Blog o' RAMA

Keeping Current- A Marketer's ToolBox

When was the last time you attended a conference, a RAMA event, or participated in a web seminar?  If the answer is - not in a long time,  it's time to think about refreshing those business and marketing skills.  As marketers we need to keep our marketing and business skills current for several reasons-- 1) refresh traditional marketing skills,  2) learn new marketing skills that are related to new technologies and methods relevant to understanding and communicating with customers, and 3) obtain personal satisfaction in continuing professional development.

Many options are available to hone and learn new skills- conferences, local RAMA events, alumni seminars, web seminars, online training, and business newsletters.  Some options are free and others you have to pay.  I will share some resources that will help build up your marketing toolbox.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) is a good place to start.  According to the AMA, "AMA events give you access to leading marketing thinkers and instructors of strategic marketing conferences, hot topic briefings , hands-on workshops, and in depth training programs."  Also the AMA offers free and member only webcasts on a variety of topics.  An upcoming event that caught my attention is TechnoMarketing:Using the Tools and Technology of Tomorrow To Reach Your Customers Today.  Remember to check out the events that the RAMA chapter holds throughout the year.

MarketingProfs.com is is a web site that provides articles, case studies, and web seminars.  Some content is free and premium content is available for paid members.  According to MarketingProfs they "draw on both cutting edge marketing know-how of a broad array of analysts, marketing professionals, and professors who create marketing know-how and can bridge the gap between cutting edge theory and business practice".  Read a free article that talks about on Online-Offline Marketing:How Online and Offline Have Fused Into a Single Dialog.

Knowledge at Wharton is The Wharton Business School's Online business newsletter.  This is a free resource that covers analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and Wharton faculty, and articles based on the most recent business research.  Wireless Broadband Utopia: Are We There Yet? is an interesting article about the future of broadband wireless access.

These resources are some of the many choices you have to keep your skills up to date.  You will discover that with some investment and time you will reap the benefits-- being more knowledgeable and applying what you have learned in the workplace.  What courses or resources have you used that have helped refresh your skills?

7 Secrets of High Google Rankings

Presented by the Rochester American Marketing Association and the eBusiness Association of Rochester, lunch with SEO expert Stephan Spencer, President of Netconcepts.

[Update: Here's a short Q&A with Stephan Spencer as an appetizer:

Join RAMA and the eBusiness Association as we all learn the 7 Secrets to High Google Rankings. During this rich presentation, spanning SEO (Search Engine Optimization) fundamentals as well as advanced tricks and tactics that only the elite SEO experts know, you'll learn how to ...

• Check your "Google Pulse"
• Estimate missed opportunity costs
• Ensure Google crawls 100% of your site, including dynamic pages
• Design your pages to dominate rankings
• Avoid getting banned by Google
• Wield invaluable SEO tools you've not yet heard of
• Build high-quality links from trusted sites, and boost your PageRank along with your rankings
• Prepare for changes to come... and so much more!

Spencer, founder and president of Netconcepts, is a frequent speaker at Internet conferences around the globe (including Berlin, London, Toronto, Santiago, Auckland, New York, Chicago...and lots more), for organizations such as the DMA (Direct Marketing Association), the AMA (American Marketing Association), Shop.org, and Internet World. He also contributes to the Natural Search blog and is a Senior Contributor to MarketingProfs, an online ezine, as well as being a monthly columnist for Practical Ecommerce.

For more information or to register, please visit our Events Page.

Wegmans- A Winning Brand

Wegmans is at it again- winning awards!  Once again the proof is in the pudding that Wegmans stands out among other supermarket chains and delivers a superb customer experience.  Wegmans was ranked by Ethisphere Magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies.  In assembling the 2007 rankings, the readers and researchers of Ethisphere examined more than 5,000 companies across 30 separate industries looking for true ethical leadership.  According to Ethisphere, "each of these companies embodies the true spirit of Ethisphere's credo: Good, Smart, Business, Profit."

In April 2007, the Food Network held its first ever Food Network Awards.  Wegmans won in the category SUPER Market- presented to the grocery chain that has changed the way we shop'. The other nominees were Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  The nominees and winners were chosen by the Food Network Kitchens.  According to Colleen Wegman, President, " This award belongs to our people (employees).  By sharing their knowledge and providing incredible service, they have truly changed the way people shop." 

