Signage – Ask Mr. Marketing

A Very Merry Business Card

Did you know 627,000 new businesses start in the U.S. annually? Most use business cards as an inexpensive promotional tool. Half won’t last five years.... Read more

March 14, 2019 advertising specialties b2c marketing branding consumer marketing corporate messaging Marketing trivia Sales Signage Strategic planning

Now THAT’s subtle marketing!

First let me state I’m NOT a jewelry expert, as I believe carats are something Bugs Bunny eats. When buying shiny baubles for my bride... Read more

March 1, 2019 b2c marketing branding business plans consumer marketing corporate messaging Marketing trivia Monthly newsletter product marketing Sales sales promotion Signage Strategic planning

A Lesson From The Valley

On a cool evening in 1903, Carson Cosgrove called 14 businessmen together in his brother’s harness shop. The subject of the discussion: a new company... Read more

February 21, 2019 b2c marketing consumer marketing Customer relations Marketing trivia product marketing Public relations Sales sales promotion Signage Strategic planning technology Web site marketing

I never got the bagel

I’m at an area restaurant awaiting an appointment. A numbered plaque, embedded into the table, instructs me to “Order from your table,” from a website.... Read more

February 13, 2019 B2B Marketing b2c marketing consumer marketing corporate messaging direct marketing Email marketing linguistics Marketing trivia non-profit marketing Online marketing political marketing Print product marketing Public relations Sales sales promotion Signage Trade show marketing Web site marketing

Why Bother Proofreading Your Work?

A few years back, a car dealership published a Yellow Pages coupon for $100 off the purchase of a new car. Their obvious intention was... Read more

February 1, 2019 b2c marketing branding consumer marketing corporate messaging product marketing Sales sales promotion Signage

Framing Your Message Properly

I recently found myself at the Shoppes at Carlsbad staring at a beautiful, partially-clad young woman. She was in a 3-foot-wide photograph behind a huge... Read more

January 24, 2019 business plans corporate messaging Marketing trivia political marketing Signage

Building The Wall With Marketing

DISCLAIMER: Regular readers of this column know I look at everything in the world through a marketing filter in search of lost opportunity. Recognizing how... Read more

November 15, 2018 branding corporate messaging linguistics product marketing Public relations Sales sales promotion Signage Strategic planning

A woman named Dingleberry

My friend Paul and I were at the old Rancho Bernardo Hooters and our server’s name was Dingleberry. Actually that was her stage name. The... Read more

November 1, 2018 B2B Marketing b2c marketing branding budgets business plans consumer marketing corporate messaging market research product marketing Public relations Sales sales promotion Signage social networking Strategic planning Trade show marketing Web site marketing

What should be in your business plan?

Many times I’ve encountered entrepreneurs who are unsure of what goes into a well-documented business plan to persuade an investor to pay attention. As a... Read more

October 10, 2018 b2c marketing business plans consumer marketing corporate messaging direct marketing market research Marketing trivia product marketing Public relations Sales sales promotion Signage Strategic planning

Trying to outsmart the marketplace

My bride and I recently listed our home for sale. Being empty-nesters, downsizing made sense. Plus there was the soaring housing market tempting us to... Read more