The Marketing Diner :: Feed Your Brand - Not Your Ego

MD Single Cup - Sales vs. Advertising: The New Pirate vs. Ninja?

Jared — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:07:42 +0000

Like ninjas vs. pirates, the question of whether sales trumps advertizing or vice-versa may never be fully resolved. With two weeks of my summer internship done, I try my own hand at decoding the riddle. What are your thoughts?

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Technorati Tags: sales, marketing diner, nashville geeks, advertising

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A Bostonian Deceleration Vacation

Jared — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:19:42 +0000

I am the ultimate cliche.

With my MacBook Pro, Molskine notebook and large venti latte I am writing a blog post while contemplating the nature of branding in a downtown Boston Starbucks; thus is my post-Accelerator vacation. Like I said, the ultimate cliche.

With my stint as a summer business bootcamp coach now over, I have decided to take some time off to get ready for the second half of my summer as a brand intern for a fairly large restaurant company. My time is now gladly split between running around Newberry St. looking for new duds and having my nose buried in a couple of excellent branding books with my best friend from college, Steph.

It should be noted that this is my first real trip to Boston (the one other time I was up here was more of a one-in-a-lifetime 300 mile adventure to Belmont, MA) but its one that has been quite impressive. Not only was I able to take in the fireworks on the Esplanade (see video below…why they chose Rascal Flats for a July 4th celebration above the Mason-Dixion line, I have no idea) I am being treated to the real-life character of the area from long-time residents of the city.

The point to all of this is that those books I mentioned include Accidental Branding and Personality Not Included, two awesome books that talk a lot about authenticity in marketing.

My challenge over the coming weeks is to not only discover the authenticity behind the brand of the company I am working for, but also find a way to sell that authenticity as the way to go. As both David Vinjamuri and Rohit Bhargava (the respective authors of both books) explain, this is no small task.

I am excited about the next four weeks, though and will try to write as much as I can within the professional context of the work. For now though, back to the vacation…and the cliche.

Technorati Tags: Accidental Branding, Boston, branding, Owen Accelerator, Personality Not Included

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How should KFC change its business model to attract 20-somethings?

Jared — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:27:34 +0000

(Some of the undergrads I coach, posing with the colonel at KFC’s museum)

One of the more interesting sides of my various MBA internships this summer is the chance to guide undergrads through several, strategic-level consulting initiatives. Of course, my favorites are the ones where we are able to find ways to get your input into their direction.

In fact, here’s your chance to weigh in on a project we’re working on for KFC: http://urlzen.com/6k

The team has structured a quick survey about Fast Food in general, and KFC in particular, that we would love to have your opinion included in. As with most the of the surveys I work with, I’ve encouraged them to get creative with the insights they want to gather. Help us get to a statistically significant sample size (for the purposes of this survey, they want 100 responses by Sunday morning).

Again, we need your input on a survey for Fast Food and KFC so take a moment to browse over to our survey page and let us know what you think!

Technorati Tags: Colnel Sanders, KFC, Owen Accelerator

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A week in the life of my summer MBA internship

Jared — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:47:58 +0000

Monday: William Morris project launch
Tuesday: Up late coaching deliverables for Bridgestone
Wednesday: Up late coaching deliverables for Caterpillar Financial; up even later w/dress rehearsals
Thursday: Bridgestone presentations; Gresham Smith project launch; up late w/dress rehearsals
Friday: Marathon networking session; Caterpillar Financial presentations
Saturday: Still working…well, at least most of us are….

This message is brought to you by the dedicated coaches of Vanderbilt’s Accelerator Summer Business Institute.

Technorati Tags: insomnia, MBA Internship, Owen Accelerator, Owen Graduate School of Management

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MD Single Cup - Mainsteam Marketers to Social Media: Let’s Just Be Friends

Jared — Sat, 31 May 2008 12:31:37 +0000

There is a sexy appeal that draws mainstream marketers towards social media. The question is; Is social media destined to be with mainstream marketing, or is it just a casual fling?

To respond, send us an e-mail or call 202-552-1575

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Technorati Tags: mainstream marketing, marketing diner, nashville geeks, social media

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What have I really learned in my first year of being an MBA student?

Jared — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:24:49 +0000

This morning, I was sitting at my desk and surprisingly, I had nothing to do. For the first time in almost nine months, I had turned in all of my assignments, coordinated all of my projects and think I have my summer plans all wrapped up. The question is; what the heck do I do now?

The answer? PODCAST!

