As bloated Britain wakes up to the mother of all “mornings after”, will consumers’ plans to cut back extend beyond the usual New Year purge to affect brand strategies and results?

In the words of Oscar Wilde, “a New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other”. It is an observa­tion confirmed by statistics: research suggests that up to 97% of New Year’s resolutions remain unfulfilled.

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Carlsberg is to launch a £30m World Cup-themed marketing campaign, the beer brand’s biggest single year investment, as it looks to leverage its sponsorship of the England national team.

The beer brand is to launch television, digital and point of sale activity in the build to this June’s World Cup in South Africa.

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Are there ways to market your business that will not cost you a fortune? How can you get the word out without driving your company into a financial black hole?

Truth is most marketing does take money, but there are some low-cost and no-cost options that you can put into action that will help you to get the word out about your products and service. While these ideas will not cost you a lot of money they will cost you time, so prepare for that.

These are fantastic ideas for the company that is just getting started. They also work! Choose two out of the five and move forward on them this week. Once you begin to see that in fact these promotional ideas can bring you business your momentum will build and drive you to pick two more.

1.Network at events. Go to Chamber of Commerce meetings, Group meetings, and other organisational meetings that will be attracting your “ideal” client. Gather business cards. Get as many as you can and then begin to phone and email to follow up. Do this immediately while you are still fresh in their mind. If they cannot use your services, ask them if they know of someone who can and get their contact information.

2.Attend public meetings. At every public meeting, make a commitment to say something that could be useful to those that are attending. This is a great way to not only share you knowledge and help others, but it also puts you in the eye of those who could use your services.

3.Create a “useful” handout. A handout that when given to a recipient they keep because it has value. For example with my business I have one entitled the “Top Ten Marketing Tactics Your Competition Wish They Knew.” Make sure that you include your name, phone number, email address, website information and your 30 second commercial that tells the recipient about your business.

4.Create joint-ventures. Find colleagues and business associates whose business compliments yours and do joint promotions. For example I do joint-ventures with a copywriter and graphic designer. Who could you partner with?

5.Write letters to editors of local newspapers and business publications. Make them interesting and newsworthy. You’ll be surprised at how often a good letter will get printed. Do not forget to include your contact information and website address.

By committing to one of these items on a weekly basis within one month you will see your business gain recognition and business. You can get the word out there without spending hundreds of pounds.

Source: Marketing.About.com

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There is no denying that marketing departments have been victims of the ongoing economic crisis, with firms concentrating on surviving rather than battling it out for new business. However, the new year could herald a fresh start for the sector with various reports suggesting that budgets for email, mobile and online marketing will be much healthier in 2010.

The latest Bellwether survey from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and BDO Stoy Hayward highlighted that while 2009 ended with marketing budgets at their lowest level in two years, decline in marketing spend in the final quarter was much slower than in previous months.

In addition, two-thirds of the industry professionals questioned said that budgets for 2010 are at this stage already higher than last year’s.

And it seems that this cash will be well spent, with new research suggesting consumers are becoming increasingly keen to be on the receiving end of marketing campaigns.

The 2009 Marketing-GAP Tracking Study from online market research company fast.MAP and the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) highlights that consumers are more receptive than ever before to the direct marketing of products and services which interest them.

A massive 95 per cent of consumers are “happy to receive” information from their favoured supermarkets and stores through one or more marketing channels and 73 per cent are happy to receive information on local restaurants.

However, it seems that many marketers underestimate consumers’ willingness to receive marketing messages, with experts in the sector predicting that just 28 per cent of people would be happy to receive emails about companies they know, when in reality over half of consumers would be interested in such communications.

Commenting of the findings of the report, Robert Keitch, chief of membership & brand for the DMA, said: “In spite of ever-improving tools, practices and research, it’s clear that marketing practitioners are failing to keep up to date with what consumers really think about direct marketing. Consumers are largely receptive to direct marketing, but only under the right circumstances.”

He added that if marketing is going to be a strong revenue driver for companies and help them out of the recession, it is vital that people in marketing jobs have the capabilities to produce effective campaigns.

This suggests that while the upturn is paving the way for a surge in marketing recruitment, it will only be those at the top of their game who are taken on.

