Marketing to Gen X

Not exactly a ground breaking article here. However, they do make one excellent point: Gen X'ers have a short attention span. Some copywriters will tell you that long copy still sells better than short copy. If you marketing to baby boomers, then I agree. If you are marketing to Gen X'ers, you need to grab them quickly. They will read and research about their product purchases once they are interested, but you only have a glance or two to grab that interest. So, in short (for the Gen X'ers!), make the advertising copy short and hard hitting, and direct them to your website for additional research. And for god's sake, make a quality product, because they will research it and find out if it is junk before they buy.

Reaching Gen X

Prevent Them From Opting Out Of Your Email List

Great advice here from DMNews. Allow users to change their email preferences in addition to opting out of your list. Great advice if you segment you list (as you should, of course.) Allow users to cut down on the frequency of emails, change their topics of interest, or any number of other options. If they still choose to opt out, at least ask a question as to why.

Boost your email list, even during opt out.

Vacation

Not really. But I'll be away from a computer while at a conference for a week. I'll have a ton of email and updates to get through when I get back, so check me out next Sunday for some good reading. For now, enjoy March Madness Thursday and Friday. Hook
'em Horns!

Using RSS as a Marketing Tool

Getting lost in the deluge of daily spam that most consumers receive these days is obviously a concern to e-marketers today. To combat this, some companines are turning to using RSS to deliver their message to consumers. As with email, it's cheap and easy, and you can reach a broad audience quickly. But will it backfire?

Today's RSS users are the "savvy" internet users. They are the ones that try new technologies first and think of themselves as ahead of the game. They are also the ones most fed up and most vocal about spam. How will they react to spam coming in with the rest of their RSS feeds? Not with a smile, I would expect.

As RSS becomes more universally used, there will be no way for companies to avoid using it. Right now, however, I would shy away from using it and alienating these self-proclaimed savvy internet users.

Some companines starting to advertise via RSS

Media - The Necessary Evil

I like Entrepreneur.com - they have a lot of great stuff for people starting a business and great stuff for people who have been at it a while. In this article, Kim Gordon talks about how to use the media to your advantage. She's right - a good relationship with the media is more than press releases and praying to get picked up. A positive relationship with the media will certainly get you some ink.

However, what do you do during a crisis? Every business will face one if they are around long enough and too few have the right people in place to deal with a crisis. Although the point of her article was how to develop a positive relationship, Kim should have also noted that the media can turn on you quickly in times of crisis. How do I handle these crisis times? I always have an answer for any question the throw at me, and it comes in three forms: 1. "I know the answer to that and, it is..." 2. "I don't know the answer to that, but I'll find out and get back to you." Or 3. "That is something we don't want to comment on until we have more information." How do you respond to the media in a crisis?

Building a positive relationship with the media

More Line Extension Marketing SNAFUs

Dial deodorant. Protein 29 hair spray (for you old folks!) The line extension trap has a long histroy and has gobbled up some of the best (or at least highest paid) marketing professionals. Now Wrigley is testing the waters with its Doublemint Mints. To borrow from Letterman, Will It Float? When people ask for a pack of Doublemint, they want gum. I predict that this brand of mint won't be around long. Rename it, Wrigley, or lose the line.

Wrigley's shot at a line extension

Sometimes It's Good To Copy From Your Neighbor

Although Johnny Depp didn't copy Gene Wilder with his rendition of Willy Wonka, the rest of the movie was very similar and it worked. Prince (and West Coast Marketing) copied Wonka's marketing, and it will work too. Prince is inserting "Purple Tickets" in 14 of his new CDs inviting recipients to his house in SoCal. Although it doesn't appeal to me, I'm sure Prince fans will be chomping at the bit.

Prince's Purple Tickets