tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221209882011-11-02T04:48:41.250-07:00A West-coaster's take on the world of marketingRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.comBlogger811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-61280314014529209582007-06-08T13:18:00.000-07:002007-06-08T13:21:14.096-07:00

This is VERY cool.Microsoft SurfaceLike a 21st century version of table-top Pac-Man. :o)

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-66002498456120177892007-06-08T10:32:00.001-07:002007-06-08T13:14:28.024-07:00

A little marketing perspective, Canadian-style...Inspired by Mack's post today about evangelism and a loyal fan base, I thought I'd write about something near and dear to my heart, both personally and professionally.The National Hockey League has always been an enigma, to me. From a marketing standpoint, I see nothing but opportunity for the league and its member teams to superserve its core fan

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-48450669600537336982007-05-31T15:42:00.000-07:002007-05-31T16:08:43.960-07:00

Well, lookie here...If it isn't an old familiar name showing his face 'round these parts once again. Me.The hiatus has been much longer than originally anticipated, and there are endless stories and whatnot to recount as I ease back into the saddle. But I'll save those tales for another day.Today is a day of celebration and renewed enthusiasm as I start afresh, looking to pick up where I left off

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1155833317222797632006-08-17T09:44:00.000-07:002006-10-26T08:02:47.216-07:00

People prefer routine. I'm pretty sure.Wake up at 5am. Make coffee. Have a shower. Go to work. It's lather, rinse, repeat, right?From a marketing and business standpoint, the same holds true. What I mean is, don't go doing things so out of the ordinary of your day to day business that people don't know what to expect. All of a sudden you'll have a bunch of confused customers not knowing what

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1153175664765317462006-07-17T15:29:00.000-07:002006-07-27T15:06:51.796-07:00

As if we all needed a reminder about the ongoing shift in media, Mr Rubel brings it firmly to our attention:Coincidence? You tell me:1) YouTube reaches the milestone of 100 million video streams per day.2) The four major television networks see record ratings lows.Welcome to the new world, everyone. The train's a' comin', folks. You can let it hit you straight on, or you can jump on for the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148428137774681942006-06-18T10:00:00.000-07:002006-07-13T13:53:54.160-07:00

This is an absolute beauty. I couldn't help but bring this to the attention of my faithful followers.Not the usual 'emotionally compelling' creative that I like - but beer ads never are. They're just plain funny.Imagine Burt Reynolds, Triple H, Jerome Bettis, and the mountain climber who cut his own arm off to save himself around a table passing 'man laws.' That's what you get here.Oh, and

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1150232235132375622006-06-13T11:07:00.000-07:002006-06-13T22:24:43.086-07:00

So does my last post relate to marketing?Sure it does. Well, kinda. And even if it doesn't, I still feel proud and excited to write about it. So read on. If there's a marketing thread, great. If not, it doesn't bother me.Living in Korea for the better part of a year, I was lucky enough to experience what I feel (in hindsight) was one of the most enchanting and exhilarating experiences of my

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1150216794851132172006-06-13T09:32:00.000-07:002006-06-13T09:42:18.910-07:00

I was fortunate enough to have been a part of World Cup 2002 in Korea / Japan, living in Seoul when the 'Red Devils' (as they are affectionately known in Korea) made history by finishing fourth in the World Cup Finals, going down to Germany (1:0) in the semi-finals.This time around, they're battling to repeat their cinderella performance in 2002, and so far they've started off in solid fashion,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1150129009886461792006-06-12T09:03:00.000-07:002006-06-14T10:10:35.963-07:00

I subscribe to a weekly e-mail newsletter from The Wizard of Ads. Each Monday morning, I come into my office, open my e-mail, and find a gem of a read from Mr Williams himself to pore over as I enjoy my AM cuppa joe.It's a ritual I look forward to each Monday (helps me actually forget it's a Monday too), as more often than not, I find some sort of valuable nugget in what Roy has to say.Roy

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1149861188690737102006-06-09T06:32:00.000-07:002006-06-13T03:09:13.246-07:00

So there you are, behind the counter of your store. You just finished a big sale, and your new customer just walked out the door, box in hand, completely satisfied with the purchase he / she just made.It took some work, but you overcame their objections and were fortunate enough to show them enough reason for this particular person to exchange their hard-earned money for your product. Now

