Mark and I have a friendly, long-standing disagreement about marketing pundit Al Ries. He thinks the guy is brilliant. I think he’s a big blowhard. But given Ries’s recent math bashing, I’m hoping Mark may be coming over to my side. In the May 4, 2009 edition of Advertising Age Ries claimed that “determining the… Read More
Chrysler’s in bankruptcy. GM may be next. The silver linings on the cloudy horizon are pretty faint right now. And, yet … I’m not ready to give up the ghost and I doubt that you are either. The question is, what to do? Sit around and wait for things to change? Or take some action… Read More
All of us could use some direct marketing help in today’s tough environment, and there are plenty of marketing services firms ready to sell their customer analytics solutions. But more than ever companies need to spend their money wisely and justify, in advance if possible, commitments they are about to undertake. At the risk of… Read More
On the shelf next to the fax machine in my office sits a boxed piece of software called GOLDMINE, “The #1-Rated Contact Manager.” Copy on the box says it is “100% Internet Ready!” and “Designed for Microsoft Windows 95”, which gives you some idea of how long it’s been sitting there with its cellophane shrink-wrap… Read More
It’s the oldest cliché in business – recession is a time of opportunity. But a raft of research confirms it’s true. People who market aggressively in downturns not only survive but consistently emerge stronger. As Casey Stengel would say if he were alive today, “you could Google it.” The most aggressive approach to bad times… Read More