In January 2016, I wrote a blog titled “Four Marketing Resolutions for 2016.” I cited research identifying that “people who write down their specific resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t make specific resolutions.”[1] So I made my marketing resolutions public: Contribute to the growth and success of […]

By David Brond and Kathleen Doyle The world as we knew it has changed. This is also true across the entire landscape of higher education. May 1 was National College Decision Day, the traditional deadline for high school seniors to pick their college or university. In 2020 unfortunately, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this important […]

Inevitably at some point during your healthcare marketing career you will be faced with bringing a new brand to market. As you do, it is critical to stay focused on the strategic and business objectives of your organization, while also protecting the equity of your brand. The following scenarios describe bringing a new brand to […]

Over the past four-plus decades, AB&C has worked with some of the most premier healthcare systems across this country—large and small—and we greatly value those relationships. But great agency-client relationships just don’t happen; they take true commitment by both parties to be successful. And over the years, we have learned what makes a great working […]

If you followed a systematic approach to build a new brand (or refreshed an existing one), you started with discovery research. You then developed a brand mantra to inform how your brand would be articulated to internal audiences and the outside world. Finally, you created or refined the outward expressions, such as the name, mark […]

In professional communications of any kind, proper punctuation is essential. But this is especially true for marketing communications, where the copy helps define a brand. Grammar and punctuation mistakes can result in a loss of credibility—for both the agency and its clients. Here are a few tips for avoiding common mistakes. The Comma The goal […]

As branding experts, we have developed our own vocabulary for what we do and how we help organizations define and present themselves to consumers. We use terminology like “brand architecture,” “platform,” “positioning,” “promise,” “proof point,” “personality,” “identity” and “tag line” to describe how we create, communicate and control the attributes of a brand. An important […]

You’ve heard about it. You’ve seen the results. Maybe you’ve even been part of a rebranding effort. But do you really understand what branding means? Some people think a brand is a company’s logo and colors. Others say that it’s a vision statement and mission, or an advertising campaign. It’s actually all of these things—and […]

Behavior change marketing, also known as social marketing, is a term used by public health professionals to describe a marketing effort that aims to increase awareness of a social issue and change a behavior that is unhealthy. For example: Use sunscreen. Recycle. Be physically active. Wear a seat belt. Don’t smoke. But how exactly can […]

Nobody has to tell you that the B2B sales cycle differs greatly from that of a B2C. For one, a B2B sale typically involves a much larger expense. It’s also a highly vetted decision, and not often an impulsive one. Specifiers, designers, engineers and choosy purchasing agents rarely rush to buy your product or service […]

As a managing director at AB&C, I often attend events on behalf of my firm, where I walk into a room and strike up a conversation with complete strangers, or give the opening remarks to a crowd of unfamiliar faces. Today, I get excited about these opportunities to promote our agency. But once upon a […]

Ever since there’s been the practice of marketing communications, there’s been a concept inseparable from it: the customer journey. If you understood your target audience and could communicate effectively at each stage of their purchasing journey, you’d do OK in the marcom profession. Historically, that journey was the equivalent of a Sunday drive. The customer […]

More and more, job boards are publishing salary information. Should you include accurate salary information in your job postings? As “candidate-friendly” websites like Glassdoor, Indeed, kununu, CareerBliss and Google publish salary estimates, companies are feeling the pressure to release competitive salary information. When a nurse searches for jobs, and finds results with five levels of […]

If you’ve found that your outbound marketing efforts are becoming less effective over time, then read on. You may have noticed that your email blasts to purchased lists of unqualified prospects, cold-calls and direct mailers are no longer generating the quantity and quality of leads needed to fill the top of your sales funnel—leaving your […]

“The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.” This directive was identified by management consultant, educator and author Peter F. Drucker, whose writings contributed to the practical foundation of the modern business corporation. Today, marketing plays an ever-increasing role in creating and growing businesses and brands by connecting organizations with current and […]

Whether your organization is large or small, it can benefit from greater awareness, more leads and higher sales by unleashing the power of your employees to serve as business-building brand ambassadors. Your employees have their own network of friends and potential referrals with whom they can share your brand and marketing messages and stories. Employees […]

As marketers, we’re pretty good at defining audience groups within our target market, identifying their pain points and developing messaging that addresses those points. On a good day, we even come up with unique messaging for each audience segment. But there’s one segment that most marketers forget, ignore or consider to be “not our problem”—existing […]

