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As environmental awareness continues to rise, the average consumer has become more conscious of the need to make greener choices. A post at the Osocio blog highlights a satirical cartoon from Lunchbreath that skewers marketers who respond to the trend with disingenuous, "greenwashed" packaging that relies on elements like this: ... more
"The Hispanic market seems to be the only one still flourishing these days in the face of economic doom and gloom," says Blaire Borthayre in an article at MarketingProfs. And there are, she argues, a number of reasons why the buying power of these savvy consumers will likely grow to ... more
Here's how One Day, One Job—an online company that helps college students find entry-level jobs—grew its Web traffic and visibility via targeted ads on the social network. more
"Refer-A-Friend campaigns can be tricky territory," says Kristen Gregory in a post at the Bronto blog. "Let's be very clear: just because someone gives you the email address of their friend does not mean you have permission to email [that friend] whenever you want, as often as you like." For ... more
You might have mixed emotions—perhaps a blend of envy and awe—when you hear teenage CEOs discuss how they plan to secure venture capital for their second or third startup. But once you get past the novelty of their age, tales of their youthful success can provide you with an entirely ... more
Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports says he learned a thing or two while working in a cardboard-box factory as a teenager. "The first was the importance of proofreading," he says. "There are not a lot of alternative uses for 200,000 boxes advertising ‘Premium banannas.’ " Another lesson was the ... more
"Lately," says Ken Magill in a post at DIRECT, "I regularly get messages from frustrated email managers whose bosses are trying to prod them into doing something self-destructive." It seems they're dealing with upper management who believe that doubling frequency will double profits, and that anything is fine as long ... more
"Hey!" says comedian Sarah Haskins, as she dumps an array of Yoplait, Activia and Dannon onto a table at the beginning of a viral video. "Why am I holding all this yogurt? Because I'm a woman. And yogurt is the official food of women." Marisa Meltzer uses a post ... more
Good news for those marketers who seek to advertise aggressively and creatively to Baby Boomers: You are right on track! New research is finding that for many Boomers "aging is not about the inevitable end, but rather about the evolving self." It seems this age group is redefining retirement as ... more
"Building your own opt-in email marketing list is an accomplishment," says Steve Adams in an article at MarketingProfs, "but don't stop there. Once you start reaching out to your list with great content, you can then improve the targeting and relevance of your email marketing campaigns by using segmentation." The ... more
Email is one of the easiest, most affordable, and most effective marketing tools out there. Nonetheless, launching an email-marketing program can seem a daunting challenge, especially for time-strapped entrepreneurs and small-business owners. more
"Predictive analysis has a long and profitable history with direct mail," says Arthur Middleton Hughes in a Pro article at MarketingProfs. "Millions of dollars have been saved by focusing on those customers most likely to buy—and not mailing to those who are unlikely to be interested." Only recently, though, have ... more
In a post at the Marketing Analytics blog, Lynne Harrold describes the quandary faced by an important Bostonian cultural institution. As its established member base dies off, it needs to attract younger members. But there's a problem: the young don't care for the repertoire favored by their elders. In general ... more
The Hispanic market seems to be the only one still flourishing these days in the face of economic doom and gloom. Foreign-born Hispanics in the US have been historically unaffected by economic downturns. Why? And how can you tap the market effectively? more
All your opt-ins won't stay loyal forever: Interests change, as do expectations about messaging and frequency. Even as your list grows, so will the number of unopened emails. So you should cut off the "dead weight," right? Not so fast, there might still be money to be made. more
In a post at the Deliverability.com blog, Dennis Dayman presents a short series of off-the-cuff emails that his wife wrote in response to his question about video in email marketing campaigns. Dayman wanted to know whether she—a stay-at-home mom—found the concept appealing. In her first email, she explains that the ... more
Good news for retailers! There is one consumer segment that apparently remains ready and willing to buy: Hispanic shoppers. "According to a new study conducted by Experian Simmons for Univision Communications, Hispanics are less affected by the recession, tend to be more positive about it, [and] shop more often," says ... more
There are five keys to making a relevance-centered approach a reality in your direct digital marketing programs(such as email, websites, mobile, and so on). more
In cooperation with Ball State University and the Email Marketers Club, ExactTarget studied 18 methods used by marketers to build an email list. Among the results published in its 2009 Email List Growth Study are these conclusions: The best method for email list growth is onsite registration; ... more
"Very few executives give a hoot about opens and clicks," says Stephanie Miller in a post at the Daily Fix blog. "In fact, very few marketers even look at their email system reports (I can't make this stuff up!)." The problem, she argues, is that these types of data cannot ... more
Once in a while, a digital ad grabs you just like that. And one thing that really boosts its impact is if the person featured in it is—you. Read on: Last year, to sell tickets to its women's basketball games, Gonzaga University released a video of a coach calling the ONE person whose attendance would ... more
If you've noticed an unusual drop in open rates for messages sent to Gmail accounts—and for B2C companies, this could represent a large percentage of subscribers—it's probably not your fault. "There's growing evidence that Gmail is disabling images for senders that users had previously whitelisted and enabled images for. Near-term, ... more
In last week's installment, we offered step-by-step tips to get you tweeting on Twitter. This week, we offer a few more advanced steps to take, based on Jim Sterne's advice in a MarketingProfs article. Incorporate these into your tweeting habits, and you'll be well on the way to becoming a Twitter ... more
Decision-makers who are worried over the stability of their company's finances should remember one simple truth: The source of your business's cash flow is your customer base. What all of this boils down to is the need to make smart, informed investment and cost-cutting decisions that have both a short-term and ... more
"Social media is cool!" proclaims Chris Brogan in a Pro article at MarketingProfs. "Blogging and podcasts are cool! We're so cutting edge! Twitter is like the future here today, and no one knows about it!" If you've noticed a certain facetious quality to his enthusiasm, his next line makes clear ... more
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