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Labor Day and Switching Gears - Sep. 2021
I am not sure why this happens, but Labor Day has this effect on us.
On September 6th, we take the time to pause, relax, reflect on the idea of the “workingman’s holiday” which dates to the late 1800’s, and then we turn on the fall mindset – summer is behind us, time to get serious about what to do with business plans.
But first, a brief pause, and a prayer of thanks for the day of reflection – to thank God for blessings received, for the motivation and fire within to keep making contributions to this world we live in. May we all be motivated and determined to do what we are meant to do, to make the world a better place.
We will never see Kansas again Dorothy - Aug. 2021
I appeared on stage as The Wizard of Oz, seven years ago, so I apologize for the shameless connection to this month’s Marketing Morsel. But the truth is things will never be the same, since the pandemic entered our lives. “Kansas” as we know it may “disappear”, but in reality, we will never conduct our lives the way we look at marketing again.
So, what do we do about it? We scramble for answers.
Renowned research company McKinsey and Company took a hard look at how Covid-19 is changing how we consumers behave in all spheres of life. And it behooves us to pay attention.
We are nesting at home more than ever, so what home comforts do we pay attention to as marketers? Shopping has been redefined as a surging on-line activity. What do we do about that? Not a day goes by that I do not figure out some household need that drives me to Amazon to click and forget, and wait for the post office to do the footwork for me. This takes a toll on local retail, so what do you, the retailer do about it? No answers here, for now just questions.
Read more: We will never see Kansas again Dorothy - Aug. 2021
Is Marketing an Art or a Science? - July 2021
HAPPY SUMMER. TIME TO TACKLE A TOPIC THAT IS NOT TOO SERIOUS.
I first wanted to ask, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” but could not build on that as a Marketing Morsel. So, I chose this one instead - “Is marketing an art or a science?” I guess the answer depends on which side of your brain dominates your thinking.
So let us prepare for the debate. In this corner stands the CEO. He or she is the science person. “All decisions must be based on solid data.” Left brain rules here. They conclude that the purpose of marketing is to influence the behaviors of other people. So, we rely on data about human psychology and how people react to stimuli determined by facts and figures. Data, they conclude, drives marketing decisions that are strategically more effective. Since the CEO is “the buck stops here” person, it is a good idea to listen to what is being said.