Having lived in other U.S. areas, I can compare the Wegmans shopping experience to other supermarket chains.  As a consumer and marketer, I believe Wegmans delivers on their unique value proposition - helping you make great meals easy.  The recipe for Wegmans' success is well stated on their web site, "better quality goods, a spectacular abundance of choice, restaurant quality-prepared foods, beautiful stores and displays, a nearly telepathic level of customer service."  I am curious to learn how they developed their telepathic powers! Whatever methods Wegmans uses to develop and deliver innovative products and services, it works.

Congratulations Wegmans on your well deserved awards!  We look forward to more innovative products and services. 

Marketer of the Year: A RAMA Presentation, sponsored by The Simon School

It's time! RAMA will once again celebrate our Marketer of the Year. Presented by the Rochester Business Journal, and The Simon School of Business, this exciting event will take place at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. 

Our keynote speaker is Laura Sadowski, Vice President for Marketing and Development at the Strong National Museum of Play^®.

Laura will speak to the marketing objectives, challenges, successes and lessons learned as Strong  Museum transformed to the National Museum of Play. Strong Museum was recognized in 2004 with RAMA's Marketer of the Year Award. [photo by Alex Shukoff]

The luncheon will recognize the outstanding work of the 2007 Marketer of the Year Finalists.

They are...

• Advertising Council of Rochester/Roberts Communications/The Coalition to Prevent Lead  Poisoning
• Easkman Kodak Company - Corporate Brand Group
• Eastman Kodak Company - Graphic Communications Group
• Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
• Hillside Family of Agencies, with the Verdi Group
• Home Properties
• Miss Betty's Slammin' Sauce
• Roberts Wesleyan College
• St. Joseph's  Villa of Rochester, with Kraus Creative

Tickets are $45 each/$35 AMA Members/$400 table of ten

When: Wednesday, June 6th  from Noon - 1:30

Where: Riverside Convention Center
123 Main St. E.
Rochester, NY 14604
585-232-7200

FOR RESERVATIONS CLICK HERE.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Announcing the 2007-2008 RAMA Board of Directors

The Rochester Chapter, American Marketing Association (RAMA) is fortunate to have great volunteers willing to give their time to advance the stature of marketing in Upstate New York.  As incoming President I present to you with great pride the incoming Board of Directors for the 2007 - 2008 year:

President: Denis Caysinger - Eastman Kodak Co.

President Elect:  Dawn McWilliams - William E. Simon School of Business

Secretary:  Rebecca Menendez - Wall Street Financial Group

Treasurer:  Tom Agnello - Deloitte & Touche

Past President:  John Richelsen - Eric Mower & Associates

Director Membership:  Barb Cote - Sigma Marketing

Director Programming:  Jennifer Young - Young Ideas

Director Venues & Hospitality:  Katharine McMahon - StormFrog

Director Public Relations:  D-D Flannery - Flannery PR

Director Web Communications:  Yvonne DiVita - WME Books

Director Direct Marketing SIG:  Jennifer Favata - Butler Till

Director Non-Profit SIG:  Jennifer Bacci - Hillside Family of Agencies

Director Awards:  Suzanne Seldes - Rochester Business Journal

Director Collegiate Relations:  Bill Ward - Alfred University

Please join me in congratulating these terrific people on their election to our Board of Directors.

As the Blogosphere Turns

Blog o'RAMA is one of many marketing and business blogs in the blogosphere.  Do you ever wonder how many other marketing blogs exist in the blogosphere universe?  I used several search engines to check marketing blogs.  Technorati results-over 67,000 blogs and Google- over 978,389 results that mention marketing blogs.  These numbers continue to grow as you read this.  Ahh - so many blogs, so little time, what can one do?  I found several blogs that caught my attention.  In this post I will share some and in the future I'll share others.

One way to check out the popular marketing blogs is through the Viral Garden blog.  The Viral Garden lists the top 25 marketing blogs each week.  The list is written by Mack Collier and focuses on blogs that cover traditional marketing news and commentary, word of mouth ,and social media coverage.

Marketing Profs:Daily Fix is a group blog featuring news and commentary on marketing, advertising, and business related issues.  It is published daily and more than 50 industry experts contribute regularly.  Xerox, a Rochester based company, was featured in a post called Xerox:Walking the Walk with 'Customer Led -Innovation' written by Ted Mininni.