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1149723526119925032006-06-07T16:35:00.000-07:002007-03-10T02:23:07.493-08:00

I was reading Allen Weiss' post this afternoon, and it spurred me to write this.Nothing bugs me more than seeing / hearing / experiencing a piece of copy that borders on meaningless, due to the poor wording chosen by the copywriter. I can't even count how many pieces of creative I've seen / heard that have gone in the tank thanks to a lack of thought in terms of planning. As many of you know, I'm

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1149699871357265512006-06-07T09:18:00.000-07:002007-03-05T08:17:25.706-08:00

There have been a few posts lately around the blogosphere about newspaper advertising and what's happening to the medium as a viable entity for advertising. All this talk about newspapers going the way of the dinosaur had got me wondering what the actual numbers looked like.Luckily enough, I stumbed across this gem at The New York Times website this morning. A brief summary tells us that

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1149537307265993102006-06-05T12:47:00.000-07:002007-04-11T04:03:34.843-07:00

Well, well, well...It appears as though there is, in fact, some merit to a campaign that involves Bloggers. Nice to see it properly recognized.Hugh and the folks at Stormhoek have taken top nod for Consumer Campaign at the 2006 Drinks Business Awards, for their recent '100 bottles of wine to 100 bloggers' campaign. Hmmm. I seem to remember how someone else was keen on a similar idea for the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148960343367165112006-05-29T20:20:00.000-07:002006-05-30T09:12:54.606-07:00

As some of you may already know, my media background prior to my current role was in radio. When I first got into the industry (working for the station I grew up listening to, might I add), I didn't know the rules of the game. I always thought the cardinal rule in media was to be where all the eyeballs / ears / etc are.I was blindfolded by the university textbooks and marketing tomes I read in

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148442935831009472006-05-23T20:44:00.000-07:002006-05-25T20:03:10.380-07:00

Have you ever walked down the aisle of your local supermarket and closely examined the labels of some of the packaged goods that you see before you?It's a damn shouting match. They're all iterations of the same damn items, just repackaged and forced down our throats as the next best thing."New formula""Improved grease cutting"All of these companies are setting a bad example for the businesses out

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148388134527959682006-05-23T05:38:00.000-07:002006-05-24T06:57:28.183-07:00

As I watched the season 5 finale of 24 last night (Jack's been captured by the Chinese government, by the way - here comes season 6), I was struck by the image / sound of a new foray into advertising by a long-term fixture in the marketing world.My only question, while watching the telly, was whether it has the legitimacy to succeed.I'm talking about Burger King's latest campaign that includes a

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148350651363812742006-05-22T19:16:00.000-07:002007-03-23T05:07:39.483-07:00

Just a quick note to say that I'll be out of blogging range for a day or so, as I skip out of town on some business. It's a damn shame that this new job is allowing me to fly to the warmth of the Okanagan and take in three days of golf. I almost don't want to go. I can't say that with a straight face.When I get back, I expect to see Nettwerks' execution of '100 CDs for 100 Bloggers' the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148276998455564412006-05-21T22:08:00.000-07:002006-05-22T14:38:28.826-07:00

Well, no more than you already are, I mean. Here's the deal: You're a small business. Every penny counts. You can't afford to spend your hard-earned money on every sugar-coated, flashy new marketing idea that comes your way. You do what you do, and you do it well. But how can you still increase your business' bottom line without that extra marketing expense? Instead of focusing your

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148274214436552482006-05-21T21:59:00.000-07:002006-05-23T23:30:24.150-07:00

My bad. Just realized that the e-mail subscription service to my blog has been disabled for, oh I don't know, the past two months. Nice work Ashton. The good news is, I caught it this evening and have remedied the situation. Which means that all 7 of my subscribers will now continue to receive my updated posts. Go on. Tell your friends. Heck, tell ten.R.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148158552729290032006-05-20T13:55:00.000-07:002006-05-22T17:27:48.903-07:00

I'm also brainstorming for a new name for Command HQ... Ashton Media bores me.Any suggestions, fire away.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148158410083516652006-05-20T13:49:00.000-07:002006-05-22T00:55:04.946-07:00

