Latest news

Click a news headline below to view the full story.

More or less: Sep 2, 2011

You can either seek to get more out of an opportunity (job, technology, advertisement, interaction, person, moment), or less.

More exposure, more risk, more upside, more work, more learning, more engagement, more passion, more chance to be blamed, more opportunity to make a difference, more effort...

or less.

What you should worry about: Aug 19, 2011

You''ve heard this question a lot. It's what a novice asks an expert. He's planning something or launching something and he wonders, "Should I worry about..."

Actually, it doesn't pay to worry about anything.

It might benefit you to pay attention to something or to learn about something, because that will help you make a better decision when then time comes.

If it's not something you can decide about, if it's not something you can avoid, then all you can do is worry. And what's the point of that?

Interesting & Interested: Aug 5, 2011

... it helps to be both. These are the two ways you earn attention.

If it's so obvious, why is it so difficult?

Making a straighter ruler: May 13, 2011

It's not easy. It's hard to get straighter than straight.

Over time, processes that seek to decrease entropy and create order are valued, but improving them gets more difficult as well. If you're seeking to make the organized more organized, it's a tough row to hoe.

Far easier and more productive to create productive chaos, to interrupt, re-create, produce, invent and redefine.

"I don't have any good ideas" Mar 4, 2011

Now I know you're bluffing.

First, everyone has good ideas. Maybe not as fast or as often as others, but are you telling me that in your entire life, you've never had one good idea? Ever?

Second, and way more telling, what happens if I give you a good idea. Here. Take it. Now what? You have it, right?

Now you need to find a second reason for not making things happen. "I don't have enough time." "I can't get the resources." "I'm not sure, really sure, guaranteed, that this is a good idea." "My boss won't let me."

And so the lizard brain speaks up, and so the cycle continues, and so the Resistance wins.

There are more good ideas, right here, right now, for free, than ever before. More opportunities to connect and lead and make a difference and an impact and a living. Fewer guarantees, sure, but more ideas.

It's your choice about whether or not you do anything with them, but please don't tell me you don't have any good ideas.

Bigger or smaller? Feb 18, 2011

Every decision we make, every encounter we have... we get a choice.

Are we opening doors or closing them?

It's so tempting to shut people down, to limit the upside, to ostracize, select and demonize. It makes things a lot simpler. Not seeing means you don't have to take action. Not opening means it's easier to announce that you're done. And not raising the bar means you're less likely to fail.

Just about all the things we treasure in our world were built by people who were intent on making things bigger, enabling things to be better, opening doors for us to achieve. The line between a realist and an optimist is hard to draw. And both might be self-fulfilling.

What are you working on? Feb 4, 2011

If someone asks you that, are you excited to tell them the answer?

I hope so. If not, you're wasting away.

No matter what your job is, no matter where you work, there's a way to create a project (on your own, on weekends if necessary), where the excitement is palpable, where something that might make a difference is right around the corner.

Hurry, go do that.

Our normal approach is useless here: Dec 10, 2010

Perhaps this can be our new rallying cry.

If it's a new problem, perhaps it demands a new approach. If it's an old problem, it certainly does.

Do more vs. do better: Nov 12, 2010

The easiest form of management is to encourage or demand that people do more. The other translation of this phrase is to go faster.

The most important and difficult form of management (verging on leadership) is to encourage people to do better.

Better is trickier than more because people have trouble visualizing themselves doing better. It requires education and coaching and patience to create a team of people who are better.

Do you need a permit?: Oct 22, 2010

Where, precisely, do you go in order to get permission to make a dent in the universe?

The accepted state is to be a cog. The preferred career is to follow the well-worn path, to read the instructions, to do what we're told. It's safer that way. Less responsibility. More people to blame.

When someone comes along and says, "not me, I'm going down a different path," we flinch. We're not organized to encourage and celebrate the unproven striver. It's safer to tear them down (with their best interests at heart, of course). Better, we think, to let them down easy, to encourage them to take a safer path, to be realistic, to hear it from us rather than the marketplace.

Perhaps, years ago, this was good advice. Today, it's clearly not. In fact, it's disrespectful, ill-advised and short sighted. How dare we cheer when a bold changemaker stumbles? Our obligation today isn't to spare the feelings of our peers from future disappointment. It's to establish an expectation that of course they're going to do something that matters.

If you think there's a chance you can make a dent, GO.

Now.

Hurry.

Generous gifts vs. free samples: Oct 8, 2010

Free isn't always generous. Free can be a legitimate marketing strategy, an ultimately selfish way to increase sales. Once you spread your ideas (and free is the best way to do that), there are all sorts of ways to profit. But don't be confused. Free samples and free ideas and free bonuses are not necessarily generous acts.

A generous gift comes with no transaction foreseen or anticipated. A gift is a gift, not the beginning of a transaction. When you see a Picasso painting at an art gallery, Picasso doesn't get anything (he's dead). Even his heirs don't get anything. His art is a gift to anyone who sees it.

Giving gifts is a fairly alien endeavor. In most families, even the holidays are more about present exchange than the selfless act of actually giving a gift.

The cool part, the punchline, is that giving a gift for no reason and with no transaction contemplated is actually incredibly powerful. It changes your approach to the market, it changes your relationship with the recipient and yes, it changes you.

What shape is your funnel?: Sep 24, 2010

Put random folks in at the top and loyal customers come out at the bottom...

