Viva’s Blog: 4 Marketing Lessons from Amazon Prime Day

It’s over. Just hours ago, Amazon Prime Day #5 came to a close after selling more than 175 million items, surpassing results for the past Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Prime Day started in 2015 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the site’s launch in July 1995. Amazon promised a one-day sales event for the site’s Prime subscribers that would be “one of the biggest deals extravaganzas in the world,” according to then vice president of…

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Jul 2019

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: 5 Marketing Tips (from Sunny)

Meet Sunny! Sunny, our first dog ever, arrived on the scene last week. As it turns out, puppies and marketing have a lot in common: both require research, a data-driven strategy, and disciplined execution of that strategy. Marketing Tip #1: Establish trust. Before you can ask a prospect to try your product, visit your website, register for a webinar or schedule a call, you must create trust. Trust is about keeping promises. Communicating openly. Keeping…

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May 2019

By Laura SheridanBlog

Uber files for IPO and delivers marketing lessons

Lesson #1: Use photos to connect emotionally. Before Uber shared its mission, business overview and approach in its S-1, the SEC filing signaling its intent to go public, it showcased lifestyle shots of real people using Uber’s platforms throughout their day. The photos emotionally connect the viewer with the brand. Involve the heart, and your message will have a greater impact. Lesson #2: Use data to tell your story. Those six numbers tell a huge…

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Apr 2019

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Best blogs for your business

Over the past nine years, Viva’s Blog has delivered the latest in marketing trends & analysis. 70 blogs later, many of the challenges discussed are still relevant for business leaders. Here are the most popular reads. Which can help your business? How’s your elevator pitch?July 2015You bump into a business associate you haven’t seen in years and she asks you what you’re up to. You open your mouth, pause, try to organize your thoughts, and start rambling. Are you letting…

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Mar 2019

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: 8 Fun Facts About This Year’s Super Bowl Ads

[4 minute read] Ready for advertisers’ biggest night of the year? The Super Bowl ads that air on Sunday will go viral, make us laugh, and may even win Emmys. Last year, 111 million viewers watched “the show”. The next biggest event was the Oscars at 33 million. Be in the know on Sunday with these 8 fun facts: Fact #1: A steal at $5 million. A 30-second spot in this year’s edition of the…

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Jan 2019

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: 7 Marketing Reminders for 2019

[1 minute read] Start 2019 with a bang. Here’s how. #1: Conduct a brand audit. Do your marketing materials focus on what’s important to your customers or to you? #2: Deeply understand your 2018 marketing results What worked from a quantifiable standpoint AND is truly better for your customer? #3: Review your KPIs Are you monitoring the right metrics? Do they directly tie to improving your customer’s experience? #4: Review your budget What are your business goals for…

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Dec 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: 2019 Marketing Planning Checklist

Kicking off your 2019 marketing planning? Here are 10 key considerations: #1: Identify the “job” you’re doing for your customers. If you don’t know, conduct research. Gather the data you’ll need to develop messaging, pick media types, and create content that’s relevant and valuable to your customer. Drafting a marketing plan without understanding your customer is like buying shoes for a friend without knowing their taste, size and plan for wearing the shoes. Clay Christensen,…

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Nov 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: When will the Browns win that 1st game?

“Victory Fridges” have been installed in 10 Cleveland-area bars. Using smart technology, they will simultaneously unlock when the team wins their first game. It’s a clever marketing stunt that benefits Bud Light, the Browns, local bars, and long-suffering Cleveland Browns fans. There’s a lot for savvy marketers to learn from Bud Light’s latest trick. Win #1: Involve your customer. Customer loyalty is key to sustaining a business. Consumers have so many options today that brands have to…

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Aug 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Stop Shouting!

Instead of using advertising to shout at people, brand experiences are the new approach to engage people to interact with your brand. Sure, there’s a place for paid advertising in your marketing program, but in today’s #me world, the foundation of your plan needs to foster an emotional and personal conversation with your customers. It’s about meeting them where they are, creating brand touches that leave a lasting emotional connection. It’s a different way to…

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Jun 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: How’s your personal brand?

You manage your finances. You manage your business. What about your personal brand? What do Oprah, Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandburg and Ellen DeGeneres have in common? It’s not just wealth, millions of Twitter and Instagram followers, and countless endorsement deals, it’s also a mastery of personal branding. Personal branding isn’t just for the rich and famous. Everyone has a personal brand. As Tom Peters, management consulting guru and the inventor of the phrase “Personal Brand”…

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May 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog