Corporate Eye

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Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius

Brands that Made Headlines in 2008

Which brands were in the news in 2008?  I thought I’d put together a review of newsworthy brands (good and bad) by writing down the first 10 brands that popped into my head that made headlines in 2008.  Here we go…

1. Apple

Apple could do no wrong in 2008.  The iPhone, iPod, iTunes, new Macbooks, a laptop that fits in a manilla envelope – you name it, Apple has been hot in recent years, and 2008 was not an exception.  If there is an easier way to do something (and a prettier way), Apple will find it.  Apple is the perfect example of a thriving relationship brand that moved from cult status to actually steal some market share from the market leader, Microsoft, who has actually stooped to trying to counterattack Apple with ads that leave much to be desired.  Will Apple remain as popular in 2009?  We’ll have to wait and see, but I can’t imagine the love story will end anytime soon. [Read more…] about Brands that Made Headlines in 2008

9 in 10 Emails are Spam Says Cisco Annual Security Report

Each year, Cisco publishes its annual security report.  This year’s report tells us that 90% (or nearly 200 billion) of all the email messages sent each day are spam.  Next time your leadership comes to you and asks you to put together a marketing or branding email campaign, and you tell them to invest in measures to ensure your email is not diverted to recipients’ spam folders, but to save money, they say no, show them this report.  Every step you can take to ensure your email messages get to the recipients’ inboxes are essential to your campaign’s overall success.

Perhaps the biggest challenge of creating a successful email campaign isn’t getting people to open your message and follow your call to action, but making sure they get to see it sitting in their inboxes.  Even the most compelling title for your email doesn’t help if consumers never see it.  At the very least, an email authentication program is critical.  While not full-proof, it certainly increases the chances for your email to make it to its final destination correctly. [Read more…] about 9 in 10 Emails are Spam Says Cisco Annual Security Report

Consumers Trust Corporate Blogs Least of All

A new report from Forrester Research, tells us that only 16% of online consumers trust corporate blogs, putting corporate blogs at the bottom of the trust scale, lower even than personal blogs. 

That’s not good.  However, it definitely reinforces what bloggers already knew but corporate executives have trouble believing – blogs that simply regurgitate corporate rhetoric are useless.  So what’s a company to do?  How do you create a corporate blog that’s actually useful?

There are a number of companies that have launched successful corporate blogs, but they’ve done it by listening to consumers.  Companies like Dell and Apple have turned their blogs into customer service portals and places where real conversations take place.  Rather than simply speaking at consumers through their corporate blogs, Dell, GM and Apple have embraced the main purpose of blogging by creating a communications device that speaks with consumers, values customer opinions, listens to customers and responds to them.  Rather than simply delivering marketing messages, the information on these blogs is useful and helpful to consumers. [Read more…] about Consumers Trust Corporate Blogs Least of All

Websites Play Major Role in Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty

A new study by Foresee Results shows that consumer product websites can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.  If you’re having trouble selling your executives on the importance of investing on a great website, then take these results into your next meeting.

When compared with less satisfied website visitors, satisfied visitors are:

  • 81% more likely to return to the website
  • 109% more likely to recommend the website
  • 59% more likely to recommend the product
  • 73% more likely to purchase online
  • 41% more likely to purchase offline [Read more…] about Websites Play Major Role in Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty

    • New Study Shows Brands Have 60 Seconds to Deliver a Message

    We all know that brands have mere seconds to deliver key messages before consumers move on.  New research from Tube Mogul proves that fact by providing the percentage of an audience that sticks around while watching videos.  Here are the findings:

    • After 10 seconds: 89.61% of the audience continues to watch
    • After 20 seconds: 80.41% of the audience continues to watch
    • After 30 seconds: 66.16% of the audience continues to watch
    • After 60 seconds: 46.44% of the audience continues to watch
    • After 2 minutes: 23.71% of the audience continues to watch
    • After 3 minutes: 16.62% of the audience continues to watch
    • After 5 minutes: 9.42% of the audience continues to watch

    What do these statistics tell us?  If your video is longer than a minute, don’t bother.  Best case scenario – keep your videos under 30-seconds or at the very least, make sure your most important messages are included within the first 30-seconds – including your call to action. [Read more…] about New Study Shows Brands Have 60 Seconds to Deliver a Message

    Is Your Brand on Twitter?

    There are many brands that leverage Twitter for communicating with customers.  Whether those brands use it to dispel rumors, for customer service, or simply to share information isn’t as important as the fact that they’re taking the time to join the online conversation. 

    In an interview in Conde Nast Portfolio Magazine, Twitter CEO Evan Williams shared some insight into the future of Twitter, which might make you think again about jumping on the Twitter bandwagon if you’re not already there.  In the interview (via InternetNews.com), Williams stated that growth is a major initiative for Twitter whose user-base has grown well into the millions since its launch in 2007.  Competitors have launched, but Twitter has emerged as the micro-blogging leader.  The future is bright, but not golden. [Read more…] about Is Your Brand on Twitter?