Blog Archives
Maybe it’s time to start a dialog about the concept of “Loyalty” as it relates to the business of business.
Written on December 30, 2011 at 4:33 pm, by Bart Foreman
We are seeing an increasing amount of web chatter at Loyalty360.org about the value of loyalty marketing programs. It reminds me of the old trading stamp programs like Gold Bond and S&H Green Stamps that were popular for three decades. They vanished rather quickly. Loyalty programs won’t die because there is too much invested in them, but we believe that in 2012 the marketing focus has to radically change.
As we close the year we will leave you with two quick thoughts:
- Customers are not loyal and loyalty programs do not make them loyal.
- Customers do not want a “relationship.” We do; they don’t.
Have a Happy New Year and get ready to rock.
Reach and Influence
Written on November 18, 2011 at 7:52 pm, by Bart Foreman
Back in the days of Mad Men, advertising strategy was based on a simple equation of “reach and frequency.” The math was simple to understand: the brand will build its advertising plan based on how many eyeballs or ears the shows could reach and how often the brand could afford to send the advertising over the airwaves or through print media. The advertising mix was a few national and local television stations, a few radio stations and a few magazines and newspapers. The key word here is “few.”
Preferences
Written on November 14, 2011 at 7:00 am, by Bart Foreman
We have been reading more disturbing white papers and research that indicate that marketers are still behind the curve when it comes to understanding customers. That said, perhaps all the hype about social media is nothing more than a mask to hide the reality that we are woefully lacking understanding about our customers. In fact, we will go so far as to state that we don’t understand the dynamics of our brands.
This week’s AH-ha! moment suggests that preferences drive buying habits and when brands do things to change our preferences, we defect.