May The Best Brand Win

You did well in 2016. You pushed it hard and you relaxed. Now it’s 2017 and we have a new president, new trade shows, new business and you’ll have to find that next gear to go faster, do more and remain in the lead.  In this episode we’re going to talk about companies who are finding a new gear in 2017 with their marketing and communications and how YOU can do the same!  We’ll also see who’s winning and losing this week so join the happiness, join the fun and learn a thing or two.

Another year and what has marketing learned?  Yeah, not very much. But, we still have hope that the rest of them will catch up to us and start doing better marketingin the New Year.  On this year recap show, we’ll discuss the stories and trends that shaped 2016 from a marketing perspective and we’ll discuss who’s getting their last wins and losses logged for 2016. Join me for an entertaining and educational look back at 2016 on this week’s May the Best Brand Win on Entertalk Radio!

Different…Differentiated…Not the same as everyone else who does what you do…. This is what great marketing tries to do. We do it because if there’s only one choice in the “you” category at the store, then the one they pick is probably going to be “you.” (insert cash register cha-ching sound here) This week’s show will tackle the topic of how and why we differentiate brands and will give you some tips about how you can set yourself apart from your competitors brand-wise. We’ll also drill into who’s winning and losing this week and it may not be the best show in the world, but you can be sure it’s gonna be different.

This isn’t the “when a man loves a woman, they share a very special kind of hug” talk, but it’s important nonetheless. Managing great relationships is the goal of all comms programs so in this episode we’re going to tackle how this is done both with client relationships (external and internal) and with the audiences we’re trying to reach. Get ready to change your relationship status from “it’s complicated” to “oh, I’ve got this” as we hit this topic and also discuss who’s winning and who’s losing the wonderful technicolor world of marketing and communications. 

In 1984, the groundbreaking book Guerrilla Marketing changed the way brands thought about the traditional rules of getting the word out. But as the mullet of Entertalk Radio’s Paul B. will attest, 1984 was a LONG time ago and we should probably figure out what it mean to “go guerrilla” in 2016-17. Of course, we’ll also talk about who’s winning and losing in this pre-Thanksgiving special heartwarming episode of May the Best Brand Win where everyone learns a valuable lesson. Save me a drumstick!

Here’s one for you. Do you think it’s ethical to persuade someone to do or buy something, even if it’s something they don’t want? Like so many things in marketing, I think the answer is a resounding “it depends.” I know, spoken like a true consultant. …But hear me out.  Ethics in marketing is really an area of applied ethics which deals with the moral principles (yes we have them, why do you ask?) behind the operation and regulation of marketing. This area covers fun stuff like: invasion of privacy, stereotyping, targeting (and re-targeting) the vulnerable, excluding potential customers from the market and pricing ethics.When you think hard about how to persuade human beings you realize it’s not going to be easy. Getting into and out of consumers’ heads is a very messy business because our brains most of the time resemble Times Square on New Years Eve. It’s lit-up, exciting and electric, but watch where you step. (gross).The problem with the lion’s share of marketing approaches I see is they lack actual thoug

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there was a young and good-hearted marketer who wanted people to notice the things his client (or organization for whom he worketh) was promoting. He tried everything, ads, promos, e-mails, texts even twirling signs on the sidewalk (ok he didn’t do that). But he realized that his marketing was lacking something. Something very powerful. So powerful it should be guarded by a dragon and a lake of fire, yet it was there all the time, like magic. Our hero needed to find and unleash the magical power of story. Will he discover it in time before all credibility and trust has been destroyed by all of that other marketing stuff? Tune in to this episode and find out all while learning about the power of storytelling in your marketing. And if you’re good, you can have milk and cookies afterwards as we all learn about who’s winning and losing and then take a well-deserved nap. (Nap, milk and cookies not included).  

Marketing is tougher than ever here in 2016 and there you are trying to make it work, trying to connect, create long-term relationships and rock the house against a backdrop of “the others” who are doing everything they can to destroy what little credibility marketing has left. Today’s show I’m going to offer some marketing encouragement and talk about a lot of the things I think we have hope to turn this thing around.  Of course we’ll also review who’s winning and losing this week in marketing communications. Tune in and leave entertained and hopefully encouraged.

You meant to say X, but it came out a whole bunch of Y? I’ll tell you why in this episode as we examine how to deal with communications when the meaning of your brand’s message gets twisted. We’ll also go over who’s winning and losing this week in MarCom so join me for a truly twisted experience!

