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Babies rollerskate to a remix of the Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight to promote the rejuvenating effects of Evian mineral water in this You Tube video.
Coca-Cola (KO) is planning to introduce Sprite Green, the first in a line of naturally sweetened reduced-calorie beverages made with a sweetener from stevia leaves called “truvia.” Sprite Green is aimed at active young adults. Atlanta Business Chronicle 12/17/08
Jamba Juice (JMBA) has launched slow-cooked Steel Cut Oatmeal with real fruit and organic oats, to target “on-the-go people who are looking for a slow food experience in terms of taste and quality, but in a quick service format.” The company believes their product offers improved texture and flavor versus instant rolled oats offered at competitors, including Starbucks (SBUX). Brandweek 12/18/08
City and state attorneys general have succeeded in getting MillerCoors to remove stimulants, such as caffeine and guarana, from Sparks, their best-selling alcoholic energy drink, and to change a brand-marketing program that the attorneys general said appealed to underage drinkers. AdAge 12/18/08
Barnes & Noble (BKS), USAA, and Hampton Inn were among the top scorers in the Forrester Research, Inc. Customer Experience Index of large US firms. Just 11% of companies received an excellent rating; 38% of firms were rated as poor or very poor. Marketing Charts 12/18/08 Burger King (BKC) announces The Flame by BK, a new body spray that captures the essence of America’s love of the Whopper, or as they put it, “Behold the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat.” The King himself is freaky enough with his clothes on---how creepy is the photo of the King, dans le buff leering and stroking a fur throw? Eeuww. However, if it works for you, you can get the body spray at http://www.firemeetsdesire.com/. Another tactic that BK’s target will love. AdFreak 12/16/08
This free marketing calendar template for 2009 helps you plan and display the key components of your marketing program on a weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
Created in Excel, the template is easy to use.
Weeks begin on Mondays. Substitute your marketing categories and tactics for those shown. January tactics are provided as an example of how the calendar can be used and are not provided as a recommendation.
To download: Click below, on the file underneath "Attachment"
This template is made available under a Creative Commons License and is subject to Brandeo Terms and Conditions.
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Before you get started, take a look at the demographics and industries that spur the most podcast downloads. If your target audience owns an iPod or MP3 player, is under 50 years of age, and is interested in technology, then offering a regular podcast could make sense. Other important qualifying factors include broadband usage and income.
Okay, so you’ve decided that podcasting is a good way to promote your brand. Here’s some valuable advice from Mike Blake of Adams Capital, a boutique valuation services firm in Atlanta. He, along with Scott Burkett, an Atlanta entrepreneur and Chief Operating Officer of StarPound Technologies, an Atlanta BPM software and services company, founded StartupLounge, a popular podcast series for entrepreneurs. Mike says their initial goal was simply to provide helpful information to entrepreneurs. An unexpected benefit, Mike says, is that listeners get to know him through the podcasts. As a result, “when there’s an opportunity to do business they feel comfortable contacting me.”
Mike advises companies who are exploring podcasting as a marketing tool to remember that the podcast represents your brand. He urges companies who are interested in podcasting to find a company, or invest in professional equipment, to ensure the final podcast is appealing and professional.
Podcasting isn’t a marketing tool that works for everyone. Making sure the content is beneficial to consumers, and not an infomercial, is important, says Mike. And don’t expect to be an overnight success---it takes time to develop the right format and to build an audience. “You have to commit for the long haul,” he says.
If you’re interested in creating a podcast, listen to a variety of podcasts to get a sense of the format and style that will work best for your brand. But instill your own personality. Although offbeat humor is a staple of StartupLounge podcasts, your podcast has to be humorous, says Mike. Focus on offering valuable content and an energetic delivery that keeps people ‘tuned in’ and keeps them coming back for more.
With many consumers more focused than ever on saving money, coupons are re-emerging as a popular marketing tactic. And according to the 2008 Printable Coupon Consumer Pulse Survey from Simmons/Experiean Research and Coupons Inc. quoted in Marketing Charts, the number of American consumers searching for coupons online has increased to 36 million in 2008, up by 10 million from 2005; that’s 24% of all American coupon users. And nearly half of “Coupon Clickers” are between the ages of 22 and 44.
