Marketing Evolved
Consumers are continually becoming more and more sophisticated, especially in an age where we now quantify and track everything. This allows marketers and advertisers to embrace that kind of transparency, put together their own research, and disseminate that information to a more targeted audience, which makes your advertising far more efficient with fewer wasted dollars. The role marketing plays has become more comprehensive, including processes such as planning, implementation, and monitoring & analytics (Manning and Reece, 2008). Analytics have become increasingly important because consumers want to measure success and revise the plan of attack if there are any shortcomings. Instead of putting together a plan and putting the product out there for eyes to see, the marketer now needs to make sure the right eyes see it and with a certain amount of frequency.
At the end of the day, the name of the game is value, and what you can bring to the table will ultimately determine your level of success. Offering a superior value guarantees satisfaction which earns loyalty (Day, 1994). Marketing in contemporary America now favors the cultivation of relationships, proving once and for all that it is, and always has been, all about the people.
Reconciling Jingoistic Tendencies
Globally, many other countries work faster, longer, more cheaply, and take greater pride in their work than we do. If we can look beyond our own self-entitled way of thinking, perhaps we can improve our metrics concerning GDP per capita, quality of life, income disparity, and many others. People used to take so much pride in the goods that were manufactured in the USA, but it seems very short-sighted to still live by that model. If you are a manufacturer, you need people that can meet deadlines cheaply and reliably. Toyota is successful here, in part, due to our extraordinarily high labor costs in automotive manufacturing (due in part to unions). The textile industry invariably favors Southeast Asia because they can manufacture quality goods and ship them overseas more cheaply than we can even produce them.
These cost-cutting measures and outsourcing are GOOD. It allows American entrepreneurs to thrive where they would otherwise flounder by keeping production costs low. It also allows small businesses and corporations to build international relationships and share their product on a global scale simply by exposing the people who create your product to something that isn't often seen abroad. If all labor was granted to American employees, we would be hindering market equilibrium and trying to control something that's beyond our means.
We have become a service industry and a country of innovators. We're the idea people. We have reached for the next rung of the ladder of the economic hierarchy, and it's strange to hear people crave regression. We must not get complacent, and we mustn't falsely assert that protectionist measures will liberate us from the shackles of the free market.
ME-Commerce
Any retail item can be purchased online, often with free shipping or some other incentive that actually makes it the pereferential method of shopping. Gone are the days of waiting in endless lines behind the person that has to write a check as slowly as he or she possibly can. Mobile e-commerce has replaced traditional e-commerce…or rather, improved upon it.
You could be strolling down the beach, basking in sunshine while ordering a new grill for Labor Day. Even GM is rolling out a new application that would allow savvy consumers to trade-in their car, and take delivery or test drive a new car, all without bothering to get dressed in the morning.
I already order all of my take-out online when I used to phone it in. Further innovation will herald the dawning of a new Kondratiev Cycle that could yield innovations in every single industry on a global scale, and this would represent a huge boom for the logistics industry, with higher levels of import/export and international shipping business. It would also mean smaller businesses could level the playing field a bit. For instance, I love the asadero cheese from the Licon Dairy in San Elizario, Texas. I encourage everyone to find a niche product that you absolutely love, and see if it's available for international shipping. What an industrious age in which we live!!!
The Highly Controversial Blog That Mentions Syria
Investors are very cautious, more accurately put, they're probably straddling the line between prudent caution and paranoia. The growing concerns about a multi-national force becoming entangled in a region that has demonstrated continued and unrelenting civil turmoil only serves to further perpetuate the financial instability as it pertains to the S&P 500, and the DOW. Moreover, as one country goes, so does the rest of the world.
In the recent past, Greece was in financial jeopardy and although a relatively insignificant player in the global economy when you consider heavy hitters like the U.S., France, India, Brazil, China, etc…, it had immediate ramifications that resounded across the world due to the interconnectivity of economic interests and Greece's proclivity toward nationalistic pride and threats to break with the Euro.
I would expect AT LEAST that kind of impact on the world market as resources are re-allocated to quell the disturbance in Syria. These are uncertain times and uncertainty can lead to panic, especially by those who are expected to lead us economically because they tend to protect their own interests first. So in the best interest of fear-mongering, strap on your kevlar vest, continue to go to work, and just act like nothing is happening because chances are your day-to-day will not change.
Research And Why We Love It
Research in marketing is utilized to discover consumer insights which, in turn, drives business decisions and the strategy that is to follow. The world is quickly beginning to quantify and track EVERYTHING (and I do mean everything). This is fantastic news for marketing and advertising. We can use these metrics to our advantage. As a matter of fact, we better use them because it's adapt or die out there.
Fortunately, Mad Men Marketing is ahead of the curve. Not only did we become the first in our market to begin using Rentrak, (a wonderful little tool that lets us target the appropriate media buy to your target audience) but we also offer customizable research delivery and custom-tailored case studies.
Why case studies, you may ask? They explore CAUSATION to underlying principles which allows us to tweek our approach. It is empirical research that investigates real-life phenomena. So while every other agency is out there telling you to “trust them”, we do not remain static in our approach like so many others. We are not so overzealous to think we get it right all the time. NO! We are dynamic. We will get you results, quantify them, and show them to you. We will constantly refine and improve our approach, guaranteeing the highest level of efficiency possible.
In 1985 Michael Porter attempted to improve upon Ricardo's comparative advantage and suggested his own theory of competitive advantage. This emphasizes production, efficiencies, and the acquisition of attributes that can be utilized to outpace the competition. Think of Mad Men Marketing as your Swiss Army Knife or the ace up your sleeve because we are delivering our clients comparables, measurables, and demonstrating causative reasons for market change utilizing a number of inputs.
In short, when you perform research, and you can deliver the goods to your client, you're allowing them to track progress….no matter how small it may be. This keeps clients abreast of changing market conditions and keeps them competitive in their industry.