Never a Lack of Ideas

Think Small   Many marketing professionals think bigger is better when it comes to printed marketing materials. I actually think the opposite. For several years I've been touting the "precious presence" when it comes to printed pieces. The idea is simple: people like to pick up small ("precious") brochures because they are less intimidating and invite the reader to handle with care. Of course, I don't have any actual research behind this theory, but I've seen it happen time and time again — people are intimidated to pick up giant brochures, envelopes, and unfamiliar magazines. Yet, people are happy to pick up and handle well-made, beautiful, small printed pieces. They have a bigger presence than their larger counterparts. The precious presence goes beyond just size, though. If you can include surprises into your small printed pieces like varying textures, page sizes, and page shapes, you will really begin to engage the reader. Add a pop-up f...

Here's a Free Business Idea We need a link between popular online retailers that feature gift registries (like Target.com and BabiesRUs.com ) and popular online photo stores (like Snapfish.com and Shutterfly.com ) in order to make writing thank you notes easier after big celebrations like weddings and baby showers. Babies R Us already has a list of nearly every item that you will receive at your baby shower. And you have a list of every person invited to the baby shower, including addresses. Those two lists should be easily linked with an app or a website. After the shower, choose a thank you note template, identify what gift each person gave you, add a picture of your new baby, and have your personalized thank you notes mailed on your behalf. Your thank you note could be completely customized:   Dear [insert name],     Thank you for helping me celebrate the impending arrival of our [son/daughter/child]. We are very excited to welcome our little one into the world...

Best Brands — The Remix Happy Halloween! Last year I presented my list of the top ten brands in the United States. After revisiting my list, I wouldn’t change anything, so I figured I’d present the next ten brands on my list. To create this list, I relied heavily upon my opinion of the general perception of each brand versus its competitors, and how much of a premium the brand can charge because of that perception. I didn't get hung up on revenue data or market share numbers — I just went with what I see and hear every day and threw in my own opinion from a marketer's point of view. Here's my list of brands ranked 11-20: 11. Starbucks — Just missing the top ten, Starbucks put gourmet coffee on the map and showed the world how to create a company focused on the customer experience that happens to sell coffee. 12. Disney World — Millions of families make a pilgrimage to Orlando just to visit the theme park every year. I’ll bet your parents took you there when ...

P is for Packaging   Packaging is an essential part of a customer's experience with your products. The traditional "four Ps" of marketing are price, product, promotion, and placement. Sometimes "people" is added as the fifth P. I'd like to offer a sixth P: "packaging." From the way the products are packaged when shipped, to the packaging protecting the products themselves, packaging is very, very important. That's one of the reasons I love buying products from Jill's Boutique on Etsy.com . Jill takes the time to wrap each of her headbands in beautiful tissue paper and a ribbon before shipping them (pictured on the right). When customers open the package, they are greeted with that beautiful paper and it sets the tone for the product. It shows that headband was created and packaged with care and makes it feel special right out of the box. More than Meets the Eye   Yet, the importance of packaging extends far beyond consumer-p...

That's a Wrap   Wrap Media Group has begun wrapping rental cars with advertisements in Atlanta, Georgia. I love this idea because it's filled with wins: People who rent the cars pay a reduced rate to drive the cars with ads.   Advertisers gain great exposure in an exciting new way.   Advertisers are able to include free samples of their product in the glove compartment of wrapped cars if they choose to do so. The most appealing part of this initiative from an adverting point of view is the amount of data Wrap Media Group could potentially offer its advertisers about the people driving the wrapped cars, providing a great way for brands to place samples of their products in the hands of their target market. Rental car companies know the age and sex of every car renter, in addition to the frequency in which someone rents a car, which could indicate business travel or leisure travel. Rental car companies also know the size of the rental car, which could indicate t...

No Receipt, No Problem Stores should no longer offer $5 for failing to issue a receipt. Instead, they should offer $5 if customers have to stand in line for more than five minutes. When a store offers to pay me if I don't get a receipt, I secretly hope that they don't give me one. I don't mind asking for a receipt if I don't receive one, and I'd like to have the $5. However, I would never hope to wait in a line for more than five minutes. Even if the store offered to compensate me for waiting, I would rather move through the line quickly than have the $5. Add This to Your To-Do List If you're going to compensate customers when your business fails to do something, make sure you're compensating them for something they don't want to happen. There's never a lack of ideas.

Nowhere to Flaunt It Your new couch was just delivered and it looks great in your living room -- much better than it did online and in the showroom. You would love to take a picture of it and share it with potential buyers so they can see how great it is, but you head back to the furniture store's website and... nothing. You can't upload your photo. If you're lucky, you can write a review, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Bragging Encouraged Many businesses are missing out on the chance to engage with customers after their purchases because they don't provide the opportunity to share photos and stories on their website. Social media and third party review sites are dominating this arena and it's time for businesses to catch up. Imagine how much better your dresser-buying experience would be on Ikea's website if you could view hundreds of customer-submitted photos of each piece instead of just the six posted by Ikea. How much easier would it be to envisio...