Entries tagged as ‘recession’
by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC
"Hmmm... should I move a piece or just eat it?"
“War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again, y’all…”
– Edwin Starr, “War”
Imagine you’re minding your own business, selling lemonade from your friendly neighborhood stand, when — BAM! — you’re torpedoed by a rival who cuts his lemonade price in half. That bastard! Here you two had settled upon a comfy price point — legally, of course, with no collusion whatsoever — and he had to upset the balance… (more…)
Categories: How To Tips
Tagged: business, competition, Intel, marketing, pricing, recession, strategy
"That's when he said he was a marketer! Imagine that? A marketer expecting to date me?"
You’ve all seen the standard romantic comedy: the lead character pines for a fantasy ideal — a millionaire, supermodel, quarterback, cheerleader, prince or princess — but in the end, our hopeless romantic finds true love with a best friend, worst enemy, nerd, prostitute, maid or bodyguard. Delusions dispelled, the true lovers lock lips and live happily ever after. Or until Hollywood makes a sequel.
Today, thanks to the recession, many businesses are undergoing the same head-spinning realignment of expectations. Their dream consumers — namely, the filthy rich — are suddenly coming up short. Damn them. So these once discriminating businesses must now pursue less profitable paramours: potential mates who were once considered “beneath them.” Some businesses even undergo extreme makeovers to appeal to the masses. And you know where that could lead… (more…)
Categories: Case Studies
Tagged: Boxster, branding, business, marketing, Neiman Marcus, Porsche, positioning, pricing, recession, Saks, Saks Fifth Avenue, Starbucks, strategy
Recession? What recession? Apple enjoyed a 15% surge in profits for the first quarter of this year and, more sensationally, just sold its one billionth iPhone App. That’s one billion in just nine months! That would be remarkable during boom times, but during the worst economy in 70 years?
Well, of course. It makes perfect sense. In fact, perhaps the recession is the reason it happened… (more…)
Categories: Case Studies
Tagged: Apple, Apps, candy, chocolate, Hershey's, iPhone, marketing, recession, Seth Godin
by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC
"I can... almost... reach... it..."
Collaboration: The Fine Art of Hookin’ Up
Partnerships, alliances and cross-promotions date back to Eve giving Adam that “come hither” look. I once worked on a cross-promotional website between Nissan and Crayola. Apple and AT&T are now making a killing with the iPhone. You can’t buy a McDonald’s Happy Meal without some movie-related toy in the box. And Yoplait has done well — and done good — by collaborating with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
Unfortunately, you don’t see many small businesses or startups thinking in terms of collaborations. Here’s what they’re missing out on… (more…)
Categories: How To Tips
Tagged: advertising, Ann Coulter, Apple, AT&T, business strategy, collaborations, cross-promotions, marketing, partnerships, recession, Steve Jobs, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Wal-Mart, Yoplait
Plus: Why “Price” isn’t Just a Number on a Sticker
Feeling plucky, punk?
Tough times like these separate the plucky from the certifiably pluckless. Plucky companies see economic turmoil as a ripe opportunity to crush weaker competitors. The pluckless see a shrinking economy and resort to shrinkage themselves: they reduce their services and their advertising till they’re but a shriveled ball of what they once were… (more…)
Categories: How To Tips
Tagged: advertising, Apple, branding, business, competition, marketing, pricing, recession, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, strategy, value, Web 2.0
by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC
As an L.A. based interactive-media guy for the past 14 years, I’m expected to blog about sexy new developments online or in Hollywood, but today I’ve decided to write about Mervyns department store. And, yes, that’s the only time you’ll ever see the words “sexy” and “Mervyns” in the same sentence.
Ah, I see I just lost 98% of this article’s readers — which reflects about the same percentage of consumers who couldn’t care less about the fashion retailer. And that explains why Mervyns recently declared bankruptcy. Since the economy’s been Bushed again, it’s easy to point fingers at macroeconomic issues, and that’s exactly what Mervyns’ management is doing… (more…)
Categories: Case Studies
Tagged: bankruptcy, branding, business, economy, fashion, Forever 21, Mervyns, positioning, recession, retail, strategy, Target
by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC
Mmm, head cheese.
The stock market these days is looking about as appetizing as a plate of warmed-over head cheese. At the same time, the real estate market is making the head cheese look good. So as a result, many businesses are cutting their expenses, particularly in marketing.
Yes, as a devoted reader of this blog, you know they’re making a mistake… (more…)
Categories: How To Tips
Tagged: BCG Matrix, Boston Consulting Group, business, Coca-Cola, Converse, GM, Hummer, marketing, MBA, Nike, recession, strategy
When the economy slows to the speed of a three-toed sloth after one too many hash brownies, the knee-jerk reaction by most marketers is to reduce ad expenditures. For some brands, however, a recession presents sweet juicy opportunities that call for increased spending. Really. And no, I’m not hitting on those brownies myself… (more…)
Categories: How To Tips
Tagged: advertising, business, competition, Dell, Hormel, job sites, marketing, Monty Python, recession, Spam, strategy
by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC
One company’s tumble is another company’s primo opportunity — if that opportunity is approached creatively. Here’s a brilliant example from this week’s business pages… (more…)
Categories: Case Studies · How To Tips
Tagged: bankruptcy, Brookstone, competition, gift cards, marketing, recession, Sharper Image, strategy
by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC
When the economy is singing the hardcore blues — kind of like now — many businesses are tempted to lower their prices. My advice? Don’t…
(more…)
Categories: How To Tips
Tagged: Converse, Dell, marketing, Nike, pricing, recession, strategy, Wal-Mart
Categories: Case Studies · Media News
Tagged: advertising, branding, bust, differentiation, dotcom, entrepreneurship, Joost, marketing, online video, recession, Silicon Valley, Stage6, start ups, technology marketing, VC, venture capital, Veoh, Web 2.0, YouTube
