Marketing is Storytelling

Picture this scene. There is a child is all ready for bed and grabbed their favourite Dr.Seuss book. They ran over to their bed jumping in, asking for the book to be read before they went asleep. The real question is what made the Dr.Seuss series one of the most successful and memorable books of all time?

Was it the amount of creativity that was put into the books or was it the morals and values that they taught? Was it the fact the endings were never satisfactory and always wanted to know where the story went? Whatever it was Dr.Seuss wrote 40 different books between 1937-1991, he sold half a million copies.

Markets could learn a lot from Dr.Seuss when it comes to developing the company’s marketing story. Dr.Seuss was able to define his target customers, creating something that would be relevant, inspirational, and “news worthy,” for years to come. He was the first one to step out of the box and create something that no one has ever been attempted before. Dr.Seuss was able to add morals and values that adults were proud of and wanted to teach their children.

When developing the story for your company you must always keep your main audience in mind. Like Dr.Seuss, this will help you when you’re trying to think of a creative, unique and most importantly “news worthy” story to tell your audience. The goal here is to develop a story that takes on a life of its own using the audience’s morals and values. Stories could use themes such as emotion, challenge, novelty, intrigue, and tenderness.

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Nancy Ryan Advice

David Bartolini Advice

Shawn Richards Advice

William Mlacak Advice

Remembrance Day

Canadians are very proud and loyal people, and will always remember the sacrifices that were made for the freedom of today. Marketers should not forget about Remembrance Day because Canadians will never forget. However, using it as the basis of a campaign should be carefully considered.

If Remembrance Day is in a marketing campaign, it could provide a very positive image in the minds of Canadians. The only way to get a positive reaction when using Remembrance Day for marketing is to take it very seriously so it’s not seen as being manipulative.

In 2010, Eddie Bauer attempted to use Remembrance Day in its promotions. Starting on November 9-11 there was a weekend sale and all of the fall merchandise was discounted by 75%. Canadians didn’t appreciate the approach that the American company took with its Remembrance Day promotion. According to the Royal Canadian Legion director of communications Bob Butt, “The Royal Canadian Legion does not like the fact that he’s using Remembrance Day as a sales pitch.” The ironic part is that Eddie Bauer has been hosting “Veterans Day” sales in the U.S. for many years and has been successful.

To read further about this article please visit http://www.marketingmag.ca/news/marketer-news/eddie-bauer-faces-backlash-over-remembrance-day-sale-5855

Bell Canada released a commercial a number of years ago about a young man standing at Dieppe, he then called his grandfather who fought in the war. The young gentlemen telephoned his grandfather and said “Thank You.” The commercial is quite touching and does not appear to be selling or promoting Bell products.

To watch the commercial please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd1FNPx_YN4

By comparing these two companies it shows that Canadians are a very proud and loyal people. Marketers must understand that there is a place and time for selling, but Remembrance Day is not. Instead companies can join the Canadians and make this day more memorable than ever since we must never forget.  

A World Without Marketing

Why did you first decide to study marketing? For most of us, it was the decision to expand our knowledge and curiosity about the marketing world, and one day to have a career in this field. Can you image what a world without marketing would look like?

There would be no personality! Giving a company a personality is important in marketing. With the help of integrated marketing communications, direct marketing, and market research, companies are able to grow their own personalities for their consumers. Without marketing, the world would be so plain and little competition would exist. 

Nothing would be memorable! The main purpose of creating a company personality is so the company is memorable. Being able to have consumers acknowledge the advertising efforts a part from the millions of other messages is what makes it memorable. This will ensure that consumers, both current and new, all know that the company is still around and happy to fulfill their needs.  

Marketing is a long-term investment! Marketing is not just something that happens when a company first starts; it's something that is continuous. Prime examples of companies that invested are Coca-Cola, Apple, and McDonald's  Though all of these companies are successful, they're continuously using marketing to continue to reinforce the branding they have created.

Being able to listen, react, and create is the most important part of marketing! Marketing is a conversation that is constantly going back and forth between the company and its customers. With the help of social media this conversation has never been easier for consumers to communicate their opinions. Being able to listen to consumer responses and, react to them is the sign of a successful company.  

The world would be such a different place if there was no marketing! When being part of the Humber OCMC team, one must acknowledge how important marketing is to the business world. One must also understand the value marketers contribute in the success of a company. With the weekly advice from coaches the Humber OCMC team is one step closer to competing at the Windsor event on November 21-22. The sky is the limit.