A billboard leads people to a website, which gets some people to subscribe via email which drives some folks to respond to a promotion which leads a few to come back for the stuff that isn't on sale, which leads to someone who can't live without you.

That's the obvious path of outbound marketing. Most people you pour into the funnel hop out long before they become loyal customers.

The thing is, some funnels are more efficient than others. Expose your idea to ten of the right people and it catches on with three of them. Other ideas or offers need to be exposed to far more people (and go through more steps) before they're likely to convert someone.

The mistake we often make: thinking that the problem is that there's not enough people starting the process, not enough people being exposed to your offer. In fact, it's almost always a problem with how efficient the funnel is and how likely it is that loyal customers tell their friends. If you take care of those two elements, you have a lot more to invest in promotion, and delightfully, the promotion is more effective as well.

Google advertising puts the funnel shape under stress. If you can make your funnel more efficient, then you can afford to spend more money on each person you put into the top of the funnel via a paid ad. If your competitor can convert twice as many people as you can, she can spend twice as much per person, no? And thus the smart competitor will buy up as much of the market as possible. The only response: shape a more efficient funnel.

Why jazz is more interesting than bowling: Sep 13, 2010

Bowling is all about one number: the final score. And great bowlers come whisker-close to hitting the perfect score regularly. Not enough dimensions for me to be fascinated by, and few people pay money to attend bowling matches.

Jazz is practiced over a thousand or perhaps a million dimensions. It's non-linear and non-predictable, and most of all, it's never perfect.

And yet...

when we get to work, most of us choose to bowl.

Senior management: Aug 27, 2010

A newly-retired executive takes a job as an adjunct professor and really shakes things up. Both the school and the students are blown away by her fresh thinking and new approaches.

A forty-year old internet executive who has been running his company for decades misses one new trend after another, because he's still living in 1998.

One thing that happens to management when they get senior is that they get stuck. (As we saw with the new professor, senior isn't about old, it's about how long you've been there).

If you've been doing it forever, you discover (but may not realize) that the things that got you this power are no longer dependable.

Reliance on the tried and true can backfire (Rupert keeps missing one opportunity after another, and keeps misunderstanding the medium he works in) or it can (rarely) pay off (Steve Jobs keeps repeating the same business model again and again--it's not an accident that Apple has no real online or social media footprint. Steve believes in beautifully designed objects, closed systems and evangelizing to developers and creatives).

Worth quoting--one of Arthur C. Clarke's lesser known three laws:  "When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is probably wrong."

The paradox is that by the time you get to be senior, the decisions that matter the most are the ones that would be best made by people who are junior...

Getting unstuck: solving the perfect problem: Aug 13, 2010

The only problems you have left are the perfect ones. The imperfect ones, the ones with a clearly evident solution, well, if they were important, you've solved them already.

It's the perfect problems that keep us stuck.

Perfect because they have constraints, unbendable constraints, constraints that keep us trapped. I hate my job, I need this job, there's no way to quit, to get a promotion or to get a new boss, no way to move, my family is in town, etc.

We're human, that's what we do--we erect boundaries, constraints we can't ease, and we get trapped.

Or perhaps it's your product or service or brand. Our factory is only organized to make X, but the market doesn't want X as much, or there is regulation, or a new competitor is now offering X at half the price and the board won't do anything, etc.

There's no way to solve the perfect problem because every solution involves breaking an unbreakable constraint.

And there's your solution.

The way to solve the perfect problem is to make it imperfect. Don't just bend one of the constraints, eliminate it. Shut down the factory. Walk away from the job. Change your product completely. Ignore the board.

If the only alternative is slow and painful failure, the way to get unstuck is to blow up a constraint, deal with the pain and then run forward. Fast.

Upstream and downstream: Jul 30, 2010

Most of the time, we think of our job as a set of tasks that take place in a ---> [box] <---.

It turns out, though, that if we go upstream and alter the stuff that comes to us, it's a lot easier to do great work. And if we go downstream and teach people how to work with what we created, the final product is better as well. Now, it's more of a --> [   box   ] <--.

A doctor can consider her work in the box of the examining room. But if she figures out how to get people to quit smoking before they come in, her results are better. If she figures out how to get people to take their meds after they leave, same thing.

A designer who receives a better project brief will deliver better work. A manufacturer who figures out how to teach users to use the object properly will get better word of mouth...

Marketers, of course, can have the biggest box of all. So the stuff we think of as 'marketing' can be altered long before the person ever sees an ad, and have an impact long after they've got the product.

The challenge lies in spending a lot of time and money on the upstream and downstream parts of the work, instead of always assuming that your [box] is just what happens inside your cubicle, or as a direct result of your actions.

All you need to know... : Jul 16, 2010

is that it's possible.

One of the under-reported stories of the internet is this: it constantly reports on what's possible. Somewhere in the world, someone is doing something that you decided couldn't be done. By calling your bluff and by pointing out the possibilities, this reporting of possibility changes everything.

You can view this as a horrible burden, one that raises the bar and eliminates any sinecure of comfort and hiding you can find, or you can embrace it as a chance to stretch.

Most organizations forget to ask the question in the first place.

Expose yourself...: Jul 2, 2010

With so many options in media, interaction and venues, you now get to choose what you expose yourself to.

Expose yourself to art, and you'll come to appreciate it and aspire to make it.

Expose yourself to anonymous scathing critics and you will begin to believe them (or flinch in anticipation of their next appearance.)

Expose yourself to get-rich-quick stories and you'll want to become one.

