Topics

76

Business & Entrepreneurship / 3 Tips To Help You Rock Your Next Marketing Job Interview

« on: November 05, 2013, 11:35:56 AM »

Interviews can be a nerve-wracking event. I think most people can agree with that statement.

But they’re especially stressful when it’s your first time interviewing for a position in that industry. That is exactly how I felt this summer when I had an interview to work with the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at a board of trade.

Going into the interview with the following three tips in mind really helped me and, in the end, I landed the job!

1. Come prepared with ideas

This is true for job interviews in all industries, but extremely important for marketing positions. Researching the company’s marketing initiatives and presenting skills you bring to the table that can help them with existing strategies, and new ideas, can set you a part from other candidates.

For example: From a little research I did on the company’s website, I discovered that they published a business trade magazine and used it as a strategy to increase brand recognition and attract potential clients. Recognizing this, I brainstormed a few ideas for stories I thought would interest entrepreneurs and presented them during the interview. I also highlighted my background in journalism and that I could help them with writing for future issues.

2. Have real-life examples and/or bring a portfolio

It’s great to have all these grand ideas, but it’s even more important to give an employer the impression you can pull them off. A large part of my interview was spent talking about previous experiences in marketing, telling specific stories or examples of successes, as well as not so successful attempts and what I had learned from them.

If you have a portfolio, bring it! Even if you don’t think the work showcased in your portfolio relates to what the employer is looking for, still show it to them.

One strategy I use when I run into this situation is that I will show the interviewer my portfolio and tell them, “I know this job won’t involve a lot of writing, but I wanted to show you my published work so you can see that when I set out to do something I do the best work possible.” This demonstrates to the interviewer that you’ll bring a solid level of commitment and effort to the position.

3. Don’t forget about social media

Before your interview, take a look at the organization’s social media presence. Know which sites they have profiles on, which ones they don’t and what type of content they tweet, post etc. Don’t be afraid to make suggestions if you think they could benefit from posting new styles of content or having a presence on other social networks.

For example: Before my interview, I took a quick look on the organization’s website and it was brought to my attention that they didn’t have a large social media presence. During the interview I talked about my experience with different platforms and mentioned ideas I had for the business to connect with professionals through LinkedIn and Twitter. It turned out that one of the things on their summer to-do list was to increase the organization’s presence on LinkedIn. One of the reasons they hired me was because I had suggested marketing strategies with that platform.

-Sam Sim

Source: Internet

77

Health Tips / Establish Healthy Bowel Habits

« on: November 04, 2013, 01:21:31 PM »

Your digestive system plays a key role in your overall health.

To keep it running smoothly, the University of Michigan Health System offers these suggestions:

• Adhere to a regular eating schedule each day, and keep portion sizes similar for each meal.
• Eat breakfast every morning.
• Maintain a healthy diet rich in both soluble and insoluble fibers.
• Limit caffeine, but do drink plenty of decaffeinated beverages.

-- Diana Kohnle

Source: Internet

78

Health Tips / Don't Bite Your Nails

« on: November 04, 2013, 01:14:39 PM »

Nail biting is a common way to cope with anxiety or boredom, but it's an unhealthy habit.

Here's what the Nemours Foundation has to say about the dangers of nail biting:

• Biting your nails prevents them from doing their job, from helping to pick up small objects to scratching an itch.
• Biting nails can lead to tiny openings in the skin, which can trigger an infection.
• Germs that lurk beneath your nails can enter your mouth while you're biting them.
  

-- Diana Kohnle

Source: Internet

79

Common Forum / Should not talk about seven with co-workers.

