Posted on 11/14/2008 @ 10:26 AM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

John Gerzema and Ed Lebar recently published a book which speaks to a previously unknown bubble in the US economy. This bubble represents $4 trillion dollars in the S&P market capitalization alone. It's twice the size for the subprime mortgage market and accounts for one-third of all shareholder value. Give up? It's 'brand value'! The book is entitled “The Brand Bubble: The looming crisis in brand value and how to avoid it.” Learn more about it on their website: www.thebrandbubble.com. Marketers refer to 'brand value' as the value consumers put on one brand over (or under) another. Think of it as how much more you would pay for brand name paper towels versus the store-brand stuff.The Brand bubble alleges that investors are irrationally overvaluing brands as consumer brand loyalty falls dramatically.Here’s the thing. This Brand Bubble (if there is one) is likely relegated to the highly homogenized products and services of the B2C marketplace. Are you particularly brand loyal to Pfizer's drugs over

Mistakes Marketing Professors Make

Posted on 10/27/2008 @ 8:29 PM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

In last Monday’s Wall Street Journal, there was an article titled "Mistakes Marketers Make" written by Dr. Corkindale from the Universirty of South Australia's International Graduate School of Business.Unfortunately, Dr. Corkindale understands how to write the kind of article editors love to publish (i.e. trying to turn conventional wisdoms on their head) however; these "mistakes" are really his "misconceptions". Let’s take six--one at a time.Misconception 1: Companies Need to Find and Target the Market Segments for Their Brands. Wrong says Dr. Corkindale. Aim at the broader market. The profiles of those who buy different brands in a particular product category are not that different. Marketers who only target a certain buyer lose potential business - and spend unnecessary market research dollars on segmenting the market. In one recent marketing study, nearly 50% of consumers said they bought the same brand of gasoline regularly. However, after studying their purchasing behavior for 6 months it was found they

Publicity and the Toxic Shower Curtain

Posted on 10/13/2008 @ 2:09 PM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

There was a news conference at the New York University Medical Center led by a doctor representing an obscure if official-sounding group. They claimed revelations about how shower curtains are "routinely sold at multiple retail outlets" and can "release as many as 108 volatile chemicals into the air." Thus, the Toxic Shower Curtain story was born. ABCNews.com picked it up, only to debunk it. But if the story was indeed untrue, its PR methodology was spot on. Public Relations people want to focus their time on things that pass the 'who cares?' and 'so what?' tests. Anytime you have the word ‘toxic’ next to an item everyone has in their homes, you can be fairly sure it will get picked up in the news and it will spread throughout the Web like wildfire. Here's where it can get a little tricky. Not only are you trying to write your release as if the story is going on the front page, but, today, you need to think about things like keyword density and anchor-text links. As David B. Armon, the President

JDM's Owner Celebrates Birthday

Posted on 10/10/2008 @ 1:52 PM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

Justin Downey, Owner and Managing Director of JDM, turned 28 today, October 9th. He’s part of a growing number of entrepreneurs under 30. According to the cover page article in this month's issue of Inc. magazine, the 80 million gen Ys in the U.S. are poised to represent the largest, the most educated, and the most diverse generation in American history. While traditionally CEOs worried about how to incorporate these up-and-coming stars into their workforce, perhaps it's time they worried about how to compete with them. You can learn more about Justin Downey on JDM's website and don't forget to wish him a happy birthday.

"Me Too" Marketing

Posted on 9/29/2008 @ 4:55 PM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

Positioning your business as simply an alternative to your competition with little or no differentiation is often referred to as "Me Too" marketing. Lots of us make this mistake and if you feel like you’re the only one, look at Microsoft and Apple. Even the mighty Microsoft is "me too"-ing Apples computer personification campaign with their own "I'm a PC" ads. Check out the videos side-by-side and see what I mean on JDM's website. In the meantime, here’s the fundamental problem with “me too” marketing. When buyers are comparing similar products and services they look for businesses that are different in a way they value. No differentiation, little or no additional value. Here are a few marketing tips to make sure you’re differentiating and not a "Me Too." Scope out the competition Before you can effectively differentiate yourself from the pack, you have to understand what everyone else in the space is up to. Conduct a simple analysis by gathering the marketing materials from all your

The Burger King Crown Card

Posted on 9/18/2008 @ 3:37 PM in #Food by Justin 1 comments

At JDM, we’re equally huge fans of customer acquisition marketing as well as customer retention marketing. Burger King’s "Gold Card" is an excellent example of both types of marketing in the same activity. The Burger King "Gold Card" entitles its owner to a limitless supply of free food from any Burger King. The card is presented to celebrities who are "good friends" of the Brand. Jennifer Hudson, for example, was a former employee at Burger King before becoming a celebrity. Robert Downy, Jr. received a gold card after mentioning Burger King in an interview. Jay Leno also has received one and describes the reaction upon flashing his card: So I ordered my food, and the guy says, "That’s $11" So I say: "Fine, here you go," and hand him the card. His reaction was amazing: "Whoa…where’d you get this?" He was not impressed that I was on "The Tonight Show" or even that I was driving a Porsche Carrera GT. He was more impressed with this piece of plastic. This is brilliant marketing from BK. It presents the Brand

