I thought I would share out some more interesting insights from attending "The Gathering" in Banff a couple weeks ago, a marketing conference about "cult brands." Contrary to the twisted religious connotations that come to mind with the word cult, used in this sense, cult brands are those with so much loyalty, that their customers literally make up much of their marketing … [Read more...]
What makes cult brands special?
This past week I attended the Cult Gathering marketing conference in Banff, a meeting of CEOs and marketing directors from global cult brand leaders. Cult brands don’t just have customers, they have fans and brand evangelists who do much of their marketing for them through word of mouth online and off, and through earned media and publicity. In fact, most spend very little on … [Read more...]
Marketing Rebellion: A review of Mark Schaefer’s new book
Customers are your new marketing department. That's the upshot of this newly released 290 page book. The thought of more then 66% of your marketing communications being outside of your control will be too unnerving for many. But for those leaders that know intuitively that there's a shift happening that we need to get hold of, read on. This one's for you. I just finished … [Read more...]
Advertising in 2019? Start with the customer experience
I attended the BCAMA (BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association) Marketing Trends breakfast panel discussion last week in Vancouver. While there were many relevant trends for 2019 shared, what came through loud and clear is this: the consumer now rules. Our traditional approach to marketing and advertising is being tossed on its ear. Agencies are adjusting, and … [Read more...]
Nurture the niche and let them talk
Do you remember the tin can walkie-talkie? Where you connected two empty tins with a string and spoke into them, allowing the string to magically transmit the message? Admittedly the tin can walkie-talkie, or tin can telephone as some people may remember it, is pretty LOW-TECH compared to the cell phones we have these days. But it tapped the attraction of a fundamental human … [Read more...]
