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Calling All Marketers: Picture Your Favorite Storytellers, Now Become Them

shutterstock_110537546Think of the last story you told. Was it about your recent vacation to St. Lucia? That embarrassing moment in a recent corporate meeting? Your kid’s game-winning shot during his soccer tournament? Chances are that no matter the story you told, it was rich with detail, emotion and descriptors.

That’s because when we tell our personal stories, we often speak from the heart—not pausing to consider the narrative, the flow and the descriptors. It just comes naturally. And what results are oftentimes some of the best, most engaging and truly organic stories that come from a place of honesty and from a desire to share our experiences with others.

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Inconsistent Branding: A Recipe for Disaster

blog pic 2You know it’s happened to you. You’ve chomped down on a Big Mac (or, if you are like me and abhor fast food insert your favorite mass packaged good) only to wonder, “How come this burger tastes considerably different than the one I get near my home?” And it’s a terrible feeling. After all, maybe this was the day you decided to cheat and go for something wonderfully delectable—and horribly caloric—and the inconsistent taste left you feeling wildly unfulfilled.

Now of course some brand inconsistencies are prone to human error. For example, the French Vanilla Coffee Coolatta you get from Dunkin’ Donuts may taste different from one DD to the next simply because the barista added more French vanilla this time around. But even so, we expect a level of consistency, satisfaction and dependability from our favorite brands. And when we don’t get it, we are left feeling confused, dejected and quite possibly irritated.

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Maxwell House Proves the Importance of Never Resting on One’s Laurels

Coffee lovers around the world are certainly familiar with Maxwell House, and though it’s not my personal favorite coffee—I’m looking at you, Peet’s—I’ve certainly gotten through many-a morning sipping it. Though a household name, Maxwell House decided to cut its advertising budget to $7.8 million last year, a substantial decrease from the $38.4 million the Kraft Foods-owned company spent in 2010.

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But the company apparently learned a lesson quickly: In marketing, you can never rest on your laurels and must always strive to push the envelope and continue to be aggressive. Having seemingly learned its lesson, Maxwell House recently announced that it plans to spend between $20 million and $25 million on its marketing efforts this year. What’s more, the company has high hopes for its investment as it plans to “grow [the advertising budget] through growing sales, reinvesting it back in the business,” according to Chris McClement, senior director for Maxwell House.

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Are You Boring Your Readers to Death? Here are Five Ways to Revitalize Your Content

Is your company blog a snoozefest? Are you boring readers to death with lame headlines, a lack of exciting visuals, and ideas or concepts that they’ve already read a dozen times before? I get it; making something like ROI and business analytics “sexy” isn’t easy. But don’t get discouraged, there’s a little Jerry Seinfeld in all of us.

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Three Reasons Your Marketing Employees Need to be Smarter than You

customertileSome of the most influential entrepreneurs and business tycoons out there—think Steve Jobs, Thomas John Watson, Sr., and David Oglivy—have revealed the secret to their success: Staff your company with employees who are smarter than you. Be comfortable being the “dumbest” person in the conference room. Don’t be afraid of that powerhouse employee who encourages you to challenge the status quo and redefine existing business practices.

“Never hire someone who knows less than you do about what he’s hired to do,” contends Malcolm Forbes, former publisher of Forbes.

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If Jack White can Produce an Album in One Day, You can Get Your Blog Moving Too

Fans of Grammy award-winning artist Jack White certainly know the man is prolific. White, who burst onto the music scene as the guitarist for the White Stripes back in 1999, is also known for his work with the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather. Now, White is launching a solo music career as well—and he is out to prove something else in the process: his creative speed.

Jack_White_OttawaOn April 19, White will attempt to set the world record for the fastest recorded album ever. Sources indicate that White plans to record and release the title track of his album all in one day. In order to accomplish this, the song will be performed and transferred directly to acetate right in his Nashville, Tenn. studio, Third Man Records. Then, the tapes will be immediately sent down the road to United Record Pressing where they will be turned into 45s. The records will then be rushed back and will go on sale later in the day at Third Man.

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What’s Sweet for You is Sweeter for Sprinkles: The Marketing Strategy Behind the Company’s Cupcake ATMs

For anyone who has ever been in “The City that Never Sleeps,” you can certainly relate. You are coming back from an event late at night—be it a Broadway show, a night out at the bar, a high school reunion… you name it—when your stomach starts grumbling. You begin to mentally scroll through a list of possible diners, delis and food carts that may still be open at this ungodly hour. But the truth is you don’t want to consume your calories in Big Mac form. Rather, you want something delectably sweet.

Big Apple desert aficionados everywhere are delighting in the fact that Sprinkles Cupcakes, the innovators of the world’s first cupcake bakery, has brought its 24-hour Cupcake ATMs to the Upper East Side. The company already boasts ATMs in Beverly Hills, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Las Vegas—all of which have attracted attention from A-list celebrities like Jay Leno and Wolf Blitzer as well as countless media outlets. New Yorkers couldn’t wait to get their hands on these yummy treats.

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Give Your Content Marketing Strategy its ‘One Shining Moment’

Tonight’s the night—the NCAA championship game where either a No. 7 or 8 seed will walk away with the national title. This past Saturday night we watched a riveting game between UConn and Florida and witnessed Kentucky win yet another thriller, this time besting Wisconsin by a point. Now it all comes to a head tonight when UConn and Kentucky will go head to head for the title.

After the winner is declared, however, another March Madness tradition will take place: “One Shining Moment.” The song is annually played as the winning team’s players cut down the nets to a Montage of highlights and best plays from the tournament (watch last year’s “One Shining Moment” video below). There are some interesting gems that can be extracted from this video. Ready to take some post-March Madness inspiration and apply it to your company’s content marketing strategy?

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Second Graders Learning the Art of Persuasive Writing? Two Steps Forward for Content Marketing

shutterstock_141101980The concept of persuasive writing—and persuasive argument, for that matter—was not introduced to me until my senior year of high school during AP English. I remember it vividly. I was taught that writing should not just be a string of words, but rather a compilation of words that influence how someone acts, feels and thinks. It’s about taking an active stance and communicating effectively to your audience in a simple, albeit powerful way. It’s in essence marketing. And it’s not easy.

So you can imagine my shock when I learned this Sunday that my niece and nephew (only second graders!) are being instructed on how to write persuasively in school.

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What Marketers Can Learn from the Wu-Tang Clan

Many of those who are familiar with the Wu-Tang Clan might not know much about what they are, but certainly know what they ain’t. But now, listeners can add the moniker “ingenious marketers” to the list of phrases that could be used to describe the hip hop collective.

WuTangClanThe New York City-based rap group recently announced that it will sell only one copy of its “secret album,” tentatively titled “The Wu—Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.” Before that copy ultimately ends up in the hands of a collector—who will either hoard the music or share it with the world—fans will be able to hit “tour dates” across the country and fork over $50 to hear the 128-minute album’s 31 tracks. Continue reading “What Marketers Can Learn from the Wu-Tang Clan”