Ruben Trevino - On Marketing

How Well-Defined Is Your Brand's Ideal?

2012-01-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

'Grow' Author Jim Stengel Aims to Bring Analytical Rigor to Purpose-Driven Marketing

By:

Published: January 16, 2012

Marketing conferences these days can seem like Brand-Abusers Anonymous meetings, with marketers confessing in 12-step-type mumbo jumbo how they, or more often their predecessors, strayed from the path of the brand's true purpose but ultimately found their way back.

Jim Stengel

Jim Stengel, former global marketing officer at Procter & Gamble Co.and perhaps the high priest of purpose-driven marketing, has teamed with WPP's Millward Brown Optimor to bring analytical rigor to the movement.

In his book, "Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World's Greatest Companies" Mr. Stengel makes the case that corporate "ideals," the word he has opted for over "purpose," are at the core of success.

Since Mr. Stengel left P&G three years ago, he and Millward Brown have spent much of their time identifying and analyzing the 50 fastest-growing brands from 2000 to 2010 in terms of value and consumer preference.

They even collaborated with Millward Brown's neuroscience unit to do implicit association testing to measure how quickly people associated words with brands. Their research, which initially involved thousands of companies, showed that people more quickly associated the Stengel 50 brands with their ideals -- or purpose -- than they did others.

The Stengel 50

The Stengel 50 also outperformed the Standard & Poors' 500 by 400% over the decade, exceeding their 2007 valuations as the general market failed to regain its prerecession highs.

The BrandZ valuation system used by Millward Brown relies heavily on financial measures, so that correlation isn't surprising. But the one between the Stengel 50 and consumers closely identifying them and their ideals is an eye-opener, said Benoit Garbe, VP of Millward Brown Optimor.

The work spurred Millward Brown to do a second pilot with an additional 250 businesses involving whether consumers identify a brand as ideal-driven, and then assessing the ideal's strength.

"One of the most important insights that came from this pilot is proof that associations with ideals have a strong relationship with consumer preference, consideration and choice," Mr. Garbe said.

The Stengel 50 includes only one P&G brand -- Pampers (maybe 1.5, given that Hugo Boss, for which P&G is a licensed distributor of fragrances, also made the list). It has many P&G rivals, including Unilever's Dove, Mars' Royal Canin, GlaxoSmithKline's Sensodyne, L'Occitane, Natura (the Brazilian personal-care brand, not the P&G pet-food brand), and green-cleaning brands Method and Seventh Generation.

Mr. Stengel's list includes tech and e-commerce powerhouses Apple, Google, IBM, Amazon and Zappos. But it also contains recent tech casualties BlackBerry and Hewlett-Packard, which benefited from the 2010 cutoff.

"Anytime you look at 50 businesses in the dynamic space they're playing in, they're going to have some wobbles," Mr. Stengel said of BlackBerry and HP. "If you look at this in three or five years, a large percentage of these brands will be healthy."

The only other media brand to appear on the list is Discovery Communications. According to Mr. Stengel, the company managed it by changing course from what Mr. Stengel dubs "tattoo TV," with such series as "American Chopper" last decade, to focus on its core family programming. Moves that upheld that ideal included helping to commission the "Planet Earth" series along with the BBC.

For those wondering about the brands and their ideals, see the adjoining list, provided by Mr. Stengel.

Johnnie Walker probably didn't know that he was starting a movement to "celebrate journeys of progress and success" when he sold his first bottle of scotch in 1857, Mr. Stengel said. "They created their own purpose [later] based on what they thought would be relevant for their consumers," he said.

The Stengel 50 features big spenders such as Coca-Cola (which "exists to inspire moments of happiness") but is heavy with brands that spend little on conventional advertising, including Method, Seventh Generation, Innocent and Chipotle.

Mr. Garbe at Millward Brown Optimor said that making the list "is less about selling something or pushing a message, and more about [brands'] inviting consumers into their world" by acting on a set of core beliefs.

For example, he said, Samsung's free charging stations in airports may send a stronger message about what the brand stands for than any advertising ever could.

Retrieved from AdAge on January 20, 2012 from: http://adage.com/article/news/defined-brand-s-ideal/232097/

Merry Christmas from T-Mobile.

2011-12-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

T-mobile suprises shoppers with a nice performance.

Enjoy

The New Special Consumer

2011-12-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

Marketers Skip the Crowd, Seek Out That One Special Consumer

From Honda to British Airways, Brands Make Unique Cases the Centerpiece of Their Promotional Efforts

By:

Published: December 05, 2011

When a Bangor, Maine, car salesman alerted Honda bigwigs of a local man's attempt to drive his 1990 pale-blue Accord a record 1 million miles, the automaker felt it called for more than mailing him a coupon for a $1,000 rebate. So it chose to throw the owner, Joe LoCicero, a parade replete with a high school marching band, stilt-walkers and floats in the shape of an odometer. Airplanes even flew overhead with congratulatory banners. Suffice it to say it was a major affair in the small town of Saco, Maine -- one that took Honda and its agency, RPA, nine weeks to put together. That's quite a lot of time to devote to a single consumer. "It's hard to put the emotions into words," Mr. LoCicero, a soft-spoken 54-year-old who has lived in New England all his life and has been a car enthusiast since he was a teen, told Ad Age. "It was overwhelming. I had to watch the video to understand what happened that day, and the first couple of times my wife couldn't watch it without crying."

British Airways targeted consumers with a highly talked-about ad retelling the story of Shona Owen, a woman who was born on a BA flight in 1991.

This isn't the age-old marketing approach of tugging at the heartstrings with puppies or babies, or trying to suggest authenticity by casting employees in an ad campaign. It's not about crowdsourcing either, like when Doritos looks to the crowd to source a Super Bowl spot. No, the latest trend in marketing being practiced by Honda, British Airways and Kia is about bringing case studies to life, celebrating the experiences of one special consumer and making him or her the centerpiece of marketing.

Mr. LoCicero is stunned that his personal accomplishment became a cause for celebration, but he's also of the mind that his story benefits the Honda brand by "striking a more personal connection" when promoting the car's reliable attributes to consumers. It's an experience that is amplified by being shared: On Facebook, Honda fans cheered him to the finish line in the days before the Accord's odometer clicked over to 1 million. Once a video of the parade made its way onto YouTube, it garnered nearly 300,000 views, and he's received congratulatory notes from Korea, and some in Arabic and other foreign languages.

Consumers are relating to these approaches because they are genuine.

"We're living in a world of uncertainty where everyone is questioning whether the information we're getting is real or fake, be it from the financial world, or political leaders," said Heather Dupre, a founding partner at strategic branding firm Egg Strategy in Boulder, Colo. "Consumers are more adept at spotting fake hype. They know that actors and celebrity spokespeople are paid and scripted to promote brands, so focusing on a person who has had a real interaction with a brand is truthful and a smart strategy for a campaign," Ms. Dupre said.

At a time when the airline industry is maligned, British Airways used a similar approach this fall with its biggest ad launch in over a decade, which was created by Publicis Groupe-backed Bartle Bogle Hegarty.

BA struck a chord by highlighting experiences with individual fliers, with the most talked-about ad relaying the story of Shona Owen, a woman who was born on a 747 flight back in 1991. The print ad -- which BA shared on its Facebook page -- stressed how the airline, in honor of Ms. Owen's special status as one of few babies born in the air, gave Ms. Owen a first-class airline ticket to Australia for her 18th birthday.

Marketers benefit from this more-personal approach because it doesn't have to entail expensive TV buys but instead can largely be fueled by social media or experiential marketing. The big challenge is being fast enough to capitalize on opportunities when they arise.

Days before Kia's ad agency, California-based David & Goliath, was set to film the last part of a recent campaign, it got word of a couple who had set up an impressive light show at their home in time to LMFAO's hit song "Party Rock Anthem," which Kia's hamster mascots dance to in ads. A video of the light show became a sensation on YouTube, and D&G wanted to be a part of the buzz.

In short order, the agency rang the couple and asked if they could move the shooting of their video from a set to the pair's driveway. "The production became more complicated, but the rewards made it more than worth it," said Brian Dunbar, managing partner and director of client services at D&G. "We had to make decisions very, very quickly. And credit to our client, who got on board instantly. Smart advertisers are finding more innovative ways to involve consumers beyond the traditional testimonial."

Mr. Dunbar warns, however, that you aren't going to get a lift inherently just by featuring consumers -- it has to be a mutual benefit. "For [homeowner] Kevin Judd, it was a dream come true to have his favorite band perform in front of his house."

Said Ms. Dupre: "The brands and agencies that are most adept at spotting those opportunities and creating those experiences will be the ones that stand out to this generation of consumers. Know your consumer. Know where they are, what sorts of experiences they are having connected to the brand, and be able to connect at a moment's notice."

SOURCE: http://adage.com/

Dealer-Chic. Una nueva tendencia

2011-11-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

A continuación les muestro el reporte que publicó el prestigiado sitio de TrendWatching en una nueva tendencia, que sin duda, dará de que hablar.

Espero la disfruten.

Rubén

DEALER CHIC

Por qué para los consumidores las ofertas se están tornando un modo de vida, cuando no una fuente de orgullo.

Fuente: thinkcvox

Tocamos el tema con anterioridad en PRICING PANDEMONIUM (EL PANDEMONIUM DEL PRECIO), pero está más que justificado un Trend Briefing completo sobre este fenómeno, poniendo foco no sólo a las numerosas de nuevas prácticas innovadoras que están siguiendo las marcas para hacer promociones y ofertas, sino también en cómo están cambiando las actitudes del consumidor ante los descuentos y las ofertas.

De hecho, la avalancha de ofertas disponibles actualmente para los consumidores no son un mero síntoma a corto plazo de la crisis financiera; DEALER-CHIC ha venido para quedarse:

DEALER-CHIC | A los consumidores siempre les ha encantado conseguir buenas ofertas o premios exclusivos, pero más que tener que ocultar el regateo, ahora nuestros colegas consumidores ven aceptable, cuando no admirable el hecho de conseguir las mejores ofertas. La caza de la oferta continuará siendo una parte esencial de las vidas de los consumidores, ya que se trata de algo más que ahorrar dinero: es la emoción, la búsqueda, el control, la inteligencia percibida, y por tanto la fuente de estatus también.

Eso sí, no estamos diciendo que todo el consumo estará dominado por bienes y servicios con descuento. Sin embargo, para consumidores preocupados por el estatus (véase: todos ellos ;-), conseguir lo máximo de los descuentos y las ofertas no está considerado ya engorroso o incluso avergonzante, sino simplemente inteligente.

De hecho, DEALER-CHIC es incluso otro ejemplo de los giros a largo plazo que se están sucediendo en el campo de consumo, donde consumidores ávidos tienen más de donde elegir, expectativas más elevadas, y más control, a la vez que los consumidores maduros tienen una relación mucho menos reverencial con las marcas.

Así que, aquí tienes tres razones por las que DEALER-CHIC se prevé que crezca cada vez más durante los próximos años:

MÁS POR MENOS: A la vez que muchas personas de economías desarrolladas es probable que tengan menos dinero para gastar ahora mismo, los consumidores de todos lados buscarán siempre experimentar más.

EL MEDIO ES LA MOTIVACIÓN: A los consumidores se les está urgiendo a usar, reusar y compartir ofertas y descuentos vía las nuevas (y por ello infinitamente más emocionantes y atractivas) tecnologías.

LO MEJOR DE LO MEJOR: Debido a la tecnología móvil instantánea o el acceso online a no sólo las ofertas sino también a valoraciones, los consumidores pueden estar ahora seguros de que están consiguiendo el mejor precio por el mejor producto o servicio.

¿Quieres leer más? Entra a: http://trendwatching.com/es/trends/dealerchic/

Hispanics Display Unique Mobile, Web Habits

2011-10-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

October 18, 2011

US Hispanic adults 18 and older display mobile and internet habits notably different from the non-Hispanic and general adult populations, according to data released in October 2011 by the Prosper Insights Hispanic Insight Center. For example, almost 68% of Hispanic adults download mobile apps, 28% more than the 53% of non-Hispanic adults who download mobile apps.

In addition, 56% of all adults download mobile apps, meaning Hispanic adults are 21% more likely to do so.

Cable TV, Magazines Trigger Hispanic Search

When it comes to triggers for online search, Hispanic adults are much more likely to have their search behavior triggered by cable TV and magazines than non-Hispanic adults or the overall adult population. The leading online search trigger for Hispanic adults is magazines, used by almost 41% of Hispanics. This makes them 17% more likely than non-Hispanic adults (35%) and 14% more likely than overall adults (36%) to perform a magazine-driven online search.

In addition, 35% of Hispanic adults have online searches triggered by cable TV, 21% more than non-Hispanic adults (29%) and 13% more than overall adults (31%). Hispanics have similarly higher rates of online searches triggered by blogs, cell phone and email advertising. Their rates are significantly lower for the triggers of direct mail and reading an article.

Hispanics Blog More

Hispanics use blogs more frequently than other adults. About 15% of Hispanic adults read blogs regularly, 25% more than non-Hispanic adults (12%) and 15% more than overall adults (13%). Hispanic adults also maintain blogs (6%) at a rate 50% higher than non-Hispanic adults (4%) and 20% higher than overall adults (5%).

In addition, 6% of Hispanic adults post to blogs, compared to about 5% of both non-Hispanic and overall adults (roughly 20% more likely to post).

Other Findings

51% of Hispanic adults perform online research before shopping in a store regularly, 27.5% more than the 40% of non-Hispanic adults and 24% more than the 41% of overall adults who do so.

24% of Hispanic adults perform online search via cell phone, 71% more than 14% of non-Hispanic adults and 50% more than 12% of overall adults.

Hispanic adults are much less likely than non-Hispanic adults to own a desktop computer but somewhat more likely to own a wireless laptop or netbook, Droid or iPad, and much more likely to own an iPod or iPhone.

Pew: Latinos Less Plugged In

US Latinos are less likely to access the internet, have a home broadband connection or own a cell phone than whites or blacks, according to an August 2011 study from the Pew Research Center Project for Excellence in Journalism. Data from “The State of the News Media 2011″ indicates that about two-thirds of Latino (65%) and African American (66%) adults went online in 2010, roughly 14% less than the 77% of white adults who did so.

Furthermore, only 45% of Latinos have broadband access at home, 13% less than the 52% of blacks and 31% less than the 65% of whites with home broadband access. Just more than three-quarters, 76%, of Latinos owned a cell phone in 2010, 4% less than the 79% of blacks 11% less than the 85% of whites who owned cell phones.

About the Data: Data was collected by BIGresearch in June 2011.

Resource: Marketing Charts. Retrieved from: http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/hispanics-display-unique-mobile-web-habits-19706/?utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_source=mc&utm_medium=textlink

Walmart Goes Local on Facebook, Launches Store-Level Messaging

2011-10-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

Poses No Threat to Circulars, Radio at This Time, Says CMO By: Jack Neff

Walmart is launching a Facebook app that customizes marketing for each of its nearly 3,600 U.S. stores, allowing tailored communications about local deals, events or limited-distribution products.

Eventually, Walmart also hopes to use the My Local Walmart app to grow its site-to-store e-commerce program and evolve it into an individualized marketing program, said Stephen Quinn, chief marketing officer for Walmart U.S., in a telephone press conference.

But for now, the focus is "to allow us to make our stores relevant locally at scale," he said.

He declined to disclose financial considerations or exactly how Walmart will promote the app, but he said it would likely draw on the giant retailer's traditional media mix, including in stores. He also said the partnership includes an unspecified amount of advertising with Facebook.

The deal brings together two of the biggest institutions in U.S. marketing -- Walmart, which gets about 150 million shoppers monthly, and Facebook, with 165 million U.S. users.

The overlap is huge, but it's centered on Walmart's 9.4 million Facebook fans. So, at least for now, Mr. Quinn doesn't foresee the app displacing circulars it distributes via newspapers or direct mail or the local radio advertising it does around such events as Halloween.

"Over time, I guess if it became a really huge scale effort, it might have that impact," Mr. Quinn said. "But right now it's not really impacting us in that way, because it's really an extension of what we ought to be doing anyway, which is paying attention to what customers want."

One reason Walmart wanted to get the app out before the holidays, Mr. Quinn said, is that it lets users download maps of their local stores to their smartphones to find Black Friday-discounted merchandise in the store.

Much of the information directed at local store shoppers will be based on data analysis by marketers and merchants at the retailer's Bentonville, Ark., headquarters, he said, but there will also be "a local override" that lets store managers customize content.

But the app will also allow Walmart to tailor marketing based on local weather events or such things as Nascar races and fishing tournaments, Mr. Quinn said. At least initially, such communications will come only about twice a week to avoid "bombarding" customers, he added.

"The unique thing here is that Walmart has taken it to another level," said Carolyn Everson, VP-global marketing solutions for Facebook. "They're not just having a local tab on their fan page where people can find their nearest retailer by putting in a ZIP code. There's actually going to be fundamentally different business being done and a different relationship at the local level because of being able to launch new products at the local level" or offering localized news about savings and events.

My Local Walmart won't permit what Ms. Everson called "frictionless open-graph sharing" of what people are shopping for or buying, a la Spotify data on who's listening to what that goes out over Facebook's new ticker. But Walmart does hope the app generates more "likes" of products to increase the viral effect of its fan base.

The announcement comes as Walmart Stores prepares for its annual analyst meeting Oct. 12 and the retailer seeks to end a series of nine straight quarters of declining same-store sales. But it stops short of what some Walmart watchers and analysts have openly called for -- a direct answer to the increasingly sophisticated database-driven shopper loyalty programs of many competitors.

"It will be very personalized" eventually, Mr. Quinn said of My Local Walmart. "Right now we're just focused on making it a very localized experience.