So you'll see that things here at Ashton Media have changed. I've decided to give the look and feel of Command HQ a bit of a different spin. Besides, I had been having problems with my comments section lately (thanks in large part to my lack of knowledge of HTML coding), so I thought I'd fix it up. Make it easier for the masses to give their opinion, ya dig?So anyway, I have a feeling that

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148070889022526462006-05-19T13:17:00.000-07:002006-05-22T00:52:48.096-07:00

Over lunch I managed to take a look through the notes I took last night during the seminar at Nettwerk's office.Not to take anything away from Jordan's stellar recap of the event, but there were a few other points that I just came across which I felt worthy of another go 'round. Hence, this post.As Jordan alluded to much of the conversation centred around the marketing of music from the artist's

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148049332258507742006-05-19T07:25:00.000-07:002006-05-22T20:45:41.220-07:00

Well, I was going to spend a good part of this morning's coffee consumption period waxing poetic about my experience at Nettwerk's Marketing in Music seminar, held last night in their office on W2nd Avenue in Vancouver. It looks like Jordan beat me to the punch.Instead of trying to improve on perfection, I'll simply point you over to his post. His explanation is succinct, his recounting

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1148047277294745792006-05-19T06:40:00.000-07:002006-05-19T07:01:17.296-07:00

I posted the other day about the sense of 'community' with your brand, and what it can mean to instilling a feeling of loyalty and passion about the products you sell and the company you operate. It's about extending the conversation beyond the four walls of your organization, and into the breath of the people that, in all truth, really make it run - the customer.Mack happened to stop in and

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1147909287782969892006-05-17T16:22:00.000-07:002006-05-20T06:59:27.726-07:00

Although I haven't been doing as much posting as I'd have liked lately, I have been doing a lot of reading. And much of what I've read seems to have the same theme:Creating a community.Mack has said it a number of times. Musicians are starting to do it. I read an article on it just five minutes ago. And it was spoken to me loud a clear a few months ago in a book I read - The Culting of Brands (by

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1147190845032611542006-05-09T08:58:00.000-07:002006-05-09T09:07:25.090-07:00

There's something to be said for longevity.Case and point is right here:Last year, these five music groups / artists each grossed in excess of $50 million:U2The Rolling StonesThe EaglesElton JohnPaul McCartney A sure sign of the long trail. I don't see any 'flash-in-the-pan' acts in that list, do you? Like Seth says, "we're so busy celebrating the hit of the moment that we forget that the real

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1146936604664583202006-05-08T14:04:00.000-07:002006-07-03T00:48:23.146-07:00

Last Friday, I was fortunate enough to have attended the Vision 2006 Conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Vancouver. The conference is an annual affair put on by the BC chapter of the AMA, and this year's theme was the topic of Visionary Leadership.I haven't been to many of these all-day conferences, so this was a good chance to really soak up some of the information from what I

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1147106375577054012006-05-08T09:23:00.000-07:002006-05-08T09:42:48.516-07:00

So the population of China currently sits at about 1.3 billion people, give or take a few (note the sarcasm). I don't think I have to actually spell it out for you in terms of what this might mean from a marketing and business opportunity standpoint (do I?). The sheer numbers should speak for themselves, and businesses that operate on a multi-market scale should take note.A statistic that caught

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1146492514253032762006-05-03T07:08:00.000-07:002006-05-09T09:10:27.400-07:00

About 30 years ago, a revolution began. It all started with an idea, or should I say, ideal, about the way people were handling the earth.From its humble beginnings in the suburb of Kitsilano in Vancouver, a movement started. A seed of idealism that soon grew to a global phenomenon with media coverage around the world.No one within the organization was prepared for the growth and support that

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1146588543403237912006-05-02T09:42:00.000-07:002006-05-02T09:49:03.413-07:00

I've always said that it's all about perception. How people view you and your products. Tell them a story enough times, and pretty soon that's what you become known for. And that also holds true in other areas too, let's not forget.And by other areas, I mean 'down there' of course. The adult film industry (read: porn) has been showing us for years, and now Philips / Norelco are promoting the '

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1146501408834729712006-05-01T09:23:00.000-07:002006-05-01T09:36:48.936-07:00

