industry thoughts from Clarteza

The big idea:  It’s out there, and you want to be the one who discovers it, markets it, and profits from it.  Right or wrong, there is no shortage of approaches to uncovering the big idea, from trend analyses, to focus groups, to epiphanies in the middle of the night.  But how do you know when you’ve found it?  How do you uncover the diamond in the rough from the laundry list of ideas that come out of any well-meaning brainstorming effort?

Your gut is certainly a good start, and there are situations (and corporations) that call for avoiding conventional consumer … Continue Reading

In the wake of the 2012 Super Bowl, which once again broke a record for the average cost of a 30-second ad spot, new stories will abound reporting the “winners” and “losers” from the Ad Bowl based on audience polls, expert critiques and cost-benefit analysis.  Regardless of which spot was the best or worst – no, wait, hold on, the GM commercials were unique and funny (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuvoSw1TiJ8), but will it make me go and buy the car? Probably not.  There, I said it.

Ok, now…regardless of which spot gets ranked best or worst in today’s Facebook or newspaper poll, what’s … Continue Reading

As marketers increase the ad spend on social network marketing and encourage marketing departments to spend more time on engaging and interacting with the consumer, it is becoming more essential to understand how new marketing channels fit within the customer experience ecosystem for the brand.  Let’s start by clearing up some of the buzz around user-generated and social media.  

Gray: “User-generated content means I’m losing control of my brand.”

It’s true that brands and companies no longer have direct control over each piece of information swimming around in cyberspace, making many marketers and executives cringe at the prospects … Continue Reading