Blog Categories

Marketing Practice
Why? Good marketing hinges on just one word

A friend reminds me constantly that my favourite utterance is "serendipity". I guess it's because I'm so often struck by occurrences which seem to suddenly converge around a great truth or idea. An example. A recent discussion with a client had us ta...


Commitment and discipline is more important than ever in communications

I made the effort tonight to put in an appearance at my gym for a bit of overdue exercise. I find that if I make a regular effort I can maintain a healthy level of fitness and if I put in even more effort, I can even increase my fitness fairly easily. On the other hand, if I pull out for a while, even a week, the fitness level plummets and I seem to need triple the effort to get back to where I was.


Dating can be tough for poor communicators

Some years back I did some part-time tutoring at my old alumni, Massey University. Every week I would trundle myself off to a thoroughly enjoyable few hours with up-and-coming design students seeking a career in advertising.


How to put a price on a product or service

The price of a product or service is a marketing issue as much as it’s an economic one, because it’s tied into the package of value and integral to building perceptions.


Don't get complicated or lazy in planning

When you plan properly, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll get much better results from your communications activities and continue to build a cycle of improvements for your organisation or business. So why are so many people too complicated or lazy about their planning?


When communications control isn't enough

I have often blogged about the shift in marketing and communications thinking away from the old power-and-control model to one where freedom and flexibility is derigor.


Why a billboard is still a great media option

Why a billboard is still a great media option Blog post: 11 September, 2011 A good thing about writing a blog is that I can express my bias, often. So here's one – I love a good billboard. Interestingly I think they've become even mo...


Be sorry and do it quick - PR rewards for cock-ups

In a moment I'm going to share with you a cock-up by one of my dear friends. Yes it was embarrassing and I am being a rat to my friend, but the good news is that she turned an embarrassing situation into gold. Keep reading. We all make mistakes. Yep, an...


Write a good sales letter and score more responses

If you're like me I generally throw unsolicited letters in the bin. Even if I've had a preceding phone call, if a letter doesn't instantly grab me, its history. Every so often, I'll glance at a letter and something about it gives me the feeling that ...


Stop trying to sell and start a relationship

A positive way the world of marketing and communications has changed is through impact of new media and our perceptions of 'relationships' and 'choice'. A classic example of this is the shift away from marketing companies thinking of their businesses ...


Conversations are important again

Back in darkest history when humans worked out how to communicate more efficiently, perhaps with smoke signals, it not only changed the way people communicated; it changed the way we thought. In the new world of the internet and social media, in many resp...


Communication basics often forgotten

We all instinctively know that if we tip a bucket of ice down someone's pants, they're likely to respond in a predictable way. Yes we humans learn from an early age that if we treat people badly, they're likely to behave equally badly. A bucket of ice...


How we get the simple things in communications completely wrong

In communications seminars and workshops I often borrow an illustrative story from somewhere in my past. It goes like this. Imagine driving down a country road and spotting a sign on th...


Why we measure messages just because we can

In the online world it is often said that "content is king." It's another way of saying that unless a viewer is satisfied and rewarded by the content they read or use, all else fails. Many marketers and website operators have become obsessed with the ...


Bigger text. Text size Smaller text.

TOP ^


Sign up for posts sent to your inbox