Marketing

The European advertising and media industry have described calls by data privacy regulators for opt-in by users for placing cookies on their PCs as out of step with online businesses and their consumers. In a joint response to the Article 29 Working Party “Opinion 2/2010 on online behavioural advertising”, published last week, a consortium of industry organisations, including IAB Europe, World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), European Publishers Council (EPC) and European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), said it was “out of step with the relationships that businesses and consumers are building online and flies in the face of the reality of the internet.” “This is an overly strict interpretation of the…

This coming Friday, the Irish Youth Foundation, in association with Cyclone Couriers, will be hosting the annual charity Bloomsday Messenger Bike Rally and Lunch, which celebrates James Joyce’s Ulysses and Dublin. On 11 June, over 70 messenger bikers will gather at the Wolfe Tone statue on St Stephen’s Green before making their way to the Mansion House, where they will be joined in a rousing rendition of Molly Malone by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Emer Costello. The cyclists, who will be dressed in their finest Edwardian attire, will then embark on a journey through the streets of Dublin, making three pit-stops along the way for well-deserved refreshments. Over…

Google has been ranked as the most reputable company in Ireland, according to a new study. The list of the top five-ranked companies in Ireland’s RepTrak 2010 study is rounded out by Kellogg’s, BMW, Marks & Spencer’s and Nokia. Unsurprisingly, Anglo Irish Bank dwells at the bottom of the list, finishing last out of the 115 organisations included in the survey. John Player & Sons, UPC (Chorus NTL), NTR, and Bank of Ireland were also ranked in the bottom five. The Ireland RepTrak 2010 study measures companies’ reputations based on consumer’s trust, esteem, admiration and good feelings about a company, while also gauging perceptions across seven rational dimensions of reputation.…

The Importance of Articulating Business Value in Sales Training Many companies are failing to provide their salespeople with one vital component of their training mix – business knowledge. Dave Stein explains why the ability to articulate business value must be more of a priority. The Shift in Sales Approach It is vital for any company trying to sell something that is likely to have measurable value to potential buyers that they can quantify and prove the business value of their product or service. While this is by no means a new concept, it is particularly relevant in the current climate. Elevating the Conversation and Targeting Key Decision Makers The sales…

McGovern PR’s online division has launched a copywriting service that provides interactive content for websites to generate online publicity and drive social media campaigns. According to the firm’s managing director, Mary McGovern (pictured), editorial content has the advantage of delivering stickiness by engaging readers on issues they care about as opposed to a hard sell advertising message. The new service is designed for use within social media networks. According to McGovern, it creates interactive user-generated content and provides a lower cost service to companies to ensure for online content longevity. “Online editorial content combined with social media optimisation has the potential to ensure that news is distributed virally to greatly…

Golfing legend Tiger Woods’s sponsorship woes continued today as consultancy firm Accenture announced it is to end its deal with him, saying it believed he was no longer the “right representative” for its advertising. Accenture has followed Gillette in distancing itself from Woods. Although not completely severing its ties,Gillette recently announced it would not be airing advertisements featuring the golf star or including him in public appearances for an unspecified amount of time. The companies made their decisions following a bizarre car crash that took place outside Woods’ home last month, which saw the legendary golfer plough his vehicle into a fire hydrant. Woods subsequently admitted to marital infidelity in…

Technology is offering pretty convincing answers to some of the challenges for today’s salespeople. In the first of two articles, Dave Stein explains why. New and evolving technology has an important role to play in enhancing sales performance in two particular ways. First of all, it can be very effective in enabling sales learning, which I firmly believe should not be seen as a one-off event, but more as an ongoing process that never stops. In terms of day-to-day selling, meanwhile, technology can certainly help salespeople do their jobs both more effectively and more efficiently, whether it’s used before sales meetings, for phone calls, or when they’re planning a sales…