And there’s residual benefit from couponing beyond the short-term sales boost: 58% of respondents believe brands that provide online coupons are more likely to provide new products that they will enjoy, and 57% say those brands care about keeping them as a customer.
So make sure you get the most out of your couponing program; here’s some tips to help:
First, get all those coupon marketing myths out of your head. According to Marketing Charts, direct marketer ICOM says a common misconception is that short-term expirations drive immediate sales. Actually---marketers may be cutting their redemption times shorter than is needed for consumers to act.
Another myth is that higher value always equals higher redemption. Not so, says ICOM. Value is important but the highest redemptions come from tying value to optimal expiration.
Also, if you’re trying to entice users from the competition, then focus on attracting their light to moderately loyal users. The lights and moderates are more likely to give you a try and will respond to a lower value offer than the competitor’s most loyal users.
It's never comfortable rejecting potential suitors face-to-face. RHbrands, a mobile and in-call media company, claims "The Rejection Hotline®," located in 200+ cities across the country, including Atlanta (404-260-1318), Los Angeles (310-735-0099) and New York City (212-660-2245), is a “public service” to both the rejector and the rejectee. The rejectee dials the number to hear:
"Hello, this is not the person you were trying to call. You've reached The Rejection Hotline. The person who gave you this number did not want you to have their real number ... So why were you given a Rejection Hotline phone number?
Maybe you're just not this person's type (note: this could mean boring, dumb, annoying, arrogant, or just a general weirdo).
Maybe you suffer from bad breath, body odor, or a nasty combination of the two.
Maybe you just give off that creepy, overbearing, psycho-stalker vibe.
Maybe the idea of going out with you just seems as appealing as playing leapfrog with unicorns."
RHbrands offers hundreds of humorous hotlines to get people out of sticky situations such as 'Bad Breath Notification,' 'One Night Stand Hotline,' and a 'Confession Hotline'.
The company says they reach 4 million callers each month. Their primary audience is young adults (ages 16-29), a coveted demographic for marketers. Most callers get the hotline number virally from a friend or as a joke. Advertisers can reach this audience through RHbrands’ in-call audio advertising program.
Twitter, for the uninitiated, is a social networking and micro blogging service utilizing instant messaging, SMS or a web interface that encourages users to share their answers to the question, “What are you doing right now?” Think IM on steroids.
My initial reaction to Twitter was that the world didn’t really need to know who had just had their second cup of coffee (there are lots of miscellaneous ‘tweets,’ aka messages), that they had arrived late to work, or that their weekend was boring (not surprising considering the quality of their tweets.) It seemed that no topic was too mundane or narcissistic to tweet about.
But while there are those who are compelled to twitter minutiae (just like the ‘real’ world) there are others who are using Twitter to share ideas and pass along news and information. USA Today reports that Twitter has been used to communicate news in emergencies and natural disasters, and that brands, such as Comcast and Zappos, are utilizing Twitter to establish a dialogue with customers.
So is twittering a good idea for your brand? Take a look to see how Comcast customer service manager Frank Eliason interacts with other Twitterers online and utilize Twitter Search to learn what Twitters are twittering about your brand. Before you dive in, spend some time on the site first, to make sure you understand Twitter culture. And remember that communication on Twitter, just like any successful conversation, is based on authenticity and trust.
If you’re not used to twittering your way through the day it might seem odd…at first. But in time you may wonder how you (and your brand) did without it.
Got Milk and Cookes? I know, everyone’s sick of the eternal riffs on the “Got Milk?” line, but hey, I’m easily entertained. Anyway, take a look at how Oreos used a glassed-in elevator shaft and an elevator to reinforce the milk-dunking equity of Oreos cookies. Yummily brilliant. Source: Beyond Madison Avenue
According to Brandweek, RadioShack is partnering with Facebook to launch MyMosaic which s turning to social networks to raise brand awareness among younger consumers. The application forms a ‘mosaic’ from the Facebook pictures of the user’s friends. The intention is to raise brand awareness and connect with a younger user base.
Although the percentage of 
With many consumers more focused than ever on saving money, coupons 
It's never comfortable rejecting potential suitors face-to-face. 
