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Archives for December 2010

Applying Consumer Media Trends to 2011 Marketing and Branding Strategies

Where are you investing your marketing budget in 2011?  If you want your brand to be in the right places, then you need to consider the shifting media usage trends that will define 2011.

According to research by eMarketer, television, video and Internet content consumption still dominate media usage among U.S. adults as follows:

  • TV and video = 4 hours and 24 minutes per day
  • Internet = 2 hours and 35 minutes per day
  • Radio = 1 hour and 36 minutes per day
  • Mobile = 50 minutes per day
  • Newspapers = 30 minutes per day
  • Magazines = 20 minutes per day
  • Other = 46 minutes per day

Are you investing your marketing budget in the media where your target audience spends time?  Compare your spending to the usage statistics above and see if you have any glaring disparities that should be modified before 2011 begins.

How has media usage changed over the past two years for U.S. adults?  That’s another area you need to research and understand to ensure you’re investing in the right places in the new year.  Take a look at the chart below to see how the amount of time on major media changed in 2009 and again in 2010.



Mobile is certainly the media opportunity to leverage in 2011.  It’s undoubtedly true that mobile devices will only continue to steal time from other media as tools and technologies get even better.  Of course, you have to match your spending to your target audience, but it’s safe to assume that few industries will be immune to the media shift to mobile over the next few years.

What do you think?  Are you shifting marketing budget investments to mobile in 2011?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts on these media usage trends that will dominate 2011.

Image: eMarketer

5 Lessons to Learn from Brand Mistakes in 2010

Unfortunately, a number of big brands made some big mistakes in 2010.  With each mistake that makes the news, there are things marketers and brand managers can learn and apply to their own initiatives.

Instead of focusing on the negatives of 2010, let’s take a look at five of the biggest lessons we can learn from some of the biggest mistakes brands made in 2010.  Keep in mind, the lessons to learn may or may not reflect the company’s actual response in each of the examples below.

1. BP

Who could forget the biggest environmental disaster in the United States during 2010 — the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The lesson to learn from BP’s mistake is this: be vigilant, move quickly, be honest, and ask for help.

2. Toyota

Toyota’s brand reputation had never been better until a series of recalls in 2010 tarnished it.  The lesson to learn from Toyota’s mistake is this: admit your mistakes and go above and beyond to fix them.

3. Facebook

Facebook continues to grow in popularity despite being called out numerous times for violating users’ privacy.  The lesson to learn from Facebook’s mistake is this: ignoring a problem and thinking you’re too big and great to care might work for a while, but it is not a strategy that will work in the long term.

4. Apple

Apple’s iPhone 4 was released with much buzz but problems ensued — something the brand hadn’t needed to contend with in the past.  The lesson to learn from Apple’s mistake is this: the good times can only last for so long and denial only makes those mistakes look bigger when stories travel across the Web so quickly these days.

5. Google

Google Buzz was touted as a new way to start conversations about the things people find interesting within Gmail, but it did not live up to the hype.  The lesson to learn from Google’s mistake is this: no matter how big you are, sometimes people like what they’re already using more than they might like you.  Your product has to be better because they won’t just switch for your name.

What do you think were some of the biggest lessons to learn from brand mistakes in 2010?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Which Brands Dominate Foursquare Check-ins?

According to Ad Age’s weekly Trendrr data, Christmas week was a busy one for foursquare check-ins — although check-ins did not reach previously set peaks.

Only two of the brands in the top ten for the holiday week saw a decline in check-ins from the prior week. Of the top ten retail brand check-ins on foursquare during that week, three were food and beverage chains and 7 were consumer products and electronics retailers. Interestingly, it was the food and beverage brands that saw a decline in foursquare check-ins while all consumer products and electronics retailers saw increases in check-ins (as much as a 25% increase for Macy’s).

