Societal marketing is the idea that marketing and advertising should be geared towards the consumers wants and needs.  It was also the beginning of the idea that companies should only produce goods and services that are beneficial to society as a whole.  This spurned the practices of sustainable marketing, and went a long way to develop the ethics of marketing that, some maintain, are evidence of a company’s marketing conscience.

One of the early pioneers of societal marketing is Sidney Levy, the current Coca-Cola Distinguished Professor of marketing at Eller College in Arizona.  He is active in the marketing world today, giving talks all over the world to doctoral students.  He is also conducting something called The Gullibility Project – something that is designed to discover why some people are so easily deceived.

Another founding father of societal marketing is Philip Kotler – S.C. Johnson & Son Professor of International Marketing at Northwestern.  He has developed marketing concepts that explore the potential economic outcome of a marketing campaign.

Another of these forerunners was William Lazer, who has since gone on to study and write books about Social Marketing, which is another theory born of societal marketing.

Because of these early marketing minds and others, large companies have adopted the tenants of societal marketing, including responsible corporate citizenship, social awareness, and good customer service.

Sometimes, product reviews are merely fun, offering unbiased commentary on products both useful and useless.

as seen on tv by vidiot

Faced with such a myriad of swindlers, con artists, hustlers and outright thieves, finding quality research on any given topic can be a challenge.  This rings especially true for any website offering product reviews or recommendations.  From the onset, even finding such a site can be difficult.  Many searches will lead you to manufacturer’s websites or mass-market online stores, where the only reviews that can be found are generally those offered by random purchasers.  More often than not (unfortunately for the consumer), those customers that choose to provide feedback on a product are generally those that are dissatisfied, resulting in an overall lack of solid information about a product.  Many ratings systems are also based on the “five star” scale, which can lead to confusion when a product is rated well by a buyer, but the comments provided say otherwise.

Consumers must also beware of websites claiming to offer product reviews which end up leading to sales pitches or attempts to discredit competing products.  A reliable, quality review website will offer consumers the opportunity to read sincere, unbiased opinions of products.  These reviews should include both the pros and cons of the items in question, as well as comparisons and alternatives, thus providing the potential buyer with the information necessary to make an educated, well-informed choice.

With the rise of technology, the world has become simultaneously much larger and surprisingly smaller.  While our new connections serve to introduce us to new experiences and previously unknown cultures, we are also being given the opportunity to see the similarities we share with others from around the globe.  On a daily basis, people are allowed to see more and more of a world that, for most, existed only in textbooks and on movie screens.  The characteristics of countless cultures have begun to migrate outside the traditional geographic boundaries of their native lands to make a place for themselves in the realm of a much more globally minded culture.  When it comes to marketing and advertising, those in the business are now being faced with the challenge of appealing to a much more diverse (and sometimes more adventurous) populace.

Marketers can seldom rely on the previously held standards of cookie-cutter America.  Determining methods of advertising with universal appeal can prove to be a daunting task.  Faith and spirituality, fashion, art and history all play a major part in determining what every culture may or may not find to their liking.  Advertisers must have an ever increasing awareness of their audience; otherwise, they may run the risk of alienating or overlooking potential consumers.  People are often fiercely loyal to their native cultures and ignoring or insulting their customs or beliefs can be detrimental to the message advertisers are trying to communicate.  There is value to be found at every corner of the globe, and by exhibiting respect and reverence where it is due and being mindful of the ever-increasing diversity of the average consumer group, marketers can find opportunities for growth and expansion that they may have never considered.

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Pretty much everyone enjoys a good dirty joke (well, almost everyone), but perhaps an advertising campaign that consists solely of crass humor is a little too much of a good thing.  The tawdry humor often overrides the intended message, and the target audience is left remembering only the scandalous parts, while they disregard the product being advertised.

Examples abound, but in a post sort of discouraging this type of marketing – or at least sort of ENcouraging the alternative – I don’t want to bombard you with all sorts of YouTube clips of dirty, funny ads.  Well, not too many.

The first example is from a blog post I found that talked about a student loan consolidation piece of snail mail that featured an obscene hand gesture.  Bizarre.  Take a look.

Another thing that is a little beyond the realm of good taste – at least to a lot of people, was the Superbowl 2010 eTrade ad with the baby explaining last night’s whereabouts to his baby girlfriend. It was one thing when the baby only talked about diversifying his portfolio, but now he’s apparently so grown up that he’s cheating on his girlfriend with a “milk hound.”

Aliph, a manufacturer of high-tech hands-free devices, released this little gem on the internet:

We’ve got a gorgeous bikini-clad sun goddess and a bunch of rowdy frat-type guys who get EATEN BY A SHARK while she’s on her “noise-assassinating” bluetooth. Nice.

