Online vs Nonline

Fellow eMarketing Council Member Anthony Boright, President, VAULT Solutions has written a great article posted on the CMA website titled Online versus Nonline. No login required.

CMA's Branding Council Launches First Podcast

The Branding & Strategic Planning Council at the CMA has stepped into the digital fray and launched a podcast. A first for the CMA. Great timing on this intiative in terms of being able to sync this up with the newly launched blog.

CMA members can find it here. (you'll need to login)

The podcast addresses what's on eveyone's mind today - Brand Metrics.

Any comments about the podcast can be listed under this post. Or, if it inspires you to send in a post, send it off to contactcouncils@the-cma.org.

Has the flyer flown south?

Article in today’s Globe and Mail Report on Business by Marnia Strauss points out that major retailers like Best Buy, Shoppers Drug Mart, M&M Meat Shops Ltd. and Loblaw Cos. Ltd. “want to reduce their dependence on one of the sacred cows of the sector - the weekly flyer”.

We've all seen flyers in our newspapers or between our front doors, yet only now are being spoken of in terms of the ability (or inability) to drive measurable sales. The direction now is on "fine tuning advertising" and marketing directly to consumers.

The retailers featured are starting to use more targeted means of communication, such as email, to draw in loyal customers with targeted offers. Cheers to that!

The article speaks to this change in terms of:
a) a means to redirect and/or reduce overall marketing spend
b) to bolster sales by stocking the right products at the right location

It implies, but does not come right out and state, the obvious point of putting consumers first by embracing a long-term “return-on-customer” strategy. One has to wonder if Dr. Martha Rogers may have a consulting call in the near future.

It will be interesting to see how the migration from flyers will be viewed when direct revenue from targeted marketing really takes hold. Apparently, these folks are sitting on a wealth of data to begin some serious testing and learning. That is where the rubber hits the road when applied correctly. Offer effectiveness and marketing spend efficiency can really accelerate from there.

A few questions remain: Will in-store / point-of- sale be integrated into the targeted campaigns? What about other forms of digital and direct, not to mention e-commerce? Are those areas tied into the experience?

Either way, it is great to see that these changes are taking place.

The Welcome Post

Everyday the world of marketing evolves. On our current watch, a transformation has begun to utilize new communication platforms and engage consumers in non-traditional ways. This change has led to a compelling dialogue and debate around what the future of marketing holds.

The Canadian Marketing Association's eMarketing Council has launched this blog to address what the changing landscape means for practitioners. Postings on this site are intended to inform, educate and awaken new thinking and perspectives about marketing - from those who live it, breathe it, and love it.

This is our collective voice across a wide range of marketing disciplines (not limited to digital marketing or new media). It is a forum and a resource from marketers, for marketers - a new network of people speaking, sharing and challenging ourselves to take bold new steps.

In this mode of discussion, everyone has immediate access to join in on the conversation. Has the marketing playbook been revised for better, or for worse? Is new media just a lot of hype, or is it a reality? What channels have consumers embraced, or ignored? Do you measure ROI, or ROC? Well, we hope to uncover that and much more with “ear to the ground” commentary and insights.

Whether you are a member of the CMA or not, your views and opinions matter. Check out our blog policy for some simple-to-follow guidelines.

So, let’s get on with it already. Start sending in your posts and begin building the knowledge.