Source: AshdownGroup.com

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Word-of-mouth marketing is when a business does something and their consumer tells five to ten friends. Word-of-mouth marketing has an echo affect. The initial sound is loud and then it fades into the background.

Viral marketing unlike word-of-mouth marketing has a compounding affect. A consumer tells five to ten people and then those five to ten people tell another five to ten people. The driving force behind most viral campaigns is the passion a consumer carries. It’s like a virus that continuously infects more people and spreads without requiring anymore marketing effort.

While the two are similar as you can see they are not the same.

Word-of-mouth marketing is a key component to the growth of a small business. It’s often word-of-mouth marketing that keeps small businesses running in the early days of operation when there is little to no marketing budget. The consumer shares their experience with your products or services and they share it with their family and friends. This increases your consumer base and increases your sales.

Viral marketing is more about reaching out and touching the passion point of your consumer, so that the passion drives the message and the message continues to reach the masses without assistance from you. You can orchestrate a viral campaign, but very seldom are viral campaigns that are orchestrated as successful as those that are just driven by the passion of a consumer. In order for it to reach a level of success your consumer must feel they have a personal stake and investment in the success of your campaign.

It’s important to also realize that the success of a viral campaign depends on the vehicles use to transmit the message. There are companies that are more virally equipped than others. In order to create a strong viral link the message must be able to transport from television advertising, to radio and other extended means of broadcasting to the power of the Internet.

In conclusion the major different between word-of-mouth marketing and viral is that word-of-mouth is often driven by you the marketer or business owner and viral marketing driven by the passion of your consumers and it’s success does not depend on you.

Source: Marketing.About.com

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A career in marketing is enjoyable and fun. Most people who work in marketing will tell you it provides them with the challenge they have always wanted. The reason being is marketing is always changing; there are always techniques to learn, cases to study, and strategies to research.

Do you have what it takes?

* Can you communicate your thoughts, ideas, and information clearly and concisely both in writing and verbally?
* Are you able to recognize problems and devise an appropriate plan of action to resolve that problem?
* Can you organize and interpret complex data?
* Are you good at generating new ideas? Can you then take and organize those ideas and communicate them verbally?

If you possess the qualities above then you could be a good candidate for entering and being successful in the career of marketing. Marketing offers various career opportunities, so it’s easy to choose one that reflects your interest, values, and personal style.

As a marketing graduate you can gain experience in your chosen career by participating in an apprenticeship or volunteering in service learning and community projects. Samples of potential experiences include:

* Conducting Market Research.
* Promoting products through development of Point-of-Purchase displays.
* Spending time reviewing potential cost, price, and market research for service programs.
* Learning how to research customer base potential using available data.
* Designing an advertising or promotional campaign to promote new services.
* Developing a marketing plan for a global business.

What if you don’t have a college degree in marketing?

Don’t worry. I think you will find the statistics in the chart to the right not only interesting, but encouraging. The table below shows the percentage and the degree background of new graduates that have begun a career in marketing.

So now that I’ve given you hope, how do you get your foot in the door? It will take determination and persistence, but it can be done. You will find that a start in marketing will normally put you in an entry position as a market research assistant, print buyer, general management trainee, or you can enter a program as a graduate trainee.

A few companies that offer marketing graduate trainee programs include:

Mars
Mars does not have a specific marketing training program for graduates. They run a cross-functional management development program, through which graduates have access to opportunities in marketing. Recruits to the program are typically given three to four assignments, the first of which may be related to their experience or studies. The remaining assignments will be in other areas, and one may be overseas. Their goal is to broaden trainees’ experiences.

Nestle
Nestle has recently changed its approach to hiring graduates. Nestle recruits in a similar fashion as to how they recruit other employee levels. Each department now recruits graduates throughout the year on an ‘as-required’ basis. Vacancies will be posted and advertised throughout the year.

Procter and Gamble
Procter & Gamble’s graduate training program recruits graduates into one of eight career tracks, including consumer and market knowledge and marketing. Consumer and market knowledge involves sophisticated and proactive market research-based work to identify business opportunities, including new product development. The marketing function involves growing the value of brands within the P&G product range. Marketing trainees will learn about advertising, PR, consumer bonding, direct marketing and project management within their first two years. The applicants are selected according to application form, a problem-solving test, interview, and site visit, where they will meet prospective managers and colleagues.