Expose yourself to fast food ads and you'll crave french fries.

Expose yourself to angry mobs of uninformed, easily manipulated protesters and you'll want to join a mob.

Expose yourself to metrics about your brand or business or performance and you'll work to improve them.

Expose yourself to anger and you might get angry too.

Expose yourself to people making smart decisions and you'll probably learn how to do it as well.

Expose yourself to eager long-term investors (of every kind) and you'll likely to start making what they want to support.

It's a choice if you want it to be.

Wondering around: Jun 18, 2010

I stumbled on a great typo last night. "Staff in the lobby were wondering around..."

Wandering around is an aimless waste of time.

Wondering around, though, that sounds useful.

Wondering why this product is the way it is, wondering how you can make the lobby more welcoming, wondering if your best customers are happily sharing your ideas with others... So many things worth wondering about, so few people actually taking the time to do it.

Wondering around is the act of inquiring with generous spirit.

You rock: Jun 4, 2010

This is deceptive.

You don't rock all the time. No one does. No one is a rock star, superstar, world-changing artist all the time. In fact, it's a self-defeating goal. You can't do it.

No, but you might rock five minutes a day.

Five minutes to write a blog post that changes everything, or five minutes to deliver an act of generosity that changes someone. Five minutes to invent a great new feature, or five minutes to teach a groundbreaking skill in a way that no one ever thought of before. Five minutes to tell the truth (or hear the truth).

Five minutes a day you might do exceptional work, remarkable work, work that matters. Five minutes a day you might defeat the lizard brain long enough to stand up and make a difference.

And five minutes of rocking would be enough, because it would be five minutes more than just about anyone else.

(Seth Godin)

Try different: May 21, 2010

The usual mantra is to 'try harder'. Trying harder is impossible when you're already trying as hard as you can.

But you can always try different.

Years ago, I was creating trivia questions for a product we built for Prodigy. We had a 99% accuracy rate in doing the questions. Which was great, except there were 1800 questions in a batch, which meant 18 wrong each time, which was totally and completely unacceptable. These were honest mistakes, made by smart people working as hard as they could.

No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't do better than 99%. So we switched our system completely and did it in a totally different way. Same number of people, same number of hours, 100% accuracy.

If it's not working, harder might not be the answer.

(Seth Godin)

In between frames: May 7, 2010

Comic books work because the action takes place between the frames. Our imagination fills in the gaps between what happened in that frame and this frame, which means that we're as much involved as the illustrator and author are in telling the story.

Marketing, it turns out, works precisely the same way.

Marketing is what happens in between the overt acts of the marketer. Yes you made a package and yes you designed a product and yes you ran an ad... but the consumer's take on what you did is driven by what happened out of the corner of her eye, in the dead spaces, in the moments when you let your guard down.

Marketing is what happens when you're not trying, when you're being transparent and when there's no script in place.It's not marketing when everything goes right on the flight from Perth to Sydney. It's marketing when your people don't respond after losing the guitar that got checked in.

It's not marketing when I use your product as intended. It's marketing when my friend and I are talking about how the thing we bought from you changed us.

Bowling 300: Apr 23, 2010

Last week, I had interactions with two organisations that did exactly what they said they would do. Neither asked nor expected anything in return, they just did great work.

There are very few endeavours where perfect is possible (bowling is one, of course). It turns out that when you take on a complex task like putting on a conference or shooting a video, you won't deliver perfect. 300 is a random event, not something achievable.

In those situations (which mean most of the time for most of us) the question is, "what do you do when things don't go exactly the way you planned a month ago?" And it turns out that if your bias is to always make it right, to use grace and flair to over deliver at every turn, you've just discovered the single most important secret of marketing. Because when you amaze and delight, people talk about you.

First, organize 1,000: Apr 9, 2010

Is there a business case for this?

I think the ability to find and organize 1,000 people is a breakthrough opportunity. One thousand people coordinating their actions is enough to change your world (and make a living.)

1,000 people each spending $1,000 on a special interest cruise equals a million dollars.

1,000 people willing to spend $250 to attend a day-long seminar gives you the leverage to invite just about anyone you can imagine to fly in and speak.

1,000 people voting as a bloc can change local politics forever.

1,000 people willing to try a new restaurant you find for them gives you the ability to make an entrepreneur successful and change the landscape of your town.

Even better, coordinating the learning and connections of this tribe of 1,000 is not just profitable, it's rewarding. If you can take them where they want to go, you become indispensable (and respected).

What's difficult? What's difficult is changing your attitude. Instead of speed dating your way to interruption, instead of yelling at strangers all day trying to make a living, coordinating a tribe of 1,000 requires patience, consistency and a focus on long-term relationships and life time value. You don't find customers for your products. You find products for your customers.

 

Is there a business case for this?

I think the ability to find and organize 1,000 people is a breakthrough opportunity. One thousand people coordinating their actions is enough to change your world (and make a living.)

1,000 people each spending $1,000 on a special interest cruise equals a million dollars.

1,000 people willing to spend $250 to attend a day-long seminar gives you the leverage to invite just about anyone you can imagine to fly in and speak.

1,000 people voting as a bloc can change local politics forever.

1,000 people willing to try a new restaurant you find for them gives you the ability to make an entrepreneur successful and change the landscape of your town.

Even better, coordinating the learning and connections of this tribe of 1,000 is not just profitable, it's rewarding. If you can take them where they want to go, you become indispensable (and respected).

