, is that decades of orthodox management decision-making practices, organizational designs, and approaches to employee relations provide no real hope that companies will be able to avoid faltering and suffering painful restructurings.

Learn to Use Communication's Negative Space

Prophet, November 1, 2007 — In the environment where you can reach your customers 24/7, success at building a brand—at solidifying and growing your relationship with customers—is really all about being selective. You need to pick the right time and place or, better yet, let the customer pick for you.

Magic Shop

Are your frontline employees going to save or kill your most important quarter? At Apple, nothing is left to chance

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — Day one at my new job. Sporting white headphones, I am plugged into a computer watching Ridley Scott's awe-inspiring "1984" Macintosh ad, reviewing the company history, and getting pumped up about my new workplace. Like most of my coworkers, I'm already a loyal fan of the company, so starting this job will take my interest to the next level. I'm working as a Mac specialist at the Apple Store.

What happens between now and Christmas is the most important time for a very large sector of our economy: The National Retail Federation predicts almost $475 billion will pass between customers and merchants this holiday season, and whether such notable brands as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Gap (NYSE:GPS), Home Depot (NYSE:HD), Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), and many others think... continue reading

Spending on Conversational Marketing

KenRadio, November 1, 2007 — Spending on social media and conversational marketing will outpace that of traditional marketing by 2012. Marketers must do to become a part of the dialogue and how to leverage conversations in ways that benefit businesses, brands and lives, according to a study by TWI Surveys. Nearly 57% of respondents report that in 5 years time, what they spend on conversational marketing will be greater than that of traditional marketing, while another 24% believed it would be the same as traditional marketing.