Target Audience Messaging

Posted on 8/26/2008 @ 3:28 PM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

The key to successful marketing messaging is not just to understand how to communicate to your target audience, but also to understand what frame of mind your target audience is in. Check out Visa's "Go World" Ad and the "Top 10 Super Bowl 42" Ads on JDM's new website. Get the full story onJDM's blog, Big Marketing Ideas: Audience Frame of Mind

JDM Launches Unique Online Boutique

Posted on 8/21/2008 @ 3:57 PM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

Innovative marketing firm, JDM is proud to announce the launch of a Dallas-based Arts and Crafts online boutique. Purple Rose of Texas, founded by native Dallasite, Susan Thomson, is a collection of unique and creative gifts for just about anyone. From custom luggage tags, photo IDs and bookmarks to dog beds made out of vintage suitcases and Mason jar lamps, the range of products was more than enough for get JDM behind this small but distinctive business.Purple Rose of Texas is a great business with quality products but a very tight marketing budget."The goal of the engagement", says Creative Director, Jenee Oxley, who lead the project, "was to develop professional and elegant marketing materials that would create a positive return on marketing investment while still minimizing that investment and therefore any risk.""I get asked a lot which industries JDM services." Remarks Justin Downey, owner of JDM. "This is a perfect example of how our proven marketing best practices can be applied to any industry—even

RSS Today and in the Future

Posted on 8/14/2008 @ 11:53 AM in #Technology by Justin 0 comments

The power of "Real Simple Syndication" or RSS ishow it essentially asks prospects to opt-in to having your marketing message interrupt their day. This goes a long way toward having a truly interactive, value-exchanging conversation with your target buyers. This will quickly differentiate you from your competition, help you to retain customers, and shorten the sales cycle.How can RSS be used today and in the future? Primary delivery channel for newsletter content Contextual Advertising based on the feed’s channel Sponsored Items in the feed Press Room Subscription for Journalists Software/Policy Updates Technical Support Notification (scheduled maintenance, etc.) Unfortunately there’s nothing "simple" about "real simple syndication." In fact, beyond the technology knowledge needed, you need to start with something worth syndicating. Learn more about how there's nothing simple about RSS on JDM's blog: Big Marketing Ideas: Marketing as an RSS Conversation

Marketing Differentiation

Posted on 8/14/2008 @ 11:48 AM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

Differentiation is a process of discovering what your business and its products can say that no one else can. Ease-of-use or customer service, for example, is what everyone says. The key to successful differentiation is to look for the "Capo d’astro Bar." Check out JDM's blog posting: Big Marketing Ideas: Look for the Capo D'Astro Barto get the full story of the Capo d'astro Bar. This and othermarketing tips and campaign strategies can be found on JDM's new website.

Buy Bear; Sell Bull

Posted on 8/6/2008 @ 5:25 PM in #Business by Justin 0 comments

Buy low and sell high. Could any investment strategy be more simplistic? In times like these, many forget this basic principle. Here we look at how a Bear market is really a lamb in wolf’s clothing. The terms "Bear" and "Bull" markets come from how these animals attack. Bears stand to attention on their hind legs and attack downward using their tremendous weight as leverage. A bull, conversely, attacks upward with its sharp horns and powerful neck. The definition of a Bull or Bear market is cause for debate. The definition I use regards perception and perception is what really drives any market. In a bull market, investors buy because of a perception that the price will continue to rise. In a bear market, investors hold or sell but don’t buy as they perceive the market to continue to fall. What’s interesting is that these are self-fulfilling prophecies. If investors believe the market to fall into decline, then the market will decline. The inflection between a Bear and a Bull market comes when perceptions

10 Things You Must Know About Sales People

Posted on 8/6/2008 @ 5:22 PM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

1. ALWAYS keep in mind that sales is about closing deals, not about getting leads! If leads turn into sales you win with sales. But they don't get paid for working early pipeline leads, only for closing deals!2. Sales will ALWAYS focus on the latter stages of the sales pipeline. If you want to get sales support, make sure you clearly state how you will help them build their EARLY pipeline so they can FOCUS on the latter stages of the pipeline.3. You only get one bite at the apple! This is absolutely true in larger sales organizations. If you roll something out to the sales team and a couple of the top performers don't like it, it has bugs, or it is not supporting by the VP, you risk losing traction on the whole initiative before it even starts.4. Sales people like spiffs! Just like gifts at Christmas time, sales people like to be given things. Just look at the rewards structure set up in most sales organizations. Don't expect a sales force to just jump on board unless there is something in it for them

Search Engine Innovation - Who Knew?

