Viewpoints

Bridging the Gap Between Awareness & Sales

Paul Mottram — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 22:13:28 -0800

A recent study by a US consultancy looked at business marketers' expectations of PR. The results are surprising.

Only 30 percent of all respondents believe lead generation is a function of PR, yet 49 percent of survey takers said the best measure of public relations success is the generation of more or better sales leads. This clear disconnect means sales leads from PR are highly valued - and yet not expected by the majority of survey takers.

What more can be done to bridge this gap? One approach is to recognize that although awareness and preference generated by PR is often an essential part of the marketing mix, a huge portion of customers reached are just not ready to buy at the time that they become aware.

At Upstream we think that in this situation - whether for consumer or business-to-business marketers - a good solution is to talk more and sell less.

As Red Hat's Director of Marketing Communications, Chris Grams recently said, "I don't like the idea of forcing people into becoming leads. I like people to opt-in to entering our sales stream. Our sales team is very busy. They don't have time to waste with people who aren't that interested..."

Cowboys, Communication and Community: A fresh look at healthcare marketing in Asia

Paul Mottram — Tue, 08 Jul 2003 02:18:16 -0700

The Internet has had two effects on the way healthcare is practiced in Asia. The first, and heavily hyped, outcome is that the Internet has helped the medical community exchange information and manage the supply of in-demand medications across the region. The second effect has proved to be more pervasive and subtle: changing the way that Asian consumers get information about their health and well-being. It is this second trend is creating both opportunities and dangers for healthcare marketers in the region.

The so-called "Healthcare" information that arrives in our inboxes several times per day is surprisingly comprehensive, offering to increase the size of one's manhood AND the size of one's breasts. The senders, of course, are complete cowboys, snake-oil salesmen, and spammers - the very opposite of trusted healthcare professionals. But the trend is clear: provision of healthcare information is expanding through new channels. During the SARS crisis, even the phone company got in on the act, sending me hope-filled missives via SMS. Thanks a lot.

While these non-healthcare providers have zero credibility, the sheer ubiquity of their communications speaks volumes about the possibilities of new media to reach healthcare consumers...and their reactions to it.

Building trust in turmoil: new communications priorities for Australia and Asia

Peter Kingsbury — Wed, 08 Oct 2003 02:32:54 -0700

Two compelling challenges are impacting brand marketing and corporate communications in our region today. The first is the huge influence technology is having on business. The second, as a result of corporate credibility being at an all-time low, is the need to establish - or re-establish – public trust.

They offer tremendous new opportunities for marketers and corporate communicators. They also represent major concerns for those tasked with the role of building brand equity.

Information technology is increasing the speed of decision-making and the flow of data at a pace beyond our ability to digest it. It is also creating new media that are more measurable, more easily integrated, and much more targeted.

As a result, marketing campaigns are increasingly becoming more segmented in their content. And the media they employ are increasingly interactive. The messaging is becoming more personal and the over-arching goal is to build long-term sustainable consumer relationships.

Of course, trying to establish sustainable consumer relationships is always tough. But when there's a crisis of corporate credibility taking place, it's even harder. Hence the reason why we're seeing a growing interest in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and a return to cause-related marketing activities – anything with a cause that can help address the public cynicism of business.

A Close Shave For PR

David Ketchum — Mon, 08 Dec 2003 01:32:54 -0800

As I watched the winners being announced at the recent PRWeek Awards (as a "civilian" rather than as one of the judges), there were few surprises in what won and why. What was surprising, and potentially a danger sign for our industry, was the fact that no awards were made in seven categories. I applaud the judges' decision to keep the standards high. Their action gave greater significance and legitimacy to the entries that did win, and also left the overall perception for the future that the awards have "teeth" and integrity.

So what is the problem, and how can it be addressed? One answer: public relations is not innovating continuously or fast enough here in Asia Pacific. In the late nineties, booming local economies and the adoption of best practice and international business models drove a strong surge. The result at the Awards seems to indicate that the development of world-class, locally effective agency and client teams and truly ground-breaking campaigns has plateaued.

The problem, if not addressed, is likely to result in positions of ever-lower influence for in-house communications people and even more brutal price-based competition for agencies.

The China Travel Market Takes Off

David Ketchum — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 02:04:45 -0700

Three times a week, when Qantas flight QF 192 takes off from Beijing to Sydney, there is more on board than merely people and cargo. The plane also carries the ambitions of Chinese business people looking for global growth, affluent PRC travelers connecting with their families and having fun, tired but invigorated international business people returning home, as well as a hold full of increasingly value-added Chinese exports. The flight captures some of the trends that are driving the international dimension of the phenomenal growth in China's travel and tourism sector.

The return flight QF 191 from Sydney to Beijing, and indeed flights inbound from all over the world, carry almost as many growth stories as there are passengers. By 2020, the UN World Tourism Organization predicts that China will be the leading inbound destination in the world with 130 million tourists, and the fourth largest outbound destination with 100 million tourists.

The Emergence of Branding in China

David Ketchum — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:53:32 -0700

Co-authored by Brian Davies, Managing Partner, Movéo Integrated Branding

The clichéd image of a Chinese consumer riding a bicycle and buying little except rice is fast being swept away. Chinese people -- in the Peoples' Republic of China, Taiwan and overseas -- are now the largest purchasers of luxury goods. And domestic Chinese brands, such as Haier and Lenovo (a sponsor of the 2008 Olympics), are coming onto the world stage.

On the B2B front, opportunities are opening up everywhere. Domestic enterprises, like Telecommunications companies ZTE and Huawei, are growing from their Chinese bases. Meanwhile, foreign multinationals are seeking to expand their business in China and capitalize on the opening of markets following China's accession to the WTO.

Just a generation ago, most goods in China were simply produced and distributed -- there were few actual brands (e.g. "Product 'A' came from factory No. 306"). Of course, a handful of products did tap into the fervor of the Cultural Revolution, such as Red Lantern radios and Panda cigarettes. And while Chairman Mao frequently mentioned Zhangxiaoquan scissors and Ostrich ink, he did so as a proud head of state, not as an endorser.