Last month I blogged on the purpose of a business and the problems that can arise when organizations lack a clear sense of purpose, or when they define success narrowly in financial (shareholder-centric) terms. Today’s post focuses on business purpose and its links to corporate brand strategy. In the context of brand strategy, purpose energizes […]
Entries Tagged as 'Marketing'
Business Purpose – Brand Context
April 27th, 2009 · Comments Off · Brand Matters, Marketing
Tags: Apple·brand strategy·corporate identity·corporate purpose
Social Media Goes Mainstream
April 20th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Marketing, Social Media for Business
You know that fads have become mainstream when everybody is doing it. Or when it starts to be required as a part of people’s jobs. Or when everybody is talking about it. This weekend I encountered two instances of the “mainstreaming” of social media for B2B business purposes. Thou Shalt Blog or Twitter One of my […]
Tags: B2B marketing·social media
A Pioneering Social Media Service
April 10th, 2009 · Comments Off · Marketing, Social Media for Business
Ten years ago I was on the core team helping Sony envision and develop an innovative online service for Europeans. Sony Interactive Services launched “FriendFactory” in the UK and Germany as a pilot in 1998; they hoped to get enough traction to work the bugs out of the business model and then expand into other […]
Marketing 2.0: How To
April 2nd, 2009 · 2 Comments · Bookshelf, Marketing
Finally there’s a practical resource for people who want the best of both worlds: what’s worth keeping from traditional marketing, combined with the benefits of the emerging Marketing 2.0 toolkit. Thanks to IBM’s Sandy Carter, there’s now a great resource for B2B marketing strategists and practitioners, The New Language of Marketing 2.0. I definitely recommend it. […]
Conversation as Brain Candy
March 27th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Creativity, Marketing
When the news is dominated by stories of volcanic eruptions, corporate bankruptcies and layoffs, or yet another example of Wall Street malfeasance, it’s easy to get depressed. Especially in this grey Seattle spring weather… So it was a wonderful contrast to enjoy some stimulating conversations over the past 24 hours with two vibrant and accomplished […]
Social Media Marketing, Enterprise Style
March 18th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Marketing, Social Media for Business, Tools & Technology
After wrestling with taxes and Schedule C arcana, it’s a relief to blog. (I’m sure the IRS would prefer my creative energies go elsewhere…!) While working with a client on initial strategies for social media marketing, I keep being reminded of how much murkier the B2B social media landscape is. Almost all the pundits you […]
Should the Medium Be the Message?
March 16th, 2009 · Comments Off · Marketing, Social Media for Business
Some of my B2B clients are starting to encourage blogging by their employees. Corporate guidelines, such as do’s and don’ts, are amply provided. Ironically, corporate blogging guidelines are often provided via Word documents, instead of an internal blog that might be better at encouraging discussion or addressing employees’ questions. It seems to me that these […]
Tags: B2B marketing·blogging
B2B Marketing Obsolete?">Is B2B Marketing Obsolete?
February 4th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Back to Basics, Marketing
As companies bleed revenues, profits and jobs, it’s ironic that people are debating the death of B2B marketing or its obsolescence. And yet I’ve been in several conversations over the past week on this topic. I think a better framing for the conversation, rather than death or obsolescence, is B2B marketing’s strategic relevance and value contribution […]
Tags: B2B marketing·strategic marketing·voice of the customer·word of mouth
Looking for Resources on How to Write a Great Marketing Plan?
January 14th, 2009 · Comments Off · Bookshelf, Marketing
It must be the season for marketing planning. Recently I’ve gotten multiple requests for pointers on how to develop a great marketing plan – even from my spouse who’s in a marketing strategy role for a major wireless company. My reference library was packed away, due to an office remodel, so I launched a Google […]
Tags: balanced scorecard·BSC·marketing plan·marketing planning·strategy map
Conflicts Looming? Personal Brands versus Corporate
January 9th, 2009 · Comments Off · Marketing, Social Media for Business
If you’ve read the Cluetrain Manifesto, you know that blogging originated from people’s burning desire to let their authentic voice be heard. Early bloggers were reacting against the watered-down, politically correct messages they were reading in the public media or writing for their employers. I’m now starting to run into clients who want their employees […]
Tags: B2B marketing·blogging·brand