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Brad VanAuken — Page 2

Articles by Brad VanAuken

brad vanauken has written 528 articles for AdTalk

Brad VanAuken

Out-of-the-Box Marketing Techniques

by Brad VanAuken

I recently created a new online course on out-of-the-box marketing techniques.  It highlights many ways in which marketers can be creative in achieving their goals. Creativity has always been an important part of marketing and the best marketers generally have high creativity quotients. In this highly entertaining course, we will review dozens of creative marketing campaigns […]

Brand Benefit Cues

by Brad VanAuken

Several years ago, I was helping a health care system reposition its brand. After rigorous research, we discovered that their unique presence of a level one trauma center in the rural communities that they served signaled that they were uniquely set up to handle the toughest and most complex medical situations. This together with some […]

Retro Brand Imagery with Sexual Overtones

by Brad VanAuken

 I was spending time at my Adirondack home last week and stopped by this Lake Placid wine and spirit shop to pick up some wine for the week. That’s when I noticed their shop sign. It immediately took me back to vintage ads with sexual overtones that are now unacceptable. The sign depicts a woman […]

Brand Research

by Brad VanAuken

 Introducing our online brand research course. This comprehensive introductory course focuses on how to use marketing research to build, manage and grow successful brands and it highlights the most important marketing research issues and considerations. Further, you will learn about more than 40 different qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and techniques and when it is appropriate […]

Tapping Into Human Needs

by Brad VanAuken

 I am excited to announce that I have developed a new inexpensive online course entitled “Tapping into Human Needs.” This one-hour seminar will help you better understand human needs and motivations. This understanding should inform brand positioning, marketing copy, selling scripts, and unique value propositions. We will cover Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, The Triune Brain, the […]

Marketing Needs Assessment

by Brad VanAuken

We have been running a continuous marketing needs assessment survey since April of 2017. Here are the latest findings. Organizational role:CEO – 19%CMO – 12%Marketing director – 12%Product manager – 12%Marketing manager – 10%Marketing vice president – 7%Brand manager – 5%Research analyst – 5%Marketing analyst – 3%Media planner – 3%Creative director – 3%Graphic designer – 2%Account […]

Transitioning to e-Commerce

by Brad VanAuken

I am conducting a free two-hour workshop on transitioning to e-commerce for artists on Sunday, September 27 from 4 pm until 6 pm. You are invited to attend.This workshop will teach artists how to develop, host and promote websites for e-commerce including becoming familiar with different web development and hosting services, e-commerce platforms and payment […]

Comprehensive Brand Positioning Course

by Brad VanAuken

This course will provide you with everything you need to position your brand to win. It is based on a proprietary process and set of tools that have been used to successfully position hundreds of brands throughout the world. This unparalleled brand positioning process was refined over 30 years and has been used by more than […]

Marketing and Marketing Communication Are Not the Same

by Brad VanAuken

Frequently, I encounter organizations whose marketing departments consist solely of marketing communications professionals. Those organizations view marketing solely as marketing communications. The department is tasked with writing marketing copy, providing content to websites, running social media campaigns, creating brochures, crafting event announcements and the like.But who is developing the brand’s unique value proposition? Who is […]

Marketing to Human Needs

by Brad VanAuken

If one is not marketing to human needs, that person should not be considered a marketer. Marketers, and especially those who craft brand strategy and marketing communications, must deeply understand human needs to perform their jobs well. I have written a number of blog posts over time that speak to addressing human needs. I have […]

Brands & Storytelling

by Brad VanAuken

Stories are the glue that holds societies together. Consider the stories of Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims, the Boston Tea Party, the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, the Civil War, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. These are the basis of our American Heritage. They provide us with a sense of history and […]

Marketing Needs Survey

by Brad VanAuken

If you are responsible for marketing in your organization, please share your marketing needs with us for a chance to win a Brand Aid book, two hours of free marketing consulting or an Amazon gift card. The survey will take less than 8 minutes of your time. I will post our findings in this blog […]

Brand Research Topics

by Brad VanAuken

These are some of the areas of customer, brand and marketing research that I think could better inform brand management and marketing activities and decisions:Understand how well this generic four part segmentation scheme applies to a wide variety of product and service categories: (a) price conscious customers, (b) convenience oriented customers, (c) brand loyal customers, […]

Brand Aid Book Among Best-Selling Brand Books

by Brad VanAuken

I am proud to announce that Brand Aid is #31 among the top 100 best-selling branding books of all time. 

Eclectic Branding Posts

by Brad VanAuken

I have compiled an eclectic collection of 25 branding posts from over the years (in case you have missed some of them) for your reading pleasure.Brand Research55 Ways to Sabotage BrandsBranding MunicipalitiesWhen a Brand’s Problem is Not a Marketing ProblemLuxury Brands QuizBrand SwitchingFocusing on the WhyBrand TonalityMayo Clinic AdvertisingMarketing CareersBrands and Memory Triggers20 Research-Based Findings […]

The Lincoln Project Advertising

by Brad VanAuken

I have been a student of brand advertising for more than 35 years. I was involved with Hallmark’s award-winning Hallmark Hall of Fame commercials. And, as a consultant, I have advised more than 100 brands on their advertising. Throughout my career, I have seen more bad advertising than good advertising. And, for decades, I have […]

Potential Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19

by Brad VanAuken

It is interesting to think about the potential long-term impacts of COVID-19, including the opportunities and threats for businesses. Here is what comes to my mind in no particular order:More people will continue to work at home rather than in the office. This means less commuting, which may continue downward pressure on gasoline prices. This […]

Values Survey

by Brad VanAuken

We have created a survey to explore the personal values of people who reside in the USA and its territories. It is a simple 5-minute survey and all responses are anonymous. We hope you will take this survey and then share its link with your friends, family members and business associates so that they can […]

Societal, Technology and COVID-19 Trends

by Brad VanAuken

As marketers, we need to stay abreast of societal and technology trends. Here are some trends that will have large impacts on our lives:Societal trends:While globalization continues, nationalism and “buy local” trends increaseRise of the global middle class while the US middle class stagnatesIncreased tribalism in the USGlobal climate change and its consequences – increased […]

Brands, Ethics and Authenticity

by Brad VanAuken

I have written a lot about how brands can tap into deep attitudes, values, hopes, fears and other emotions to sell their products and services. Compared to selling attributes, features and functional benefits, it works extraordinarily well. Having said that, far too many brands have built their foundations on these deep emotional promises, promises that […]

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