« on: September 19, 2013, 07:20:18 PM »

অফিস বা ব্যবসাপ্রতিষ্ঠানের অনেক সহকর্মীই আপনার বন্ধু হয়ে উঠতে পারেন। ছোট, বড় বা সমবয়েসীদের সঙ্গে সম্পর্ক গড়াতে পারে নানা পর্যায়ে। তবুও পেশাগত জীবনে আপনাকে পেশাদার হতে হবে। তাই সহকর্মীদের সাথে চলাফেরার বিষয়ে কিছু সাবধানতা অবলম্বন করাটাই উচিত। কর্মস্থলের পরিচিত মানুষগুলোর মধ্যে সম্পর্কের মাত্রা কী হতে পারে তা নিয়ে সূক্ষ্ম গবেষণা করেছেন বিশেষজ্ঞরা। তাদের মতে, পারিবারিক জীবনের সঙ্গে পেশাগত জীবনকে গুলিয়ে ফেলা যাবে না। অফিসপাড়ার নিয়মকানুনের বাইরে না গিয়ে সহকর্মীদের সাথে চমৎকার সম্পর্ক বজায় রাখার জন্যে অনেক কিছুই করার আছে। কিন্তু বিশেষজ্ঞরা সাতটি বিষয় তুলে ধরেছেন আপনাদের সামনে, যেগুলো নিয়ে সহকর্মীদের সাথে আলোচনা করাটা মোটেই ভাল কাজ হবে না। তাই এই সাতটি বিষয় এড়িয়ে চলুন। নয়তো জড়িয়ে পড়বেন নানা সমস্যায়।

তালিকার প্রথমেই 'সেক্স লাইফ'কে রেখেছেন বিশেষজ্ঞরা। সহকর্মীদের সাথে নিজের সেক্স লাইফ নিয়ে আলোচনা করবেন না। এসব আলোচনা সবচাইতে বিব্রতকর পরিস্থিতিতে ফেলতে পারে আপনাকে। বিশেষ করে নারীদের জন্যে এ আলোচনা রীতিমতো বিপদজনক হয়ে উঠতে পারে। এ কাজটির পরিণাম জন্ম দিতে পারে যৌন নিপীড়নের মতো মারাত্মক অপরাধের।

দ্বিতীয়ত, অফিসে কারো দায়িত্বহীনতা অন্যের কাছে তুলে ধরবেন না। সবারই নিজ নিজ দায়-দায়িত্ব সম্পর্কে সচেতন থাকা দরকার। অন্যের ব্যাপারে নিজের ব্যক্তিগত নেতিবাচক মতামতগুলো প্রকাশ করার প্রয়োজন নেই। এর ফলাফল খুব বাজেভাবে আসতে পারে। একই ঘটনা আপনার ক্ষেত্রেও ঘটতে পারে।

তৃতীয় অবস্থানে আছে বসে বসে গাল-গপ্পো করা। অবসর থাকলেও এ কাজটি করা ঠিক নয়। পেশার জায়গায় যারা একটু বেশি বেশি গল্প করেন, তাদেরকে কর্মোদ্যমী হিসেবে দেখা হয় না। এদের দিয়ে কাজের কাজ একটু কমই হয় বলে মনে করা হয়।

চার নম্বরের বিষয়টি হলো, আপনি ছুটির দিনটিতে কী কী করলেন তা উর্ধ্বতনকে বলতে যাবেন না। বিশেষ করে, ছুটিটা খুব আরাম-আয়েশে কাটিয়েছেন- এমন যদি বলেন, তাহলে বসদের মনে হতে পারে যে, অফিসের কাজের সময় হয়তো আপনি এভাবেই আয়েশে কাটান।

পঞ্চমত, হঠাৎ একদিন দেখলেন আপনার সহকর্মী কিছুটা হতাশাগ্রস্ত। মন ভাল না থাকলে তার আচরণে কিছুটা অসৌজন্যতা প্রকাশ পেতে পারে। এমন হলে আপনি একটু সাবধান হয়ে যান। তার আচার-আচরণ বুঝে তার সাথে কথা বলুন। এক্ষেত্রে আপনার কৌশলী হতে হবে।

ছয় নম্বরে আছে নিজের জীবনের ব্যক্তিগত ব্যাপার। আপনার জীবনের বড় কোনো ভুল নিয়ে কখনোই সহকর্মীদের সঙ্গে আলাপ করবেন না। আপনার পরিবারের কারো সাথে বা বন্ধুদের সাথে এটা করা যায়। কিন্তু পেশাগত জীবনে সহকর্মীদের সাথে তা করা অনুচিত।

সবার শেষে সাত নম্বরেও আপনার ব্যক্তিগত বিষয় চলে এসেছে। আপনার জীবনের বড় কিছু, তা ভাল বা খারাপ যাই হোক না কেনো, এগুলো নিয়ে কথা না বলাই ভাল। বড় সমস্যা না থাকলেও এসব প্রকাশভঙ্গিতে ভুল থাকলে বাজে পরিস্থিতির উদ্রেক হতে পারে।

ইন্টারনেট থেকে

80

Common Forum/Request/Suggestions / Some Interesting Information about Moon.