A couple of weeks back, I wrote of RSS and how it's used. Well, today is unofficially the official 'RSS Appreciation Day' around the world.In honor of that, his Blogginess, Steve Rubel has drafted up a quick 'how-to' guide on setting up an RSS feed using Google. It's quick, it's easy, and it works. Just the way things should be.All hail RSS.- RyanPS: See, I said I'd be back. With a vengeance

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1146491717835056322006-05-01T06:35:00.000-07:002006-05-02T06:09:13.003-07:00

Wow.A couple of weeks have passed since my last post, as I've barely had a chance to breathe over that time. To give you a bit of background, I had interviewed for a marketing position a number of weeks back. Well, as luck would have it, I got the job, and am now starting week number two in my role as Regional Marketing Manager of Western Canada for Boston Pizza. What that officially means, I

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1144245208154369682006-04-07T06:53:00.000-07:002006-10-02T18:05:10.253-07:00

So I posted the other day about Emotions vs Emotional Benefits, and the difference between the two terms and how each relates to marketing. It's one thing to invoke emotions with your message, but you enter a whole new realm when those emotions have a specific, definitive benefit to your customer. If your product / brand / service makes your customer happy, sure, that's a good thing. But it's

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1144266796970785422006-04-05T12:39:00.000-07:002006-04-06T00:42:28.373-07:00

Ahhh Marmite. Yeasty, salty Marmite. Love it or hate it, that is the question...I was introduced to the stuff about 4 years ago on a trip to the UK, when my hostel mate had a closet full of the stuff to eat every morning. I had heard horror stories about the taste of it, and knowing what I'd heard I was pretty reluctant to give it a go. The anticipation of the first bite is almost painful, as

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1142956011658603232006-04-05T06:45:00.000-07:002006-10-02T18:11:54.520-07:00

I've brought up the notion of speaking to your customer through the use of persuasive, compelling, emotionally-driven ads. I think, in hindsight, I should have clarified the term 'emotional' to really capture the essence of what I meant.Allow me to explain:Emotions are one thing. Either you're happy, you're sad, you're scared, or you're angry. Those are the four core emotions. At the simplest

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1144180527054501182006-04-04T12:13:00.000-07:002006-07-18T17:49:17.886-07:00

Yep, Bob Dylan said it best.What's the change, you may ask? After much deliberation, intense thought, and some sleepless nights the decision was finally made to take on a new job. I got the offer last week, and made the decision to start in three weeks time.This doesn't mean Ashton Media is going anywhere. It just means that my regular gig has changed, and I'll now be moving into the role of

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1144018792730408992006-04-02T15:40:00.000-07:002006-04-02T15:59:52.746-07:00

Oh man. I go away for two days and seems like I've missed way too much. First of all, Google launches a Romance section. Then I learn that Scoble is leaving Microsoft to join forces with Sergey at Google. And then I found out that the Canucks are on the verge of missing the playoffs. Oh wait, that's not April Fools. That's just plain reality. Ouch.Anyways, one of the newsworthy items I

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1144012986473656012006-04-02T14:22:00.000-07:002006-04-04T13:29:11.486-07:00

Spent this weekend up at Whistler, trying to perfect my snowboarding abilities. Unfortunately the weather gods didn't see it my way and we were completely socked in all day Saturday. No boarding for us this weekend, although we did take solace in the fact that the beers were really cold. Mmmm.Anyway, one of my buddies works for EA, and in our non-boarding funk we got to talking about, of all

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1142555826624656522006-03-31T07:36:00.000-08:002006-09-23T03:54:13.640-07:00

Good morning, and happy Friday. Oh it's good to be back.For those of you saying to yourself, "I didn't know he was gone," well, I guess I have some work to do in order to be remembered. For those few loyal faithful readers who noticed my extended hiatus, I apologize for my absence.It's been a busy week or so, and I'm just now getting my head above water (as seems to be the case with Jordan, who

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1143229288897834122006-03-24T11:27:00.000-08:002006-03-24T15:25:44.013-08:00

Find a need and fill it. I read that wise bit of advice in an Archie comic book, of all places, about 15 years ago.To this day I'd say it holds true the same as it did back then. The needs have changed, obviously, but the premise is the same. Find what the people want and give it to them. Don't tell them they need it. Listen to them and provide it, and they'll come to you.Graham and Robert