The 2016 Olympics are now history and for a short time this summer we were witness to amazing athletic feats demonstrating perseverance, competitiveness, national pride, raw talent, strength, agility, beauty and grace. Always a marketer, I will remember these Olympics for the athletic achievements of the individuals and teams that competed, and their stories, both […]

If you asked anyone during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games who would be the most talked about U.S. athlete come the end of the games, we can guarantee you no one would’ve answered Ryan Lochte. Yet, even with Michael Phelps swimming his final Olympic event, winning more gold medals than any […]

Congratulations! You’ve completed an exhaustive RFP process and have a shiny new agency that you can’t wait to take for a spin. I’m sure you asked all the necessary questions, so there shouldn’t be any surprises now that it’s time to get down to solving all of your marketing communications challenges. The only question that […]

During my undergraduate years as a geography and economics major, a professor shared his belief that everything in the world can be related to geography, because geography is the spatial science focused on where things are and why they occur there. Geographers seek to answer questions related to location, place, spatial pattern and interaction when […]

Inspiration is defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” Motivation, stimulation and encouragement are powerful forces for human beings. Together they lead to inspiration, which spurs creativity, inventiveness and brilliance. In my opinion, inspiration can motivate individuals to […]

By David Brond and Samantha Oscar Content marketing—the business process focused on creating and distributing relevant and valuable information to attract and engage target audiences with the objective of driving action—is one of today’s business-growth strategies getting a lot of attention from marketers in many organizations, including those in healthcare. And with good reason. According […]

June 1 marks the 119th anniversary of Mark Twain’s well-known quote: “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” It seems an appropriate time then to report that any rumor suggesting that marketing is dead (and branding is meaningless) is also an exaggeration. Last month, SSRS, a full-service market and survey research firm (www.ssrs.com), completed […]

“We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” —Tom Peters The term “personal branding” was first coined in 1997 by leading business-management thinker Tom Peters. A personal brand is formed by an individual’s professional reputation […]

Let’s say you run a successful organization, and you’re asked to co-brand your business with another business. There are several good reasons for doing this, and a few things to consider to ensure you do it right. Co-branding makes sense when the two brands can promote a unified message to achieve the following goals: Responding […]

I’m here to say, it’s 2016 and marketing has changed. A lot. Marketing is no longer centered around your product, but your customer. Now’s a good time to update your marketing plan (you have a marketing plan, right?). Make it your road map for this year’s marketing initiatives. Use it to set goals that you […]

Reorganization. If your organization is going through it, you’re also going to have to deal with reorganizing a very important marketing function: media buying. You have three approaches to choose from, each with merits and disadvantages: centralized, decentralized or a hybrid. With the centralized approach, you consolidate all media buying for each division and service […]

I’m no writer. Which might become evident as you make your way through this. When I was in college, nobody told me how important writing would be once I landed a marketing job. Maybe they didn’t think it was important because of how fast everything in marketing and advertising changes. But I’ve come to accept […]

Almost 400 people took the Business and Labor Resources Employment Branding Survey this past June. The results highlight the importance of marketing and human resources professionals working together to build and maintain an employment brand. Slightly more than one quarter (26.6%) of survey respondents said their organization has an employment brand program—i.e., “a program directed […]

In my career I have built, enhanced and even created numerous brands for multiple organizations in healthcare, higher education, and other industries. And people always ask me, “How long does it take to establish a brand?” My answer: five years. In the first phase, you’ll develop your brand. This requires qualitative and quantitative marketplace, stakeholder […]

I would be wealthy if I had a nickel for every time a member of the faculty, staff, administration or board said, “I didn’t realize you could help with that.” Far too often, the marcom (marketing/communications) and public relations office is brought into a situation requiring communication to internal and external stakeholders late in the […]

If you’re a B2B company and aren’t blogging on the reg yet, what in the world are you waiting for? While your competitors are blogging to generate new leads, you’re going to become a victim of falling behind. But I get it – you’re busy – and in charge of everything from strategic planning, running […]

Earlier this week I received the following email, and because of their confidentiality notice I’m just going to paste the copy: Subject: Additional Sales Leads Hi, Are you currently in need of help in generating leads or appointments for your business? We can help you through our Multichannel Marketing Solutions. I’d be happy to talk […]

Inbound or content marketing is nothing new. As marketers, we’ve been creating content — e-books, white papers, webinars, infographics, blogs — for years. What’s new is using inbound to build business. Here’s how: We create content that potential buyers want and need, optimize the website, build trust with the prospect through personalized lead nurturing, and […]

