August 8th, 2006

Corporate Responsibility Continues to Evolve

As CSRwire reported last week, the corporate social responsibility field, while growing rapidly, is still in the process of defining itself.

Among new comers helping this process occur are, according to CSR:

The CRO, a newly-launched membership organization of corporate responsibility officers lead by Business Ethics publisher Michael Connor. The organization promises to be an important addition to the CSR field for coordinating and sharing CSR best practice–and hence fueling progress in corporate social and environmental sustainability. Toward this end, The CRO will publish a magazine, maintain a website featuring CSR resources and tools, and host conferences starting this November. I’ve met Michael on a number of occasions and wish him great success with this new venture.

economie, launched last year as a global initiative seeking to promote CSR and its cousin, socially responsible investing, as the norm instead of niche activities. economie is hosting a conference, dubbed “eco6,” in Zurich in October featuring such industry leaders as Domini Social Investments Founder Amy Domini and Deborah Doane, head of corporate accountability at the New Economics Foundation.

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August 8th, 2006

Blogs and IMs and Podcasts, Oh My…

…or how How Top Execs Keep Up with Frantic Media Change. The latter was the title of a recent Advertising Age article.

The title sums it up. Columnist Jonah Bloom asked a bunch of top marketing execs how they keep up with change that’s still accelerating in an industry with already more than its fair share of change. Their answers reflect the change itself — some still read magazines and newspapers, while others get their best information through word-of-mouth and early adopter friends, websites, emails, blogs/RSS feeds, podcasts, IM, and more. Definitely worth reviewing.

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August 4th, 2006

It’s August, have you got your holiday shopping done?

I know it is hard to fathom as we swelter through triple digit weather, but NOW is the time to start putting in place your interactive marketing campaign for the upcoming holiday season. Yup, it’s August, time to put away the sunscreen and break out the parka!

The good news is that the potential sales are well worth dragging yourself in from the beach. In Q4 2005 estimated US retail online sales was over $23.5 billion. This is an increase of 23.1% over Q4 2004 [Source: US Census Bureau]

The bad news is that the holiday shopping season is a make or break time for many online companies, as a result, it can also one of the most critical times to have an effective interactive marketing campaign. Not only is the competition fierce as everybody with anything to sell is working even harder to make sales, thereby driving up advertising costs, but the sales window is also very small with only five or six weeks to make as many sales as possible!

The key to maximising the sales in the chilly months of November and December is to begin looking at your holiday marketing campaign in the heat wave of the summer. This will allow for a well thought out strategy where your advertising dollars are most effectively used getting the biggest bang for your buck.

Start figuring out now how you can be found in the huge internet mall and heard above all the other chaos. Do you have a vibrant email list that will allow you to communicate directly with your customer? Are your landing pages sharp, the ad copy appealing? When someone does find you, is your web page designed to maximise conversion?

If there are weaknesses or missed opportunities in your marketing strategy now is the time to address them so that you can hit the ground running [or sledding] in November!

By the way, I was in a big box store the other day [I am occasionally allowed to stray from my computer] and was shocked to see that they had on display those pre-lit Christmas trees. Hmmm….

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August 2nd, 2006

Not easy marketing green?

You can tell when I’ve finally found a little time, again, to catch up on reading and philosophizing — my blog entries come in spurts. Thought an article from Brand Week, titled “Companies Find It’s Not Easy Marketing Green,” was very interesting.

It points out that spiraling fuel prices and global warming fears have increasingly put environmental issues on the front page and in advertising efforts. But, one study found, as more companies adopt these campaigns, consumers are growing increasingly confused over what it means to be “green,” making it harder to create effective environmental marketing efforts.

The study found that 64% of those who responded couldn’t name a “green” brand; even 51% of those who considered themselves to be environmentally conscious were unable to name one. “As much as the term has been tossed around, many people . . . are unclear as to what it means,” the study reported. “Eco-friendly, fuel efficient, biodegradable, natural and organic are used in different categories to emphasize green, but can confuse and cloud the mind of consumers.”

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August 2nd, 2006

PBS programs on your PC

PBS announced digital download deals last week with Google Video and the cool Open Media Network. Episodes from shows such as “Antiques Roadshow” and “Nova,” as well as children’s programming such as “Arthur” and “Cyberchase,” are being offered on Google and through Open Media Network, a nonprofit net dedicated to public broadcasting and educational programming at Omn.org.

Shows on both services are priced at $1.99 an episode, except for “Nova,” which is priced at $7.99. Shows downloaded from either service will carry a spot urging viewers to become members of their local PBS stations. (as reported on Variety.com)

As a person who enjoys high quality video for myself and my family, I look forward to checking OMN out — and supporting two important nonprofits in the process!

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