At Business Week, they look at the new Pepsi campaign, which appears to be riding off the success of Obama’s recent presidential victory.  From marketing slogans like Every generation changes the world, now its your turn to Yes you can David Kiley doesn’t agree with the similarity of the two campaigns, as Pepsi’s arrived after Obama’s.  What do you think of these ads?

Diane Brady’s article at BusinessWeek.com theorizes just what the world will do as American’s drastically reduce their spending in her coverage of Davos.

According to Brady, the most dire assessment came from Ian Davis, Worldwide Managing Director of McKinsey & Company (U.K.). He noted that “Americans have no option but to be more frugal over the next 10 to 20 years.” Along with being cut off from credit, the population is aging and “older consumers don’t buy as much.” His advice: Look to the East. Big consumer companies in the coming years will be Asia-focused.  

What do you think? How will US marketing compete/survive with these changes? Share your thoughts with us here, on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Writing catchy headlines can be quite a bothersome. Today I came across this post in The Copywriter’s Crucible in which they share some insights on writing headlines that attract attention. They start off the post with a quote from John Caples.

“If you can come up with a good headline, you are almost sure to have a good ad. But even the greatest writer can’t save an ad with a poor headline.”

In order to gain interest, you must promise a benefit as well as entice them with intrigue, keeping them curious. Here’s a couple of examples from the post.

• Make a bold promise with a guarantee e.g. ‘Play the Piano in Seven Days or Your Money Back’
• Provoke curiosity with a question e.g. ‘Do You Make These Mistakes in English?’ (Maxwell Sackheim)
• Explain clearly what benefit your offering e.g. ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ (Dale Carnegie)
• Use a strong verb and a commanding tone of voice (aka imperative) to suggest what action the reader can take e.g. ‘Win At Poker With These Strategies Used By The Pros’
• Make a bold attention grabbing statement e.g. ‘Amazing Secret Discovered By One-Legged Golfer Adds 50 Yards To Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks And Slices…And Can Slash Up To 10 Strokes From Your Game Almost Overnight!’ (John Carlton)
• Make a no frills news announcement e.g. ‘New Dimoxnyl Hair Tonic Grows Your Hair and Your Looks Back Overnight!’ (N.B. hype like this is normally best avoided)

Enjoy!

Visit Florida, the tourism marketing agency, recently proposed budget cuts of $9.9 million. 

As the number one industry in Florida, for ever $1 invested in marketing, Florida usually sees a return of $3.  There are also an estimated 1 million Florida residents that are employed by the tourism industry.  William D. Talbert III recently brought this to the attention of the St. Petersburg Times.

How would you feel about this budget cut if you were in the state of Florida?  With the tough economic times, should Florida cut something as important as its toursim marketing budget?

With a plethora of social networks available at little to no cost, business are using these avenues to connect with clients and other business professionals. PostCrescent.com had has a beginners look at how social networking can be used for marketers. What social networking sites do you use to market to clients? Share with us here, on LinkedIn or Twitter.

BrandNoise recently posted that the Ugly Doll phenomenon has “taken the US by storm.” Each Ugly Doll comes with its own story line and background, and the general public has seemed to take a special interest in it.  Could this be replacing the age old Barbie doll?

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reveals that Georgia Tech University has invested more in their marketing plan.  They’ve partnered with International Sports Properties, a marketing company, who will receive all rights to all broadcasts on radio, television and internet.  The deal will be worth $50 million over ten years.  Georgia Tech has seen a growth in the college sports industry, the metro Atlanta market and the Georgia Tech brand.  They’ve also partnered with sponsor Coca Cola, and will receive $5.94 million over the next 13 years.

The individual universities are like business entities of their own, building a brand and driving people to buy their products, in this case, athletic tickets.   What do you think of marketing in the college sports industry?

Miller High Life has purchased one second ads during the Super Bowl.  See the web page here.  According to the Consumerist,

The brilliant use of the format dovetails perfectly with the beer’s brand identity. “Miller High Life is all about high quality and great value, so it wouldn’t make sense for this brand to pay $3 million for a 30-second ad,” said High Life senior brand manager Kevin Oglesby, in a press release. “Just like our consumers, High Life strives to make smart choices. One second should be plenty of time to remind viewers that Miller High Life is common sense in a bottle.”

The myth that beer and alcoholic beverages are less affected by a downturn economy is beginning to become less believable. As this Christian McMahan, chief marketing officer at Heineken USA states in this NY Times article, “now more than ever, you need to give consumers a reason why you’re worth paying more for.”

Stuart Elliot from the NY Times goes on to explain that Heineken has enlisted the help of actor John Turturro to offer words of wisdom for Heineken in their new campaign. Conan O’Brien will be making his debut as a beer pitchman when he will be appearing in a commercial for Anheuser-Busch in the Superbowl.

Do you think that the influence of celebrities can help boost beer sales to new heights?

In a time of economic uncertainty, the sales of specialty beverages, snack and premium chocolates are growing.  The Wall Street Journal believes that these little things provide a treat for their consumers in challenging times.   The overall specialty food market believes it will have a 4% downturn, but not gourmet snack foods.  Dollar sales for candy rose 85% between 2005 and 2007.  It is believed that upscale chocolates will outperform all chocolate sales by 2012.