Brian McLeod on Marketing & Business Development for Entrepreneurs
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That’s exactly what’s happening with Apple’s iPad as publishers scramble to prepare for the introduction of the iPad in just a matter of days…
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FTC Clamps Down On Testimonials & Endorsements
By now you’ve surely heard about the FTC’s new guidelines for testimonials and endorsements in advertising and marketing.
It’s a hot topic to be sure…
Some view it as the living, breathing embodiment of government run amok.
Others feel it’s long overdue and welcome these guidelines in hopes of better legitimizing an industry that is rife with misrepresentation and fraud.
My take is probably somewhere in between.
Just read a fantastic guest post by Sir David Garfinkle on John Carlton’s blog.
Sometimes we all need a good kick into ACTION
Given the big ole brains that read this blog and John Carlton’s, my take may not be all that revelatory to you… but I truly believe this to be true and if it helps kick some of you into motion, then it’s well worth repeating (my clients and colleagues have surely heard me spout this before…)
Creating your own reality is scary business. Many entrepreneurs allow their head to float up into the clouds, dreaming of the possibilities, but they leave one foot firmly planted in “reality” – to be safe, grounded.
What we get out of life is what we most want at any given moment. Too often, what we most want is the security and safety of the familar.
Leverage is the ability to do more, to get more, to create more… using your existing resources.
From an earlier post on the Warrior Forum today…
Much angst is somewhat unfairly misplaced on the shoulders of marketers without proper consideration of the very demands made by those to whom they market.
Paul Myers has a great saying that’s particularly applicable:
It’s always easier to point to failure of the masses as prima facie proof that something sucks than it is to accept the successes of the few who in fact prove the exact opposite.
In my last post, we talked about the difference between Price and Value and how easy it is to get caught in the “discount trap”. Cutting your prices can often have precisely the opposite effect that the “price leader” is after.
When times are tough, consumers are not so much after low prices as they are demanding of greater perceived value for their dwindling stash of money.
What I want to discuss today is the difference between PRICE and VALUE.
In times of economic uncertainty, it is a common reaction for many marketers to start driving their prices downward. The hope is that by discounting their prices, they will appeal to the more frugal and cost-concious sensibilities of the financially strapped consumer.
On the surface, this can seem sensible. The thinking goes that if A costs less, more people will be inclined to buy A because B and C cost more.
However, what is not always self-evident is the unfortunate truth that competing solely on price rarely appeals to the BUYERS in most markets — at least not the ones that you REALLY want.
Sure, he’s controversial in a predictably unpredictable way. That’s one reason I like him so much. You’d have to be crazier than Richard Wilson not to pay attention when Ben talks about building your brand into a dominant market leader. After all, he’s sold a whole lot of frickin’ yo-yo’s and rollover minutes. No shit.
On Twitter tonight, Ben and I yacked a little about being the market leader and the commensurate power and influence being the “big dog” in your market gives you to shape and control the dynamics of that marketspace.
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