Advertising Divas And Consumer Queens

Writen by Penny Archer

In the past, the saying has always been "don't underestimate the power of branding" but now the best advice seems to be "don't underestimate the power of women!" Ignore it at your peril.

If statistics out of the US are any guide for the rest of the world to follow, and in the past this has been the case, then everyone in the advertising industry should give their serious attention to this fact. Jupiter Research has concluded that women influence 83 percent of all purchase decisions. There are more women online today than men.

And looking forward, 70 percent of all US women will be online in 2006, and looking even further ahead, 85 million women will purchase products and services online by 2010.

These statistics are huge by anyone's measurements. Does anyone out there still have doubts as to the potential of ecommerce? Or more importantly, guys, how do your doubts hold up as to the influence of women on the internet?

US women over 40 are devoting more time online per week than running errands, eating or preparing meals, relaxing, or spending time with friends. Their internet time outweighs watching TV, listening to the radio and other media activities.

So what does this really tell us?

Fact #1 Advertisers in both traditional and new media, have up until now, been seriously underestimating women power
Fact #2 Women are the dominant gender when it comes to online spending
Fact #3 Women know women better than men know women (I'm sure most husbands would agree.)

Who better to understand the consumer behavior of women than women themselves? This last fact should lend itself to a rush to employ or promote females into the positions of advertising executives and creative directors. Now guys, don't get us gals wrong, sensitive men can still create great ads for women and vice versa, but if the above statistics can be believed, then surely you should be eagerly encouraging the women in your industry to play a greater role in both decision making and creativity.

This makes such common sense to me, nothing biased about it.

Penny Archer, herself a "Consumer Queen", is a Director of SmartDames FZ LLC, an international email List Broker based in Dubai Media City, Dubai. Other articles that she has written can be found at http://www.smartdames.com or http://www.listownerlimbo.com

Advertising Agency In Boston Tips And Tricks

Writen by Scott D. White

The big news on Wall Street last year was the initial public offering of Internet search engine Google. If you were a visitor from another planet, you might be asking yourself, What big, sophisticated, high-technology company is behind the success of Google? Could it be IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Apple, Oracle, SAP, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Dell, Xerox, Sun Microsystems, Philips or Siemens? Of course not. The brains behind Google are two Stanford students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who launched the Web site in 1998. Some six years later, the two founders are worth billions.

All the advantages:

With some exceptions big companies seldom launch new brands that become big successes, even though big companies have all the advantages. Big companies have the resources, the people, the credentials, the distribution networks, the media contacts. I can't think of a single advantage an individual entrepreneur has over a big global conglomerate. Yet there wasn't a big global conglomerate behind the success of brands such as Starbucks, Red Bull, Linux, JetBlue, Amazon, Yahoo!, eBay, Priceline, Monster.com and a host of others.

Nor for that matter was a big global conglomerate behind the success of most of the big brands of the past. Brands like Apple, Microsoft, Digital Equipment, Dell, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, SAP, Siebel, Compaq, Quicken, McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza, Papa John's, Wendy's, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Wal-Mart or Costco. I repeat. Big companies seldom launch new brands that become big successes.

Deadly sins

There are two reasons for this phenomenon, which we call the "two deadly sins of marketing."

The first deadly sin is timing.

The good book says, "There is a time to be born and a time to die." The time for a brand to be born is before the category is established in the mind. It was 14 years after the launch of Red Bull that the Coca-Cola Co. finally responded by launching its own brand of energy drink-KMX Does KMX have enough energy to overtake Red Bull? Not a chance. Once a competitive brand is established in the prospect's mind, it's almost impossible for a me-too brand to overtake the leader.

32-year head start

It was 32 years after the launch of Southwest Airlines that Delta finally responded by launching its own no-frills airline called Song. You can't give your competition a third-of-a-century head start and expect to build a brand. All the momentum is on Southwest's side. Not to mention the money and the resources. Imagine spending all day in the boardroom at Digital Equipment Corp. trying to persuade the chief executive and his staff to launch a serious 16-bit business personal computer before IBM did. No luck. We don't want to be first, said the chief executive. And I'm not concerned about IBM, he continued, because if IBM does go first, "we'll beat their specs."

