Moments of Giving
We, like many marketers, are struggling with how to strike the right tone as we try to stay connected with our customers and clients during this unprecedented time. We’ve seen companies capitalizing on people’s fears and brands that are surprisingly tone deaf, like the retailer who recently sent an email [...]
Looking for a Job Is Like Running for Office
As we are bombarded with political ads, endless commentary from the pundits and the hype around Super Tuesday, it occurred to us that looking for a new job is a lot like running for office. There are certain rules that apply whether you’re a political candidate or a job candidate. [...]
Was the Super Bowl Super?
Another Super Bowl has come and gone. As in past years, while some people are interested in who wins the game, the vast majority of people are focused on the important parts - the halftime show and the ads. As always, the halftime show delivered entertainment or controversy (or both), [...]
I Just Go There for the Wings
The idea of a “breastaurant” does not appeal to everyone. But the concept has thrived since 1983, when Hooters launched a restaurant chain combining basic bar food and waitresses clad in skimpy outfits. Other restaurants, with names like Twisted Kilt, Twin Peaks, and Mugs & Jugs, followed suit. But is [...]
Should Thanksgiving Be Sweet or Salty?
Thanksgiving is arguably the holiday most shaped by marketing’s influence. It was first established as a national holiday in 1863 during the Civil War in an attempt to unite the country. The original holiday was held on the last Thursday of the month. But in 1939 during the Great Depression, [...]
Top 3 Reasons to Be a Marketing Consultant
There are so many different ways to work today: traditional full-time roles, part-time roles, job-shares, gig economy, consulting … the list goes on. At Ceres Talent we specialize in helping companies find both exceptional full-time marketers and marketing consultants. We recently talked to a few members of our talent pool [...]
Do Marketers Need to Major in Marketing?
By the time you get through college, September is permanently imprinted on your brain as “back-to-school time,” especially if you also have school-aged children of your own. Everyone from big-box stores to restaurants uses the excitement (and dread) of August and September as a marketing tool. Even universities themselves seem [...]
“Stranger Things” Than Marketing Failures (aka New Coke)
For decades, New Coke has been marketing shorthand for “a really bad marketing idea.” But, with the third season of Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things taking place in 1985, the year of the New Coke debacle, the product and the marketing around it is being reevaluated. An interesting article in [...]
Marketing So Good It’s a Shame
Plastic bags have been identified as a major environmental concern. One grocery store in Vancouver, Canada decided to take the situation into their own hands, or bags, as the case may be. In the process, they created both a marketing campaign that received international recognition and a new revenue stream. [...]
When Your Coworkers Are Kids (Literally)
Leigh still remembers her first job. It was the summer after eighth grade, and her father hired her in his medical office to help with filing (everything was still on paper back then). Somehow, Leigh didn’t realize there was a difference between “balance due” and “no balance,” and she filed [...]
Are Remote Workers Lonely?
UPDATE: The Tulsa Remote experiment appears to be going well for the first group of Tulsa ex-pats. Working from home has become a popular benefit for both workers who want work-life balance and for employers who want to attract top talent. According to Reuters, the number of remote workers is [...]
Ancient Rituals, Modern Marketing
It seems like marketing seasons are getting shorter and shorter. No sooner are the Fourth of July sales over than the Halloween candy starts coming out. Of course, the winter holidays now last from October until January, and then even before all the green of St. Patrick’s Day has been [...]