Forrester Research is an independent technology and market research company.  Forrester has half a dozen blogs.  Depending on your interests, some of the blogs may catch your attention more than others.  Two that caught my eye are Forrester's Marketing Blog and Charlene Li's Blog.  Charlene Li's  blog is the forum for an upcoming book written by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff from Forrester. The book is titled The Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. 

Of course as you use these blogs, you will find a collection of links to other blogs called blogrolls.  Typically blogrolls are found on the front page sidebar of most blogs.   This is a great source to find other interesting marketing and business blogs.  Before you know it you will be caught up in an infinite universe of blogs.  What are you favorite marketing and business blogs?

Global Product Placement: Use Caution When Marketing to Children

This is Bill Ward, Collegiate Relations Chair for RAMA and Assistant Professor of Marketing in the  College of Business at Alfred University .

I was recently interviewed by Noriko Sawada, a journalist from a Japanese Magazine called Nikkei Business Associe, regarding the product placement by Visa in Hasbro's childrens' board game, the Game  of Life. Noriko has written a series of over 100 articles for the magazine called "America Now (or What's Up America)" on various topics ranging from child obesity, gay marriage and business trends.

Marketing to children is controversial in the U.S. because children are classified as "vulnerable consumers," making them a risky target for any marketer. However, Japanese children are seen as more vulnerable due to cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan . Also, Japan is still a predominately cash-based society and revolving credit is viewed with more caution compared to the U.S. Online shopping and a marketing push by banks in Japan is attributed to an increased use of credit in Japan.

I advocate that certain marketing techniques using controversial product categories targeting children, such as fast food and credit card product placement, not be used due to backlash potential. These product categories should be restricted, similar to alcohol and tobacco, to create a harbor for children safe from advertisers' clutches. In an op-ed piece I wrote for the Christian Science Monitor titled, Hollywood promotion...in church? , I also advocated that consumers should demand limits on the number and type of venues in which marketers can promote their products such as in churches and schools.

Product promotion, branded entertainment and cross-promotion will only increase as companies compete for profits and attention in a cluttered global marketplace. Marketers, especially those who represent potentially controversial product categories, must exercise extreme caution when targeting children with these techniques. Short term profits will not outweigh the negative impacts of consumer backlash and increased regulatory scrutiny. Complex cultural and regulatory considerations in the global arena make targeting children an even riskier proposition. Therefore, marketers must do their homework before launching a product or marketing campaign internationally.

Target Markets-The Hispanic Market

Accurate identification and analysis of a target market is essential in creating an effective marketing strategy. Do you know the target markets your company serves?  Is the U.S. Hispanic market on your company's radar screen?   

The U.S. Hispanic population is a market that companies are targeting due to their buying power.  According to Jeff Humphreys, Director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, " Hispanics purchasing power is estimated to be $863.1 billion in 2007. By 2011, it will be almost $1.2 trillion".  Could the Hispanic market be lucrative for your company? Is this growing consumer segment part of your company's target market?   

A good way to start learning about the Hispanic market is to look at available secondary research and information.
I found several useful resources to learn about the Hispanic market.
Hispanic Trending a Latino Marketing and Advertising blog is written by Juan Guillermo Tornoe.  In my opinion, it is a great place to start understanding this growing segment.  This blog features news and commentaries related to Hispanic Marketing and Advertising.  Also, Juan includes a variety of of links to other informative Hispanic sites.  Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations web site and podcast offers a variety of topics written by many authors.  Specifically, I found an article, Still Not Targeting the Hispanic Market? , that highlights key items to consider when targeting the Hispanic market.

Dr. Felipe Korzenny founded the The Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University in 2004.  The web site contains several research studies on specific topics.   I found an interesting paper on the  web site The Multicultural Marketing Equation : Media, Attitudes, Brand,and Spending. This paper reports findings on the degree to which multicultural marketing efforts can aim at cultural commonalities or whether these efforts must be culturally targeted.

The Pew Hispanic Center is a non-partisan research organization.  Its mission is to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos' growing impact on the entire nation.  The Center focuses on 8 key subject areas;demography, economics, education, identity,immigration, labor, politics, and remittances.  Findings on key subject areas are found on the web site in reports and fact sheets.  One of their recent reports, Latinos Online, provides findings of a telephone survey, conducted in Spanish and English to Hispanic adults over 18, asking about online usage.