Well, IBM did go first with the launch of the PC in August 1981, the first 16-bit serious business personal computer, a product that went on to dominate a fast-growing market. And Digital Equipment did follow with not one, but three different lines of personal computers, none of which made a dent in the marketplace in spite of their presumably better specs. IBM had become the standard, and if you wanted to participate in the personal computer marketplace, you were only a clone. Digital Equipment lost Too bad. Digital Equipment had the credentials to dominate the PC market. Brought to you by "the world's largest maker of small computers" was the tagline for Digital Equipment's new personal computer.

Imagine spending all day in a boardroom at Xerox trying to persuade the corporation to launch a desktop laser printer before the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet got strongly established. No luck. Too bad. Xerox had the credentials to dominate the laser printer market. In 1977, Xerox had introduced the 5700, the world's first successful laser printer.

Second sin

The second deadly sin is naming.

A big company wants to put its own name on a new brand. This is generally a mistake. New categories generally require new brand names. In spite of IBM's head start in business PCs, the company eventually lost out to Compaq and Dell, both new brands created especially for the personal computer category. To most prospects, IBM meant mainframe computers, not PCs (It's interesting to note how many marketing people chide IBM for not moving fast enough into personal computers, when in fact they were first. "Mainframe mentality" is their usual complaint.).

Imagine spending all day in the boardroom at Continental Airlines, trying to persuade management not to name its new no-frills airline Continental Lite. You have two choices. Either you can make the entire Continental system a no-frills airline (the preference) or you can give your new no-frills airline a different name than Continental. No luck. Continental Airlines crashed The company went ahead with Continental Lite, an airline that took off and then just as rapidly came down to earth, after losing many millions of dollars.

Then there's Kodak, a company that is paying the price for not giving its new digital camera line a different name than Kodak. Kodak means film photography, not digital photography. The irony is that Kodak invented the first digital camera (back in 1976.) Yet the Kodak name locks the company into the past. Like Digital Equipment and IBM, Kodak had the credentials, the organization and the resources to dominate an emerging new category, but not the foresight to recognize that a new category needs a new name.

The exception

One exception should be mentioned. In 1994, Bill Gates asked Richard Barton to develop a Microsoft CD-ROM idea involving travel guides. Barton convinced Gates that the CD-ROM idea would fail, but that an online travel agency might succeed. Furthermore, he persuaded Mr. Gates to give the project a different name than Microsoft. Richard Barton called Microsoft's online travel agency "Expedia." Seven years later Microsoft sold control of Expedia to USA Networks for an estimated $1.3 billion.

How Strong Is Your Brand? Do You Really Know? Do You Care? Would you like to take a simple test to see where your company's brand is now? Click on the link below:

Scott White is President of Brand Identity Guru a leading Corporate Branding and Branding Research firm in Boston, MA.

Brand Identity Guru specializes in creating corporate and product brands that increase sales, market share, customer loyalty, and brand valuation.

Over the course of his 15-year branding career, Scott White has worked in a wide variety of industries: high-tech, manufacturing, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, banking, restaurants, fashion, healthcare, Internet, retail, and service businesses, as well as numerous non-profit organizations.

Brand Identity Guru clients include: Sun Life Financial, Coca Cola, HP, Sun, Nordstrom, American Federal Mortgage, Franklin Sports and many others.

This Article may be freely copied as long as it is not modified and this resource box accompanies the article, together with working hyperlinks.

Never Pay For Advertising Out Of Your Pocket Again

Writen by Marvin Snyder

Being your own boss

As you progress in your MLM home business, the three most important factors that determine your success are:

Discipline
Goal Setting
Time Management

Since you no longer have a boss directing your day's activities, it's easy to get off track. You must have a 90 day plan and a daily method of operation that are tied to your goals. Your mentor should help you until you master this and if you are going to be real and premote yourself into your business, your mentor will be standing by to invest in YOU!

The finest network marketing companies will train you and actually work with you, so that over time you will become a super successful in a home business in your own right. My mentor helped me to grow faster than I ever knew I could.

