Copy KitKat on your quest for ‘double D marketing’
Mark RitsonTight positioning, a respected brand heritage and refusal to overcomplicate things means when it comes to uniting distinctiveness and differentiation, KitKat has it licked.
Mark Ritson – Marketing Strategy
Even sophisticated mass marketers need targeting
Mark RitsonAfter a short sabbatical to launch this year’s Mini MBA, our trusty marketing columnist returns to talk targeting, and why this ancient topic is one of the biggest challenges most marketers now face. Not despite the industry’s new-found love for mass marketing, but because of it.
Five lessons on how not to do pricing from Elon Musk’s Twitter
Mark RitsonThere is a perfect pricing case study in the way the new Twitter CEO, Elon Musk, communicated his proposed fee for a ‘blue tick’ on the platform – just do the exact opposite of what he did.
Ritson’s recession playbook: 9 steps marketers should take to survive the dark times ahead
Mark RitsonFrom retaining a long-term view and the importance of excess share of voice to making strategic changes to positioning and saying no to failure, our columnist spells out how brands can navigate recession.
Volkswagen is right to put profit before sales
Mark RitsonThere are two paths brands can follow – one leads to sales while the other points to profitability, and the latter is invariably the right one to choose.
At times of war marketing is rendered superficial and ridiculous
Mark RitsonGiven what’s happening in the world right now marketing really doesn’t matter, but there are ways brands can respond without appearing tone deaf.
The horror of marketers’ strategic bankruptcy is about to be laid bare
Mark RitsonAs the BetterBriefs project will reveal this week, 90% of marketers fail to brief agencies effectively, and their failures begin with a total lack of strategy.
Facebook’s Horizon Workrooms sucks ass
Mark RitsonFacebook’s new virtual meeting software falls victim to one of marketing’s worst sins, product orientation, simply because Mark Zuckerberg needs to find a use for virtual reality to justify his investment in Oculus.
Wondering why Netflix wants to stop password-sharing? It’s all about funnels
Mark RitsonNetflix has reached a level of penetration it will struggle to improve, with most customers already paying premium prices, so converting those sharing passwords into paying subscribers is its biggest growth opportunity.
Marketing’s Midlife Crisis: A screenplay by Mark Ritson
Mark RitsonIs loyalty dead? How many positions is too many? And who the fuck is Byron? Our columnist presents a modern marketing love story.
Attempts to update the four Ps are embarrassing – they’ve endured for a reason
Mark RitsonWhenever a marketer sets out to improve, augment or adapt the four Ps, they reveal the absurdity of the exercise and reinforce why product, price, place and promotion remain the core concepts of the marketing mix.
Planning for marketing planning: 14 steps to an effective presentation
Mark RitsonMarketers always ask me for examples of my clients’ marketing plans. I can’t give you that, but I can tell you how to write a good one.
Want a job? Pretend you believe in ‘digital marketing’
Mark RitsonYou’re a talented, out-of-work marketer but every job ad seems to buy into the worst digital claptrap, so what do you do? Pretend you do too.
Wonder Woman 1984’s release could determine the future of cinema
Mark RitsonWith movie studios determined to shift film releases to their own streaming platforms, the blockbuster’s December launch will show if cinema remains a viable distribution channel.
In a virtual marketplace, only the strongest brands will survive
Mark RitsonGoing online not only cuts costs, but also lowers competitive barriers and removes physical distance from the purchase decision, playing to the strengths of the biggest, strongest brands.