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Copyright 2006 Creative Endeavors 2530 Wilshire Blvd. 2nd Floor, Santa Monica CA 90403 Phone 310.828.9494 Fax 310.862.4886 info@cecpartners.com
Creative Endeavors - Business, Marketing, Multimedia Expertise
In Good Company 03-07 For an IBM, a Cisco or an Intel, it's hard to be innovative and also manage your business against quarterly results, so they're looking to young, venture-backed companies for R&D and product development.
Beyond Brand Management 08-10-06 But now marketers must not just select and purchase proven instruments. They must envisage, shape, and develop new tools for designing and engendering more effective consumer connections. This demands openness to experimentation, an inclination toward pioneering, and an ability to integrate marketing with strategy as never before. The new marketing team must do this while honing the number-crunching analytical ability that is needed to justify and fine-tune new strategies.
Fixing The Ad Industry 08-08-05 Forget about emotion, bonding, borrowed interest or show business, agencies have to rebuild their reputations around being able to help top management figure out the right competitive strategy for a brand. In simple terms, they have to be able to help establish the point of difference for a brand. Forty years ago, it was called a "Unique Selling Proposition." In more recent years, it has been called a "Position." In all cases, it's why a customer should prefer your product over the many other choices out there.
A Forecast for the Agency Business 04-26-06 The last thing I foresee happening is that the holding companies will become the owners of the client relationships rather than the agencies. The holding companies will create agencies around their largest clients, and they will promote their strongest executive-level strategists to holding company-level SWAT teams who then become responsible for developing new ideas and generating new business. These will become the drivers of innovation industrywide, while they then funnel the best ideas down to the client-centric teams as these teams drive the client business forward. These models are being explored on many different levels in a number of agencies and holding companies as we speak. Their success will determine if I am right, but I feel their success is inevitable.
How To Stay Competitive in a Global Job Market 03-20-07 Whatever job you do, looking over your shoulder to see who is coming up behind to take your place won't do you much good these days. The increasingly global nature of the workplace means your competition may be nowhere in sight. Now you're competing with workers on a global scale.
Exchange of Energy TM through Associations
Use Internal Resources for an External Perspective 06-01-06 Most industries rely on their trade associations as a hub of education, content and networking. As their member needs become more introspective, the associations will inevitably turn their focus more towards member-specific education and content.
Haggar Clothing Makes Crispin Porter an Equity Partner 04-21-06 The Haggar Clothing Co., a department-store pants supplier bent on becoming a lifestyle brand, has hired Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Miami, in what it describes as an "unconventional partnership" that includes Crispin taking a minority equity position in the newly private Haggar. Crispin CEO Jeff Hicks described the relationship as an 'agency-client convergence model' that 'eliminates the noise which can exist between clients and agencies.'
Joint Venture (Client-Partner) Program
A Hypothetical Advertising Agency for 2010 01-20-06 What we came up with: the Connectioncy, a hypothetical firm that could: dramatically reduce the classic "Principal-Agent problem" that can occur in almost any situation where an owner hires an agent, goals are seldom fully aligned and information flow is often incomplete. This is exactly why our imaginary firm will not be an "agency." Everybody will be a principal. We will not have clients. We will have joint ventures. Every new account will in fact be a new company co-owned by what used to be called the "client" and what used to be called the "agency." There will be ample stock options for employees of both firms---as well as for active, involved consumers and media partners.
Is a virtual advertising agency campaign in your future? 02-21-05 The people who make up this virtual agency know what's needed for any particular campaign and who's available to get it done. In other words, they will organize the independent art directors, copywriters, media buyers, creative directors and other expert professionals needed for any individual campaign. They will be general contractors for the campaign.
Effectively Manage Online Real Estate 10-12-06 Multiple audiences, multiple stores, more front doors The more properties a company has, the more chances there are for consumers to find that business through search, portals and affinity sites. More properties create more front doors for customers to enter through appearing on more search engine results pages, as well as offer the ability to offer customized, themed experiences.
Creative Types are Essential 02-26-07 Artists, because of their typically lower incomes, usually need to seek out cheaper neighborhoods where they can afford the rent. But because of their creativity, they are able to fix up these areas, eventually attracting hip boutiques, galleries and restaurants. Not all artists are starving. Though some achieve success through writing, acting, painting or dancing, others get tired of scraping by as waiters or bartenders and sometimes apply their abilities in more-entrepreneurial ways.
Fostering an Innnovative Culture (Deloitte) To sustain a competitive advantage, companies must institutionalize their innovation process by creating an environment in which creative thinking is central to their values, assumptions and actions.