"Our customers have been asking for this," he said, adding that "loud and clear" Facebook feedback the past two years was among factors that recently led the retailer to reinstate layaway.

Source: AdAge.com http://adage.com/article/digital/walmart-local-facebook-store-level-messaging/230327/

Few Marketers Target U.S. Hispanics With Spanish-Language Facebook Fan Pages

2011-09-29T08:37:00.001-07:00

Just 34 of 184 Brands Used Spanish; Latinum Network Offers Some Tips to Reach Latinos Online

By: Published: September 27, 2011

U.S. Hispanics are known to be avid consumers of social media, but few marketers are using Spanish-language Facebook fan pages to reach out to them. And marketers that do try to engage Hispanics online often make mistakes, ranging from simply repurposing Spanish-language content from other countries to allowing stale content to remain online indefinitely, according to business network Latinum.

Latinum, which helps brands reach Hispanics, looked at 184 different brands and found that only 34 had any kind of Spanish-language presence on Facebook, said Andy Hasselwander, VP-professional service and product development for Latinum. That's only 18%, and included Spanish-language pages from other countries, like a Heineken fan page from Mexico.

"We looked at Spanish-language fans vs. English-language fans, and there were 1.96 million Spanish-language fans and 106.4 million English language fans," he said. That's fewer than 2% as many Spanish-language Facebook fans as English-language ones.

"On Facebook there's a big opportunity to engage," he said. "For brands willing to put up Spanish-language Facebook pages, there's a huge payoff."

Some marketers are concerned that non-Spanish speakers will stumble upon their Spanish-language content on Facebook and set off a firestorm of complaints that people in the U.S. should use English. That happened to Best Buy when the consumer electronics marketer put up a Facebook page in Spanish a couple years ago. And just last month, when a post in Portuguese for Coca-Cola's Brazilian Facebook fans appeared briefly to Americans due to a technical glitch, the comment thread turned into a depressing hotbed of xenophobia.

"We get the backlash question a lot," Mr. Hasselwander said. When pressed, marketers concede that their general market sales haven't dropped as a result of posting a Spanish-language Facebook page.

Separately, Mr. Hasselwander looked at about 100 websites across 13 different product categories, and came up with some do's and don'ts for marketers trying to reach Spanish speakers online. His tips include:

Don't just import Spanish-language content from your websites in other countries, like Mexico or Spain.

Use human translators. "It was amazing how many machine translations we found," he said. And don't just translate content from a general market site without changing the images, too.

Aim for parity in content with the English-language site. "A Spanish-language site that's one-fifth as rich might [detract from the brand]," he said.

Have a URL strategy. While a packaged-goods marketer may have websites for different brands, an easy-to-remember multi-brand site could work better in Spanish. Kraft Foods has comidakraft.com, and General Mills' QueRicaVida.com includes recipes, videos and separate product sections for 16 different brands from Cheerios to Yoplait. "It's more affordable than creating in-culture sites for a bunch of different brands," he said.

Don't do partial translation, with some links in Spanish and some in English. And if there is a transition to English, such as contact details, make that clear with an option like a dialog box so the user can choose whether to switch languages.

Avoid stale content. Sometimes marketers want to do something Hispanic and decide 'Let's do a World Cup campaign' and that becomes their Spanish-language site for the next year. "Just take it down," he says.

Don't put a Spanish-language site up, then neglect to monitor it and engage with users. And avoid orphaned social media that lacks links and easy navigation.

Marketers are at various stage of figuring out their online Spanish-language media strategy.

Home-improvement chain Lowe's, for instance, finally launched a Spanish-language version of its website last month, but the link to Facebook is to an English-language fan page.

And Kmart, although lacking a Spanish-language website, is the first to work with Google to develop a Spanish-language video channel on YouTube. Kmart's eight-part web series, launched last month, is called "Madres y Comadres" and features two close friends who are Hispanic moms and their daily dilemmas.

"We know the challenges Hispanic women face today, and the cultural push-pull of trying to raise your children here," said Nydia Sahagun, Kmart's director of multicultural marketing.

In one of the most popular YouTube episodes, one mother is outraged that after she spent days slaving over labor-intensive tamales in her kitchen, her son traded his lunch for a school friend's tuna sandwich. In another episode, her young son decides he is too cool to be called by his given name, Rigoberto. In each episode, everyone is decked out in Kmart clothes and accessories, and some of the characters, including Rigoberto, appear in shoppable videos in which fashion expert Felix Mercado styles them in fall fashions from Kmart.

"This is one of the first projects we're doing," said Mark Lopez, who joined Google as head of U.S. Hispanic audience in November 2010. "We're providing a platform and community."

Procter & Gamble, the biggest advertiser to Hispanics, launched a bilingual website in mid-September aimed at Hispanic women with beauty and household tips and information about its brands. The site is called orgullosa.com, the Spanish word for "proud."

http://adage.com/article/hispanic-marketing/marketers-target-facebook-fan-pages-u-s-hispanics/230066/

10 Things To Know about Hispanic Shoppers

2011-08-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

1. Hispanics are destination-shopping
Hispanics see shopping as entertainment and opportunity for family / friends time, "me time" and even date time with spouses. Different trips call for different experiences and companionship. Many stores have taken advantage of this opportunity to be a destination for social activity by adding cafes, lounges and bars.

When targeting Hispanics, the competitive set is not just other retailers and stores, but also destinations. By developing the overall store experience, retailers have an opportunity to increase time spent in store as well as store loyalty.

2. Variety is the spice of Hispanic shopping
Hispanics are not motivated to simplify their shopping routine. In grocery shopping, a minimum of five channels are used by shoppers.

Understanding what category associations the Hispanic shopper has with different stores creates new opportunities in distribution.

3. Personal map replaces "near my home"
For Hispanics, shopping is not an isolated event but rather a part of their busy daily routine. Knowledge and preference of stores are based more on proximity to daily activities than proximity to home.

The challenge is to evolve beyond zip codes and understand the Hispanic footprint and where they live their daily lives. This "personal map" opens the door to discovering and expanding the base of Hispanic targeted stores.

4. One shopper, four lists
Hispanics are making lists and any one shopper most likely has a number of different types of lists in their arsenal.

The four types of lists:

Complete: family staples and add-ons, such as cereal and kids needs for school projects.

Mental: routine shopping needs kept mentally, not written down, such as bread, eggs and milk.

Recipe: created around the specifics for a recipe/occasion; usually complement a mental list.

Eternal: the ever-evolving list of the things needed or wanted sometime, somewhere, depending on the availability, price, etc. Such as fresh nopales or other hard-to-find imports.

For brands, understanding trip mission and category helps understand which list you want to "get on" or "make" and where to start the conversation within the buying cycle.

5. Brands battle it out at the shelf
While-list making is important, the store shelf, where 70% of Hispanic purchasing decisions are made, is the last stand for swaying the brand purchase decision.

Key attributes, packaging and promotions are factors that influence the final decision. Being relevant to the Hispanic consumers' needs and preferences can win that battle from the shelf to the basket.

6. The emergence of digital in retail
The perfect storm is forming from the overwhelming numbers of Hispanics participating in the digital world and new digital retail activities. And while Hispanics under-index in coupon clipping, they are over-indexing in online and mobile application redemption.

Leveraging these opportunities with online, mobile and in-store applications is the next phase in connecting with Hispanic shoppers.

7. "Shopping" is limited to only planned trips
Hispanics have been under-reported in frequency of shopping trips, despite their high number of channel choices, enjoyment of experience and larger basket sizes. This disparity is because Hispanic shoppers define "shopping" differently. Shopping involves only the planned/routine trips, and doesn't include spontaneous trips, which are frequently made.

Understanding this small but important difference opens the door for creating moments of interception that encourage and recognize spontaneous shopping trips.

8. Private labels take the stage
Where 37% of Hispanic shoppers purchased more private label products in 2009, 25% plan to buy more this year. Private brands account for 31% of Hispanic household grocery basket; averaging $89 every two weeks out of a total of $267.

To the general market, private labels are seen as generic and recognized for their price benefits. For Hispanics, however, private labels are seen as store brands, placing a higher importance on the value they carry as a product from a trusted store. To take advantage, stores must leverage their store loyalty in promoting private labels.

9. Product attributes drive brand choice
The number one reason that Hispanics try out new brands/products is the quality of their ingredients. Hispanics are moved by attributes of "well-being" like real, natural and fresh. Additionally, Hispanics are becoming more aware and increasingly more educated on health issues, taking steps to manage these issues by looking for low-fat, low-sugar and low-calorie options.

Besides packaging, product cross-promotions and communications, highlighting well-being could make the difference in choosing one store or product over another.

10. Different definition for convenience
The convenience and drug store category is important for the Hispanic market; however, the Hispanic shopper defines the quick-trip benefit of convenience differently.

For the general market, convenience is based on the speed of the experience from location to transaction. For Hispanic consumers, it's about a good experience even at the c-store and drug store level. "Location convenience" is about how quickly they can get to the store so they have the time to find what they are looking for.

These fundamental differences change how we talk to consumers about the store experiences and product offers to better reach the Hispanic consumers' need for convenience.

Source: Media Post Publications.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.printFriendly&art_aid=129105

You Know the Hispanic Consumer, but Do You Know Your Client?

2011-08-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

We've Separated Ourselves From the Bigger Strategic Picture

By: Terry J. Soto Published: December 31, 1969

Recently, I presented one of the general sessions at the Hispanic Retail 360 Conference. My presentation was titled "The 4C's of Hispanic Market Retailing." I listened to two and a half days of interesting market insight presentations focused on the 50 million Hispanic market size, engagement, connection and relevant Hispanic market reach.

On the last day, I looked out at the audience and asked, "Has Hispanic marketing really advanced in the past 20 years? Or, does it feel like we're in a time warp? And more importantly, are companies really seeing the growth that matters most to their leadership?"

Sure, there are many more internal Hispanic experts inside the walls of corporate America. They all have the deep consumer insights. And, they certainly have the reach vehicles and a myriad of marketing properties from which to choose. And yet, Hispanic marketing spend remains an "expendable" expense representing only 1.2% of the $325 billion spent on advertising.

Could it be that Hispanic marketing is still managed as an afterthought? Could it be that corporate America still makes minimal efforts to organize internally to define "the how" of aligning back and front end operations to capture Hispanics' contribution across their stated growth platforms? Could it be that Hispanic marketing is still driven by an industry which has an almost exclusively external marketing focus?

We talk endlessly about the Hispanic market's size, its language preferences, the deep and multi-segmented insights, the culture and the "right media spend," whatever that means. And we continue to live in a Hispanic marketing world of soccer sponsorships, celebrities, concerts and festivals, media properties, in-language and in-culture creative and a host of other above- and below-the-line investments, many of which seldom tie back to corporate growth platforms.

Let's face it; internally and externally, we aren't doing a good job of thinking and talking business first and marketing second. We complain about not being invited to sit at the "adult strategy table" to participate in the big conversations, but have yet to elevate "our talk" to the required levels -- the levels that track with industry threats and big-picture direction setting. And we aren't having the conversations about using our deep market insights to help organizations become ready to leverage company assets to their fullest potential.

As a result, we perpetuate a view of the Hispanic market as a separate endeavor and as the end in and of itself. Two problems arise from this approach. The first is the inability to attribute any portion of top- and bottom-line strategic growth to the Hispanic market. And second, we can't justify the value of our existing efforts because they are irrelevant to the focal points companies have set for growth.

We know too well the importance of being relevant, of speaking your audience's language and of connecting with our consumer. However, we ignore these principles when it comes to the boardroom and the C-Suite where these principles should matter most to us. We ignore the premise that getting into any human being's head means getting into their world in a credible and meaningful way.

If we are to advance Hispanic market strategy as an investment-worthy growth driver, we need to grow competent about the issues and solutions being addressed at the top. What we hear must become our compass. The consumer insights we speak to must be in this context. The market's relevance and value as an investment will come from our ability to position the Hispanic market as a catalyst to relevantly operationalizing corporate America's growth platforms.

We must elevate our thinking. If we expect corporate America to walk the walk, we must be prepared to talk their talk -- and to help them take more productive steps.

Source: AdAge.com

Pay-TV Subscribers Cancelling in Record Numbers!!

2011-08-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

Bad Recipe: Rising Prices for Pay TV, More Alternatives and Flat Disposable Income

Published: August 10, 2011

The six largest publicly traded U.S. cable and satellite-TV providers combined to lose about 580,000 customers in the second quarter, the biggest such decline in history, according to company and Bloomberg data.

The economy is forcing the industry to face the reality of cord-cutting -- pay-TV customers canceling their subscriptions in favor of online options such as Netflix and Hulu. While cable executives dismiss the idea that subscribers are switching to "over the top" internet competitors, the reason isn't as important as the decision to stop paying for TV, said Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.

"Rising prices for pay TV, coupled with growing availability of lower-cost alternatives, add to a toxic mix at a time when disposable income isn't growing," Mr. Moffett said. "For younger demographics, where in many cohorts unemployment is north of 30%, and especially for those with limited or no interest in sports, the pay-TV equation is almost inarguably getting less attractive."

The catalysts, according to cable and satellite executives, include increased competition from telephone companies AT&T and Verizon Communications, which added a combined 386,000 video customers, and a sluggish economy that forced lower-income customers to cancel service.

As new home sales slumped in May and again in June, installations suffered, and there weren't enough new subscribers to make up the difference, Cablevision Systems Chief Operating Officer Tom Rutledge said yesterday on a conference call.

"The economic impact on our customers in lower-income neighborhoods is more pronounced," Mr. Rutledge said. "We see less gross adds in low-income areas, and that's the result of economics and vacancies."

Of the six largest publicly traded U.S. cable and satellite providers, only DirecTV added customers in the second quarter. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications and Cablevision lost a total of 471,000 video customers in the quarter. Dish Network lost 135,000 after adding 58,000 in the previous period.

Dish CEO Joseph Clayton said yesterday that one of his goals is to reposition the company away from marketing to lower-income customers. Instead, he wants Dish to rely on its technology and promotions to persuade customers to buy more expensive offerings and increase average revenue per user.

Mr. Clayton rejected the idea of relaxing credit standards to appeal to lower-income people, saying he's "looking for a better class of customer." He plans to change the company's advertising strategy away from "cheap, cheap, cheap" and seek out higher-paying subscribers who might have bypassed Dish for DirecTV in previous years.

"The cable companies have been losing for years, but what you're seeing is the satellite guys joining some of that," said Ian Olgeirson, senior analyst at market research firm SNL Kagan. "They are seeing the same kind of effects of being a mature industry. How do you support your base of customers when you don't have a bunch of new households to convert? It's difficult to sustain in a down economic quarter."

Some analysts caution that second-quarter results are not always an appropriate guide for the state of the industry, given seasonal factors such as departing college students cutting off service and summer vacationers watching less TV.

But the larger trend is clearly one of video losses, said Jason Bazinet, an analyst at Citigroup, who noted that pay-TV subscribers have declined in three of the past five quarters.

"While second-quarter seasonality likely played a role, some households may have left the pay-TV universe entirely," he wrote in a note to clients.

-- Bloomberg News --

Source: AdAge.com

2011-08-05T09:52:00.001-07:00

El pasado mes de Julio, tuve la oportunidad de conocer a gente maravillosa en Coatzacoalcos, Ver. Les comparto una fotografía de algunas de las personas que estuvieron inscritas dentro del Diplomado de Alta Dirección en Negocios para el Tec de Monterrey. Al finalizar el curso y como festejo, hubo una convivencia en barco la cual disfrutamos mucho.

- RT

10 Tendencias en Comunicación

2011-07-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

A continuación presentamos algunas de las tendencias que presentó Merca 2.0 en su publicación en Internet, de acuerdo a los cambios e impacto que han tenido en la mercadotecnia.

Enjoy!

1. El tiempo: un bien escaso.

Hoy caminamos un 10 por ciento más rápido que en 1994, aún así el problema no es el dinero sino la falta de tiempo. Las marcas y sus productos se transforman para lograr “valer” lo que los consumidores piensan que cuesta su tiempo.

2. Marcas sostenibles

De la ecología a la rentabilidad. Transparencia, trazabilidad, gestión innovadora de los empleados, comunidad en vez de publicidad. Cuando de 50 marcas internacionales estudiadas, los consumidores declaran que no les importa que desaparezcan dos terceras partes, es hora de que las empresas cambien su forma de pensar.

3. Comunidades de marca

Más allá del perfil de Facebook. La oportunidad entender a los clientes, ayudarlos a satisfacer sus necesidades y resolver sus problemas. La clave es no vender nada y cambio generar una plataforma que permite el crecimiento del usuario.

4. "Brand Journalism"

¿Es nuestra marca capaz de crear información de valor para la sociedad? Si la respuesta es positiva, es momento de dejar de guardarla y comenzar a compartirla con el mundo. Los empleados pueden ser los mejores periodistas, los consumidores aprecian la conexión sin intermediarios. White papers, e-books, webninars, wikis…

5. Opiniones y reseñas

Cuando se propone a las marcas una acción en la que los consumidores podrán expresarse libremente, la reacción suele ser de cautela o negación absoluta ante el miedo de que la gente utilice el medio para quejarse y hablar mal de la marca. Pero, ¿realmente están a salvo por el hecho de no poner ellos mismos la plataforma de opinión a disposición de los consumidores? No, no sólo no están a salvo sino que están tomando una posición miope. Un estudio de Nielsen con más de 25 mil personas en 50 países afirma que las recomendaciones de conocidos y las opiniones publicadas por consumidores en medios digitales son las formas de publicidad con más credibilidad a nivel mundial.