Know what drives your prospects. As marketers, we need to help our sales teams with longer sales cycles face one of their biggest challenges: staying top-of-mind during a decision-making process that can drag on for months or years. At ab+c, we’ve come up with a process that uses strategy and technology to meet this challenge […]

If you’re anything like me, you’ve already plunged headfirst into planning for 2015. But with the marketing industry in a constant state of change, you have to hustle to keep up with the latest ways to reach your customers. What will your most effective marketing efforts look like in the New Year? I’m glad you […]

Each year it seems that marketing budgets get smaller. But your boss wants a higher return on everything you do, right? You have to be careful with your budget — and show how your marketing dollars lead directly to an increase in company revenue. As a marketer, you may feel overwhelmed staying on top of […]

How does an ad agency not become the shoemaker’s child? By doing its own advertising and marketing. As a 43-year-old agency that expanded into the city of Philadelphia — known for cheesesteaks, relentless sports fans and a statue of Rocky at the steps of the Art Museum — ab+c wanted to be noticed. And kick-ass print ads […]

Tourism advertising has changed with the times. Even though people still read magazines and news publications to “think” about where they might want to spend their hard-earned dollars, they do their actual booking and planning online. Consumers today tune out TV commercials with their DVRs and TiVo’s, opting instead to listen to satellite or Pandora […]

Let’s say that you own a grocery store with several aisles of frozen food. Now let’s say that your freezer’s compressor — which works hard to keep your food frozen — breaks down. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll try to fix the compressor yourself. But more than likely you’ll need to call an electrician — an […]

Advertising optimism is on the rise again, and for good reason. Industry segments are hiring again, advertisers and their agencies are regaining budgets, consumer confidence is growing, and the mass adoption of advanced television and entertainment consoles may very well yield the next great surge of creative advertising and media marketing. We’re heading into uncharted […]

Now that we’ve gone over some basics in Part 1, let’s look at how the Agile methodology can work in your agency. As with any project, your team members are your most important assets. Agile doesn’t call for the smartest, fastest or most specialized team members available. Instead, it works best with T-shaped people. I […]

Some fashion trends stick around for way, way too long. And some stuff just stays in your closet way, way too long. You know what I’m talking about: that loud pair of platforms and that mohair turtleneck sweater you just had to have when you were 17. But somewhere in all that mess, you have […]

The short answer is yes. According to a recent article in Social Media Today: 81% of U.S. consumers trust advice and information from blogs. Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads. 61% of U.S. consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post. So how do you write a good one? Determine your […]

Agile marketing is a relatively new term being thrown around by marketers and project managers to help us adapt to the ever-changing landscape of marketing. In the late 1990s, software developers created agile methodology, which focuses on iterative and incremental goals when developing large programs, to help streamline the development process. Agile is pretty new […]

Most people, including those of us in the communications business, tend to picnic in the spring, summer or fall when the warm weather soothes the body and mind. Often, this includes family and friends, a cookout in a park, good food, and a bit of libation — with the objective of just plain fun and […]

Gotcha! I know why you’re here. Pervert. Let me be straight with you: There isn’t any hot free XXX content here. So if that was what you were looking for, the browser back button is located in the upper left-hand corner of this window. Now that we’ve lost 90% of the visitors to this page, […]

I’m a gym rat. I love lifting weights, yoga, you name it. The days when I leave feeling less than exhausted, I realize it’s because I didn’t have a plan walking into the gym. So I always try to enter the gym with a specific goal — is it a cardio day or a weight […]

Despite massive success in 2012, Red Frog Events wanted to keep things fresh when promoting their 2nd annual Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware. To reach their core audience, social media was a must. What evolved was one of the most successful Twitter campaigns I’ve seen to date (not counting Oreo’s brilliant moment with a […]

One of the most interesting new business pitches I was ever involved in was when a prospective B2B client, a large and well-known electronics company, was trying to introduce a new product line. The problem was, these new products were very different from those that the company was well known for. The client had spent […]

Have you ever said, “Wow! I just had an amazing experience with this here QR code!” It’s safe to say you’ve come across many “Quick Response” codes over the past few years, whether you knew what they were at the time or not. And if you’re in the marketing business, you’ve been asked, “Do you think we should add […]

Boosting your success up to 40% via predictive modeling With traditional and electronic media costs constantly on the rise, casting a wide net to reach B-to-B prospects can become prohibitively expensive. Though these media do reach many people, using them to find the right people — your best prospects — is often inefficient. But what […]

