Fans of the popular Emmy-winning AMC TV series Mad Men, set in an advertising agency in the 1960s, can find something extra from Apple and iTunes.  When they buy a “Season Pass,” they’ll be able to download each new episode as it airs – and receive exclusive bonus content, including behind the scenes chats with…

It may come as no surprise that 45% of American adults are single, with the largest groups being ages 18 – 24 (almost a quarter of the total) and those age 65 and older, who make up nearly 18% of the group.  As you might guess, singles have needs and interests that differ from their…

As singer Neil Young was preparing to release an 8-disc boxed set called “Heart of Gold,” Monadnock Paper Mills decided to make hay out of the fact that one of their eco-friendly papers, Duraprint, had been chosen for the packaging.  An e-mail sent to graphic designers announced Young’s choice, touting the unique benefits that persuaded…

Here’s a great question.  If you knew that you needed to sell your business five years from today, and you had to make sure it was as profitable as possible so you’d get the best possible selling price, how would that change the way you’re marketing today?  In fact, how would it change everything you’re…

If your company sends out a Christmas / holiday card, here’s a chance to take it up a notch this year.  Why not think of your holiday greeting the way you would any other direct mail campaign?  After all, you’re paying for cards and postage, and someone’s investing time in the labor it takes to…

Plenty of companies give away free promotional items to attract prospects or reward new or existing customers.  So here’s a question: do those freebies have anything to do with what you do for customers?  Too often, the answer is “no.”  So the next time you think about a giveaway, ask yourself this: what could you…

Imagine yourself on the customer’s side of the counter or the client’s end of the phone.  If you had no connections at all with the company you own or manage, and you had every choice available to you, would you choose you?  Be brutally honest.  If you would choose your company, why?  The answer may…

In this content-driven world, it pays to give your customers (and prospects) practical information about the things that matter to them.  One smart example: retailer Pier One’s guide for dealing with what they call “the roommate issue.”  It’s well-written and lighthearted, and manages the neat trick of showcasing products in a way that doesn’t seem…

An associate recently visited twenty auto dealerships and talked with twenty salespeople.  Of the twenty, none – not one – asked him for his e-mail address.  Nearly all asked for his phone number, and even though he told them he wouldn’t answer their calls because their numbers wouldn’t be in his address book, every one…

If you think a headline doesn’t change anything, consider this pair.  After some Hells Angels, hired as security for a free Rolling Stones concert, stabbed a concertgoer to death at Altamont, Honda (then selling mostly motorcycles) saw an opportunity.  Figuring that Hells Angels = Harleys for many consumers, Honda rolled out this headline: “You meet…