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1143040509955295532006-03-22T06:41:00.000-08:002006-03-22T13:21:03.846-08:00

I was reminded last night (thanks, Justin) of a case study I read a few years back in the good old days of uni. I take the time to write about it this morning, because of its relevance to the marketing of a business. Your business.We were on the topic of USP (Unique Selling Proposition), and discussing the importance of finding your own unique position in the market to call your own. The story

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1142900694664586752006-03-20T16:18:00.000-08:002006-03-29T23:48:23.636-08:00

And then there's SMART. Enter John Jantsch. I've been reading his blog for the past few months now, and though he doesn't post often, the ones that do appear sure make the visit worthwhile.His post today, for the small business owner / manager, talks about a business' real competition being perception. It's often not what your business is, but what your customer thinks it is that can make the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1142312305731060242006-03-20T08:50:00.000-08:002006-03-20T21:44:34.786-08:00

Companies who focus their advertising efforts on low price must think that the only thing on a consumers mind is that very thing. If that were the case, would there be a market for things like convenience stores? The truth is, in this day and age many consumers have more money now than they ever did. And with that money, consumers are able to 'buy time'.Consider this: in the mid-eighties, US

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1142705376479786182006-03-18T10:09:00.000-08:002006-11-11T07:19:53.636-08:00

I think that's my favorite title yet.As you might have guessed, I'm touching on word of mouth marketing in this post. I know I made reference to this topic in a previous post a few weeks back, but I wanted to throw a few other morsels out there for everyone to digest. Yes, it's that important.I want to start this post off by giving a bit of historical experience from my end, in dealing with '

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1142518823197972292006-03-16T05:52:00.000-08:002006-03-17T09:39:11.236-08:00

So now that I've committed to the 2007 Vancouver Marathon, I guess it's time to blog less and train more? I was going to do the race this year, but wrecked my ankle and had to put myself on 'injured reserve.' Thanks to Jordan, I now have an official training partner for next year. What have I gotten myself into, anyways? Anyway, on to the post. The pitfall of many a small business owner

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1142346943398189932006-03-14T06:17:00.000-08:002006-04-01T04:56:07.133-08:00

Well, I guess with the demands placed on General Motors various business departments, marketing is feeling the crunch right off the top. Enter Chevy Tahoe :: The Apprentice - GM's latest attempt at reaching out to that elusive consumer. At first glance I thought the website was simply another one of those 'consumer-generated' campaigns that called Tahoe fans to action. Instead, it's a

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1142266317290304512006-03-13T07:49:00.000-08:002006-03-16T16:19:31.926-08:00

As many of you reading these posts know, I'm a big fan of The Wizard himself, Mr Roy H Williams. I've learned over the years that it's important (and imperative) that your marketing message be worthy of even being noticed. Your message must be compelling and relevant enough to your consumer so that yours doesn't get lost in the shuffle. So you're in a movie theatre, watching Jaws. It's the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141953652135217962006-03-09T17:20:00.000-08:002006-03-17T10:52:57.603-08:00

Do you think that you have to be the cheapest product on the block? Do you think your customers come to you because you have the lowest price? If you do have the lowest price around, and no one can beat you, that's great. Just make sure you keep it up. Those price-conscious consumers know exactly what's going on in the market and if you don't have the lowest price that they're looking for then

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141881569512966672006-03-08T21:07:00.000-08:002006-03-09T00:09:45.590-08:00

I just spent the last 45 minutes or so immersed in Seth Godin's recent speech to the staff at Google. I was mezmerized. This guy knows his stuff.One thing that really hit home with me was his brief reference to one of his books - Purple Cow. It's not the book itself I was impressed with though.You're driving down the road, and on your right is a field of cows. You think nothing of them.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141879406619981432006-03-08T20:28:00.000-08:002006-03-09T13:15:55.946-08:00

As many of you know, much of my expertise lies in the area of electronic media (radio, etc). With that in mind, there's something to be said for an attention-grabbing headline that really hits home. Whether your headline is in print, via e-mail, or on the air - it's gotta grab.Many of you visitors to this site are owners of small or medium sized businesses; ones that I deal with on a regular,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141835602153129192006-03-08T08:24:00.000-08:002006-03-09T08:59:17.156-08:00