Beyond Brand Management 08-10-06 The real questions today are about how we can develop horizontal integrating processes and systems that work across disciplines, not just across communication formats. We need some new concepts and new approaches, not just rehashes of what we have been doing for the past 75 years. Entrepreneurial Aptitude. The typical business marketing career has attracted gregarious people who operate comfortably within a familiar professional culture with well-defined techniques.
Bring Media Planners Back Into The Agency Fold 02-07-06 There's a third way, and it looks increasingly viable, that could even be the rare example of the sum adding up to greater than its parts. It involves a new form of organization in which planning and creative come together -- only this time as equals.
CMOs Find Getting Together Helps Them Do The Job 01-11-05 ...some CMOs turn to each other for support and problem solving. Like CEOs who mingle frequently at conferences, CMOs feel they can talk more frankly with their counterparts at other companies who share their work challenges but are removed from office politics. Ms. Verses, Mr. Linton, Mr. Ragnetti and 47 other CMOs have each paid $50,000 to join Marketing 50, which held its first get-together in October. They were attracted by the chance to network and exchange ideas with peers from other big, global companies.
Little Black Book-Forbes 08-16-04 I believe that with the power of network marketing combined with the power of the internet we will purchase nearly everything from network marketing or pseudo network marketing companies. There will be two classes of people, those who have large networks and those who don't!
The Future of Network Marketing 03-03-00 Social networking Web sites like Friendster, Orkut and LinkedIn hit the hype stratosphere last year, pitching their ability to find one a mate or job. But a more sensible business idea is to sell the Web idea as software to companies to figure out who knows whom, and how well, to close more deals. Why cold-call when someone you know can introduce you?
Carvel And Cinnabon Unite In A New Flavor 09-28-06 Since Carvel Ice Cream purchased Cinnabon in 2004, parent company Focus Brands has opened about 30 co-branded stores that sell Carvel ice cream and Cinnabon's iced cinnamon buns under one roof. Yesterday, Atlanta-based Focus announced co-branding that goes one step further. It introduced a new flavor that combines Carvel's vanilla ice cream, crunchy vanilla topping and chunks of white pound cake with the cinnamon flavor and cream-cheese frosting of Cinnabon's cinnamon rolls.
Branded Brands 02-21-05 Focused and well-respected brands are cashing in by enriching each other's brands, bringing to the party their particular core competence or signature ingredients. Think Heineken and Krups, or Chanel and Ducasse.
How To Write Ads That Build Brands 01-04-06 To be successful, your brand must be built on what you actually deliver.
The Case for Co-branding Alliances Effective co-branding can last as little as a few weeks, essentially in a co-promotion, or it can be strategic and long-term.
Holiday Inn and Nick Toon Up For Kids 05-27-05 Nickelodeon and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts are set to officially open the first Nickelodeon-branded hotel this Memorial Day weekend in Orlando.
Mustang Gets Polished 04-25-05 "Revved Up & Red-y," "You Make Me Vroom" and "Gone Platinum in 60 Seconds" are shades of nail polish. They replicate paint colors of the 2005 Ford Mustang: Redfire Metallic, Torch Red and Satin Silver Metallic. The polish is the Mustang's latest foray into co-branded marketing
Waterfront Launches New Fitness Guru Site 06-16-06 Fitness Guru Jillian Michaels announced Thursday she is launching a Web site designed by Waterfront Media, an online publisher based in Brooklyn.The site is a brand extension of Michael's popular fitness and weight loss book, "Winning By Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life."
Private Label Brands Are Growing 11-18-05 marketers must keep their eyes trained on the cross-channel strategies to innovate and seize share for their branded products.
Kahlua Traveling Branding Roads on Exotic Series 10-28-05 With a new five-part TV series, "Kahlua and Conde Nast Traveler Present Bring Home the Exotic," ...the coffee liqueur has created, produced and maintained full ownership of its own TV show, allowing it to control how its product and brand messages are portrayed.
Larry Flynt To Expand Porn Empire with Restaurants 10-19-05 As Larry Flynt's porn empire continues to lose print circulation, the controversial publisher of Hustler magazine is further diversifying his holdings with plans to open a restaurant chain called Hustler Bar & Grille.
Lycra Wear by Rimmel Cosmetics Polishes Up First US Ad 08-26-05 Rimmel, the trendy British cosmetics brand, on Sept. 3 will launch its first ads touting Lycra Wear nail polish. "For us, the big story is about us licensing the Lycra brand into new categories that work with the look-better, feel-better essence of our brand..."
Huggies and Pampers Seek to Extend Brands Into Toiletries 01-18-05 Looking for new ways to expand their businesses, makers of the two top diaper brands, Huggies and Pampers, are both introducing lines of toiletries for babies and small children.
