GrowthFocus, Inc.
GrowthFocus, Inc. Newsletter                                    510-329-8155
Facebook scam points out social media risks to Dunkin' Donuts.
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AT&T vs Verizon is a draw
Print Ad Guarantees
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Dunkin' Donuts got scammed on Facebook last week. The company rolled out regional "free coffee" promotions to celebrate its 60th anniversary, and someone created a false Facebook page and announced that the promotion was nationwide. Hundreds of people apparently went off to get free coffee, and were rebuffed by confused franchise owners.
Once the scam was discovered, Facebook pulled down the page, but the damage was done.
A lesson for the rest of us: Do you have someone within your organization dedicated to actively monitoring your total web presence? Do you have public responses ready to go in the event of an unexpected online event (good or bad)? You should. You must. Get on it!
AT&T and Verizon spend millions on marketing to tread water.


They sank my marketing budget
Man treading water
AT&T and Verizon provide the most interesting example of marketing frustration this year. They each spent millions slamming each other over who has the better nationwide phone coverage in the first quarter (anyone tired of 3G maps and Luke Wilson yet?). But, their market share moved not at all. In effect, they spent their money just to keep the other from gaining ground. Ouch. How does a marketing VP defend this to the CEO?
I look forward to seeing how each company responds to this colossal waste of money.
What one of them should really do is send college students out with video cameras to find and report their competitors' dead spots in coverage, and post all the (publishable) ones on YouTube...
Print Ad Performance Guarantees: A Good Idea for Magazines?

Print magazines are starting to put their money where their mouth is and participate in their advertisers' success by guaranteeing a benchmark result. This is a reasonable response to competition from digital marketing options, where tracking results is easier. But this is a big shift in risk, and raises an interesting question: What if the ad's creative strategy or execution simply stinks? How does the magazine hedge against that risk? Stay tuned for the next installment of this drama...
Remember to recommend me to those you know who need expert marketing help, especially in developing digital content strategies and implementation plans. I also specialize in customer retention initiatives and business-to-business sales and marketing integration.
 
Sincerely,
 

Kern Lewis
GrowthFocus, Inc.