One of the most insightful adages in marketing is “different is better than new.” This holds true not only for products and services but also for company branding. The term “new” often garners less attention than “different.” Interestingly, this concept also applies to college athletic mascots. I reflected on this …
Fulfillment and Fun Marketing is one of the few professional fields where you get to combine your creative passions with serious business strategy. A major reason people jump into marketing is simple: they genuinely enjoy the work. This deep, internal drive—called “intrinsic motivation”—means you do the job because the activity …
Remember when “going viral” was the most popular marketing buzzword? Then it was “Pain Points,” and eventually, we all hopped on the “Customer Journey” train. There seems to be no end to the list of buzzwords marketers must keep up with just to sound like they know which end of …
Owners of small businesses that sell to consumers (B2C) often express frustration about competing against national firms with big marketing budgets. But even in a small, mature market like the Youngstown-Warren region, local B2C businesses have a wealth of wallet-friendly marketing opportunities that can help succeed. Sometimes there are advantages …
QUESTION: Which of your competitors are using a sales funnel? ANSWER: The most successful ones. So, isn’t time you developed yours? A sales funnel manages the journey a potential customer takes, from first becoming aware of your product or service to making a purchase and ideally, becoming a loyal advocate. …
Good Morning Marketing Professionals, Class of 2025! This is your wake up call. It’s time for you to join the workforce full-time. You have student loans to pay back and your parents are anxious for you to move out. They need your bedroom because Dad wants a man cave and …
It doesn’t seem fair. On Mother’s Day, Mom will often get breakfast in bed, followed by gifts of jewelry, flowers, and candy. Compare that to Father’s Day. On “his” day, Dad can expect the usual set of miniature screwdrivers, a new “World’s Greatest Dad” T-Shirt and a pair of socks. …
FAQ A.K.A. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS It all started with FAQs. At some point among the collective genius of Web site designers and strategic thinkers in many organizations, someone said, “Hey, why don’t we take the questions we get asked most and Put the answers on our website.” It was more …
We were on the campus of The Ohio State University. My friend Billy was invited to the campus by a recruiter. Several of us, his teammates went along for fun. “Wow, look at that.” said Billy. The heads of five male high school seniors turned to see a vision. A …
Creative people, myself included, are offended easily and often. Whether it’s a design, a strategy, a video concept or a tagline, if I present it and you don’t like it, my first thought is, “You must be an idiot.” I can’t be wrong about how amazing my creative idea is, …
Taglines can be quite effective for your company or non-profit. They help you stand out from competitors. Often they are more memorable than the brand’s name but they can increase brand awareness and recognition. Taglines position you, helping the audience understand how or what they should think about your organization …
Many service businesses, especially NEW, and unique SERVICE businesses, have trouble branding and positioning themselves. If the target market doesn’t understand what your business does or offers, it’s a real challenge to grow. Take marketing, for example. Ask 10 people to define or describe “professional marketing services,” and you’ll get …
Are you tired of hearing, reading and seeing political attacks between politicians? Does it seem like it’s getting worse? It’s not. Insults and personal attacks have always been a part of American politics. George Washington, considered the father of our country, was attacked so viciously in some newspapers – with …
The song “Brandy,” by the rock group Looking Glass, was the hit #1 at the time. I was in my first (and only) year of college and also working in the produce department of a local grocery store. My major was Marketing, and I was inspired, so I started conducting …
No one wants to pay more taxes, right? Yet many people voluntarily pay more taxes — by voting for tax levies. In Ohio, you can fund levies by adding to real estate taxes or increasing sales taxes on retail purchases. Levies can be temporary taxes that expire in 4 or …
In theory, marketing your product, service or non-profit should be easy. You really have only two components on which to focus — and no, they are not plain or peanut. The M and Ms of marketing are Message and Media. Finding the right combination of message and media is not …
Farris Marketing is proud to be a part of developing community engagement campaigns for our clients, including the Western Reserve Transit Authority (WRTA). This April marked the third year of putting on the Give Local Small Business a Lift campaign and kick-off event. This year’s campaign proved to be the …
Do you believe your company’s product is better than your competitor’s product? If so, do yourself a favor and don’t say that in your marketing. Woah, relax! Don’t get your blood pressure up. Indignation will only lead to an increase in your health insurance rates, not your sales. Your belief …