Just Do It, Marketers Say 04-30-07 ..."experiential" branding: making the companies into more than just sellers of commodities. Instead, they support and communicate with core customers, creating communities that ideally lead to higher sales. Leading consumer brands are seeking to deepen this experiential element by creating similar communities, with retailers in particular augmenting events at their traditional bricks-and-mortar stores with online efforts aimed at striking up a "conversation" with customers.
Pros and Cons of Expanding Your Product Line You don't have to own a large business to benefit from...expansion. Having multiple product lines may allow a growing business to diversify risk and capitalize on its established reputation. And the number of product items (or line extensions) in a product line can attract buyers with different preferences, increase profitability thanks to market segmentation and, for some businesses, even out seasonal sales patterns. Adding new products to your existing product line can also help you compete more broadly in your industry.
Seseme Street Goes Global 12-12-05 Thirty-six years after the original "Seseme Street" had its debut in the United States, Elmo has left his familiar neighborhood for a fresh wave of globalization...The makeovers - in places like Bollywood, Paris, Tokyo and South Africa - are transforming what it means to be a Muppet.
Sears Retools Its Home Offerings with Celebrity Designer's Wares 04-11-05 Following competitors who are beefing up their home departments, Sears Holdings Corp. is making its own foray into celebrity design with home-décor products created by Ty Pennington, the star of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
Private Label Brands Are Growing 11-18-05 The image of private label has changed in consumers' minds from purely a low-price option to a set of products that offer quality and value.
Hong Kong Fashion Week 2004 "While Hong Kong's OEM and ODM productions are still doing well, the survey indicates that our branded products stand a good chance of developing into a powerful force in the world market."...Hong Kong manufacturers are well aware of the importance of brand development. About half of the manufacturers interviewed have already developed their own clothing brands and another 25 percent are planning to do so in the next three years.
Hong Kong exhibitors indicated that they will increase investment in advertising their brands in the next three years, and the Chinese mainland tops their list of markets for brand promotion, followed by Hong Kong, Europe and the U.S.
Themed Merchandising Improvements on E-Tail Sites 03-15-07 Areas of web sites set aside for themed collections of merchandise appeared on 59% of sites, up from 28% a year ago
Five Components of Personalization 04-06-06 Personalized merchandising automatically presents consumers with the products they want and need. It's like giving each consumer their own personal shopper-- someone who knows their preferences and interests and can customize their store just for them.
Boomerang Hooking Concertgoers 05-21-05 Anyone who's been to a pop-music concert lately has noticed that fans hold their mobile phones up in the air like a previous generation did with cigarette lighters. Beginning with the summer Clay Aiken tour, audiences can do a lot more with their phone than just wave it...large screens in each venue on the tour will offer audiences a way to display text messages for all to see. There also will be a call-in number for purchasing a variety of official merchandise.
Licensed Star Wars Merchandise to Make Killing 05-18-05 ...as the final episode in the series, "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith," opens Thursday, Lucas Licensing has deals with about 400 licensees in more than 30 countries covering thousands of products. Since the first movie's release, the "Star Wars" merchandising machine has generated $9 billion in retail sales, and expectations at Lucas Licensing are that "Sith" will trigger an additional $1.5 billion.
AOL Teams With Mercedes for Emerging Artist Campaign 3-2-06 Mercedes-Benz has partnered with AOL Music in AOL's continuing effort to expose up-and-coming artists. The two companies have created a new online feature called "On Our Radar" as part of the car manufacturer's yearlong collaboration with AOL Music on its "Breakers" program, which showcases developing artists. The initiative will promote the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class while bringing cutting-edge artists to the eyes and ears of young music fans.
Honda to Back Trade Show 02-11-05 Honda Motor Co., aiming to heat up performance enthusiasts' interest in its cars, has agreed to sponsor this fall's giant Specialty Equipment Market Assn. trade show in Las Vegas.
At Fashion Week the Sponsors are Stealing the Spotlight 02-04-05 Over the last decade, an eclectic array of products and companies have pushed their way into the media spotlight that follows Olympus Fashion Week, named that because its title sponsor, the camera company, paid seven figures for the privilege.
Home Depot Has Ground-Level Plan 02-01-05 The Atlanta home-improvement chain is linking up with reality-show producer Mark Burnett Productions in a loosely structured, multiprogram deal. As part of the pact, Mr. Burnett, the impresario behind "The Apprentice" and "Survivor," will develop story ideas and program concepts for Home Depot to consider.
Product Placement Without Interference
Product Placement Begins To Ebb, But Paid Deals Soar 03-15-07 With all the talk about new digital platforms for video, you might think marketers have forgotten about the tried-and-true product placement. But in a new edition of its annual survey, Stamford, Conn.-based PQ Media says product placement is still a healthy business, growing worldwide at 37% in 2006 to $3.36 billion.