You can see the breakdown of the top 10 retail brands for foursquare check-ins below:

  1. Starbucks = 139,226 check-ins during the week
  2. Target = 48,611 check-ins during the week
  3. McDonald’s = 48,264 check-ins during the week
  4. Walmart = 43,467 check-ins during the week
  5. Best Buy = 25,029 check-ins during the week
  6. Apple = 20,570 check-ins during the week
  7. Costco = 13,834 check-ins during the week
  8. Barnes & Noble = 11,038 check-ins during the week
  9. Macy’s = 10,418 check-ins during the week
  10. Burger King = 9,792 check-ins during the week

Earlier this year, Starbucks was the first retailer to partner with foursquare to offer a national program where local check-ins can earn users “mayor” status, which they can use across the United States.  And in October, Starbucks launched its new Digital Network in stores that offers content (including foursquare check-ins and more) aimed to enhance the in-store experience for customers.  With nearly three times as many check-ins during a single week as the next closest brand, Starbucks is doing something right with foursquare as far as its customers are concerned.

Location-based marketing offered through tools like foursquare are hot right now, but the recipes for success are still unknown.  As your brand looks to implement geo-targeting and mobile marketing initiatives, check out what the ten brands listed above are doing.  You’ll undoubtedly learn from them.

What are your company’s plans for location-based and mobile marketing in 2011?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts on these opportunities for the new year.


Corporate Eye Summary December 25, 2010

  • Catchwords of 2010 Include Brand Names
    Brand naming company Catchwords put together a visual representation of the catchwords that dominated American culture in 2010.  The company compiled the names and words that defined 2010 both positively and negatively and put them together in the graphic shown below.

    I’d be curious to learn how Catchword determined which words and phrases made it on […]


  • Important Technological Innovations for Enterprise
    Continuing our intermittent series of guest posts which I hope you’ll find interesting, we have a post from Joshua Bitton by Echosign about new technology’s significance to enterprise.
    If it seems like you can’t run a business nowadays without Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, or Google CEO Eric Schmidt breathing down your neck, well, it’s because you […]


  • 20 Must-Read Branding Articles of 2010
    2010 has nearly reached its end, so it seems to be an appropriate time for a 2010 branding recap. Following are links to 20 must-read branding articles that I published here on the Corporate Eye blog in 2010.  You can use the concepts, trends, and theories discussed in these articles as you develop your marketing […]


  • What Makes for Effective Investor Relations Sites? Part 32: Governance
    It’s hard to know where the boundary of investor relations activities ends and that of corporate governance starts up. Many of the things each area is concerned with tend to overlap. It is the investors (shareholders) who vote upon management that runs the company and major decisions such as mergers and changes to a company’s […]


  • Corporate Eye Summary December 18, 2010
    JCPenney’s Becomes First Retailer to Open Complete Store on Facebook
    This week marked the start of what will undoubtedly become a new marketing distribution trend when retailer JCPenney opened a complete store within Facebook.  For Facebook users who are accustomed to communicating with friends and publishing and sharing content, they can now browse and buy clothes, […]


Undercover Boss Commercials Boost Brand Opinion

undercover-bossIf you want to get a positive brand boost, get your company on Undercover Boss — a television show on CBS in the United States that sends company presidents and other leaders undercover into their own companies to investigate it from the inside.

A new report from Nielsen reveals the top trends of 2010, including the 10 most effective product placements based on brand opinion.  7 out of the top 10 of the most effective product placements based on brand opinion were from Undercover Boss — specifically, 1-800-FLOWERS, Subway, Waste Management, Ride the Ducks, Hooters, DirecTV, and Roto-Rooter.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

  • Sears with a spot on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (show host shops for items for home makeover and Sears pays the bill)
  • Ancestry.com with a spot on Who Do You Think You Are? (participants use Ancestry.com to search for information about relatives)
  • Subway with a spot on Chuck (different characters eat Subway sandwiches and mention the brand)

In terms of advertising likability in 2010, two brands dominated the top 10 on Nielsen’s report: Snickers and M&M’s.  Each brand appeared in the top ten list three times.  Other brands in the top 10 ads based on likability in 2010 include: Target, Samsung, Chef Boyardee, and Starburst.  It’s important to note that the vast majority of commercials in the top 10 were humorous.

What do these top 10 lists tell us about consumers, brand perceptions, and marketing trends?  First, transparency is paramount in consumers minds as the popularity of Undercover Boss in terms of brand opinion demonstrates.  Second, humor always works when it comes to building a positive perception and being remembered.  Third, appropriate product placements and commercials that support a brand’s promise are far more effective than placements and commercials that run counter to a brand’s promise and risk confusing consumers — or worse, angering them.