20-Something Marketing: Episode #71 - MBA Spin: One Year Down

On the last day of my first year of business school, I reflect on “what have I really learned?” as an MBA student. >>Full Show Notes Here<<

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Technorati Tags: OwenBloggers, surviving business school, Vanderbilt

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Update From B-School: Selling It To Owen Alumni

Jared — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:38:40 +0000

Last weekend found the entire b-school campus mobilizing to welcome both newly accepted business students as well as alumni.

Proving the power of medium, nothing speaks to the kinds of feelings you have about an experience like video.I have to admit it was a bit of a strange thing to try to keep the “unedited, uncensored” part of my role as an OwenBlogger but I think the culmination of what me and my classmates had to say is definitely worth watching:

UPDATE: The video was apparently taken down by the school’s PR department…I’ll check into it. Thanks to Rick for pointing it out…

Technorati Tags: alumni, Owen Graduate School of Management, promotional video, Vanderbilt, vlog

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What New Media Can Do For Traditional Marketing Careers

Jared — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:56:01 +0000

First off, I will admit that this post does have an ulterior motive. However, it is a point I have been meaning to make on the blog for some time, so bear with me.

For the last four to five months, I have been knee-deep in work related to finding something substantive to do over the summer. Today, I am finally getting a chance to get in front of a company where I think can align all of things I am good at, with a position where I can make an impact.

As with any interview for an MBA Internship, the fact that I am coming from a non-core school is a sizable hurdle. Normally, the advantage in such evaluations goes to the students from the business schools from which the company already is aquatinted. However, I hopefully have something else up my sleeve that will give me a competitive edge equal to any other; new media.

Though not my main selling point for this particular position, my work in new media illustrates how strategic analysis intersects with creativity and technical competency. In interviews, I like to say that I can bring more to the table than just the ability to crunch spreadsheets and create SWOT analyses; that I also have the technical and creative background to bridge that work with just about any type of cross-functional implementation team.

It occurs to me that this revelation is not only my selling point, but the selling point of many of those traditional marketers fascinated by the world of interactive media, blogs and social networking sites. Its not just about being the marketer who can visualize solutions in the “cool new medium,” its about being able to apply analytic solutions to a rapidly-evolving playground of consumer choice.

Technorati Tags: Marketing Diner, MBA, new media interviews

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Is Your Brand Recession Proof?

Penelope — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:47:38 +0000

I think most economic analyst finally agree, that the US in a recession. Now there is much debate about whether or not the traditional economic signs of a recession apply and the debate goes on. But for marketers, I believe this is the time when brand equity is more important than ever. I’m sure the current state of the nation’s economy will fuel an increase in the number of mergers, acquisitions, and the even the demise of some products and organizations as a whole. Now is the time for marketers to show their true value, by having a clear understanding of the equity they’ve built for the brands they manage.

The term brand equity is thrown around a lot among marketers quite a bit. But in uncertain economic times like these, it has true monetary value. For example, your equity in the simplest terms represents the degree to which buyers connect with your brand. (e.g., Do consumers recognize and desire your product?) Brands that have high levels of brand equity may or may not survive today’s economic ups and downs. However it may impact how their ability to survive a merger or acquisition and could give them some leverage in either situation.

Consider Yahoo’s rejection of Microsoft’s takeover offer. Yahoo’s brand equity is a significant factor in Microsoft’s desire to takeover Yahoo. However it is the equity of the Yahoo brand, which gives it the power to negotiation with Microsoft. In today’s economy, brand equity could be key the value and survival of some companies.

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Funny How Some Creativity Just Runs In The Family

Jared — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:32:03 +0000

It’s safe to say that ever since I was able to get my hands on a camera, I’ve been fascinated by the things you can produce with a couple of minutes of footage and some simple editing software. The strange thing is that I never really thought about where this affinity came from and how it all started until a recent trip back home to Atlanta.

While sorting through some mail, I came across a bunch of old film reels that my parents were sending off to have made into a DVD. Funny enough, I never remembered my parents ever having a video camera around the house when we were kids. It turns out, however, that my while my mom was growing up, my grandparents did.

As a disclaimer, I did not add the audio…the soundtrack actually came with the DVD.

Looking through these old films is surreal. It’s even more surreal to realize that as much as I may be camera-happy, my grandfather was just a prolific a filmmaker.

It appears that no matter what the topic, from birthdays to family vacations and even to random card games featuring relatives I have only previously seen through well-framed still photos, he always had the camera at the ready to capture the moment.

I guess it goes to show that some things do just run in the family.

Technorati Tags: home movies, marketing diner

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