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…
[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…
[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…
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,…
“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…
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…
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”…
The NCAA dominates the month of March with the college basketball tournament. The highly promoted event isn’t just huge for sports fans. Marketers from all industries use this cult-like attraction as an avenue to catapult their brand visibility. March Madness offers brands a center-stage platform for integrating themselves into the tournament through paid ads in online and offline media outlets, social media conversations, branded placements, and experiential events. March Madness is a business – a…
It’s not too late. For only $168,333 a second, you can still buy a thirty-second TV spot during this year’s Super Bowl. Sure, a lot of money is on the line, but more importantly, so is a brand’s reputation. In the year of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, all eyes will be on how brands depict women in their commercials. Marketers have released far less about their Super Bowl gems before the big showdown than…
Without customers, your business will die. Without marketing, customers and prospects may not be aware of how you can help them. Without a really smart marketing plan, how can you ensure your marketing activities are reaching the right people, delivering the right message, and using the right media approach to achieve your business objectives? Incorporate these tips into your marketing planning process and you’re more likely to reach your goals. Tip #1: Start with your business goals. Marketing’s job…