6. Retail Innovation

¿Qué está pasando en el punto de venta? Experiencias de compra y de marca que subliman los valores e impulsan la percepción de marca hacia arriba. La interacción on-off hace posible probarse la ropa e incluso pedir opiniones a los amigos en red, tiendas móviles y participativas en las que los consumidores eligen los productos que se venden. Sistemas que ayudan en la elección previa aprendiendo de los gustos personales.

7. Shopper marketing

70 por ciento de las decisiones de compra se toman en la tienda y 70 por ciento de las compras no estaban previstas.

Hay que entender las diferencias entre consumidor y comprador. Tenemos que saber que después de una fase de exploración para una compra, analizando varias fuentes, el cliente decide en un 70 por ciento que quiere una marca, y después de un proceso largo de varias comparaciones y tiendas, solo un 35 por ciento termina comprando esa marca.

8. TV en la era digital

¿Adiós a la TV? No. La TV emigra de la caja a todos los dispositivos digitales y para el 2020 la TV habrá dejado de existir tal y como la entendemos hoy donde las cadenas tienen la dictadura de los horarios. Los únicos horarios que existirán serán los de los eventos en vivo.

9. Co-creación

Es momento de pedir ayuda a los expertos, los usuarios avanzados de los productos y pasarse a creative common dejando atrás la propiedad intelectual. Fiat ya lo hizo en Brasil, lanzando el primer coche creado a partir de usuarios, los médicos crean las mejores herramientas quirúrgicas y sólo los consumidores de una zona le pueden decir por qué no consumen ahí su producto.

10. Nuevo ecosistema cliente-agencia

Hoy no se trata de hacer publicidad sino de encontrar insights que conecten de forma profunda con el consumidor, generar advocay para las marcas y co-crear productos y servicios. Los puntos de contacto son la nueva publicidad.

FUENTE:

Merca 2.0

http//www.merca20.com

Sesión Informativa Maestría en Mercadotecnia

2011-07-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

¡No dejen de asistir!

All Bets are off! New vs. Old Technology

2011-07-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

A New Look at Shopper-Marketing Tools Finds Which Are the Real Deal at Delivering Deals

By:

Published: July 11, 2011

Technologies -- from location-aware mobile apps and social media to QR codes and interactive signage -- are enabling marketers to create value in myriad new ways. They're also raising new questions.

Which of these tools actually create the greatest impact on consumers and in what combination? Will the highest-potential technologies gain sufficient penetration to deliver the results marketers require?

Arc Worldwide worked with Harvard Business School to study usage of 36 different tools encountered during the purchase process -- ranging from the newest technologies such as handheld scanners, mobile couponing and social buying (e.g. Groupon, Living Social) to traditional newspaper inserts, sales, and in-store offers.

We mapped these behaviors against two variables: penetration (percentage used at least once per year) and momentum (a measure of enthusiasm for the tool and future usage intent). In this study we utilized the most basic form of value -- monetary value -- because of its simplicity, universal appeal, and relevance in this period of economic uncertainty.

We focused on how shoppers look for a deal and decide if "the get" was worth "the give."

So how did technology-based tools stack up versus traditional in delivering deals? Exceedingly well.

High-momentum technologies such as social-buying tools generated strong shopper interest and demonstrated the power to change shopper behavior in the long term. General usage of social media for discounts followed close behind.

In-store technologies didn't fare as well. These include coupon-kiosks, QR codes, handheld scanners and programs that require multiple purchases from the same parent company. These efforts displayed low-to-average penetration and low momentum (10%-25%). This is partly due to a lack of availability of the technology in the market, and therefore familiarity. More than 70% of respondents did not have sufficient access to, or awareness of, in-store technologies.

The other reason some technologies did poorly is because users just didn't see the value in them. That's the case for interactive-touchscreen digital signage. Apparently, the get isn't worth the give. That doesn't necessarily mean failure. The lesson is that marketers still need to figure out how to make these tools more relevant if they are going to be ultimately adopted.

Now, let's look at the defending champions of value: traditional shopping tools. All boast high penetration -- some close to 100%, not surprising given how long they've been around. What is surprising is that many -- but not all -- exhibit medium-to-high momentum. The behaviors that lead in momentum were traditionally advertised sales, waiting for items to be on sale before making a purchase, and stocking up when an regularly purchased item was discounted.

Some tried-and-true techniques, however, are experiencing diminishing enthusiasm. Clipping coupons from newspapers, going to a discount retailer, and mailing in rebates for purchased products display low momentum (20%-30%). These tools will need to undergo changes if they're going to continue to meet consumer expectations, and clearly represent an opening for more technologically advanced solutions to deliver.

Some may wonder if the passion for technology corresponds to age skews, with younger audiences more receptive and older consumers sticking to the traditional. Our study showed otherwise, with no dramatic age differences in usage. Penetration and, more importantly, momentum across age groups were similar, showing that the notion that young people don't use traditional tools, while older people reject technology is just that -- a notion.

The lesson for marketers is that this isn't a zero-sum game. Marketing that creates real value for consumers will require implementing traditional tools and techniques due to their large penetration and momentum, but technology presents real, definable opportunities and will absolutely grow within the mix.

The real opportunity for technology, however, is that it has the power to create many more types of value than the simply monetary. Experience, access, personalization, connection and social good are but a few of the types of value today's technologies can effectively deliver. Even simple utility, such as being able to find a clean restroom via Charmin's SitOrSquat mobile app, represents an opportunity to demonstrate technology's power to create unexpected value in consumers' daily lives.

Wherever one falls along the technological divide, one thing is clear. As marketers enjoy and contend with ever-multiplying options to create consumer engagement, the understanding of value in all of its forms will only become more critical

Bottom's UP!

2011-07-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

A Look at America's Drinking Habits

Consumers Swig More Soft Drinks Than Water; Beer Comes in Third Place

By:

Published: June 27, 2011

Source: Beverage Marketing Corporation

With the weather heating up and summer in full swing, Americans will be slaking their thirst with a variety of fizzy, sweet and intoxicating beverages.

Soda is still the most-consumed beverage in the U.S., with the average consumer chugging nearly 45 gallons of the fizzy stuff last year. So it's no coincidence that three of the biggest measured-media budgets in the beverage category belong to soda brands. According to Ad Age's Leading National Advertisers report, Coke spent $267 million last year, while Pepsi shelled out $154 million and Dr Pepper spent $104 million.

Beer ranks as the most-consumed alcoholic beverage, though spirits and wine, perceived by some to be more healthful, have been gaining ground in the past few years. Still, last year, the average American threw back nearly 21 gallons of brew, or about 168 pints. The category also commands major marketing dollars, to the tune of $1.25 billion spent on measured media last year. The category's biggest spender, Anheuser-Busch InBev, shelled out $555 million.

Interestingly, the bottled-water category, which includes bulk containers, as well as single serve, has been growing, indicating that noise around consumers' perceived environmental concerns has been overblown. Also worth noting, the energy-drink category has more than doubled with a slew of new entrants as well as innovations in the form of energy shots.

"Two overriding trends that we've seen in recent years are consumer demand for variety and consumer demand for healthier refreshment," said Gary Hemphill, managing director-chief operating officer at Beverage Marketing Corp., noting the decline of carbonated soft drinks.

But, Mr. Hemphill added, some of the consumption trends can be attributed to economic factors as well. "White-collar consumers fared better through the economy than blue-collar consumers, so what we've seen is mass market, traditional categories like carbonated soft drinks and fruit beverages underperform the market, while some of the more premium categories, like ready-to-drink teas and energy drinks, have outperformed the market," he said. "To some extent that's consumer tastes, but it's also this tale of two different consumers in a weak economy."

What about Social Media Budget?

2011-06-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Budget Your Social Media Program

Business marketers already know the value of social media in connecting with desired audiences. However, there is a lack of information to guide marketers on how to measure the true costs of a social media program—or as I like to refer to it, the "I" in social media "ROI." For business owners, understanding the commitment necessary in terms of time and resources is the first step toward appropriately budgeting for a successful social media program.

Here are the three main cost components to a social media campaign, as well as how to determine the investment necessary for each:

1. Content/first impression costs. If you’re not delivering an engaging, two-way experience for your intended audience, you will lose the opportunity to engage them again. Before launching a Facebook page, you need to assess the time necessary for a healthy level of engagement. This means a minimum of one to two hours per day spent on developing and posting to your Facebook page, which translates to about 20 percent of a staffer’s time—probably in the neighborhood of $10,000 to $14,000 annually. That’s just for placing content.

2. Fan acquisition costs. Successful Facebook pages have typically made an investment in fan acquisition. But how many fans do you need? There are no hard-and-fast rules about how many fans spell success. Having in-house marketing staff devoted to attracting fans requires direct and indirect costs. Outsourcing the work may be more cost-effective. Just remember that fan numbers alone do not guarantee a return.

3. Monitoring-and-measuring costs. Collecting metrics and performing analysis add to the total cost of a social media campaign. Third-party companies charge $500 to $1,000 a month for metrics. Facebook provides metrics, too; the key is knowing what to follow. The most valuable interactions to monitor are those that require an individual to click or type—choosing "like," writing comments, and following links associated with your post. If you employ a third party, make sure you get easily understandable reports, training, and trend information as part of the package.

Every social media program is different. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for allocating time, money, and resources. However, it’s important that you set measurable goals as to what success looks like. Numbers, feedback, and results matter, so make sure you are consistently tracking not only the time you are spending, but what ROI derives from your efforts.

Betsy Weaver
Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer
UbiCare
Boston

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/archives/2011/06/budget_your_social_media_program.html

In love (again) with TV? The facts.

2011-06-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Are Advertisers In Love With TV Again?

2011 Upfront Totals $8.8 Billion to $9.3 Billion, but Doesn't Beat 2004 Benchmark

By:

Published: June 09, 2011

Big TV is heading back to a better position -- but it's not quite there yet.

The nation's five broadcast networks have just secured ad commitments totaling between $8.8 billion and $9.3 billion in this year's "upfront" marketplace, depending on whose fuzzy math you subscribe to, a good-sized leap from last year's projected upfront take of $8.1 billion to $8.7 billion. That seems to signal that advertisers are continuing their return to the medium that attracts the biggest crowd after they stomped the brakes during the recent recession, perhaps losing market share in the process.

Yet this year's upfront, where TV outlets sold the bulk of their ad inventory for the coming season, won't put to rest the nagging question about advertisers and their fickle devotion to the TV set. After all, this year's projected commitment tally still doesn't match the broadcast networks' 2004 hallmark of $9.5 billion.

Whether that suggests marketers have permanently shifted a chunk of their ad outlays to digital devices, social media outlets and other emerging media -- or are just continuing to hold back in a stutter-step economy -- remains to be determined.

Heightened demand

To be certain, interest in TV ad time was robust at the broadcast upfront that wrapped up on Thursday. The networks saw strong activity from automakers, retailers, movie studios and restaurants, an executive familiar with the negotiations said. Financial-services players appear to be back in a way that they have not in recent seasons. And some categories believed to be potential trouble spots heading into the upfront -- namely pharmaceutical marketers and the big producers of consumer packaged goods like Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark -- weren't increasing their budgets, but turned out to be in better shape than expected.

Advertisers are certainly moving quickly to secure ad time in TV's biggest events. NBC's sales of next year's Summer Olympics and Super Bowl are said to be strong, with NBC having already sold 65% to 75% of its Super Bowl ad time. And Fox's "X Factor" helped the News Corp. network wrap its upfront negotiations earlier than its rivals, securing General Motors' Chevrolet as a major sponsor.

More telling, perhaps, is that cable's upfront market did not seem to really get going while the broadcast networks were still haggling. That's an indication that marketers felt pressure to lock in ad time that reached the biggest audiences first and planned to back it up with cable advertising focused on smaller and more discrete audiences in the aftermath.

Price increases
CBS was able to secure 13% to 15% hikes in the cost of reaching 1,000 viewers, also known as a CPM, a common measure in these annual talks. The network tucked in at CPM hikes of 10% or a little lower in last year's fray. CBS secured total commitments ranging from $2.5 billion to $2.75 billion this year, compared with projected ad volume of $2.4 billion to $2.6 billion in 2010.

Fox secured price increases ranging from 9.5% to 12% in this year's upfront session, compared with around 10% last year. The network secured between $1.98 billion and $1.99 billion in commitments this year, up from $1.8 billion to $1.9 billion in 2010.

ABC secured price increases ranging from 10% to 12% in this year's haggling, compared to CPM hikes of between 8% and 9% last year. ABC secured an estimated $2.3 billion to $2.4 billion in commitments, compared to approximately $2.2 billion last year.

The smaller CW chugged along with its larger competitors, notching CPM increases between 10% and 12%, compared with last year's hikes of about 7.5%. The network, owned jointly by CBS Corp. and Time Warner, secured between $400 million and $420 million in upfront commitments, compared to $370 million and $404 million in 2010.

Even NBC, the long-suffering broadcast network that has seen ratings fall and executive churn, eked out a better position for itself this year. The network secured CPM increases of about 9% in this year's palaver, compared to around 7% last year. Ad commitments totaled around $1.7 billion, compared to $1.6 billion in 2010.

The numbers represent promises, not payments. Ad volume figures that emerge in the upfronts can change radically as TV schedules shift or as marketers choose to exercise options that allow them to recapture a portion of the dollars they earmarked for TV ads. Rarely do upfront totals match the year-end ad-spending figures measuring overall TV advertising, and the upfront is best used as a general barometer of advertiser interest in good ol' boob-tube outreach.

Falling short

By that measure, demand for commercial time on TV has grown again but still has not recaptured its high mark. For all of the networks' ability to demand -- and receive -- double-digit percentage increases in the cost of reaching viewers, their overall take remains below their previous watershed.

The upfront market has long shown fairly reliable growth, but it has gotten much choppier in recent years amid turbulence in the economy and technological disruption to the media sector.

In 2001, the economy and the so-called dot-com bust were seen as the culprits for an upfront decline. In 2005, however, a decline was pegged to a new wave digital media's disruptions, from consumer interest in DVR playback to video-on-demand sessions. In 2009, the economy undercut the upfront -- even as technological change continued.

Increases in the price to reach 1,000 viewers also don't translate directly into increased upfront hauls when it's getting harder to assemble 1,000 viewers. With ratings slowly ebbing from year to year, partly owing to a proliferation of video-streaming media devices that are not counted in the Nielsen ratings, most commercials don't quite capture as many viewers as they would have in seasons past. Diminished supply plus rising demand equals a higher cost per viewer, but not always more volume.

New habits
Competition for consumers' attention -- from streaming video, "snacking" on mobile devices and social networking, to name a few factors -- is only increasing.

Nielsen recently determined that the rising generation will be even more difficult to summon before TV sets. The average American watched 34 hours 39 minutes of TV per week in the fourth quarter of 2010, marking a year-over-year increase of two minutes. But teens between 12 and 17 watched the least amount of TV on average, just 23 hours and 41 minutes per week. In the meantime, they are increasing their use of mobile video and texting.

Will advertisers continue sinking billions into TV as their most desirable consumers demonstrate new habits that don't make the living-room TV the center of their entertainment plans? Let's see if the networks, with their various "X Factors," "NCISs" and Super Bowls, can get back to that $9.5 billion figure in 2012.

Bibliography

ADAGE.com

http://adage.com/article/special-report-tv-upfront/2011-upfront-totals-8-8-billion-9-3-billion-tops-2010/228102/

Best Global Brands 2011

2011-05-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

Here you have the top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands for this 2011. Feel free to make any comment.

Since the ranking was first published in 2006, the brand value of the Top 100 has grown by a massive 40 percent. For the full rankings and analysis, download the free complete report.

This year Top 100 surpassed $2 trillion for the first time. Apple increased in value by 84 percent to $153.3 billion to get No.1 position in the list.

Enjoy!
RT

Source: brandz.com

Get Your Team Members Harmonized, Don't Homogenized

2011-05-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

If you think it's challenging to get team members from market research and brand management to work together, see what happens to your business if you don't do it

By: Chris Kuenne

More often than not, clients get marketing and advertising support from different partners that seldom interact. They simply hand things off to each other and something always gets lost in translation.

I realized this in one of my brand manager assignments, at Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), where I led the marketing of the Band-Aid brand. The market-research people sat at one end of the hall and the brand-management people at the other. We didn't talk to each other, let alone co-create system-wide solutions. A telling example: J&J used to sell Band-Aids in metal boxes that cost more than the Band-Aids. Research showed that people cared more about getting more product for their money and less about whether the strips came in a paper box or a tin one. We capitalized on this consumer insight by restructuring and repositioning the brand from the factory floor all the way to the product itself, introducing medicated Band-Aids and Band-Aids decorated with cartoon characters. This restructuring of the Band-Aid brand took it from losing $15 million a year to earning $25 million in annual profit.

The experience convinced me that groups engaged in solving a common problem shouldn't work in a linear fashion, with one group's responsibility ending where another's begins. Instead they should form an infinity loop, wherein a constant exchange of ideas and information takes place. Only when groups work like interconnected gears can you achieve transformational change. Our firm's three main capabilities—strategic insights, ideas and programs, and technology—function as gears.

Needed: A Culture for Everyone

The challenge arises from the fact that different crafts drive different cultures. Who people are—in terms of what motivates them, what worries them, what they think about, and where they derive their satisfaction and frustration—differs according to what they do. To maximize individual and company performance, you need to create a culture in which everyone feels part of and connected to it. This is not a problem unique to marketing companies. The issue becomes more important and more difficult in an interconnected world with ever-greater roles for technology and social media.

Too often, companies take the easy way out by embracing a homogenized culture, a monochromatic world of sameness that neuters the individuality of team members. More difficult—but more rewarding—is to create a harmonized culture with the emphasis on being complementary, rather than striving for conformity.

I'd like to share some lessons we've learned in creating harmony while developing our "infinity loop" approach.