These resources will be useful in understanding the Hispanic market.  Most likely, the next step is to conduct primary research to provide more data and information relevant to your product or service.  Once all research is done, you can begin developing a business case that details the potential of the Hispanic market.  What resources have you found useful in learning about the Hispanic market?

Microsoft & Yahoo! A match made in ????

At RAMA we want to be more attentive to what is going on not only in Rochester, but the marketing world in general.  This potential deal for Microsoft to buy Yahoo! looks very interesting to me. 

Microsoft is clearly watching Google increase their reach through acquisitions such as DoubleClick, realizing they are getting left behind.  Up until now Microsoft has tended to "grow" their internet search capabilities inside the organization, without great success.  I would guess Microsoft is a distant number 3 in the search engine business behind Google and Yahoo!.  I would also think that Microsoft is worried about being outdone in the area of advertising revenue with the Google / DoubleClick merger when that happens.

I'll bet that Microsoft deciding to go after Yahoo! was a gut-wrenching decision for Bill Gates and company. Do you agree with me?  Let's get a dialog started on this.

Customer Defection to Customer Delight

My topic today is customer service and how front-line employees can dramatically impact brand perception. I experienced this first-hand yesterday at the Sears at Marketplace Mall and want to share it with you (although it is a bit long).

I had stopped by the store to look at some patio furniture (now that Spring seems to be here to stay), and while I was there I wanted to pay my bill. Now the majority of my balance was a deferred interest account for a major purchase -- however there was also a $35 fee that had been placed in a "regular" interest bearing account. I didn't want to get stuck paying interest on that fee, so I asked an associate how I could allocate my payment to make sure I paid off the $35. Tim, the associate in the lawn and garden area who was helping me, wasn't sure and directed me to a phone where I could call the credit department and ask.

So far, this had been a positive experience, but that was all about to change. I called the credit department and asked my question, and the customer service rep said they could not designate a specific payment to a specific account. That didn't make much sense to me, but I politely asked her to tell me what formula they use to allocate payments between accounts == I figured I would just pay whatever extra I needed to in order to make sure I covered the $35 and avoid any interest. The rep didn't know and politely connected me to a supervisor, whom I will not name here.

The next few minutes completely changed my perception of Sears. No matter how nicely I asked my question or explained what I was trying to accomplish, the supervisor was rude and kept insisting that NO ONE in the entire company knows how payments are allocated. I told her that I would not pay interest on a fee, and there must be some way to make sure I paid the entire $35. She told me I would have to pay off the entire account balance including a substantial balance on the deferred interest account. At this point I was very frustrated, and told the supervisor if that there was no way to resolve this, I would not be buying the patio furniture and grill I had picked out, nor would I be shopping at Sears again. Was she really willing to risk a customer defection instead of figuring out a way to help me? Her response was very rude and needless to say, I hung up in frustration. Instead of a great day shopping I was now upset and ready to walk out of Sears and possibly never come back -- my perception of the Sears brand had changed and I did not feel they had any interest in my business. I was ready to defect ...

Then an associate in the men's department who had heard my side of the whole conversation apologized to me for the treatment I had received ... now she had absolutely nothing to do with it and no reason to apologize, but she cared enough to do so (I really wish I had caught her name -- I would love to recognize her in this post). Then, even though I had planned to walk out, I waited while she called her manager over. A shift in perception had begun ...

Sally, the manager, has fantastic. She listened to the whole situation and pointed out that the credit department (which I found out is not Sears at all -- it is Citibank) is not always consistent in their answers, so she offered to call them and see if she could get an answer for me. After a couple of tries, she got through to someone who easily explained how my payment would be allocated and told Sally what payment was needed to cover the full $35. Sally then took my payment and even gave me an invitation to a special friends and family event that included a 10% discount. She blew me away with her treatment -- this is the type of service that I would associate with a high-end store like Nordstrom, not Sears!

The lesson to me as a marketer is how much a customer service or sales team can influence the customer's perception of the brand -- and how we need to pick our partners carefully (since it was actually a Citibank employee that changed how I felt about Sears)! Also by listening to a customer's negative experience (in person, via customer service calls/emails, even blogs), we can find a way to turn the situation around and possibly even create a brand evangelist ... especially in the world of social marketing that we live in. After all, isn't that really what this blog post has been?