Casol Marketing is a Montreal based advertising agency specialized in design, branding and internet marketing. Creating successful campaigns since 1998 for clients such as HEC Montreal, Sofitel Hotels, the Montreal Salsa Convention, Bureau de Tourisme de Cuba, Voyages d’une Vie, Tristar Gym and MaryseCasol.com, they have recently launched a new website focused on simplicity and customer needs.

Visit the Casol Marketing Agency in Montreal at http://www.casolmarketing.com to discover a world of Design, Branding and Internet Marketing.

Some of the goals that can be achieved by launching a website include the following:

1. Far Cheaper and Much More Flexible Than Print Advertising
The Internet is extremely different from print advertising in that space is cheap, your advertisement is accessible for a longer period of time, the content can be changed without having to ask someone to do it for you (if you use a content management system) and you can potentially reach a wider audience.

This is not to say that you should not use other forms of advertising at all. You can use it to entice people to visit your website and find out about your company and potentially open two-way communication between the potential customer and a sales person.

2. Market Expansion
The Internet has allowed businesses to break through the geographical barriers and become accessible, virtually, from any country in the world by a potential customer that has Internet access.

3. Diversify Revenue Streams
A website is not just a medium for representation of your company, it is a form of media from which everybody can acquire information. You can use this media to sell advertising space to other businesses.

A recent trend has risen where businesses feature their very own directory of complimentary services, where the visitor can search for information on a business that will enhance the use of your service. The business sells complimentary businesses a listing in their directory.

A good example is a catering company featuring a directory with businesses such as event co-coordinators, electronic equipment rental companies, etc.

4. 24 7 365
No more turning customers away when its time to close shop, putting up a note saying closed for public holiday , or leaving an irritating message on your answering service specifying your trading hours tell them to visit your website for information they are looking for.

5. Offer Convenience
It is far more convenient for a person to research a product on the Internet than it is to get in a car, drive somewhere and look for or ask someone for information on a product. Also, a potential customer won t have to judge a call centre agent to determine whether he/she has their best interests in mind, or just wants to make a sale.

The potential customer can visit your website whenever they like in their own privacy and comfort, without the stresses and distractions that exist in the real world .
Your website is a self-service medium for example, instead of having to wait in a long cue to pay your TV License, you can now do it electronically through the TV License website.

6. Add Value and Satisfaction
By offering convenience, a point of reference and that touch of individualized customer service, you ultimately add value to your offering and your customers experience a higher level of satisfaction.

Your website can add value in other ways too, by featuring tips, advice and general interest content you can entertain your customers. This will also help them remember you better.

7. Standardize Sales Performance
By looking at which approached / pitches have worked in the past and those which have not, you can produce the ultimate pitch and use it with your website, so that you use it on every customer. No more training of sales people and waiting for them to get a feel for your line of trade.

8. Improve credibility
A website gives you the opportunity to tell potential customers what you are about and why you deserve their trust and confidence. In fact, many people use the internet for pre-purchase research so that they can determine for themselves whether a particular supplier or brand is worthy of their patronage, and won t take them for a ride.
The Internet also allows for Viral Marketing where your website visitors spread positive word-of-mouth about your business – your customers do your marketing!

9. Promote your Brick n Mortar Presence
Getting lost trying to find a place can be frustrating for a potential customer. You can publish what they call a dummy map on your website, which shows directions and landmarks graphically, and the potential customer can print it out when looking for your Brick n Mortar premises.

You might advertise a promotion on your website encouraging the visitor to visit your Brick n Mortar premises (e.g.. At a branch near you! ).
Also, if you recently moved to a new location, you will have to wait for the next ‘phone directory to come out before people figure out where you currently are. Because a website is flexible you can change the content as you like you can change you contact details instantly and lower the risk of losing customers when moving to a new location.

10. Growth Opportunity
A website serves as a great place to refer potential investors to, to show them what your company is about, what it has achieved and what it can achieve in future.

11. Two-Way Communicative Marketing
Customers can quickly and easily give feedback on your product and/or marketing approach.

12. Cheap Market Research
You can use features on your website such as visitor polls, online surveys and your website statistics to find out what your customers like more and how they feel about certain aspects of your business to determine how you can improve your product and the way you do business.

Fore more information visit us at www.mediaspawn.com

Trend Spotters

No matter what kinds of products you choose to include in your programs, it’s critical to stay ahead of the changes. In any product category, new trends take hold and old ones die out, and in the consumer electronics industry, there’s always something innovative looming on the horizon.

Program planners need to focus on these trends, Rivera said, to stay ahead of these cycles. “Watch redemptions closely so you can prepare selections that are relevant to your demographics,” he said. “You need to anticipate what is desirable in times like these and, of course, understand what can be in store for you as a result.”

