Dear Chief Marketing Officer, It’s time for your January Gut Check.

Today is the last business day of the first month of the year. Sometime in the next week, Chief Marketing Officers throughout the Fortune 500 will be called to the CEO carpet to report on your marketing effectiveness for January. Are you ready for these four questions? 1. “Last year you told me you needed [...]

Ten Steps to Direct Marketing Success….or not?

James Hipkin put together a deck on Direct Marketing 101. (see below) The “Ten Steps to Direct Marketing Success” gave pause for thought. What’s missing from this list in modern direct marketing? (Please leave a reply below.) 1. Develop a master financial plan 2. Select suitable products/services 3. Make your offer irresistible 4. Use lists [...]

I Have A Dream

Get Caught Doing Good.

Pepsi announced in late 2009 that it would sit out the Super Bowl. Instead, they focus on a new cause-oriented marketing campaign early next year. This campaign is a long term term, multi-millon-dollar grant program for charitable causes selected by consumers. According to Steve Drake, Cause Marketing happens when a not-for-profit and a for-profit partner [...]