America is such an awesome place for so many reasons. People are passionate no matter where you go whether it is down to the local Walmart store, on the slopes of Vail or in the Streets of New York. Often people the world over put Americans in an unfair box; loud, abnoxious, overly-opinionated, political and entrepreneurial. Other than the latter, I tend to disagree. It doesn't help that there are so many thousands of websites out there trying to "brand" Americans as such.
Read more about: How good are you at customer profiling? → Expert Marketing Blog - Marketing - Page 40
Life is a long time and staying loyal to certain brands whether it's Heinz Baked Beans, Chanel No. 5 perfume, Nike, Tiffanys, Toyota, Ray Ban or Mokador Coffee - the endurance of brand loyalty can be a long, arduous path.
I am an avid skier. I love spending the day skiing and nights by a log fire talking about life, business and how I am going to change the world. One of my good friends who has kindly agreed to host me in Vail this week for 10 days skiing and a bit of business, suggested that I may like to take a look at his good friend's beautiful ski label before we head up the mountain. On the first mention, I thought 'why not', but then I took a look at their website and the jackets and pants were really nice... BUT... they are not the brand that I have been wearing since the first day I ever went skiing. No matter how nice they are, I just could not imagine wearing a jacket from another brand. I would feel disloyal.
I didn't mean to be that loyal to Spyder and Bogner (My BRANDS), but somehow, since that first sales person sold a Spyder ski outfit to me, I have been incredibly loyal ever since. I now own every single item that you can possibly own that has the Spyder brand on it. Bogner was a later acquisition (when I had saved enough money!!!!) and is completely non- competing with my love of the Spyder brand. It's European and is more for when I want to look sophisticated and stylish rather than athletic or sporty. Bogner is also considerably more expensive and is something I only bring out for extra special occasions although I do feel totally luxurious when I am wearing it and I always feel that I should be in Val de Sere or St Moritz when I am decked head to toe in Bogner. It quite simply makes me feel beautiful.
Whereas Spyder is for everyday wear. When I put on my Spyder gear, I feel like I am wearing the best, most practical, safest, warmest attire on the slopes and that I won't have to worry about the small things like snow soaking my jacket or feeling cold as the temperature changes. I also feel like the brand is not a 'show off' brand, and more for the sporty person who loves adventure and is not fussed about the small things in life. Even if you are not a good skier, when you have Spyder on, you feel like you are going to be.
Brands are funny things. Some people will only ever drive a Toyota car. Others will only ever wear Nike when they are playing sports. For me, I will only ever wear Spyder or Bogner when I ski, and only ever play golf with Callaway. There may be better out there, but the shift to try it is too great for a brand loyalist like myself.
I AM A BRAND LOYALIST FOR LIFE...SPYDER ... YOU HAVE RUINED ME!
Mellissah Smith, Atlanta
Read more about: What is a brand for life? → I am an avid skier. I love spending the day skiing and nights by a log fire talking about life, business and how I am going to change the world. One of my good friends who has kindly agreed to host me in Vail this week for 10 days skiing and a bit of business, suggested that I may like to take a look at his good friend's beautiful ski label before we head up the mountain. On the first mention, I thought 'why not', but then I took a look at their website and the jackets and pants were really nice... BUT... they are not the brand that I have been wearing since the first day I ever went skiing. No matter how nice they are, I just could not imagine wearing a jacket from another brand. I would feel disloyal.
I didn't mean to be that loyal to Spyder and Bogner (My BRANDS), but somehow, since that first sales person sold a Spyder ski outfit to me, I have been incredibly loyal ever since. I now own every single item that you can possibly own that has the Spyder brand on it. Bogner was a later acquisition (when I had saved enough money!!!!) and is completely non- competing with my love of the Spyder brand. It's European and is more for when I want to look sophisticated and stylish rather than athletic or sporty. Bogner is also considerably more expensive and is something I only bring out for extra special occasions although I do feel totally luxurious when I am wearing it and I always feel that I should be in Val de Sere or St Moritz when I am decked head to toe in Bogner. It quite simply makes me feel beautiful.
Whereas Spyder is for everyday wear. When I put on my Spyder gear, I feel like I am wearing the best, most practical, safest, warmest attire on the slopes and that I won't have to worry about the small things like snow soaking my jacket or feeling cold as the temperature changes. I also feel like the brand is not a 'show off' brand, and more for the sporty person who loves adventure and is not fussed about the small things in life. Even if you are not a good skier, when you have Spyder on, you feel like you are going to be.
Brands are funny things. Some people will only ever drive a Toyota car. Others will only ever wear Nike when they are playing sports. For me, I will only ever wear Spyder or Bogner when I ski, and only ever play golf with Callaway. There may be better out there, but the shift to try it is too great for a brand loyalist like myself.
I AM A BRAND LOYALIST FOR LIFE...SPYDER ... YOU HAVE RUINED ME!
Mellissah Smith, Atlanta
How many times have you gone onto a website to buy something, only to find that the experience is too frustrating to continue?
In my case, too many. When will e-tailers learn? If I look at buying a flight online, I have to say that the experience is simple. I put in my details, my flight gets booked and they send a confirmation to my email account. Simple.
Read more about: Turn your online shop into a pleasant shopping experience → In my case, too many. When will e-tailers learn? If I look at buying a flight online, I have to say that the experience is simple. I put in my details, my flight gets booked and they send a confirmation to my email account. Simple.
