Have you ever taken a “staycation?” It is when you take a vacation, but then just stay home. The worst part of a staycation is daytime television and the worst part about daytime television is the commercials. To me, these advertisements represent a part of what I call a de-evolution in marketing. A de-evolution and proliferation towards mindless and meaningless marketing.

Let me caveat that all not all advertising is mindless or meaningless. Let me caveat again that these principles are not my ideas, but the centerpieces of the marketing masterpiece, Meaningful Marketing by Doug Hall and Jeffery Stamp.

What is mindless marketing?

Mindless marketing uses gimmicks, tricks, novelty, and deception to cast a spell on the prospective costumer in order to get that prospect to buy based on a false sense of need, emotion, or pressure. Mindless marketing are tactics used by producers that do not have faith in the benefit of their own product. This type of marketing has short-term gains but long-term depreciation. Continue reading →

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November 22, 2009, SALT LAKE CITY — Badlands Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada has engaged Serfwerks to overhaul their marketing collateral. The overhaul will involve the creation of all new marketing collateral at all customer points of contact, from the web site to menus used in the clubhouse’s gille. Continue reading →

November 19, 2009, SALT LAKE CITY –  Par 3 Landscape and Maintenance has selected Serfwerks for its corporate branding campaign. The branding initiative will involve the creation of marketing collateral for all customer touch points including a new website.

Serfwerks co-founder, Nate Gibby said, “We are happy to be on board with Par 3. They are one of the premier landscape and maintenance companies in the western United States. ” Continue reading →

Now that we have made the distinction between branding and positioning abundantly clear – what are the best branded and positioned American companies in our opinion?

Keep in mind that magazines like Fortune, Business Week, and Forbes have scads of lists that tell you how good or successful businesses are at all kinds of things. This list is different in that it comes from the collective experience and perspective of marketing people. Who better to dissect a brand or position?

We chose companies that stand for something. Not the kind of stand for something that means they donate lots of money to charity (though several of these companies do a good job at that). We are talking about standing for something in the minds of their customers and prospects.

These businesses are worth looking at if you are looking for case studies about proper branding and positioning strategy.

Here is our 2009 List: Continue reading →

Do you know the difference between the branding and positioning? Perhaps you use them interchangeably. Perhaps you use them instead of the word marketing. Let me posit that the two words mean different things.

First of all, why does it seem like I care so much about semantics? It seems like I care because I do care. For this reason: where there is a lack of common language progress cannot be achieved. Continue reading →

Social Networking has become quite the thing, and it has happened quickly. I can still recall that when I was in college Facebook was just starting to become popular, it now has over 300 million members. Every eight days Facebook grows a Twitter worth of people (about 10M people).

Why does social networking matter for you, the business person? These things are for kids, right? Sort of.  Some social networking sites are for “kids,” but others work like extensions of your “in-person” business network. Is networking important to your business? If it isn’t, it should be. Social media is a way for you to take your business network to the next level by providing you with millions of prospective customers to engage while developing your value perception.

Many social networking sites are for connecting friends and family, like Facebook, but there are several sites set up to help you network with worldwide and local business communities. These are sites that encourage business networking, so you need not be afraid of promoting yourself and making connections for business sake. Continue reading →

How well do you know grammar? When do you use “its” or “it’s”? When do you say “who” or “whom”? Does it drive you nuts when people say that something is “ironic” when it is actually “coincidental?” Call me weird, but I like to use grammar and words properly, most of the time. That brings me to the word “marketing.” What does it mean?

The Problem

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as: the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.^[1] The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to a market to buy or sell goods or services.

A close examination of this definition reveals that marketing involves many things in order to get a product to market. Please allow me to expound an analogy that might shed some light on this. Continue reading →

July 28, 2009, SALT LAKE CITY—Serfwerks has been selected by the Brigham Young University Young Professionals Alumni Association to present at its monthly luncheon on August 28, 2009. The 60-minute presentation will focus on marketing ROI and improving marketing results. Attendees will learn how to quantitatively analyze the performance of their marketing efforts, identify opportunities to compete more effectively, and use marketing tactics to significantly improve their marketing results. The event will be held at 11:45 a.m. on August 28 at the Wells Fargo Building (86 No. University Ave.) in Provo, Utah.

July 22, 2009, SALT LAKE CITY—Serfwerks has been selected by the Provo • Orem Chamber of Commerce to present at its monthly Chamber University series. The 90-minute presentation will focus on marketing ROI and improving marketing results. Chamber members and attendees will learn how to quantitatively analyze the performance of their marketing efforts, identify opportunities to compete more effectively, and use marketing tactics to significantly improve their marketing results.

The Chamber University featuring Serfwerks will be held September 17, 2009 at 7:30 a.m. in the Zion’s Bank located at 462 W. 800 North in Orem, Utah. The presentation is scheduled for 30 minutes. Breakfast will be served. To register for the event, visit the Provo • Orem Chamber of Commerce’s web site at www.thechamber.org