Archive for July, 2009

Sir Martin Sorrell…don’t you Think it Odd..

that an accountant has become the advertising industryâ??s spokesperson?

He was just an accountant at Saatchi & Saatchi and it was there that he probably witnesses just how easy it was to make money from gullible Clients!

Please return to those words, he was (is?) an accountantâ?¦not an Account Director or some such grandiose titleâ?¦just an accountant, and now that makes him a leading authority within an industry labouring under a heavy burden of doubt.

When you read any of the interviews given by this illustrious figure, never once does the word â??communicationâ? pass his exalted lips, why, because he knows nothing about the process of communication.

Probably doesnâ??t want to because he is making his money with an investment in highly inefficient industries, inefficient that is, to their Clients! â?? namely advertising/marketing/media agencies.

It is also interesting to note that he, like many others, keeps bumbling on about digitalâ?¦not communication, as they should be, but digital.

Thus it would appear that in advertising it has become an evident truth that digital w ill continue to grow as a force. The only question is how fast.

But as digital marketing continues to capture ad spend-as well as headlines-it is worth remembering the basics that underpin good effective marketing communication.

We all know technology is prompting revolutionary changes in marketing at all levels all the time. However the key for marketers is to adapt to developments and use new marketing tools in ways that makes sense.

The growing importance of digital has led to internal jockeying within some companies and in agencies as those dealing with direct budgets vie with those that handle conventional advertising for control over online spend. Oh dearâ?¦will they never learn?

Meanwhile out there in the real world, the world were all these millions of (digital) advertisements, and, in turn, all these millions of pounds are spent. It emerges that only 57% of consumers are inclined to trust companies and resistance to marketing is also now at a peak, with just 6% of consumers admitting to trusting any form of advertising!

How to overcome this mistrust? Well the most obvious thing to do is talk to the customer and try and deal with the problem.

Although they make uncomfortable reading, customer moans can provide valuable insight to marketers on what customers really think of their brands.

It is now a universally acknowledge truth that all organisations need to communicate with their customers using any device or method that works.

And the truth is that interactive communication, properly executed, is the means for anyone to have â??conversationsâ? with their customers.

In 2004, New Yorker columnist James Surowieckiâ??s book The Wisdom of Crowds explored a deceptively simple idea that had profound implications. As he said, â??Large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant; they are better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future.â?

That is why ideas such as â??Shopperâ??s Voiceâ? work so well, and that is because it is interactive! More and more developments are emerging behind this concept and it has already spilled over into packaging, product design, marketing and a whole host of other ideas. This is truly a big idea and the energy and creativity it taps are set to be major drivers of competitive advantage in the near future.

On-going dialogue is crucial for the success of any marketing communications programme. Involving your customers with your product is a way of pulling them inside your business and securing their loyaltyâ?¦interactive is the way forward!

Paul Ashby
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/sir-martin-sorrelldont-you-think-it-odd-108058.html

Affiliate Marketing Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

One of the fastest ways to begin a home based internet business is with affiliate marketing. Becoming an affiliate is fast it’s free and you can begin earning within a very short time. What does an affiliate marketer do? Well, they promote people products and or services in exchange for a commission. Let me give you an example. Say John Doe writes an ebook called ‘Best gardening tips,’ he would have his own website and he would be selling the book via Clickbank. In order to generate more sales John Doe would use his website to advertise for affiliates. Along comes Carol King and sees the ad for affiliates on John’s site. Carol already has a Clickbank account so she decides to become an affiliate. Carol signs up and is give a special link that she will use to promote John’s Gardening Tips ebook. The link that is given to Carol contains her nickname. Carol chooses the nickname when she registers her account at Clickbank.

Carol now goes away, armed with her affiliate link and advertises it in as many different places as possible. How does Carol make money? By generating sales. Carol is advertising the link given to her by John, now whenever someone sees Carol ads and purchases a copy of John’s book, the sale is registered to Carol through her nickname and she earns a commission.

Simple? Well it can be if you know how to go about it. It is possible to earning a good living as an affiliate, but you must arm yourself with the correct information before you begin. Unfortunately there are many mistakes made by affiliates that prevent them from ever getting paid. Here are some of the more common ones.

Falling For The Hype
There are many so called ‘get rich quick’ schemes out there and they tend to do a very good job of convincing people that they can get rich by doing nothing. If you do nothing, you will receive nothing. Period. As an affiliate marketer you do not have to own a product, you do not necessarily have to own a website, you do not have to deal with the hassles of shipping stuff to people or worry about handling payments, but you do have to actively, continually and consistently promote the product. Which means having a working knowledge of marketing. So yes, you do have to do some work if you want to make money.

An Unfocused Attack
Pay-per-click, traffic exchanges, forums, article writing, blogging and classified ads. There are many different advertising mediums out there and if used correctly they can be extremely effective. The trap that many beginners fall into is thinking that they have to do all of them at one time and master them as well. If you are currently trying to use or master all of these methods you are going to find that you will never sleep, you will probably max out your credit cards and you will not have any profits to show from it. Focus, plan your attack and then execute it. Decide before you start what your goals are, decide how you are going to go about your marketing and decide what results your looking for. Knowing what you want to achieve, how you are going to get there and what your results should be, will force you to focus on the task at hand and you are far more likely to get the desired results.