I' a mom from the southeast side of Texas who knew a very little about business when I started. But with a good mentors who held me accountable, a reputable company with amazing, in demand products, and with my own desire and commitment, I rose to the top % of the company of over one dozens of countries. It's easy to get comfortable and stop growing when you reach that level. I had a huge house, two cars, got to travel and often this is where trouble sets in. It is easy to get comfortable here. Goals at this point are just as crucial as when you first started out. Having a mentor and a coach can help you set goals that are right for you, regardless of the level you currently reside.

I never would have achieved a income that quickly without all of those mentors. I had my own goals of income and production that I wanted to achieve and then I had the goals and the extra incentives and rewards the company created in it's marketing plan and promotions. Consistently setting goals within the company's marketing plan always kept me on track.

Marvin Snyder

Toni.cashflow123.com

Exploding Your Ads With Classified Advertising

Writen by Matt Sherborne

Classified advertising is a form of advertising that many new business owners overlook. With today's shift in advertising from off-line and online there's never been a better time to use his valuable marketing tool.

Correctly applied classified ads can yield the most exposure to your product in any of available online. When improperly used however a classified ad can be a tremendous waste of money.

To be a success with classified ads and any off-line advertisements it's absolutely critical to keep the four key components of direct marketing in mind at all times. The four components are the marketing message, the marketing target, the marketing vehicle and the marketing frequency.

It's not enough to find the best advertising deal possible while getting your advertisement in front of the eyes of as many people as possible. To run a successful marketing campaign you must always consider what drives your customer to buy. Simply put you must always seek to deliver the right message to the right person in the right place at the right time for best results.

The four components: The marketing message,the marketing target, the marketing vehicle and the frequency and timing.

You'll have the greatest advertising success when you know what you're marketing, and to whom. Knowing what to market will be the foundation of your message and who you market to, is the marketing target. You will need a way to get that message to the target marketing vehicle and you must do it often enough to cause a response.

When you follow these rules it will be much easier to determine why your response rates aren't high enough. It could be due to you making the wrong offer, or targeting people who aren't interested in purchasing your product. It could be you're putting your message were the target market will not see it, or you're not doing it often enough.

When it comes to analyzing what could be wrong with your advertisement you can see the importance of the four components mentioned above. Realizing your products marketing potential can only be realized by using thorough market research of your past and potential customers. Once you have successfully determined what prompts the most likely customer to purchase, you can frame your advertising message to meet them.

Matt Sherborne is the Author of Get Rich Trading E-Currency and Explode Your Ad. You can visit his advertising blog here: Best Advertising Advice For information on the best Myspace tools visit: http://www.myspacereviews.com

3 Simple Steps To Getting Thousands In Free Advertising

Writen by Bryan Thompson

Many entrepreneurs believe that they understand what public relations is, but very few do. Publicity and public relations can be used to boost your business by thousands of dollars a week or kill it; the trouble is using it to your advantage.

I'm going to cover a few of the basics for getting good publicity and why you need to do them. If you do, you can be assured that you will be increasing your business at a rapid speed. Publicity, if used correctly, can be many times more valuable than advertising, and best of all, it's free.

1. Always be honest- when you are talking with a journalist, either through email or the phone, you must always be honest. Journalists have a sort of BS detector and can see what is truthful, what is hype and what is outright lies. If your new, they'll probably excuse some hype for the first time but they will never forgive you if you outright lie to them.

2. Know what is news - if you are launching a new web page about your cats, that is not news. Honestly, no one cares. I really shouldn't be saying this, but you would be amazed at the number of people who put out news releases on subjects that no one in their right mind would consider news. However, many entrepreneurs don't realize when they are sitting on a publicity goldmine. For example, if a celebrity is a happy user of your product, if your company is putting out an interesting or unusual product or service or your company has come up with an extremely innovative product, then you probably have some news on your hands!

3. Know whom to target- when you are releasing a new hairdryer that increases efficiency by 40%, you can call the product sections of the news organizations near you. however, you would be ill advised to call an organization that has nothing to do with your products, "cat monthly", for example. "pr spam" is a much-feared problem for journalists and pr practitioners alike. My rule is that you can send a release to a journalist you don't know if you believe that it is very well targeted. I'm not like a few people who believe that you need their express permission; simply by being journalists and posting their information, they are inviting news. However, this being said, don't spam them.