Well, well. It appears as though we've reached a new plateau in reaching the consumer. Using outdoor billboards to direct drivers to a radio frequency? It's new.And since Honda saw sales of its Element decline by 5% in 2005, they must have figured it was time to do something about it. Elements and Friends was launched in November of 2005, in an effort to stimulate demand for the brand and

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141834711051448392006-03-08T07:59:00.000-08:002006-03-08T08:19:48.706-08:00

I know this news is a bit old, but I wanted to comment on it appropriately, as it shows me a few things. You've all probably heard the news that for the first time ever (since 1997) Japanese auto makers now make up the Top 10 in all major categories in the Consumer Reports Top Picks 2006.Personally, I couldn't be happier. I've long been a proud supporter of Japanese-made vehicles, as to me

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141779501029862862006-03-07T16:54:00.000-08:002006-03-08T11:27:22.566-08:00

Adidas does a great job here in delivering a meaningful message (which, as you know is what I always preach), but they don't even say a word. Love it.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141776356431846812006-03-07T15:56:00.000-08:002006-07-23T21:21:29.200-07:00

The biggest pitfall a business can make is trying to be all things to all people. It's impossible. Like the water company I once met with who said "our target consumer is everyone who drinks water" it just won't work.Be something. And once you pick that something, act on it. Alta Mountain, a ski resort in the US , decided to be something. They're a mountain just for skiiers, and that's

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141671873778433012006-03-06T10:53:00.000-08:002006-04-11T19:09:51.790-07:00

Are you running the 100-metre dash in your advertising, or methodically leading the way in a marketing marathon? Do your ads focus on the short-term buyer, as if today's sale is the last chance your customer will ever have to buy from you? Or do you write your copy to target the long-term, eventual buyer, conditioning them to think of you automatically whenever they need what you're selling?

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141676977181772072006-03-06T09:00:00.000-08:002006-03-06T12:30:09.526-08:00

Seth Godin makes a great case in his post here, about the notion of 'first mover advantage.'"Yes, you must be first (and right) in that market or this market. But that doesn't mean you have to be first (and right) in the universe.[which] means that the idea of monolithic marketing messages to monolithic markets makes no sense. The race is now to be the first mover in the micromarkets where

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141265877836577712006-03-02T20:55:00.000-08:002006-03-04T19:29:23.513-08:00

One of those great 'I'm glad it happened to them' kind of stories that I discovered upon first meeting with a client yesterday aft.Here goes.Two brothers, a sister, and mom, bought this struggling business a few years back and put their own hard-earned money into it to see it turn around. Then, on one unfortunate day, as a result of some unknown electrical glitch, the whole thing burned to the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141333617196894462006-03-02T12:59:00.000-08:002006-09-15T07:33:42.090-07:00

VW has 'shifted gears' (good play on words there) lately it seems, bringing Crispin Porter + Bogusky on board as their agency of record. If these three spots (featuring the memorable Peter Stormare) are any indication of things to come, then it's a good move on VWs part. I like them. Let me know what you think. Wrecking BallCrateCatapult Enjoy. - Ryan

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141265925973049872006-03-01T21:30:00.000-08:002006-03-07T09:42:16.876-08:00

When business is slow, an average businessperson points the finger at his advertising, thinking that's where the problem lies. The wise businessperson, on the other hand, wonders if perhaps it's something wrong with the products he's doing the advertising for. You can spend all the time you want 'reaching the right people' (groan), but who are these 'right people' for a product that no one

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141266349169772712006-03-01T18:21:00.000-08:002006-03-06T15:06:46.906-08:00

I just wanted to take a brief moment here to give a big thank you to the visitors to my blog.Today marks the highest volume of traffic (unique visitors) to my blog in a single day since its inception a mere two months ago. I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking about it.I may not be an A-Lister, with links galore, but at least I know that people are reading. It must mean that there's

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141231833041378812006-03-01T08:34:00.000-08:002006-03-01T22:05:11.723-08:00

I think the ultimate goal for any individual business is to be the first name that consumers think of in a specific product category. Category dominance. Top of mind. The Equity Position. Whatever your name for it is, the bottom line is that this is the ultimate position to be in. Think diamonds... Spence Diamonds. Think mattresses... Sleep Country. These companies have done a masterful

