Best Free Online Marketing Guide For Online Entrepreneur

Welcome to  So You Want My Job?  Each week we ask the people working in some of the industry’s coolest roles about how they got where they are. Along the way, we dig into their philosophies, inspirations, processes and experiences. Hopefully our interviewees can inspire you to pursue (or create) a job that’s just as exciting. This week we’ve got Paul Hirsch, president and chief creative officer of Doremus & Co in the hot seat.  What did you want to be when you were growing up? I was lucky to grow up in a house full of art and design. My father was/is a great caricaturist and led his own design firm in Chicago. My earliest books were those by illustrator Ed Emberley, and we always had great-smelling felt-tip markers around. Although my drawing skills probably peaked in high school, I had illusions of being an artist. If not a comic book artist like Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko, then maybe a political cartoonist. Growing up I was a big fan of Jeff McNelly. (If you know ...

I was kindly invited to appear on the excellent podcast series hosted by the Business Marketing Club. The conversation was around a topic that is actually a major challenge in B2B marketing – objectives, outcomes and outputs. The reason it’s a challenge is because they get mixed up far too often. Let’s start with objectives Looking at objectives, as an industry we just need to do the basics well. Long-established marketing theory still holds true here. Objectives need to be SMART: Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Timed We all know that, right? The ‘R problem’ The biggest challenge in B2B is to ensure objectives are the right objectives. I suppose you could say that this is the ‘R’ in SMART. In other words, we need to be super clear and concise about what the business is trying to achieve, and from them create the objectives that align to this aim. What problem are we trying to solve? In B2B marketing, our job is to ask this question – incessantly. Revenue is a cla...

Blockchain, after the global hype around it in 2017, went quiet but is now coming of age and is "getting ready to usher in a new era of digital marketing", says Lachlan Feeney, CEO and founder of Australia-based blockchain consultancy Labrys. He makes a case on why blockchain could help in the future of marketing backed by some of its USPs: incorruptible customer data, real traffic and transparency. Australia's pandemic-induced digital transformation boom hasn't escaped the marketing industry, even though digital marketing had a significant lead compared to most other industries. Not only have digital strategies revolutionised the marketing sector in recent decades, but every industry that relies on it, allowing brands to be more targeted and strategic than ever. However, accelerated tech innovation over the last 18 months and a new era of savvy, digital-first consumers present immense opportunities for the marketing industry to push the boundaries of innovation even...

As we take a  Deep Dive into how the pandemic has sped up the globalization of the marketing industry , The Drum looks at the incredible buying power of the Korean pop culture (Hallyu) audience and how something so seemingly hyper localised transcended borders to become the biggest cultural export the world has seen for some time.   Hallyu, Korean pop culture, is in an all-time high demand, with tv-series like Netflix’s Squid Game, Oscar award-winning films like Parasite and K-Pop stars like BTS and BlackPink dominating entertainment across the globe, from the US to the Philippines and Thailand to the United Kingdom. But what is it about these Korean hits that makes them so appealing to the Western world and beyond?  The Asia Connection  There has been a deliberate government initiative to push the Korean wave to the world on a global scale, says Margot Peppers, Foresight Fac...

Fast Mexican chain Chipotle is giving its annual Boorito Halloween event a digital makeover. Tapping into the metaverse trend , the restaurant is opening the first virtual Roblox storefront and erecting a spooky digital maze full of exclusive brand offers for gamers. Now in its 21st year of celebrating Halloween with its burrito giveaway event, Chipotle today announced it will open a virtual location and debut a Halloween-themed corn maze on popular gaming platform Roblox. The brand is the first restaurant to open up shop in the virtual world.  Through the experience, which includes access to exclusive digital Halloween costumes and Roblox items, Chipotle has committed to giving away $1m in free burritos to the first 30,000 participants who try out the maze and visit the in-game restaurant. The promotion will run Oct. 28-31. “As a digital innovator, we are always experimenting on new platforms to meet our guests where they are,” Chris Brandt, the company’s chief marketing office...

