New Year’s resolution for marketers

Want to be a better marketer in 2017? Here is the one key thing to do: Choose one customer segment to focus your marketing efforts on. The problem that I usually come across, when advising companies, is that they do not have a suitable target customer. Often, they try to sell to everyone. … Continue reading New Year’s resolution for marketers

The rise and fall of cash machines

Back in 1997, my husband and I missed a flight from Barcelona to Paris because we did not have enough Spanish pesetas* to pay for the taxi from the hotel to the airport. You see, in those days you needed to pay for taxis (and many other things) with actual notes or coins. And to … Continue reading The rise and fall of cash machines

Christmas adverts’ buzz – How does it help brands?

There are two topics of conversation that you are sure to encounter at one point or another, during Christmas season, in the UK. One, is the likelihood of a white Christmas (spoiler alert: very unlikely!). The other is the various Christmas adverts put up by the major brands. As I write, Allegro’s Polish grandpa … Continue reading Christmas adverts’ buzz – How does it help brands?

Wearables aren’t just for Christmas

Health and fitness wearables are likely to be on many people's list, this Christmas. This is great because it means that we are all trying to improve our health and fitness. Move more. Run faster. Sleep better. Eat more healthily. And we want to monitor how well we are doing. Image source Widespread use of … Continue reading Wearables aren’t just for Christmas

I say wearables, you say apps and stuff

The general definition of wearables in the industry literature, is that they are machine to human devices, embedded with internet connectivity, and with the capability of collecting, storing and transmitting data. In the health and fitness arena, this includes fitness trackers, smartwatches, skin patches and certain types of smart clothing. This definition is focused on … Continue reading I say wearables, you say apps and stuff

Post-it website, a great example of focusing on value not product features

Right! I am bookmarking the official website for Post-it® under ‘great marketing examples – focusing on value not product features’. Companies make products. But consumers do not buy products; they buy solutions to problems – functional problems, or emotional ones. That is why marketing communications that focus on product features (e.g., the quality of … Continue reading Post-it website, a great example of focusing on value not product features

Marketers should think more like engineers, says @AndrewTStephen

At his inaugural lecture at Said Business School, Professor Andrew Stephen talked about the shiny new toy syndrome in marketing – whereby marketers rush after a new technology, or platform, or trend, in the hope that it will generate new business, or solve their marketing challenges. We saw this with Pokemon Go, last summer, … Continue reading Marketers should think more like engineers, says @AndrewTStephen

From Facebook likes and Internet of Things, to insurance premiums

Last week, the news broke that Admiral car insurance planned to launch a new product aimed at new drivers, firstcarquote, whereby policy holders could get rebates on their annual premium, based on their social media activity. The Guardian reported that: Admiral Insurance will analyse the Facebook accounts of first-time car owners to look for … Continue reading From Facebook likes and Internet of Things, to insurance premiums

October 2016 round-up

I felt a lot more in control, and less agitated, during October, than I had felt in September or even August, bizarrely. There were a couple of lows, but also quite a few highs – so, I am mentally filing October in the ‘good months’ category. Here are the highlights. Researching Most of … Continue reading October 2016 round-up