Getting Left Behind
Affiliate marketing is an ever-changing game and if you want to remain successful you must roll with the changes. I beg you do not sit back and relax just because you are seeing some profit, you must keep moving forward, take time to learn about new and developing trends actively seek out new strategies so that you will not get left behind.

Promoting The Wrong Product
Choosing the wrong product to promote can mean instant failure for any affiliate. The decision you make is a critical one. If you are choosing a Clickbank product here are a couple of things to bear in mind. Do not choose the most popular product there; the competition will be far too great for a beginner. Do not choose a product that is offering less that 50% commission, after all you do want to make some money. Do not go for products with commission rates over 80%, this usually means that the product is not selling well and the owner is desperately trying to attract affiliates in order to get some sales. Do some research; find out if the product is in high demand, there is no sense in promoting a book about Dog Training if most people are searching for a book about Potty Training.

Lack Of Creativity
Most likely the affiliate program you are promoting has given you some of the tools you need to get started. Just because you may be told what to do, step-by-step that does not mean that those are the only steps you can take. As I mentioned before there are many types of advertising out there, be innovative be a leader, take your time and try out various methods of advertising, find out what works for you. Don’t just take what is handed to you. Learn, apply, earn.

If you can avoid these costly mistakes, you will make it as an affiliate, be patient success will come, but not overnight.

Carol King
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/affiliate-marketing-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them-90137.html

Why The Need For Brainstorming?

Brainstorming can be the most abused word when it comes to meetings and group activities. It is often used by students, teachers, successful businessmen and even criminals. A lot of projects and activities have become successful due to creative brainstorming sessions.

It is a fact that a person normally uses less than ten percent of their capacity to think and to use their brains. This means that there is a lot of room for more creativity and thinking if only a person can find the right enlightenment or inspiration.

A person has to think for so many reasons. He may have to think to solve his personal problems. He may also have to think to come up with very good business ideas for himself or for the company he works for. A lot of successful ideas were produced from very good thinking.

School activities, business establishments and even political activities benefit a lot from brainstorming. Brainstorming is really the word used by most people to encourage a group to come up with wonderful ideas.

A person who is alone could not think much because he only has his own ideas to bounce on. However, put that person in a group that is a little competitive, supportive and friendly and expect him to come up with some ideas which he would not have thought of while thinking alone.

Brainstorming sessions are sure to come up with plenty of ideas that can be used for a business or a political campaign. Brainstorming is called as such because it is really the process of encouraging people to think out of the box and contribute their ideas to the ideas of his peers.

Some people wonder why brainstorming sessions are really effective in bringing up new and innovative ideas. It may be because of the excitement generated by the thought that a person is not alone into this but he is thinking along with a group of people. They are all contributing their creativity into coming up with a good proposition or idea.

Brainstorming among children can be effective because kids will always welcome the chance of being heard and to have their ideas recognized. The same goes for adults who have not outgrown the need to be recognized.

A bunch of office workers who appear dull and unmindful of their office activities can be pooled together in a brainstorming session. They may be dull but when their energies are harnessed and they are given the proper encouragement then they might come up with good business ideas for the office.

A business enterprise should not always rely on the brains of the chief executive or other managers. No one has a monopoly of good ideas and it will be beneficial for the company if the untapped ideas of the other workers can be made available to the company. Some people can come up with silly ideas but with proper thinking and improvement these ideas can be the start of something good.

Brainstorming sessions should be a free-for-all session, no holds barred and very open to all ideas no matter how silly they may sound. This would encourage the participants to express what they think and to contribute to the whole process.

The importance of brainstorming in almost all activities is a given fact. Thus, every company, activity or organization should make use of this process to come up with the best ideas possible.

Mario R. Churchill
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/why-the-need-for-brainstorming-109489.html

Questions Shape Worlds Out Of Infinite Possibilities

A question is an inquiry. An inquiry creates an answering statement. The process of asking and answering questions is thinking. This thinking is also highly focused. Out of all the possible things you could be thinking of your attention has settled on a few ideas.

These ideas then bring about consequences or effects.

Questions, in short, are focusing tools for thinking. Thinking, in turn, affects all your experiences.

Who you are is a result of your thinking, and your thinking is a result of a question.

Your current experience of pleasure or pain is a result of what you thought and what you are now thinking.

A question create a focused thought. A focused thought is one where attention is paid to an intention. A focused thought is energetic. The potency of this energy is determined by the clarity and intensity of the thought. This focused thought creates an effect because it has the power to affect the quantum field of all possibilities.

What you think about you bring about. Your thoughts are actual wavelengths that go out into the quantum field and affect it. Every atom of the universe is connected to every other atom and each atom is in perfect awareness and communication with every other atom. A thought, which is a unit of intelligence, affects these atoms.

