Social Media Marketing

3 Tactics for Understanding the Modern Consumer
May 15, 2017 at 8:34 am

"Mad Men’s" Don Draper reminds us just how much the advertising and retailing worlds once ran on hubris (“What you call love was invented by me to sell nylons”). And how assured these executives were of their ability to control the message (“If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation”). While the now…

3 Tips for Successful Social Customer Service
April 25, 2017 at 10:00 am

Today, consumers are more connected to technology while “on the go” than ever before. With over 95 percent of American adults owning a cellphone, 77 percent of which are smartphones, consumers can now connect to information from anywhere. As such, their shopping habits have also become much more mobile. At the same time, leading retailers…

Zara Removes Pepe the Frog Skirt After Social Media Outrage
April 20, 2017 at 12:07 pm

Zara recently withdrew apparel featuring a controversial cartoon image. The women's apparel retailer (owned by Inditex) has more than 2,100 stores in 88 countries, and is ranked No. 53 on the Forbes 2016 list of most valuable brands. The Washington Times reports Zara recently removed from its website a denim mini skirt with an image resembling Pepe the…

The Choice of a New Generation
April 19, 2017 at 10:16 am

Recently, there’s been a spate of marketing campaigns by major corporations that have been negatively received on a global scale. Rather than sell a product or deliver a message, all they’ve succeeded in doing is illustrate just how much the dynamics of the relationship between brands and consumers have changed. Today’s consumers are all-seeing and…

Advance Auto Parts Embarks on Mobile Tour
April 13, 2017 at 9:19 am

Advance Auto Parts has hit the road for its fourth annual Mobile Tour. This year, there are two parts to the tour — the Restoration Tour and the VIP Tour. The tours stop at dozens of automotive and store events across the country, and kicked off at Daytona Bike Week back in March. “It’s a…

2017 Travel & Retail Trends
March 14, 2017 at 12:14 pm

Advance Auto Parts has hit the road for its fourth annual Mobile Tour. This year, there are two parts to the tour — the Restoration Tour and the VIP Tour. The tours stop at dozens of automotive and store events across the country, and kicked off at Daytona Bike Week back in March. “It’s a […]

Xcel Brands Thriving With Fast-Fashion Strategy
March 9, 2017 at 9:27 am

It seems as though every day there's another retailer closing stores, declaring bankruptcy or laying off employees. Most recently, J.C. Penney announced it will be closing 140 stores; HHGregg has filed for bankruptcy; and JackThreads laid off most of its staff. However, one company is flourishing at a time when others are failing. Xcel Brands,…

How Online Reviews Are Transforming Marketing
March 6, 2017 at 9:17 am

Nowhere is change more persistent than in modern marketing organizations. However, change is happening at a much faster pace than ever before in the way businesses communicate with customers. The balance of power in branding has shifted — the customer is now in charge. Gone are the “mad men” days of the 1950s, characterized by…