From the category archives:

Stunt Marketing

Ronald, The Jets, and The Sharks

McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are locked in a three way rumble straight out of West Side Story. The turf in question: Angus burgers. To hear Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s tell it, McDonald’s has stepped onto their turf. McDonald’s, meanwhile, says they’re just following their value proposition into Angus burgers. The turf in question: Angus burgers. To hear Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s tell it, McDonald’s has crossed the line. McDonald’s, meanwhile, claims they’re just following their value proposition into Angus burgers. McDonald’s sits securely atop value provider mountain. CKE, has an equally secure place atop big burger mountain–it’s really more of a hill. So, what’s CKE doing? Coming off their hill to attack McDonald’s value mountain. West Side Story ends with the hero dead and bleeding in the play ground. Both sides loose. An unnecessary tragedy. The Angus rumble will have two losers too, but I’m betting Ronald won’t be one of them.

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Mac spins it to win it

A devastating fire, with the power to knock most off their feet, will only graze Houston’s Gallery Furniture. Mattress Mac’s indomitable spirit is matched only by his marketing acumen. Jim McIngvale is conducting a morning-after clinic on how to leverage good from bad:
1. Display authentic humility.
With millions blazing behind him, he spoke on [.....]

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This historic day can help you win too

Opening a book opens your mind, birthing new understandings. I was 14 and the book was The Selling of the President . Joe McGinniss fascinated me with how Richard Nixon was packaged, presented, and sold.  I came to understand that the world is a series of marketing propositions. Barack Obama must have read[.....]

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BMW’s risk nets viral success

Viral marketing is a chancy game. The best made plans have blown up on companies like Wal-Mart and TBS . When the public discovers what seems real is just a marketing ploy, it’s not just ineffective, it’s damaging to the brand. BMW rolled the dice with a mocumentary film about a Bavarian town attempting to launch a car off a ramp and have it land in the the United States.

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Wrestling for brand credibility

Roller derby and wrestling, once staples of late night and remnant weekend slots, have become mainstream. It was campy fun back then. It’s big money now. Where big money goes, so goes controversy. This one has lessons for you.
WWE is going to the mat defending itself after being featured in CNN’s expose[.....]

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Supermarket Hostages

Being handcuffed to a shopping cart isn’t the best way to build trust. But, that’s how customers feel about so-called supermarket loyal shopper cards . That’s because the premise of the cards violates a basic principal of attraction marketing.
Two-thirds of a typical supermarket’s business is done by 20% of its customers, according to the[.....]

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Proof in the purchases

Skeptics take note: by December 7, 2005, ABC had already sold 800,000 downloads of shows to users of video iPods . As mentioned earlier , holding the device in your hands should be an "ah-ha" moment for you. Over $1.5 million in sales isn’t merely stout evidence, but the first wave. Wait till[.....]

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