Around the web there are all these 'carnivals,' essentially they're travelling links roundups on every topic imaginable. Not too long ago Noak Kagan decided it might be worth starting a 'Carnival of Marketing' and I agreed to be the host on January 8. Well, the time has arrived and now it's my turn to choose my favorite seven marketing links of the week. Lots of people sent in links and I did some extra reading on my own, so please forgive me if yours is not one of the seven listed, it is by no means personal.
Anyway, enough setup, here's what you all came for:
Carnival of Marketing
In no specific order.
- The iPod and iTunes reign supreme atop their respective markets, but that doesn't mean there's no room for competition. Anil Dash offers some marketing/design tips for that company with the balls to go head-to-head with Apple.
- If you don't read Terry Heaton, GET GOING! His essay "The Remarkable Opportunities of Unbundled Media should be required reading for anyone in media or marketing. This week, Terry was kind enough to offer up his newest unbundled media article, this one specifically on advertising. He begins to explain just how advertisers can hope to survive in the increasingly unbundling-as-we-speak media landscape.
- Everyone knows about the marketing brilliance that is Steve Jobs' keynote address. Most of us, however, don't know it quite as well as former Apple employee Mike Evangelist (really his name), who gave an insider's look at the creation of a Jobsian keynote.
- Over at Signal vs. Noise, Ryan Carson has been doing a multi-part series on small business. His latest post is "Tips for Increasing Sales" and while not explicitly about marketing, it's enough about marketing that I deemed it worthy of inclusion for better or for worse.
- Thought leadership is an attribute many companies covet. I've personally worked with companies to help them implement blogging strategies that work towards that goal. Over at Blue Flavor, Brian Fling explains why thought leadership is so desirable and why blogs are a great tool for marketing yourself as a thought leader. One quick quote: "This is an important shift in business, being far less guarded in sharing of intellectual property or thinking in a field. Becoming a thought leader by embracing the exchange of information can help to propel your business."
- David Schatsky of Jupiter jumps on the unbundled bandwagon, only he's still calling it fragmented (how two years ago . . . ). I found his explanation of just how we got to an unbundling media especially interesting. First came audience fragmentation (cable tv, a million different magazines on the same topic, etc.), then came personal fragmentation (new media like the internet and video games, as well as multitasking) which finally brings us to media fragmentation (downloadable songs instead of albums, TV shows without commercials, etc.). Clearly the marketing implications are enourmous.
- Most brands aim to have everyone love them, and they should. But an outspoken critic isn't necessarily a bad thing, because if there's someone out there that hates you enough to scream about it, then there's probably someone out there who loves you that much too. To quote "Congratulations -- Someone Hates Your Brand!": "Here's the deal: If your brand is clearly defined enough to have the power to attract enemies, it also has the power to attract raving fans. And the raving fans of your brand are the ones who return again and again. They're the ones who will tell their friends about you. They're the ones who will wear your logo. They're the ones that almost enjoy the annoyance of your brand-haters and will keep coming back for more."
Well, folks, that's it for this edition of Carnival of Marketing. Hope you enjoyed it (and hope I didn't sway too far from the rules to be asked back again).