Posts

No, your other left...overcoming learned behaviors with usability testing

April 11, 2013  |  by Connie Williams

People inherently want to follow instructions. Sometimes, however, learned behaviors can get in their way. If you need your customers to adopt a new behavior, and you’re not getting the results you want, what do you do?

How a blog about a seed company illustrates insightfulness

April 4, 2013  |  by Kent Stones

The modern tools of internet research might be helping researchers do their work faster, but those tools won't make them better at finding meaningful insights.

Usability testing might just save your bacon - and your brand

March 7, 2013  |  by John Kuefler

When you already know how something is going to work, it's all but impossible to understand that others don't. Enter useability testing to save your bacon.

"More" might not always be "better" in brand advocacy

February 21, 2013  |  by Kent Stones

The anticipated future of marketing is about engaging people with meaningful content, moving as many people as possible toward advocating for your brand. But is more always better? How can you assess the potential for shepherding your target toward advocacy?

Three ways to deliver impressive pharma advertising

January 3, 2013  |  by Shelly Deveney

Creating an advertising campaign for a pharmaceutical product is a daunting task. Follow these three tips and you'll see the payoff.

Marketing attribution analysis part 2: Embrace the complexity

December 6, 2012  |  by Kent Stones

“Are you making it more complicated than it needs to be?” or “Are we overthinking it?” My answer to these questions is an unqualified “No!”

CRM no longer stands for Customer Relationship Management

August 30, 2012  |  by Kent Stones

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has been around for a very long time, but it’s no longer Customer Relationship Management, it’s now Complete Relationship Management. Here's why...

You can't find insights if you don't have the data

August 2, 2012  |  by Jeff Daniels

Today’s world is filled with data.  The vast number of available metrics alone can be overwhelming, and it is now more important than ever to gather that data.

It takes more than personalized URLs to make direct marketing personal

June 12, 2012  |  by Sarah Miller

Customers have high expectations on what you, as a retailer they’ve done business with, should know about them. Thanks to advanced segmentation strategies, they’re no longer surprised when they receive direct marketing materials suggesting products they might like based on purchase decisions they’ve made. 

Innovation starts when attaching ends

April 12, 2012  |  by Stefan Mumaw

Everyone wants true innovation but few know how to generate ideas that qualify. Innovation starts when we look beyond improvement and into purpose.

Get out there: Why in-store research improves shopper marketing

January 17, 2012  |  by Jeff Daniels

Isn’t getting customers to take time out of their day to talk about a brand supposed to be a cumbersome task?  Store associates are busy and just want to do their jobs without being bothered for research, right?  Wrong!

Know your customer: Three ways to improve your direct marketing

December 22, 2011  |  by Sarah Miller

The holiday season is a time to reflect on many things, but as a direct marketing enthusiast, it prompts me to reflect on the critical importance of targeting. 

Good user experience (UX) design has a critical impact on your brand

December 8, 2011  |  by John Kuefler

Poor user experience design can actually be fatal to your brand. A good user experience builds brand equity with every interaction, while a poor one erodes brand equity. Consumers are expecting more speed and better experiences all the time. Learn how to design for success.

What your brand can learn from the legacy of Steve Jobs

October 28, 2011  |  by Cindy Maude

Steve Jobs’ death resulted in many reflections about his life and his role in creating one of the most innovative companies in the world. What motivated Steve Jobs to do it well? What can we learn from his view on life that might inspire greatness in us too?

Can mobile devices replace human interaction?

September 28, 2011  |  by Kent Stones

The latest technology can make life more efficient, but they cannot replace the value of real human interaction out in the field. Can they?

Weather the storm when competitors innovate

August 26, 2011  |  by Kent Stones

One of the biggest challenges any marketer faces is knowing how swiftly or strongly to react when the competition introduces something new. This article will provide you with a simple framework for how to respond to innovation and the disruption it can cause for your business.

How will smartphones, tablets and Facebook apps influence website UX design?

August 26, 2011  |  by John Kuefler

The evolution of web design is starting to happen, right on cue. For specialty brands, staying ahead of mass brands in the eyes of your most important consumers (category enthusiasts) is a big part of what will differentiate you in your niche.

Is Apple like a religion to its customers? Perhaps not.

May 23, 2011  |  by Kent Stones

Did science just prove that Apple is like a religion to its customers, or is it an example of journalistic hyperbole and faulty logic?

