Never a Lack of Ideas

I've heard my fair share of sales pitches over the last nine months. I've explained our marketing strategy to reps from all types of companies. I've weighed the pros and cons of their proposed solutions. And I've selected the best ones. In making those decisions, it always came down to one question: to whose wagon will I hitch my star? In other words: On what solution do I have enough faith to stake my reputation and my company's reputation? If you're a marketing solutions provider, I hope you're trying to answer that last question. There's never a lack of ideas.

As companies mature and look for new ways to increase revenue, they inevitably look toward vertical integration . Companies with great customer relationships move up and/or down the purchase path to increase revenue. Let's look at three examples of vertical integration in the travel sector: one historic, one current, and one I predict will happen soon. Historic: Why Airlines Sell Vacation Packages The majority of people planning to take a trip that includes a flight will start planning their trip by researching flights first. Before most people look into booking accommodations, a rental car, and/or activities, they look into flights. Many years ago, airlines figured this out and started selling vacation packages. Since customers started planning their trip on an airline's website, the airlines realized they could sell other services while they had customers' attention. (They also make a lot of money by selling hotel rooms.) That's vertical integration. Curr...

So you want to be a marketer? Then you better develop thick skin because critics are everywhere. Recently, a restaurant chain with which I'm quite familiar started a new Birthday Club. The premise is very simple: register online with your birthdate and email address and you will receive a voucher for a free piece of chocolate cake on your birthday. Here were two of my favorite responses on Facebook about the Birthday Club: "Pass. If I wanted to donate to the GOP, I'll do it directly. I'm not interested in funding the GOP via your restaurant's deep campaign pockets. Or at all. You keep your cake and I'll keep my conscience." "Takes such little imagination to please people nowadays! Cake will bring me to your restaurant? Please I have integrity." Add This To Your To-Do List You can't please everyone, so don't even try. Critics are everywhere and let's be honest — some people are just crazy. Develop thick skin and ignore the ha...

Two years ago, when I wrote the book on setting marketing priorities , inherent in the book, but not specifically discussed in detail, was the need to ignore a lot of marketing opportunities. In theory, it's easy to do this. But in practice, it's more complicated — at least, for me. When I was in college, applying for marketing internships in extremely creative ways but never hearing anything back, I vowed that when I was a marketing professional, I would always reply to everyone who contacted me, even if only to say no. "Saying no is better than saying nothing at all," I thought. But then I became a professional marketer and realized that's just not possible. There just isn't enough time in the day to respond to every opportunity. From marketing vendor inquiries, donation requests, and people looking to network or land a job, I could easily spend my entire day just saying no. This is Hard for Me I struggle with this. I'm a nice guy and I want ...

I think the most entertaining product names in any one industry belong to the portable toilet industry. Porta potty names are hilarious! Here are eleven real portable toilet companies I found: The Honey Bucket Johnny on the Spot A Royal Flush Honey Do's Gotta Go Don John's Super Loo Pit Stop Pot-O-Gold Oui Oui (my favorite name) Floaters (slogan: "You Float 'm, We Tote 'm") See how much I love my readers? I researched porta potties for a long time to find these companies. You're welcome! Add This To Your To-Do List Am I right? Are porta potty names the most entertaining? Or is there another industry with even better names? It just goes to show you — sometimes the stinkier the industry, the better you'll stand out with a clever name. There's never a lack of ideas. PS If you're in the mood to see some hilarious slogans from septic tank businesses, check out this Reddit .

Another year is in the books and I've still been able to blog once in a while. My blog has never been viewed more than in the past year, so thank you for your increasing interest in what I have to say. And now, according to tradition, I'd like to highlight my favorite posts from the last year: The Perfect Souvenir for a Harry Potter Fan — I blogged several times about Harry Potter over the last year. This is my favorite because of the video. Hops for Flops: An Ad Campaign Idea for a Beer Brewer  — Beer makers, there's still time to implement this idea for the next World Cup. Poop in the Pool: The Psychology of Illusions (Part 1) Stop Calling Them Millennials When Selling Lawn Ornaments, Fill Your Lawn with Ornaments Add This To Your To-Do List Enjoy my favorite posts! There's Never a Lack of Ideas

The Pew Research Center defines Millennials as Americans born between 1981 and 1997. Two years ago, Time magazine said people born between 1980 or 1981 and 2000 are Millennials. Most other definitions cite similar date ranges. But I don't think Millennials are defined solely by their age. Sure, date of birth provides some guideposts, but Millennials are better defined by psychographic traits — like confidence, entitlement, tolerance, and narcissism. And one platform has done more to foster these traits than any other: Facebook. Facebook has shaped the way this generation behaves as consumers and employees. It has influenced this generation's attitudes about privacy and has redefined "friendship." In my opinion, a "Millennial" is someone who started using Facebook while they were in college, high school, or junior high school. But let's stop calling them Millennials. We should rename "Millennials" the Facebook Generation. College st...