Delivering a clean, “upright” marketing campaign can be a challenge in today’s world.  Consumers are bombarded with beautiful, half-naked people, adult language and violence in every imaginable form.  The average individual is becoming slowly desensitized to such sights and sounds and the methods are losing their effectiveness, spurring advertisers to push the boundaries of acceptable material further and further in an attempt to be the most extreme.

Marketing guru Liz Goodgold from Red Fire Branding lists a number of reasons why you might not want to resort to vulgar language in your marketing – and I think her points can be applied to the sex and violence as well. In a nutshell, she says that:

It is a cheap and easy way to get attention – which makes you look cheap and easy.

Beware of the spam filter – because if you send out vulgar or course material it is likely to get blocked.

People might hesitate to redistribute your materials if they find them questionable.

If you insult people in print or media, how are they going to react to you in person? This isn’t a movie – you can’t go in, drop the f-bomb, and expect them to give you lots of money.

You could lose corporate interest. Large companies have too much to lose by allowing questionable content through.

It comprises your brand in every way. Once you go vulgar, sexy, or violent, it is very hard to come back from that. If you shock people once, you have to go even further to shock them again, and not only that your brand is forever (in many cases) associated with marketing you attach to it.

In a world where we are constantly faced with images of tragedy and war, abuse and degradation, it is often a welcome change to come across marketing that is wholesome and genuine.  People like to be reminded that the world can be a better place and that good manners and a positive outlook offer their own rewards. What can it hurt? In these days, a “clean” campaign might stand out more than a “dirty” one.

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Godin is widely credited with expanding and promoting the concept of permission marketing.  In today’s world of email and internet shopping, permission marketing has made giant strides in drawing customers to businesses by putting the potential clients at ease by allowing them to feel more in control of a buying situation.  The concept is relatively simple. The marketer must obtain either explicit or implicit permission to approach a potential client with the means to making a possible purchase.  The upside for the customer being that will not be bombarded by unwanted solicitations, providing them with a sense of control and security when shopping and considering purchases.

Simple, subtle ideas such as this can be found in all of Seth Godin’s works.  He is a highly regarded public speaker, and has written over a dozen best-selling books, including “All Marketers are Liars” and “Unleashing the Ideavirus.”  He is also credited with expanding the marketing dictionary with the terms he has defined to clearly and effortlessly through his work.  In addition to his published works, he also maintains the most successful marketing blog on the internet, sethgodin.typepad.com.

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photo by Steve 2.0

In today’s world, adding a personal touch to advertising can speak volumes. Direct mail can be the medium for the expression of art or local color, attracting customers on a mental and emotional level. The right image or turn of phrase can touch people on a deeper level than a loud, overwhelming television ad, drawing customers back to a business where they feel more valued and more comfortable.

Direct mail can also serve to remind people of the value of their local businesses. The personal touch of receiving an advertisement that can be read at one’s leisure in the comfort of one’s own home can provide the kind of reminder to customers that their hometown businesses, which might otherwise be taken for granted, are open and available and actively seeking their patronage. So, while it may not be the flashiest and most widely utilized form of marketing, direct mail offers opportunities for a much more personal approach to reaching customers.

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Facebook represents a fantastic opportunity to engage with prospects and customers at zero cost and only the investment of a small amount of time.  Facebook is also an excellent networking tool because it attracts more adults than any other networking site and as such, it is very attractive for businesses looking for a target audience with the means and need for their products and services.

The big issue for Facebook business users is how to get their message across to readers and then get them to pass the message around throughout their own social circle – this is known as “going viral”.  For an excellent example, take a look at the Burger King campaign last year which traded a burger for sacrificing 10 friends – this campaign was immensely successful because it was fun and appealing to all demographics, and was widely adopted across the online networking community.

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The reality is you will need to spend more time on the net but not necessarily more money.  The reason for this is that so much is available on the internet in terms of resources and huge numbers of potential customers already on there.  The issue for you is how to tap into that pool of prospects and gaining understand and skills to use the resources already there.

Nevertheless, you’re rich enough to have $50 to hand so let’s see what you can get done.

Build and Promote a Web Site

For $50 and around an hour, you can build yourself a landing page to promote your business, provide an overview of products and services and make sure your contact information is available for those prospects who want to speak to you.

You do not need to invest thousands in web designers or marketing specialists nor do you need specialist skills yourself.  If you are new to e-commerce, search for free web design services and hosting and test the water first.  If your project returns results, you can consider increasing your allocation of time and money resources and then call in the professionals.  At most, you will need to spend $50 to pay for hosting or a website template to use.

Social Media and Networking Sites

Signing up and producing a profile with FaceBook, MySpace, Ning, Bebo, Orkut and the many other online networking sites is easy and best of all, free!

In return for signing up and generating a profile for your business or particular product or service line, you will be able to generate traffic to your own website off the networking site.  In addition, you get a lot of users referring items of interest around the online networks which is what many marketing professionals look to achieve – getting their social media promotional activity to go “viral”.