What's difficult? What's difficult is changing your attitude. Instead of speed dating your way to interruption, instead of yelling at strangers all day trying to make a living, coordinating a tribe of 1,000 requires patience, consistency and a focus on long-term relationships and life time value. You don't find customers for your products. You find products for your customers.

How far away is your future?: Mar 26, 2010

Let's try a thought experiment:

A flying saucer comes to Earth, destroys a major city to get our attention, then announces that in 10,000 years it is coming back to destroy the Earth. In order to eliminate any doubt, it then blows up Mars.

Assume for a moment that you believe the threat and there's nothing we can do about it...

Question: how would knowing that the planet would disappear in 10,000 years change your typical day?

Okay, now run the same story, but 1,000 years from now instead.

You can probably guess where this is going. What if it were twenty years? If it were twenty years, how would that change things?

Most of us assume a single range of focus that we care about. And it's usually right around the corner, or even closer. Is that the place to be focusing your brand or your business or your life?

Put a name on it: Mar 12, 2010

Here's a positive step to avoid the faceless bureaucracy that wants to take over your organization:

Every new rule needs to be associated with one and only one person who is willing to stand up for it and explain it (to your people and to the public).

"No swimming until 45 minutes after eating." Really? Why? Who made this rule up? Why?

I think most international travelers would like to know who made the rule that bans wifi from international flights. Or the name of the other person who made the rule that you can't have a blanket covering your legs during the last hour of a flight. If we knew the bureaucrat's name, could we lobby to have them fired for being ridiculous actors in security theater?

Organizations thrive on their ability to allow individuals to remain faceless. It permits them to act badly, not in the interest of their customers.

One of the reasons I so enjoy buying from small companies is that you know exactly who has their name on each and every policy. It builds a more responsive organization and it's good marketing.

Fear of bad ideas: Feb 19, 2010

A few people are afraid of good ideas, ideas that make a difference or contribute in some way. Good ideas bring change, that's frightening.

But many people are petrified of bad ideas. Ideas that make us look stupid or waste time or money or create some sort of backlash.

The problem is that you can't have good ideas unless you're willing to generate a lot of bad ones.

Painters, musicians, entrepreneurs, writers, chiropractors, accountants--we all fail far more than we succeed. We fail at closing a sale or playing a note. We fail at an idea for a series of paintings or the theme for a trade show booth.

But we succeed far more often than people who have no ideas at all.

Someone asked me where I get all my good ideas, explaining that it takes him a month or two to come up with one and I seem to have more than that. I asked him how many bad ideas he has every month. He paused and said, "none."

And there, you see, is the problem.

It's a process, not an event: Feb 5, 2010

Dating is a process. So is losing weight, being a public company and building a brand.

On the other hand, putting up a trade show booth is an event. So are going public and having surgery.

Events are easier to manage, pay for and get excited about.

Processes build results for the long haul.

 

Embracing lifetime value: Jan 20, 2010

If you walk into a company-owned mobile phone store to sign up for a contract, what do you think you are worth?

Few businesses understand (really understand) just how much a customer is worth. Add to this the additional profit you get from a delighted customer spreading the word--it can easily double or triple the lifetime value.

So, a chiropractor might see a new patient being worth $2,500, easily. And yet... how much are they spending on courting, catering to and seducing that new customer? My guess is that $50 feels like a lot to the doc. Instead of comparing what you invest to the benefit you receive from the first bill, the first visit, the first transaction, it's important to not only recognise but embrace the true lifetime value of one more customer.

Write it down. Post it on the wall. What would happen if you spent 100% of that amount on each of your next ten new customers? That's more money than you have to spend right now, I know that, but what would happen? Imagine how fast you would grow, how quickly the word would spread.

Here's how you'll know when you've really embraced this--a good customer at your podiatry practice (or supermarket or tax firm) walks out the door in a huff and you turn to your partner and say, "There goes $74,000."

Choose your customers, choose your future: Jan 11, 2010

Marketers rarely think about choosing customers... like a sailor on shore leave, we're not so picky. Huge mistake.

Your customers define what you make, how you make it, where you sell it, what you charge, who you hire and even how you fund your business. If your customer base changes over time but you fail to make changes in the rest of your organisation, stress and failure will follow.

Sell to angry cheapskates and your business will reflect that. On the other hand, when you find great customers, they will eagerly co-create with you. They will engage and invent and spread the word.

It takes vision and guts to turn someone down and focus on a different segment, on people who might be more difficult to sell at first, but will lead you where you want to go over time.

At ASB Marketing we have the best customers and we're always looking for ways to improve our srevice.

From all of us to all of you: Dec 11, 2009

Well? What a year? But we got here!

And we got here because of the fantastic support we received from loyal clients, brand new customers and a culture of “doing what is required”.

From all of us at ASB Marketing, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a very happy, safe and prosperous 2010.

Enjoy the holiday break if you are lucky enough to have one, and we look forward to doing it all again next year, only bigger, brighter and better!

That’s it….2010 the year of the 3 B’s! I might have to just go and trademark that!

But's that's ASB marketing.

Merry Christmas everyone……………………

 

Benefit of the doubt: Dec 8, 2009

It's almost impossible to communicate something clearly and succinctly to everyone, all the time.

So misunderstandings occur.

We misunderstand a comment or a gesture or a policy or a contract.

And then what happens?

Well, if we're engaged with someone we like or trust, we give them the benefit of the doubt. We either assume that what they actually meant was the thing we expected from someone like them, or we ask about it.