Try to keep these rules in mind the next time you are looking to get some major publicity to skyrocket your business. Keep to common sense and use old fashioned networking, and you too will be sitting on a publicity goldmine!

Bryan Thompson is a young entrepreneur and founder of Press Release Writing Online (http://www.prwritingonline.com). In his experience as a freelance publicist, writer and entrepreneur, he has worked with dozens of small, medium and large companies. He is also writing a book on the basics of Publicity for small businesses and managing several other businesses at the same time. You may contact him at info@prwritingonline.com.

Dramatic Advertising That Sells

Writen by Allyn Cutts

Think about the last car purchase you made... Did you watch closely for advertisements that explained all of the features before you bought the car? Probably not. In fact, studies show that most of us notice the ads AFTER we have purchased our new car.

Let's face it... consumers are emotionally driven. They make purchases for the feeling they get, and then look for the logical benefits to justify the purchase. That's why we notice all of those ads after the fact!

Wise marketers make good use of this insightful knowledge. Good advertisements get the benefits in front of the customers so vividly that they experience the benefits before they even buy the product. Once they see themselve enjoying it, they've just "gotta have it!"

1. Make It Picture Perfect

Forget about your product or service for a minute and focus on the consumer. What will he enjoy when he has dug out his money and taken home your product? Put yourself in his shoes, and then describe the experience in vividly dramatic detail.

What does it feel like to be a stay-at-home mom and still be able to make money? Describe the freedom, the confidence, the things she'll be able to afford. Tell the story in bright words that compel the reader to enter and experience it for themselves.

You've caught them... hook line and sinker once they've experienced those feelings. Chances are they've dreamed about them, and now the know they can fulfill the dream through your product or service.

2. Throw In The Logic They'll Need to Justify Themselves Later

You've probably met up with the "after the sale jitters." You make the purchase, enjoy it for a day or two and then it hits home... you've got a payment to make and start wondering if you've made the right choice.

Sure, your customers will second guess themselves after they make the purchase too... that's why you need to supply the logic for the sale upfront - even though you know they buy for emotional satisfaction.

Let them know that it's a special, reduced price... if they buy it now. That'll make them feel better about not waiting.

Tell them about other customers who are "glad they did" to make them feel like they aren't alone. Others thought it was the thing to do too so it must have been.

Hey, the customer who enjoys the product, and can feel good about the purchase is one satisfied customer who'll do business with you again. Take care to set your advertising campaign up for success.

Copyright 2005 Cutts Group, llc

Who is Allyn Cutts, and why should you care?

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally with clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://www.AllynCutts.com and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Direct Mail Advertising 3 Essential Ingredients

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Direct mail advertising has three critical components. This type of marketing can be hit and miss so knowing the essentials is very useful. If you use these direct mail advertising components when marketing your computer consulting business you will achieve great results.

Your headline is the absolute most important factor in direct mail advertising. Make sure your advertising appeals to the needs and the hot buttons of your intended audience. When you are using direct mail advertising you need to put yourself in the consumers' shoes. That's why targeting is so important. Find out what appeals most to your target and what they need. Then appeal to those needs and interests in the headline of your direct mail advertising.

For your direct mail advertising to be successful you need the right lists. You're spending money sending out your mail. Make sure the people who get your direct mail advertising are the right people.

Your direct mail advertising must outline a two-step sales process. This type of process motivates your target to take immediate action. They must reserve a seat, request a report, set up a free no obligation mini needs analysis, etc.... Direct mail advertising does not actually sell your company or the services that you offer. Its purpose is to convince the target to take action or to raise their hand to show they are interested. Good direct mail advertising gets them interested enough to make an inquiry or other type of response. Once they do that then you sell them on what your company offers.

The Bottom Line on Direct Mail Advertising Direct mail advertising can be tricky. The essential components of a direct mail advertising campaign are a standout headline, acquiring the right list, and instigating a two-step sales process. If your direct mail advertising accomplishes these three things then your chances of success with this type are marketing are significantly increased.

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