We still haven’t spent the $50 yet, but if you feel like doing so, head over to LinkedIn, the business networking community and subscribe.  You don’t have to pay to register and develop a profile but the paying subscribers get better exposure and access to more promotional tools.

Buy a Great Sounding Domain Name

Head over to GoDaddy or any of the domain name companies and you will see offers such as, “Get Your Domain Name for Free” or in any event, less than a few dollars.  The reality is that most of the great sounding domain names have already been bought and if they are not actively being used by someone else, they will be gathering virtual dust as someone is holding the domain name for resale or because they no longer need it but haven’t thought of selling it.

For a great sounding domain name or to buy one from someone else who is no longer using it, be prepared to spend a little more time and a little more money to get a name which will really attract visitors to the site.

Establish a Blog

Setting up a blog is relatively simple and straight forward and you can do it for free as well – just head over to WordPress or Blogger and follow the step by step instructions.

Blogging is very popular and while it does not eclipse search engines for popularity amongst users, blogs have become the focus of a great deal of activity and discussion over the net.

If you want to spend some money, look at buying a domain name for use with your free blog with WordPress who for $10 will let you use your own domain name without the wordpress.com extension and make yourself look more professional.

Dell Atlas – Article made possible by Exhibit Wholesale, online suppliers of trade show displays.

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Customers shop by price for gasoline

87 octane gas here when a customer can go a few blocks and buy it for 5 cents cheaper which saves them 50 cents overall? The same is true for mattresses. For many years companies tried to beat each other’s prices which drove their profit margins lower and lower. Now many mattress companies rebrand or have private label versions of the mattresses they sell to different distributors so it’s nearly impossible to compare prices.

As a business owner, you have to determine if your market is driven by price and if you are willing to sell based on price.

Price might be the deciding factor for your customers when there is no real discernible difference between one product/service and another. For instance, you might own a lawn care service. And though you try to educate your customers on why your service is better than your competitors, some customers are just going to want to know how often you come and how much you charge because, in their minds there is no difference between the service you provide versus your competitor. So even if there is a difference in your offering, a customer might not understand the difference or care. It is up to you to decide if price-conscious customers are what you want to focus on.

When Convenience Matters Most
The point of a convenience store is that it’s right there when you need it. Sometimes people go searching specifically for a 7-11 but most of the time, if you need drinks for a road trip or ice for a party, you go to the closest store. Being convenient can be a function of where you have your physical stores or offices, what your hours are, etc. If someone uses Google to find a product and you’re website is ranked highly for that product name, they’ll find your site (which is convenient to both you and the customer). So using pay per click advertising like Google Adwords and/or hiring an SEO company to help your site rank highly will make your online presence more convenient for customers who value convenience.

And convenience also means making the transaction simple – having a shopping cart that is easy to navigate, having a sales process that is simple for your customers to understand, having a call to action that is clear, etc. If convenience-oriented customers are the type of customers you want, your site is going to need to be easily found and easily navigated.

When Response and Delivery Time Matter Most
Some customers are willing to pay a premium, if you can provide what they need right now. They are focused on time – the time it takes to get someone to respond to their inquiry, the time it takes for the product to be delivered, etc. If you sell the right product but it’s currently out of stock, you’ve lost the sale. Or if you sell a service but you can’t meet with the customer within their time frame, you’ve lost the sale. Being quick and nimble is what will resonate with these customers.

Service-based businesses and companies that sell complex products need to be especially concerned with timeliness because the sales cycle is slower and customers are going to need more information and assistance as they consider their purchase.

Consider how many rings it takes for someone to answer your business phone. If a potential sale is on the other end of that call, it’s important that someone is there to answer. Are you responsive to requests for more information, for meetings, for catalogs, etc? Being able to respond and deliver quickly will win you these types of customers.

Or course one could argue that all customers want their transactions to be cheap, easy and fast. But rarely can a company deliver on all three. Focusing on one, appealing to those customers that value that factor, and doing it well will help you define your company in your market and win new customers.

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Studies show that promotional items are effective in the acquisition of new customers and the rate in which those new customers return for business a second time. In fact, promo items perform 27% better than coupons, and 139% better than welcome letters (thank you gallantgifts.com). So it’s definitely worth thinking about if you happen to have a little bit of room in your marketing budget.

But if you’re going to do it, what types of things should you buy? Traditionally, the most amount of promo product dollars are spent in wearables – t-shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, etc. Next in volume are writing instruments. Hey, everybody loves a free pen. Other areas that are relatively popular are magnets, bags, umbrellas, labels, stress items, keychains, drink insulators (think Koozies), stuffed animals, calendars, and more.

Ultimately, if you choose to use promotional products in your marketing strategy, you should concentrate on getting a good deal on a spectacular product. Cheap plastic things end up at the bottom of drawers or in a trash can, but a good pen or a handy umbrella stays around for a long time, proudly displaying your company’s logo.

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