The dawn of a new year often marks a spate of leadership changes within many companies and 2012 is no exception. This includes new marketing leaders that have popped up at Facebook (former Levi's CMO Rebecca Van Dyck), Kenneth Cole (former Anthropologie marketing chief Amy Choyne), Macy's (Martine Reardon has been promoted), and Gilt Groupe (Elizabeth Francis jumps from Intelligent Beauty). And while there are multiple factors that can drive changes in leadership changes (e.g. newly-appointed CEO brings in their own team; CXOs in search of new opportunities), it's safe to say that today's CMO has never faced a more challenging time.

Continue reading "The Rise of the Data-Driven CMO" »

Posted by Tom Hoffman at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)

There's been a lot of buzz about J.C. Penney lately now that the fledgling retailer has tapped former Apple retail czar Ron Johnson as its white knight. Much of the buzz has centered around Johnson's fair pricing strategy which is designed to keep prices low on the types of products its shoppers typically look for and, in part, by setting up its stores with low-priced merchandise on a monthly basis.

Continue reading "Can J.C. Penney Differentiate the Customer Experience?" »

Posted by Tom Hoffman at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)

When it comes to considered purchases it seems that everyone--B2B and B2C buyers alike--wants a second opinion. In fact, 100 percent of the nearly 100 respondents to 1to1's recent survey "How Social a Social Customer Are You?" seek recommendations on occasion before purchasing an item important enough to research before buying. While only about a third of the survey respondents seek recommendations prior to every considered purchase, only 4 percent rarely ask for recommendations.

Continue reading "How Social a Social Customer Are You?" »

Posted by Ginger Conlon at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)

Often, while browsing the Internet, I notice advertisements that pertain directly to items or topics I've just searched. When shopping at the mall, I'll suddenly receive an email that connects me with an offer for the very store I just left. The eerie wave of awareness stops me dead in my tracks and I wonder, where is Big Brother and how does he know my every move?

Continue reading "Social Personalization Improves Targeting and Engagement" »

Posted by Anna Papachristos at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)

In a recent study, Temkin Group and Peppers & Rogers Group examined the social media activities within companies. It turns out that less than 40 percent of large companies have achieved even modest value from their social media efforts, but nearly 90 percent expect to gain that value over the next three years.

A lot of companies are expecting many good things from social media. To gain that value they'll need to have solid social media strategies and good execution. But even that might not be enough; it also depends on what their customers are doing.

Continue reading "Five Questions For Social Media Success" »

Posted by Guest Blogger at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments () | TrackBacks (0)