“We’re all marketers now” Marketing is (or should be) at the heart of an organisation’s revenue generating activities. It influences and is influenced by every aspect of the business. In high performing organisations marketing is no longer the domain of just the marketing team. It’s the responsibility of everyone in the business. So, an understanding of marketing is an essential … Read More
Is your marketing achieving results? A masterclass for SMEs
Is your marketing achieving results? Are you and your colleagues so busy running your day-to-day business operations that you have little time to think about marketing? Are you spending too much time and money on activities that do not generate sales? If so, you’re not alone. These are common challenges that hold many businesses back from realising their full potential. … Read More
German market opportunities for Scottish business
Being a member of the Scotland/Northern England committee of the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany and working on a Scottish-German market initiative with David Scrimgeour MBE, a Scots lawyer working as a business adviser in Germany for more than 25 years, reminded me of the still untapped opportunities that the largest economy in Europe could present to many Scottish … Read More
Walk more to boost your marketing thinking
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche knew the power of walking, stating that “all truly great thoughts are conceived while walking”, a quote I came across while preparing for an active travel market research project for a UK city. The benefits of walking, where possible, rather than driving or taking public transport, extend far beyond physical health improvements and financial savings. … Read More
Marketing philosophy vs bumper sticker
“There’s a difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker”, as the late US cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, of Peanuts (Snoopy, Charlie Brown and co) fame, once commented. No matter which shiny bumper sticker featuring a slick slogan is stuck onto a business to attempt to position it in the marketplace and differentiate it from its competitors, it is the underlying … Read More
Marketing matters in the “new normal”: conference takeaways
The excellent speakers at PM Forum’s recent annual conference, Marketing matters in the “new normal”, provided many great learning points, as usual. Here are just a few of my key takeaways that are hopefully useful reminders for marketers in both professional services firms and B2B companies: Firm leaders want marketers to be the trusted advisors that we advise them to … Read More
Marketing to over 50s
Do 50 year-olds have the same needs, wants, preferences, attitudes, and behaviours as 85 year-olds? Some might, but most don’t. So why do some businesses group everyone over 50 into one “50 to 85” segment and market to them as if they are one homogenous mass? Would they adopt a similar approach to marketing to 15 year olds as to … Read More
Planning for success the British & Irish Lions way
There’s a lot to be learned from the military and the world of sport when it comes to good marketing strategy and planning. The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu’s The Art of War should probably be textbook reading for all marketers. I remember wondering why my boss at Sony gave me a book (Moving Mountains: Lessons in Leadership and … Read More
Mind the brand gap
These days the term brand is possibly even more misunderstood and misused than the word marketing. For many, it simply means logo. If you’re lucky, they might even think it’s about colour palette and fonts. As Rita Clifton, the doyenne of branding, has said: “to equate brand with such superficial cosmetics is the equivalent of saying that people are really … Read More
Is print dead in the digital age?
Is print dead in the digital age, or are printed materials still relevant in today’s marketing. Print is able to meet some of our senses that online can’t Too often these days people go for digital automatically because it’s ‘cool’ (and cheaper, and easier to measure) rather than because it’s the best channel to achieve their objectives. But marketers should … Read More