QVIews

The beer companies have never been big direct marketers, but signs are surfacing that Anheuser-Busch may view the internet as its big opportunity to get one-to-one with its audience. As tv commercials become easier to avoid and audiences become more fragmented, more of advertisers’ money is going into web-based advertising ventures where return on investment…

Sponsoring music performances is an excellent way to generate good will and awareness. Does sponsoring a rock concert seem too risky and expensive? Then consider sponsoring a movie-theatre showing of a rock concert movie. Heck, you could sponsor the airing of a classical or jazz music performance tape if that’s more appropriate for your audience.…

Best Buy is discovering that "big box" idea has run its course as a competitive advantage, so it’s pushing supply chain management further into the selling process. Instead of minimizing costs, maximizing customer access to products has become the focus. HBS Working Knowledge Best Buy’s Supply Chain Transformation by Ken Cotrill The strategy, dubbed "customer-centricity,"…

JetBlue will start serving Dunkin’ Donuts coffee (not donuts) on its flights. Most people see this as a boost for JetBlue, but as a devoted coffee drinker who prefers their taste, I think this is a coup for Dunkin’ Donuts. Many, many more people from outside Dunkin’ Donuts current market areas will discover the smooth…

Ross Levinsohn is in charge of marketing the advertising space at all the News Corp. web sites. In an interview in the Wall Street Journal, he describes a very interesting idea to enable mulit-level marketing at Myspace. It’s just an idea that’s ‘out there,’ but one that could greatly increase the power and loyalty of…

Over at ClickZ, Pete Blackshaw has a great article which puts a recently published book into context. I’ve always been skeptical of "easy answers," but Fred Reichheld says the Ultimate Question is all you need to measure success. Pete Blackshaw compares this with his experience collecting customer feedback, and agrees with Reichheld that companies need…

The best advertising gives the audience a taste of the consumption experience. Austin-based advertising agency T3 created a special web site (or micro site) for Marriott to show off the innovations it’s developed for business travelers: www.ExperienceMarriott.com. iMedia Connection: Experience Wanted by Gay Warren Gaddis of T3 Developing ExperienceMarriott.com required more than a little fortitude…

On finding out that the most popular place for a first date is a coffee shop, Strarbucks reaches out to the dating community. Starbucks does a good job of staying in dance step with its customers. Espresso Dating (sighted by Page Rockwell at Salon, subscription required) Subscribe to Yahoo! Personals, and we’ll send you a…

While some advertisers are promoting the fact they have a Super Bowl commercial before it actually airs, Burger King is betting that after their commercial airs, the audience will want to capture and share it with friends. USATODAY: Burger King to send extended ad to customers of Sprint phone video by Theresa Howard Within 30…

One way to make advertising more useful to its audience is to use it as a way to educate, bringing your audience to a higher level of sophistication. NY Times: Science Blogs as a Vehicle for Upscale Ads  by Stuart Elliott …the increasing pervasiveness of technology in everyday life, Ms. Esquivel said, a trend that…