Social Friends and Followers Feel More Inclined to Purchase Brands They Are Fans Of

This short article illustrates the power of social media discussed on page 572 of Lamb, Hair and McDaniel's Marketing 11e.

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007568

Radio Shack Positions itseld as a Smartphone Retailer

This article can be used in conjunction with the discussion of positioning and repositioning on pp.281-284 of 11e of Lamb, Hair, McDaniel.


http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704464704575208353784825356-lMyQjAxMTAwMDAwMzEwNDMyWj.html

E-mail Marketers Tune into Social Marketing

This article is a good supplement to the discussion of social marketing on page 572 of 11e of Lamb/Hair/McDaniel. In 2009 e-mail marketers started to get social, but 2010 will be the year social media makes e-mail marketing more powerful. Social media is a partner, not a threat, to e-mail marketing because it provides new avenues for sharing and engaging customers and prospects.




http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007584

Dunkin Donuts Goes to Moscow

This article is a good supplement to Chapter 5, Developing a Global Vision in Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, 11e.


http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704464704575208320044839374-lMyQjAxMTAwMDAwMzEwNDMyWj.html

Targeting the Coffee Drinkers

This article can be used in conjunction with the targeting section in Lamb, Hair, McDaniel. In a counterattack against its lower-priced fast-food rivals, Starbucks Corp. plans to roll out a second coffee brand. Starbuck's is targeting different segments in the market.

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB20001424052748703565804575238584204665378-lMyQjAyMTAwMDEwNDExNDQyWj.html


























 

Is the Measurement of Click Through on Internet Advertising Effective

Article: " Is the Click Still King?" eMarketer (May 7, 2010)

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007679

Online marketing has been touted for its measurability, a quality that should make it easy for marketers to determine its effectiveness and value for the money. Despite the recognition that the click-through does not measure the full effectiveness of an online ad, many marketers continue to rely on this simple, easy to measure metric. This article can be discussed in Lamb, Hair, and McDaniel's Marketing 11e page 566 and page 271 in MKTG4.
Questions:
1. What might be some other measures to determine the effectiveness of an online campaign?

2. What other forms of promotion may be relatively easy to measure in terms of effectiveness?

Demanding Customers

Article: "The New Normal: Your Customer Is in the Driver's Seat," Forbes.com (April 27, 2010)
http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/27/accenture-apple-dell-customer-satisfaction-segmentation-marketing-cmo-network-dave-rich.html?feed=rss_leadership_cmonetwork
Today's customers are more diverse,inter-connected, and demanding than ever before. A global survey of 5000 plus consumers found that 69 percent had moved to a new provider for at least one product or service in the past 12 months. This can be discussed in Lamb, Hair, and McDaniels Marketing 11e, pages 7-14 and pages 5-10 of MKTG4.
Questions:
1. In order to compete in today's marketplace a firm must use "agile marketing." what do you think that this means?
2. Why do you think that so many people are turning to new suppliers for their what they buy? Have you done so recently? If yes, why?

Brand Promise and Purpose

Article: "CMO's : Make A Connection Between Brand Promise and Purpose," Forbes.com (April 30, 2010)
http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/30/iceland-cisco-aflac-basf-branding-ellen-page-cmo-network-allen-adamson.html?feed=rss_leadership_cmonetwork

Strong brands are strong because people know what they stand for and how they fit into their lives. If the target market doesn't have a clue what a brand does or how it fits into their lives no amount of sales pitching will help. This can be discussed in Lamb, Hair and McDaniel's Marketing 11e pages 342-347 and pages 157-161 of MKTG4.



Questions;
1. Give an example of a brand that offers a clear connection between promise and purpose.
2. Can promotion really control what people think about a brand?

Ranking the Leading Brands

article:"Google, IBM, Lead the Pack in Millward Brown's Brand ranking," Marketing News May 6, 2010


http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Documents/newsletters/mne/2010/5/mne_brand_ranking_5_6_10.pdf



The world's top brands are lead by tech powerhouses Google, IBM, and Apple. The study analyzes the opinions of more than a million consumers viewpoints of business-to-business and business-to-consumer brands. This article provides a current reference to accompany Chapter 10 in Lamb, Hair and McDaniel's Marketing 11e and MKTG 4.

Questions:
1. What are the benefits to a firm of having a global brand with a positive image?
2. Google's brand is valued at $114 billion. How might such a value be calculated?

Getting the Attention of your Target Market

Article: "KFC Doubles Down and Wins Target Market's Attention," Marketing News, May 1, 2010,

http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Documents/newsletters/mne/2010/5/mne_kfouc_5_6_10.pdf

KFC sent an email to its 3million registered users about its new Double Down sandwich with bacon, cheese, and two fried and breaded chicken breast. The buzz created demand for the product even before it was in the stores. Although KFC awareness rose during the campaign not all of the publicity was positive. This article can be discussed with Lamb, Hair and McDaniel's Marketing 11e, pages 566-576 and page 271 in MKTG4.

1. KFC said that they had so much buzz from the Double Down that they probably wasted money on the press release. Isn't a press release always important for new products?

2. Do you think that the Double Down is socially responible? Why or why not?