»
Giving up control was the main theme of the 96th annual conference of the Association of National Advertisers.
Stressing that consumers are more empowered than ever before, executives at several major companies called for campaigns to empower and embrace the role that consumers play in shaping a brand’s direction, the New York Times reports (via MarketingVox). Consumers also have more communication tools than ever before - and more ways to create and send their own marketing messages about a brand, turning the traditional “push” marketing process completely on its head.
As companies struggle to come to grips with the new reality of no longer being in complete control of their marketing messages, many also are unsure of how to involve consumers in the marketing process. Cammie Dunaway, chief marketing officer at Yahoo, said the answer lies in not reaching out to the entire community but only those consumers who are familiar with, and passionate about, a company’s brand.
“I call it participation marketing,” she explains. “Allow them to help you shape the brand experience. Content is no longer something you push out. Content is an invitation to engage with your brand.”
All sectors of the media business will suffer from the weakened economy in 2008 and 2009, with a slump in local advertising particularly hurting newspapers and local TV, according to a new projection from Goldman Sachs.
Broadcast nets will experience…
The New York Times is shuttering its International Herald Tribune site; NYTimes.com will soon host the international news normally reserved for its sister website.
The move is not about cost savings, but rather about growth, NYTimes.com general manager Vivian Schiller…
Unilever’s Vaseline set forth on an unusual research project in a small town in Alaska. Setting up a storefront, the company began giving away free bottles of lotion and asking recipients to name the person who had recommended they come…
Meet the Press, the show hosted by Tim Russert for 17 years before his death last June, is beginning to slip in ratings.
Last month, CBS’s Face the Nation pulled ahead of Meet the Press for the first time in two…
Bloggers collectively create nearly one million blog posts each day, and half of bloggers believe blogs will be a primary source of news and entertainment in the next five years, according to Technorati’s 2008 State of the Blogosphere Report, MarketingCharts writes.…
Wal-Mart and Costco reported same-store gains in September, with sales rising 2.4% and 9% respectively. Sales at Target stores open at least a year fell 3%, writes Retailer Daily.
Below, fiscal results from the discount retail giants:
Sales of food and…