If we're engaged with a stranger, or someone we don't trust we assume the worst.

The challenge, then, is to earn the "benefit of the doubt". How many of your customers, prospects, vendors, regulators and colleagues give you the benefit of the doubt?

If you work at it, could you make that number increase?

The "Why" imperative: Nov 17, 2009

Successful organisations spend a lot of time saying, "that's not what we do."

It's a requirement, because if you do everything, in every way, you're sunk. You got to where you are by standing for something, by approaching markets and situations in a certain way. Sure, Nike could make money in the short run by licensing their name to a line of wines and spirits, but that's not what they do. 

"That's not what we do," is the backbone of strategy, it determines who you are and where you're going.

Except in times of change. Except when opportunities come along. Except when people in the organisation forget to ask, "why?"

If the only reason you don't do something is because you never did, that's not a good reason. If the environment has changed dramatically and you are feeling pain because of it, this is a great reason to question yourself, to ask why.

The why factor is really clear online. Simon and Schuster or the Encyclopedia Britannica could have become Google (organizing the world's information) but they didn't build a search engine because that's not what they do. Struggling newspapers could have become thriving networks of long tail content, but they chose not to, because that's not what they do.

Why?

That's the key question, one that organisations large and small need to ask a lot more often now that the economy is officially playing by new rules.

Exhibitionists! : Nov 9, 2009

		That’s all we were and loved it. What a show? Here’s a snapshot of what we got up to for a few days at Mining Australia 2009. Our thanks go to all the people who stopped and said G’day. The feedback has been terrific and we look forward to working with each and every one of you.

		The staff at ASB were fantastic from Joanne who selected all the gear to go, to Shawn who lugged everything Joanne selected! Our account managers spoke to all who stopped and even some who didn’t. As a first time exhibitor, we took away a lot of ideas and are already planning our next venture.

Make a decision: Oct 19, 2009

It doesn't have to be a wise decision or a perfect one. Just make one.

In fact, make several. Make more decisions could be your three word mantra.

No decision is a decision as well, the decision not to decide. Not deciding is usually the wrong decision. If you are the go-to person, the one who can decide, you'll make more of a difference. It doesn't matter so much that you're right, it matters that you decided.

Of course it's risky and painful. That's why it's a rare and valuable skill.

See you at the Expo: Oct 5, 2009

We are very proud to be a major player at this years Mining Australia 2009 expo.
Promoted through Swan Exhibitions, ASB Marketing has agreed to sponsor part of the Expo to support the industry that has supported us for so many years.
All the details are on the flyer, so if you have a spare moment, drop in and say G’day and have a look at what we’re proud to be doing.

You're remarkable: Sep 15, 2009

If the marketplace isn't talking about you, there's a reason.

If people aren't discussing your products, your services, your cause, your movement or your career, there's a reason.

The reason is that you're boring. (I guess that's what boring means, right?) And you're probably boring on purpose. You have boring pricing because that's safer. You have a boring location because to do otherwise would be nuts. You have boring products because that's what the market wants. That boring staff? They're perfectly well qualified...

You don't get unboring for free. Remarkable costs time and money and effort, but most of all, remarkable costs a willingness to be wrong.

Remarkable is a choice.

We don't compare ourselves: Sep 3, 2009

Some airports brag about being the busiest airport in their country. Like most municipal facilities, they don’t brag about having the best, the most pleasant, the most engaging or the most remarkable airport in the country.

That’s a shame, because airports are great opportunities to create value. Lots of curious, alert people with money to spend and connections to make. Yet the lowest-common-denominator is served, relentlessly. If you like fried food, there’s plenty to choose from. You’d think that rather than cater to the centre of the curve 100 times at 100 concessions, they’d pay attention to some of the outliers now and then...

Imagine the delight, then, when you stumble upon a small cafe, located at the farthest part of the terminal. Perhaps because it’s at the end of the line, the economic and turnover pressure is less. Regardless, it’s better than what we have been exposed to and provides what we have been taught we should deserve. The general manager explains why in the simple quote. “We don’t compare ourselves to other airport outlets; we’re trying to be the best restaurant in town.” “If you go, say hi to Carolyn at the bar. Tell her I sent you and she’ll take care of you.”

Who (or what) are you comparing yourself to?

On being creative: Aug 27, 2009

Branding we all agree, is one of the most effective marketing vehicles available to business.

The cost associated with developing a brand that depicts your business is well documented.

Where that brand appears and how it is received is equally as important as the development itself. A poor response or a bad fit, and it all comes undone.

That’s where these three talented individuals come into play. We boast an Art Design team that constantly inspires our clients and leads brand marketing in Australia.

Let’s meet ASB Marketing’s graphic artists:

Alejandro Tearney

 

Katherine Kerr

 

Keith Wilcox

Welcome additions: Aug 12, 2009

Boy, have we been busy on the recruitment side of things?

To stay ahead of the pack and to address the changing markets, we determined through our planning that our staff will be the difference between success and outrageous results.

Accordingly we unveil the latest additions to the team and announce they are waiting to serve.

Reception Keryn Meyerkort

The first port of call for anyone wishing to deal with ASB Marketing is reception. Perhaps when you add managing the accounts as well, you find the role really has to be handled by a professional.Keryn Meyerkort has slipped into the role as if she has been with us for years. Joining us in May, Keryn has quickly assumed the mantle as the face of ASB, so give her a call…….she wants to help.

