Ways to Promote Your Product or Service

Your marketing budget deserves careful consideration, because it not only serves to create market impressions; it is expected to generate revenues. Understanding the kinds of impacts that can be expected from various print and electronic media will help to manage this element of business expense.

It is important to understand that each market segment may react differently to the way a promotional message is presented. An exciting, aggressive or even humorous message may be perceived as offensive or insensitive even though it may be grammatically and politically correct.

The Print and Graphic Arts Media

Business cards and stationery are effective, inexpensive and professional promotional tools but use of these items should be restricted to personal contacts. Rubber stamps or staples are for impersonal, routine tasks and should not be used in any way with this media. Advertising specialties such as pens, key rings and calendars acknowledge goodwill in the form of a small gift, but these convey more image than information.

World Events Calendar 2014

Find out exactly when and where your favourite international festivals are kicking off in 2014 and plan your trips accordingly, plus see our list of important dates and public holidays around the world.

January

• 01 Jan: New Year's Day
• 02 Jan - 02 Feb: Dubai Shopping Festival - Dubai 
• 05 Jan - 28 Jan: Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival - China
• 13 Jan - 26 Jan: Australian Open tennis - Melbourne, Australia
• 14 Jan: Jaipur Kite Festival - India
• 15 Jan: Full Moon Party - Koh Phangan, Thailand
• 20 Jan: Martin Luther King Day – USA
• 26 Jan: Australia Day
• 31 Jan: Chinese New Year

6 Brand Strategies Most CMOs Fail To Execute

The ground rules for branding are rapidly evolving. Social media, content marketing, the younger generation, second screening, thought-leadership and the demographic shift are just some of the many things that are challenging brands to think differently. Creating and sustaining customer trust and loyalty is more difficult than ever before. Building relationships with consumers has never been more challenging, with so much competition for their attention. Look at the constant barrage of pop-up and video ads that flash before our eyes every time we use our phones, turn on our computers or tablets.

Being an on-trend, relevant, inspiring, purposeful, innovative and community-centric brand – these are the things that will make people pause, listen and pay attention. Customers want to identify with a brand they can grow with, that earns their trust and makes them feel valued. People want to evolve with a brand whose products and services help give their business or life meaning and significance. End to end, a brand must become a consumer’s best friend.

Whether you are a Fortune 500 company, business owner or entrepreneur, here are six brand strategies that all chief marketing officers (CMOs) must not ignore :

How Wal-Mart and Google could steal young customers from traditional banks

It used to be that the JP Morgans of the world only worried about losing customers to Wells Fargo or Bank of America. But that universe of competitors has grown to include T-Mobile, Wal-Mart, Google and a host of other retail, tech and telecom companies that are now operating like banks.

These upstarts are gaining footing in the banking world with prepaid debit cards that customers can use to pay bills, make purchases and deposit checks via a smartphone camera -- pretty much all the things you can do with your traditional checking account. And they are piquing the interest of a highly coveted group that traditional banks have struggled to attract: young people.

A new survey of nearly 4,000 Americans by Accenture found that 72 percent of people ages 18 to 34 would bank with Wal-Mart, Google or T-Mobile if they offered banking services. Of the nearly two dozen companies that researchers asked about, people were most willing to sign up with Square or PayPal because of the relationships they already have with the companies. Nearly one-third of those polled said the same about T-Mobile, Costco, Apple and Google.

Choosing Advertising Mediums

If money were no object, it would be easy to decide which advertising medium to go with. All of them! Unfortunately, the reality is that even with a hefty advertising budget, it is a challenge to create memorable advertising.

So unless you have truckloads of money to spend, you should try one medium at a time. What works for one product or service may not work for the next. There are so many different variables that can affect the results of an advertising campaign—from ad copy to the weather. You will simply have to test the effectiveness of your message in each medium to find the best vehicle for promoting your product. Advertising is an art, not a science!

Relative impact of different advertising media

• Direct mail has the highest impact of any medium. Your message reaches each recipient in a personalized way and at a moment they have chosen to consider your message. The cost of reaching an individual through direct mail can be even greater than television, making it the most expensive advertising medium per person reached.

India Cabinet : List of ministers of India & their departments (Year – 2014)

President of India : Pranab Mukherjee

Vice President of India : Mohammad Hamid Ansari

Prime Minister of India : Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi :

* Prime Minister of India
* Ministry of Planning
* Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
* Department of Atomic Energy
* All important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any minister

How to talk to a CEO

My first meeting with the CEO of a Fortune 1000 firm was a complete disaster. It was fifteen years ago and despite the cool breeze that was blowing outside, I was sweating bullets. This guy was a titan of industry so my mind jumped frantically between the thrill of the opportunity and the terror of screwing it up.

Entering his office with a huge smile, I instantly vomited verbal nonsense with, “It must be a great honor for you to meet me sir! I can only imagine how excited you are!” Ugh.. I couldn’t believe what I had said and my smile grew increasingly awkward. Excited to meet me?? It sounded like I was being a sarcastic a-hole. With a furrowed brow, he peeled his fingers away from my death grip, sighed heavily and looked at his watch.

The meeting lasted seven minutes.

Starbucks has an Australia Problem

In the U.S., Starbucks (SBUX) may be on every street corner and in every shopping center, but in Australia, the chain has been whittled down to a mere 24 cafes. Unable to grow down under, the company has licensed its local chain to the Withers Group, which operates 7-Eleven in Australia and will take over the existing cafes there. The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

Who has the hardest World Cup 2014 draw?

