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Ed Delia Articles
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ROI is Everything . . . Or is it? - Click To Read Article The word is out. Advertising in the traditional sense is dying. Some would argue it’s already dead. Interruptive advertising – via TV, radio, Internet or phone – has given rise to as many means to shut out marketing messages as there are to deliver them. Think iPod, TiVo, Do Not Call, and Anti-Spam. All forms of anti-communication. Today…Relevance Rules! - Click To Read Article The onset of faster communications and up-to-the-minute information access has broken down some of the standard rules of thumb for Business-to-Business marketing. It used to be that you could count on frequency and reach to eventually win the hearts and minds of a particular audience segment. You could apply the rule of seven, successfully making seven points of contact (via phone, email, direct marketing, letters, in-person, etc.) and the sale was yours. But today, you might as well punch your fist against a brick wall seven times - unless you’re punching just in the right place, and just at the right time. Because today…relevance rules! Is Your Home Page Written for You or for Them? - Click To Read Article We’ve seen it many times: beautiful flash openings, vibrant graphics, and “catchy” catch-phrases. This is the stuff that many people believe is the heart and soul of a quality website. While it may be eye-catching and engaging, the question I often ask is: Which is more important to your online brand - Looking cool or being found? The Gecko vs. The Duck - Click To Read Article Which is better? Geico's Gecko or Aflac's Duck? What's the Hang-up? Strategic or Tactical? - Click To Read Article A lot of times we meet with companies that have one or marketing projects that are stalled. Or to use the more corporate pc lingo, “in development.” While there may be some truth to this, “in development” to me means “not finished.” After the Show What Will You Have to Show for It - Click To Read Article Brand Communications Beyond the Booth™ Taking a booth at a trade show is as much a risk as it is an opportunity. Time to Conquer Your Fear - Click To Read Article Seven years ago, my ship started to turn. At the time, Delia Associates looked very much like a traditional business advertising and PR firm. Don’t get me wrong. We were doing some great work for a lot of great clients. But that’s when the branding bug caught me. I saw branding as more than a fad. I realized it was the foundation of category domination. If a company could discover its true distinction, it could virtually erase all competition, and drive toward greatness. "We sent out a mailing and nothing happened." - Click To Read Article I've heard this one a lot, from all types of marketing executives, in all types of companies. And to really be honest, we've said it ourselves here at Delia Associates, and we're supposed to be the experts at this kind of thing. You may have said it too after a carefully planned mailing that resulted in zero response. What Purchasing Agents Are Learning These Days - Click To Read Article What Purchasing Agents Are Learning These Days, And How to Position Yourself (and Your Brand) Accordingly Whether you sell to purchasing agents or directly to top executives, this article will shed some light on the buyer’s side of the fence, and how you can position your brand to defend against the most stringent negotiators. Introducing E-PR - The New Marketing Hybrid - Click To Read Article Traditional advertising is still the gasoline of the American economic engine - and the dependency is not going to end any time soon. But new technology and the need for economic alternatives have combined to create a powerful new marketing hybrid. We call it e-PR. IF THE PAINTER CAN DO IT, YOU CAN TOO - Click To Read Article When marketing “experts” refer to the concept of branding, they typically point to global and widely recognized brands: Coke, McDonalds, FedEx, Microsoft, GE, and the like. While the “big guys” are a convenient source of reference, it makes the whole idea of branding somewhat inaccessible for the rest of us. And this is just not the case. Even the smallest company can brand itself. Story-Telling is Brand-Building - Click To Read Article Much like how referrals are one of the strongest forms of marketing opportunity, story-telling is one of the strongest forms of brand-building. Are You a "Brand Behind a Brand?" - Click To Read Article Normally, when people hear the term “brand” they immediately think of popular consumer goods and services . . . Coke, Tide, Sony, Apple, Nike, Verizon, and the like. Here at Delia Associates, our definition of brand goes farther and wider. We define a brand as “a unique entity.” Part Wizard, Part Nerd, and one Heck of a Great Brand - Click To Read Article When most people talk branding, they usually point to well-known consumables: restaurants (McDonalds), beverages (Starbucks Coffee), foods (M&Ms), home products (Bounty), cars (BMW) and the like. What many don’t realize is that brands are all around us. We’re encountering and experiencing brands all the time in the form of products, services, causes, businesses and personalities. Coping with a Marketing Crisis: When to Throw Strategy out the Window - Click To Read Article Everyone has heard the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, in the brand communications world, we say, “It takes a crisis to create a marketing plan.” People don’t hate advertising. They hate bad ads. - Click To Read Article Think about an ad that you read recently, one that really resonated with you. It probably gave you either new-found respect for the marketer, or reaffirmed your commitment to the brand in question. Method Mapping. The secret revealed. - Click To Read Article It doesn’t matter what business you are in, you have your own way of doing things, your own methodology, your own unique process. What to Give Your Clients for the Holidays. . . A Marketing Firm’s Perspective. - Click To Read Article Every year the holiday rush begins a little earlier. When I was growing up, you really wouldn’t think much about the December holidays until the day after Thanksgiving. Today, come mid-September, it’s not uncommon to see displays featuring Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah right along side the much anticipated Halloween costumes candy, and home décor at your favorite retail store. Where Branding Goes Wrong, And What to Do About It. - Click To Read Article People in my industry are always quick to point out the branding success stories. We readily site examples like Starbucks, McDonalds, Nike, Dell, MasterCard, Coke, and other world-renowned brands. Each gained true distinction and took a leadership position because they were determined to do so. They invested heavily in reinforcing their position with aggressive brand-building, and rarely waivered from their brand identity. But what about all the brands that failed, despite determination and dollars? It IS a Popularity Contest - Click To Read Article Business and high school actually have one very important thing in common. Thinking back on my