CTV offers the promise of blending the best of TV and digital but what’s innovation is coming down the line? The Drum and Unruly brought together a panel of experts from APAC to find out how brands and agencies can benefit from the fast evolving CTV space. The real opportunity with CTV, according to the panel, is in blending the creative canvas that TV offers with the best of digital and data. With new interactive formats, commerce integration and solutions that solve challenges around scale and measurement, the time to experiment with CTV is now. Speaking at The Drum Digital Summit , Unruly AUNZ managing director, David Haddad, says the consumer growth has spurred on an increase in both content and advertising shifting towards the CTV space. “In many markets, across APAC, we're seeing connected TV penetration into households of at least 70%, and growing. From an audience willingness to lean into connected TV, we see a lot of research coming out around streaming services fatigu...

Burger King reported disappointing sales in the second quarter, with chief executive Jose Cil laying the blame on marketing efforts that have failed to deliver returns. Despite a strong international performance, the chain’s US sales were down 1.6%. Its frustrations were compounded by McDonald’s and Wendy’s both being up double-digits in the region.  “It’s clear we’re navigating a transition in the US and this quarter’s results reflect that,” said Cil, adding that the fall was primarily due to the “underperformance” of its value menu. Burger King launched its $1 Your Way menu in December 2019 as a way to put more focus on its core products, such as the Whopper, and create an “everyday platform that consumers can rely on.” Major marketing efforts to support this strategy included a four-part campaign fronted by award-winning actor Paul Giamatti , which launched in June. Just a few months later it was back on screens, this time with the celebrity-packed ‘Keep it Real’ advertisin...

Uefa and the Football Association have confirmed a new starting line-up of commercial partners ahead of the women’s Euro 2022 championship. The Lego Group, Pandora  and Starling Bank will all put their names to the tournament as national partners, ahead of what is expected to become the biggest women’s sporting event ever held in Europe. Lego will use the occasion to reinforce its commitment to champion girls who break dated gender norms, while Pandora and Starling Bank showcase their own commitment to empowerment and equality. Guy-Laurent Epstein, director of marketing at Uefa, commented: “The addition of these three major brands is further proof of the scale of this event and our ambition to make it the biggest women’s European sport event ever. It is important for us to have partners on board who share the same values, working together collectively to deliver what is set to be a record-breaking tournament that further grows the women’s game.” Hosted by England, a final draw ...

Facebook continues to prove remarkably resilient to negative press with the advertising-based business continuing to grow at a breakneck pace, as revenues rose 35% from a year earlier in its third-quarter results . The healthy financials fed through to a 17% rise in net income for the period to $9.2bn, up from just $7.8bn a year earlier, with the only clouds on the horizon appearing courtesy of Apple’s iOS 14 privacy changes, which will have a material impact on fourth-quarter results. Analysts had anticipated sales in this period to amount to £34.8bn, but as a result of Apple’s moves Facebook now expects revenues to fall within the $34bn to $31.5bn range, with pandemic-related effects and macroeconomic circumstances also scapegoated for the likely shortfall as individual challenges begin to compound. This includes a generalized reduction in spending by advertisers in response to global supply chain issues and a labor shortage. Singling out Apple for criticism, chief operating off...

The Christmas advertising season is upon us, but you’re not alone in thinking it feels earlier than usual. In the face of global supply chain problems coupled with fuel and driver shortages, some retailers are opting to drop their festive marketing earlier than they might have done in the past. But for others – like Very – an early kick-off was always part of the strategy for Christmas 2021 as it looked to double down after last year’s lockdown dampened celebrations.  Here’s where you’ll find all the latest ads from major brands around the world. October 25: Gap Agency:  In-house  Director:  Mark Romanek Region: US, global   This holiday season, Gap has joined forces with global pop superstar Katy Perry to highlight the importance of love, kindness and acceptance with its new campaign ‘All Together Now.’ Perry’s remix of The Beatles classic All You Need Is Love sets the optimistic tone for the campaign. Devised by Gap global creati...

