HP Personal Again: Jay-Z Commerical

Hip hop has affected marketing as we know it in a big way. The hip hop movement, life style, or industry....whichever you prefer....is here to stay. When somone can make it from Marcy Projects to HP, we know that the world will never be the same. The Hip Hop affect will be explored further on this blog as it relates to marketing. Sprite recently announced that they were going to pull away from the use of Hip Hop. It will be interesting to see how their sales are affected. Stay tuned .......

The Future of Newspapers to Advertising

Advertising in the newspaper is not what it used to be. I can remember a time when almost everyone sat down with their paper and read it from front to back to see what was going on in the world. Now, it is not that way. People in general are very busy. We only want to read the headlines now. Not to mention the younger generations………they do not think about picking up a newspaper.

It is my thought that the main newspapers are not worth their cost in advertising (unless you have an endless post of money). For the small business owner, this is not where I would recommend putting your advertising dollars. It does not provide the ROI that would justify its use.

If newspapers are something that you would want to include in your media mix, I would go with the niche news publication. People are still reading items that pertain to their specific interest. There are many neighborhood news publications, business journal, and trade publications that may best suit your needs. I would also look to see if the newspaper that you would like to use has a good website. This may be the way to go to reach the most readers when they want to be reached.

The key to making this successful is clearly defining your target market. Once that is done, put yourself in easy view of the target, create a good message, and hope for the best.

The Importance of the Right Product

It does not matter if an organization hires the best CMO or the best marketing staff - if the product is not what the consumer desires, the chances for great success are limited. So, how actively are you watching the market? Are the consumers looking for what you have to offer?

In this world of internet marketing, marketing is no longer about one-way communication. The key is engagement. How many times can you make contact with your prospective customer? Chat and instant messaging must now be a part of your business environment. People are busy and they are looking for instant gratification.

Constant, ongoing research must be done to make sure you are offering the right product at the right price point. I am not suggesting that you as a business owner go out and spend thousands on highly scientific research, but I do think that it is important to ask people that you are meeting about your business. Some questions to ask may be shaped like, "Do you have a need for my product or service" or "What forms of advertisement do you notice the most?" This will help you in understanding the psychology of the person that you are trying so hard to reach.

The best method that I have to constantly remind myself about is the KISS method (Keep it simple stupid). Sometimes this is hard to do as marketers, but it is usually the best possible way to market to the consumer.

Happy Marketing!!!

A cluttered marketspace

Everywhere you turn, there is a marketing message. How in the world does a marketer break through all of this clutter?? I think that the key is consistent, targeted marketing. You can not leave the minds of your consumer for to long. If this is done, you leave an open door for your competitor. PDAs, cell phones, and blogs are a few of the cutting edge ways to reach those in the marketspace. Because we as marketers usually do not have the budget to reach everyone, it is important to really understand your target and go after them with all that you can muster.

Blogging as a benefit to a marketer

Blogging has been a hot topic for a while. I am interested to see if there is a long term effect with blogging and its impact on how a product is marketed. There are pros and cons to opening an organization up to this new world. But, do the pros out weigh the cons? We shall see.........

This is what it is all about!!!