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Gianfagna Strategic Marketing / Blog  / Creative (Page 9)
April 13, 2011
B2B Marketing Creative Marketing Strategy Social Media Uncategorized Websites

How Adding a Blog to a B2B Website Boosted Traffic 562%

Nearly every marketing consultant is advising their clients to create a blog. Why? Because blogging is one of the best ways to increase website traffic and improve search engine rankings. But let’s be honest: Blogging can be a big commitment. A smart marketer has to ask, is it worth the time and effort? Can someone prove that it really works? And what can you do to increase your odds of success, especially if you’re in business-to-business (B2B) marketing? Here’s how traffic to my website skyrocketed in one year thanks to the addition...

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by jeangianfagna
March 15, 2011
Advertising Creative Marketing Campaigns Marketing Strategy Uncategorized

#FAIL: The 11 Most Overused Creative Themes in Marketing

A fresh creative concept is crucial for effective advertising and a smart marketing strategy. But too many advertising and marketing campaigns recycle the same, tired creative themes and copy phrases over and over and over. This is more than annoying. It’s a guaranteed audience turn-off and a misuse of the marketer’s resources. Here’s the 2011 edition of my annual list of the most overused creative themes in marketing. How many do you recognize?...

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by jeangianfagna
March 7, 2011
Creative CRM Direct Mail Marketing Direct Marketing Marketing Strategy Uncategorized

How Great Direct Mail Helps a Retailer Win Back Customers

Direct mail is often used to reactivate lapsed customers, but few direct marketers do it well. Instead of a powerful, personalized appeal that rekindles the relationship, they turn the customer off with a generic message, irrelevant content, and a “so what?” offer. But when a direct marketer gets it right, with a highly personalized, data-driven message, a compelling offer, and a warm invitation to re-engage, it’s a thing of marketing beauty. Here’s how a major women’s retailer – Chico’s – nailed it with their customer win-back direct mail campaign, and...

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by jeangianfagna
March 1, 2011
B2B Marketing Creative Direct Marketing Marketing Campaigns Marketing Strategy Social Media Uncategorized

40 Questions for a Smarter Marketing Strategy

Are you getting a good return on your investment in marketing? Could it be better? One way to find out is to conduct a top-to-bottom review of your entire marketing plan to determine what’s working and what isn’t. This process is sometimes called a marketing audit. I’m often asked to guide audits as an independent marketing consultant and I recently shared advice on how to do an audit effectively. What specific factors should you assess in a marketing audit? Here are 40 questions I recommend for evaluating the effectiveness of your marketing and...

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by jeangianfagna
February 7, 2011
Advertising Creative Marketing Campaigns Marketing Strategy Uncategorized

Which Super Bowl Ads Were a Smart Marketing Strategy?

Super Bowl XLV is history and so is the advertising that generated so much buzz and discussion before, during, and now, after the game. Best and worst ad lists are everywhere after a Super Bowl, and there generally is agreement among marketing experts about the winners and losers. But when you look more closely at Super Bowl ads, a smart marketer has to wonder about their strategic marketing value. According to the Wall Street Journal, marketers spent $2.8 million to $3 million for a 30-second spot during this year's matchup. Did the...

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by jeangianfagna
February 3, 2011
Advertising Creative Marketing Campaigns Marketing Strategy Uncategorized

Talkin’ About My Generation? Using Cultural References in Marketing

“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain,” I heard a marketing consultant say in a recent meeting. I knew he was quoting the scene from The Wizard of Oz when Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal that the Wizard is just an ordinary man. But judging by the puzzled looks on their faces, the twenty-somethings in the meeting had no idea what he was talking about. Situations like this don’t just make you feel your age. They painfully illustrate the fact that cultural points of reference are constantly shifting...

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by jeangianfagna
January 27, 2011
Advertising B2B Marketing Creative Marketing Campaigns Marketing Strategy Uncategorized

What Makes Bad Advertising So Bad? It’s Not Believable

When an advertising campaign is so bad it makes you groan out loud, there’s usually a simple reason: It’s not believable. The worst offenders are campaigns that attempt to portray real-life situations. The dialogue often is so forced or the setup so phony that your only reaction is to roll your eyes and think, “Yeah, right.” But lack of believability in advertising is more than annoying. It’s a waste of the marketer’s money. Here are two ways to achieve believability in your advertising and two examples of smart marketers, including one in Northeast...

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by jeangianfagna
January 12, 2011
B2B Marketing Creative Direct Marketing Marketing Strategy Social Media Uncategorized

10 Lessons for Blogging Success: Year 1 as a B2B Blogger

Blogging is a powerful marketing tool and an increasingly popular tactic in a smart marketing strategy, especially for business-to-business (B2B) marketers. I know, because I launched this blog to promote my Cleveland-based marketing consulting business exactly a year ago. Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned in my first year as a B2B blogger and three ways blogging has boosted my business. ...

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by jeangianfagna
January 4, 2011
B2B Marketing Creative Marketing Campaigns Marketing Strategy Social Media Uncategorized

Want Better Marketing Results? Audit Your Marketing Strategy

What’s the best way to maximize the return on your marketing investment? Take a step back from your day-to-day marketing projects and conduct a marketing audit. A marketing audit is a top-to-bottom assessment of your entire marketing program, from branding to tactics. The beginning of a new year or the start of a new budget period is an ideal time to do it. How do you conduct a marketing audit? And how can an audit help you develop a smart marketing strategy? Here are some answers. ...

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by jeangianfagna
December 13, 2010
Creative Marketing Campaigns Marketing Strategy Uncategorized

6 Degrees of Marketing Strategy: Lessons from Kevin Bacon

The new TV ad for Logitech starring Kevin Bacon as a fan obsessed with Kevin Bacon is brilliantly creative advertising. It’s also a big hit on YouTube with more than 750,000 views. But is it good marketing? And is building an elaborate creative concept around a star – and giving your product less than 15 seconds of airtime in a 60-second spot – a smart marketing strategy? For all its creative cleverness, this new ad campaign succeeds in one way but fails in another. Here’s why the Kevin Bacon spot works,...

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by jeangianfagna
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