The international economic crisis has been devastating in the US and European financial and housing sectors and all indications are that Australia will also feel some of the pain. Already several large advertisers both here and overseas have indicated they will be cutting back on their marketing investment over the next year, and as the fear of recession spreads its likely that local advertisers will consider following suit.

Traditionally advertising budgets are amongst the first things cut when times get tough, but what should you really be doing for your brand and business to ensure you survive and even prosper during an economic downturn?

Interestingly, this crisis comes at a potential turning point in marketing and media history. Traditional media has been declining over the past decade whilst new media options have been on the rise. This situation could be exacerbated by the economic squeeze as marketers spend less on broad brushstroke measures and focus more on measurable results. (For further explanation of this scenario click here).

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Posted by Craig on December 21st, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Posted under: Digital | SEO Newcastle | Strategy | branding

Today’s real competition doesn’t come from other companies but from the extreme clutter of the marketplace. You can’t fight clutter with clutter and expect better results because the human mind deals with clutter by blocking most of it out. Only the most interesting or useful stuff is retained.

In order for your brand to stand out in all this clutter it needs to be RADICALLY DIFFERENT.

Posted by Craig on July 16th, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Posted under: Strategy | Zag Theory | branding

Source: Jack Trout, Branding Strategy Insider

What seven concepts are critical to positioning?

1. Perception (their’s, not your’s)
2. Differentiation
3. Competition
4. Specialization
5. Simplicity
6. Leadership
7. Reality

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Posted by Craig on June 20th, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Posted under: Strategy

Source: Jack Trout, brandingstrategyinsider.com

To apply positioning thinking to your own company’s situation, here are six key questions to ask yourself:

1. What position, if any do we already own in the prospect’s mind?

Get the answer to this question from the marketplace, not the marketing manager. If this requires a few dollars for research, so be it. Spend the money. It’s better to know exactly what you’re up against now than to discover it later when nothing can be done about it.

2. What position do we want to own?

Here is where you bring out your crystal ball and try to figure out the best position to own from a long-term point of view.

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Posted by Craig on June 19th, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Posted under: Strategy