Research Tidbit: What’s hot for 2008 in marketing?

Few marketing programs completely fulfill one’s hopes. In the new year, marketers should avoid over-hyped opportunities to focus on measuring success by one satisfied customer at a time. Here are the key ideas you should consider.

Time to Green
A “green” plan is no longer a luxury. Every day, another venerable brand commits to a sustainable future. While there is much “green washing,” rating services like B Corporation will set standards that will have major corporations fighting to prove their green. As GE announces billions in green-related sales, and BP fends off bad eco-press, you may find a new seat in the boardroom, the CGO (Chief Green Officer).

Focus on the Experience
The need to focus on integrated marketing approaches isn’t news. But what will be news is how brand experiences will move to the top of the integration food chain, becoming the driving force of communications. Once upon a time, events and online initiatives were treated as “below the line” after-thoughts. Increasingly marketers realize that interactive brand experiences can be far more effective than advertising and should be the starting point of a customer conversation.

Marketing as Service
For years, marketers were more concerned with what they said, rather than what their target heard, resulting in endless monologues. Marketers who continually support their customers through the course of life, providing value in each communication, will score big in 2008. The value exchange can take many forms, but only if the marketer understands the needs and aspirations of its target and commits to a genuine dialog at every point of contact. The HSBC BankCab, which provides free rides to HSBC customers in New York City, is one example of marketing as service, transforming customers into brand evangelists with every ride. Marketers who treat marketing as a service and deliver real value to customers and prospects alike will undoubtedly triumph in 2008.

Interested in how media and interactive events and help create evangelists for your brand? Let’s talk.

Source:  www.chiefmarketer.com; Drew Neisser, 11/27/07

Submitted by:
Michelle Strom
Senior Account Executive
Fisher Communications - Seattle, WA
KOMO 1000 NEWS, KING FM 98.1,
KVI 570 TALK, KPLZ FM/STAR 101.5

Phone ~ 206-404-3629
Fax ~ mstrom at fisherradio.com

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