Insightful articles, opinion and commentary about mobile and web.

Simon van Wyk, Founder of HotHouse  talks to Ray Welling from Vivacity Health about the rise of digital and mobile in pharmaceutical marketing. Many pharmaceutical sales forces in Australia are now employing iPads while medical apps developed for tablets are helping doctors to understand much more fully how new medical treatments can change their patients’ lives. At the same time healthcare apps are successfully supporting patients to manage their illnesses.

Ray-Welling-discussion

Alan Curson, Head of Copy at HotHouse, takes a look at how corporate speak is befouling the art of good copywriting.

It’s not swearing I object to. In fact, so long as it’s inventive, interesting or being done by someone bigger than me, I don’t mind it at all.

The bad language bringing me out in a rash, is the incessant, ‘corporate-jargo-speak’ infecting every written aspect of marketing communication.

For instance, when the bank wants to switch you to email statements, they don’t come out and say so. Instead, they tell you for your convenience as part of their ongoing commitment to enhance service offerings to valued customers, they have streamlined administration practices with a commitment to a targeted migration from paper-based communications to digitally focused information streaming, going forward. read more

Xander Black, Creative Director at HotHouse, discusses why great work online is so much more than specific technologies or beautiful visual design

The internet is a breeding ground for ideas. New ones emerge every day. ‘Memes’ come and go on a daily basis and the good ones linger on… go viral and become part of the language of the internet itself.

Whether it’s Lolcats, the Star Wars Kid, or the history of dance, we’ve all seen them, laughed at them, and passed them on to others to enjoy. The internet has become the best vehicle the world has seen for the genesis of ideas and their proliferation. A single idea can spread across the world in a matter of hours.

These days, when you want your new campaign to be seen, you’re not just trying to stand out from a page of news content. You’re not even just competing against your competitors. Online, you’re competing against the very best that the internet has to offer.

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By Simon van Wyk

In How Brands Grow, Byron Sharp writes that “The marketing world is extraordinarily complex, but textbooks fail us when they suggest that this complexity can never be mastered.”

He argues, however, that it’s possible to “come up with some simple rules for ‘branded competition for sales’ (i.e. competition to build a sales base with considerable lasting capability).” Here are his rules, based on empirical evidence:

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By Simon van Wyk

I highly recommend all marketers to read Byron Sharp’s book How Brands Grow check out my podcast with Byron here. His research-based approach to marketing principles is refreshing and challenges a lot of our existing thinking on marketing.

To whet your appetite, here is a selection of the most salient quotes from the book:

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By Simon van Wyk

Following on from my last post on marketing case studies that are available online, there are a number of books you can buy if you want more detailed information and need to feel the heft of a book (or a Kindle) in your hand. Here’s a selection of the best-rated marketing case study tomes available on Amazon:

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By Simon van Wyk

I have a background in marketing, but my understanding of branding seems at odds with the 2010 opinions I see from social media commentators, marketing and advertising agencies.

I read LoveMarks, but I don’t love brands. I read the definition which says: “Lovemarks reach your heart as well as your mind, creating an intimate, emotional connection that you just can’t live without. Ever.” I don’t actually feel this way about any brand. My life is busy and I reserve that level of investment for the important people in my life, not the stuff I buy. I assumed other people felt the same.

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By Simon van Wyk

Following on with this month’s theme of the legends of marketing, let’s focus on case studies in all types of marketing, not just digital marketing. Here are some websites where you can find some really useful examples to apply to your own business:

Marketing Magazine case studies: This Australian publication has dozens of case studies to choose from. My favourites include Cabana Boys, a creative agency born during the depths of the GFC, the ANZ Bank’s sponsorship of the Broadway musical Wicked, Australia’s quintessential sandshoe, Dunlop Volleys, and the Transport Action Commission of Victoria’s “Pictures of You” campaign.

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HotHouse founder Simon van Wyk talks to Bob Miller, one of Australia’s leading authorities on sales and marketing. Former general manager of marketing for Toyota Australia, Bob won many marketing awards on his way to establishing Toyota as Australia’s top car company. Author of several books and magazine columns on marketing, he now works as a speaker and consultant on marketing and Internet business development, as well as serving as a professor of business at Macquarie University. Bob talks with Simon about the biggest changes in marketing in the past 30 years and the place of digital marketing in today’s marketing mix.

Listen to the podcast below.

 

 Bob Miller Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

By Simon Van Wyk

The term “legend” doesn’t apply to many people in marketing in Australia, but one man who clearly qualifies is Bob Miller.

Long-time general manager of marketing for Toyota Australia, Bob is best known as the man behind the classic “Oh, What a feeling” campaign that placed Toyota at the top of the Australian car market.
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