« on: September 01, 2013, 02:13:12 PM »

• চাঁদের বয়স ৪.৫ বিলিয়ন বছর বা প্রায় সাড়ে ৪ কোটি বছর... পৃথিবী থেকে সে মাত্র ১ কোটি বছর ছোট;

• চাঁদ কিছু পৃথিবীর মাটি পাথর দিয়েই তৈরি !! প্রায় ৪.৫ বিলিয়ন বছর আগে পৃথিবীর সাথে মঙ্গল গ্রহের সমান আকৃতির আরেকটি গ্রহের সংঘর্ষের ফলে পৃথিবী থেকে কিছু মাটি পাথর ছিটকে যায় ! সেগুলই পরে জমে গিয়ে চাঁদ তৈরি করে;

• চাঁদে পা রাখার সৌভাগ্য হয়েছে এ পর্যন্ত মাত্র ১২ জন মানুষের !! সবার আগে কে পা ফেলেছিলেন সেটা তো আমরা সবাই জানি কিন্তু সবার শেষে পা রেখেছিলেন আমেরিকান জিন কারনান;

• চাঁদ পৃথিবী থেকে ক্রমশ দূরে সরে যাচ্ছে !! ভয় নেই খুব ই আস্তে আস্তে অবশ্য !! মাত্র ৪ সেন্টিমিটার প্রতি বছরে;

• চাঁদে আবার অভিযানের পরিকল্পনা করছে নাসা ... আগামি ২০১৯ ই হবে পরবর্তী চাঁদ অভিযান;

81

BBA Discussion Forum / Brand

« on: July 13, 2013, 12:17:31 PM »

Brand is the "name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's product distinct from those of other sellers" Initially, Branding was adopted to differentiate one person's cattle from another by means of a distinctive symbol burned into the animal's skin with a hot iron stamp, and was subsequently used in business, marketing and advertising. A modern example of a brand is Coca Cola which belongs to the Coca-Cola Company.

A brand is often the most valuable asset of a corporation. Brand owners manage their brands carefully to create shareholder value, and brand valuation is an important management technique that ascribes a money value to a brand, and allows marketing investment to be managed (e.g.: prioritized across a portfolio of brands) to maximize shareholder value. Although only acquired brands appear on a company's balance sheet, the notion of putting a value on a brand forces marketing leaders to be focused on long term stewardship of the brand and managing for value.

The word "brand" is often used as a metonym, referring to the company that is strongly identified with a brand.

Marque or make are often used to denote a brand of motor vehicle, which may be distinguished from a car model. A concept brand is a brand that is associated with an abstract concept, like breast cancer awareness or environmentalism, rather than a specific product, service, or business. A commodity brand is a brand associated with a commodity. Got milk? is an example of a commodity brand.

Source: Wikipedia

82

BBA Discussion Forum / Societal marketing

« on: July 13, 2013, 12:14:42 PM »

The societal marketing concept is an enlightened marketing concept that holds that a company should make good marketing decisions by considering consumers' wants, the company's requirements, and society's long-term interests. It is closely linked with the principles of corporate social responsibility and of sustainable development. Early papers on the topic include those by William Lazer and by Philip Kotler and Sidney Levy. The Journal of Marketing presented a comprehensive discussion of societal marketing in July 1971.

Instruments of societal marketing

Kotler identified four categories of products, classified in terms of long term benefits and immediate satisfaction:

   1.Deficient products, which bring neither long-run or short term benefits.

   2.Pleasing products, which bring a high level of immediate satisfaction, but can cause harm to the society in the long run.

   3.Salutary products, which bring low short term satisfaction, but benefit the society on the long run.

   4.Desirable products, which combine long-run benefit and immediate satisfaction.

