imc2 - The Relationship Era Blog

Consumer Research: Read a Good Book

Posted on 11. Jul, 2011 by Mark McKinney.

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Read Mark McKinney’s insights on creating a better segment persona by simply reading a good book first.

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From Cause to Collaboration (4 Rules for Brands)

Posted on 16. Aug, 2010 by Mark McKinney.

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I was recently asked to contribute some basic “rules of the road” for brands looking to leverage a socially conscious agenda (check out this iMedia article to see what I and others had to say). With new business models like conscious capitalism and social entrepreneurship creating exciting opportunities for cross-sector partnerships, the “cause marketing” framework [...]

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It’s All About Respect

Posted on 29. Jun, 2010 by Mark McKinney.

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Generally, when we talk about winning in the Relationship Era, we’re referring to the new world landscape where customers control the brand and much as companies, and where the needs and wants of the consumer must be on par with the goals and objectives of the brand. My agency characterizes this relationship as ME (brand) [...]

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End of an Error: Marketing Model Must Shift to Engage an Active and Social Consumer

Posted on 05. Apr, 2010 by Mark McKinney.

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Media Logic has published a white paper discussing its view of 2010 for the marketing profession. Of note is an excellent commentary by Ronald Ladouceur, contending that “There is no question that the old model of marketing, dependent upon an isolated and passive consumer, is dead, never to return.” (you can download the white paper [...]

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Of Position and Purpose

Posted on 12. Mar, 2010 by Mark McKinney.

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In the normal course of our work, we see people (occasionally even people on our team) mixing up the ideas Brand Position and Brand Purpose. Brand purpose is the reason a brand exists, and the brand position is how it presents itself to the marketplace (which hopefully reflects its purpose, but it is different). So, [...]

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Marketing, the Figure-Ground Stimulus, and Values

Posted on 21. Jan, 2010 by Mark McKinney.

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I recently read an interesting post by Seth Godin, talking about how he feels that marketing messages are analogous to comic book frames. The marketing message is the crafted communication much like the illustrated comic frame, but the “message” takes place between the frames, where the reader actively imagines the action. His point: “Consumers are [...]

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Why (Reciprocal) Trust Matters

Posted on 16. Dec, 2009 by Mark McKinney.

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I don’t think it is possible to find anyone working in American business today who would disagree with the statement, “It is important for consumers to trust our brand.” This is as much a truism as “you get what you pay for” or “sex sells.” Some things are just a given. Why is trust in [...]

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The Message in the Relationship Era

Posted on 04. Dec, 2009 by Mark McKinney.

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Recently, I was in a conversation with a new acquaintance about the changes taking place in marketing. I was talking about the intent of the marketing message in the new Relationship Era, and threw out some opinions about what the message should do. My conversation partner stopped for a minute and commented, “Augustine. The outcome [...]