Budgets are being cut in response to the current economic downturn. How are marketing managers responding?

According to a survey by MarketingSherpa, above-the-line advertising budgets are the first to be cut. (See chart)

As they turn their attention to below-the-line marketing activities, B2B marketing managers can borrow some useful direct marketing principles. (more…)

Talking to your stakeholders can be a useful way to source new marketing ideas. We have hosted very successful brainstorming sessions for clients that comprised of suppliers, staff, business partners and marketing professionals from other industries.

One may also be tempted to ask consumers for ideas. This is where we need to tread cautiously. Depending on whom you ask, how you ask and in what context, there is always a danger of arriving at misleading answers. (more…)

Professional B2B service firms (PSFs) have had to rely heavily on referrals, third party rankings and media coverage to build their brand equity.

Unlike consumer brands that can monitor product reviews and web forums to get a feel of market perceptions and feedback, service brand managers will agree that perceptions are difficult to measure without embarking on a full-fledged market research study.

Take advisory or information services for example. It is much easier to position a firm according to its services, as these are parameters that can be benchmarked relatively easily. (more…)

With the rise of new digital formats - smart phones being one important channel - how can you ensure that your email announcements and online newsletters are optimised across platforms, from computers to PDAs?

We feature here, 10 tips from Loren McDonald, vice-president of industry relations for Silverpop, an email service provider:

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Increasingly, brands from Asia have ambitions to become global household names. Building a successful name in the international market is much more complex and requires a systematic approach. What does it take to succeed?

Brand owners are increasingly aware of the value of strategic marketing and how ‘invisible’ brand equity can boost the value of a company. Yet they can stumble over implementing great brand strategies for various reasons.

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