Water powered anything? - Not by us

The last newsletter we sent out asked the question "What's in a name?" In one of life's little ironies, our question was answered for us on Friday, March 3rd when a company (Emerging Technologies Development Corporation) was ordered by the State of Missouri to repay investors $100,000 and we started receiving phone calls asking us if we were involved. If you look at the first two words of their name and the first two words of our legal name ...

Who is to say that one of the giants in sport business does not need more brand attention? A local advertising agency, Schupp Co in St. Louis has helped Cardinals with a great caper kicking off the 2006 Season – Redbird heist.

A person calling himself the Bird Napper stole two Birds on the Bat from a local billboard in downtown St. Louis and carried the large Cardinals cutouts Redbird across St. Louis downtown.  He finally showed up at St. Louis Post-Dispatch at 4:30 on Wednesday. The local TV media and St. Louis Post Dispatch all picked up the story.  Here is a quote from the stltoday.com:

Then, a break in the case. Bird Napper had the birds, and he would prove it on Tucker Boulevard downtown in front of the ...

According to BtoBOnline.com, email read and click rates have dropped considerably (22% and 21% respectively) during the 4th Quarter of 2005 compared to 2004, while volume has risen 50%. 

If you're a marketer and your numbers are going down what does this tell you?  Change your approach. 

One consistent theme in the presentations Dan Klein and I give on email marketing is email can be very effective if done properly.  How do you do it effectively?  In my humble opinion, here are the keys:

• Use compelling creative.  You need a look and content that stands out in the in ...

Add another item to the list of things you should try in your email newsletter.  B-to-B Online says you should deliver podcasts to your email newsletter audience. David A. Fish explains in this article why this technology is useful and relevant from your newsletters. If you don't know what podcasting is: Catch up at wikipedia.

Enjoy

Honestly, this awesome beverage packs such a punch, you'd practically have to pay me not to pretend to talk about it on my cell phone when I'm in earshot of consumers in the coveted 17-34 demographic.

Even if I weren't required by my employer to pull a six-pack off the shelf at my local grocery store while emitting a quiet but distinct "All right!" under my breath just loud enough for the other customers to hear, I'd do it anyway—just for the pleasure of furtively turning people on to this amazing thirst quencher.

In stealth-marketing parlance, this is what is known as "roach baiting," but I prefer to call it "the least I can do."