HyperQuake

…and the internet killed pretty much everything else.

A recent study conducted by the Chief Marketing Officer Council found that 64% of consumers find that promotional offers account for the bulk of the email and direct mail they receive and that only 41% consider them must-read brand communications. Of the opt-outs, 46% cite relevancy as the primary reason they no longer wish to receive that brand’s messaging. With inbox growth expected to double or triple within the next five years, how can you stay ahead of the curve (or at a minimum catch up)?

The first and last rule of email marketing: Stay Relevant
What do you know about your database? If the answer is “not much” then you have some work to do. Email marketing has evolved to a place where you no longer need to position your brand and message to the lowest common denominator. There’s no longer a need to simply say everything to everyone (and there hasn’t been for a while now) when you can say something to someone. Technology has enabled us to deliver extremely relevant information based on behavioral, demographic and psychographic  information. And, most importantly, consumer choice.

Instead of inundating inboxes with branded “stuff” develop your online relationships and truly engage your consumers with meaningful, beneficial and segmented content. Imagine what happens when you take your email marketing to the next level. Increases in open rates and clicks, decreases in opt-outs and spam… what more could you ask for? The added value of this approach not only deepens the relationships you have with your regular users, but has the potential to re-energize and engage your less active users.

PowerPoint at its finest

So where’s the ROI?  With the right acquisition and retention programs you build scale. With scale and proper motivation your database is no longer a faceless group of people referred to only in opens and clicks, rather, a powerful resource to leverage at a moment’s notice.

So apparently at 81 years young, Walt Disney Co. has decided that Mickey Mouse is showing signs of aging and needs to go under the proverbial knife and get some much needed animation plastic surgery. It’s finally time for Mickey Mouse to step up into the new millennium and become a bit more ‘edgy’ and ‘rogue’ apparently. I’m thinking full sleeve tattoos, gauged ears, perhaps a mohawk and a lip ring, but that’s just me. Perhaps Walt Disney Co. is preparing Mickey for an upcoming cameo in a new Grand Theft Auto game. It’s possible, “Grand Theft Auto: Steamboat Willie & the Disneyland Disaster.”

All that said, it’s fun to think about how one would remake everything about the iconic Mickey Mouse if given the chance.

Change is difficult.

Beginning in childhood, we hang onto habits and traditions that are familiar and comfortable. Following a routine puts us most at ease, so the well-worn path permeates into our entire life, including the products and services we purchase.

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As competition becomes fiercer, as private labels compete on quality, as incremental innovation becomes less discernable to consumers, the need to make brands relevant to the individual is more critical than ever. But who is the individual? And do individuals exist in large enough numbers to push a brand forward? That is the critical question facing every brand today, and a question answered by Aspirational Targets.

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While the marketing world is preoccupied with trying to fix advertising, everyone is missing the simple fact that consumers have already solved the problem.

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The vast majority of consumer brands are small to mid-sized. Far too often, however, they try to “act big” and end up with little in results to show for their effort and expenditure.

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