A recent panel discussion among businesses who have thrived during the recession turned up a couple common themes among all the panelists.  First, it’s better to do something than nothing.  And it’s better to try new ways to get the attention of customers than to fall back on the same old things.  Almost all of…

NBC’s recent failed experiment with Jay Leno in prime time is a vivid reminder of the power of a brand and how it affects what consumers do.  Most people associate Leno’s show with the end of their day, and it’s probably the last thing many of them watch as they drift off.  Moving it to…

Companies often talk about developing extraordinary products or delivering an extraordinary customer experience.  But few actually do it – because offering something extraordinary means doing something extra.  The baseline is doing everything as well as it can be done – then adding something truly unique on top of that.  Think of Apple – they build…

News coverage of banks charging ridiculous rates and fees is relentless these days.  So where are the credit unions?  One pillar of credit union marketing has always been low or no fees, and reasonable rates that stay reasonable.  Yet in spite of the onslaught of news stories about bank rates and fees, credit unions seem…

From the outset, Southwest Airlines focused on major decisions – one kind of plane, one class of seat – that kept its costs lower.  But low fares can be a trap.  If passengers expect a lackluster experience as a result of lower fares, some will choose to pay more and get better treatment.  So Southwest…

New research shows that half of those who opt-out of receiving e-mail from a company do so because what they’re receiving is irrelevant.  For example, over 70% of consumers have received e-mail promotions for products they have already purchased from the business sending the e-mail.  People say that many (if not most) of the e-mails…

There’s a growing sense that one of the victims of this battered economy is creativity.  Companies seem to feel that marketing in truly creative ways is wasteful right now, leading to a lack of fresh ideas and approaches that only impedes sales and reinforces the bad economic news.  But there’s an opportunity here, too.  If…

When Ford re-entered the subcompact market with its Fiesta, it decided to use social media in a new way.  The carmaker gave Fiestas to 100 consumers to use for six months – people in their 20s who were chosen for their very active presence and large networks in social media.  Over the next six months,…

Even with the proliferation of online and mobile video, 99% of all video content in America is consumed on TV, and television viewership remains steady.  But the number of people using the DVR and watching that content on their own schedule is on the rise.  Viewers are watching an average of 7 hours of recorded…

Perhaps more than any previous generation, baby boomers are controlling America’s spending.  They influence a majority of purchase decisions, guiding the healthcare decisions their parents make and the college and housing choices their kids make, even as they lavish attention on grandkids (over half of all boomers are grandparents).  Any consumer business that ignores the…