What commercials and television brand placements from 2010 stick out in your mind as being likable?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Image: CBS.com

Important Technological Innovations for Enterprise

Continuing our intermittent series of guest posts which I hope you’ll find interesting, we have a post from Joshua Bitton by Echosign about new technology’s significance to enterprise.

If it seems like you can’t run a business nowadays without Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, or Google CEO Eric Schmidt breathing down your neck, well, it’s because you can’t. Hi-tech companies are paving the way for industry (technological or otherwise) and businesses that ignore innovations in the field — ‘trendy’-seeming or not — risk falling behind in the silver age of exploration.

Here are some recent, valuable inventions in the world of technology that will help large and small companies alike remain robust and competitive:

social media optimisation

Social Media

Contrary to popular belief, social networking sites aren’t just for pre-teens with internet-sized axes to grind, and fledgling entrepreneurs ignore them at their own peril: according to a Nielsen study conducted in January, usage of social media sites (Facebook, Twitter) increased 82% from December 2008 to 2009, and overall traffic has increased dramatically over the last three years. Facebook was the top contender, and on July 21, 2010, reported a staggering 500 million registered users.

The overwhelming popularity of social media has led some prominent companies to adopt a ‘social strategy’ as a crucial part of their marketing apparatus, and, in some cases, consider it a wholesale replacement for traditional means. Executives and business analysts maintain that social media promotes a new, more meaningful level of interaction and conversation with customers, as well as new heights of collaboration and trust among employees. And a genuine concern for customer wants and needs — combined with a killer social strategy — can even turn consumers into willing marketing allies. As John Munsell, CEO of Bizzuka, quips: “If content is king, conversation is queen.”

iphones

Mobile and Other Consumer Electronics Apps

We declare this the age of the iPhone. It seems that we do anything but gab on our phones these days, using them instead to shop, order takeout, take photos and video, or even deposit checks into our bank accounts. E-mail and calendaring remain the most common uses of mobile apps, but users increasingly want more — and developers are stepping it up accordingly. And while mobile electronics still control the ‘app market,’ as it were, more and more consumer electronic devices will begin to support them out of sheer business necessity.

Expect more machine-to-machine communication in the near future, as well: with innovations like Boxee ( where users can send films, television shows, and random video clips from the internet to their in-home television sets) gaining in popularity, app development can only increase exponentially.

cloud-computing

Cloud Computing and Software as a Service

Cloud computing — it sounds a bit spaced out, right? It’s really a way to use software ‘on demand’ so as to prevent the fallout that inevitably occurs when buying software that quickly becomes outdated. Instead, companies can pay a subscription online to use the software service, preventing them from having to drastically change their infrastructure once a software package is uploaded. Service providers benefit, also, by significantly reducing the amount of overhead (i.e., money spent on advertising.)

electricity-grid

Zero-Emission Technology and Smart Grids

In 2010, ‘Going green’ is more than a White House administration buzzword — it’s an already-developing multi-million dollar enterprise. In this age, hi-tech companies worth their salt invest in ‘smart grids,’ the faster, cheaper, more efficient cousin to the woolly mammoth of an electricity grid on which the United States not-so-comfortably houses itself.

According to the MIT Technology Review, “Reducing the need for these reserves will mean that fewer power plants have to be built to keep up with increases in demand for electricity, saving $100 billion in construction costs and curbing future greenhouse-gas emissions. Emissions can also be reduced by replacing fossil-fuel plants with zero-emission technologies, such as solar and wind farms.”

Our large energy reserves are costly, unwieldy, and prone to power failure, but new solutions are on the way. The creation of a ‘network of sensors’ will allow operators to locate and identify potential problems in real time, with automated controls. The new grid could even eventually accommodate hybrid and electric cars. More green, less cost. Sounds perfect.

About the Author: Joshua Bitton is a freelance writer for EchoSign. EchoSign is the leader of the 2nd generation of electronic signature solutions – 100% web-based, fully digital signature solutions that do not require electronic signature pads, digital certificates or scanning software. With EchoSign, there is nothing to install or learn.

Images source: wikimedia