Example of Product Placement Without Interference / Winn-Dixie Ties In With Fox's Because of Winn-Dixie In a no-brainer of a tie-in, supermarket chain Winn-Dixie is linking to Fox's upcoming film, Because of Winn-Dixie, with a new effort designed to reward those who fill shopping baskets ever higher.
When the Plot Pushes Product 02-12-06 There is no standard model for placements; in some cases, story lines involving a specific product are pitched to a relevant company that can then buy its product's way into the scene; in other cases, companies suggest their products for a show. One Los Angeles broker has set up a matchmaking website so potential partners can find one another. Another company has specialized in digitally inserting brands into films and shows, allowing entertainment companies to sell the same space several times: On one film, for instance, one advertiser appeared in theaters, another on network television, another on basic cable and still another on DVD.
Celebrity Product Placement: A Primer 02-22-05 The term "celebrity product placement" is used to describe several related techniques, but its definition applies to each: free products are distributed to celebrities in expectation of a promotional benefit. Unlike the more overt, paid-for endorsement, it offers a distinct advantage. A product appears as a product choice made by a celebrity according to individual preference.
Sideways Gives Pinot Noir a Star Label 02-04-05 The Pinot Noir repartee between the characters Miles and Maya, played by Paul Giamatti and Virginia Madsen, in the Oscar-nominated film "Sideways" has helped spur dizzying sales of the red wine during a lingering U.S. glut, according to wine experts.
10 Ways to Grow Your Business Licens[ing] your product can be an effective, low-cost growth medium, particularly if you have a service product or branded product...Licensing also minimizes your risk and is low cost in comparison to the price of starting your own company to produce and sell your brand or product.
Licensing Basics and Background Licensing is no longer simply the domain of a few specialized people. Nowadays all major companies and the media consider licensing a significant marketing tool. One could even say that it has become one of the most powerful contemporary forms of marketing and brand extension and that it is being used in ever increasingly sophisticated ways.
Jessica Simpson Steps Into Footwear 02-09-06 Jessica Simpson shoes will be sold in major department stores including Nordstrom, Dillard's, Macy's, Parisian, Marshall Field, Lord and Taylor, and Belk, and range in price from $60-$160. The collection is licensed by Camuto Group, Greenwich, Conn., and New York, which holds the master license to the Jessica Simpson line and is seeking licensees for additional product categories.
Kermit's Big Leap Back Toward The Green 02-04-06 Kermit and his longtime love interest, Miss Piggy, will star in two new ads pitching cars and pizza during ABC's Super Bowl XL.
Build-A-Bear Gets NFL Licensing 08-02-05 Build-A-Bear Workshop and the National Football League are introducing a line of officially licensed NFL merchandise for stuffed animals.
Reebok-Nelly Lace Up Deal 07-20-05 Reebok has signed a long-term deal with hip-hop star Nelly that will include a signature collection of athletic footwear, apparel and accessories.
In Search of the Right Dead Celebrity 07-18-05 Dead celebrities have caught on big in advertising since a 1991 Diet Coke commercial featuring Elton John performing with James Cagney, Louis Armstrong and Humphrey Bogart was such a success that Coca-Cola created a sequel featuring footage of other famous celebrities. Since then, technological advancements have allowed advertisers to seamlessly incorporate footage of dead celebrities into ads, such as John Wayne in a Coors campaign or, perhaps most memorably, to turn a dance by Fred Astaire into a Dirt Devil spot.
Beyonce Starts Clothing Line 02-18-05 Beyonce is planning a new release - her own fashion collection. The Destiny's Child singer has signed a licensing agreement...to produce a line of apparel for young women.
Effectively Manage Online Real Estate 10-12-06 Shopping malls: Then, there are the "shopping mall locations" that are available, as well, which might be various directories, sites like Amazon and even consumer review sites such as portions of CNET. These locations are frequently visited by consumers who are in the market for a product, but are effectively just browsing. They seek information from expert salespeople, other shoppers and product owners, and are typically willing to be convinced to purchase.
Experimentation Should Be Your 2006 Resolution 12-12-05 These personal production technologies help realize a vision many of us have been propounding for years, that all companies, no matter their core field, will have to have expertise in two businesses, their own, and the media business...[With new technologies] companies that can't and don't spend a fortune on high-priced businesses, don't spend months in strategic marketing planning exercises, and don't kill good ideas by putting them through layers of review. They start small, do it themselves, measure success, then scale up.
Research and Development | Strategy Development | Marketing Alliance Program
Global Individualization TM | Exchange of Energy TM
Co-create/Co-design Program | Joint Venture Program | CECP Business Strategy
Co-brand Marketing Program | Brand Extension | Brand Expansion
Private Label Program | Merchandising Program | Sponsor Program
Product Placement Without Interference | Licensing Program | Multimedia
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