Just take a look at the recent 2009 International CES, where more than 2,700 companies showed up to hawk their latest innovations. There were roughly 20,000 new technology products at the show, which always features products that will shape the future of the industry for years to come. Hot trends this year included wireless, 3-D HDTV, advances in OLED, green technologies, Internet TV and digital entertainment.

At the show, Sony President and CEO Howard Stringer kicked things off by unveiling the “CES Seven,” key imperatives for creating the critical user experience. These seven imperatives can give you an idea of where the CE industry might be heading next. According to these suggestions, products should: 1. interact seamlessly across industries; 2. be service-based; 3. be multifunctional; 4. support open technologies; 5. advance the new shared experience; 6. create new value chains; and 7. be green.

So that’s what’s impacting the development horizon, but what are consumers looking for now?

According to CEA’s Director of Industry Analysis, Steve Koenig, “Consumers continue to seek the best picture, sound and entertainment experience available. With a majority of U.S. homes owning an HDTV, consumers are looking to add high-definition content through Blu-ray players, gaming devices and home audio systems.”

More specifically when you’re looking for items for incentive and reward programs, Romeo said the major trends are, “more user-friendly, all-in-one, stylish (in terms of color and design) and significantly smaller products.” Specifically when it comes to cameras, things like face detection, motion detection and even blink detection mean a camera can do almost anything. (We’ll highlight more trends in the digital camera arena in our May/June issue.)

Some items are always popular incentives and rewards, Reinberg said. “Televisions, iPods, headphones, Bose home theater systems, golf and sporting goods, GPS units and vacuums are extremely desirable,” he said. “Furniture and outdoor heaters are also popular now that people are entertaining more at home.”

The desirability of electronics spreads across all demographics. “The explosion of consumer electronics has a universal appeal to all ages,” Reinberg added. “There will always be likes and dislikes, but everyone seems to be attracted to cutting-edge technology for home and play.”

Electronics are particularly attractive for younger audiences, according to Rymax’s Rivera. “We have found that younger audiences usually gravitate to more technology-orientated or trendy products,” he said.

How can you sort through all of the trends to ensure your program is effective? Look for expert help, advised Reinberg. “Don’t be afraid to ask for advice when sourcing awards,” he said. “Take the time to learn about the award recipients and offer something that will appeal to everyone. Ease and value should be key to the offerings.”

To get you started, we take a look here at some hot items from across the incentive industry. When you’re ready to get started, you’ll find that The Davis Incentive Group is just phone call away.

Joseph Buhler Sales/Operations The Davis Incentive Group

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ll I wanted for Christmas was a big-screen TV, a Wii gaming console, an iPod, a new GPS that can save me some gas mileage—oh! and a camcorder for my family to catch the look on my face when I open all these goodies.

OK, the holidays may seem in the distant passt (or future) at this point, but it is interesting to note a couple of trends that were taking hold in late 2008.

First, we should note that according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), nearly 80 percent of adults had consumer electronics on their list for Santa Claus this year, from computers and televisions to video games and cell phones.

And second, according to SpendingPulse, an information service provided by MasterCard Advisors, the electronics and appliance category ended up having a tough holiday season, with declines of more than 26 percent compared to 2007. In particular, sales of more than $1,000 were hard to come by. Furthermore, the CEA anticipates that in 2009 overall, consumer electronics sales will remain essentially flat at about $171 billion (a small drop of 0.6 percent from 2008).

The consumer electronics industry is “resilient but not immune from the business cycle,” remarked Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the CEA at the opening of the 2009 International CES, the huge consumer technology trade show held every January in Las Vegas. “In a tough economy, our products offer high value for entertainment and an entry point for entrepreneurs creating new business.” Innovation in the industry, he added, has the power to help kick-start the economy.

What does all of this mean for planners working on incentive, reward and recognition programs?

Consumer electronics—always popular among consumers—are just as desirable, and just as innovative, as ever, but consumers are tightening their belts, closing their wallets and staying home to entertain themselves. This gives the electronics and high-tech gear you include as rewards and incentives for your targets even more power (no pun intended) than they already had.

Joseph Buhler (Sales/Operations The Davis Incentive Group)

Story by Emily Tipping… PIPMAG 2009

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• 5 Ways to Keep Your Cellphone Virus Free – Mobile Mumps & Cellphone Syphilis… Coming to an ear near you! Yes my friends, that’s right. As these little devices in our hands get more and more powerful the little maggot hackers of the world can’t seem to help themselves. …

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• BloodhoundBlog.com The Hyper-Local Farm II My Ferrari Blows . – Prologue: My initial post on this subject, was widely read, and seemed to generate responses on one side or the other, not many in the middle. One commenter came at me full throttle, remaining civil, detailing why, a hyper-local farm not only wouldn’t work, but wouldn’t be any more productive than what he’s doing now, offline. We both, no doubt, think the other is partaking of herbs not meant for cooking.

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