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. …
“How did those idiots land a such a huge contract from XYZ?” you ask yourself. “Those idiots” are your competitors, of course. Since you asked yourself the question, you might as well answer it. “I’ll bet they have an uncle who is a big shot at XYZ.” But according to …
What do you say when your child complains about their math homework and asks, “When will I ever need to know what 2,247.67 divided by 96.7 equals — when will I ever use that?” You probably say something like, “You won’t need to know that exact answer, but it’s helpful …
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet.” So declares Juliet in Shakespeare’s classic story of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet seems to argue that it does not matter that Romeo’s family name is Montague — the hated rivals of her …
“Be careful what you wish for. “ Have you heard that one before? Sure you have. If you owned or handled the marketing a small business in the 80’s or 90’s, I’ll bet you wished for a new type of media. You wished you could reach your market someway that …
You’re watching the game alone at home while your spouse is shopping, and your kids are with friends. Ten minutes into the first quarter, your pizza is delivered. As you sit down and lift that first slice to your mouth, as a time out is called. A commercial for a …
What’s your favorite part Thanksgiving? Is it getting together with your extended family, the non-stop NFL games? Is it the the turkey and mashed potatoes? PUMPKIN PREVAILS One Thanksgiving dessert is on top of almost everyone’s favorites lists. Pumpkin pie is more like a holiday obsession than a holiday tradition. …
Has it been tough to market your business? Maybe you’re in accounting or wealth management, real estate or medical services. Perhaps you own a restaurant, hair salon or car dealership. Sometimes it’s tough to find the right message. But what if you owned a service or product not most people …
Burger King has been using the well-known tagline, “Have it Your Way,” for more than 40 years. So when they announced at the beginning of October, that they were changing the tagline to “You Rule,” they were expecting quite a reaction from U.S. consumers. For the most part, the reaction …
You’ve probably heard stories about small unknown companies using unique and aggressive marketing approaches to take on and beat an established industry giant. But what happens if the established industry giant also has some pretty awesome marketing chops? Which company wins in a war between those two? Nike vs AND1 …
Seems a little silly, doesn’t it? A little old lady, wearing a crown, walks out on to the balcony of Buckingham Palace. For next ten minutes, the late Queen Elizabeth offers her royal wave to thousands of her adoring English subjects, many whom have waited hours just to see that …
Tony Soprano parked his Chevy Suburban in front of Grab & Go Liquor. As he walked into the store, two policemen were leaving. “He’s all yours.” said one of the cops. Tony gives them a thumbs up. When Tony sees the store owner, he says, “Hey Mr. Quan, I’m sorry …
Imagine you’re picking up your “perfect angel” seven-year-old daughter from a birthday party of one of her school friends. You walk in and see a drowsy kid on a couch. Another is stuffing his face with cake, while one appears to be puking. Not that unusual for a kid’s party. …
How do you increase sales when the market is nearly saturated with products similar to yours? One way is to produce another version of your product that appeals to a new or wider market. That’s what Miller Beer did in the 70s, when they took advantage of the new fitness …
84% of TV commercials viewed by consumers are either not remembered or not attributed to the advertiser reports a study by Ipsos Market Research. Ouch! If you’ve got a lot of the budget tied up on the tube, that statistic has to hurt. But it’s not just ads on TV …
Paid advertising has some fundamental goals. You want to stand out from other ads, differentiate your product, increase brand recognition, and add value to your brand. You also want to move viewers to act — make an immediate purchase or seek more information.. But achieving these goals is no easy …
Who the #1 toy manufacturer in the world? Take a guess. Is it Xbox? Meta (aka Facebook) — makers of the Occulus Quest Virtual Reality headsets and games? It has to be a company that makes something electronic or high-tech — like drones, right? Wrong. The #1 toy company in …
“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” is a quote often attributed to author Mark Twain when told about rumors that he was gravely ill and died while on a speaking tour. A similar exaggeration may have been applied to the movie theater industry during the COVID 19 pandemic. …