The Seven Ages of Marketing

The First Age – Broadcast Marketing The dawn of marketing began with broadcast – an age defined by mass media, limited consumer choice, and the dominance of big brands. Achieving mass coverage for their brand and message was the marketers’ objective…the days of the ‘mad men’…of the ‘Superbowl spot’. Messaging and offers were universal, with … Continue reading

The Brand Engagement Cycle

In my recent post on ‘Friendtelligence – Engagement is the New Awareness‘ I put forward the view that brand engagement needs to be the key objective for brand owners and that delivering positive engagement experiences facilitates endorsement, word-of-mouth proliferation and evangelism of the brand message. I wanted to develop this thinking by presenting a model for … Continue reading

‘Friendtelligence’ – Engagement is the New Awareness

The Internet has changed Marketing – from consumers feeling that they needed to have heard of a brand to even consider it, to consideration being driven by recommendation and endorsement. Mass awareness has been replaced by positive word of mouth and viral sharing. Knowing what drives a market, what consumers really want and expect, and … Continue reading

Beyond The Funnel: The Marketing Hourglass

The Marketing Funnel, Sales Funnel or Adoption Funnel, as the concept is commonly referred to, is one of the core marketing models used by companies and consultants to outline the progression of potential customers from first contact with a product or brand through ultimately to purchase. It provides a picture of how customers can be … Continue reading

Brand Evolution

One of the key challenges facing Marketers is how to ‘create’ brands, and consequently how to build ‘value’ in those brands over time. Yet a brand doesn’t merely come into being. It must ‘evolve’ through stages in a process developing from a ‘Concept’, becoming a ‘Product’ and eventually reaching the status of a ‘Brand’. But … Continue reading

Brand Flux and the 5th ‘P’ of Marketing

The historic definition of a brand was one of consistency. The basic premise of what constituted a “brand” was the constant repetition of messages and behaviour to form a promise of future behaviour in the mind of the consumer. The limited media channels available and negligible opportunities for customer feedback or interaction meant that the … Continue reading