Kotler’s concept of societal marketing suggested that for the well-being of society, the deficient products should be eliminated from the market, pleasing and salutary products should go through a product modification process to reach the fourth category, by incorporating missing short term benefits into salutary products and long term benefits into pleasing products, and the companies’ ultimate goal should be to develop desirable products.

Source: Wikipedia

83

BBA Discussion Forum / Buying Behavior of Customers.

« on: July 13, 2013, 11:10:48 AM »

A marketing firm must ascertain the nature of customers' buying behavior if it is to market its product properly. In order to entice and persuade a consumer to buy a product, marketers try to determine the behavioral process of how a given product is purchased. Buying behavior is usually split into two prime strands, whether selling to the consumer, known as business-to-consumer (B2C), or to another business, known as business-to-business (B2B).

B2C buying behavior

This mode of behavior concerns consumers and their purchase of a given product. For example, if one imagines a pair of sneakers, the desire for a pair of sneakers would be followed by an information search on available types/brands. This may include perusing media outlets, but most commonly consists of information gathered from family and friends. If the information search is insufficient, the consumer may search for alternative means to satisfy the need/want. In this case, this may mean buying leather shoes, sandals, etc. The purchase decision is then made, in which the consumer actually buys the product. Following this stage, a post-purchase evaluation is often conducted, comprising an appraisal of the value/utility brought by the purchase of the sneakers. If the value/utility is high, then a repeat purchase may be made. This could then develop into consumer loyalty to the firm producing the sneakers.

B2B buying behavior

Relates to organizational/industrial buying behavior. Business buy either wholesale from other businesses or directly from the manufacturer in contracts or agreements. B2B marketing involves one business marketing a product or service to another business.

source: Wikipedia

84

BBA Discussion Forum / Marketing strategy

« on: July 13, 2013, 11:01:14 AM »

The field of marketing strategy considers the total marketing environment and its impacts on a company or product or service. The emphasis is on "an in depth understanding of the market environment, particularly the competitors and customers.

A given firm may offer numerous products or services to a marketplace, spanning numerous and sometimes wholly unrelated industries. Accordingly, a plan is required in order to effectively manage such products. Evidently, a company needs to weigh up and ascertain how to utilize its finite resources. For example, a start-up car manufacturing firm would face little success should it attempt to rival Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Chevrolet, or any other large global car maker. Moreover, a product may be reaching the end of its life-cycle. Thus, the issue of divest, or a ceasing of production, may be made. Each scenario requires a unique marketing strategy. Listed below are some prominent marketing strategy models.

A marketing strategy differs from a marketing tactic in that a strategy looks at the longer term view of the products, goods, or services being marketed. A tactic refers to a shorter term view. Therefore, the mailing of a postcard or sales letter would be a tactic, but a campaign of several postcards, sales letters, or telephone calls would be a strategy.

source: wikipedia

85

BBA Discussion Forum / Marketing planning

« on: July 13, 2013, 10:47:45 AM »

The marketing planning process involves forging a plan for a firm's marketing activities. A marketing plan can also pertain to a specific product, as well as to an organization's overall marketing strategy. Generally speaking, an organization's marketing planning process is derived from its overall business strategy. Thus, when top management are devising the firm's strategic direction or mission, the intended marketing activities are incorporated into this plan. There are several levels of marketing objectives within an organization. The senior management of a firm would formulate a general business strategy for a firm. However, this general business strategy would be interpreted and implemented in different contexts throughout the firm.

86

Journalism & Mass Communication / History of journalism

« on: July 11, 2013, 01:50:11 PM »

The history of journalism, or the development of the gathering and transmitting of news, spans the growth of technology and trade, marked by the advent of specialized techniques for gathering and disseminating information on a regular basis that has caused, as one history of journalism surmises, the steady increase of "the scope of news available to us and the speed with which it is transmitted. Newspapers have always been the primary medium of journalists since 1700, with magazines added in the 18th century, radio and television in the 20th century, and the Internet in the 21st century.

17th Century: In 1622 the first weekly magazine, "A current of General News" was published and distributed in England in an 8- to 24-page quarto format.