What specialty brands can learn from art

February 25, 2011  |  by Kent Stones

I had the privilege recently of helping a local non-profit art center think about their brand and develop a strategy for increasing the support and use of their facility. They were facing a significant problem: despite their 35 years of service to the community, funding sources and participation were not...

What has direct marketing done for you lately

February 18, 2011  |  by Rebecca Stowe

Direct marketing is more than the traditional business letter mailing or local retailer’s catalogue – it’s a holistic approach to providing targeted, relevant messages to consumers and shoppers by utilizing a multitude of distribution channels and media. It touches all that we do.

When you’re talking to a boomer, “KISS”

January 25, 2011  |  by Cindy Maude

I’m a Baby Boomer – a person born between 1946 and 1964. I won’t say where I fall in that spectrum, but suffice it to say I’m an “aging consumer and shopper.” Ouch, that was hard to write.

Calling "BS" on social media

December 3, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

No, "BS" isn't what you think. This isn't a rant on social media or a blog questioning its return on investment. It is a calling for us to remember "Basic Socialization" principles as we dive into the world of conversations with shoppers and to not get too caught up in applying the latest and greatest technology rolling off the Silicon Valley assembly line.

What specialty brands can learn from finance

October 13, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

Each of us has a personal “balance sheet” and “income statement,” but they go far beyond our financial lives. Specialty brands can learn to influence a shopper’s personal “income statement” to improve the probability they will choose your brand over others.

Premature neuromarketing

August 11, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

“We’ve got to think outside of the box!” This is a common exclamation, heard almost every time a marketing department faces the wrath of an executive not happy with the company’s performance. We’ve all been there before. You’ve held lots of focus groups, conducted more than enough surveys...

The name's Bond. James Bond.

August 5, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

I love spy movies. There is just something about the thrill of watching a story about a secret agent that never grows old. The excitement of the chase, the intrigue, the constant misdirection just gets my heart pumping. But there is another type of “agent” we at Callahan Creek love to watch: the shopper agent.

The importance of knowing your stuff

July 12, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

Recently, I experienced something that is fundamentally important to a specialty brand’s success: the importance of the person selling that brand being really smart about the product, competitive options and use of the product.

Paralyzed by too many choices

June 10, 2010  |  by Cindy Maude

The number of products on shelves, the number of options we have in our daily lives is beginning to paralyze us. Shoppers are walking out of stores or leaving websites – frustrated, unsatisfied and without buying anything. This has big implications for retailers and marketers.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should

April 14, 2010  |  by Kent Stones

I heard two stories today that were at opposite ends of the spectrum, and it got me thinking about the importance of constantly assessing how your specialty retail brand is fitting into current culture.

Ready for mobile marketing? Where to start?

April 8, 2010  |  by John Kuefler

Do you need a mobile app? A mobile-friendly version of your website? Promotions directed to smart phone users? When is it time to get on the mobile marketing bandwagon?

We've all been trained by Google

April 1, 2010  |  by John Kuefler

From behind the proverbial one-way mirror, I was recently observing a website usability study we conducted for one of our clients. Apart from the fascinating idiosyncratic details related to the sites being tested, one big-picture observation struck me.

Will marketers have a new reality too?

October 9, 2009  |  by Kent Stones

I recently read an advice column by Carolyn Hax (yeah, I know) that contained a remarkable suggestion. The subject had cheated on his girlfriend, yet through hard work regained her trust to a point where she accepted his marriage proposal. His conundrum? He still had thoughts about...

Increase sales from people who are moving

September 1, 2009  |  by John Kuefler

Each year about 15-20% of your customers – about 40 million people in the U.S. – will move (about 16 million of them move outside their previous counties). Those moves are a potential gold mine for retailers. Yet most businesses do not take full advantage of the possibilities to promote...

The importance of neighborhood culture

July 18, 2009  |  by Kent Stones

"Think globally and act locally." It's a catchy and wise-sounding phrase one hears thrown about and seems to be a good thing for any company to do. Most businesspeople understand and desire the 'think globally' side of the equation, but just what does 'act locally' really mean?

If opportunity doesn't Knock, build a door

June 18, 2009  |  by Kent Stones

Milton Berle may have been a comedian of the '50s and '60s, but his quote about opportunity knocking speaks to many of those facing retail challenges today.  Just how does a retailer look at change management and marketing performance of a store, when there are going out of business...