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by Ed Weiss
In my first blog on this subject I challenged TV commercials and billboards. Now it’s time to talk about commercial artists and their impact on all advertising including websites. Don’t get me wrong. I am a huge fan of the intelligence and creativity of these professionals. Unfortunately, my experience has shown that many artists want to create beautiful art and they forget about the purpose of their work. Good art and good advertising need not be mutually exclusive it just takes some knowledge of marketing in addition to producing good art. And my big question is, when they get it wrong why do the agency frontline men/women let them get away with it? Read the rest of this entry »
Many of you know AMA Baltimore as a comprehensive resource and member organization for marketing professionals. Did you know that supporting undergraduate students was part of our mission?
Each year a committee of AMA members reviews applications from outstanding students. Based on a rigorous set of criteria, three students are selected to receive a monetary scholarship to support their studies in the marketing profession. The amounts of the awards are determined by a number of factors. AMA accepts donations to support this endeavor.
In addition to scholarships, AMA Baltimore also holds workshops for students like the one mentioned below by Afnan Idris, AMA student member from Salisbury University. This month, we asked Afnan to reflect on her experience with AMA Baltimore.
For more information about ways you can help AMA Baltimore Chapter support student success, please contact Julia Golbey, VP for Collegiate Relations at jgolbey@jhu.edu.
Thanks, Afnan!
Reflections on the AMA Baltimore Chapter Student Offerings by Afnan Idris, Student Member:
Getting a job after graduation these days seems to be like more of a miracle than an expectation. With so many graduates and so few jobs, students are under immense pressure to exhibit their skills and ability to stand out in a crowd. Many employers tend to head to larger universities for recruiting in hopes to solicit the best students. This leaves students from smaller universities like Salisbury over two hours away from Baltimore, at a slight disadvantage. And it’s here that AMA offered me the most. Read the rest of this entry »
by Ed Weiss
I may have said this before but it’s worth repeating; branding is a process and not a quick fix. Its strength is that it provides a solid foundation for a company and its image. It assures, among other things, that there will be consistency in messaging. Provided that the branding concept is good, the repetitive brand message will hammer home the strength of the company.
Here’s an example: There is little doubt that BMW knows how to sell its products. It has a long history of telling a great story about their cars. BMW has had multiple ad agencies throughout its history. One thing you can imagine is that when a new agency is hired they want to change things. They are likely to assume that if a client changed agencies, they wanted something new and different. That is probably true. However, there is one thing that BMW never wants to change and that is its brand message. “The Ultimate Driving Machine®” has remained its brand essence over many decades. So the message from BMW to its new agency is, change what you think needs changing but never monkey with our brand’s foundation. Read the rest of this entry »
by Meghan Ray Virro
Most of us feel like there is barely enough time in the day to get three things checked off the to do list, much less devote time and energy to individual creative thinking or “dabble time.” Given multiple demands on our time, energy and personal bandwidth, how can we make the case that it’s a good return on the investment of time? Scheduling some dabble time will help spark your creative process, give you new insights into your own business, help you innovate and encourage fun!
I learned the true value of dabble time in business school in a new product development (NPD) class. From day one our assumptions about creativity, brainstorming and innovation were consistently challenged. I left every class energized, invigorated and a little sad it was over. Most of my colleagues felt the same way because we were dreaming of the freedom to dabble and learn about anything we wanted while we were on the clock. Read the rest of this entry »
by Luke Harlan
The most inexpensive and underutilized resource available to every business is one’s own ability to effectively communicate to those they interact with everyday to either begin new relationships , strengthen existing ones and/or continue to nurture and develop the trust that will lead to increased opportunities for success. We have this opportunity in all aspects of our lives but none as highly focused and available than that in a planned networking event itself.
However, the biggest issue with “networking” that repels people is not in the event itself, but in how they perceive those who attend. Most importantly, it is the misconception of how they believe one is supposed to interact which is often the polar opposite of what it really takes to actually create the right opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »
by Arsham Mirshah
Promotional products are unparalleled in their ability to attract new clients, increase brand awareness and ultimately grow your business.
We’ve all heard that phrase “you have to spend money to make money” haven’t we? But what, exactly, are we supposed to be spending our money on?
I’ll tell you what.. Promotional Products!
They are a proven, cost effective way of marketing your company to an extremely large audience while doing minimal work. Sounds efficient, does it not?
If you’re new to the idea of promotional products, I understand that you might be hesitant. Despite any fears you may have, I strongly urge you to continue reading and discover just what quality promotional items can do for your company. Read the rest of this entry »
Photo courtesy: microsoft.com
I posted an article on my Facebook Fan Page about how you can now opt out of receiving the yellow pages. I don’t know about you but as soon as I get mine they go straight to the recycle bin. What this says to me is the yellow pages as we know it is on its way out. With that said, now more importantly than ever, if you truly have a business (not a hobby) and want to be found you should have a website.
Your website is the hub for all your business online as well as some offline activity. For some strange reason we forget to promote our website address everywhere possible. Here are seven simple places to promote your website you may have forgotten about: Read the rest of this entry »
by Nigel Assam
Watching a recent ad by Porsche, I could not help but think that the car company that once carried the cache of exclusivity is in danger of losing its way, speeding off into the pedestrian.
The ad’s tagline, “Engineered for Magic. Everyday” begins with the image of a mother brushing snow off of her red Porsche, then snapshots to a baby in the car, before being driven off down the suburban street, with the tag “SNOWMOBILE” above it.
This is followed by a middle-aged man walking to his silver Cayman with bags of what is probably soil or gravel from a hardware store, who then drops them into the trunk, and the tag “PICKUP TRUCK” hangs above it as he enters his car. Read the rest of this entry »
by Steve Markenson
A few months ago, on my way back up the driveway from wheeling out the blue recycling bins to the curb, the question occurred to me, “What does it mean to be a green consumer these days?” Doesn’t nearly everyone recycle aluminum, plastic, glass, and paper? I also thought about my county’s about-to-be-implemented five cent plastic and paper bag tax and the impact that would have on my behavior and that of my fellow county residents. This raised the question, who is most responsible for protecting the environment—corporations, the government, or perhaps—me?
Fortunately, I was able to help get some answers by leveraging the resources at WB&A Market Research. We surveyed consumers in the Baltimore and Washington, DC markets on their green attitudes and behaviors across a range of topics. I shared the findings of the study and explored the implications in my January 11 webinar. Let me highlight the findings that should be of interest to you. Read the rest of this entry »
by Meghan Ray Virro
As marketing professionals, we embrace rapid change and innovation. In our profession, constant evolution is essential to success. Without change we get bored, restless and stuck. If we’re changing that means we’re growing, moving forward and evolving – all positive indicators. If change feels so great to us marketing types then we can certainly convince others to love it, right?
For the majority of the population, change provokes anxiety instead of enthusiasm and excitement. What’s a marketer to do when you work with a client who is not interested in change to the detriment of their brand and/or business goals?
(As a point of clarification, I am talking about change that is meaningful, thoughtful and reflects positive growth in your company or brand. Changing for the sake of change is not always the best course of action.)
In some recent brainstorming sessions with a client it became very clear that this business owner was really uncomfortable with change. The company’s seasonal promotional materials had not been changed since the days of New Coke (and no, this is not a nostalgic brand that can afford to do this). The company logo was nowhere to be found on the piece, there was no “call to action” and by today’s design standards the piece looked completely outdated and unprofessional. This small example was the tip of the iceberg. Read the rest of this entry »
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Megan Campbell
