Cheapertising

A couple of days ago, I received a press release for my “review and approval.” Aside from the atrocious grammar (does anybody know what, a comma, does, anymore?), reading it brought back a word I hadn’t thought of in some time: bloviate. Join me in the fight against it. I think I’ll shut up now….

This is the New York Times stock price for the past five years. Does your local newspaper seem to be experiencing a similar falloff? For more on this and how some people propose to solve this problem, go to this fascinating post. 

From a recent MarketingProfs article: 

According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 152 CMOs left their jobs in September 2006, setting an all-time record. Studies from executive-search firm Spencer Stuart reveal that the tenure of CMOs continues to shorten. In 2006, the average CMO lasted 23.2 months on the job, down from 23.5 in 2005 and 23.6 in 2004. The growing and complicated list of tasks, along with the expectation for immediate results, are contributing to the high turnover.

In addition, a study by Pravin Nath, Assistant Professor in the Marketing department of LeBow College of Business at Drexel University, and Vijay Mahajan, John P Harbin Centennial Chair in Business at the Marketing department in the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, found that the presence of a CMO had no impact on a firm’s performance and that firms with CMOs do not perform better, and may perform worse, than those without them.

And the first strike of the bell may have just pealed. Orbitz recently announced that it has “decided to eliminate the global Chief Marketing Officer position and continue managing the Company’s marketing efforts on a regional basis….”

Is the CMO on the verge of extinction? 

Used to be everybody knew the price of a first-class stamp? Do you? As a corollary, when’s the last time you heard about an actual post-office worker going postal? Maybe they’re not quite so busy anymore…. 

Great post by web strategist Jeremiah Owyang emphasizing strategy before tools: Stop fondling on the hammer, and focus on the house. It’s easy to become fascinated with all the technological innovation that’s happening right now. But first things first….

With apologies to John Wanamaker. Ran across this article from Businessweek: Tech ‘Solutions’ Your Small Biz Can’t Use. Most of them relate to Advertising 2.0. The author points out that technology isn’t a cure-all. Especially if you don’t know or don’t plan what you’re doing. I found it hard to tell how firmly his tongue was planted in his cheek. What do you think?

Found this something-for-everyone typography website in the latest issue of The Atlantic:  http://www.myfonts.com/

Are you proprietary about property? Intellectual property especially? Didn’t your parents tell you it was nice to share? Check out this recent interview from Wired and see where you sit. Are you an owner or a sharer? Who do you think will inherit the earth?

I serve on the board of directors for a national non-profit. The organization just sent out an end of the year appeal. At lunch the other day with four other men from my church, I did a quick count. I received two copies of the mailing, my priest received three, and another man received two. Seven pieces of mail to three men. Sigh…. Update: Found out my assistant priest received two, as well as two other board members. Aarrgghh! What donor would possibly feel good about making a donation to an organization that demonstrates such obvious waste?

Hi. If you’re interested in the brave new world of marketing communications, you can learn more here. If you just want to get cheap advertising, you’re welcome also. The world of traditional advertising is rapidly unraveling, and I don’t want to be left trying put it back on the spool. Chances are you don’t either. So let’s dive into New Media and New Marketing, with the occasional glance back.