Sales Linda Collett

Linda Collett has that vital ingredient for success…….industry experience. Her ability to pick up the ASB Marketing operating systems in such a short period of time has been remarkable. Feedback from some of the clients Linda inherited upon her arrival has been terrific and the Sales team is nearing completion.

Operations Shawn Perzamanos

Our latest addition is Shawn. Given the increased workload being experienced in the warehouse, Shawn Perzamanos has begun a training program that will see him progress into the Assistant Operation Managers position, as he finds out all there is to know about the promotional products industry. He has made the warehouse his own and personally inspects every article before it leaves for your workplace!

Death Spiral: Jul 23, 2009

You've probably seen it. The fish monger sees a decline in business, so they have less money to spend on upkeep and inventory, so they keep the fish a bit longer and don't clean up as often, so of course, business declines and then they have even less money... Eventually, you have an empty, smelly fish store that's out of business.

The doctor has fewer patients so he doesn't invest as much in training or staff and so some other patients choose to leave which means that there are even fewer patients...

The newspaper has fewer advertisers, so they can't invest as much in running stories, so people stop reading it, which means advertisers have less reason to advertise which leaves less money for stories...

As Tom Peters says, "You can't shrink your way to greatness," and yet that's what so many dying businesses try to do. They hunker down and wait for things to get better, but they don't. This isn't a dip, it's a cul de sac. It's over.

Right this minute, you still have some cash, some customers, some momentum... Instead of squandering it in a long, slow, death spiral, do something else. Buy a new platform. Move. Find new products for your clients that trust you.

Change is a bear, but it's better than death.

The thing about goals: Jul 10, 2009

Having goals is a pain in the neck.

If you don't have a goal (a corporate goal, a market share goal, a personal career goal, an athletic goal...) then you can just do your best. You can take what comes. You can reprioritize on a regular basis. If you don't have a goal, you never have to worry about missing it. If you don't have a goal you don't need nearly as many excuses, either.

Not having a goal lets you make a ruckus, or have more fun, or spend time doing what matters right now, which is, after all, the moment in which you are living.

The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun, in the short run.

It seems to me, though, that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact... those people have goals.

Two halves of the value fraction: Jun 18, 2009

In a down economy, marketers fret a lot about price. We think that since times are tough, people care about price and nothing but price.

Of course, people actually care more about value. They care about value more than they used to because they can’t afford to overpay, they don’t want to make a mistake with their money.

Value = benefit/price. That means that one way to make value go up is to lower price, right?

The thing is, there’s another way to make the value go up. Increase what you give. Increase quality and quantity and the unmeasurable pieces that bring confidence and joy to an interaction.

If all of your competitors are busy increasing value by cutting prices, you can actually increase market share by increasing value and raising benefits.

Nostalgia is a basic human emotion: Jun 2, 2009

Kodak created a billion dollar industry by giving people a tool to feed their nostalgia.

We don't take pictures because we want to know what we're seeing now... we already know that.
We take pictures because it makes us feel good to know that years later, when nostalgia for that moment comes around, we'll be ready.

Advertisers and marketers spend a lot of time on emotions... joy, love, jealousy, insecurity, greed... but nostalgia gets overlooked.
Now there's an opportunity.

Aside: when you're doing something important, like launching a big project, or a new company, or running some sort of campaign designed to change things, keep a scrapbook. Not a note book, a tool for writing down facts - a scrapbook.

Include photos and quotes and clippings and events.
Two reasons. First, you'll be glad later and more important, it will remind you that you're doing something important and that time is precious.

On becoming a household name: May 25, 2009

The main objective of advertising is to increase sales.  
No argument there.

To become a household name however, requires you to become familiar.
People like to talk to those they trust, know or have heard of. People buy from those they feel comfortable in dealing with.
This relationship cannot result from banner advertising.

It's said you'll become famous once you've been heard a hundred times.
So the challenge is to focus on products that drill your name or picture or phrase into ones' head.
Over and over, consistency of message.

A household name may not be for everyone, but it is for people who matter.

Winters on it's way: May 12, 2009

Well it's Autumn and that means now's the time to place the orders for all your winter wear.
ASB Marketing has just launched it's Jacket Special and the timing cannot be better.

Check out our latest promotion:

Whats New?: Apr 14, 2009

Having recently returned from the annual Australian Promotional Products Association (APPA) convention in New South Wales, Andrew Bloom was excited by the level of professionalism and enthusiasm being displayed by the industry en masse.

If ever there was a time where the promotional products industry needed to add value for their clients, it's right this minute.

Part of this process is letting your clients know what's new and how they can maintain that advantage over their competitors.

Here are just a few of the new releases to whet the appetite:

The very stylish, custom-made phone holder, which every office desk in Perth must have. Easily branded, conveniently sent via mail and keeps your companies' message in front of people.

Add that touch of elegance to the your favourite bottle of wine with the unique crystal wine stopper and proudly Australian.

Conveniently store enough cash for the paper, a coffee on the run or a coin to determine whose kicking in which direction! C'mon Ref?

Advertise while keeping cool at that mega event and get that message across. Each hand held fan individually programmed to display your message. How cool?

For more great ideas simply click here or call us on 9477 6888 to arrange a time to visit our showroom.

You want statistics? - The Power of Promotion: Apr 7, 2009

The recent survey, "Advertising Specialties Impressions Study", conducted by the Advertising Specialty Institute, has produced some very interesting results.