You get out your arrow, sharpen it, place it on the string, pull back perfectly, let it fly and what the heck!  You missed!  How is that possible?  You did everything right and still missed the target. Well, it happens and actually, it happens quite often. So we’re going to talk about it — what happens when we fail at communications, what’s next? And of course we’ll discuss who’s winning and losing in the world of MarCom. Learn how to be more successful by analyzing some epic fails on this week’s episode of May The Best Brand Win on Entertalk Radio.  

They don’t believe you. They don’t trust you.  Now what? Well, the latest shiny new toy in the marketing box is known as “influencer marketing" and while it appears similar to PR and in some cases PR firms execute these plans, it’s quite different in many ways. Join me as we dig deep into the subject of influence and influencers, giving you all the pros and cons to help you decide if this is a tactic for you. Of course we’ll also talk about who’s winning and losing this week in marketing communications.

Branding is harder than ever here in 2016 and the road to great relationships is filled with peril. Well-meaning companies either don’t connect deeply enough or they make big public mistakes or they get hit with something right out of left field. Branding is far more than graphic design and pretty colors, people — it’s your core emotion, your promises, your service, your very essence and in branding, everything counts. Join me as we delve into one of the key principles of branding that I call “Everything Counts.”  We’ll also see some real-life examples of Everything Counts as we look at who’s winning and losing this week in MarCom.

Most people think truly great marketing comes like a thunderbolt of creativity from the heavens for only a few top brands out there, but did you know that most people (other than accountants and actuaries of course) have the innate ability to think creatively and produce some great marketing ideas? In this episode we’re doing to do some mythbusting about the subject of creativity as it relates to marketing and communications and show you why you’re probably more creative than you think. We’ll also dig into who’s winning and losing in the world of PR and MarCom. So join me on the creative journey, won’t you?

To play a gig, you need one really important thing (besides beer) — you need an audience — your audience with any luck.  Same is true in marketing. We’re going to spend some time on the other big circle in the communications model and show you the best ways to attract them and not send them packing before the finale! We’ll also talk about who is winning and losing this week in marketing. 

Sometimes communications and PR programs are supposed to change people’s minds — a tall order. To even attempt this stuff, you must first have and wear a black belt in bias.  You need to understand bias and how humans make decisions and rush to judgments if you’re going to have any hope of making a dent. Today’s show will dig deep into bias and show you how you can deal with it, overcome it and maybe even get an audience seeing things YOUR way. We’ll also tackle (football pun) who’s winning and losing in the wide world of marketing and communications. Don’t miss it!

Why do we do this crazy little thing called marketing? Behavior. Specifically sales behavior and it’s not a crime to admit it. But so few marketers study the deep psychology needed influence that crazy machination of electrical impulses known as the human brain. We’re going to dive down deep in the gray matter and figure out how to bend people’s minds to your company’s will. (evil laugh, twisting mustache while plotting to take over world). Just kidding…or am I?  Tune in and see for yourself.

Man, it’s everywhere… Just like the Zika virus and millennials looking down at their phones while playing Pokemon Go, it’s…BAD MARKETING.  This episode will focus on some of the bad so we can all learn what NOT to do to build long-term, great relationships with our target audiences. And we’ll also talk about who’s winning and losing out there this week in marketing communications.  Join us as we travel towards the dark side.

The marketing funnel has gotten quite a bit wider with the inclusion of things like blogs, podcasts, video, eBooks, newsletters, whitepapers, SEO, and a host of others. But how do you make sure you target audience doesn’t gag from the onslaught? This show will explore a lot of these tools and give you an actual strategy for making sure your marketing is more than a list of things to send out this week. We’ll also dig into who’s winning and losing this week in marketing and communications so be sure to tune in.

It’s time to dig into some business on business crime as we discuss how businesses market to other businesses or B2B Marketing. B2B is very misunderstood and done poorly by a lot of companies. We’re going to learn how to be better at B2B than you ever thought possible and we’re going to shatter some B2B myths that just might B holding U back.  Of course, we’ll also talk about who is winning and losing in the wide wonderful world and marketing and communications!

Ahhh…LinkedIn, the world’s largest database of working people. You’re probably on there in some capacity, but the “business time” social network has grown more complex and not everyone leverages their network, their content and their point of view for maximum effectiveness. So we’re going to spend the entire episode drilling down into LinkedIn and arm you with everything you need to use it respectfully and better than you are right now.  We’ll also dig into who’s winning and losing this week in marketing and by the time it’s over, you’ll feel more connected than ever.