• Skill drives the culture: Don't expect technologists and creative directors to approach their jobs the same way. Why would you even want them to? When we are building a website or e-commerce site for a client, we need the expertise of multiple teams: strategy and analytics, creative, user experience, and technology. The harmonization of these groups from a functionality standpoint is critical to success. From a human standpoint it is equally important, though harder to achieve.

• Values must be shared: If team members don't have the same values, you can't build bridges across the functional and cultural divides. Do they care about clients? Do they care about solving problems? Are they motivated to drive business impact? You can teach people new skills; you can't teach them to care or be responsive.

• Engage all your gears: If we are working with a client in only one capacity, such as technology, we still have a representative from both our strategic-insights group and our ideas-and-programs group as part of the client team. This provides us with a holistic view of our client's needs, even if the client isn't looking to us to fill all those needs. This approach also creates a sense of internal cohesiveness, reinforcing the idea that all parts of the business have equal importance.

• Create a common corporate identity: All workers have to believe and feel that they are working for the same cause, the same company. When conglomerates cobble together a bunch of entities that lack unifying structure or identity, the battle is already half-lost. A newly merged corporation needs a rewards system that's consistent across the organization. If you can work out the right relationship between rewarding individual performance and company performance, both will improve.

• Relationships matter: A large part of my job is to hire the best people and inspire them to do their best work, enabling them to realize their professional dreams right inside our firm. I could spend all my time on this side. Still, as much as I love that part of my job, it isn't practical and would be an abdication of my other responsibilities as a leader. Instead I have endeavored to restructure the leadership team to make certain that other people in the organization are responsible for, and equally passionate about, coaching and developing the rest of the people in the company.

The approach I advocate is a little like taking the captain of the football team, the president of the student council, and the head of the chess club and asking them to work together. You are seeking to create harmony among entities that don't naturally fit together—a formidable challenge but one that's necessary to achieve.

Today every company is a technology company. Succeeding in the connected world requires an integrated view that engages all your gears, focusing your team on the concept of shared goals, vision, and mission.

Retrieved from: Businessweek. http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/may2011/ca20110516_966904.htm

Ten Must-Do Job-Search Tips for Spring 2011 Grads

2011-05-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Otro semestre que termina y la misma pregunta surge en los nuevos licenciados e ingenieros, ¿en qué voy a trabajar? ¿qué voy a hacer de mi vida? ¿como empiezo a buscar trabajo? Aquí les presento un artículo muy interesante para mis alumnos y ex-alumnos que están empezando la búsqueda de trabajo y buscan una guía para hacerlo no solo bien, sino MUY BIEN.

BUSINESS WEEK

Super-specific advice on how to research, network, and rehearse your way to the head of the job-hunting pack.

By: Liz Ryan

This is not the easiest time to be graduating from school: The job market, while showing signs of life, remains tepid compared to prerecession activity levels. New grads need to focus intently on clarifying their job search direction, getting branded, and winning a hiring manager's attention. We've put together our Top 10 to-do-now job-search tips for people who are completing an academic program this spring and hoping to convert their sheepskins into paying gigs. Don't wait. Start ticking our Top 10 tips off your to-do list now.

1. Choose a Direction, or Two, or Three The biggest job-search mistake new grads make is to hit the market without a clear direction. Let's say your new degree is in marketing. Do you want to do marketing for a consumer products firm or an accounting firm? I know, I know—you'll take any job you can get. Still, employers need to see direction and focus. Choose two or three job-search "prongs" that meet our three-way job-search direction test. (Would you enjoy the work? Does the career direction make use of your talents? Are there jobs available?) Then focus your search on those few areas, avoiding the "spray and pray" approach that frustrates so many hopeful new grads.

2. Customize Your Resumés It's fine to construct more than one resumé, which you'll need to do if you settle on more than one job-search prong. If you choose three areas of focus (consumer products marketing, professional services marketing, and health-care marketing, for example) you'll need a dedicated version of your resumé for each prong. Each resumé will brand you as a great hire in a particular focus area, in three ways. First, the resumé summary at the top of the document will tell the reader why you're interested in the field and why you're a great choice for it. Second, the stories you choose to highlight in your resumé bullets will relate specifically to the prong you've selected for that resumé. Finally, your descriptions of each role (what we call "framing the role") will emphasize the aspects of each job you've held, even part-time ones, that are most relevant to the prong in question.

3. Use Our Examples Marissa is a new grad who is following three avenues in her job search (consumer products marketing, professional-services marketing, and health-care marketing). Here are Marissa's three resumé summaries, each focused on a specific job-search prong:

Consumer Products Marketing: "I started paying attention to smart marketing around the time I began browbeating my mom for an American Girl (MAT) doll. Now that I'm out of school, I'm eager to learn consumer products marketing from the ground up. Fresh off an internship at an organic chocolates company and with a huge appetite for on-the-fly learning, I'm excited to join a product marketing team and help expand audience, buzz, and revenues."

Professional Services Marketing: "The last project in my marketing program at the University of North Carolina was a group consulting project for a local accounting firm, where we overhauled the firm's marketing plan to shift into a new, lucrative practice area. I'm chomping at the bit to help a service business rev up its revenues as an in-house marketing pro. I'm comfortable with everything the social media world has come up with so far, and enough of a left-brain/right-brain mix to enjoy and thrive on the quantitative and analytical parts of marketing, as well as the creative bits."

Health-Care Marketing: "What's fascinating for me about health-care marketing is the combination of quantitative analysis and simple, old-fashioned listening it entails. I'm a new grad from the University of North Carolina with a passion for accessible health care and for better communication about how patients can use the resources around them. I'm excited to join a health-care marketing team and learn its craft while helping patients learn about wellness and nutrition for themselves and their families."

4. Use a Human Voice Corporate-speak boilerplate is out. A conversational tone in a resumé (and a cover letter and LinkedIn profile) is essential to grab a hiring manager's attention. The old "results-oriented professional with a bottom-line orientation"-type branding won't make a hiring manager's heart beat faster. It's okay to use "I" in a resumé—after all, the document is about you—and to use normal, conversational English instead of stuffy corporate language. A conversational resumé, LinkedIn profile, and cover letters will put you out in front of the hordes of job-seekers hitting the market this spring.

5. Get LinkedIn If you're not already on the mega-popular social networking site LinkedIn, what are you waiting for? Granted, it's not as colorful and gossipy as Facebook, but it's far more effective for businesspeople and job-seekers of all stripes. A basic account is free and a great, professional photo (head and shoulders—no bikinis, bongs, or beer steins please) is a must for your LinkedIn profile. Get connected to your schoolmates, your parents' friends and the friends of your parents, along with high school buddies and anyone else you know who's already using LinkedIn or could be induced to join. You'll use the site (with some 100 million members in the business-focused social networking space) for research, to reach out to hiring managers and others, and to increase your knowledge of industries through LinkedIn's Groups and Answers functions.

6. Assemble Your Network As a new grad, consider everyone you've met in your life a possible conduit to your next job. Make a list of 100 people (you read that right—it may take an hour, but it's worth it) who should know about your job search, including the lady you used to babysit for and the folks whose lawns you mowed back in high school. Don't leave anyone out: Scoutmasters and high school musical directors, every boss you've ever had, and former co-workers all count as networking contacts with value. If they're not on LinkedIn and you don't have their e-mail addresses, find them on www.whitepages.com and send a snail mail letter. People who knew you as a toddler are undoubtedly game to help you launch your career. Don't be shy. There is no statute of limitations on human relationships.

7. Research Employers Which employers are hiring in your area or the city you plan to move to? Use ~~, a massive jobs aggregator, to find out. Plug in keywords (the site has only two fields, one labeled "What" and the other "Where") to spot job opportunities in the geographical areas you're focusing on. If you find interesting employers that don't now have perfect-fit jobs available for you, go back to LinkedIn and sign up to follow these employers so you'll get a heads-up when they have news or leadership appointments. Indeed.com also lets you create alerts that will ping you when new jobs crop up. Jump on those. If you can compile a list of 20 or 30 likely employers to follow, you'll be way ahead of the new-grad job-search pack.

8. Know Your Market Value What are new graduates getting paid in the geographic areas you're targeting, as wall as in your functional area? You've got to have this information before you hit the talent marketplace. Use Payscale.com and Glassdoor.com to learn who's getting paid what and where. You may have a range of salary targets if your job-direction prongs vary—for instance, social work jobs pay less than finance jobs)—but in every case, you've got to know the prevailing salary levels before you get hit with the question: "What do you expect to earn?"

9. Practice-Interview, a Lot On-campus career placement offices love to mock-interview students and new grads. If the service is available at your school, go for it. There's nothing like interview practice to iron out rough spots in your stories and help you overcome perfectly normal job-search jitters. Get used to answering such standard interview questions as "why are you interested in our company?" and "what are your goals for your career?" When your parents and friends make introductions to working people who are willing to have coffee with you, grab those opportunities, too. The more mentoring, advice, and mock-interviewing time you can snag, the better.

10. Get Your Spiel Down Imagine that you're a middle manager who needs help in your department this summer. You meet a couple of new grads at a neighborhood event. You ask each one: "What are your plans, now that you're out of school?" One new grad says, "get a job, I guess." The other one says, "I plan to go to law school down the road, but right now I need some practical experience to understand how the business world works. I'm especially interested in how companies negotiate contracts." Which new grad is going to get a second look? The one who has a sense of direction, no doubt. Whether or not your department's extra-help need involves contracts, you're likely to bring the second new grad in for an interview. So get your spiel down, now—the answer to the question, "so what's next for you?" Your clarity and conviction are more impressive to a hiring manager than specific experience in his or her functional area. After all, you're a new grad. No one expects you to have years of experience.

Liz Ryan is an expert on the new-millennium workplace and a former Fortune 500 HR executive.

Bibliography:
Ryan, Liz. May 9, 2011. Ten Must-Do Job-Search Tips for Spring 2011 Grads. Business Week. Retrieved on May 2011 from: http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/may2011/ca2011054_662887_page_2.htm

The War for the Soul of Advertising

2011-04-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Harvard Business Review

4:17 PM Tuesday April 26, 2011

by Grant McCracken

If you are watching TV these days, you've probably seen two ads from AT&T.

One shows a guy working late at his desk. His wife calls to ask where they're meeting for their anniversary dinner. Oops.

The other shows a guy sitting in a diner losing a bet about the song "Whoomp! (There It Is).

Compare these ads to the one now running for Claritin.

This shows a glassy-eyed woman who shouts at the camera, "I can't let allergies stop me from leading the way, so I get Claritin Clear!"

She is leading a wilderness trek and at this very moment taking her team across a rope bridge.

"Whoa!" shouts the man behind her.

"Watch your step!" she shouts back.

"Thanks! I couldn't do this without you!" he replies.

These two campaigns are competing for the soul of advertising. The AT&T ads give us something recognizably human: a guy who forgets his anniversary, one friend besting another. The Claritin ad gives us the opposite. These people are not really people at all, but sandwich boards designed to communicate the USP, the unique selling proposition.

The Claritin woman is brittle and shrill. She is in fact an idiot. And the ad assumes that we are idiots too. Claritin begins to sound like Chris Tucker in Rush Hour, the brand shouting, "Can you understand the words coming out of my mouth?" It's as if the brand believes English might be our second language or that we are just too stupid to follow anything more complicated. This is more than sophomoric and irritating. It damages the brand.

We, viewers and customers, are alert to nuance. The AT&T ads engage us accordingly. In the first AT&T ad, we see our husband go from someone suffering a call from his wife ("Hey, baby, what's going on"), to a man suddenly in free fall as he realizes the order of his error and scrambles to control the damage. In the second, we see two friends engaged in that mock hostile banter with which many male friends regale one another. "Your fifth year of high school" is precisely that kind of familiar insult.

The strategic issue: brands get the consumers they deserve. Treat consumers like morons and they act like morons. They don't really pay attention. They use their DVRs with a vengeance, and rip through what we have to offer them. When asked, they will say advertising is something crafted by idiots for idiots. When asked, they will say they can't really remember that Claritin spot. And this can't surprise us, because after all the ad shut them out. It created a cultural artifact so obvious and annoying that no one will waste a second on it.

But if we give the consumer a little credit, they reward us. They watch the ad. They dwell on the ad. They relate to the ad. And they relate to the brand. Give the consumer a little credit and that credit rebounds to the brand.

I can't say who is winning this war for the soul of advertising. The Claritin camp is powerful. (The forces of evil always are.) And to be sure there will always be agencies and clients who prefer to make their marketing a laborious, clamoring, shouting match. But there is a small band of rebels, lead by the likes of A.G. Lafley, Henry Jenkins, Steven Johnson, and John Kay, who stand for nuance, depth, and subtlety. Soon may they triumph.

My congratulations to the makers of the AT&T ads: Bobby Pearce, Chief Creative Officer, Heather Gorman, copywriter, and Jeff Spillane, Art Director, at BBDO Atlanta. The creative and client team at Claritin shall go unnamed. (You know who you are.)

Grant McCracken is a research affiliate at MIT and the author of Chief Culture Officer.

Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/04/the_war_for_the_soul_of_advert.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Watch an Ad..Get a Free Pepsi!

2011-04-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

TV Check-in App IntoNow Downloads Coupon to Phone in Exchange for Watching

By:

Published: April 20, 2011

Watch an ad on TV, get a free Pepsi. Simple concept, tough to execute. But that will be a reality with a new app that allows users to "check in" to TV commercials, starting Wednesday.

Here is how it works: Consumers download the iPhone check-in app IntoNow and hit it while the commercial plays on TV. Audio-fingerprinting technology then recognizes the ad and a coupon gets downloaded to your phone for a free 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi Max.

Hopefully, for PepsiCo, that transaction then gets shared out to the user's connections on the social TV app, as well as to Facebook and Twitter. Pepsi has agreed to honor as many as 50,000 such coupons as an experiment in both driving trial of Pepsi Max, as well as the potential for interactive TV ads.

The Pepsi Max spot features a "Field of Dreams" theme and many major league baseball players past and present. The spot, already on YouTube, will air during MLB games and through the end of the year.

IntoNow's fingerprinting technology knows not only what consumers are watching, but also if they're watching it live or delayed on a DVR or some other kind of recording device, key information for advertisers. It will even work on the YouTube clip of the ad (so go ahead and give it a whirl).

The deal is the first major brand implementation for IntoNow based on audio fingerprinting technology spun out from video ad server Auditude earlier this year. Auditude spent years recording and fingerprinting a multitude of TV programming from 130 major national networks. Initially that technology was intended to recognize shows and insert ads online; now it is being used to allow consumers to "check-in" to shows to let their connections know what they're watching.

CEO Adam Cahan said it takes the technology only four to 12 seconds to recognize a given clip. "If it has aired on TV in the last five years, its in our catalog," he said. "Our coverage is pretty big. There are a few things that are missing. We don't have movies until they hit the premium channels, and we don't have truly local content."

What IntoNow does have is an audience already tagging TV shows -- 3million tags and 600,000 downloads since the app was launched in January.

IntoNow is not the first to give consumers a reason to check in to TV commercials. Shazam, the original audio-tagging service for the iPhone, powered a giveaway where the first 1,000 users that tagged an original song during an Old Navy TV add got a free pair of jeans. The music video spent several weeks on Ad Age's Viral Video Chart due to its popularity on the web.

The difference, said Mr. Cahan, is that IntoNow has indexed enough TV that users can check in to any TV ad or even a live broadcast. It has a catalog of TV that is as comprehensive as Shazam's is for music.

In the case of Pepsi Max, the app shows marketers not only who is paying attention to the ads, but also allows them to reward that attention, as well as drive offline behavior.

Among Media, TV Is Still on Top

2011-04-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

Time Spent on the Web Grows, but Ad Dollars and Viewers Stick With TV

By:

Published: March 29, 2011

The internet is consuming ever more of our waking moments, not to mention ever more ad spending, but that doesn't mean that traditional media is the loser. At least not when "traditional media" means TV.

According to the latest research from eMarketer, advertisers are spending more than ever on the broadcast networks and cable, around $60.5 billion on commercial time this year, making TV the richest media segment, with 39.1% of all ad spending, up from 38.6% in 2010. The research firm attributes the share growth to the "recovering economy," but also found the industry is expanding at the expense of other media, specifically newspapers and magazines, and to some degree the internet.

The durability and growth of TV has to come as a surprise to many who predicted that TV dollars would shift to the web along with the growing amount of time consumers spend entertaining themselves on Facebook, Hulu and YouTube.

"Even though online advertising has been robust, it hasn't stopped advertisers from keeping the bulk of their budgets right on TV," eMarketer CEO Geoff Ramsey said, pointing out that even in spite of consumers' healthy appetite for content on laptops and cellphones, it's not having any discernible effect on their TV habits, or on the amount of money marketers are looking to spend to get in front of their faces.

EMarketer estimates that $64.5 billion will be spent on TV advertising next year, almost double the amount marketers will spend on the internet. "TV remains supreme because it's still seen as a mass-reach vehicle that drives awareness," Mr. Ramsay said. But in an age of simultaneous media usage where one media often drives another and back again, it will become harder to justify discrete budget.

Simultaneous media consumption has become a regular habit among Americans, according to Nielsen Co. Since 2009, around 60% of the TV audience has been regularly clicking through the internet while watching their favorite shows, a fact that is more astounding when considering we're watching more TV than ever, averaging about 35 hours per week in early 2010, vs. 33 hours a week in 2009. But we're not distracting ourselves into oblivion. It turns out that people aren't watching Fox's "Glee" while checking e-mail, but they are more likely commenting on the latest episode on Twitter and Facebook while scrolling through websites such as IMDB to check a particular actor's resume or scan synopses of previous episodes.

