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Marketing Strategy

3 Winning Rebranding Strategies From Veteran CMOs

3 Winning Rebranding Strategies From Veteran CMOs

Sometimes it pays to change. That’s what CMOs at companies from entertainment to personal finance are finding as they grapple with the digital revolution, where customers flock to online (and often mobile) alternatives to the traditional stalwart services that made up the 20th century economy. But with the right rebranding strategy, three companies have found […]

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3 New Ideas on Brands for 2016

3 New Ideas on Brands for 2016

As 2016 dawns, it’s a good time to revisit the perennial head scratcher of the marketing world: brands. Are they overrated, over-thought examples of tepid consensus thinking? Or are they essential, pick-poorly-at-your-peril keys to marketing success? We’ve reviewed some recent thinking on brands (and the pursuit of the perfect brand) for insights into the age-old […]

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What Uber Learned from Arm and Hammer

What Uber Learned from Arm and Hammer

Look in the back of refrigerators across America and you’ll see a little, half-opened orange box. Chances are it’s Arm and Hammer brand baking soda, which cooks throughout the country use to improve their baked goods, clean their counters, and yes, deodorize their refrigerators. The familiar orange box and its trademark “arm with hammer” logo […]

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Insight of the Week: When a Product is Fun, Try Video First

Insight of the Week: When a Product is Fun, Try Video First

With the growth of online shopping, a product for every need, whim, or desire is available through easy pay-click-and-ship interfaces. But how do consumers choose one product over another, especially when the product is less of a “need” or more of a “want”? That’s the question tackled by a new research study that examined how […]

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How Football Positioned Itself For New Year’s Eve

How Football Positioned Itself For New Year’s Eve

It’s a move that’s captivated both the New York Times and Ad Age, and left football fans to make last-minute adjustments to their evening plans: ESPN is making New Year’s Eve a football event. After high rates for New Year’s Eve play-off games last year, the sports giant is trying the maneuver again, scheduling two […]

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As we greet 2016, it’s a good time to think back on what worked in 2015, what didn’t and why. Much of what you find—both successes and failures—may come down to the strategy that supported your efforts. Too rigid a plan and there’s no room for modification, too flexible a plan and there’s no structure […]

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Insight of the Week: When Branding, Try Bonding

Insight of the Week: When Branding, Try Bonding

Marketers have known for some time that consumers often associate certain brands with an emotional cue. A much-loved brand from childhood can evoke nostalgia, sympathy, or even longing, for example. But what they haven’t known is what happens to consumers’ perception of a brand when they are feeling a certain way (happy, sad, optimistic, or […]

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Q&A: David Maldonado on Lead Generation Principles

Q&A: David Maldonado on Lead Generation Principles

For any sales or outreach strategy to work effectively, companies need a core base of solid leads. As a member of the development team at Cardwell Beach, I’ve implemented lead generation plans across the web. I sat down with Matt Hansen to talk about best practices for generating quality leads that can make a difference […]

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This week, Jenna Barrott, Cardwell Beach account executive and resident office Australian, sits down with Brian Erickson, Cardwell Beach’s chief marketing officer, to talk about the ways Australian and American business, marketing campaigns and product categories differ. Why, for example, is Australia one of the only countries in the world where Starbucks failed to gain […]

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Whose business won’t Amazon try to kill?

Whose business won’t Amazon try to kill?

It’s only a matter of time until Amazon comes for your business. At least that’s the impression the online retail giant is leaving as it announces a series of new ventures that simultaneously stretch the company beyond its original big box origins while also supporting its underlying mission to reach every shopper, everywhere, as quickly […]

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Our Relationship with Retail: Pop-up Shops as a Way of Life

Our Relationship with Retail: Pop-up Shops as a Way of Life

This is the third in a three-part series on the way our relationship to retail is changing. We’ve discussed a move towards more automation in the shopping experience and the rise of the subscription box, and today we’re tackling the concept of pop-up shops as a game changer in the retail storefront category. It’s an […]

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Our Relationship with Retail: The Subscription Box Replaces Retail Sampling

Our Relationship with Retail: The Subscription Box Replaces Retail Sampling

This is the second in a three-part exploration of the future of the retail industry, examining how retailers can stay relevant and competitive as consumers increasingly move towards digital solutions for their shopping needs. This week, we look at the growing trend of subscription boxes, which have figured out a sweet spot between efficiency and […]

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How Tesla Already Won the Electric Car Game

How Tesla Already Won the Electric Car Game

I’ve been noticing something lately, in parking lots, gas stations and airports across New York: electric car charging stations. Not long ago, these futuristic-looking energy sources would have been limited to a few home driveways and the occasional urban parking garage. Now, they are busier than ever, actually being used daily by real drivers. And […]

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Resources to Create a Digital Marketing Org Chart for 2016

Resources to Create a Digital Marketing Org Chart for 2016

  Download our customizable org chart template here.    Organizational Structure We’ve seen a number of recommendations on different org structures, but Hubspot’s is definitely the best. There are 7 fresh approaches to the marketing org chart in today’s fully digital world, and the best part is each one is based on interviews with real Chief Marketing […]

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Market-ING

Market-ING

When I think of the word Marketing it often reminds me of the sea. The three most important letters of the word are unassumingly tacked onto the end: ING. When many people speak (and I would assume, think) about marketing, they speak like it happens at a moment in time. It is viewed as something […]

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Innovation is Building a Business Around the Customers No One Wants

Innovation is Building a Business Around the Customers No One Wants

Business people in technology hear the term constantly… but what is disruptive innovation really? It’s easy to glorify the term innovation, and the term “disrupt” has clearly become a buzzword. But at the heart of the matter is some really great scientific theory that can help new companies and existing companies alike to capture market share […]

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Study Preview: The Financial Opportunity for Credit Unions with the Underbanked

Study Preview: The Financial Opportunity for Credit Unions with the Underbanked

Here’s a teaser from our latest study, “The Financial Opportunity for Credit Unions with the Underbanked.” THE FULL 20-PAGE REPORT INCLUDES: • The 5 things credit unions don’t realize they’re doing wrong to make underbanked customers feel confused, marginalized and skeptical. •  7 specific behaviors of the underbanked, and how to leverage them to grow deposits, acquire […]

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Framing things in the language of your prospects

Isn’t it nice when someone in another time zone does the conversion for you? How about when someone gets you a really thoughtful gift? In both situations another person is empathizing with your situation. Despite being done infrequently, this is ALWAYS received well. Brands are even worse than we are as individuals at empathizing with others because […]

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Shifting Resources from Sales to Marketing (Gradually)

Shifting Resources from Sales to Marketing (Gradually)

I constantly see this situation with our potential customers. They have a successful sales organization, their business comes from referrals, and they fear that if they take their eye off the ball for one moment, the whole thing will come crashing down. It’s a valid fear—one I empathize with deeply. At a certain point it […]

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