Delectable Morsels in Marketing

Extreme co-branding in action! (courtesy of Haendal Dantas)

Here are some interesting little snippets that I picked up this week.

To kick it off, Seth Godin warns us that marketing isn’t just about being better or more efficient, but rather, just being the right thing for customers, no matter how idiosyncratic those demands may be.  Its interesting to read about his new middle-aged fetish for button fly jeans though.Ben McConnell of Church of the Customer tells us to have fun and be different if you want customers to open their hearts, minds and wallets to you.  He highlighted the fascinating example of how a movie theatre actually orchestrated an improv Karaoke performance in the middle of busy cafes, or surprised audiences with a celebrity appearance that was totally un-anticipated.  Check it out here.

From something fun and joyful, we next move to something more morose – funerals. Pat Law shares her thoughts on the recently aired advertisement encouraging positive family values by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports in Singapore. A masterpiece by renowned film producer and auteur Yasmin Ahmad, Funeral is sure to leave your eyes moist and your hearts thinking. It shows that simplicity can be a powerful tool in marketing, and one that can help to generate buzz.

Speaking of Word Of Mouth marketing, I particularly enjoyed this interview conducted by entrepreneurship maven Guy Kawasaki who spoke to Anatomy of Buzz Revisited author Emanuel Rosen. Widely touted as one of the lead thinkers of the subject, Emanuel’s answers are surprisingly candid and honest. What I especially like is his level-headed view on advertising:

“It is fashionable to say that advertising is dead, but I don’t agree. Very few products can live on buzz alone. Advertising can help a lot—at least good advertising can help a lot. First, in creating awareness and building the pool of people who can buzz about the product. Second, a good ad can prompt me to tell my friends about the product. Third, a good, authentic ad that brings in real people can simulate buzz.”

Yay! Now who says that traditional marketing is well and truly dead with the rise of social media?  There is a part two to this too, where he shares some useful tips on generating buzz for your new product or service, and compares Twitter with Facebook.

In fact, social media is becoming LIKE ADVERTISING.  Don’t believe me?  Read what Spike Jones has to say about Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and the tonnes of other new (media) ways we are using to interrupt the lives of others.  OK, so what next then?  Having a face to face chat at the corner kopitiam?

If you feel tired doing branding it yourself, don’t.  Partner with a buddy brand and leverage on the power of brand alliances (or cobranding).  That’s what Martin Lindstrom at Branding Strategy Insider tells us, citing examples of how Starbucks has partnered US supermarket chains to proffer its caffeine laced drinks to customers waiting in a queue.  Oh, and you can do it for non-profits too.

Finally, if you’re feeling dull, bored, stressed or nervous, here’s a little pick me up from Kevin Lim’s supervisor on how you can create instant smiles anytime.

Courtesy of inju

Have a great Easter weekend folks! I’ll be spending it with my family on the Great Ocean Road and Adelaide…. Catch up with you again next weekend.