This is a brief summary of how the Law of Attraction works.

The fact that it does work can be proved experientially. When you think of any thought with enough intensity then let it go completely, the parallel shows up in your experience.
The unpredictable variables are when it will show up and how. After it shows up, the experience is always one of delight and amazement. We consider it miraculous because the chain of events that brought it about are not known to us. The only thing we actually know is that the effect we desired is now part of our experience.

The quality of your questions then determine the quality of your life.

At any point in time, you can either ask empowering questions or disempowering questions.

When you ask an empowering question, you set off a processional chain of events, an outflow of power, similar to switching on a light.

What happens is that you immediately affect your subconscious mind which in turn affects the superconscious mind. A whole series of events now take place in the invisible world, the world of the quantum field of all possibilities and in the world of pure consciousness.

When you ask an empowering question, you create a stream of empowered thinking. Your thoughts expand to investigate new possibilities, your emotions become positive, your body metabolizes better, your relationships improve, and you tap into new, often miraculous resources of energy and information.

You literally pull abundance to you like a magnet.

When you ask a disempowering thought, an invisible, psychic power disappears, and it is like switching off a light.

When the flow of this power is cut off, your subconscious mind jams up, and you experience a “stupid” or “confused” state; your body starts to tense up and your metabolism goes askew; people start to avoid you or actively oppose you; and you no longer attract the resources you need, resulting in a dwindling of opportunities, and eventually an experience of scarcity.

Questions can create a chain of invisible forces that either attract abundance or precipitate the loss of what resources you currently have, resulting in a condition of scarcity.

This whole cycle can happen at any time. You can be in a hellish situation, turn on the power, and things find a way to turn around in an amazing way. You can also be in a wonderful situation, turn off the power, and things start to dwindle and fall away.

And this entire chain of events is created by a question.

Your choice at any moment is to decide what to do with any stimulus. You can ask an empowering question about it or a disempowering question about it. This simple, almost effortless act of consciousness is enough to make either wonderful or horrible things happen to you.

The visible world only exists because of the invisible world. As physicist David Bohm expressed it, there is a cosmological order which is a distinction between the implicate and explicate order.

In his book, Wholeness and the Implicate Order, he describes it in the following way.

In the enfolded [or implicate] order, space and time are no longer the dominant factors determining the relationships of dependence or independence of different elements. Rather, an entirely different sort of basic connection of elements is possible, from which our ordinary notions of space and time, along with those of separately existent material particles, are abstracted as forms derived from the deeper order. These ordinary notions in fact appear in what is called the “explicate” or “unfolded” order, which is a special and distinguished form contained within the general totality of all the implicate orders (Bohm, 1980, p. xv).

The illusion is that the visible world is creating the invisible world. Your experience is what makes you think about things as affecting you. Yet, the opposite is just as true. The invisible world is creating the visible world. Your thinking brings about your experience.

If you are proactive, you will choose your questions carefully, and they will influence your experience.

If you are reactive, which is the default program for most human beings, then an experience will influence your thoughts and you will have more of that experience.

Your power to be an influencer or to be the effect of an experience is a choice.

Our logical minds are trained to take any experience and project its consequences and we then live in the ordinary world of surviving

Yet it is our creative mind that can turn everything around for us. When we use this, then we step into the extraordinary world of thriving.

Using our creative mind means ignoring current conditions and imagining what we want to happen instead. This intervention in the current flow of events will then create a completely new chain of events.

The chain of causality can be interrupted at any point. All it takes is asking an empowering question. This will engage the creative mind. The subconscious and the superconscious then move in the direction of your thoughts. And the circumstances that you envisioned become your experience. You can then continue to direct these experiences in the favorable direction that you created.

However, the idea of causality itself is actually an illusion. It is part of the Newtonian paradigm. When billiard ball A hits billiard ball B then it moves it on a specific trajectory. On the experiential level, this is what actually appears to be happening. When you point something in a certain direction and apply force to it, it appears to move in that direction, whether it is a thought, a human body, a car, or an airplane.

But, in the quantum field, A does not exist because it always has a predecessor. Thus for anything to exist everything else must exist simultaneously.

Nevertheless, for the purpose of this argument, it serves us well. Thus, A, in this theory is the question. It then stirs forces in the invisible world which will then have an effect on the visible world.

The question is the most important part of your creative force. Questions create science and art. They create a search for truth. They create a quest for resolutions. They create
the intention that shapes causality to work for or against you. Ultimately, questions create civilizations. The difference between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Europe was entirely due to the questions that were asked in those periods.

A final speculation. It is possible that pure consciousness asked itself this question: what would happen if I pretended to be other than myself and created a universe where I experience myself other than I am?

Assuming the paradigm of causality, which works well in the sensory world, questions create thoughts that create effects, and it is the quality of our questions that determine the quality of our lives. Poor indeed are those who ask poor questions. Add a positive spin to any inquiry and you can birth a miracle.

Saleem Rana
http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/questions-shape-worlds-out-of-infinite-possibilities-81349.html

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