The survey involved interviewing over 6000 business people who had recently received promotional products.

When we consider the Cost Per Impression (CPI) against other types of advertising media, including TV, print and radio, the results were quite remarkable.

How's this for a recall rate?

84% of recipients of promotional products remembered the advertiser on the product they received.

Below is a summary of other findings, which I think you'll find quite interesting:

1. The ability to identify an advertiser.  Average 84% On apparel (94%) and shirts (87%) through
    to calendars (79%) and desk accessories (67%)

2. The fact of a client having a more favourable impression after receiving the item. Average
    42% With bags it resulted in (53%) through to Jewellery (18%)

3. Clients who executed business with the company afterwards (62%)

4. The average life of the product kept by the client (7 months)

5. That 81% of business people prefer the product to be useful rather than attractive (26%).
    Good advice there.

6. The average time a "logoed" bag is used  - 9 times per month!

7. Writing instruments are used a multiple of times per week by more than 40% of those
    surveyed.

8. In terms of a "Return on Investment" (ROI), a logoed bag can deliver several hundred
    impressions per month. Imagine if you gave out 1000 bags to a single client, the result would
    be over a million impressions per month.

9. Cost? The average Cost-Per-Impression of a promotional product - $0.004.

That's second only to billboard advertising and a significant saving to you, compared to television advertising ($0.019) or a national magazine ($0.033)

There you have it.

Promotional Products Work!

What are PMS colors?: Mar 27, 2009

Normaly every professional in the premium and gift industry knows what PMS means: Pantone Matching System. For our clients, we'll try to explain in a few simple words regarding what it is and how to use it. How do you explain to a decorator company the color you want them to use for your promotional product ?

You can send them an image via email with the colour, but this image will show up differently on their screen as it did on yours.

Every computer monitor is different, every printer is different. Unless your equipment is calibrated with the Pantone hue, the color depicted on your screen will not be accurate and could be many shades off.

This is why the PMS, Pantone Matching System was created. It's a standard language for color identification and communication. When you say to the decorator, I want you to print a pink 1767C, you can be sure he knows which colour you mean. So it's easy, we just use a pantone guide, which contains over 1000 different colours and we tell the decorator the pantone code of the colour you've choosen and rest assured you'll receive exactly what you ordered.

Colours That Sell: Mar 25, 2009

The colours we see everyday in shops or in the streets have a strong influence on our psychology and purchase decision. The majority of the products and advertisements have a strong colour strategy element,, designed by specialists in this field, according to the relation each colour has with each specific product.

The physical colours we see around us are colours approved by people. The consumer decides which colours they like and rejects the one's they don't like. Very often, the sale will depend on the colour (of the packaging, of the product itself, etc.) as the great majority of the promotional products and ads of the market appeal to people's unconscious.

It's proven for example that a child responds to the colour stimulus much before recognizing the shape or aspect - A child recognizes the atmosphere given by colours: harmony, calm - where he sleeps for example, before recognizing the bedroom or the bed, strictly speaking. A child not only responds to this during its childhood, but will keep it as an indelible mark all his life. Everybody feels attracted by colours, directly or indirectly. Could people consciously express their admiration or rejection toward a specific colour, or do they have to give free rein to their unconscious...

However, jumping to the conclusion that everybody is inclined to choose always the same, would be dangerous. Each individual has its preferences, while aversions tend to move to a unique direction and are derived from "Cultural Patterns". For example, black is associated to death and Grey to sadness in our culture (not all), and it's nothing new but has its origins centuries ago when death came from darkness and grey was the symbol of storm and disaster.

Some of the current trends according to the choice of colours:

Customers that have a preference for RED are generally extroverted and dynamic. They are related to strong scents and flavours. Scarlet red indicates sexual preferences of a minority and a high degree of dignity / pride. People attracted by YELLOW are rather cerebral...attracted by intellectual things. It's also proved that the yellow radiates inspiration and warmth. It's recommended to advertise "news or offers".

People that choose BLUISH GREEN, are analytical and rather peaceful.

BLUE and all its tones, is significant of people that control their emotions. It's the favourite colour of children and young people. It reflects peace of mind, non-violence and its well recommended for long lasting home products: wall paints, sheets, curtains, etc. Some say that YAHOO owes it its success on the cyberspace to blue.

People more likely to prefer ORANGE-COLOUR, are generally jolly and effusive. It's the colour of action, and generosity.

People who rather like VIOLET-PURPLE have an artistic flair and often mystical, religious. it's also the colour of mourning and pain in many cultures. It's considered the most sexual colour. Purple is the colour of good judgment.

The majority of people who are ordained and disciplined, look for BROWN or COFFEE. this colour is related with a healthy and stable life.

Those who prefer BLACK are conservative, they like elegance and discretion.

People who rather like WHITE are refined and incline to be closed-minded.

GREY, reflects conformity and passivity.

Consumers who give priority to GREEN colour are practical, pro fresh and natural. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being, favoured by well balanced people

PINK is synonym of softness, femininity, elegance and education.
Pink provides feelings of caring, tenderness, self-worth and love, acceptance.

People who buy bread, cereals and honey are more attracted by GOLD. Gold symbolizes wealth used wisely, but it is also the symbol of good health. People who favour the colour gold are optimistic.

Women have been giving an increasing importance to TURQUOISE, mostly if combined with pink or white tones. Turquoise is the symbol of friendship.

Emotional states and subconscious are intimately related with colours.

