Wednesday 24 December 2008

Season's Greetings

I received the following from a good friend of mine who runs a great marketing company ( www.rwpgroup.com ). I was so impressed with the message I thought I'd reproduce it in full. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did;

May I take this opportunity to thank you for your custom in 2008 and may I wish you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas. As yet another year has come to an end it gives us all a time to reflect on how well we have performed both as individuals and as a business. There is nothing like smaller budgets, job insecurities, increased competition and a shrinking market to focus the mind. For me, one of the high points of 2008 was (apart from getting married!) the election of Barack Obama. This must be one of the most amazing elections in American history. A year ago what odds would you have given to a black man with the middle name Hussein, a first generation immigrant, of winning the 2008 US presidential campaign? How about zero? Yet he did it... and he did it through superior messaging and organising. It is funny how often the 'secret' to these things is communication. He had no rich family money like John Kennedy or George Bush to help pave the way. He raised his own finances. He managed to get a whole nation to buy into his brand and support his vision. Whatever you think about his politics, it's an accomplishment of epic proportions. My hat's off to the man. So how did he do that? Well, I am no expert on American politics but he found new 'markets', those people that had felt over looked and unmotivated. He communicated with people in a tone and manner they could understand and he connected. More than 120 million voted, and Obama won more votes than anyone else in U.S. history. Obama won 54% of Catholics, 66% of Latinos, 68% of new voters — a multicultural, multigenerational group that never before had been persuaded to vote in such numbers.So what can we learn from this. Communication is king. Sure, you need an excellent proposition but if no one hears you, you are not going very far. Keep your current customers. Remember if you are not talking to them your competitors usually are. Use different marketing channels. Barack Obama used everything available to him, advertising, web, e-mails, texting, word of mouth, member get member schemes, PR, direct mail, sales promotions and the Barack brand'. Know what your company stands for and let people know the benefits. Remember this is a time when all things are possible. Have a great Christmas. Best Wishes,John