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141187533105977282006-02-28T20:02:00.000-08:002006-03-01T17:59:44.623-08:00

Tonight's post is merely a housekeeping one. More exciting marketing content to come later, but first...Realizing that not everyone on this planet has embraced Firefox like I have, it was high time that I 're-imaged' the title bar of my blog to become compatible with Internet Explorer.It's a great change, I think. Instead of Ashton Medi, it now reads (correctly), Ashton Media.Secondly, I've

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1141050496477897182006-02-27T06:13:00.000-08:002006-02-27T06:38:56.116-08:00

In any marketing plan, there are tactics and there are strategies. Strategies are the long term, horizon-based goals and directions that you have set out for your business. These refer to a specific position in the market, or a long-term goal in terms of employee training.Tactics, on the other hand, are the shorter-term initiatives that seek to help your business follow those strategies.The

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1140913250033678132006-02-25T16:25:00.000-08:002006-02-27T18:16:43.216-08:00

NOT TRUE, says I.Reason for this post (a quickie, to boot) is because of something that happened to me early in my days of media. I had called on a specific retailer, in an effort to discuss their current marketing mix and determine if there was a way to further increase their share of the local market and enhance their current image. My inquiry was quickly met with a resounding "NO.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1140913737751090262006-02-25T16:22:00.000-08:002006-02-25T19:41:53.613-08:00

I just noticed a small, yet worthwhile error concerning my blog. Not a big deal, but it bothers me enough to write about it.If you're using Internet Explorer to read my blog, you'll probably notice that the right hand side of my title bar / header is cut off. Not sure why.I use Mozilla's Firefox browser (it kicks ass) for all my web surfing, and I must say that I've never looked back. I guess

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1140800098370948622006-02-24T08:41:00.000-08:002006-02-24T08:54:58.400-08:00

Does your business have one specific product or service that you want to be known for? Something that you are so proud of that you think everyone should know? What, in your business, is your bread and butter? Something that you can stand behind and tell the story of, while the rest of your business benefits as a result? "Make your best horse a big winner, and the whole barn will share in its

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1140705521138810492006-02-23T06:15:00.000-08:002006-02-23T10:19:05.523-08:00

It's about time I touched on this subject, as it's a pretty important part of any business.Ask any business owner or executive, "what advertising works best for your business?" and the common response is bound to be "word of mouth." That's right, I guess, but it's not as easy to accomplish as one might think.People generally have a circle of friends or acquaintances that they share experiences /

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1140491488290244402006-02-20T18:53:00.000-08:002006-02-22T17:04:42.910-08:00

"To sale or not to sale, that is the question..." Okay, so studies have shown that in any given market for any given product or service, only 2-4% of the population is currently in the market to buy today. That leaves 96-98% left that won't buy today, but will be in the market to buy eventually. To whom are you writing your ads? Transactional customers are the ones that many advertisers

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1140071868177312292006-02-15T21:53:00.000-08:002006-02-15T22:42:36.203-08:00

I remember back in my university days, we spent many hours in lecture halls and classrooms as part of a fictional 'business,' practicing for real life when we'd be sitting at the boardroom table discussing our market potential, strengths and weaknesses, product launches, etc.Back in those days, sitting in the library study hall at midnight, the four or five of us attempted to develop mission and

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1140040329199410482006-02-15T13:41:00.000-08:002006-02-16T10:33:43.303-08:00

Who says David can't take on Goliath and win? This recent post at Adrants tells us that it's not just the big boys (Home Depot) that wins all the advertising battles.Pfau's Hardware in West Hartford (CT) has recently developed a strategic POP campaign that speaks emotionally to consumers about the merits of doing business at a 'Mom and Pop' hardware store. Great story-telling. I especially

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139928170842111852006-02-14T06:09:00.000-08:002006-02-14T06:47:24.633-08:00

If you recall from a few posts back, I spoke of the term branding. It's one of those hot new buzzwords used by some of the big suits these days. The thing is, I don't think everyone truly knows what it means.Branding is something that happens deep in the recesses of the mind; an unconscious assocation with a specific image or term that invokes an emotional response. It's not simply stating

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139703693286629812006-02-11T16:16:00.000-08:002006-02-11T16:22:07.443-08:00

