Category: marketing

Ethnographic research aids strategic planning

Ethnography seems to be all the buzz in marketing these days. And maybe that’s for good reason. A recent article about ethnographic research from the American Marketing Association’s newsletter suggests that ethnography can help marketers become more strategic in their decision making.

Citing an article by Richard Durante and Michael Feehan, copresidents of Waltham, Mass.-based marketing firm Observant LLC, the AMA notes that “ethnography offers an alternative to traditional research that leverages direct observation (avoiding the capriciousness of human memory) and ensures that marketing strategies and sales messages are well-aligned, internally consistent, and capable of addressing end-audience needs.”

The authors suggest that to fully appreciate ethnography, research managers need to grasp a simple notion: “Individuals behave in response to events in their environments, including the actions of others.” Furthermore, understanding behavior requires observing it in its natural environment. “This involves asking people—in that setting—why they’re acting in a particular way, not asking them to later recall what they did, said, or thought,” the authors write. “This, in a nutshell, is ethnography.”

Full article.

The KISS rule for marketing

Remember the KISS rule? It stands for “Keep it simple, stupid,” or, more politely, “keep it short and simple” or “keep it short and sweet.” It’s a good rule to heed in all forms of communication, but it seems we marketers need to be reminded of that from time to time.

A recent survey conducted by Yankelovich Marketing points out that, if customers had their way, the KISS method would rule in marketing.

When asked how they would like to be marketed to, 43 percent of those surveyed said they preferred “marketing that is short and to the point.” That was the highest percentage response in the survey.

Next, at 33 percent, has to do with convenience (“marketing that I can choose to see when it is most convenient for me”). In third place comes “marketing that is personally communicated to me by friends or experts I trust.”

But according to Yankelovich President J. Walker Smith, too many of us have been focused on the wrong thing. We’ve been caught up in delivery methods — new media, etc. — while ignoring the importance of how we present our message, regardless of media.

“Marketers are mis-framing the debate about how to reconnect consumers,” Smith said. “This is not about new versus traditional media. New media, like digital and wireless technologies, will never solve the ongoing decline in marketing productivity. The most resistant consumers are still waiting for better marketing practices, no matter what media is thrown at them.”

Culture clash: corporate vs. academic PR

PR consultant Dick Jones discusses several of the differences between corporate and academic public relations in this article in the latest PIOnet newsletter. While more college and university campuses look outside the world of academe for PR expertise, those from the corporate side who make the shift to academic PR sometimes struggle with the culture shock.

As Jones explains:

Some fail to appreciate the difference in governance. In the corporate world, the hierarchies typically are simpler. The PR director may take marching orders only from his boss (the vice president) and her boss (the president). And there may be only one message: that Company Name is the undisputed leader in (fill in applicable adjective) technology.

A college or university, however, is more like a feudal kingdom. The president is still the PR director’s chief “client,” but other, additional constituents have real, and sometimes conflicting, PR needs. Continuing Education’s messages and needs differ from those of the College of Liberal Arts, for example.

Jones makes some terrific points in this article. It’s worth a read.

Yours, Mine, and Ours

Something that should be required reading for everyone involved in marketing higher education: Yours, Mine, and Ours: How Simplicity and Transparency Are Building the Web 2.0 is a white paper prepared for Dartmouth ‘s web publishing services by Chris Boone of Hypsometry. This paper provides an excellent overview of the interconnectedness of the web and how it challenges our standard modes of operation. We can’t control this medium. At best, we can manage parts of it and influence other parts.

Link via the Future of PR wiki.

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