What Every Company Needs to Know About Marketing

Article excerpt...Once you’ve identified your targets, it’s time to figure out how to appeal to them. One way to do that is through formal (read: expensive) market research. Another method is what’s known as “mother-in-law research”—actually talking to people and asking them questions. What a concept! It’s not particularly sophisticated, but it may very well tell you what you need to know. “Our first step is to interview the company or organization’s users to find out what they think and feel,” says Sherry Bruck, creative director of the Harquin Creative Group, a brand-strategy consulting firm in Pelham. “I start with a list of the company’s clients. I call them and dig into how they interact with the company.” She adds, “Depending on what they say, we integrate that feedback into the organization's brand strategy.” Only then comes the creation of what she calls “touch points” like brochures, websites, e-blasts, or advertising campaigns.

Bruck tells how that approach shaped a recent marketing plan: “We did a project with New Roc City to get rid of some of the perceptions about it being dark and full of kids hanging out at night. I talked to a lot of people in the community and our research showed that we weren’t going to change that perception, so we suggested a strategy that called for organizing events during the day, many of which have age limits for kids. When you know what people are thinking and feeling, that’s the basis for your strategy.” click for more>