"The internet is fueling the TV content," Mr. Ramsay said, noting how the two media have become much more blurred. And as more people adopt the practice of watching internet content on their TV screens, whether via specialized set-top boxes or even a jerry-rigged set up, it will become harder to discern where TV begins and the internet ends, Mr. Ramsay said. "We're already staring to see the semblance of this now," he said, "but TV will remain dominant for some time."

Advertisers: Reach Timeshifted Viewers with Online Video - eMarketer

2011-02-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Advertisers: Reach Timeshifted Viewers with Online Video - eMarketer

Invitación a Foro MMT

2011-02-04T08:37:00.001-08:00

Te invito al próximo Foro MMT en donde daré una charla acerca de las Tendencias de Mercadotecnia para este 2011.

La cita es el 10 de Febrero a las 19 hrs en Auditorio EGADE.

El evento es gratuito y hay cupo limitado.

Confirmar asistencia en:
EGADE, Business School
Tel. (81) 8158.22.24
posgradosmonterrey@itesm.mx

Destaca Vivaaerobus en Facebook

2011-02-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

Uno de nuestros grandes clientes en la industria aérea en México: Vivaaerobus, con el cuál tenemos el honor de trabajar, ha recibido el reconocimiento de estar dentro del ranking de las "Top 10 Marcas en Facebook México" contando con más de 170 mil seguidores en dicho medio social.

Felicitamos, aplaudimos y compartimos este gran logro.

Rubén Treviño

* Te invito a conocer a fondo el ranking de las Top 10 Marcas en Facebook:

http://www.dosensocial.com/2011/01/12/las-top-10-marcas-en-facebook-de-mexico/

100 for 2011. Ideas + Trends + Recommendations

2011-01-28T07:13:00.000-08:00

I have compiled 100 of the most important trends, which will represent an opportunity for this New Year. At the end of this research, you'll find the sources from which this information has been taken. Feel free to add any comments, ideas or recommendations that you think that could be missing for this 2011.

Rubén Treviño

1. Reinvent or die: A new business rule.

Branding

2. Protect your brand.

“Your brand is every aspect of how customers interact with your product." ~Jennifer C. Wolfe.

3. Made in China.

Right now, money is in emerging markets. So, there will be an increasing number of "Western brands" to launch new products and brands dedicated to these markets. (Trendwatching.com, 2011)

4. Younique. Personal brand = Brand Me

5. The Infomercial Business

"They're the movie trailer before it hits stores. They are cheap and add exposure.”

~ Matt Robinson, 2010.

WATCH OUT! - Informercials (also know as: Direct-Response TV marketing) are expected to rise about 30% representing $174 million by 2014. (Yoram Wurmser of Direct Marketing Assn.)

Advertising

6. Effective forms in display advertising.

7. Right touching in which media to use with our customers. (When to use digital, when to use traditional)

8. Direct marketing returns.

9. Overload of social media.

10. Monologue to Dialogue.

11. Convergence between traditional and new media

Innovation Tools

12. Schools embracing IPad as Learning Tool

There is a trend that kids all over United States are going to be in a pilot study using this technological device.

WATCH OUT! - "There is little evidence that kinds learn more, faster or better by using these machines." ~Larry Cuban, a professor emeritus of education at Standford University.

13. MirrorCasting

Allows people to record blog comments, chat posts and video clips about themselves, and can change the content and play it back to them.

14. WiFi Taxis on Japan

15. Web Explorers on TV

Consumer

16 & 17. Generations "Y & G"

"Generation Y has already upset plenty of media business with its unconventional consuming habits. Another sector may be about to get smacked - cable and satellite television." ~ Michael Arndt, NY Times.

Generation G (G for Generosity) engages "Random Acts of Kindness" (R.A.K.)

18. Urbanomics

According to Trendwatching (2011), consumers tend to be more daring, liberal, tolerant, experienced and prone to trying out new products and services.

19. Quality Life Improvement

73% of US consumers consider being physically fit important to being ‘well’, with 74% including ‘feeling good about themselves’. (Source: The Hartman Group, August 2010)
An estimated 500 million people worldwide are expected to be using mobile healthcare applications by 2015. (Source: Reasearch2Guidance, November 2010)
There were nearly 17,000 health apps available in major app stores in November 2010, with 57% of them being aimed at consumers rather than health care professionals. (Source: Reasearch2Guidance, November 2010)
The heaviest use of health or medical related apps is by young adults: about 15% of those aged 18 to 29 have such apps, compared to 8% of users aged 30 to 49. (Source: The Pew Internet Project, October 2010)

20 & 21. ‘Social-Lites’ and ‘Twinsumers’

"Twinsumers" people with likes and dislikes and who are hence sources for recommendations on what to buy and what to experience.

"Social-lites" they are all about discovery, actively broadcasting, commenting, sharing and recommeding to their friends and audiences.

22. Online Status Symbols

Online Status Symbols will rise in the next 12 months. What started with Flickr or Facebook sites by showing your number of visitors and friends, now has become an enormous display in online status.

23. Planned Spontaneity

For consumers, knowing where they are and what's / who's around them is the key. This becomes easier with key feature of social networks and web apps like Google's Hotpot, Facebook's Places y Twitter's locator.

24. Digital Dominance

25. Anywhere/Anyplace Shopper Tools

26. The End of Resumes

27. Expect more highly adaptive sense and respond behavior by marketers. (The Rise of Speedbacking)

28. Hispanic/Latino Marketing Hits a Tipping Point.

29. Rise of emerging economies. (Turkey + China + South Afirca + India + Brasil + Vietnam+ Indonesia+ México … etc.) remains one of the key consumerism stories in 2011.

30. Owner-less in consumers.

31. Expansion for Social Media

Products

32. LED Devices in Exhibitors.

33. ECO Superior.

34. Products with healthy benefits.

Strollometer: device that tracks all aspects of a new mother's routine: can check their speed, distance traveled, time spent exercising, average and maximum speeds, and the temperature outside.

Sleep On It: a mobile app that allows users to track their nightly sleeping patterns.

Phillips DirectLife: a small, lightweight, wearable monitor that builds up a detailed record of users' daily activities.

35. Micro-energy.

36. Meat-Substitutes.

Pricing

37. Pricing Pandemonium.

Amazon.com released and iPhone app that has this function by scanning product's barcode. This kind of communication makes consumers constantly connected so they hear about new deals in prices.

38. Group Buying

39. Member Sales

40. Flash Sales

41. Local Discounts

42. Dynamic Pricing

Promotion

43. Media Blending.

“In 2011 will see more than just media optimization, we're all going to get much smarter and more sophisticated with "media blending."~ AdAge.com

44. Social media break (like 'Cigarrette Breaks').

Diverse Sectors

45. Travel and tourism will take off.

46. After recession, there's a craving for affordable luxuries.

47. Online DVD Rental Stores (VOD)

48. Books Online will triple their sales.

49. Traditional video games vs. "social games" (Facebook, Ipod, Iphone, Appstore)

50. Bio-plastics.

51. Enhance of Senior Cares.

52. Online Memorials.

53. On the fly conference calls

54. Green-garages for tuning cars.

Other tendencies

55. Baby Boomers will boom in job opportunities and will stay in workforce.

56. Social Shopping.

57. Home Improvement Sector will improve.

58. Social Commerce will grow.

59. New ways to make exercise with low budgets.

60. Emerging Generosity from China.

61. Reestructure for Companies

62. Younger consumers voluntarily opting in to passively and continuously share their location.

63. New business entering in Social Media like Facebook or TaskRabbit.

64. Mobile apps for group texting.

65. 'Technowaits' in waiting rooms to allow patients to leave the room and go somewhere else to pass the time until it's their turn.

66. 3D Portable Videocameras (Sony)

67. Offering alternatives while product is in repair.

68. Traceability (Apps for food and beverage brands.... manufacturing locations, distribution).

69. The importance of 'Google Strategy' (Generation of display and awareness).

70. Privacy Wars Online.

71. Strategic, not Tactical.

72. Content strategy. (Intrinsic value)

73. The beginning of Social metrics.

74. Video Marketing (Viral Mkt).

75. Mobile Location.

76. Uncover costs savings through technology.

77. Serve customers through technology.

78. Social media begins to look less social.

79. Optimize search engine. (Link placements and contents).

80. Social Commerce will grow.

81. Opt-Out Selling. (Sending products to people)

82. Being connected 24/7

83. Social business.

84. Companies will build a social media policy.

85. Web Experiences.

86. Employee Motivation.

87. Cross-Channel Optimization.

88. Global integration of social media.

89. Don't beat them. Join them. (Google + Facebook + Twitter)

90. Transparent Society.

91. Storytelling.

92. Crowdsourcing.

93. Social media to collect information.

94. Happynomics. (Positive psychology marketing that gives sense).

95. Headhunters using social media.

96. Bloggers. The new intermediate between the company and the client.

97. Female Power.

98. Minisumers (Infant Market).

99. Pink Profits (Gay & Lesbian Market).

100. Real Time.

Bibliography

1. Trendwatching.com

2. NY Times.com

3. Business Week.com

4. Pete Blackshaw. (December, 2010) Book of Tens: 10 Disruptive Trends That Will Shape Our World in 2011.

5. Jonathan Salem Baskin. (October, 2010). Big Ideas for Marketing in 2011.

6. Wang, Jennifer and Ohngren, Kara. The Disrupters: Forces Driving Change in 2011

7. http://www.entrepreneur.com/trends/index.html

8. Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/public/page/espanol-inicio.html

9. Spring Wise. http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/

10. Caffrey, David. My Predictions on 11 Marketing Trends for 2011. http://www.smartinsights.com/blog/digital-marketing-strategy/2011-digital-marketing-trends/

11. Eric Tsai. (Decembre, 2010). 4 Marketing Trends for 2011. http://www.b2cmarketinginsider.com/online-marketing/4-internet-marketing-trends-for-2011-04120

12. Predicting social media marketing trends for 2011. http://www.eyefortravel.com/news/marketing/predicting-social-media-marketing-trends-2011

13. Harvard Business Review. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2009/11/six_social_media_trends.html

14. Nunes, Paul and Breene, Tim. (January, 2011) Reinvent Your Business Before It’s Too Late. http://hbr.org/2011/01/reinvent-your-business-before-its-too-late/ar/1

15. Searchi Engine Land. http://searchengineland.com/sem-trends-for-2011-what-to-expect-what-to-do-57439

Los 100 del 2011. Ideas + Tendencias + Recomendaciones

2011-01-21T11:58:00.000-08:00

Aquí les presento una compilación de las 100 tendencias más importantes que representarán una oportunidad para este año que comienza. Al final vienen las fuentes de donde se encontró dicha información. Siéntete libre de dejar tus comentarios, ideas u otras recomendaciones que crees que podrían tomarse para este 2011.

¡Feliz año!

Rubén Treviño

1. Re-inventarse o morir: Una nueva regla de los Negocios

Branding

2. Protege tu Marca

“Tu marca es cada aspecto de como tus consumidores interactúan con tu producto.” ~ Jennifer C. Wolfe

3. ‘Hecho en China’

HOY el dinero está en los mercados emergentes. Habrá un incremento en “Marcas del Oeste” para lanzar nuevos productos y marcas dedicadas a satisfacer estos mercados.

4. Younique. Marca Personal = Brand Me

5. El Negocio de los Infomerciales

"They're the movie trailer before it hits stores. They are cheap and add exposure.” ~ Matt Robinson, 2010.

¡CUIDADO! Se espera que los infomerciales (también conocidos como: Respuesta Directa del Mkt en TV) suban aproximadamente un 30% representando $174 millón para el 2014. (Yoram Wurmser de Direct Marketing Assn.)

Publicidad

6. Formas efectivas en exhibidores publicitarios.

7. El saber cuando utilizar medios digitales y cuando los medios tradicionales.

8. El regreso del Marketing Directo.

9. Sobrecarga de Medios Sociales

10. Del Monólogo al Diálogo.

11. Convergencia entre medios nuevos y tradicionales.

Herramientas de Innovación

12. El iPad como herramienta de estudio en colegios

Hay una tendencia que todos los niños de Estados Unidos estarán en una prueba piloto utilizando este aparato tecnológico, para utilizar el aparato en sus clases.

¡CUIDADO! “Hay poca evidencia de que los niños aprenden más, rápido y mejor utilizando estos aparatos.” ~ Larry Cuban, profesor emérito de educación en la Universidad de Stanford.

13. MirrorCasting

Permite a los usuarios grabar sus comentarios, comentarios de chats y video clips de ellos mismos en los blogs, además pueden cambiar el contenido y reproducirlo a otras personas.

14. Conexión WiFi en taxis en Japón

15. Navegadores Web en la TV

Consumidor

16 & 17. Las Generaciones: "Y & G"

“La Generación Y ya ha molestado suficiente a los medios con sus hábitos de consumo no convencionales. Otro sector que va a ser golpeado es el del cable y la televisión satelital.” ~ Michael Arndt, NY Times

La Generación G (G=Generosidad) promueve “Actos Aleatorios de Bondad” (R.A.K. por sus siglas en inglés "Random Acts of Kindness").

18. Urbanomics

Los consumidores tienden a ser más liberales, tolerantes, con experiencia y dispuestos a utilizar nuevos productos y servicios.

19. Mejora en la Calidad de Vida

· 73% de los consumidores de EUA consideran que es importante estar en forma. (Fuente: The Hartman Group, August 2010)

· Hay un estimado de 500 millones de personas en todo el mundo que se espera que utilicen aplicaciones móviles de Salud para el 2015. (Fuente: Reasearch2Guidance, November 2010)

· En noviembre 2010, existían aproximadamente 17,000 aplicaciones de salud en las App Stores, el 57% de los usuarios era consumidores comunes en vez de especialistas en la salud. (Fuente: Reasearch2Guidance, November 2010

· Las aplicaciones de salud son usadas en su mayoría por adultos jóvenes: el 15% de entre 18 a 29 años tienen dichas aplicaciones, mientras que el 8% tiene entre 30 a 49 años. (Fuente: The Pew Internet Project, October 2010)

20 & 21. ‘Social-Lites’ y ‘Twinsumers’

"Twinsumers" son personas que tienen cosas similares que les gustan y que no, por lo tanto son fuente de recomendaciones en qué comprar de acuerdo a la experiencia.

"Social-lites" son puro descubrimiento, comentar, compartir, informar y recomendar a sus amigos y audiencias. They are all about discovery, actively broadcasting.

22. Símbolos de Estatus Online

Esta tendencia aumentará en 12 meses. Lo que empezó como mostrar el número de visitas y amigos como con sucede con los sitios de Flickr o Facebook, se ha convertido en una muestra de estatus online.

23. Espontaneidad Planeada

Gracias a aplicaciones clave y redes sociales como: Google's Hotpot, Facebooks's Places y Twitter's Locator.

24. Enfoque a lo Digital

25. Herramientas de Compra de localización (Anywhere/Anyplace)

26. El fin del Curriculum

27. Espera comportamientos más adaptados a los sentidos y respuestas de los mercadólogos.

(Speedbacking)

28. El mercado Hispano/Latino

29. El crecimiento de las economías emergentes. (Turquía + China + Sudáfrica + India + Brasil + Vietman + Indonesía + México … etc.) siguen siendo historias claves del Consumismo 2011.

30. ‘Owner-less’ en los consumidores.

31. Expansión de los Medios Sociales.

Productos

32. Dispositivos LED en Exhibidores

33. ‘ECO Superior’

34. Productos con beneficios saludables

Strollometer: dispositivo que monitorea todos los aspectos de la rutina de una madre novata: revisa la velocidad, la distancia recorrida, tiempo que se tardan en hacer ejercicio, velocidades promedio y máximas y la temperatura afuera.

Sleep On It: una aplicación móvil que permite a los usuarios monitorear los patrones de descanso.

Phillips DirectLife: un monitor pequeño, ligero y portátil que crea un récord detallado de las actividades diarias.

35. Micro-energía

36. Sustitutos de carne

Precios

37. Pandemia de Precios

Amazon.com realizó una app para el iPhone que tiene la función de escanear los códigos de barras de los productos. Este tipo de comunicación hace que los consumidores estén conectados constantemente para que puedan utilizar encontrar ofertas.

38. Grupos de Compra

39. Miembros de Ventas

40. ‘Ventas Flash’

41. Descuentos Locales

42. ‘Dynamic Pricing’

Promoción

43. Mezcla de Medios

“En el 2011 veremos más que una optimización de medios. Nos haremos más inteligentes y más sofisticados con la mezcla de medios.” ~ AdAge.com

44. ‘Social media break’ (en pocas palabras como el ‘Break del Cigarrito')

Sectores Diversos

45. El área de turismo y viajes subirán.

46. Después de la recesión... los lujos a tu medida.

47. Rentas de DVD’s en línea (VOD)

48. Los libros en línea triplicarán las ventas.

49.Video juegos tradicionales vs. "juegos sociales." (Facebook, Ipod, Iphone, Appstore)

50. Bio-plásticos.

51. Mejora de Centros para Cuidados de Adultos Mayores

52. Memoriales en línea

53. Conferencias por teléfono en el aire

54. Talleres Verdes (para arreglar autos)

Otras tendencias

55. Los Baby Boomers tendrán más oportunidades de trabajo y seguirán formando parte de la fuerza de trabajo.

56. Compras Sociales.

57. El Sector de Mejoras en el Hogar (Home Improvement).... mejorará.

58. El mercado de estilo de vida para hombres subirá.

59. Nuevas formas para hacer ejercicio con bajo presupuesto.

60. Generosidad emergente de China.

61. Reestructuración de las compañías.

62. Consumidores jóvenes comparten su ubicación.

63. Nuevos negocios entrando a los medios sociales como Facebook o TaskRabbit.

64. Aplicaciones móviles para mensajes en grupo.

65. 'Technowaits' (Tecno-esperas) en salas de esperas para que lo pacientes se puedan ir a hacer otras actividades mientras llega su turno.