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is approaching and the draw has been made. And after every World Cup draw, a debate ensues as to which group is deemed the "group of death." Quickly many proclaimed Group B, with Spain and the Netherlands to be the one, but the analysis shows that in fact Group G is this tournament's deadliest.

GROUP A

• Brazil
• Croatia
• Mexico
• Cameroon

GROUP B

• Spain
• Netherlands
• Chile
• Australia

GROUP C

• Colombia
• Greece
• Ivory Coast
• Japan

GROUP D

• Uruguay
• Italy
• England
• Costa Rica

GROUP E

• Switzerland
• France
• Ecuador
• Honduras

GROUP F

• Argentina
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Nigeria
• Iran

GROUP G

• Germany
• Portugal
• United States
• Ghana

GROUP H

• Belgium
• Russia
• Algeria
• Korea

Analysis of all the teams of FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil

GROUP A
Brazil (BRA), Croatia (CRO), Mexico (MEX), Cameroon (CMR)

GROUP B
Spain (ESP), Netherlands (NED), Chile (CHI), Australia (AUS)

GROUP C
Colombia (COL), Greece (GRE), Ivory Coast (CIV), Japan (JPN)

GROUP D
Uruguay (URU), Costa Rica (CRC), England (ENG), Italy (ITA)

GROUP E
Switzerland (SUI), Ecuador (ECU), France (FRA), Honduras (HON)

GROUP F
Argentina (ARG), Bosnia & Herzegovina (BIH), Iran (IRN), Nigeria (NGA)

GROUP G
Germany (GER), Portugal (POR), Ghana (GHA), USA (USA)

GROUP H
Belgium (BEL), Algeria (ALG), Russia (RUS), Korea Republic (KOR)

Promising the good times

An overwhelming election victory promises to reshape Indian politics.

INDIA brims with colorful politicians, but none has quite the sense of political theatre of Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He swept into Varanasi, India’s most ancient city, on May 17th pledging to clean the Ganges, its holiest and filthiest river. Three days later, in Delhi, BJP parliamentarians chanted and roared unanimous support for him, and he broke down in tears in mid-speech. After that he called on India’s president, Pranab Mukherjee, who agreed to swear him in as India’s 14th prime minister on May 26th.

India Election: What Narendra Modi’s Victory Means for the U.S. Economy?

Narendra Modi's victory in the Indian election is expected to improve trade ties between New Delhi and Washington and could eventually lift U.S. exports in industries ranging from pharmaceutical products to heavy infrastructure, U.S. officials and business leaders say.

Narendra Modi addresses a public rally Friday after his party won its biggest victory in 30 years on promises to revitalize the economy.

 

But the prospects for greater economic ties, which suffered in recent years under India’s ruling Indian National Congress, depend at least partly on relaxing U.S. diplomatic tensions with Mr. Modi. The Hindu nationalist politician has been blamed for mass violence against Muslims while he was governor of Gujarat, an issue that has made him ineligible for travel to the U.S. and prevented high-level contact with the U.S. State Department until earlier this year. Mr. Modi has said his government did its best to stop the violence against Muslims in 2002.

Why a CEO Needs to Have a Plan B

For nearly three decades, in good times and bad, Jack Stack has run his company, SRC, as though disaster could strike at any moment. Now, with the economy cratering, he’s glad he did.

If you think times are tough now, consider that in the early '80s, the prime interest rate topped 21 percent, and unemployment was just shy of 11 percent. That was the economic environment confronting Jack Stack and 12 other managers of a small engine-remanufacturing plant in Springfield, Missouri, as they prepared to buy the factory from International Harvester in a desperate attempt to save their own jobs and those of the people they worked with. Their new company, Springfield ReManufacturing Corporation, survived that recession and went on to prosper for the next 26 years.

Today, Stack, the company's CEO, and his colleagues are weathering a recession of similar magnitude. But they find themselves in a far different situation. The enterprise, now called SRC Holdings, is a mini conglomerate of seven holding companies with 26 businesses whose 1,200 employees make automobile engines, irrigation pumps, home furnishings, and more. Its current health is no accident. Having launched the company to save jobs, Stack was determined never to be forced to lay people off. He spoke with editor-at-large Bo Burlingham (with whom he has co-authored two books) about how he has worked to keep that promise to his employees -- and build a company that is bucking nearly every current economic trend.

Most American manufacturers are in terrible shape right now. And yet you seem to be doing well. What do you attribute that to?

How to Develop a Business Growth Strategy

There are many ways to guide a business through a period of expansion.

Turning a small business into a big one is never easy. The statistics are grim. Research suggests that only one-tenth of 1 percent of companies will ever reach $250 million in annual revenue. An even more microscopic group, just 0.036 percent, will reach $1 billion in annual sales.

In other words, most businesses start small and stay there.

But if that's not good enough for you—or if you recognize that staying small doesn't necessarily guarantee your business's survival— there are examples of companies out there that have successfully made the transition from start-up to small business to fully-thriving large business.

That's the premise behind the search Keith McFarland, an entrepreneur and former Inc. 500 CEO, undertook in writing his book, The Breakthrough Company. "There has always been lots of books out there on how to run a big company," says McFarland, who now runs his own consulting business, McFarland Partners based in Salk Lake City. "But I couldn't find one about how to maintain fast-growth over the long-term. So I studied the companies who had done it to learn their lessons."