Posted on 8/6/2008 @ 5:18 PM in #Web Related by Justin 0 comments

Ask anyone which search engine they use to find information on the Internet and they will almost certainly reply: "Google." Market research tell us that people actually use four main search engines for 99.99% of their searches: Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and Ask.com (in that order). What could be holding out the .01% of the market? What’s interesting is that there are actually hundreds of thousands of search engines holding on to the last 100th of a percent of the market. They have stayed alive because they are the innovators. Let’s take a look at one. Wow, Ms. Dewey! The first thing that almost everyone sees when they go to search the Internet - the ubiquitous Google homepage. That famously sparse, clean sheet of paper with the colorful Google logo is the most popular Web page in the entire World Wide Web. For millions and millions of Internet users, that Spartan white page IS the Internet. Staring at an almost blank sheet of paper has become, well, boring. There’s room for innovation. Take Ms. Dewey, an

Excerpts from "The Psychology of Marketing" White Paper

Posted on 7/25/2008 @ 5:55 PM in #Science by Justin 0 comments

Fact is, marketing is by definition is psychology applied to business. Customers make purchase decisions based largely on the messages they receive. However, are our marketing efforts crafting that message carefully enough? What are the psychological and physiological factors that influence how we receive and retain a marketing message? The following excerpt from "The Psychology of Marketing" covers the power and psychology of intrigue. Human eyes don’t see everything at once; the mind fills in the gaps. We are unable to remember every explicit detail so our mind manufactures the details tying the notes our mind took at the time together. The human mind is an eight pound guessing machine, so what happens when it receives an incomplete marketing message? It goes to work trying to solve the puzzle. Teaser campaigns play on our interest in solving the partial message. The key is to make that partial message so strange or provoking that the mind can almost make out the answer but never does until the

Underdog Marketing in a Down Economy

Posted on 7/10/2008 @ 3:07 PM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

Mark Willaman recently wrote a posting about marketing in a slow economy. You can check out the post on his blog, HRmarketer Blog. In it, he mentions investing in your company when times are tough, because things will eventually get better. That’s the whole idea of "buy low and sell high." It got me thinking. In an economic slowdown (dare I say the “R”-word) businesses usually look to the far future and in the meantime, hunker down and weather the storm. They fire all but a few of their accounts, eliminate in-house IT support, and especially look at marketing as a financial open wound. HOWEVER, there is a real opportunity for outsourced marketing, IT and Accounting businesses in this economy. An outsourced services firm can offer an entire firm of expertise for the price of a single new employee. In regards to marketing, specifically, as marketing budgets for large competitors shrink, the playing field is beginning to level. Imagine actually being able to out-spend and out-market your larger

Justin Downey Marketing is now "JDM. Marketing Evolved."

Posted on 7/7/2008 @ 2:33 PM in #Marketing by Justin 0 comments

JDM is now a full-service marketing firm providing our Texas-based clients marketing services that combine proven strategies, innovative tactics and emerging technology. We're developing cutting-edge marketing activities that not just revolutionize marketing, they evolve it.The traditional agency model can be painfully inefficient and teeth-grindingly—well traditional.We characterize our approach as Marketing Evolved™ because like evolution, we're not reinventing what's already working. We innovate what could work better or differently, test it based on hard data, and then incorporate it.By combining marketing strategies proven by testing, incorporating creative and innovative tactics and utilizing the latest emerging technology, JDM is able to provide our clients (and sometimes agencies) more than just traditional marketing, but evolved marketing.Need examples? Check out our marketing portfolio & case studies and see how even the most traditional marketing activities can still leave room for JDM innovation.

Rebranding is not for Governments

Posted on 6/30/2008 @ 1:14 PM in #Politics by Justin 0 comments

In September of 2007, the Scottish Executive decided to change its name to The Scottish Government. Apparently, they read too many references like "The Scottish Executive (Scotland’s Government)."Obviously, naming a legislative authority, "The Scottish Executive" was daft. Attempting to rebrand a government for the sake of a citing symptom is dafter still.Rebranding is about changing for the better in a relevant way. It's about reconnecting with who you really are as a company, as a Brand and as a group of talented, passionate people. The French call it a "retour aux sources" or a return to your source.For a rebranding to work, it has to come from the inside. Superficial changes won’t work by themselves. As far as the Scottish go, did you hear the Irish originally gave them the bagpipes? The Scottish never got the joke.More on JDM’s rebranding in the next special edition of ipsumNEWS.

Is TV Commercial Skipping via DVR Piracy?

Posted on 6/11/2008 @ 3:46 PM in #Television by Justin 0 comments

We all wondered what would happen to traditional TV ads when DVRs finally caught on. The big question was, "Won't everyone fast-forward through the commercials?" This was of course the same question everyone was asking when the first VHS recorders hit the market in the 80's. In 2003, ReplayTV (a manufacturer of DVRs like TiVo) announced they are stripping the ad skipping feature out of their new DVR models because they are scared of a copyright law controversy. [ReplayTV strips ad skipping in new DVR models] We asked L. Ray Patterson, Professor of Professional Responsibility at the University of Georgia school of law, to weigh in. The competitor obeys the copyright; the consumer uses the work. The copyright owner, by reason of the Copyright Act and the copyright clause, has not only no right to interfere, but a duty not to interfere with the consumer's use of a publicly disseminated work. According to Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing copyright

My Account

Log In

Register