There are a lot of retailers out there hurting - real bad! With a global financial crisis, it seems that retailers have been hardest hit and on top of that, the added burden of new marketing techniques seem to be almost impossible to keep up with. It also doesn't help that online sales of retail products seem to be all the go and quite often consumers can get the same product, cheaper from Asia or the US, just by buying online.
However, there is some positive news. With the Retailers Association pushing consumers to go back to buying from local shops and Xmas just weeks away, retail should be on the 'up'.
Read more about: Retail Marketing Ideas For Xmas Trading → However, there is some positive news. With the Retailers Association pushing consumers to go back to buying from local shops and Xmas just weeks away, retail should be on the 'up'.
The more one realises that by listening to others you will learn more than you could ever imagine - the more successful you will become.
Read more about: Learn from people smarter than you - and you will succeed → To make it as a successful marketing manager, there are many traits that you need to have. It no longer is just about understanding and delivering in a marketing capacity, but more importantly being able to understand the fundamentals of business and have an ability to execute the company’s business plan from a sales and marketing perspective.
Are you an adventurous person? Do you love extreme sports, especially mountain bike riding? Do you feel like you could handle a wild mountain track? Do you want to ride like a Rockstar? Prepare yourself because the day has come!
Read more about: Be ready to Ride like a Rockstar! → If you are anything like me, I get embarrassed when people give me gifts. I much prefer to buy others gifts instead. I am not sure why this is the case and I am sure there is some psychological reason behind the fact that some people like giving and others like receiving.
Read more about: What does a gift say about you? → 
What are you really saying to your customers?
Have you had a great conversation with a potential customer, been really optimistic about getting them on board, and then never heard from them again? Maybe that conversation wasn’t as great as you had thought? Impossible! You know your product inside and out, you answered every question they had. As hard as it may be for you to identify, there may be something small in the way you are speaking with these customers that is putting them off coming back.
Read more about: Not sure how to close a sale? → Have you had a great conversation with a potential customer, been really optimistic about getting them on board, and then never heard from them again? Maybe that conversation wasn’t as great as you had thought? Impossible! You know your product inside and out, you answered every question they had. As hard as it may be for you to identify, there may be something small in the way you are speaking with these customers that is putting them off coming back.
Marketing Eye was approached by Spanish Doughnuts with the view to promoting the first annual “World Churro Eating Competition” to be held at Melbourne’s Federation Square. With just over two weeks to go before the event date it was full steam ahead from the off-set. Marketing Eye met with Michael Aldemir, Director of Spanish Doughnuts Australia for an initial brain storming session, from here the promotional strategy was developed and implemented.
Have you ever been part of a truly historical moment?
From the humble origins of Spanish churros hundreds of years ago in the mountain grasslands of Spain to the arrival of churro makers to Australia in the 1800s, people from all walks of life now enjoy eating churros.
On Saturday 20 August Melbourne's Federation Square is host to “The World’s First Churro Eating Competition” at 12 noon. The event will see ten dedicated churro lovers battle it out for the title and the $1000 cash prize!
This moment in doughnut eating history, organised by churro specialists Spanish Doughnuts, is heralded as the doughnut lovers’ biggest challenge. The lucky finalists will compete by eating as many platefuls of hot, fresh Spanish Doughnuts’ original churros (a golden crispy doughnut rolled in cinnamon sugar, with a fluffy centre) as they possibly can in two minutes.
“This type of event has never been done before so we are very excited to meet the world’s first ever ‘Churro Eating Champion’. We have received hundreds of entries daily from avid doughnut lovers via our website and stores so it really will be a close competition” says Michael Aldemir, Director, Spanish Doughnuts Australia.
Also, as part of this historical event you can enjoy salsa dancing by taking part in the “Salsa Churro Dance Competition” at 12.15pm, which offers a $500 cash prize for the pair who can dance while keeping their churros intact! This promises to be a fun event for all, come along and be part of Spanish Doughnut history!
For further information please visit www.spanishdoughnuts.com.au
P.S. If you like this marketing blog, then please feel free to share it on whatever social network medium you see fit. We love facebook, twitter and linkedin!
Being a statistic for failure isn’t much fun-let’s face it. I don’t like the idea, and I bet you aren’t too keen on it either. And when it come to small business, or any business or cause for that matter it is best to avoid it like the plague. This leads me to wonder why so many businesses out there do not invest in a solid online marketing strategy of an effective website.
Put simply- no business will survive without a good website. However, what is most surprising to me is not how bad some websites actually are but in fact how easily these website short comings or problems can be fixed.
Having had a browse around various small business websites recently it occurred to me the magic a good website can do for a small business.
"What I gleaned from viewing “The Social Network” was bigger and more important than whether the scenes and details included in the script were accurate. After all, the movie was clearly intended to be entertainment and not a fact-based documentary. What struck me most was not what happened – and what did not – and who said what to whom and why. The true takeaway for me was that entrepreneurship and creativity, however complicated, difficult or tortured to execute, are perhaps the most important drivers of business today and the growth of our economy." Eduardo Saverin.
In the last month, I noticed another not-for-profit that I have been very familiar with over the years finally get online and join the ranks of facebook and twitter.
Not-for-profits in 95 percent of cases are for very good causes and definately whether they make a profit or not, have their hearts in the right place.
Read more about: Not-for-profit and not-knowing-what-to-do-to-get-with-the-times? → Not-for-profits in 95 percent of cases are for very good causes and definately whether they make a profit or not, have their hearts in the right place.