Maria Korolov » Archive
Back to the Future
This article originally appeared in CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), an IDG magazine (which has since ceased publication). Jim Murphy learned about marketing to Chinese customers in bars. When he first came to China in December of 2004, he didn’t think that consumers here could afford or were interested in the relatively pricey Jack Daniel’s whiskey that his company, Brown-Forman, produced. But Murphy, Brown-Forman’s global marketing director, soon noticed that every bar he visited in the major cities of Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing were stocked with expensive imported liquor. “The whole trip was an epiphany for me—just to see how people are living,” says Murphy, who is now fighting to … Read more »
Avoiding the Spin Cycle
For many journalists, public relations agents are the used car salesmen of the communications industry. They will do what it takes to get you to buy a story pitch — supply you with experts, find case studies, put you in touch with the company’s CEO. They’re friendly and kind, and some of them want to be your best friend. They’ll send you free goodies. And you might have to reject quite a few lemons before getting a worthwhile story pitch. PR agents will try to tempt you into buying their line in a number of ways, including freebies — a coffee mug, a mouse pad, a nice dinner, … Read more »
The Web Factor
The Internet is changing the playing field for both ad agencies and their clients White the Pioneer Valley still lags behind other areas of the country in terms of Internet marketing, it is expected to do a good deal of catching up in 2000. This will bring both opportunities and challenges for the region’s advertising and marketing firms, who, like their clients, are adapting to a new way of doing business. When Tammy Dubuque, publisher of the Western Mass.Web Guide, visited Manchester N.H. recently she was struck by what she saw. “There were Web sites advertised everywhere,” she said. But as far as Western Mass. is concerned, … Read more »