Although the worst of the recession, at least for consumers, seems to be over, many habits left over from the downturn still remain. Consumers continue to exercise frugality in a number of areas, including travel.

Our sister program Iconoculture has been tracking consumer behavior in the travel sector, and several observations from this summer indicate that consumers are not quite ready to return to their free-spending vacation ways. A few examples: Read More »

In scouring B2B-related social media factoids for an upcoming webinar (see bottom of this post for registration details), three data points have stood out to me in the story they tell collectively. Read More »

Marketing, media and tech news

• How Apple’s segmentation strategy takes on conventional wisdom [O'Reilly]
• Now that the Facebook “like” button has colonized the web – what effect has it had on traffic? [Mashable]
• A number of stats confirming what we’ve suspected: Twitter is a broadcast medium [ReadWriteWeb]
• AOL shifting focus away from ISP service, towards content [WSJ]
• Virgin America soliciting “awkward family photos”, offering 33% discount for families that submit [Mashable]
• Chinese sports apparel company Li Ning expanding in China, aiming for growth in the West [WSJ]
• Some possibilities on what the Internet could look like in 10 years [ISOC]

MLC recently returned from a terrific member-hosted meeting at 3M’s Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, where we had the opportunity to learn from a company renowned for creating imaginative new products. We explored the “World of 3M Innovation” where the company showcases its 45 core applied sciences in interactive displays that let lucky visitors play with products under development. As you explore this fascinating world – much like taking a trip into the future – it’s hard not to ask: how does 3M generate such innovative new products year after year? What is it about this company that lets them shape the future and achieve impressive organic growth in the process? Read More »

Last week, we hosted our Annual Executive Retreat on social media in London and got a sense of the current state of practice in Europe. Judging by discussion in the room, strategy-setting, organization, and educating the business on how to use social media are still key priorities for most European companies. Below are a few of the takeaways from the discussion in the room. Read More »

Marketing, tech, and media news

• According to a new Forrester study, content creation on social networks has plateaued globally [Mashable]
• Twitter is now the world’s third-largest social network, eclipsing MySpace [WSJ]
• Google makes 7 predictions about the future of display ads [NYT]
• Think the recession has let you off the hook with respect to ROI? Think again [Adweek]
• TD Ameritrade to launch webisode series focusing on investment [NYT]
• Taking a look at American companies’ new interest in Africa [WSJ, subscription required] Read More »

Mergers and acquisitions can be tough on brands. You spend years, even decades, building rapport with your customers, telling your story, and helping customers recognize your differentiators. Although merging with or acquiring a competitor might make good business sense overall, the challenge for marketers is immense: how do you convince customers of the two prior companies that the new company still understands their needs? Read More »

Marketing and media news:

• Facebook in damage control mode leading up to the release of The Social Network [WSJ]
• Forbes’ New Advertising Pitch – write for us! [AdAge]
• Among the toughest challenges in marketing: re-branding an institution like the March of Dimes [AdAge]
• Nielsen developing a new method for tracking online ads [cnet]
• Rumor has it that AOL will buy influential tech blog TechCrunch [GigaOm]
• Movie studios prepare service for recently-released movies at home [Bloomberg]
• No surprises – Apple has an outsized place in tech reporting [NYT] Read More »

By Whitney Satin

More than 70% of B2B marketers are racing to position their firm as a thought leader, but as our research on Insight Marketing shows, the success rates of these efforts are questionable at best.  Marketers invest a lot of time to arrive at edgy insights that have the potential to reframe how customers view particular business challenges, but these insights often fail to stick.  Why is that? Read More »

Marketing and media news:

• TV execs split on whether Apple’s 99-cent per episode Apple TV plan will hurt or help the industry [WSJ]
• How to pitch a tech blogger, by, appropriately enough, a former tech blogger [UrsusRex]
• YouTube turned Orabrush, a tongue brush designed to eliminate bad breath, from failed company to cultural phenomenon [NYT]
• New malware fighter and bendable computer screens among this year’s Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards winners [WSJ]
• How brands are using QR codes to embed additional information into TV ads [NYT]
• Which marketers have best guided their brands through the recession? [AdAge] Read More »