Colours bring attention and are identified with human emotions. It's really worth having a strategy to manage it, mostly if the objective is launching a new product on the market...

Sergio Luna Vargas

Industry night proved successful: Mar 23, 2009

Last Thursday evening we conducted our first industry night for the year and are hopeful another two will be organised before the years end.

After introductions, Andrew Bloom spoke of the importance of branding, particularly in this current economic cycle, and took our guests through a series of promotional examples aimed at showing what can be done to improve their respective companies branding.

Guests from leading Perth shipbuilder Austal Ships, construction equipment experts Access Group and underground mining specialists Barminco were then given a personal tour of our showroom and premises.

Our guests each received a complimentary ASB Marketing "gift" bag for attending as well as an art "visual" to show how easy it can be for ASB to develop that special gift.

We thank our guests for giving us their valuable time and remain committed to ensure our relationships remain strong.




                        

Which comes first?: Feb 25, 2009

Which comes first, the product or the marketing?

Well, if you define marketing as advertising, then it's clear you need the product first.

But wait.

Marketing is not the same as advertising.

Advertising is a tiny slice of what marketing is today, and in fact, it's pretty clear that the marketing has to come before the product, not after.

The Prius was developed after the marketing thinking was done.
I'm pretty sure the Facebook and MySpace concepts were created before the advertising.

In fact, just about every successful product or service is the result of smart marketing thinking first, followed by a great product that makes the marketing story come true.

If someone comes to you with a 'great' product that just needs some marketing, the game is probably already over.

The Victorian fires...What can we do to help?: Feb 12, 2009

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of country Victoria.

At times like this, all Australians need to ask themselves, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

One cannot help but be moved by the images displayed on our screens and in our newspapers since last Sunday night.

We would like to think that clothing and shelter is in great need at the moment, and with their expertise and intimate industry knowledge, ASB Marketing hurriedly sourced:

500 polo shirts,
200 caps & hats,
20 jackets,
and around 200 umbrellas, and freighted them to the worst affected areas today.

We value the donation at $15,000 and believe in the time honoured tradition "that every little bit helps".

Whilst it may be a long time before we see a smiling face on many of the children affected, we were able to gather a selection of children's toys as well, and these should be in Victoria by the weekend.

We hope this small contribution assists at a time when deep compassion and urgency is required.

Introducing our Sales team: Jan 30, 2009

Andrew Bloom

Owner and Managing Director, Andrew is ASB Marketing.
After deciding WA was the place to raise his young family, he and wife Sue have grown the business into one Australia's most dynamic promotional products companies with a proud sixteen-year history.

Sandra Rignall

Sandra joined us in November 2008 after a successful career in the finance industry.
Prior to this she managed her own company Carpet Liquidators. Her infectious personality will be difficult to ignore.

Mike Carroll

Mike brings a wealth of experience to our already impressive sales team.
Previously, Mike was the WA agent for product suppliers "Gear for Life" and "The Range" and has worked with numerous quality suppliers within the promotional products industry.

Now's the time for positive action: Jan 23, 2009

One could be excused for thinking the world is about to end and life, as we know it will never be the same according to television news reports or newspaper headlines.

Surely order needs to be restored before we decide to throw the towel in?

Pardon the sarcasm, but I wouldn't have thought that we are any less capable today than we were last week, last month or last year for that matter.

History is littered with stories of success during periods such as these, and the hard working are more likely to prosper in the long run.

Now is the time to start selling yourself.
Now is the time to chase the work that will be left by those who believe it to be too hard.
Now is the time to provide the solutions to people in need.

You have invested heavily in your businesses during recent times. The systems in place are good and the people well trained and loyal. Employees are looking for leadership and reinforcement, that theirs is a great company to work for.

Promotional products work.

Branded products are recalled by customers 97% of the time in comparison to newspaper advertising or that of an expensive television campaign.

Receiving a gift from a valued client increases loyalty.

Relationships matter.

Act now.

A fresh aproach to marketing: Jan 22, 2009

With the launch of our new website, it's now easier than ever to deliver that special message to your valuable clients.

Take a minute to explore the new and exciting world of ASB Marketing............

• Showroom tour

Wish to take a 360-degree panoramic tour of our fabulous showroom?
Simply click on the window and scroll in or out on that specific item then drop us a line.

• Cool ideas

Powered by "COOL IRIS" this unique process allows you to scroll through the hundreds of samples on display in our catalogues at the click of a button.

Click on the category that best suits your needs, slide through the samples on display and if you see something that grabs your attention, click on the item for a close up look at what we can deliver. As your mouse hovers over the item, the reference will appear and it's just a case of sending us a request for further information.

• Designed by you

Want to design a look that is unique to your business? Then have a look at the options available by selecting the colour and then add this choice to the specific panels outlined in the design. By hovering over the line drawings at the top, further design options become available to suit your every need. Once completed, simply submit your enquiry.

• Great corporate citizens

Being a good business is more than just offering a competitive price. To play a vital role in the community is one area that we believe differentiates us from many of our competitors. Over the years we have contributed to many great causes and are constantly looking for ways to make a difference. From our support of Variety WA and our search of products developed using eco friendly manufacturing techniques, to simply providing items that can be used to raise funds, asb marketing is playing it's role in building a better WA.

Contact us now on 9477 6888 and speak with one of our friendly staff, drop us a line at info@asbmarketing.com.au or visit us at unit 2, 100 Belmont Ave, Belmont WA, and let ASB Marketing start working for you.