Successful email campaigns result from ongoing evaluation and adjustment. The real advantage of the technology is the ability to constantly assess effectiveness and make changes immediately. Yet, many food marketers treat email with the mindset that once it is developed and sent, it’s done. That’s static thinking. The following are some telltale signs that your [...]

Whether it's a new brand logo, a package redesign, or an entire ad campaign, great creative is born out of a well prepared creative brief. While it's tempting to jump directly into the creative effort, it's crucial to spend the time to do the due diligence first. A well crafted creative brief looks at the [...]

Consumers are increasingly using Internet sources for making food and beverage purchasing decisions. In a recent Nielsen study, The Nielsen Global Survey of New Product Purchase Sentiment, more than 29,000 consumers with Internet access were surveyed about their use of online sources in a number of product categories, and 60% indicated that for the food [...]

In terms of  online marketing history, email may seem like an elder parent compared to the wide variety of "young" media, i.e. social. However, take a look at the data from a recent Docstoc study that appeared in the 2/11/13 Center for Media Research, Research Brief if you have any doubt about the continuing relevance [...]

It is surprising how many companies, large and small, are still hanging on to these common online marketing myths. Subscribing to any of them can be costly in terms of resources wasted and business opportunities lost. It is time to put these marketing myths to rest: 1. A website is a website...they're all pretty much [...]

Creating a great new food or beverage brand name and visual identity is so much more than a brainstorming frenzy. It's a process, that when faithfully adhered to, results in memorable, successful food and beverage brands. Considering the significant resources invested to support a food brand, from developing its visual presence and packaging, to  marketing support, [...]

Innovations in packaging materials and configurations, along with creative graphics and messaging, have opened opportunities for food marketers to redefine products and actually invent new product categories. An early example of this trend was the redefinition of baby carrots as a snack food by carrot farmers who began offering them in convenient grab-and-go single serve [...]

For years, food marketers have struggled with this question, particularly for those brands and products that are not owned by Fortune 500 companies with deep pocket ad budgets. The answer can be found on something all food products have in common: packaging. It has been estimated that 40%, and maybe even as high as 70%, of consumers [...]

Many food and beverage marketers have been struggling with how to effectively integrate social media into their marketing efforts. Where to focus: Facebook, YouTube, the new and very pinteresting Pinterest, and so many others to consider. Well, look no further than well established email. It is in fact the largest global digital social media platform. According [...]

Slogans ruled in the “golden age” of advertising: “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” (FedEx), “Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman” (Secret deodorant), “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good” (Smucker’s, of course). Given a generous number of words, slogans can make statements about a brand that connect [...]