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Direct Marketing on the Rise |
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According to research
by both B-to-B Magazine and the Direct Marketing Association
(DMA), spending on direct marketing will rise in 2006 and continue
to trend upward on an annual basis through 2009. In its "2006
Marketing Priorities and Plans" survey, B-to-B found that
52% of b-to-b marketers plan to increase their spending
on direct mail this year. DMA researchers point out that the
main factor for the growth is that direct marketing is measurable.
"In a time when chief marketing officers are looking for
results they can take back to the board, or the CEO or the CFO,
direct marketing solves that problem," notes the DMA.
Source: www.btobonline.com |
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Convenience is Growing
as Brand Differentiator |
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As competitive lines
in both products and services continue to blur, companies are
using “convenience” as a way to differentiate and
appeal to buyers and decision-makers. According to an online
article published by the Direct Marketing Association, with
almost everything becoming a commodity, buyers are craving products
and services that they feel will make their lives easier. Brand
Keys, Inc., a New York-based branding firm, has studied the
overall contribution convenience makes to product and service
consideration, adoption and loyalty. The firm's research shows
that the value of convenience in buyer decision has risen considerably
in the past 10 years. Exactly which form convenience takes naturally
depends on the product or service category and the brand, since
buyer values differ by category. B-to-B service marketers, for
example, may emphasize how their offerings enable their customers
to focus more of their time on core business areas.
Source: www.the-dma.org |
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Using Branding to Attract
Employees |
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At
many companies, the most valuable assets drive home every night.
Competition for talent is heating up in many industries and
will probably intensify, since demographic trends make it increasingly
difficult for companies to replace valued employees when they
retire. In response, many companies are trying to sharpen the
way they market themselves to recruits, by applying branding
techniques to recruitment. Such areas of focus include increasing
name recognition among applicants, to making potential recruits
more familiar with what they do, to persuading those recruits
to consider them actively, apply for their jobs, and, finally,
accept their offers. Branding programs might include outreach
programs at targeted universities, memberships with local, regional
and national industry groups, charitable sponsorships in the
local community, and image advertising in regional business
media.
Identifying the competition is an important starting point for
a company trying to decide which attributes it should emphasize
at what stage of the recruitment process. Traditional recruiting
focuses on functional employment benefits, such as job security;
opportunities for creativity and individual growth; and compensation.
But an employer's intangible, emotional associations-"it's
fun to work at this company," "we have a passionate
and intelligent culture," "there is a strong team
feeling here"- are just as important to recruits as similar
associations with branded consumer goods are to potential buyers.
Source: The McKinsey Quarterly and the American Marketing
Association |
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