Tag: marketing strategy

Don’t Monkey Around with Kipling’s Ape

September 15, 2012 Blog 1 comment

A perennial favourite amongst my family members, Kipling has carved a niche for itself with its selection of well designed handbags, haversacks, satchels, wallets and suitcases. Arrayed in an attractive range of colours, designs and styles, Kipling offers something for everybody.

What I find unique about Kipling is that furry little simian dangling from the zipper. My son goes ape over those little critters. He has amassed a tidy little collection of different gorillas in shades of orange, green, red, brown, and black.


Why Customers Really Buy: Book Review

August 20, 2012 Blog 1 comment

How do you find out what truly makes your customers tick? Can you understand what your customer REALLY wants through surveys, focus groups, and structured interviews?

The answer, according to Linda Goodman and Michelle Helin, is “No”. Debunking traditional research predicated on the above yardsticks, the authors of “Why Customers Really Buy – Uncovering the Emotional Triggers that Drive Sales” claim that true insight can only be achieved through conducting emotional-trigger research.


What Chinese Want: Book Review

July 29, 2012 Blog 1 comment

With a population of 1.3 billion sprawled over a gargantuan 9.6 million sq km, the People’s Republic of China is widely known as the factory of the world. The middle kingdom’s dominance of global economic and socio-political affairs is impressive, with many regarding them as the “factory of the world”. Its ability to mobilise epic resources to achieve ambitious goals are also much-lauded.

However, what is the average Chinese person really like? What elements constitute the building blocks of China’s society – the very essence of being Chinese?


The Role of Semiotics in Marketing

May 13, 2012 Content Marketing 46 comments

semiotics-in-advertising-guns-and-lives

What does this ad tell you? (source of image)

What is the relationship between signs and marketing communications? Why do certain symbols and icons work more effectively as advertisements in reaching consumers than others?

A brand of cultural anthropology which looks at the use of signs and symbols as a means of communicating and conveying meaning, semiotics is a vital discipline in the science of marketing communications, advertising and branding. 


Marketing – Fact, Fantasy or Fallacy?

May 6, 2012 Blog 2 comments


Too bad marketers don’t have growing noses like Pinnochio! (source of image)

In the world of marketing, there are three schools of thought.

The first is the school of facts. Proponents of this idea hinge much of their marketing on bread and butter issues, focusing on very tangible aspects of their products or services such as cost, value, features, utility, convenience and savings.