For marketers who walk the walk
You know the theory. Now here's the practice. If you want opinions you can trust, advice you can use and real-world experience to learn from, then there's no better collection of marketing experts than here.
Data industry heading for the rocks?
The fate of the Costa Concordia has been seen by many in Italy as a metaphor for the country itself. A noble ship brought to disaster by a captain allegedly more interested in showing off than in the safety of his passengers. Offsetting this is the everyday heroism of ordinary people going about their jobs and saving lives. Two sides of the tragedy – two dimensions to Italian life.
0 comments | Full story10 Things I wish I’d known…
Beverly Barker F IDM was recently awarded the prestigious IDM Educator of the Year Award for her exceptional contribution to direct and digital marketing education. A seasoned marketer with 20+ years experience and one of the leading tutors across the IDM qualifications portfolio, we asked Beverly what ten things she had learned in her career that she would love to have known when she started out.
4 comments | Full storyGetting the IDM Summer School experience
First we make them submit a detailed and rigorous application. If they survive the first cut, we put them through their paces in a gruelling IDM HQ boot camp. Then there’s a tense wait while the judges vote, before the very best are called back to take part in the live shows. Or, to use the official title: the IDM Barrie Spelling Top Student Summer School! Our latest Guest Blog spot goes to Owen Lee, who graduated this summer with a University of Sussex law degree. Owen was one of the bright young things who not only made it to Summer School - but survived to write the diary…
0 comments | Full storyHumans – we’re a fickle lot!
“Byrdes of on kynde and color flok and flye allwayes together.” According to William Turner (1545) – humans find some comfort in behaving like sheep. Nothing wrong with sheep of course! This behaviour was probably observed many hundreds of years prior to being put into print as a proverb. Even Plato makes reference to this flock-like tendency in his words of wisdom. I’m sure that the basis of its origination was more to do with survival rather than opinion but there is no excuse today for always adopting the same flock-like behaviour as everyone else.
0 comments | Full storyWhy train marketers up when you can buy them in ready-trained?
I can see how the Royal Family goes about its succession planning: have children. But what about businesses where bloodlines are irrelevant? Where do we expect our future managers and directors to come from?
6 comments | Full storyB2B Marketing Skills: which ones do you need?
Last week at the IDM B2B Marketing Conference I was part of a panel, tasked with discussing the key skills and knowledge that a B2B marketer will need for the future. The starting point and the backdrop for the whole event (which also unveiled the IDM’s new name and branding) was that B2B marketing today is more complex than ever before. Technology has changed how customers research and buy, and the range of tools and channels that a B2B marketers has at their disposal. So what knowledge and skills are required by today’s and tomorrow’s marketer?
5 comments | Full storyWhat’s in a name?
Quite a lot, we feel. Which is why last week we were pleased, and not a little proud, to reveal our new livery, new brand identity – and yes, new name: the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing. The profession’s reaction so far has been overwhelmingly positive. You love the colours, you think the fresher, more contemporary look is exactly what’s needed to take us forward. But we’re being asked by many: what’s the story?
0 comments | Full storyBuyersphere 2011: would the real Customer 2.0 please stand up?
There’s a lot of talk going on about the new breed of customer. Not only on this blog, but throughout the B2B marketing world and, of course, at next week’s IDM B2B Marketing Conference, where it is understandably the main theme of the event. But with all this talk, there is a big question to ask: is this Customer 2.0 real or imagined?
2 comments | Full storyIn denial. My world is fine without any changes, thank you!
We live in a world of denial. It’s a human mechanism – a weakness. We spend money and don’t worry about paying it back. We damage our environment and see it as the responsibility of others. We pursue activities that may not be kind to our bodies but refuse to accept the potential consequences. Some might say that denial is born from naive optimism. Sadly, reality is often too hard to face so we park the unpleasant bits or those tasks we just don’t want to face in the back of our minds – sometimes to our detriment.
0 comments | Full story9 lessons in a B2B marketing year
It’s amazing how fast the last year has gone by. Whilst gearing myself up for my session at next week’s IDM B2B conference I pondered on what lessons we’d learned since the last one (as well as from the downturn that preceded it). And what are the implications for the year ahead?
1 comment | Full storySmartPhones need SmartMarketers
In this new mobile, social and collaborative world, nearly everyone carries a SmartPhone or tablet. With several people carrying more than one mobile device, we now have a UK average of 1.33 devices per person! According to a US report, 26% of adults read the news on their mobile device and 75% contribute to, comment on, or forward news stories. The shift is relatively recent and marketers need to quickly adapt their programs to be mobile and socially effective.
0 comments | Full storyB2B marketer as B2B customer – blurred boundary or insightful opportunity?
Back in the late 90s I worked for 3Com, they had 13 divisions, and we even sold external US Robotics modems, yes they did exist. I was lucky I worked for the Palm Division and our directive was to grow market share. The appetite was right in the market and we had a far superior product to the Psion, our only competition at the time. My team travelled from technology event to event and just had to remember four Palm functions; email, notes, contacts and diary plus the USP – you could ‘sync’ your emails, that was it sold, we increased market share to over 60% in the first year, the Palm 3 and then 5 sold themselves, the market was just evolving.
1 comment | Full storyChange is good – it will give you a new lease of life
You may have read ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ by Spencer Johnson. It tackles the concept of change using an allegory to convey the need to embrace this unsettling occurrence – it’s brilliant but has been used in some dubious ways I believe! For many businesses, change is not a welcome guest – in fact, in some instances, it can threaten the very being of existence. ‘Where’ and ‘next’ are not found in the same sentence for fear of upsetting the status quo.
0 comments | Full story10 Steps to prove Social Media Marketing ROI
All marketing should prove its worth and social media marketing (SMM) is no different. Here are my 10 steps to both measuring the effectiveness, and proving the ROI of your social media activity.
4 comments | Full storyMarketers – You’re banned!
Imagine a world where marketing and selling were declared unacceptable or even unlawful. Imagine if your marketing database had to be decommissioned and overt marketing messages from vendors were outlawed. How would our behaviour change as marketers? What would the role of the marketer even be?
10 comments | Full story
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