Bing's not cutting it

When Microsoft rolled out Bing they were intending to beat up Google.  Unfortunately (for Bing) that's just not happening.  When it launched, Bing enjoyed an uptick on the search-o-meter.  It stole share from Yahoo!.  Google marched on. 

Now, Google is marching up.

MarketingProfs.com reported (through Experian Hitwise) that Google's market share actually GREW in April.  At the same time, Microsoft's fell.  Oh, Yahoo!'s fell too.  And, if you're asking (which you probably aren't), Ask.com's share also fell (dramatically).  Have a look at the results on MarketingProfs.com.

What a dilemma

MarketingProfs.com reports that Consumers Prefer Verizon Service, but want an iPhone).  It sounds like there should be an opportunity there.  Customers who have switched over to Verizon were happy to pick up a Google Android phone back in December. 

Project Management is – fundamentally – a simple process

You simply:

• Define what you want to accomplish
• Determine how you are going to accomplish that, who will help, and how long each of those tasks will take
• Do it
• Enjoy the results.

Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. It is complicated by people.

• Personalities,
• Overly optimistic and pessimistic estimates, and
• CYA plays.

For marketing projects involving technology it is further complicated by people.  The technology may be a billing system enhancement, an interactive web-based ad, or a new product.  One way or another you are pitting your red/yellow/green hat marketing personalities (energetic, creative, emotional, positive) against your black/white hat technology personalities (critical and facts). 

The way through this is to use a defined project methodology that enables the Marketing people to generate creative solutions and to know when they will be able to actaully use them, and the IT people to know what they need to do, and how to deliver it.  That methodology might look something like the following:

The beginning of the end for Buick

Months ago I blogged about the lunacy of GM killing off the Pontiac brand. Pontiac is (was, or more appropriately, should have been) a fun, sporty, and slightly upscale (from Chevy) brand that would appeal to a younger car buyer.

News comes now that GM is setting up to roll out a Buick (which, with its average age of buyer at nearly dead (a.k.a. 65)), which is smaller and targetted at younger buyers. What's a younger buyer in that model? 64? 60? Holy moly ... they mean someone who is 30ish and still has a pulse. Perhaps, someone who would have bought a PONTIAC. ARGGGHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh. Now GM is setting out to dumb down the Buick brand in order to make it appeal to a group of people to whom it won't appeal.

But wait, there's more. They are planning on basing a new Buick on the Chevy Aveo. Don't they remember what happened when they based a Cadillac on a Chevy Citation?

• Read more about this fancy new Buick (please read with thick sarcasm) on CBC.ca.
• Remember the Cadillac Cimarron at any of a million sites or so out there reminding each of us to never, ever make the same mistake that GM is about to make AGAIN. If you don't believe me, then check in with TIME, who classified the Cadillac Cimarron as one of the 5o worst cars of all time.

I got a free coffee

On Monday I was at Starbucks, and I was lucky to get a "long receipt". The long receipt has a section that invites you to participate in a customer satisfaction survey - which I did. The questions were really straight forward, including: what did you order, did you intend to buy some food, and did you buy some food, was the place clean, was the service good, and so on.

The survey only takes about five minutes (as promised by the Barista). The best part is that I got a free coffee out of the deal. Great pay off for five minutes of work.

I did find it interesting that when I 'Google'd "Starbucks Customer Service Survey" I didn't come across very much about this survey. You'd think that there'd be lots of Marketing people out there blogging their heads off about this. The only story I found out there about this specific survey is a write-up by Biff Motley that shows up on several different pages.

I did find one very interesting piece of information about Starbucks customers. Did you know that chocolate and vanilla ice cream lovers are more likely to visit a coffeehouse (such as Starbucks) on a regular basis. I do love chocolate, and I do my fair share of spending at Starbucks. Their research is accurate.

How does Formula 1 sustain itself?

Formula 1 racing - something I find oddly very fun to watch and follow - is probably the most expensive sporting activities anywhere. When one considers the costs to run a team, to develop a car, to pay for drivers, to build and operate a facility, to take the circus all over the world, and so on, the cost is staggering. I wonder what it is? Anyone, anyone?

Sure, the facilities, series, cars, drivers' overalls, drivers' helmets, and so on are all splashed with sponsors logos. But, what is the return on investment to those sponsors. Does it matter to me in Canada that Santandar (a bank) and Vodafone (a mobile phone company) sponsor the events and drivers? I'm sure not running out to open a Santandar account ... among other reasons ... because I CAN'T. They don't do business in my neck of the woods. This is a waste of their advertising budgets.

Would these sponsors be better off to invest more locally in their own communities?

• Community Investment
• Local & targetted advertising
• Personalized relationship management with their current customers

Of course, this sponsorship game is one that is repeated in NASCAR, football (soccer), golf and many other professional sports.

I like Banned Ads

Why?
Well, because most of them are really funny, and I'm sure most of them were intended to be banned. They are typically off-color to the point where they wouldn't make it on TV. These quickly become viral. Good examples...