When should you advertise and what should you say

Two great articles.

Sean Taylor from the Wizard of Ads has written a great post. When you should advertise .

Trevor Finch from Corus Radio in Winnipeg, Canada on what your advertising message should focus on.

Tony Mariani

Does Groupon cheapen your product

A photo company offered a 74% discount. $305 certificate for $79

They sold all 95.

95 x $79= $7505

Half to Groupon and the photographer's take is $3752.50 less the credit card charges Groupon passes on to them. Lets assume 2-2.5%. $3658.68 left for the photographer.

Let's assume in a perfect world that each session is one hour. $3658.68 /95= $38.51 per hour session.

Hardly worth the effort. But the photographer is trying to stimulate business. Why else discount a $305 value for $79.

This type of deep discounting spells trouble.

So what is the true value of this offer? $305 or the $38.51 the photographer netted?

Is the photographer inflating costs?

You decide.

Tony Mariani

How satisfied are you

Any marketing that conducts a survey and asks you for a laundry list to choose from to answer their question is really not interested in your answer.

Will any of these answers give, say, your cell phone provider a clear cut vision?

1. Most likely
2. Moderately likely
3. Less moderately likely
4. Least moderately likely
5. Not likely

Not likely. These are called grey surveys and yes I just made that up. No possible strategy can come out of them. And while we are at it, asking me to rate a service on a scale of 1 to 10 with one least likely is no better.

Nothing beats a yes or no survey with the ability to state why you are less likely or most likely to recommend your cell phone provider.

Those answers fix your customer service issues and make for some great creative.

Tony Mariani

Does Groupon Erode Price And Is Groupon Right For Your Small Business? - Marketing - The Bold Approach Method

Dave Lakhani has been described as a "Marketing Genius","Business Acceleration Strategist" and "Multipreneur" by his peers and the media. He has been responsible for developing dynamic strategies driving record breaking growth and increases in sales in more than 500 businesses in the past 10 years. Dave is an in demand speaker, author and trainer.

And this is probably the best post you will read about whether Groupon is good for your business.

Does Groupon Erode Price And Is Groupon Right For Your Small Business? - Marketing - The Bold Approach Method

Tony Mariani

Pepsi and the social media experiment that bombed

Social media is the new black.

Does it work? Of course.

But not always. And before you think of abandoning mainstream media for social media, here is The Ad Contrarian's blog on Pepsi wiping the blood from their nose.

Tony Mariani

Billboard advertising at its best

The biggest mistake on billboard advertising is clutter. Trying to get to much information on and it becomes busy.

Another mistake is street site of the board. That is when you can't make out the print while driving.

Here is an article and samples of great billboard advertising brought to you by Bestdesigntuts .

Tony Mariani

When just a tweak tells a different story

Jeff Sexton has written a great piece on how the smallest of changes to your creative can emote a different message and action .

Tony Mariani