Today, as I watch the industry learn how to apply data to their campaigns, I’m witnessing how the starvation of the past is making simple observations seem monumental to marketers. I rarely see anyone talking about their experiences applying data to the definition of creative that is the backbone of a successful campaign: a compelling message and how well it's brought to life with words and visuals.
Teach your organization to “just say no” to clipart
Years of customer relationship building, brand management and creative strategy are just no match for the use of goofy cartoons, people icons that oddly have no faces and nonspecific renditions of technology and business concepts. We all agree, but for some reason all of our companies’ decks are chock full of clipart. The era of DIY makes it so easy. What’s a brand advocate to do?
3 questions marketers should ask the next graphic designer they interview
Every time I’ve been hired to work in a technology company, I’ve been interviewed and hired by a marketer and not by another graphic designer. If you are a marketer, hiring the right graphic designer is not about matching candidates with your bullet point list of required skills. It’s about asking the right questions.
5 ways marketers can strengthen account engagement and be a champion to sales
When I hear about oft-lamented conflicts between marketing and sales, it always reminds me of the occasional struggle between a designer and a marketer while building content. They both want the same outcome, but somehow they can find themselves caught in combat over different yet valid aspects of success and are so driven by their efforts they can’t/won’t figure out how to weave them together.
5 questions a marketer should never ask a graphic designer
Color use in technology marketing: If you don’t use blue, does your marketing suck?
In the many years I’ve worked in technology marketing, I’ve come to learn that the only color that’s safe from attacks is blue. Blue, blue and more blue. Maybe add some gray, but make sure there’s plenty of blue. And be liberal in your use of dark royal blue, but be careful not to take it too dark or too bright. Then we can all feel comfortable with our choices, and ourselves, while our brand disappears within the depths of the calm, blue sea of technology marketing.
On marketing ROI: Your right brain called, and it misses you terribly
The wealth and abundance of valuable audience intelligence available to marketers through their own digital properties as well as from media partners like TechTarget has triggered a seismic shift in how marketers and the business determine how to move forward. Districted by this shiny new object, we marketers can easily lose sight of the value of bringing a message to life for our audience. So this newfound love of intelligence can easily overshadow the right brain. The net result is that you probably have a marketing team of smart people duking it out, left versus right, in the match of the century.