Advertising

Some CEOs and CMOs have welcomed the Winter Olympics as a fool-proof platform for advertising and positioning

Tesla is the most valuable automobile brand in America, while having no car dealers or advertising. That is not a coincidence.

Establishing a strong online advertising presence would seem like a no-brainer to most CEOs these days, whether they're running companies that are large or small, customer-facing or business-to-business.

When McDonald’s decided to consolidate its nearly $1 billion annual advertising business with Omnicom Group in late summer, severing its relationship with longtime incumbent Leo Burnett, the restaurant giant reportedly required Omnicom to sign a contract that went well beyond the usual agency concessions. Industry buzz was that Omnicom must now create a new agency dedicated to the account and move its headquarters to Chicago.

Five years ago, “mobile” sounded like the coolest thing that could ever happen to marketing, sort of like when television was invented.

It’s critical to conduct the same type of rigorous due diligence that you would for an M&A transaction. In other words, don’t let a shiny new tech toy blind you into making a bad decision.

In late July, Yahoo released a disappointing sales forecast for the third quarter and, just days later, announced the appointment of Lisa Utzschneider as chief revenue officer. After integrating all of the company’s disparate sales teams together, CEO Marissa Mayer was hoping Utzschneider could uncover new ad revenue streams. Should you be doing the same?

Tales of struggling heroes or teams who were broken down yet overcame obstacles to win always seem to capture our attention. All blockbuster superhero movies have a pivotal moment when the invincible character is vulnerable, and that is not unlike what your sales team might experience.

Companies have long been convinced of the ROI that can be generated by performing good will. From enhanced brand reputations and more-productive employees, case studies have shown increases to companies’ bottom lines that can be directly attributed to corporate social responsibility activities. In the first quarter of 2015, businesses' commitment to this strategy was evident.

Businesses love to use glamorous athletes in their TV commercials and print ads. Sometimes this works great (Michael Jordan, George Foreman); sometimes not so great (Kobe Bryant).