Five Amusing (Or Not So) Musings About Contemporary Marketing Communications
1. Why can't Marketing and IT play together?
Let me say up front that some of my best friends are IT guys (and gals). But I've never quite understood why organizations feel IT should have the lead in web projects. After all, in most cases, websites are the firm's primary marketing tool. So shouldn't the design and functionality be driven by marketing strategy?
Turns out I'm not alone in wondering about this. The Center for Media Research just reported that marketing and IT have "trust issues." 90 percent of marketing and IT execs report that "collaboration is not at the right level."
2. Will the humor mill at Geico ever run dry?
I'm always amazed at some of the ideas Geico comes up with. Silly as it is, the current "happy as a camel on humpday" commercial cracks me up.
3. Parodies of movie trailers are cheap clichés. Well, maybe not.
We've all seen scores of commercials that start out with the dramatic voiceover intro "In a world where..." and then go on to do a lame parody of a movie trailer. I thought that cliché had seen its day. But I have to say I like the recent campaign by Ford for a summer clearance sale of all things. With parodies ranging from zombies and aliens to car chases, the spots are smartly written and suspenseful. And while I am praising car commercials, something I am often loathe to do, the lead spokesperson/receptionist for the current Toyota campaign is very engaging. It's also nice to see Lexus get a little more creative with its advertising.
4. How does anyone keep up with the next big ideas in social media?
I heard two presentations this week about various aspects of social media. Just when I thought I had come to terms with new sites like Vine, along comes vCita, PicMonkey, InkyBee and Nestivity. My head hurts.
5. Will you indulge me one little promotional shout-out to the Villing team?
While I always tell clients that modesty is not necessarily a virtue when it comes to marketing, I do try to avoid being blatantly self-serving in this forum. However, if you will indulge me, I'd like to call attention to some recent work by our team members. One is the recently launched website for the South Bend Clinic. In my opinion, it is very smartly designed and produced, combining attractive graphics with innovative functionality. I also really like our new campaign for Boling Vision Center. While it hasn't been rolled out yet, here's a sneak peak. So, Villing team, you know who you are. Give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.
To get our latest articles when they are posted, please subscribe by e-mail or RSS.