Ad agencies should take responsibility for educating influencers in contract law and act as “middlemen” to ensure contracts aren’t breached by clients, according to a cohort of influencer marketing agencies. Lucy Robertson, account director at influencer agency Seen Connect, said the rapidly-evolving influencer ecosystem has left many creators without the “legal know-how” to understand the contracts they enter into with brands.  “Not everyone is going to read through the small print or has access to an advisor or agent, so it’s our job to educate the influencers on contract clauses,” said Robertson.   Speaking at the Influencer Marketing Show on October 21, Robertson called on agencies to step up in their job as middlemen and make sure both sides are satisfied with the deal. Nikki Herring, director of mums’ influencer agency Channel Mums , highlighted how brands can take advantage of those lacking guidance. She drew reference to a client who had produced a piece of YouTub...

Shiner Beers is saying cheers to the craft beer segment rebound by focusing on its 99-calorie Light Blonde lager, as well as a flurry of new innovations. Chief marketer Matthew Pechman shares his plans for the big Texan brand with big growth aspirations. With the craft beer segment finding its footing again, now that people are hitting more bars and restaurants, Shiner Beers is looking to make its move. The sixth largest brand family in the craft beer category is betting its Light Blonde ale will deliver big results as consumers look for more flavor with fewer calories. That’s why it is debuting its new first new ad campaign since 2017 titled ‘Seriously, it’s light.’ Shiner Light Blonde is currently the No. 1 national light craft beer. The Gambrinus Company is banking on the brand gaining broader appeal outside of its Texas stronghold in the hopes of creating a one-two punch alongside Shiner Bock. The Shiner portfolio, as a whole, is expected to recoup sales lost during Covid as it ...

The Drum has partnered with Whalar to launch a one-day virtual event, taking place on November 15, that will inspire marketers to think bigger about influencer marketing, hear what’s next on the horizon and learn why it’s the beating heart of marketing channel strategies. Influencer marketing is growing at speed. It is set to be worth $15bn by 2022. But in such a fast-moving industry – with each year birthing new talent, channels and trends – how can marketers ensure they are at the very top of their influencer game? This one-day digital festival will take marketers on a journey across the world of influence, tackling the biggest trends and topics of the moment to explore how to tap into the millions of influencers, tastemakers, creators and storytellers around the world to create long-term impact with audiences and unlock ROI as part of an integrated marketing mix. “Influencer marketing was once often bolted on to the end of marketing programs, but we’ve experienced a seismic shif...

Advertising agencies in South East Asia have revealed they never see specifications for diversity in client briefs even though there is an increase in awareness around diversity and inclusion in media and marketing. Brands like Kotex, Avon, Colgate, Apple, and Nike were the standout names that have the best gender representation in advertising in SEA, according to R3’s “Diversity: From Agency to Ads” report which surveyed agencies in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, and Hong Kong and included a study of gender representation in 300 video advertisements broadcast in the region All brands scored positively in areas of avoiding objectification, positive body image portrayals, and positive portrayal of gender roles and characteristics. The best performing advertising addressed female empowerment, body positivity, ethnic and economic diversity, and sexual orientation. “If we look at progress through a regional lens, change is being made. There is greater representation across ...

Each week, we ask agency experts for their advice on real problems facing today’s marketing practitioners. This week we ask how agencies should react when new competition shows up on their patch. This week, Snap announced the launch of its own global creative studio , Arcadia. That might be a worry if you run an business that works around AR and its associated technologies, and wanted a chance with the kind of clients Arcadia has launched with, which include P&G and Verizon. Putting Snap’s new venture aside, coping with competition is a perennial issue for any business. How do you react when a newcomer shows up on your patch, competing for your clients and talent? Do you change tack – cut prices, up salaries, work harder for clients? Or stick to your guns, trust in the plan and hope the track record will see you through? How do you solve a problem like... new business competition?   Loading... Nicole Souza, chief marketing officer, Deutsch NY Today’s i...