high school days, I remember the start of the school year and when elections for class president were about to begin. . . Branding The Magic Bean or Field of Dreams - Click To Read Article A lot of company executives I talk to have Jack-and-the-Beanstack expectations when it comes to branding. They see it as a magic bean that planted in the right spot, and properly nourished, will take their sales through the roof. As we talk, however, they realize branding isn’t at all a physical phenomenon. Good branding is more like building a Field of Dreams than planting a magic bean. Branding: The Competitive Edge in a “Flattening World” - Click To Read Article If you own or work in a mid-sized company, you know only too well what author Thomas Friedman is talking about in his book entitled “The World Is Flat.” You know the competitive landscape no longer has a horizon. You can no longer enjoy the “friendly competition” of similar-sized or like-minded firms competing with you regionally or nationally. In fact, many mid-sized companies dominated domestic markets simply because global competitors couldn’t get here. But technology has hit full stride. While five years ago, global competition may have seemed like a nagging fly that wouldn’t go away. Today, it is a reality. Why Customers Buy - Click To Read Article Imagine you're faced with a major purchasing decision for your business. It could be new office furniture, or retaining a new accounting firm, or a new IT firm to manage your network. You do all you can to make an informed purchase. But what do you really know about the product or service you're purchasing? Do you really understand the nuances? Heck of a Nice Guy - Click To Read Article Whenever my father would meet someone he really liked in business, he would often remark, "Heck of a nice guy!" I never thought much of the expression, until I realized that lately, I've been using it myself. When it comes to branding, there's an absolute tie-in. Branding Lessons from the "Jersey Fresh" Tomato - Click To Read Article I was born and raised in Hunterdon County. We currently reside in neighboring Somerset, but my business is still based in Hunterdon County. And while many are vocal about the quirks and craziness of the Garden State, I simply love New Jersey. I love working here, and the opportunities to have fun here. In the summertime, I especially love "Jersey Fresh" tomatoes. Not just for the distinctive taste, but also for the valuable parallels between the trademark vegetable and what we do here at Delia Associates - brand-for-growth strategies for mid-market organizations. Convergence Technology – Theory in ’99, Reality in ‘06 - Click To Read Article It was the summer of 1999, and I remember first hearing the then popular buzz expression “convergence technology.” What it meant was that the Internet was fast coming of age, that web, TV, radio and print content would all converge into one mass body of communication. The distinctive lines of one format from the other would begin to blur, and all outbound communications, whether in print, online, via radio, TV, outdoor, in-store and the like, would all interrelate and point to one another in some meaningful way. Moving Up the Perception Pyramid - Click To Read Article You don’t have to be a lifelong student of an industry to know that suppliers of products and services fall into definite categories in the minds of today’s buyers. Based on perception more than reality, buyers see each industry supplier differently. Each has a role in the buyer’s mind, and each is seen at a different level in terms of perceived value. When Brands and Technology Collide - Understanding the Fusion Factor - Click To Read Article When we think of examples of great creativity at work in business, whether it be a hot new product, new service model, or new type of business altogether, we often sit back and wonder, how did they do it? In many instances, it was a case of identifying a common problem and coming up with a practical solution. The Top 11 Branding Challenges Facing Mid-Sized Companies - Click To Read Article While this edition is based on our experiences as a provider of branding services to mid-sized companies, organizations of all sizes will benefit from this advice. Small, but growing companies will gain insights on how to avoid future branding dilemmas as they head to mid-market size. Larger organizations will benefit too from the ability to better understand their supply chain partners, many of which are mid-market entities. And mid-sized companies will gain new respect for the importance of branding to their success. The Guy Who Stands Still Gets Killed First. - Click To Read Article I have a nephew who just turned 12. He’s a smart young guy, and he taught me a valuable lesson a few months back. Like many 12 year-old boys, he’s a video game hound. He owns the very best that Sony has to offer. I used to be a video game hound too, going back to my first Atari in 1980. When it comes to video games, much has changed in the past 27 years, with super fast-paced action, vibrant graphics, thundering sound, and a much more complex controller to make it all happen. Its Wednesday February 21st at 1045am Time to Conquer Your Fear - Click To Read Article Seven years ago, my ship started to turn. At the time, Delia Associates looked very much like a traditional business advertising and PR firm. Don’t get me wrong. We were doing some great work for a lot of great clients. But that’s when the branding bug caught me. I saw branding as more than a fad. I realized it was the foundation of category domination. If a company could discover its true distinction, it could virtually erase all competition, and drive toward greatness. Keeping it R.E.A.L. when it comes to branding. - Click To Read Article What is a brand anyway? In the simplest terms, a brand is the presence of a unique entity. And that entity need not be the size of Coke, Sony, or Toyota. What to do When You're the VP of Sales AND Marketing - Click To Read Article Vice-President of Sales & Marketing is no easy position, no matter what industry or size of company. Having worked with Sales & Marketing VPs for over 10 years now, I've come to realize that you more than the two hats implied in the job title. A VP of Sales & Marketing must be a manager, a diplomat, a rain-maker, a visionary, a tactician and strategist, all rolled into one. And he or she must be able to move from one role to the other with fluidity or else perish in the pit of minutia. Why a Satisfied Customer is Bad News for Your Brand - Click To Read Article According to a recent seminar I attended called “Attrition Busters,” a “Satisfied Customer” is eight times more likely to switch to a competitor than a “Delighted Customer.” Like this article? Share it with your friends
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One of my readers pointed out that they really appreciated the definition of marketing that I use throughout Duct Tape Marketing. Marketing is getting someone who has a need to know, like and trust you. Most small b...
It's (still) "mud season" in Vermont, courtesy this winter's abundance of snow. Cars and trucks, in particular, look like flying mud balls.
