A Marketing Lesson From TV's The Apprentice

Written by Debbie LaChusa


Advertising and marketing are creative disciplines. That's one reason I love being a part ofrepparttar marketing industry. Finding creative solutions to help clients sell their products and services is a fun way to make a living. Having said that, I must also say that too often I see marketers going too far.

In my opinion it is certainly possible to be too creative for your own good. What exactly do I mean by that? Let me share a very public example to explain.

My example comes fromrepparttar 146958 reality television show, "The Apprentice." Okay, so I admit it, I LOVE that show. I'm not much of a reality TV fan, but there's something about watching these teams compete on business challenges week in and week out that intrigues and entertains me.

Quite often they are given marketing-related tasks onrepparttar 146959 show. Let’s face it, marketing is one of THE most important jobs you’ll ever have in business. If you can do it well, your business will more than likely do well. If you can’t market well, your business is in trouble.

In a recent episode of “The Apprentice”repparttar 146960 task was to create a TV commercial for Dove Body Wash. The teams were instructed to come up with an "out ofrepparttar 146961 box" 30-second spot to promoterepparttar 146962 product. The result?

Both teams created garbage! I guess some may argue they certainly did think "out ofrepparttar 146963 box," and both teams tried to justify that's what they did, but inrepparttar 146964 end, they failed miserably at their number one task: to sellrepparttar 146965 product!

Can Small Business Owners Really Afford A Great Logo?

Written by Debbie LaChusa


And is having a logo really that important? My answer to both of these questions is an emphatic YES!

A logo is a graphical or visual representation of your brand. Your brand is your business, product or service and what it stands for. It's whatever you are out inrepparttar marketplace selling.

Why do small businesses need a logo? Why can't they just market using their company name? Logos are expensive, right? Can a small business owner really afford to get a logo? Or at least a good logo? Lots of questions. Some I'm sure you've pondered yourself at one time or another.

I believe ALL businesses should have a logo You need a graphic element that capturesrepparttar 146957 essence of your business and communicates an idea to your prospects and customers. A mark that can leadrepparttar 146958 look and feel of all of your marketing materials.

You only have a split second to grab someone's attention You need to makerepparttar 146959 most of that time. A good logo can communicate a message or intrigue a prospect to want to find out more.

Before you decide you can't afford a good logo Let me assure you that is absolutely NOTrepparttar 146960 case. Look, I've been inrepparttar 146961 ad agency business for 20 years. During that time I've worked with some ofrepparttar 146962 most talented graphic artists and designers inrepparttar 146963 business. But even I did not turn to them when I needed a logo for 10stepmarketing.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use