Just a quick FYI for all the visitors to my blog. You'll probably notice the presence of a few Google ads sprinkled around the page, often relating to a recent topic or post that's been on the site.Don't let 'em faze you.It's a trial run, by me, to see what kind of response I actually get with some targeted advertising on my site. If all works out, I will be buying a tropical island sooner

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139605035253219162006-02-10T12:50:00.000-08:002006-02-11T10:36:33.003-08:00

There sure are some clever ways to reach consumers these days. Check out Coloribus' blog for a few examples of some 'outside the box' ways that a number of companies have used to reach those ever-valuable eyeballs.I'm especially keen on the print ads at the bottom of the page, for extra long condoms. Always a giggle on those ones.Anyways. That's all I have to say about this. Short but sweet.-

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139595434842293052006-02-10T10:02:00.000-08:002006-02-10T18:33:08.563-08:00

So I just came across this beauty post earlier today at the blog of Beyond Robson.Take a look at the photo below. I think the words of the four disgruntled emloyees speaks volumes about the situation:This happened at a Vancouver Blenz location, apparently.Anyways, the point of my post is that the internal mechanisms of a business are often overlooked. And if you neglect employees, there's a

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139497571364295232006-02-09T06:33:00.000-08:002006-02-10T18:31:15.050-08:00

I'll start this post off by saying that I hate buzzwords. You know, those flowery, fluffy, absolutely meaningless stand-alone words sprinkled around ad campaigns oh-so liberally, like 'image' and 'service' and 'quality' and the like. To me, those words mean nothing.In an over-advertised world, many companies still use rhetoric from the days of lore. And it's frustrating. How many times in a

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139458677691673332006-02-08T20:16:00.000-08:002006-09-18T05:06:14.663-07:00

I've been doing this long enough to know that there are no 'guarantees' in media or in business. That said, if proper attention is paid to the important parts of your advertising plans, then the chances of success are greatly increased. Below are just a few of the 'rules of the road' that I try to follow in dealing with my clients. As a guideline, I think they'll come in handy when executing your

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139458455459481712006-02-08T20:13:00.000-08:002006-09-14T13:28:58.186-07:00

Catchy title, eh? Just like any advertising, I realized I only had about 2-3 seconds to get your attention. I hope I got it.So to start off this post, I want to qualify this content with a statement: I'm not one to talk down about any specific advertising medium. They all have their merits (I'll be getting into a detailed analysis the various forms of media in a post next week, touching on pros

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139458310484261682006-02-08T20:10:00.000-08:002006-02-08T20:12:58.880-08:00

So typically I'm not one to flog other people's stuff, unless: (a) There's something in it for you (b) There's something in it for meIn this case, it's kinda both. No, seriously. Okay, forget I said anything about 'something in it for me.'This is all about you.There's a book I read regularly (it keeps me fresh. Not deodorant-fresh. Marketing-fresh.), that I consider to be an invaluable (

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139458199234786652006-02-08T20:09:00.000-08:002006-02-08T20:10:33.793-08:00

It's a fact. Businesses don't fail because they reach the wrong people. They fail because they say the wrong thing. Pick the ideal audience and tell 'em exactly what they don't want to hear, and you'll be closing your doors before you know it.And many businesses say the wrong thing because they believe what customers tell them. Go for it. Conduct a survey - ask some questions and track the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139458113330450562006-02-08T20:07:00.000-08:002006-02-08T20:08:33.333-08:00

Many people speak of branding, but few know what the term actually means. I'm going to get into this a bit more in detail in a later post, but for the time being I want to direct you to a book I just finished - The Culting of Brands, by Douglas Atkins.Atkins talks of building a brand the way companies like Apple, Starbucks, and JetBlue have done.In it, he explains how these companies have made

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22120988.post-1139457968157228022006-02-08T20:04:00.000-08:002006-02-08T20:06:43.766-08:00

To relate to a blog I recently read, written by none other than Mr Behan, the power of any campaign lies directly in the message. I've met numerous people who will swear up and down that 'advertising just doesn't work.'The bottom line: campaigns that fail do so because of poor creative.So I ask, to who are you writing your ads? There are a couple rules to follow when looking to develop succesful

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10879167010578028815noreply@blogger.com0