Musings of a Marketing Maven

Christine Thompson> What's on my mind: life and work

Musings of a Marketing Maven random header image

UCG Affects Holiday Greeting Cards, Too

December 23rd, 2009 · Back to Basics, Creativity

This year a significant proportion of the greeting cards we’ve received have been assembled from digital content created by our family members and friends. Most of these cards feature family photos and/or snapshots of peak moments throughout the year; a few are totally handmade, artsy, often collages with no digital elements.

Personalized cards, user-generated content

What strikes me is the way the popularity of [Read more →]

→ No CommentsTags: ·

Are Digital Models Influencing the Business of Yoga?

December 17th, 2009 · Tools & Technology, Yoga

My Seattle yoga studio is undergoing what its founder calls a “rebirth,” overhauling its web presence, expanding the class roster, and offering online class registration and payment options. Finally!

This is a smart decision, as they have limited space, a growing number of qualified teachers, and increasing demand for their classes and workshops. On one noteworthy Sunday,  [Read more →]

→ 2 CommentsTags: ·

Twitter vs. Traditional Media for Holidays

December 16th, 2009 · Back to Basics

As I write my Christmas and New Year cards, I’ve been thinking about the pros and cons of traditional cards versus Twitter for holiday greetings. Forgive the wry humor…

Twitter Pros

  • No paper cuts
  • No yucky aftertaste from sealing envelopes
  • No last-minute dash to the Post Office to buy more stamps
  • [Read more →]

→ No CommentsTags:

Noting the Changes

December 15th, 2009 · Back to Basics

While updating my contacts database for Christmas card labels, I noted how many changes there have been in the past several years: so many older aunts and uncles who have died, so many marriages in disarray. It was a sobering thought.

And a reason to be grateful for the friends and family who still surround us – wherever they may be.

→ 2 CommentsTags:

On Biking & Branding

November 14th, 2009 · Brand Matters

Roubaix

The cycling sub-culture offers an interesting environment for observing the power of branding in action. Over the years I’ve learned that the “boys who bike” are very status conscious, and proudly display team affiliations and other brand badges all over their bodies, their bikes and their gear. I’ve also learned that if you ride the “wrong” bike, you’re invisible to your fellow cyclists. [Read more →]

→ 3 CommentsTags: ····

Learning from Parisian Shop Windows

November 13th, 2009 · Brand Matters, Marketing

I love strolling and window shopping in Paris. There’s a special mystique that window dressers in Paris employ that brand teams and marketers everywhere would do well to emulate.

Shop windows in Paris do a wonderful job of conveying the idea of what’s being sold — of conveying the brand essence, helping you envision how you might benefit from the products or services on offer. For a moment or two, you’re experiencing the dream, fantasizing about how you might look better, happier, healthier or whatever, based on the nature of what’s being presented for your delectation…

The power of simplicity

The most powerful windows don’t crowd the display area with a representative sampling of everything inside the store (as you sometimes see in America). This is not a functional or utilitarian approach to marketing what the merchant has on offer.

wedding-dress-merchandised

The power of simplicity. I love the idea — but it’s so hard to put into practice, given all the factions and stakeholders that marketers must contend with.

→ No CommentsTags:

Marketing to Women: 2 Examples

November 12th, 2009 · Brand Matters, Marketing

After blogging about “the female economy” as the world’s biggest untapped market opportunity, I’ve been on the lookout for evidence that companies and brands are marketing specifically to women. I’ve seen a couple of examples recently, an encouraging sign.

Both offers focus on helping women overcome the gaps in our understanding of mechanics – things most fathers don’t teach their daughters. [Read more →]

→ No CommentsTags: ··

The Nigerian Scam Is Now Moving to China…

November 1st, 2009 · Uncategorized

Do they think we’re crazy enough to fall for an obvious scam like this?

Here’s the scam email

The Project
Tseng Tzu-Jung
Chong Hing Bank Limited
347-349 Des Voeux Rd.
West, HK
www.chbank.com

Dear Friend,

I am a staff of Chong Hing Bank Limited,Hong Kong attached in Private Banking services; I am contacting you in reference to an investment opportunity which I believe would be of significant reward to the parties involved. [Read more →]

→ No CommentsTags:

Falling Out of Love with QuickBooks

October 30th, 2009 · Brand Matters, Tools & Technology

For years I’ve loved QuickBooks – a tool that made managing my company’s money remarkably pleasant. I used to rave about it to colleagues. But over the past several product releases I’ve become disenchanted; I think Intuit has lost its way, and has lost sight of whose interest it was pursuing.

No longer customer centered

With its most recent release, QuickBooks Pro 2010, Intuit has convinced me they’ve decided to walk away from their origins as a customer-focused software provider. [Read more →]

→ 3 CommentsTags: ·

But Where’s the Conversation?

October 21st, 2009 · Social Media for Business

The hype around social media as conversation has become deafening.

Much of the hyperbole comes from agencies and consultants who have seized upon social media as the next wave; their motivation is self-serving, of course. Promoting their credentials as social media experts enables them [Read more →]

→ 1 CommentTags: ····