PR agency Red Consultancy has launched a new service offering to help corporate clients market their eco-friendly credentials, with Avon, McDonald’s and Sky among the founding clients.  As the world’s attention turns to what nation states and businesses promise to do to prevent the worst effects of man-made climate change at the Glasgow Cop26 summit, Red Consultancy says Green@Red will “help brands to develop both their climate change strategies and define the vital consumer and stakeholder engagement campaigns to support them.“ According to Red, the launch was propelled by the media interest in products and announcements relating to climate change and sustainability. Its own research claims that use of the term ‘net zero’ in press announcements increased by 38%; that stories on sustainable packaging grew by almost 50%; and that announcements of meat-alternative products grew by 122%. The new service offering launches with founding clients Avon, Smart Energy GB, McDonald’s...

Thanks to the pandemic some people have seen a growth in their financial capital, with the UK alone saving an extra £190bn  – which some might say is a modest amount compared to the US’s $4tn in incremental savings. So perhaps you could argue that now is not a time for the financial services industry to worry or even to mix things up. However, at Keko, we think there is a pressing opportunity for them to retain, and even grow, this financial capital by thinking about their customers’ cultural capital. The seismic changes seen in the consumer segment have not been limited to the acceleration of e-commerce and technology adoption . In fact, they’ve led to increased opportunities for brands – especially financial services brands – to consider their role in their audience’s accumulation and appreciation of their cultural capital. Cultural capital is now publicly traded at a faster rate and frequency than ever before thanks to social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and WeC...

PR agency Red Consultancy has launched a new service offering to help corporate clients market their eco-friendly credentials, with Avon, McDonald’s and Sky among the founding clients.  As the world’s attention turns to what nation states and businesses promise to do to prevent the worst effects of man-made climate change at the Glasgow Cop26 summit, Red Consultancy says Green@Red will “help brands to develop both their climate change strategies and define the vital consumer and stakeholder engagement campaigns to support them.“ According to Red, the launch was propelled by the media interest in products and announcements relating to climate change and sustainability. Its own research claims that use of the term ‘net zero’ in press announcements increased by 38%; that stories on sustainable packaging grew by almost 50%; and that announcements of meat-alternative products grew by 122%. The new service offering launches with founding clients Avon, Smart Energy GB, McDonald’s...

Made.com has created a traveling pop-up diner offering customers the chance to win a private dinner party as it focuses its post-pandemic marketing on dinnerware. To mark its ‘Made for More’ campaign, the homeware retailer has renovated a 1950s-style Airstream kitted out with its latest autumn dining collection. The campaign is geared around the moments enjoyed through dining as the brand looks to capitalize on an uplift in dinner party products post-lockdown. The pop-up diner is set to travel around Europe, kicking off its journey in the UK on November 12 before heading to mainland Europe. Competition winners get use of the bus for an evening and can invite friends and family for a meal cooked by high-end local chefs, including London-based James Cochran, chef at 12:51. Diners can also personalize their meals, drinks and music. “The most memorable dining moments are never about sitting politely at a table. It’s about trying new things and breaking some rules, from dancing on the t...

After the backlash for an Institute of Practitioners in  Advertising paper endorsing the effectiveness of brand purpose campaigns, author Peter Field has now issued his own riposte to what he describes as a "hysterical" industry reaction to his research. Read his full letter below. Last week, Peter Field – a consultant and well-respected expert in advertising effectiveness – published a report with the IPA delving into the contentious subject of brand purpose. To the industry's surprise, the effectiveness guru stated that brand purpose campaigns drive greater market share growth than marketing campaigns that don’t focus on purpose among a raft of other findings largely in support of purpose-led advertising. But  Field faced stinging criticism for the findings , and specifically his methodology. Behavioural specialist Richard Shotton said the research focused on “a subset of purpose ads – the well-executed ones [v] all non-purposeful ads" w...