The 17th century saw the rise of political pamphleteer fueled by the politically contentious times-the English Civil War followed by the Interregnum and Glorious Revolution polarized society along political lines and each party sought to garner maximum public support by the distribution of pamphlets in the coffeehouses where people would gather. The Oxford Gazette was printed in 1665 by Median in the middle of the turmoil of the Great Plague of London and was, strictly speaking, the first periodical to meet all the qualifications of a true newspaper. It was printed twice a week by royal authority and was soon renamed the London Gazette. Magazines were also moral tracts inveighing against moral decadence, notably the Mercurius Britannicus.
A milestone was reached in 1694; the final lapse of the Licensing Order of 1643 that had been put in place by the Stuart kings put an end to heavy handed censorship that had previously tried to suppress the flow of free speech and ideas across society, and allowed writers to criticize the government freely. From 1694 to the Stamp Act of 1712 the only censure laws forbade treason, seditious libel and the reporting of Parliamentary proceedings.

18th Century:
By the beginning of the eighteenth century, Britain was an increasingly stable and prosperous country with an expanding empire, technological progress in industry and agriculture and burgeoning trade and commerce. A new middle class consisting of merchants, traders, entrepreneurs and bankers was rapidly emerging - educated, literate and increasingly willing to enter the political discussion and participate in the governance of the country. The result was a boom in journalism, in periodicals, newspapers and magazines. Writers who had been dependent on a rich patron in the past were now able to become self-employed by hiring out their services to the newspapers. The values expressed in this new press were overwhelmingly consistent with the bourgeois middle class - an emphasis on the importance of property rights, religious toleration and liberty from Continental absolutism.
Journalism in the first half of the 18th century produced many great journalists such as Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Henry Fielding, and Samuel Johnson. Men such as these edited newspapers, or wrote essays for popular press at one time or another. Although their material was not news in the modern sense of the word, the material was entertaining and informative and was met with an insatiable demand. Ordinary citizens also began to participate in the flow of ideas and news as readers were able to contribute their thoughts for newspaper content.

19th Century:
By the early 19th century, there were 52 London papers and over 100 other titles. In 1802 and 1815 the tax on newspapers was increased to three pence and then four pence. Unable or unwilling to pay this fee, between 1831 and 1835 hundreds of untaxed newspapers made their appearance. The political tone of most of the was fiercely revolutionary. Their publishers were prosecuted but this failed to get rid of them. It was chiefly Milner Gibson and Richard Cobden who advocated the case in parliament to first reduce in 1836 and in 1855 totally repeal of the tax on newspapers. After the reduction of the stamp tax in 1836 from four pence to one penny, the circulation of English newspapers rose from 39,000,000 to 122,000,000 by 1854; a trend further exacerbated by technological improvements in transportation and communication combined with growing literacy.
The Daily Universal Register began life in 1785 and was later to become known as The Times from 1788. In 1817, Thomas Barnes was appointed general editor. Under Barnes and his successor in 1841, John Thadeus Delane, the influence of The Times rose to great heights, especially in politics and amongst the City of London. Due to his influential support for Catholic Emancipation in Ireland, Barnes was described by his colleague Lord Lyndhurst as "the most powerful man in the country."Peter Fraser and Edward Sterling were two noted journalists, and gained for The Times the pompous/satirical nickname 'The Thundered' (from "We thundered out the other day an article on social and political reform.") The paper was the first in the world to reach mass circulation due to its early adoption of the steam-driven rotary printing press. It was also the first properly national newspaper, as it was distributed via the new steam trains to rapidly growing concentrations of urban populations across the country. This helped ensure the profitability of the paper and its growing influence.

