An article in yesterday’s New York Times prompted me to write this post that I’ve been meaning to write all week. M&Ms, that tried and true candy (and one of my mother’ favorites) that stayed the same for so many years began spinning off new iterations several years back. Today, the candy that outraged so many by simply pulling a color out of the line-up for health reasons, barely receives a raised eyebrow when introducing a new formulation. Among other variations, you can get M&Ms in Easter... Read Full Story
Yesterday I received an email from Pulse 360’s verticals advertising department letting me know about a new advertising program in conjunction with MSNBC’s Going Green network. While making money isn’t my main goal in writing this blog (if it were, I’d have given up long ago), it doesn’t hurt to bring in a little extra cash. While I always remain skeptical of corporate efforts to go green, I’ve also been a fan of MSNBC and believe they’re doing a pretty good job of covering green news... Read Full Story
That’s the topic of the New York Times article this morning titled, “Direct Mail Tries to Go Green. No, Really.” The initiative, while admirable in its effort, is a bit dubious to say the least. It is headed up by the Green Marketing Coalition and they have introduced a few ways to help lighten the carbon footprint of those who insist upon using direct mail for marketing purposes.
Don’t get me wrong, I too agree that direct mail is an effective way to reach potential customers, and I... Read Full Story
It’s long been the perception that the marketing department is often the first to take a hit when business goes south. But a report from the Marketing Executives Networking Group claims that, in fact, marketing departments are going understaffed not because of layoffs, but because there is a shortage of executive talent. Adding insult to injury, the report states that the situation is expected to worsen as baby-boomers continue to retire and there are fewer executive level marketers... Read Full Story
David Koretz’s article today on Media Post’s Publishing Insider blog, “Please Stop Talking,” seems to have touched a nerve. His post borders on the heretical and I, for one, couldn’t agree more. He makes two main points: that connectivity has caused us to be a society suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHC) of pandemic proportions, and that this level of ADHC is posing a serious challenge for marketers.
“Being ‘connected’ sucks,” he says. “It is highly overrated and... Read Full Story
Back from a week or so of vacation and I’m feeling a little dirty, if not guilty, about what I’ve just experienced. Now, before I get into cruise ship bashing, let me first say that this trip allowed for several positive experiences that might not have been possible (or at least easy) given the circumstances.
For my wife’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, it was decided that a cruise would be the easiest and most economical way for 30 people to all get together, celebrate, have fun, and... Read Full Story
Just arrived in Vancouver, BC, yesterday for our Alaska cruise. My wife and I were trying to remember back and we couldn’t believe it’s been 12 years since we were last here! It’s always fun to spend some time in the city—especially when you live in a very rural area as we do—and Vancouver is one of my favorites. Very cosmopolitan and international, and one thing I really miss about living in the Northwest is big trees.
It also turns out that Vancouver is quite recycle savvy. One thing I... Read Full Story
I was just playing around with SEO Chat’s Search Engine Keyword Position tool and noticed that, according to them, MarketGreener is ranked 9th by Google for the phrase “Jackson Hole Marketing.” I was curious to see if it was true, so I did it myself. Lo and behold, I was actually number 11, but hey, that’s still pretty good. What made me even happier is that it was several places above my old employer, Circumerro (sorry, boys, no link today).
So I took it a step further and googled “Jackson... Read Full Story
It’s only Wednesday and already it’s been a very busy week. Why is it that you’re busiest just before heading out on vacation? In an effort to not let MarketGreener go fallow over vacation, I’ll be taking the laptop with me and will attempt to post some vacation-specific topics. I’m anticipating many opportunities to blast the cruise ship industry in particular and mass tourism in general.
On Thursday we escape the confines of Jackson Hole and the United States to visit our northern cousin... Read Full Story
This whole gas price thing has gotten a little out of hand. Its one thing when the automobile companies are giving away free gas with the purchase of a car, but this latest marketing ploy by Jack In The Box is a real head-scratcher.
According to an article in MediaPost’s “Marketing Daily,” Jack In The Box is offering two free tacos this Thursday, June 26, to anyone who brings in a gas receipt.
Now, a few things come to mind when I see this, not the least of which is, “When the hell did... Read Full Story