66. Videocámaras portátiles 3D (Sony)

67. Alternativas cuando tu producto está en reparación.

68. Facilidad de Seguimiento (Apps para comidas y bebidas.... lugar de fabricación, etc)

69. La importancia de la 'Estrategia Google' (Generación de ‘display & awareness’)

70. Guerra de privacidad en línea.

71. Estratégico, no Táctico.

72. Estrategia de contenido. (Valor Intrínseco)

73. El uso de las Métricas Sociales.

74. ‘Video Marketing’ (Mkt. Viral)

75. Locaciones Móviles.

76. Costos escondidos a través del uso de la tecnología.

77. Atender clientes a través de la tecnología.

78. Los medios sociales empezarán a ser menos sociales.

79. Optimizar las búsquedas. (Establecer ligas y contenidos en otras páginas).

80. El Comercio Social crecerá.

81. 'Opt-Out Selling' (Enviar productos "gratis" a las personas.

82. Conexión 24/7

83. Negocios Sociales.

84. Las compañías construirán políticas de medios sociales.

85. Experiencias Web.

86. Motivación de Empleados.

87. Optimización cross-channel

88. Integración global de los medios sociales.

89. ‘Don't beat them. Join them.’ (Google + Facebook + Twitter)

90. Sociedad Transparente.

91. ‘Storytelling’

92. Crowdsourcing

93. Media Social para recopilar información.

94. Happynomics. (Psicología positiva, marketing que da sentido)

95. ‘Headhunters’ utilizando medios sociales.

96. Bloggers. El nuevo intermediario entre el cliente y la compañía.

97. Poder Femenino

98. Mini-consumidores. (Mercado Infantil)

99. Ganancias Rosas. ‘Pink Profits’ (Mercado Gay)

100. Tiempo Real

Fuentes bibliográficas

1. Trendwatching.com

2. NY Times.com

3. Business Week.com

4. Pete Blackshaw. (December, 2010) Book of Tens: 10 Disruptive Trends That Will Shape Our World in 2011.

5. Jonathan Salem Baskin. (October, 2010). Big Ideas for Marketing in 2011.

6. Wang, Jennifer and Ohngren, Kara. The Disrupters: Forces Driving Change in 2011

7. http://www.entrepreneur.com/trends/index.html

8. Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/public/page/espanol-inicio.html

9. Spring Wise. http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/

10. Caffrey, David. My Predictions on 11 Marketing Trends for 2011. http://www.smartinsights.com/blog/digital-marketing-strategy/2011-digital-marketing-trends/

11. Eric Tsai. (Decembre, 2010). 4 Marketing Trends for 2011. http://www.b2cmarketinginsider.com/online-marketing/4-internet-marketing-trends-for-2011-04120

12. Predicting social media marketing trends for 2011. http://www.eyefortravel.com/news/marketing/predicting-social-media-marketing-trends-2011

13. Harvard Business Review. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2009/11/six_social_media_trends.html

14. Nunes, Paul and Breene, Tim. (January, 2011) Reinvent Your Business Before It’s Too Late. http://hbr.org/2011/01/reinvent-your-business-before-its-too-late/ar/1

15. Searchi Engine Land. http://searchengineland.com/sem-trends-for-2011-what-to-expect-what-to-do-57439

Best of Business Week in Design, Marketing and Innovation.

2010-02-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

SPECIAL REPORT February 1, 2010, 5:01PM ESTtext size: T T
The Value of Design
The catalyst for this report on the value of design in business was the outpouring of reader comments that arrived after a bad-tempered blog post
By Helen Walters
SPECIAL REPORT
The Value of Design
The Value of Design
Why Design Matters
The Value of Design to Startups
How to Redesign Health Care
The Role of Design in Business
Slide Show: World's Most Influential Designers
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View Slide Show
Back in December, I published a somewhat bad-tempered blog post. Titled "Come on Designers. Step Up", the piece was prompted by an article in The Times of London, in which designers and the design industry were hauled over the coals for, essentially, being a waste of taxpayers' money. In this instance, designers had created a new logo for the British National Health Service that nondesigners quoted in the piece (including British MP Greg Hands) deemed both unnecessary and expensive.
As I wrote at the time, the thesis of the Times piece was unoriginal and superficial—yet all too familiar. My irritation stemmed from the fact that the value of design is clearly still not understood in the marketplace at large. And, I argued, the responsibility for this disconnect—and fixing it—lies with designers. "Designers need to step up and fight back and prove their craft is not a 20th century anachronism," I wrote.
The response was swift, spirited, and fell mainly into two camps. Some thought I was being deliberately incendiary and borderline irresponsible; others agreed that perhaps the design industry has an issue. Many quite rightly pointed out that "design" is a much larger proposition than the graphic design of this particular rebranding exercise, while there were numerous lively and articulate defenses of design as a process, not a style or an artifact. Companies such as Apple(AAPL), Procter & Gamble (PG) and BMW (BMW:GR) were cited as corporate leaders that clearly understand the worth of good design.
This special report attempts to pick apart the issue a little further, with opinion pieces on the value of design from those within and outside the profession. IDEO partner Diego Rodriguez makes the case that good business arises from a design-centric process that incorporates marketing, research, and ideas. RKS Design's Ravi Sawhney and Deepa Prahalad outline four specific areas in which design can create value: understanding the consumer; mitigating risk; boosting marketing and branding; and driving sustainable business practices.
Angel investor Dave McClure is heavily involved in the Silicon Valley community of consumer Internet companies and technology-driven startups. He writes a spirited argument in which he makes the case that design and marketing are, in fact, way more important than engineeringfor the firms with which he works. And Dr. Jay Parkinson, a pediatrician and preventive medicine specialist, outlines the role that design (and disruptive innovation) can play in retooling the U.S. health-care system.
Finally, we put together a list of the 27 most influential designers and design thinkers making an impact on business today. Featuring the likes of Apple's industrial design guru Jonathan Ive and British service design specialist Hilary Cottam, our slide show aims to shine a light on the breadth and scope of the profession as well as to highlight those whose work is influencing global business and policy.
Clearly this is just another chapter in an ongoing discussion, but I hope you find the report useful. Let us know what you think.
Helen Walters is the editor of Innovation and Design at Bloomberg BusinessWeek .

FEATURED SPECIAL REPORT

Best Global Brands 2009

The Great Trust Offensive

Companies as diverse as McDonald's, Ford, and American Express are revamping their marketing to win back that most valuable of corporate assets

Turmoil in the Rankings

100 Best Global Brands Interactive Table

Pepsi's Web-Smart Thrust into China

At Amazon, Marketing Is for Dummies

As the Race Slows Down, Audi Hits the Gas

Panasonic Puts Its Chips on 3D TV

Campbell's: Not About to Let the Soup Cool

Podcast: Building Brands You Can Trust

Picking the Winners Methodology

The 100 Best Global Brands

Podcast: Behind the Story

Toyota Announces reforms to get back in track: Are they going to be able to do it? Sources: AdAge & Jaffe Juice TV

2010-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

Toyota President Announces Reforms to Get Back on Track
Car Maker Will Appoint Chief Quality Officers, Rely More on Onboard Data Event Recorders
By Hans Greimel
Published: February 17, 2010

TOKYO (AdAge.com) -- Conceding that breakneck expansion led to Toyota Motor Corp.'s recall crisis, company President Akio Toyoda outlined reforms meant to get quality back on track, including more active use of the car's so-called black box crash data recorder, Automotive News reports today.
Toyota
Akio Toyoda
Mr. Toyoda, grandson of the car maker's founder, also indicated he won't sit before congressional hearings into the quality lapses that have triggered recalls of more than 8.5 million vehicles since last fall. Yoshimi Inaba, the head of Toyota's U.S. operations, is best suited to testify before the lawmakers because he is most familiar with the local U.S. market, Mr. Toyoda said.
"Mr. Inaba and our executives in North America have my highest level of trust, and I am sure they are well equipped to respond," Mr. Toyoda, 53, said at a news conference today. "I will focus on internal reform to improve quality and support Inaba from our headquarters." Mr. Toyoda said that he still plans to visit the U.S. to rally workers, dealers and suppliers. The details and timing of the trip are still being worked out, he said.
Mr. Toyoda is under pressure to visit the U.S., historically Toyota's most-profitable market, in the wake of a recall emergency that began there last fall and has snowballed to a global level. Among the recalls were two massive actions to address unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus cars and another to fix an antilock braking glitch in the Prius.
Mr. Inaba is to testify Feb. 24 before the House Oversight Committee. The hearing comes amid a fresh investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into whether Toyota acted too slowly in announcing its recalls or if it failed to include enough vehicles.
A congressional Republican spokesman said today that the House Oversight Committee will ask "all the right questions" of Toyota.
"I would think given the tremendous scrutiny Mr. Toyoda and his company are under, he would have seized the opportunity to personally appear and use the hearing as a forum to move forward," Kurt Bardella, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said in an e-mail.
"Obviously, Mr. Toyoda is not as eager to give Congress and the American people answers as we first thought. It's telling that the only way he'll come before the Oversight Committee is by formal invitation."
In Tokyo, Toyoda outlined several new measures meant to improve quality. The automaker will:
Appoint a chief quality officer for each geographic region.
Expand the network of local technical offices to conduct on-site troubleshooting.
Install brake-override systems on all future models worldwide.
Make better use of the onboard data event recorders to analyze accidents.
The overhaul builds on more general improvements outlined by Mr. Toyoda earlier this month. Mr. Toyoda said he would chair a newly created Special Committee for Global Quality.
The regional chief quality officers will sit on that committee and be responsible for rounding up customer feedback so the company can react more quickly when problems arise.
The global committee will hold its first meeting March 30. Toyota will also equip all models worldwide with a brake-override system that will cut power to the engine if there is a conflicting signal between the gas pedal and brake. It had already announced that all new cars in North America would be getting the technology.
Finally, Toyota said it will more actively use the data collected in vehicle event data recorders. These devices are similar to the black boxes on aircraft and record information, such as vehicle and engine speed, in the seconds immediately before a crash. "By reading the data, we will be able to identify causes more quickly," Shinichi Sasaki, exec VP in charge of quality, said at the press conference. "I think this will result in substantial improvement in our analytical capability."
Mr. Toyoda said setting up new technical offices, beginning with the U.S., will enable field engineers to assess customer complaints quickly and nip problems in the bud. The goal is to be able to conduct on-site inspections within 24 hours of any reported malfunction.
Also on tap: "Customer First" training centers to inculcate local workers in "The Toyota Way."
Mr. Toyoda said human resource training hasn't kept pace with the car maker's explosive growth over the past decade. The world's largest automaker lost sight of matching production to actual demand, a keystone tenet of the company's business strategy, he said.
"With the rapid expansion of production, perhaps we weren't able to develop appropriate engineering skills and human resources," Mr. Toyoda said. "The basic rule of the Toyota Production System is build only as many cars as can match demand, and we ourselves broke that rule."

1 Comment
By jfgoodsman | Gardiner, ME February 17, 2010 04:02:41 pm:
Have you seen the zombie ads they are running? I wrote about that today and some of their others misplays:http://www.cargurus.com/blog/2010/02/17/the-toyotathon-continues. Incredible how inept at PR these guys are.
Permalink
Toyota Announces

'JJTV #75 - Toyota Recall Redux' - Join the Conversation...
JJTV #75 - Toyota Recall Redux
There's an auto brand called Toyota. Maybe you've heard of them. This episode talks about the importance of having a "direct dialogue with ones customers" ESPECIALLY during times of need (or even crisis)

There's also an interesting follow-up in terms of how Toyota are reacting and trying to "move forward".
Additional links:
My post on 5 ways Toyota can "Flip the Funnel"
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Share JJTV and FTF with Jim Lentz, your clients, co-workers, colleagues, friends and family
Tweet or RT: New JJTV - Toyota Recall Redux and some steps they're taking to move forward -http://bit.ly/autorecall
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Thank you to HP for sponsoring this show. In addition to their Employee Purchase Program (see below), you can also participate in their very worthy Create Change program. In a nutshell, for every purchase you make at the Direct Store, HP will donate 4% of the total product purchase to support a...
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A Marketer Is a Terrible Thing To Waste

2009-09-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/sep2009/id20090921_471157.htm

10 Tips to Build a Better Business

2009-09-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/09/0914_oxo/index.htm

Juicios desde el extranjero: Planifiquemos el Nuevo México

2009-09-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

Al mal tiempo buena cara: ¿Por cuánto aguantaremos?

No es bueno ser pesimistas ni alarmistas pero creo que está muy claro que hay un sentimiento en que la mayoría de los mexicanos coincidimos: incertidumbre, desencanto y pocas soluciones a la vista a lo largo y ancho del país. Hay mucha confrontación y divisionismo, está claro que las noticias que se generan diariamente sobre nosotros a nivel internacional no son de corte positivo.

El tiempo pasa y si no actuamos con determinación las condiciones no mejorarán:
Hay que hacer un plan maestro de recuperación y reposicionamiento.

Estamos empezando el segundo semestre del 2009. Debido al alto impacto que ha tenido la combinación de variables que generan nuestros principales ingresos, se ha decidido hacer una fuerte campaña de promoción al turismo con la idea de atraer resultados, una vez más, en el corto plazo. Lo mismo se ha hecho con una buena campaña interna (nacional) invitando a consumir lo que se fabrica aquí, campaña que podría haber sido más emocional o contundente. Ambos esfuerzos son buenos pero se requiere ir más allá.

¿Dónde podrá existir un remedio diferente, innovador, con potencial de éxito que genere el gran cambio que necesitamos? Propongo un proyecto maestro de re-evaluación de la propuesta de valor y reposicionamiento de México, con un alto énfasis en el cliente, inversionista o visitante extranjero. Requerimos de un mega esfuerzo, iniciado por el mismo Presidente, que más que una campaña de comunicación convencional que presuma logros cuestionables, encabece un cambio en nuestra esencia como país y nuestra propuesta de valor ante el mundo.

Primero lo primero: Hay que aceptar nuestra realidad y aprovechar todo lo bueno que hay por rescatar. Debemos concentrarnos en donde somos más hábiles y competitivos.

¿Porqué un país requiere de una buena mercadotecnia- de un buen posicionamiento o imagen y de una gran propuesta de valor? Al igual que Nike, Google, Paris o el Manchester United, México es una marca ante los ojos del mundo… máxime ante sus ciudadanos, quienes al final del camino debemos de sentirnos orgullosos y con un alto sentido de pertenencia. Una buena marca desarrolla un vínculo emocional con sus clientes. Si la marca tiene un buen desempeño, los clientes son fieles y la recomiendan con los ojos cerrados. Si la marca no genera confianza, falla o entra en declive, los clientes se decepcionan, buscan otras alternativas, se pierde la credibilidad, las ventas caen, empiezan los despidos, los empleados y trabajadores tienen una moral baja o viven frustrados porque “así somos y no hay de otra”.

México requiere de un proyecto de largo plazo, de un esfuerzo bien planificado que nos una y comprometa a casi todos, que nos prepare para competir o pelear con mejores armas para conquistar a los mercados del extranjero y para apoyarnos mutuamente en el consumo de lo que producimos aquí. Que nos lleve juntos a ganar batallas, a crear nuevas oportunidades de trabajo y desarrollo y que entre otras cosas, nos permita recuperar nuestra autoestima. Debemos aprender a trabajar y autoevaluarnos con los estándares internacionales que son más estrictos. Hay que generar lealtad entre nuestros clientes internos y externos.

Se solicita líder de proyecto: Poca paga-mucha honra.

Se requiere un líder del proyecto-sin intereses políticos NO casado con partidos o empresas, que tenga como recompensa una grata huella en la historia. Se requiere alguien que si es muy bueno, permanezca en la posición más allá de un sexenio, que tenga la capacidad de diálogo entre los diversos sectores y que logre conjuntar los esfuerzos de las diferentes secretarías (imagina a Educación, Turismo, Economía, Gobernación, entre otras, trabajando al menos en un proyecto en la misma dirección). Agreguemos organismos privados, escuelas y universidades, religiones y medios de comunicación para lograr una inspiración y contagio entre la mayoría de los ciudadanos (siempre habrá críticos, amargados y pesimistas). Requerimos de un brand Manager con experiencia en mercadotecnia de altos vuelos, que logre conjuntar un equipo de trabajo de primer mundo y que demuestre que quiere mucho a la patria que le vio nacer y por la que está dispuesto a entregar todo su esfuerzo para auténticamente unificar esfuerzos.

Diez lineamientos y posibles beneficios.

1. Los cambios no deben ser ni cosméticos o solo de imagen. Deben haber acciones concretas que mejoren la calidad y productividad de nuestros productos y servicios. Al igual que una marca comercial, debemos de establecer los pilares o fuerzas que la sostendrán y explotar nuestros atributos diferenciales.

2. Al trabajar unidos, en una misma dirección, igualando y en donde seamos fuertes, superando estándares internacionales podremos verdaderamente atraer inversiones internacionales de importancia (tenemos la localización ideal) así como un mayor flujo de turistas de calidad.

3. Poco a poco se irían aumentando las oportunidades para que surjan nuevos empleos y se creen nuevas empresas.

4. Nuestra imagen externa se vería influenciada poco a poco por acciones positivas concretas, aumentando nuestra credibilidad y grado de atractividad como país.

5. Esto traería una mayor aceptación de los productos y servicios que porten el sello: Con orgullo Hecho en México. Productos de alto contenido de valor.

6. Si se incentiva el consumo interno, al igual que lo hacen los supermercados con sus marcas propias, podremos obtener grandes beneficios ante el embate de las marcas globales que han desplazado muchas marcas Mexicanas que no han podido competir adecuadamente.

