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A Little bit of Retro Can Help Marketing in 2018

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“Let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater!” This may be an appropriate admonition as marketers move deeper into 2018. All predictions for this new year point to marketers increased reliance on digital marketing like never before. The question is whether this will it be at the expense of conventional marketing techniques. For example, while shopping carts might be flashing messages through new digital devices mounted on the handles or communicating through smart phones that are inserted into holders mounted on the handles, there will still be a need for point-of-purchase materials to flag the customer. In other words, let’s not be too quick to dismiss the “old and tried” marketing in favor of the “now” digital marketing. Yes, marketing in 2018 will be about targeting, perhaps better than ever before, but messaging will be extremely important. My take is that messaging should never be about you. It should be about the client and how life will be better through use of a product, idea, or an experience. As much as digital marketing will reign in 2018, the need for creative and quick content will be omnipresent. The best messaging will be “ABC is a great product because it is durable and will help you live longer.” That’s a one-two punch: We’re great because it will do x for you. Happy 2018.

Why You Need a Big Idea for Black Friday

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Black Friday is coming up and so is Cyber Monday. Some retailers count on robust sales on those days to offset slumping retail sales or to simply move merchandise. With today’s multiple marketing options, including digital marketing, it is not necessary to wait for those celebrated shopping days, but for the moment let’s focus on those two famous shopping days.. I have watched how retailers market those days and much of it is quite uninspiring. They seem to advertise specials, percentage off sales, two for one bargains, and even specials at each hour. I would like to suggest that retailers can potentially be more successful by coming up with a creative idea that is available only on that day. It has to be an idea that will motivate customers to go into the store or website. Many advertise ridiculously low specials and end up on the minus side because it turns out that the item becomes a loss rather than a loss leader. Customers tend to sniff these extraordinary deals and of course base their shopping on finding the basement bargain prices.

So what would be a big idea for Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Well, that’s the challenge but here’s one idea that I saw and liked. For every purchase that one bought for a certain price, they were given a sales certificate for a special on another day during the year. So where’s the genius here? Retaining the customer’s interest and getting the customer to come back at a future dates(s) when the store can usual use the increased business. But this is what I mean by out of the box and why it pays to consult with people who have the experience and wherewithal to move from the ordinary.

Marketers as Educators

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By now, every marketer should recognize the importance of educating consumers. For example, how do you convince people used to a yellow cab or a car service to use the app friendly Uber. Imagine the mind of the consumers with such questions as “Who are the drivers?” “Are the cars safe?” “Is the ride more expensive than a yellow cab?” Well, technology is certainly making educators of marketers. But my long experience has taught me, teach a consumer how to better use their product and lo and behold sales soar! So are you ready for your role as an educator? If not, Lubicom can teach you! Even if you are we’ll give you an out-of-the box idea that is sure to generate interest.

Taking Leadership

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If you are an industry leader, don’t allow any daylight between you and your key competitor since you may never rebound. Take Blackberry, for example, some of their new phones like the Z 30 or the PRIV are as good or better than Apple but it may be a case of too little too late as they already lost most of their loyal base to Apple. Then there’s Nike that just came out with automatic shoelaces meaning that with a push of a button the shoe closes snugly around your foot. They are ahead of the game and certainly ahead of their key competitors like Adidas and Reebok. Often a successful brand takes its leadership so for granted that they do not take the next step, particularly in today’s rapidly moving technological age. There is a long list of iconic brands that made the mistake of being asleep at the wheel. Remember Kodak?

Marketing Tips

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Branding has become such an important marketing imperative that the number of failures has been staggering. No, branding is not for everyone. If you produce mediocrity in any form, the chances for successful branding are relatively slim. If you are in a competitive environment with iconic brands and do not have a special feature or message that makes you better or different, forget it. If you don’t produce perfection consistently, branding is not for you. If you do have what it takes to brand your product or service, make sure you have a strategic plan, a GPS to where you want to reach. Oh, I mean branding where people spend bundles of money to get people to remember the brand and guess what, they remember it for the wrong reasons. I strongly believe in branding but like everything else in life, it’s not for everyone.