Author: Scott Davis
Abstract: Today, many longstanding companies need to completely transform the way they do marketing if they want to respond to a rapidly changing environment and shifting consumer behavior and preferences. However, organizational inertia often derails the attempts of even the most visionary and seasoned CMOs. In this article, Scott Davis, Chief Growth Officer of Prophet and Author of The Shift: The Transformation of Today’s Marketers into Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders, has conversations with the CMOs of GAP Inc and Walmart, as well as the Sr. VP, Customer Marketing of NBC Universal Studios Home Entertainment Group. These conversations cover topics such as storytelling in brand strategy, the need to re-examine customer behavior around consuming home entertainment, and the rebirth of the local general store in a brand new way. What all of these leaders have in common, though, is that they are all driving effective transformational change within their organizations, and each conversation centers around the idea of keeping that change going in the face of a vast sea of challenges.

Download PDF

Author: Aaron M. Gregory and Katherine A. Kannenberg
Abstract: Social media has become a powerful weapon in a marketing professional’s promotional arsenal. However, improper use of social media can land a brand – and its marketing agency – in legal trouble. Too often legal issues are overlooked or are misunderstood. Properly identified, these risks can be effectively mitigated or eliminated. The purpose of this article is to provide marketers a straightforward explanation of the legal issues associated with various social media strategies, the proper means with which to mitigate or eliminate potential legal liability, and a handy checklist of legal considerations to reference when considering the use of social media as part of a marketing strategy.

Download PDF

Author: Laura Coy, Senior Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Grainger
Abstract: What is a brand but the sum of all the actions a company takes on behalf of its stakeholders? To understand what Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can do for a brand, consider Starbucks. Or Target. Or Grainger. Never heard of Grainger? This B-to-B company has developed a sophisticated CSR program that integrates its communication efforts to tell a compelling story about how it is helping society as well as its shareholders. How an industrial distributor took this journey, with all its complexity and rewards, is innovative. Here is Grainger’s CSR story, told by the person who helped lead the process.

Download PDF

Author: Dave Nash, Doug Armstrong, and Michael Robertson
Abstract: Customer experience is defined as the sum of a customer’s interactions with a company across all of its touch-points and the resulting perceptions about the brand. Research has shown that a customer’s attitudes towards a company is developed as a result of their interaction across multiple-channels and that a positive and effortless customer experience can result in increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and greater customer lifetime value.
Customer experience has recently become more critical lately because managing it via the emergence of a host of enabling technologies to provide data-enabled, insight-driven customer interactions can result in improved customer retention, greater ability to cross- and up-sell, the ability to prevent commoditization and margin erosion, and increase the propensity for customer advocacy that may generate additional referral revenue. Nevertheless, it is important that companies holistically address the four dimensions of customer experience - strategy, information, insights, and delivery - in order to enable competitive differentiation.

Download PDF

Author: Randy Hlavac, Mark Schaefer
Abstract: What is the impact of social media on dialogue and communication? What should business executives consider when developing a social content strategy? What is the current and future direction of social metrics and the use of traditional business metrics? The JIMC had the opportunity to interview two experts in this area - Mark Schaefer and Randy Hlavac, and asked them a series of questions about the so-called social media revolution, its implications to the marketing communications field and how this will affect companies and their brands.

Download PDF

Author: Christina Siderius
Abstract: Today, more and more brands are turning to community-based marketing in an effort to be involved, inclusive and accountable to their brand communities, online communities and the physical communities they operate in. Yet, not all community-based marketing efforts are effective. Many times they waste valuable resources and miss opportunities. What makes some community-based marketing efforts complete home runs, and others complete failures? How can we avoid the breakdowns and ensure our initiatives have benefit for both the community and our brand? This article looks at the root causes of common failures in community-building efforts, and offers ideas for making your community-based marketing smarter, more effective and something your customers talk about long after the initiative ends.

Download PDF

Author: Dan Jennis
Abstract: TalentQ is a Northwestern University and Medill student research program and annual conference that aims to reveal the skills and talents that propel exceptional individuals to success within the marketing communications industry. This paper considers the qualitative and quantitative research that served as the basis for the student presentation at this yearʼs conference. As the pace of change within the industry continues to accelerate, it is important to reflect upon the key patterns and insights that give shape to an understanding of talent within the marketing communications landscape. It is my hope that this paper will start a discussion regarding those attributes that are characteristic of successful marketing communications professionals. In the years that follow, we must return to this conversation, continuing to refine and revise our predictions as new data becomes available, following from the contributions of Medill students, staff, alumni and top-tier marketing experts.

Download PDF