7. Al trabajar un plan de largo plazo lograremos una identidad consistente, continuidad y experiencia para robustecer poco a poco nuestra nueva propuesta de valor.

8. Ha llegado la hora de redefinir, como lo han hecho muchos países, nuestros íconos culturales y prepararnos para presentarle al mundo un renacimiento comercial, industrial y cultural: en la música, arte, folklore, cocina, entre otras áreas donde somos de los mejores. Aquí tenemos grandes oportunidades para enfatizar nuestra diferenciación y lograr que nuestra marca-país conecte mejor.

9. Como sucede en los establecimientos comerciales de éxito hay que trabajar en las áreas de recepción y servicio al visitante. En la frontera, aeropuertos y entrada a las ciudades de mayor flujo de visitantes deberá de haber señales creativas y emotivas de bienvenida. Las instalaciones deben de cumplir con estándares de confort, limpieza y rapidez en el servicio que sorprendan al visitante. Se deberá de hacer lo mismo en las áreas de salida y de ser posible hacer una evaluación de la visita que incluya las áreas críticas de excelencia operativa y que capte recomendaciones de interés. Es muy importante que los visitantes recomienden visitar o invertir en México. Hay que hacer un mega-proyecto de capacitación en el servicio.

10. Finalmente y entre algunas otras ideas que se pueden agregar a este proyecto, hay que convencernos a nosotros mismos de ser auténticos embajadores de marca. Recomendar tanto adentro como en el extranjero nuestros productos y servicios. Cuando viajemos, ser promotores para que se consuma lo que esté bien Hecho en México. Hay que involucrar a los más de 20 millones que radican en el extranjero, agradecerles y hacerles sentir bien por las remesas que mandan y que tanto nos han beneficiado. La mayoría de estos compatriotas tienen altos estándares de calidad y entrega en su trabajo y aguantan desde desprecio y discriminación hasta condiciones de trabajo muy extremas.

¿Quién se anima a tomar la iniciativa? Candidatos sobran. Para iniciar el cambio, algún día hay que empezar con una nueva determinación e inspiración: Nuestros nietos nos lo agradecerán.

News on innovation, marketing trends and dealing with crisis

2009-05-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

Just released: 50+ new business ideas

Case Study: P&G product designed for Latin America Succeeds in Europe

Starbucks and McDonalds get hyper about coffee

....and McDonalds launches counter strike

New study might change the fundaments of media selection

2009-05-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

Access article here.

News on innovation, marketing trends and dealing with crisis

2009-05-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Dealing with crisis, such as virus H1N1 requires do´s and don'ts. Lets see 10 recommendations.

Access the article here.

Funny ad gets spoofed

2009-04-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

Check out this TV spot:

and, its spoof:

100+ ways to improve your business, TODAY

2009-04-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a compilation of very useful ideas. Browse this list for some goodies to help you succeed through all the current economic challenges you may be facing. Each idea will take you to its parent article, or you can scroll down to browse by article as well. Feel free to leave a comment about what you think or with any additions to the list. Enjoy —RT

Revamp your Web presence.

Start sending out e-newsletters.

Take advantage of your local media.

Get your name out there.

Go above and beyond with customer service.

Get everyone back to a very simple mission—exceeding sales goals by selling and implementing the company’s products and services.

Translate the sales goals into individual accountabilities for both sales and support staff.

Ensure each person has a valid plan of how to achieve his or her accountabilities.

Remove people who either do not like their accountability, or who cannot see how to achieve it.

Constantly hold people to your mission, their plan, and to their accountability.

Remove any silly obstacles that company HQ raises (many times, this means ignoring ridiculous edicts and messages from HQ altogether).

Constantly recognize and praise successes.

Forge connections.

Don't be afraid to rewrite the rules.

Focus on the results that matter.

Include Free Shipping on Everything (or Free Shipping without Conditions).

Include Free Shipping with a Minimum Order.

Include Free Shipping on Select Items.

Include Free Shipping Site-to-Store.

Include Free Shipping by Delivery Location.

Include Free Shipping by Membership.

Provide Flat Rate Shipping.

Plan Carefullly

Cooperate with others

Be Creative

Be Disciplined

Have Drive

Bring a Good attitude

Give the benefit of the doubt

Give your input

Be Optimistic

Be Organized

Promote Safe work behaviors

Be Well-informed

Be Sociable

Be Calm

Be Vigorous

Ask the right questions

Perfect Your Brochures and Website material.

Provide the hard evidence to prove your claims.

Don’t rely on longevity to give you reputation.

Match marketing materials with your sales team's ability.

Train your sales team to avoid the very tactics of persuasion they're being trained to embrace.

Explore ways to imbed your product or service into the typical habits and behavior patterns of your potential customers.

Tie your sale into a common theme that month, year or decade to enhance recall, retention, and common ground.

Think About Your Outcomes Before Going to Exhibitions.

Don’t Sell on the Stand.

Be on Top of Your Game at Events.

Always Follow Up Properly.

Align marketing with the business initiatives and insuring linkage between marketing programs and business results.

Collect and analyze relevant customer and market data.

Establish performance targets and measures needed to create a measurement framework that links marketing initiatives to business outcomes.

Monitor, report and communicate results using these results to make fact-based decisions.

Trim fat.

Target strategically.

Watch frequency.

Use games.

Make deals.

Cross-sell.

Contact them.

Show the love!

Let your audience know you are aware of and appreciate the current situation.

Provide Testimonials.

Tell them what you are going to give them and what you are going to do.

Be upfront about your deliverables and guarantees

Show them what you stand for.

Demonstrate how your company will contribute to making the world a better place.

Create clear company-wide reputation standards.

Appoint a VP of Reputation for the company.

Hire the best people and keep them happy.

Ask for customer feedback.

Know who you are; believe you can be better.

Appearance really does count—so upgrade your image.

Become an industry headliner by specializing in a market niche.

When you must choose between character and cash, go with the former.

Put your best reputation foot forward.

Build goodwill inside and outside your company.

Remove the Risk By Providing a Solid Guarantee

Crafting an Unusually Effective Guarantee by Creating Original Copy For Your Guarantee.

Lengthen Your Guarantee.

Compete Big With Your Guarantee.

Size Parcels Properly and Save

Stick with official USPS dimensions

Be a Lightweight with your paper stock

Tab or Fold for Automation Savings

Be Smart: Use the Intelligent Mail Barcode

Make Your Direct Mail Campaigns More Cost-Effective

Keep an Eye on Paper Costs

Try pre-printed products

Ditch the envelope

Work with your production provider to maximize postal efficiencies and savings

Keep your message foremost in every campaign.

Listen, speak, listen some more.

Be transparent and disclose

Evaluate ROI continually

Spread the word, not the manure

Encourage an enterprise-wide Word-of-Mouth-Marketing culture

Employ online and offline Word-of-Mouth-Marketing

Have Fair Pricing.

Lead in Innovation and Service.

Be Authentic, Transparent, Honest.

Be more connected with your consumers.

Browse by Article Title:

Five Marketing Tips for Small Business Survival

Managing Sales in Tough Times

Free Shipping Strategies Gain Retailers Loyal Customers

15 Personal Skills You Need on the Job

The Top 10 Dumb Sales Questions During a Bad Economy

Mastering the Psychology of Persuasion

The Sales Clinic: Four Ways to Lose Business at Exhibitions

Bridging the Gap: Four Processes to Fine Tune Your Marketing Organization's Performance

Eight Marketing Strategies to Gain Momentum in a Sluggish Economy

How to Master CRM like President Obama

Ten Ways to Upgrade Your Company's Reputation and Drive Business

Smart Marketing: Building Your Brand through Employees

The Fine Line between Personalization and Privacy in Marketing

Create Guarantees that Knock Clients off the Fence

How to Build Customer Loyalty Simply by Making and Keeping Credible Promises to the Marketplace

Five Ways to Mail Smarter and Save

With Budgets Spread Thin, Is There Room for Reinvention?

Making Your Direct Mail Campaigns More Cost-Effective

Peer-to-Peer | Six ways to leverage word-of-mouth marketing

Get Back to Basics. Win Back the Trust.

McDonald's Filet-o-Fish Commercial

2009-04-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

Have fun with it and judge it from your marketing standpoint. This is the original in English:

Watch the Spanish version

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish ad makes a big splash
USA TODAY
People have been hooked by McDonald's Filet-O-Fish singing fish ad. The fish sings, "Give me back that Filet-O-Fish" as he hangs mounted on a wall plaque in a garage. Two friends watch the fish, but enjoy the sandwich without a word.

The ad and its infectious song have spawned a series of knockoff ads posted online and a ring tone. Google says searches for "McDonald's fish" are up 100% in the past four weeks and that the ad has been viewed on YouTube more than a million times.
"It took a life of its own," says Danya Proud, McDonald's spokeswoman.

The talking fish looks like the "Big Mouth Billy Bass" gag gift advertised on cable TV almost a decade ago. Agency Arnold Worldwide came up with the parody idea after struggling to create an ad local franchisees could air for the Filet-O-Fish promotion that is done every year around this time. Proud says that McDonald's sells about 300 million fish sandwiches annually, 25% during the 40-day Lenten period before Easter Sunday (April 12 this year).

"It was our third Saturday in a row working in a conference room that's known as the fish bowl," says Peter Harvey, senior copy writer at Arnold in Boston. "We started talking about the toy that everybody had 10 years ago, and it came to us."

Part of the creative challenge was that the actors don't speak, yet had to be funny. Actor Ray Conchado plays the guy who shrugs off the singing fish, while JR Reed is the friend surprised to see a fish singing when he walks into the garage.

"We had to run this in both English and Spanish," Harvey says. "We had to have the actors not speak. If they have to talk to make us crack up, it's not going to work." That put the pressure on the fish. "The fish was only going to take up 12 seconds, so he had to be fun and catchy really fast," Harvey says. Once the concept was nailed, they came up with lyrics and music and assigned a music agency to create six or seven versions of the tune that is sung by Joey Auch.

"We wound up choosing the song not because there was a science behind it but because when we heard it the first time we wanted to hear it again," Harvey says. They also needed a fish that wouldn't put people off. A Los Angeles taxidermist created a pollock with a remote control device to operate his mouth and tail. The sandwich is made with cod as well as pollock, but that fish looked too scary. Says Harvey, "We said, 'Let's make it a little more toy-like so it won't scare people completely.' "

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

2009-02-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl advertisers have plenty to worry about come Feb. 1. Super Bowl commercials cost as much as $3 million this year, but the contest between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers may not attract the same blockbuster, 97.5 million person audience that tuned in to watch last year's clash of the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, those who do watch are likely in no mood to shop, thanks to the weak economy.

It's hardly the event advertisers imagined during the spring and summer of 2008, when most of them bought their ads. The Super Bowl perennially offers the most expensive and widely watched advertising time on television. Last year, total ad spending on the game reached $195 million, according to Nielsen. In early September, the Super Bowl seemed to be on its usual track, with NBC crowing it had already sold 85% of its inventory. Then the stock market crashed, consumer confidence fell to record lows, and major Super Bowl advertisers like General Motors (GM) and FedEx (FDX) pulled out of the game completely. Commercial sales hit a wall—and as of Jan. 28, ad time was still available.

The owner of online florist Teleflora, who is joining Pedigree and Denny's (DENN) as first-time Superbowl advertisers, now wonders whether she made the right call. "If I were buying in October [and not earlier], I probably wouldn't have made this decision," says Lynda Resnick, co-owner of Teleflora's parent company, Roll International.

STILL A LOT OF EYEBALLS
But marketers, optimistic by nature, say they still expect to see a strong response. And though MediaVest projects that a million fewer households will tune in compared to last year, that's still 46 million households settling down in front of the TV come game time. And the Super Bowl is one of the few places where consumers actively pay attention to the ads. "In some ways I'm thrilled I can't get out of it," claims Resnick. Teleflora's ad, which cost four times more to produce than any ad in the company's history, aims to remind the Super Bowl's male audience that Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and not to skimp on flowers. Resnick expects increased sales as a result.

Automaker Hyundai is essentially doubling down on its bet on the Super Bowl. Two weeks ago the Korean automaker purchased three spots on the Super Bowl's pregame show, adding to the two it had already purchased to run during the game itself. It plans to use the spots to push its $32,000 Genesis sedans and coupes, as well as its new recession-minded Hyundai Assurance program, which guarantees a full refund to customers who buy a car and then lose their jobs or become disabled in the following months. "We're as hit by the economy as anyone else, but we think it's a great opportunity," says Chris Perry, director of marketing and communications at Hyundai. "We're still an emerging brand really establishing itself with the American public."

Other advertisers are also refiguring their sales pitch to better fit the bleak times. Job Web site Monster (MWW) is back in the game for the first time since 2004, amid historic unemployment. Restaurant chain Denny's is using its ad to hawk a recession special in hopes of kick-starting its diminishing foot traffic. Denny's, which is also advertising on the Super Bowl for the first time ever, waited until two weeks ago to buy the spot. Thanks to the slow sales environment, "we got at least a 10% discount," says head of marketing Mark Chmiel.

Fuente: Businessweek.
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/02/0201_superbowl_ads/index.htm?link_position=link1

Super Bowl Ads.

2009-02-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Con un costo de 3 millones de dólares por difusión (30segundos) se acaba de presentar el reporte de los más recordados. No hay duda de que el mundo publicitario está de cabeza ya que de acuerdo con USA Today el anuncio que más simpatizó a la audiencia fue realizado por consumidores (consumer content), superando en popularidad a varias de las agencias más cotizadas. Advertising Age reporta un sentimiento de triunfalismo en NBC debido a ratings los altos ratings que mantuvieron un promedio de audiencia de 95 millones con un total de casi 150 millones que vieron en parte o todo el juego, siendo el segundo de mayor audiencia.

A mi manera de ver, algunos anuncios fueron desesperantes por su contenido y ejecución en un sentido del humor que posiblemente el target recibió de otra manera. Otros fueron altamente predecibles y con una continuidad bastante ordinaria (Budweiser).

Dale clic a este link para ver el reporte de USA Today.

Buena semana,

Rubén Treviño

Carta Editorial

2009-01-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

“ Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right ” -Oprah Winfrey
Monterrey, N.L. Enero de 2009

Recibe un afectuoso saludo y mis mejores deseos para esté recién estrenado 2009.

Pues sí, el año inició y la pregunta en casi todos nosotros es, ¿cómo nos va a ir? Será un año tan malo como algunos comentan o se trata de una crisis ‘sicológica’ como lo aseguran otros. Son cuestionamientos difíciles de responder, mismos que nos motivan a estar alertas y preparados ante la posibilidad de escenarios desfavorables.

Como mercadotecnistas, no somos ajenos a los pronósticos, las tendencias, o a ‘lo que sigue’... Las grandes oportunidades están precisamente ahí, en esa capacidad de adelantarnos para aprovechar el siguiente boom o en anticipar probables riesgos, ya sea para eliminarlos o al menos disminuirlos.

Con este espíritu, nos dimos a la tarea de recopilar, estudiar y redactar algunas tendencias y recomendaciones sobre temas de marketing integral que creemos pueden ser útiles para ti y tu empresa en este 2009.

Esta información está sustentada en distintos artículos, en la observación, nuestra experiencia, y un poco de sentido común. Espero de corazón que puedan ayudarnos a llegar sanos y salvos a nuestro destino, ante este pronóstico de vientos cruzados y en contra.

Una cosa es clara: Esta no es la tormenta más grande que hemos enfrentado. Ha habido (y habrá) peores. Y como lo hicimos en aquellas ocasiones, habremos de salir avantes.

Bon Voyage

Rubén Treviño M.
RT&A

10 Acciones Recomendadas de MKT

2009-01-15T10:02:00.000-08:00
¿Porqué estamos aquí?
Acciones recomendadas de Mercadotecnia -para YA-

1.Cada quien tiene (tenemos) lo que nos merecemos.

El 2008 ya presentaba señales de complicación para vender. Existía una falta de credibilidad en muchas muchos productos y servicios con propuestas “tibias”. Muchos estuvimos en áreas de confort y perdimos el hambre por enamorar a nuestros clientes.

Nuestros antepasados, que tuvieron una buena visión, sembraron lo que muchos cosechamos en las últimas décadas. Sabían como estar cerca de sus distribuidores, mantenían relaciones de largo plazo y con todas sus limitaciones, sentaron las bases del éxito que hoy puede ser no continúe para algunas empresas.

El esfuerzo transformado en una sorpresa, satisfacción y orgullo de los consumidores, premia el corto y mediano plazo. En los últimos años, varios de los grandes fabricantes y comerciantes de autos, comercio, y todo tipo de manufactura explotaron sus mercados con productos y servicios mediocres o de mala calidad, manejando niveles de satisfacción mínimos, algunos de ellos afectando la arquitectura y/o medio ambiente de las ciudades donde crecieron.

Hoy, sea cual sea nuestra condición hay que retomar la esencia de nuestros negocios y volver a dialogar: Los merolicos, -aquellos que crean o proclamen ser los conocedores de la verdad- y no conozcan y escuchen los sentimientos, frustraciones, sueños, deseos, necesidades de sus clientes, de sus colaboradores, distribuidores y proveedores, no llegarán muy lejos.

¿Quién va a vender un producto o servicio en el que no cree o de una persona o marca en la que no confía? ¡Y con presupuesto limitado!

Si queremos recuperar lo que teníamos y/o aumentar nuestra presencia y relevancia en el mercado hay que reestablecer el diálogo. Hay que volver a ganarnos la confianza. Hay que volver a sorprender a nuestros clientes. Hay que exigirles más a nuestros proveedores. Hay que demandar más a nuestros representantes en asociaciones. Hay que exigir más a nuestros gobernantes. Hay que ser muy empáticos con los menos favorecidos.

