|
M&A Op-Ed McSWEENEY & ANTMAN’S ULTIMATE UPDATE By Michael AntmanThis sixteenth and final edition of McSweeney & Antman's Occasional Update is a very personal, informal, and self-indulgent look back at a few fun moments from my marketing communications career to date. More>> Six Reasons Word of Mouth Marketing Doesn't Work By Michael AntmanIs there any form of marketing communications more compelling than word of mouth, the enthusiastic and genuine recommendation of a person you like and trust? It’s no wonder that virtually every business-to-business marketer prizes this organic, spontaneous, and – perhaps best of all – practically cost-free method of bringing in business. Nonetheless, relying on word of mouth is practically a guaranteed way for a small- or medium-sized business to stay small or medium sized. Read on for six reasons why: More>> Five Simple Techniques for Getting Better Results from Qualitative Research By Michael AntmanThe most-effective research isn't necessarily the most rigidly designed. In fact, a loosely designed program -- whether qualitative or quantitative -- may not appear as "scientific" at first glance, yet sometimes can do far more to reveal real truths than more carefully crafted and comprehensive research programs. More>> Are You Understanding Writing That You Don't Understand? By Michael AntmanEveryone has heard the common complaint that America is becoming less literate, but the onus for this alleged circumstance is nearly always placed on the reader (or, rather, non-reader) rather than where it often belongs, on the writer. Many professional writers seem to have lost the ability to write clear, comprehensible copy that instantly communicates its point. That’s an expecially worrisome trend when it comes to advertising, which depends on quick communication for its effectiveness. More>> Understood, Expected and Assumed: The Future of Integrated Marketing Communications By Michael AntmanWhich one of these terms doesn't belong? Automatic elevator. Electric lamp. Electric toaster. Long-playing record. Integrated marketing communications. The odd term out is, of course, “integrated marketing communications.” That's because all of the other terms are examples of “pleonasms,” in which extraneous words are used to explain a simple concept. After all, we just assume that all elevators these days are automatic, and don't require white-gloved operators to punch in your floor selection. More>> The New Science of B-to-P Advertising By Michael AntmanB-to-B advertising is dead. Or if it isn’t, it should be. To be clear, it isn’t the advertising itself – well, not all of it, at least – that should just curl up and die. Merely the ubiquitous, reductive and deeply unhelpful “B-to-B” designation and all it stands for. And also, for that matter, the equally reductive and unhelpful, and even more ubiquitous, “B-to-C” (business-to-consumer) designation. To understand why these terms, and the antiquated advertising practices they represent, should be kicked to the gutter forthwith – and replaced with a single new category called B-to-P – a little background may be in order. More>> Light a Fire Under Your Corporate Crisis Communications Planning By Dennis McSweeneyCorporate crisis communications planning. It’s one of those things like cleaning the lint out of the dryer vent. You know you it can help prevent disaster, but it’s no fun, you’ve got more important things to do, and how many house fires does dryer lint cause anyway? (Actually, 15,500 per year at an annual cost of $100 million.) Like lint fires, major corporate crises are low probability/high impact events: they occur relatively rarely, but when they do, they can cause damage to the corporation ranging from a scorched reputation (major Wall Street brokerages and the Spitzer settlement) to a near-death experience (Dow Corning and breast implants.) And like lint fires, preventative maintenance can be the key to avoiding disaster. More>> Extremely Frustrating, Slightly Ridiculous and Completely Unimportant: A Brief Introduction to the Arcane Art of Naming Consulting By Michael AntmanHere's a pop quiz: Name a form of marketing communications that can take as little as five seconds to complete, can be accomplished by a nine-year-old child as well as an adult, and is of absolutely no importance whatsoever. Oh, and it also happens to be the most difficult and frustrating form of marketing communications by far. The answer is naming consulting, the often-arcane art of creating and applying names to products, services and companies. More>> What's Your Tagline Today? By Michael AntmanMore so than most other aspects of marketing communications, advertising is subject to fads and fashions. From typography to photography, almost every element of almost every print and television ad you see is a product of its era in the same manner that the clothes and automobiles of the time were. Don't think so? Take a look at an advertising annual from, say, 1967. Virtually without exception, the design elements of almost every ad virtually scream "1967" – the makeup on the models, the hairstyles, the vibrant colors, the co-opting of rock-concert poster and "psychedelic" design motifs. More>> Investors: The Missing Perspective in Corporate Branding By Dennis McSweeneyA great deal of attention is being paid to the notion of "corporate brand," yet most of the focus is on the "brand" while the "corporate" element often is overlooked. This is due to in part to the fact that many branding efforts ignore the perspective of a key stakeholder group: investors. More>> A Categorical Denial By Michael AntmanWhen it comes to the painstaking process of hiring either an employee or a consultant, we’ve drawn a counter-intuitive conclusion: The more comprehensive the company’s list of hiring criteria is, the less likely it is that the best possible candidate will be chosen. More>> Within You Without You: By Dennis McSweeney and Michael AntmanThe Limits of Brand Personality in B2B Marketing Brand personality is an essential element in business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing. Yet, like many B2C concepts, it has limited application in the business-to-business (B2B) space, where a more in-depth and rational approach to branding is necessary. More>> |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| © Copyright 2003-2004 | McSweeney & Antman | t: 847.920.1252 | e:info@mcsweeneyantman.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