If you decide that the graduate training program route is not for you; you can still break into the field of marketing by being persistent. You will need to be willing to take on an entry-level position in most marketing agencies and work your way up. If this isn’t a problem then it’s time to begin your first marketing assignment, which is marketing you by developing that resume.

Source: Marketing.About.com

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Imagine you are about to embark on a trip of a lifetime. You’ve received brochures for a luxury resort. The rooms are lavish; the grounds impeccable. Photos of the restaurant’s signature dishes look delectable. You’re sold.

You go to the hotel. The room is musty and a tad dirty. The food is barely passable. Service is brusque and spotty at best. When you complain to management, you’re met with indifference, or worse, silence. You leave disillusioned and disgusted. For all the resort’s slick marketing, they’ve fallen woefully short.

Branding goes well beyond marketing. It will not be successful without ensuring that all aspects of your business reflect and support your intended brand. One of your most valuable assets—your people—must be well-trained in articulating and delivering on your brand. This step is particularly important for service organizations that don’t have concrete products. Their offerings are soft assets like knowledge, experience and people.

When employees don’t deliver the brand, it can be the kiss of death for a business. Don’t believe me? Visit a hotel review web site like TripAdvisor.com. Peruse travelers’ comments and you’ll likely come across more than a few who cite poor customer service for their negative hotel reviews. Conversely, employees who represent the brand flawlessly and consistently can propel a business to stardom.

Brand: The Sum of All Its Parts

Despite what many believe, brand isn’t about your logo, tagline and glossy brochure. Instead, a strong brand integrates multiple components, all of them necessary, including customer interactions, employee communications, corporate philosophy and advertising/marketing efforts. Your brand extends to your employees, customers, the media and even the general public as the above story illustrates. If these components don’t consistently reinforce your brand, customers will become dissatisfied. The negative impact of their perception, should they voice their opinions to other potential customers or even the media, could have a ripple effect on your business. This can erode your brand equity and create misperceptions about your company in the market, that in turn could lead prospective customers, employees and investors to pass on your organization.

On the other hand, brand consistency throughout all levels of the organization helps drive an organization to grow and prosper. Strong brands can drive an increase in sales. The company is better suited to attract and retain the best employees. Vendors can see value in your brand and look to establish partnerships with your business, while investors will see the business and your brand equity as a valuable commodity.

Branding Through Your Employees

Your employees are one of the most critical touch points for your customer. Here are several steps to ensure that they are representing your brand in the best light possible.

* Develop a Company Philosophy.
A thoughtfully planned philosophy that guides how your company operates is the first step to reinforcing your brand among your workforce. The prestigious Ritz Carlton Hotel Company is an excellent example. They have created the following five “Gold Standards” for their business operations that reinforce the brand and detail an employee’s role in delivering on this brand:

1. A vision to revolutionize hospitality in America by creating a luxury setting for guests and a credo that states the company’s commitment to the genuine care and comfort of its guests.
2. A motto that exemplifies the level of service for its guests: We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.
3. Three Steps of Service:
o A warm and sincere greeting that uses the guest name, if and when possible
o Anticipation and compliance with guest needs
o A fond farewell that uses a guest’s name, if and when possible
4. “20 Basics” that outline the responsibilities and expectations for how the company delivers on its service (including #13—Never Lose a Guest)
5. The Employee Promise (“At The Ritz-Carlton, our Ladies & Gentlemen are the most important resource in our service commitment to our guests.”)

# Maintain Brand Consistency
This step is essential to building a strong brand. However, it is often one of the first steps to unravel. You must establish consistency throughout all aspects of your organization. But setting the standards is not enough. You must constantly evaluate your actions. Establish checkpoints for each aspect of the business that interacts with customers and the general public. Ensure that each employee is empowered to identify and address inconsistencies in your brand. Fail to deliver on brand with one customer, and he or she might forget. Fail to do so for another, and he or she might not be so forgiving. It only takes a scant few to dispel the brand you are touting.

# Practice What You Preach.
The best way to lead is by example. If your brand projects your organization as one which supports its employees and then reneges on that promise, your brand (and sales) will suffer. Case in point: Wal-Mart. The company says, “We believe that one of the keys to our success is our people and how we treat them.” However, the retail chain has been the subject of unfair employee wage practice lawsuits. Moreover, though they say they value their target customer (the hard working middle class) their actions aren’t necessarily consistent with the rhetoric.