2. Hagamos nuestra propia realidad: Que NO nos venza el negativismo. Actuemos con prudencia.

Muchos medios han descubierto que el manejo del amarillismo y negativismo genera ‘rating’… a un costo muy alto para la sociedad.

La gente con el afán de estar “bien informado” ve, lee o escucha con interés los reportes del día, los cuales hay que conocer pero no tomar como verdad absoluta. Cada uno de nosotros podemos ser arquitectos de un nuevo destino ante nuevas condiciones. El ánimo del consumidor se ve fácilmente afectado ante todo esto, nosotros como mercadotecnistas no debemos caer en el juego del negativismo. No se trata de pretender que nada sucede, ni mucho menos que nuestros productos o servicios sean la solución adecuada para todos los males. Hay que actuar con sensibilidad.

El consumidor está necesitado de buenas noticias. De buenas propuestas, de positivismo, de socios para solucionar sus retos y de personas e instituciones en quien confiar.

3. Mucho cuidado con abaratar lo que se ha construido por años.

Una de las herramientas más socorridas serán los descuentos en precios. La competencia será intensa. Si en enero vendemos más barato que el 2008, qué diremos en marzo? Y en abril?

Requeriremos de mucho ingenio para hacer que nuestras marcas estén alineadas con las expectativas de los consumidores, disponibles en los sitios donde les complace comprar y contactándolos e incentivándolos en los canales de comunicación que más crean y les agraden y que resulten de menor costo para difundir.

Las formaciones de productos, las alianzas multi-marcas, los productos con bonificación, los sorteos, las presentaciones seductoras en los puntos de venta y exhibición, en fin, las diferentes estrategias que den más brillo a la propuesta de valor convencional, serán siempre mejores alternativas.

Hay que evitar estar en oferta los 365 días del año, hay que sobresaltar el valor a lo largo de la cadena comercialización.

4.La sensatez estará ‘in’. Los excesos y lo aspiracional: ‘out’.

El ‘factor Obama’ rebasará fronteras: ‘Change you can believe in’ fue su lema de campaña, mismo que ha sustentado en sus acciones. Es un indicador que hemos encontrado en diversas fuentes de información de muchos países, considerando que en los Estados Unidos surgen los trends que posteriormente adoptamos a nivel global.

Reporta el Boston Globe casos de Millonarios que cambiaron sus fiestas de grandes hoteles a modestos restaurantes. Millonarios con remordimiento de conciencia por gastar en vuelos privados $12 mil dólares tan solo en combustible (atención políticos). Qué decir de la lección que aprendimos de los directivos de las grandes marcas de autos que fueron a pedir billones de dólares… en sus aviones privados.

Cuando no hay, hay que verse como que no hay… aunque quede un poco. Congruencia.

Los consumidores sienten que han perdido en gran parte el control de sus destinos. Como lo manifiesta un memorable video Mexicano en Youtube ‘¡tengo miedo…tengo miedo!’ En pocas palabras, las marcas que intenten justificar aumentos de precios pero que denoten excesos de cualquier tipo, van a notarse para mal.

En este esquema inclusive se deben de cuidar hasta las apariciones públicas de Directivos y Empresarios en eventos que muestren derroche y/o desinterés por lo que sucede.

¿Y entonces, cómo vender los bienes superfluos y de lujo?
R: con marketing súper-ultra-requete directo.

Una campaña Navideña, muy interesante apareció en páginas completas de los principales diarios de EEUU en estas fechas. Reconoce los tiempos y sentimientos actuales de redefinición y comunica lo siguiente: ‘Puede ser que las cosas sean ahora diferentes. Puede ser que hayas notado que muchas de las cosas que haz comprado con el tiempo se hacen inútiles o las desechas. Puede ser que ahora sea la oportunidad para redeterminar lo que verdaderamente importa”…regala algo que perdure... regala un diamante’.

¿Será? En pocas palabras, ‘show off’ igual a: falta de tacto. A no estar ni bien informado ni bien sensibilizado. La oportunidad de retornar a los criterios del esfuerzo en el trabajo, la prudencia y el ahorro, serán palabras dulces para muchos.

Cuidado con las expresiones genéricas en medios masivos: ‘Tú te
lo mereces… Sólo para quienes…. pertenece a la clase exclusiva…’ hay que ser muy específicos en las propuestas de valor y la diferenciación. La piel de los que no tienen o no pertenecen a la ‘élite’ está muy sensible y en términos masivos puede representar una gran amenaza ante la desesperación de tantos años de estar sumidos, de escuchar cíclicamente conceptos de apretarse el cinturón y de sacrificio.

5. NO considerar acciones de innovación y reinvento puede ser fatal.

Hay que ser flexibles, actuar de una manera rápida, apelar al corazón e intelecto del consumidor. Estos conceptos han sido muy socorridos en los últimos años, pero ¿Los hemos implementado? ¿Hay que innovar y reinventar sobre lo que ya cambiamos y reinventamos recientemente?. Por supuesto que sí.

Los criterios que se consideraron en los últimos años cambiaron, y debemos de ir un paso adelante. Los criterios básicos son los mismos: Debemos de innovar -como recomienda Rudy Provoost (CEO Philips Ligting) en un interesante artículo de la Universidad de Wharton- poniendo las necesidades de los consumidores primero. Existe mucha claridad sobre los cambios y condiciones actuales que nos brindan retos y oportunidades, el tema es acercarse lo más que se pueda a quien ha sido, es y pretendemos que siga siendo nuestro cliente.

El autor sugiere que los responsables de hacer los procesos de innovación en las empresas trabajan con una tercia de ‘Ases’: Advocate (activista)-Accountability (confiabilidad en el proceso)- Amplifieres (esquemas de reconocimiento a utilizar),

En épocas de alto reto el entusiasmo por la innovación no debe de parar, insiste Provoost. En muchos casos para seguir siendo vigentes en los mercados, las propuestas de valor reinventadas o redefinidas que vienen acompañadas de un buen cambio o agente de innovación relevante para el consumidor, son exitosas.

La innovación es como la acupuntura: Hay que poner las agujas en los puntos de energía. Según Provoost: Una recesión puede desatar grandes ‘sacudidas’ pero quien prevalecerá será quien sea más flexible y tenga mejor capacidad de respuesta ante el cambio. Aquellos que hablen a los corazones y mentes de los consumidores.

(Puedes leer detalladamente sobre esto en una de las ligas de artículos que se presentan abajo; al igual que otro de Wharton que nos explica porqué una economía en crisis puede ser el momento ideal para implementar innovaciones disruptivas).

6.Debemos de ejercitar una maestría en cortes, no en mutilaciones.

Una cosa es cortar, otra destruir o aniquilar. Es entendible que las inversiones en actividades de mercadotecnia sean monitoreadas con microscopio pero nunca aniquiladas, hay que analizar los elementos con vida, extirpar las células cancerosas y entrar en una etapa de rehabilitación. En este negocio, irónicamente sigue habiendo marcas con excesos y marcas tímidas o mudas.

La recomendación es cortar donde se tengan evidencias de excesos. Un reporte de Advertising Age (Diciembre 1, 2008) cita el hartazgo que tienen muchos consumidores ante la exagerada repetición de un mismo anuncio, transformándose en un sentimiento negativo hacia la marca. Hay muchos casos de ese tipo aquí en México, en publicidad exterior, radio, televisión.

Si queremos seguir siendo vigentes o continuar compitiendo con fuerza no podemos guardar silencio o permanecer inmóviles . Las marcas deben de hacer presencia con cautela, pero deben de proponer, informar, emocionar y acercar a sus consumidores.

(En las ligas proporcionada posteriormente tenemos un par de artículos, uno en donde se entrevista a Laura y Al Ries, autor del Posicionamiento, publicado recientemente en Expansión y otro de los Profesores de Wharton a finales de noviembre).

7.Creativity rules.

Si no había duda de que la creatividad bien procesada e implementada funcionaba en todas las actividades, ahora lo será más.

Hay que buscar la diferenciación, la relevancia, no la ocurrencia o invasión de privacidad con propuestas de venta o anuncios estúpidos, fuera de contexto.

Un buen esfuerzo creativo genera beneficios económicos, ahorros y beneficios para las marcas, ayudando a disminuir la inversión en medios e incrementando el brand equity. Las buenas ideas, vengan de donde vengan, deben ser bien recompensadas.

Dentro de la red de comercialización hay que recordar que independientemente de las marcas que representen los distribuidores, ellos mismos deben de cuidar su propio brand equity. No es lo mismo comprar la misma marca de bicicleta en Target o Walmart que en Woolworth o Gigante… que ya son historia. Lo mismo sucede con los distribuidores de autos, ropa, y muchas otras categorías.

8.Hay que estar con los ojos bien abiertos; el olfato y los oídos bien sensibles.

Cierto, en el aspecto económico, pero con atención especial en el mundo del marketing.

Es obvio que habrá más competencia pero por como se ven los escenarios, algunos de los que ignoren lo que sucede tenderán a desaparecer, sin darse cuenta de la verdadera razón. Esto implicará que se robustezcan quienes se quedan y que los mercados se consoliden.

Lo que para algunos será presión, para otros representará una oportunidad de crecimiento. Ya hemos visto casos en la industria de la Aviación, en los autoservicios, en el sector financiero, entre muchos otros.

Ante nuestros propios ojos atestiguaremos importantes cambios en el comportamiento de los mercados. Ante el principio de que a todo cambio viene una reacción, hay que ser flexibles y movernos en la dirección correcta.

Adicionalmente hay que desarrollar un especial sentido en lo que decimos y cómo lo decimos. Las campañas con exclamaciones generalizadas (para que te sientas mejor… disfruta el momento… sabor mexicano… el mejor servicio’), entre muchas otras exclamaciones no exclusivas, son conceptos de venta huecos. Los anuncios que no consideran lo que está sucediendo en el contexto en que son recibidos o que ignoren la realidad del mercado, tendrán el riesgo de causar una imagen negativa y serán asociados como insensibles, descuidados o cínicos.

9.Acercamiento al mundo interactivo: Dónde y cómo se juntan el mundo real y el virtual (Online = Offline)

Es importante conocer lo que sucede en estos, aparentemente diferentes mundos. Resulta que quienes están en mundo ‘real’ han adoptado acciones para acercarse y conquistar a los adictos a Internet. Hay una serie de palabras y conceptos que podemos utilizar para atraerles. Estos, a su vez, gustan de tomar acciones “convencionales” donde comparten sus experiencias.

10. Las tendencias del 2009: Cuidado con la interpretación

Es imposible predecir el comportamiento de los consumidores por tipo de categoría. Y está claro que debemos de manejar con mucha cautela cualquier tipo de información generalizada, aún proviniendo de los gurus.

Hay señales preliminares que nos indican hacia donde se mueven ciertos segmentos en general y más escasamente, en industrias específicas. Hay tendencias que son imparables como las relacionadas con el tema de marketing verde, el crecimiento y consolidación de los aditamentos móviles y el deseo de auto-expresión.

Los impactos en los diferentes sectores de la economía serán diferentes, y en muchos casos podríamos ver hasta crecimiento en la demanda, vía el des-escalonamiento de marcas.

En las ligas proporcionadas posteriormente puedes encontrar interesantes artículos que describen lo que se piensa puede suceder a nivel global. Las fuentes:

AdAge
AdWeek
Trendwatch
Business Week
Brandstrategy

Artículos para sobrellevar el 2009

2009-01-15T09:53:00.000-08:00
A continuación te comparto varios artículos que me parecieron muy interesantes, éstos hablan de recomendaciones y estrategias para poder salir adelante en este 2009.

Espero sean de ayuda.

Philips Lighting CEO Rudy Provoost: Innovation Means Putting Consumers' Needs First
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleID=1905

Why an Economic Crisis Could Be the Right Time for Companies to Engage in 'Disruptive Innovation'
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleID=2086

Love Those Loyalty Programs: But Who Reaps the Real Rewards?
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleID=1700

‘Lean is Toyota’s growth story’
http://www.livemint.com/2008/08/25000110/8216Lean-is-Toyota8217s.html

Customer Relationship Marketing
http://www.erdm.com/customer-relationship-marketing.03.php5

How Toyota Turns Workers Into Problem Solvers
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3512.html

Tracking the Elusive Consumer
http://www.strategy-business.com/resiliencereport/resilience/rr00064

Not Their Fathers' Dealerships
http://wardsdealer.com/ar/auto_not_fathers_dealerships/

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Don't Skimp on Their Ad Budgets
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleID=2101

¡Fuera manos de la Mercadotecnia!
http://www.cnnexpansion.com/emprendedores/2008/11/13/fuera-manos-de-mercadotecnia

Luxury and wealth trends for 2009 (and beyond)
http://brandstrategy.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/luxury-and-wealth-trends-for-2009-and-beyond/

Nine trends for business in 2009
http://brandstrategy.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/nine-trends-for-business-in-2009/

Books you should have read
http://adage.com/article?article_id=133222

Lessons from the Obama campaign, plus the best Sarah Palin moments of 2008
http://adage.com/article?article_id=133152

Richard Laermer’s trends for 2009-01-15, plus reasons chinese consumers won’t save the west
http://adage.com/article?article_id=133243

Legal Issues to watch in 2009
http://adage.com/article?article_id=133236

Digital predictions that didn’t pan out, plus viral videos you should have seen and the Fastest-Rising search terms
http://adage.com/article?article_id=133217

Best Innovation & Design Books of 2008
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/12/1215_best_design_books/index.htm

Grandes Marcas

2009-01-09T15:20:00.000-08:00
Haz de tu nombre una de ellas.

¿Cuántas veces hemos oído de la eminencia médica, del abogado que todo lo puede, del sobador que hace milagros y a quien buscamos por más remoto o escondido que esté su consultorio?
Dedicado a Bill & Sara Jean

Con las personas sucede igual que con las marcas: el mundo nos juzga en función de lo que somos o hacemos. “Perception is reality”. “Dime con quién te juntas y te diré quien eres”. “La primera impresión dice más que mil palabras”… y ahí podemos seguir citando frases. En la vida diaria, como personas y en lo profesional, de la misma forma que las marcas de más valor, nuestra reputación e imagen son un factor que no debemos dejar al libre albedrío.
Con gusto te comparto estas ideas para analizar lo que hicimos en el 2008 y lo que podemos planificar para el 2009, con los nuevos factores que tenderemos en lo económico y social. Hagamos una analogía entre las características de las marcas de éxito y las personas que cuentan con una buena reputación.

1. Consistencia. Las grandes marcas superan lo que prometen. Sorprenden a sus clientes. Premian su fidelidad. Escuchan y atienden sus necesidades. Las personas queridas y de buena reputación la han conseguido no por salir en las secciones de sociales, o por poseer lo más in, lo han logrado por saber escuchar, por la consistencia entre lo que pregonan y lo que hacen en su trabajo y vida personal. Las personas que dejan huella lo hacen por el resumen final de sus actos.
2. Calidad. Un buen producto no tiene que ser de gran calidad, simplemente debe tener un mínimo esperado, un precio afín o justo que haga sentir a sus clientes satisfechos. Imaginemos ahora a cualquier persona que lleve a cabo algún trabajo para nosotros: meseros, ingenieros, abogados o trabajadoras domésticas. Aquellos que destacan, que dejan grandes huellas en la vida y al final resultan triunfadores, son quienes no se conformaron con dar el mínimo indispensable.
3. Individualidad. Es sinónimo de liderazgo. “Never follow”, nos indica Audi en sus campañas. El iPhone presentó una innovación disruptiva, hizo las cosas de una manera muy diferente y lanzó al mercado algo asombroso. Las personas auténticas logran cariño y admiración por el valor de ser diferentes.
4. Competitividad. No sólo ser bueno en tu forma de vida o en el manejo de los procesos… sino ser muy bueno. Barack Obama sorprende por sus ideas, por el espíritu de lucha, por intentar hacer las cosas mucho mejor que sus antecesores. Lo mismo vemos en los fabricantes japoneses como Toyota, Sony o Nintendo, que han aprendido a hacer las cosas mucho mejor que los demás a través de procesos evaluados constantemente, de un entendimiento de los mercados y de las limitaciones de sus competidores.
5. Visión. Las grandes marcas no se estacionan en el pasado, tienen una filosofía y metodología de mejora continua. Saben adaptarse a los cambios del medio ambiente e invierten en investigación y desarrollo para sostenerse en la cima. Las personas de éxito funcionan igual: tienen una idea de lo que quieren, y ven en el autodesarrollo y aprendizaje un elemento de todos los días.
6. Sustentabilidad. Estamos atestiguando la caída de muchas instituciones que trabajaron hacia adentro, donde los integrantes pensaron y actuaron en términos individualistas, y no en función del bien de la sociedad. Cada día vemos más investigaciones y reportes que nos indican que quien oferte bienes y servicios sin considerar a quienes los producen, los que consumen, los que viven en el lugar donde se fabrican, los que los comercializan y distribuyen, no van a lograr subsistir. Lo que hagamos por heredar un mejor mundo y por dar una aceptable calidad de vida a nuestros empleados puede llevarnos a ser muy bien percibidos.

Para terminar, hay otras características como innovación, flexibilidad o adaptabilidad ante los diferentes entornos y capacidad de respuesta frente a la necesidad o la adversidad. Los que estamos en la búsqueda de un sitio positivo en la sociedad, podemos aprender mucho de esas marcas que rodean nuestras vidas, que las hacen más fáciles o divertidas, y no necesariamente tienen un alto costo, y aplicar sus principios en la planeación de nuestra vida y carrera.

Concluyo expresándoles mis mejores deseos para cerrar bien el año e iniciar con entusiasmo el que sigue.