Mobile payments have barely caught on in the US, despite the rise of smartphones

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC).

Description: Despite growing smartphone dependence, most Americans still aren’t using the devices to pay for things. In other countries, it’s a different story.

Source: CNBC.com

Date: Aug 29, 2019

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/29/why-mobile-payments-have-barely-caught-on-in-the-us.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Why has adoption of mobile payment technology lagged in the U.S. and exploded in some other countries?
  • How can firms, like Apple, promote adoption of their mobile payments technologies?

What Does Your Brain on Influencer Marketing Look Like?

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Research, Metrics/Analytics.

Description: Measuring attribution and return on investment remains a key challenge when marketing with influencers—which means that it can be hard to quantify the merits of utilizing them. But neuroscience research from the UK, showing cognitive responses to traditional marketing vs. influencer posts, may provide some answers.

Source: eMarketer.com

Date: Aug 28, 2019

Link: https://www.emarketer.com/content/your-brain-on-influencers-neuroscience-study-explains-the-effects-of-influencer-marketing?ecid=NL1001

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key research findings?
  • How should marketing strategy reflect this knowledge?

Inside Amazon and Shopify’s race to master time and space in e-commerce

Posted by & filed under Global Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Retail Marketing, Services Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: Shopify and Amazon are more strategic partners than competitors, with Shopify needing Amazon the same way Harry Potter needs Voldemort

Source: FinancialPost.com

Date: Aug 29, 2019

Link: https://business.financialpost.com/technology/inside-amazon-and-shopifys-race-to-master-time-and-space

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize what the report says about the importance of fulfillment versus order-taking?
  • What is the strategic relationship between these firms?
  • Is this a model for Amazon’s growth globally?

15 Minutes to ‘Mayhem’: How a Tweet Led to a Shortage at Popeyes

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Research, Marketing Strategy, Metrics/Analytics, Pricing, Product Brands and Branding, Relationship Marketing, Retail Marketing, Services Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: The “chicken sandwich wars” with Chick-fil-A captivated the internet and drove record sales. Then they became a logistical headache.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: Aug 29, 2019

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/29/business/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-shortage.html

Questions for discussion:

  • What does the report say what happened?
  • Was this a “problem”?
  • Do you think it was planned?
  • What should the firm do about the situation going forward?

SPOS #685 – Roger Dooley On The Power of Friction

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC).

Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #685 – Host: Mitch Joel. Simply put: Roger Dooley is a really nice human being. His latest book is Friction – The Untapped Force That Can Be Your Most Powerful Advantage. Prior to that he authored, Brainfluence – 100 Ways to Persuade and Convince Consumers with Neuromarketing  and The Persuasion Slide. He writes at Neuromarketing, and is columnist for Forbes. Roger is the founder of Dooley Direct and co-founded College Confidential, a leading college-bound website. That business was acquired by Hobsons, where he served as VP Digital Marketing after the acquisition. Roger also spent years in direct marketing as the co-founder of a successful catalog firm and also was director of corporate planning for a Fortune 1000 company. In this episode we break down the power of removing friction for business (and why it’s so critical). Enjoy the conversation…

Source: SixPixels.com – podcast

Date: Aug 25, 2019

Link: https://www.sixpixels.com/podcast/archives/spos-685-roger-dooley-on-the-power-of-friction/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SixPixelsOfSeparation+%28Six+Pixels+of+Separation+-+Mitch+Joel%29

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key points discussed during the interview?
  • Do you agree or disagree with the suggestions?

Chicken sandwich wars: Popeyes and Chick-fil-A feud on Twitter in bid to boost sales

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Market Segmentation, Marketing Strategy, Relationship Marketing.

Description: Popeyes, which is owned by Restaurant Brands International, brought a chicken sandwich to its national menu for the first time last week. With pickles and a buttered bun, it looks a lot like a Chick-fil-A sandwich.

Source: CNBC.com

Date: Aug 22, 2019

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/22/chicken-sandwich-wars-popeyes-and-chick-fil-a-feud-on-twitter-in-bid-to-boost-sales.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you think communication effort using social media can influence consumer behavior choices in this product category?
  • What messages should these competitors send to current and potential customers?

Apple, Disney and other media giants are ready for battle against Netflix…

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Market Segmentation, Marketing Strategy, Metrics/Analytics, Pricing, Product Brands and Branding.

Description: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and others are about to come head-to-head with the likes of Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max and CNBC’s parent company, NBCUniversal. It’s been dubbed the streaming wars. In 2017, 61% of adults 18 to 29 said they primarily watch TV through a streaming service, compared to just 31% who watched cable. So who’s going to win, what’s…

Apple, Disney and other media giants are ready for battle against Netflix in the streaming war from CNBC.

Source: CNBC.com – video report

Date: Aug 10, 2019

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/08/10/how-will-apple-and-disney-fare-in-the-streaming-war-against-netflix.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the developments taking place in this industry.
  • How do you think consumers will respond to the new offerings?
  • How much money do you think consumers will be willing to spend each month?

Battle of the Bubbles

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Market Segmentation, Pricing, Product Brands and Branding, Retail Marketing.

Description: The early darling of fizzy water is losing ground to big soda, and shareholders are questioning its management.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Date: Aug 22, 2019

Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2019-lacroix-sparkling-water-wars/?srnd=businessweek-v2

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the reasons for growth in this sector in terms of changing consumer behaviors.
  • Explain the positioning of the brands mentioned in this report.

How to Cultivate a Cohesive Brand Through Micromessaging

Posted by & filed under Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Strategy, Metrics/Analytics.

Description: An Interview with Dave Grzelak of The Shipyard.. Marketers want to create data-driven experiences for two big reasons: They believe customers want them, and there’s a growing need to justify investments based on results.

Source: eMarketer.com

Date: Aug 21, 2019

Link: https://www.emarketer.com/content/how-to-cultivate-a-cohesive-brand-through-micromessaging

Questions for discussion:

  • What does Dave Grzelak say to marketers?
  • Do you agree with his thinking?

The Real Reason Sales and Marketing Teams Use AI

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Metrics/Analytics.

Description: How artificial intelligence can make your team more human.

Source: Entrepreneur.com

Date: Aug 23, 2019

Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/337870

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the highlights presented in this article.
  • Do you think people are becoming more receptive to data collection and machine driven communications?