Archive View (February 2008)

This is a copy of an email I just received for a donation I made to a non profit (since I do like this organization I am protecting their identity): Dear Josef Katz, This is a confirmation of an online transaction placed with XXXX Needs Inc.    The transaction totaled $XXX.XX and will be processed to your account. Order Number  : 1354-9 Approval Code : 266879 How many problems do you see with this note? Why so formal? No feeling or personality (aren't not for profits known for making you feel for their cause?) What should I do with those numbers?  Not sure what they are for. No Thank more...

At Trump University we have a number of rules we live by, one of them is that everyone is responsible for marketing.  This is especially true if someone interacts with a client directly.  Any employee who speaks, meets or interacts with a customer has the opportunity to make that person a customer for life or change their perception of the brand for good or bad. Yesterday I visited Whole Foods and was very disappointed.  I have written about Whole Foods in the past and normally I am a huge fan. In short this whole experience was ruined by a cashier.  The cashier more...

  I finally put up my first You Tube video. Donald Trump recorded this video when we launched Trump University.  I have a lot of friends who upload all sort of videos to help grow their business and to get themselves some publicity.  I figured it was about time for me to get in on the action so I uploaded this video to see what happens.  We are going to upload a few more over the next few weeks to see if we can use video to market our business and generate sales. One of our videos will have the goal of getting more...

First some exciting news... A few months back I attended a DMIX event.  I am happy to report I am now a full member of this exclusive group after being nominated by one of the existing members.  If you are going to be in NYC on the day of an event and would like to attend as my guest let me know and I will see what I can do. Today's DMIX speaker was Andy Goldberg, President and CEO Publishers Clearing House (PCH).  He discussed how PCH updated their business by using personalization and relevant messages to communicate with their customers. They are more...

The Girl Scout cookie sale is off and running. I was approached to buy some cookies when it occurred to me that the Girl Scouts are great marketers. Just think about this for a minute. The brand is easily recognizable They have a sales force of thousands of willing and eager girls (and their families) running around the country selling This sales force creates product placement that can't be beat They sell huge quantities of their product with almost no overhead There is a sense of scarcity - only sold a few weeks a year The product selection and pricing model is simple to understand and communicate Almost everyone more...

Have you started to think about how you are going to use your$600 economic stimulus rebate check? Or, how you are going to use this opportunity to sell more products and services? As a marketer I started thinking about how this cash could be used to sell more products and services.   My team and I will be thinking about promotions we can use to help people invest in their education. Do you remember the last rebate checks the government gave out?  There were all sorts of promotions from retailers who offered to double the value of your rebate, advance credit for the amount more...

Today I was named Brand Champion of the Day by Rex Whisman.  It is an honor to be recognized by a peer and I encourage you to read Rex's blog.  He covers branding with some interesting angles.  While it is great to be the Brand Champion of the Day the job of brand champion is an ongoing role.   This is also not a job for just one person and I share the responsibility with everyone at TrumpU.  When you are building a brand make sure every employee in your company feels as if they are brand champions. Do you think it is easier more...

I know, I know, Hannah and Miley are the same person.... For those who don’t know this weekend has two major activities happening. The Super Bowl on Sunday and the beginning of a one week run of the Hannah Montana 3D movie. Maybe Disney holds the ‘magic’ behind the genius of Hannah Montana but whoever thought of the latest marketing has done an incredible job.    The movie is basically a recording of Hannah’s concert tour with some back stage coverage. The movie is only in theaters for one week and almost all theaters have sold out of tickets in advance. What is so great about the more...