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Hello. I'm Stacey Pilcher. I am a strategic marketer and brand consultant who is passionate about helping my clients build their businesses.
I started my business in 1999 and believe inspiration comes from within - and also within the Grand Canyon - that's why you can find me hiking there every year.
I started this blog to help my clients think about new opportunities. How can I help you?
Posts Tagged ‘social media’
Off the grid.
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Today is my first day back on the grid after being unplugged for most of July. The experience is like getting a massage to work out the kinks and toxins, only better. A massage only lasts 90 minutes and the benefits, at best, a day or so.
Our digital world lets us always be connected, but all that information all the time can be paralyzing. Leave it behind, lose the stress of connection and simplify as a way to cleanse the mind and spirit. Suddenly you can stop to smell the roses. Take time to ponder a challenge. Revel in the real connections between people, places and cultures.
Maybe the world is smaller, but it is not homogeneous. It is immense in its diversity and character; misfortune and opportunity. If it is your job to innovate, it should also be your job to be a student of the world. Get off the grid and mingle. You might discover a parade of Vespas and convertibles, sporting the Spanish flag, wildly celebrating the World Cup win by Spain, in France. Really.
Tags: global marketing, innovation, social media
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
Walk in another’s shoes.
Monday, June 7th, 2010
Today, I was reading a review in The Wall Street Journal of the new book Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh, the 36-year old founder and chief executive of Zappos. As the title indicates,he attributes some of the success of Zappos on the company’s approach to customer service, or “delivering happiness.” I’d like to read more.
One of the best things to come out of social media is teaching companies the impact customer service has on a brand. Social media has made our transactions transparent. Those companies that embrace social media and customer complaints, as well as compliments, are finding that honesty truly does build brand equity. Even consumers know that not everything is perfect all of the time.
So take a walk in your customers’ shoes, who knows, after ten years, you might be able to sell your company for $1.2 billion, just like Mr. Hsieh.
Tags: brand building, consumer experience, social media
Posted in 2010, Strategy | No Comments »
Got a Light?
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Advertising has taken many shapes and forms over the years and is constantly changing due to technology and culture. Who would have imagined when Al Gore “invented” the Internet that the interface would become a platform for advertising and social media?
One unique medium to fall victim to both technology and culture in the 20th century has been the matchbook – wonderful miniatur
e pieces of advertising, art and memories. They were first commercially produced in the 1890s in the United States. But it wasn’t until the 1940s that they began to reach commercial success as an advertising medium. Matchbooks served as reminders of products, restaurants and destinations for nearly five decades.
Smoking was cool back then, too. Just watch the popular TV show Mad Men for five minutes.
But in 1968 the first anti-smoking campaign ran in the U.S. Within three decades, the number of smokers was reduced by 50%. This was a true cultural shift. Today, smoking is even banned from restaurants and bars. To make it even more difficult for the little matchbook, technology changed. Disposable lighters flooded the market and the matches became archaic.
Now an art form for collectors, the matchbook holds a unique place in history. Will Facebook one day stand by its side? You can count on change as the only constant in marketing, and in life.
Tags: advertising, marketing trends, social media
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
Old Dogs. New Tricks. Social marketing and brands.
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
Social media is all the buzz. Interactive firms are the agencies of record. Digital is the panacea for marketing.
But is it really?
According to a recent survey by the Keller Fay group, 22% of word-of-mouth conversations are sparked directly by traditional advertising and those people are more likely to include brand recommendations than the remaining 78%. An even higher proportion of online buzz, 30%, is generated by ads.
Could it be that social media is just another tool? During a recent webinar there was a question about whether or not reviews and questions posted online should be answered by a company. One participant answered “Would you ignore a ringing phone?”
A recent study by Harris asked Americans what type of ads were most helpful in making purchase decisions. Over one-third (37%) said television ads are most helpful. Interestingly 50% of people aged 18-34 said television ads are most helpful. Big surprise, one third (31%) of the older Americans 50+ selected newspapers as the medium most helpful. Old dogs perhaps?
In the interactive world, 14% said internet search was most helpful and only 1% selected internet banner ads. On the flip side 28% said that no ads were helpful in making purchase decisions.
The fact is that marketing is much more than the product or service’s presence in the digital world. It is about presence in traditional mediums. It is how consumer concerns are answered online and on the phone, it’s about the quality of the product, it’s about pricing, it’s about the emotional connection communication makes with the consumers. It’s about service after sale.
Has marketing really changed? Isn’t marketing about creating a relationship with your customer? Telling them about new things – items they want, ideas they talk about, products they use and recommend. Building a relationship is building a brand.
The cool thing is that the methods to communicate are constantly changing. With all these new tools, old dogs can learn new tricks.
Tags: brand building, marketing, social media
Posted in Brand Adages | No Comments »