In 2003, a Harvard freshman named Mark Zuckerberg became a campus celebrity by creating FaceMash, a website that students could use to vote on which of two randomly selected Harvard women was more attractive. Not surprisingly, it quickly ran afoul of both the administration and several women’s groups. Still, the …
LIMITED TIME OFFER! Interactive Online Survey with development processing and tabulation of up to 100 surveys for just $399. What’s Included— 30-day campaign Weekly reports Eight questions with up to five multiple-choice answers each using our template or creating your own Area for comments Respondent background (name, gender, age, location, …
Guess what? “Hollywood’s Exotic Secret for Weight Loss” is no longer a secret. According to an article by Slimming Research Group News, there is a substance that reduces your belly, arm and back fat while you sleep! This “life-changing” substance is found in a product called Puravive. All you have …
Imagine you finally saved up enough money to start your own small business. You spend 12-15 hours a day getting your shop ready to open. Your grand opening is exciting as friends and family stop by to see your shop. Some curious folks pop in and become customers and they …
Thrive Mahoning Valley won a $4,000 social media campaign donated by Farris Marketing subsidy BOP SOCIAL. BOP donated the campaign for the drawing held during WRTA’s Holiday Lights campaign kickoff event. Holiday Lights honors local non-profit organizations. PHOTO: Farris Marketing CEO George Farris (right) presents the ceremonial check to Chris …
Change is difficult. Behavioral experts say it’s very natural to resist change — which may be why we drive the same way to work every day, eat at the same restaurants, and choose the same brands even when we have more choices. It may even explain why, to my wife’s …
Shaun Vaughan, ace animation and graphic artist at Farris Marketing is a gamer. And when he wins, so do kids at Akron Children’s Hospital. Shaun and his gamer team, Pixel Damage have just passed the $100,000 milestone over the last decade to benefit their respective, local, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. …
“Simple solutions seldom are.” said philosopher Alfred Whitehead. But that quote hasn’t stopped us from searching for simple solutions to complex problems. Small business owners are especially susceptible to the promise of a simple solution to any of the many problems that strain their limited time, talent and resources. The …
Is Santa Claus real? Bringing lots of toys to girls and boys certainly is certainly real, even if process is handled by marketers, manufacturers and retailers instead of a guy in a red suit. And two recent comebacks — an long-time marketing tradition and a much-loved retailer — have sparked …
A few decades ago, I was the co-founder of what was called an “advertising agency.” TV was the largest part of media budgets of clients who sold consumer goods and services. The budget was typically divided among three TV networks. (There were only three broadcast networks at the time.) We …
A few months after I got married, I was in the grocery store, shopping from a list my wife gave me. I saw that sanitary napkins was one of the items on the list. Suddenly I felt anxious. I knew it was silly — I’ve skydived, drag-raced, and done all …
Deciding on whether you should change your brand name should not be as difficult as some businesses make it. If your company or product name (A) no longer appeals to the market you seek or (B) your product line is changing substantially, (C) you should probably change, pivot, realign — …
Not long after I mentioned artificial intelligence in a previous column, I received an email from a reader, “Before I started using AI, I thought it might be dangerous. Now, I just don’t think about it.” I have the same attitude. As Mad Magazine mascot Alfred E Newman says, “What, …
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are modern media moguls— make that social media moguls. Zuckerberg is more of a true social media mogul, whereas Musk is probably more of a tech, space, solar energy, tunnel-drilling, electric car and social media mogul. Musk owns one social media platform — Twitter. Zuckerberg’s Meta …
How do brands recover after serious service or social mistakes create PR disasters? All brands, whether they represent companies, products, or services, have one thing in common — people. People create the brands, run the companies, make the products, and supply the services. And people make mistakes. Eventually brands, like …
Have you ever been on vacation or a business trip and spotted someone you recognized? Sometimes it’s hard to believe it’s really the person you know because they seem so out of place. I had that same experience while watching the Denver Nuggets crush the Lakers in a NBA playoff …
If you were starting a business right now, what type would it be? Would you choose a business that’s web-based — maybe a cool app or something that sells unique products online? And hey, if you’re going to invest in your own business, you want it to be a business …
Did you ever invite friends to your house but forget to check with your spouse? Maybe you were going to watch the big game or play some corn-hole in the back yard or ping-pong on the table in the basement. “What are you doing for food?” your smarter half asks. …