# Implement Brand Guidelines.
In order to ensure brand consistency, your organization must establish a framework or set of brand guidelines for all to follow. We’re not merely talking about logo or corporate identity guidelines, but actual brand guidelines that communicate the company’s brand positioning statement, key messages, core values, brand attributes, measures of success and processes for handling customer issues or feedback. Federal Express was an early pioneer in this idea. The international shipper utilizes an Internet-based program which outlines the company’s brand guidelines. This detailed approach provides guidance on everything from the graphic standards for use of the company logo to how cultural differences affect brand (particularly important for global companies). Establishing brand guidelines leaves no room for misinterpretation and helps maintain consistency throughout all levels of the organization.

# Understand and Address Cultural Differences.
With advancements in technology, communications and the Internet, we are truly becoming a global economy. Considering cultural differences when building a brand is more important than ever, particularly if your business has international reach. Words and phrases in America might not translate to the same meaning in another country. What customers value and perceive as positive in the United States may be perceived radically different elsewhere. In the past, the United States was the model that all others wanted to emulate. That isn’t necessarily the case today. Therefore, it is incumbent on corporations to ensure that their brands can transcend these cultural differences, if they are to have a greater geographical reach.
Brand extends well beyond your marketing efforts. Your brand is only as good as the people behind it…and the people in front of your customer. Take the time to effectively build a corporate culture that mirrors your brand. Train your employees to represent that brand. Evaluate your consistency in delivering your brand across all aspects of your business. In doing so, you will strengthen your brand equity and position your company for greater success.

Source: marketing.about.com

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If you’re on Twitter, no doubt you’ve noticed different Tweeple running polls from time to time.

We ran our first poll on Twitter over 3 years ago which resulted in the post, Guide to Twitter as a Tool for Marketing and PR, offering insights from other marketing and PR professionals experienced with the Twitter web site.

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Not content with simply being a founding partner of the Open Handset Alliance’s Android operating platform, Google wants to “revolutionise smartphones” to become “superphones” with its own branded Nexus One mobile. But has it managed to create a phone that will get people adoring Google as a phone manufacturer?

Nexus One is available to buy on the search engine and follows the release of the HTC G1 handset in Christmas 2008, which was sold exclusively through T-Mobile and was branded “powered by Google”. Vodafone will offer UK contracts, or one can buy the handset without a sim card.

The company says the goal of Google’s new consumer channel is to provide an efficient way to connect Google’s online users with selected Android phones.

But has Google managed to find something that will help it compete with its main rivals Microsoft and Apple in the mobile world? Mobile experts think not.

According to Andy Rubin, senior director of mobile platforms at Google, Android is “the next most important platform in the world” and will “revolutionise” the way mobiles work.

Since Android’s launch, 20 handsets have been released using the system worldwide and it has just more than a 25% share in the smartphone market.

Avi Greengart, an analyst with Current Analysis, says that although there is interest in Android, the iPhone has dominated because of its ability to multi-task – a functionality Google cannot compete with,

“Android has been gaining pace and Google is increasing mobile traffic as a result. But if you put the Nexus One against the iPhone, they just don’t compare – at least not on what is being touted right now. It will be interesting to see how they do in the sales rush. Google will surely be looking to do better than its G1 did,” he says.

Curiously Google has signed Vodafone up to be its first UK partner. The operator is already well under way with its promotion for the iPhone launch on the network next week and recently dropped plans to sell Sony Ericsson’s X2 smartphone handset.

Sarah Cakebread, a consultant at MobiBrands, says Google will have to ensure it gets a similar marketing push to Chrome to be a successful launch.

“I’d be surprised if Vodafone did give Nexus One a lot of attention when the iPhone is in fact its bigger and better option. I expect that Google will look to promote the handset using PR and across its website as much as possible for now. If they extend the brand, like they have done with Chrome, only then will we possibly see an extensive ad campaign.”

However, according to Datamonitor, the key aspect of this launch was not the device itself.

“It’s more about Google’s entry as an online retailer of phones. The Nexus One may not be a game-changer in terms of technology or pricing, but it does reinforce Google’s ambition to become the first managed device platform (MDP) vendor,” the analysts suggest.