20th Century:
The turn of the century saw the rise of tabloid journalism aimed at the working class and tending to emphasize sensational topics. Alfred Harmsworth or Lord Northcliffe, was an early pioneer of this style. In 1896 he began publishing the Daily Mail in London, which was a hit, holding the world record for daily circulation until Harmsworth's death; taglines of The Daily Mail included "the busy man's daily journal" and "the penny newspaper for one halfpenny". Prime Minister Robert Cecil, Lord Salisbury, said it was "written by office boys for office boys”. He used his newspapers newly found influence, in 1899, to successfully make a charitable appeal for the dependents of soldiers fighting in the South African War by inviting Rudyard Kipling and Arthur Sullivan to write The Absent-Minded Beggar. He also founded The Daily Mirror in 1903, and rescued the financially desperate Observer and The Times in 1905 and 1908, respectively. In 1908, he also acquired The Sunday Times.
Socialist and labor newspapers also proliferated and in 1912 the Daily Herald was launched as the first daily newspaper of the trade union and labor movement.

source: Wikipedia

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Journalism & Mass Communication / Presentation

« on: July 11, 2013, 11:31:37 AM »

Ethical standards should not be confused with common standards of quality of presentation, including:

•Correctly spoken or written language (often in a widely spoken and formal dialect, such as Standard English)

•Clarity

•Brevity (or depth, depending on the niche of the publisher)

Self-regulation

In addition to codes of ethics, many news organizations maintain an in-house Ombudsman whose role is, in part, to keep news organizations honest and accountable to the public. The ombudsman is intended to mediate in conflicts stemming from internal and or external pressures, to maintain accountability to the public for news reported, and to foster self-criticism and to encourage adherence to both codified and unmodified ethics and standards. This position may be the same or similar to the public editor, though public editors also act as a liaison with readers and do not generally become members of the Organization of News Ombudsmen.
An alternative is a news council, an industry-wide self-regulation body, such as the Press Complaints Commission, set up by UK newspapers and magazines. Such a body is capable perhaps of applying fairly consistent standards, and of dealing with a higher volume of complaints, but may not escape criticisms of being toothless.

Ethics and standards in practice

As with other ethical codes, there is a perennial concern that the standards of journalism are being ignored. One of the most controversial issues in modern reporting is media bias, especially on political issues, but also with regard to cultural and other issues. Sensationalism is also a common complaint. Minor factual errors are also extremely common, as almost anyone who is familiar with the subject of a particular report will quickly realize.
There are also some wider concerns, as the media continue to change, for example that the brevity of news reports and use of sound bites has reduced fidelity to the truth, and may contribute to a lack of needed context for public understanding. From outside the profession, the rise of news management contributes to the real possibility that news media may be deliberately manipulated. Selective reporting (spiking, double standards) are very commonly alleged against newspapers, and by their nature are forms of bias not easy to establish, or guard against.
This section does not address specifics of such matters, but issues of practical compliance, as well as differences between professional journalists on principles.

Standards and reputation

Among the leading news organizations that voluntarily adopt and attempt to uphold the common standards of journalism ethics described herein, adherence and general quality varies considerably. The professionalism, reliability and public accountability of a news organization are three of its most valuable assets. An organization earns and maintains a strong reputation, in part, through a consistent implementation of ethical standards, which influence its position with the public and within the industry.

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Journalism & Mass Communication / Common elements of journalistic standards and ethics.

« on: July 11, 2013, 11:25:20 AM »

The primary themes common to most codes of journalistic standards and ethics are the following.

Accuracy and standards for factual reporting

1. Reporters are expected to be as accurate as possible given the time allotted to story preparation and the space available, and to seek reliable sources.

2. Events with a single eyewitness are reported with attribution. Events with two or more independent eyewitnesses may be reported as fact. Controversial facts are reported with attribution.

3. Independent fact-checking by another employee of the publisher is desirable.

4. Corrections are published when errors are discovered

5. Defendants at trial are treated only as having "allegedly" committed crimes, until conviction, when their crimes are generally reported as fact (unless, that is, there is serious controversy about wrongful conviction).

6.Opinion surveys and statistical information deserve special treatment to communicate in precise terms any conclusions, to contextualize the results, and to specify accuracy, including estimated error and methodological criticism or flaws.

Slander and libel considerations

1. Reporting the truth is almost never libel, which makes accuracy very important.

2. Private persons have privacy rights that must be balanced against the public interest in reporting information about them. Public figures have fewer privacy rights in U.S. law, where reporters are immune from a civil case if they have reported without malice. In Canada, there is no such immunity; reports on public figures must be backed by facts.