The list of brands that have gone through a massive rebranding effort — only to cave into online peer pressure and revert back to their old identities (Tropicana, The Gap, University of California) — continues to grow. As someone who makes a living rebranding companies, this troubles me. Foremost, people who comment on Internet threads […]

In this country we are blessed with the opportunities of the free enterprise system that can richly reward the hard work and singular focus of driven entrepreneurs. However, the free enterprise economic model can be a fickle lover. It is devoid of emotion and will turn on the unwary. Today’s success is tomorrow’s Rubicon for […]

The Internet is everywhere — seeping into conversations, bulging out of jean pockets and trembling in the hands of nearly half of the American population. Never in history has access to information been so readily available; never has the information itself been so torrential. One side effect of all this interconnectivity: It has left the […]

As a guy who works in advertising I often get asked by family, friends, acquaintances and perfect strangers to offer my opinion on current ads in the marketplace. I find this funny because, unlike most people, when I meet doctors, lawyers and auto mechanics, I don’t find a way to wedge questions related to lumps […]

What makes someone choose to work in life sciences marketing? Maybe it’s a case of feeding the two brains we’re blessed with — our left and right brains. Almost 30 years ago, I read Robert Ornstein’s The Psychology of Consciousness. Ever since, I’ve been fascinated by how we can approach the world on different planes, […]

OK, I’m not embarrassed to admit it. I enjoy watching Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb with my 7- and 10-year-old. There, I said it. I’m a grown woman and I still like watching cartoons. For those of you who haven’t seen the show, it follows two stepbrothers on summer vacation. Each day the boys embark […]

Fear is a terrible thing. Especially when it causes healthcare systems to back away from using a potentially powerful communications tool. When it comes to using social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, healthcare systems tend to fall into two categories. The first suffers from significant fear regarding negative feedback that may come from […]

This is the second in a series of case studies for those who read our blog. I think it’s a nice opportunity to share examples of our work. Promoting Corporate Event Planning in Wilmington, DE Client: Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau (GWCVB) Situation For the first half of 2009, the GWCVB asked AB&C to […]

Below is the first in a series of case studies that we wanted to share with those of you who read our blog. We think it’s a great opportunity to share examples of our work and capabilities. The case study below, for our client Southern Delaware Tourism, showcases our online media capabilities, specifically paid search […]

  99 ways to use Twitter? There are plenty of articles on the Internet that outline the 17 ways to use Twitter or the 32 ways to use Facebook. If your approach to social media has been to start with these types of articles, you may be focusing too quickly on tactics without an appropriate […]

Looking for an easy way to gauge your client’s driving forces? Ask what’s on his or her dashboard. Dashboards are a businessperson’s CliffsNotes®, condensing tomes of information into readily digestible nuggets. Where do overall profits stand? Any new leads from the northeast territory? Is maternity patient volume up? Dashboards provide a snapshot of the key […]

About to plan your social media marketing strategy? Wondering about the return you’ll get on your investment? Check out Socialnomics: Social Media ROI. This short video showcases success stories, plus some interesting facts. For example: More than 300,000 businesses have a presence on Facebook; about a third of these are small businesses. A Wetpaint/Altimeter Study […]

It’s one of my favorite performances: George C. Scott as General George S. Patton. Love the attitude. But, most of all, I relate to what Patton was all about. This is a guy who knew what he had to do. He wasn’t popular because of it. He knew a thing or two about strategy. In […]

Have you heard about Paranormal Activity, the low-budget horror movie that has been terrifying audiences over the past few weeks? It was reportedly produced for $15,000! But the very strategic marketing paid off as well as a multimillion-dollar campaign. First came very scary trailers, followed by updated trailers with footage of terrified moviegoers at a […]

  Celebrity is potent. We’ve seen the power of celebrity recently with the death of a certain music icon — how it takes over the news and, in his case, a city budget. The power comes from celebrities’ ability to generate awareness — whether it’s fashion, diet or a cause, if they are affiliated with […]

A travel-related client of ours recently came to us looking for marketing vehicles which could energize its aging loyalty program member list and have trackable ROI. With the travel industry seeing hard times this change in direction is quite timely, with many companies transitioning from an awareness focus to a retention focus. The client’s loyalty […]

What do people hate most about radio? The commercials! The steady growth of listenership to commercial-free satellite radio music formats offers compelling proof. A growing number of listeners are more than willing to pony up $12.95 a month to be spared the relentless onslaught of irritating, irrelevant radio spots. Now, think of some recent memorable […]