They add that Nexus One is an achievement for Google because it has control of the complete end-to-end user experience of the handset, from procurement to the delivery of web services to the device.

“We believe that MDPs will define the new high end of devices over the next five years. As smartphones are pushed further into the mass market, the important distinction of a phone will not be smart or not smart but managed or unmanaged,” Datamonitor predicts.

Questions also remain over Android and Nexus One’s late entry into an already crowded market, and barriers such as consumer loyalties to existing platforms.

Kevin Burden, director of technology consultancy ABI Research, says: “If Android is going to pay off for Google and OHA, subscribers will need to start buying smartphones without fully realising what they just purchased.”

For Google to succeed in selling phones under its name, it must rely on the strength and reputation of the Google brand to appeal to both business and consumers. Selling the phone itself could be a more risky move, however. Only recently Nokia closed several stores worldwide in recognition of the fact that customers wanted price deals and not just handsets.

Strategy Analytics executive director Chris Ambrosio says: “Google has the brand power to make a big impact at launch. It should be able to compete with other competitors in the market such as Microsoft and Symbian, as long as it shows real worth to users.”

In marketing terms, the launch of Android may also open a platform which brands have been hesitant to exploit. Last year, a survey by operator O2 predicted that spend in mobile marketing – ads designed for mobile platforms – was set to rise 150% in five years.

Daniel Rosen, managing director of AKQA Mobile, says: “The Android platform presents such a mixed opportunity. The cost and time to deploy applications is greatly reduced, which helps to justify platform development, but ‘reach’ is a key barometer if it is to compete with the likes of Apple and Symbian.”

Few doubt Google aims to shake up the mobile market, and with partners including T-Mobile and Motorola it seems to have made a good start. Bringing the success of its search engine to the mobile industry, however, will be a huge challenge.

Source: MarketingWeek.co.uk

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When you hear someone mention that they are in marketing, what do you think they do exactly? What does “Marketing” mean and what kind of jobs are their in the marketing field. When someone says they are in Marketing there are a number of specific jobs they could be referring to. Marketing jobs are varied in their type and structure, so if you think marketing is something you might enjoy doing, you should consider what that can encompass. Here are a few of the more common marketing jobs you may see in your job search.

Some marketing jobs refer to account managers, which are sometimes called account executives. They generally are the point person for specific client accounts. As an account executive, you would be helping clients form strategies to market their businesses as well as implementing those strategies for them. You might also me known as I consultant to the clients. They come to you when they need things done. You get those things done for them. You need to have good people skills in order to me an account manager. This is obvious since you will be dealing with people all the time. But what if you don’t like to deal with people?

Luckily marketing jobs aren’t always about dealing with customers. You could be a product or brand manager as well. For such marketing jobs you would be responsible for creating strategies and marketing publicity for physical products or brand names. You would probably gain understanding of the market for the product and target niches and specific sects of the market. There would of course be an account manager who deals with the client. But your jobs is simply to focus on marketing and not customer relations.

Sometimes marketing jobs have weird sounding names like MarCom manager. As stang as it sounds this job, though, is important. Generally, in this role, you would be responsible for the direct marketing strategy for a company or in some cases a product. You would also create materials and organize the entire marketing program from scheduling, budget to implementation in terms of the communication side of things. This job demands experience in the whole cycle of marketing.

Then there are marketing managers. In this, perhaps the most commonly referred to of marketing jobs, you would be in charge of all activities and decisions in the marketing department of a company. You would be required to communicate, organize, analyze, and manage all at the same time. Plus you would be ultimately responsible for the people who work for you. You are, after all, their boss. This job role demands years of experience in all forms of marketing roles. Typically you would have be promoted up the ranks of all other job roles to get here.

As you can see, marketing jobs are varied, but offer something for everyone. There’s a job for every type of person, whether you like dealing with people or not. By understanding just a few of the more common jobs out there for those in marketing, you can get an idea of where you should be looking and what might work best for you and your skills.

Click here to search of our Marketing Jobs such as:

Advertising Marketing Jobs

Digital Marketing Jobs

Market Analyst Jobs

Market Research Jobs

Marketing Agency Jobs

Source: EzineArticles.com

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