3. Publishers vigorously defend libel lawsuits filed against their reporters, usually covered by libel insurance.


Harm limitation principle

During the normal course of an assignment a reporter might go about—gathering facts and details, conducting interviews, doing research, background checks, taking photos, video taping, recording sound—harm limitation deals with the questions of whether everything learned should be reported and, if so, how. This principle of limitation means that some weight needs to be given to the negative consequences of full disclosure, creating a practical and ethical dilemma. The Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics offers the following advice, which is representative of the practical ideals of most professional journalists. Quoting directly:

•Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.

•Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.

•Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.

•Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy.

•Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.

•Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.

•Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.

•Balance a criminal suspect's fair trial rights with the public's right to be informed.

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MBA Discussion Forum / Factors driving marketing effectiveness

« on: July 06, 2013, 10:57:02 AM »

Marketing Strategy – Improving marketing effectiveness can be achieved by employing a superior marketing strategy. By positioning the product or brand correctly, the product/brand will be more successful in the market than competitors’ products/brands. Even with the best strategy, marketers must execute their programs properly to achieve extraordinary results.

Marketing Creative – Even without a change in strategy, better creative can improve results. Without a change in strategy, AFLAC was able to achieve stunning results with its introduction of the Duck (AFLAC) campaign. With the introduction of this new creative concept, the company growth rate soared from 12% prior to the campaign to 28% following it.

Marketing Execution – By improving how marketers go to market, they can achieve significantly greater results without changing their strategy or their creative execution. At the marketing mix level, marketers can improve their execution by making small changes in any or all of the 4-Ps (Product, Price, Place and Promotion) (Marketing) without making changes to the strategic position or the creative execution marketers can improve their effectiveness and deliver increased revenue. At the program level marketers can improve their effectiveness by managing and executing each of their marketing campaigns better. It's commonly known that consistency of a Marketing Creative strategy across various media (e.g. TV, Radio, Print and Online), not just within each individual media message, can amplify and enhance impact of the overall marketing campaign effort. Additional examples would be improving direct mail through a better call-to-action or editing web site content to improve its organic search results, marketers can improve their marketing effectiveness for each type of program. A growing area of interest within (Marketing Strategy) and Execution are the more recent interaction dynamics of traditional marketing (e.g. TV or Events) with online consumer activity (e.g. Social Media). Not only direct product experience, but also any stimulus provided by traditional marketing, can become a catalyst for a consumer brand "groundswell" online as outlined in the book Groundswell.

Marketing Infrastructure (also known as Marketing Management) – Improving the business of marketing can lead to significant gains for the company. Management of agencies, budgeting, motivation and coordination of marketing activities can lead to improved competitiveness and improved results. The overall accountability for brand leadership and business results is often reflected in an organization under a title within a (Brand management) department.

Exogenous Factors - Generally out of the control of marketers, external or exogenous factors also influence how marketers can improve their results. Taking advantage of seasonality, interests or the regulatory environment can help marketers improve their marketing effectiveness.

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MBA Discussion Forum / Dimensions of marketing effectiveness

« on: July 06, 2013, 10:50:11 AM »

Corporate – Each company operates within different bounds. These are determined by their size, their budget and their ability to make organizational change. Within these bounds marketers operate along the five factors described below.

Competitive – Each company in a category operates within a similar framework as described below. In an ideal world, marketers would have perfect information on how they act as well as how their competitors act. In reality, in many categories have reasonably good information through sources, such as, IRI or Nielsen. In many industries, competitive marketing information is hard to come by.

Customers/Consumers – Understanding and taking advantage of how customers make purchasing decisions can help marketers improve their marketing effectiveness. Groups of consumers act in similar ways leading to the need to segment them. Based on these segments, they make choices based on how they value the attributes of a product and the brand, in return for price paid for the product. Consumers build brand value through information. Information is received through many sources, such as, advertising, word-of-mouth and in the (distribution) channel often characterized with the purchase funnel, a McKinsey & Company concept. Lastly, consumers consume and make purchase decisions in certain ways.

Exogenous Factors – There are many factors outside of our immediate control that can impact the effectiveness of our marketing activities. These can include the weather, interest rates, government regulations and many others. Understanding the impact these factors can have on our consumers can help us to design programs that can take advantage of these factors or mitigate the risk of these factors if they take place in the middle of our marketing campaigns.