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No, I didn’t go “Shakespeare” on everyone. This is a quote from the book “The Essentials of Advertising”, published in 1921. You can read the book  on Google Books here.

There are many examples that you may find interesting and relevant to your experience.  Please share a few if you have a chance. An example that caught my eye was the following quote: “In writing an advertisement it is well to keep constantly in mind the four things it is expected to do, namely, to attract attention, to arouse interest, to create desire and to create a sale.” In today’s business schools they teach the “Customer Life Cycle”, the process in which advertising is a means to move customers through awareness, interest, trial, evaluation and advocacy.

So, as media options change, the process you move a customer through has stayed relatively constant. As marketers we need to be aware of this as we try to figure out the ever changing media landscape. Don’t jump on a new media becuase it is the latest buzzword.  The important thing to do is to identify where your customer is in the life cycle, then utilize various media to most effectively communicate your message.

Doug Burton

Non-profit organizations often struggle with limited marketing resources – either human or budgetary. Social media marketing can be a potent part of their mix and one that can be particularly effective in moving people to Advocate level, the ultimate stage in the Consumer Life Cycle. People are more likely to engage with non-profit organizations on social media platforms like Facebook because it is something in which they can believe.

Do you work for a non-profit? Want to learn more about how to move into the social media marketing world, or maybe you’re already there and have questions. If so, join the KMK Media Group experts as we present “Fans, Friends and Followers: Marketing Your Organization Effectively Through Social Media” from noon to 1 pm tomorrow (Wed., Sept. 30) as part of the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s (NICNE) lunch series at Rockford College’s Grace Roper Lounge.

It’s open to employees at any non-profit in the region; $10 fee for non-NICNE members. Bring your own lunch. Call 815.226.2833.

Cindy Harris

Some marketing gurus from the biggest shops and biggest brands got together Monday as part of a panel discussion about social media. (They appeared as part of OMMA Global’s biannual conference in New York City, which, incidentally, is titled “The New Socialism” to reflect this hot topic).

Their overall advice on social media marketing? It’s got to be “a fabric running through all advertising and promotional efforts” – not just an avant-garde subset of your marketing plan.

That’s good advice. Social media, while new and buzzy, can be harnessed for marketing and business purposes but only when it works in concert with your overall marketing plan – just like a traditional media channel would.

In this piece, MediaPost’s Mark Walsh gives a summary of the panel’s ideas and shares some tips he gathered from talking with Rob Master, North American media director for Unilever, the consumer products giant.

Cindy Harris

When it comes to social media marketing it’s all about thinking outside of the box and offering value to your customers. Pizza Hut has done just that with their new iPhone app. This app lets you order a variety of menu items in a fun way. They also have an app on Facebook for ordering online and offer discounts for doing so!

Creating a social ad campaign can be a challenge, but there are many things you can do to create a relationship with your clients. Brands today must stop pushing their messages and start engaging their customers in order to build brand loyalty.

Are you thinking out of the pizza box?

Mary Grimborg

A fun part of researching topics to write about is coming across the rare example of something new, intelligent and unique that actually has a positive impact in our industry. A recent blog post on Advertising Lab is a good example.

“…you’ll find links to technological innovations knocking on the doors of magazines and newspapers – geeky stuff like sound inserts, pop-ups, 3D printing.” Examples in the post challenge the traditional practice of how people view print advertising. Check out the article at Advertising Lab: http://adverlab.blogspot.com/2006/03/rethinking-print-advertising.html

Doug Burton

Yesterday, Google announced the launch of DoubleClick Ad Exchange. You can read the full press release here. DoubleClick Ad Exchange is similar to AdWords and AdSense, except that it is a marketplace for display ads. Google comments from the announcment, “The Ad Exchange is a real-time marketplace that helps large online publishers on one side; and ad networks and agency networks on the other, buy and sell display advertising space.”

This is important to smaller advertising agencies  or businesses becuase we can now buy targeted display ads on thousands of DoubleClick ad-serving websites. Learn more about DoubleClick Ad Exchange by watching the video below.

Doug Burton

Read an interesting article today on PaidContent.org about monetizing digital content and am looking for your comments and thoughts.  As much as we dread the idea, we know content publishers will eventually start charging for premium content. The key word being “premium”.  Today, Rupert Murdoch commented that his organization within the next few months will start charging for mobile content as well. “He offered a look at how the business is trying to capitalize on the shift from paper to digital, specifically by saying that sometime in the next few months, WSJ readers on Blackberry and iPhone will be charged $2 per week, with print and online subscribers having to pay $1 per week.”

Doug Burton

A space traditionally used to cross-promote related content, marketers are now using the “last frame” of a video to engage and capture user experience. A company called Involver has created a tool allowing marketers the ability to add a plug-in to their online video that allows them to  capture email, offer quizes or surveys, even take orders or donations – all within the framework of the video, never forcing the viewer to browse to a new Web page. This seems like a great idea. Please share your experiences as a user or as a marketer of this technology.

Doug Burton

This caught my eye as a unique and new way of opt-in marketing.  A company called Calgoo has developed an opt-in marketing tool that utilizes the users electronic calendar as a delivery method. Advertisers are able to push their messages to people’s Microsoft Outlook calendar, Google Calendar, or Apple iCal.

Learn more about Calgoo’s In-Calendar-Marketing.

Doug Burton