Posted by Elena del Valle on September 18, 2015
Customer-Centric Marketing
Photos: Wiley, Aldo Cundari
Marketer Aldo Cundari believes the lessons he learned while studying art in and exploring Italy during his formative years have served him well in his 30-year business life. In Customer-Centric Marketing Build Relationships, Create Advocates and Influence Your Customers (Wiley, $25), a 154-page hardcover book published this year, he shares some of the lessons he has learned through trial and error in his career. A main one of those is that marketing should always focus on the customer.
He strives to define the path customers follow and offer insights on customer experience, innovation, content, social media, and operating strategies to guide readers in formulating a marketing plan. He seeks to inform readers on ways to identify and influence new consumers, position their company within the marketplace, find and connect with individuals friendly to the brand and with the potential to spread its message. The book is peppered with graphs, illustrations and screen captures.
“There has been a great deal of change in the marketing world over the last 10 to 15 years,” Cundari said by email when asked why he wrote the book. “The tools and tactics that worked for the last 60 years are no longer effective. It was the information age that led to the onset of social technology that created freedom of choice and the empowered customer. This empowered customer holds all the power in how they will interact with a brand. So finding a new way to communicate to customer was essential. At the same time, new technology has complicated the decision on what is effective and works and what does not. My goal for the book was to put context to where we are and how to better understand the forces affecting marketing.”
Aldo Cundari, author, Customer-Centric Marketing
Regarding why companies engage in non customer centric marketing he said, “The current marketplace and how you reach customers has become more and more complicated, and without understanding of the forces affecting the challenges, I believe that marketers just default to using the tools and tactics that worked for them in the past, all with ever diminishing returns.”
Cundari explained that finding the data and cases studies that consistently demonstrate that the Customer-Centric Marketing approach works was the biggest challenge in writing the book.
“What I found was when you look deep enough you realize that there are many examples emerging,” he said. “All I applied is the logic and understanding behind the forces, affecting success. What most surprised me was when you remove all the shinny new technology things that supposedly help marketers entice customer and you peel back all the new terminology that has layered confusion over understanding, you end up in the same place we have always been, ‘human nature is, what it is’, you have a person with a need, so why not fill that need.”
Cundari is chairman and chief executive officer of Cundari Group. His firm specializes in integrated marketing, branding and design, and interactive and software development services powered by research insights.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on August 28, 2015
Dreaming Forward
Photos: Martha Casazza
Martha Casazza, author and education scholar, wanted to know about the dreams of America’s Hispanics. In Dreaming Forward Latino Voices Enhance the Mosaic (iUniverse, $19.95), a softcover 242-page book published this year, she showcases the stories of 19 Hispanics in an effort to provide a platform “for people who have faced disappointment and fear in their earnest desire to dream forward in the U.S. and are committed to effecting change in their community.”
The project, originally supported by the university where she worked, required several years to be completed. The author funded it herself.
“When I was a university dean, I was fortunate enough to get involved with the Pilsen community on the south side of Chicago,” she said when asked why it was that she chose the group that she did for the stories. “Pilsen is primarily a Mexican-American community. I was never a sit-behind-the- desk administrator, and I worked closely with a few community organizers to organize the first Tardes en el Zocalo weekend event in Pilsen to bring neighbors together. I was really impressed at how important the idea of community was in Pilsen. From this experience, I came to know students and organizers from this area and worked closely to create more opportunities for them to attend college and succeed.”
In the book, she shares the stories of Mexican American individuals captured via in person interviews in their place of choice by the author and her colleagues. They originally collected 48 stories. Save for one all the ones in the book were told in English over a four year period. Each story ends with a Reflections section designed to elicit big picture thinking about the overall community.
Martha Casazza, author and education, scholar
“We desperately need to engage in a national dialogue about how to best foster and sustain healthy urban communities, especially as our cities become home to a more diverse array of people than ever before,” Casazza said in a press release. “By working inside the community and listening to their voices, I can see the roots of a healthy, sustainable Latino community here in the U.S. and in my own city of Chicago.”
When asked about the results, the author said, “The greatest reward was being trusted by individuals to tell their stories. The book reflects authentic voices and hopefully helps to personalize the struggles of a vibrant and passionate community in urban American where there is a strong commitment to dream forward through purposeful action.”
Casazza has a Doctorate in Education and is a founding partner of TRPP Associates, LLC, an educational consulting business that focuses on maximizing learning environments. She is also a member of the Fulbright Association as well as the Board of Directors of Heartland Alliance.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on August 14, 2015
The Rise of the Platform Marketer
The Rise of the Platform Marketer
Photo: Wiley
Craig Dempster, and John Lee, both executive vice presidents at Merkle, a marketing agency, believe success in marketing today depends on technology and scale. In The Rise of the Platform Marketer: Performance Marketing with Google, Facebook, and Twitter, Plus the Latest High-Growth Digital Advertising Platforms (Wiley, $30), a 228-page hardcover book published this year, they discuss their strategies and the reasoning behind it.
“The opportunity of addressability at scale makes it an incredibly exciting time to be a marketer,” Dempster said in press materials. “These audience platforms enable us to connect with customers in more targeted, customizable, intelligent, and measurable ways, so that every customer receives an ideal experience, perfectly suited to their needs, devices, preferred channels, and more.”
In the book, meant as a foundation for their company’s 12 annual Performance Marketing Executive Summit, they propose nine competencies meant to span across data, execution, and the enabling technology. They believe mastering them will allow marketers to create, deliver, measure, and optimize customer-centric experiences across digital platforms. The authors did not reply to questions submitted via their publisher.
“The Platform Marketer isn’t an individual per se, but more a collection of skills that encompass many different disciplines,” Lee said in press materials. “When an organization can learn how to apply these skillsets, their ability to connect with customers and drive revenue grows enormously.”
The authors believe success driving digital performance requires expertise in data, analytics, and audience experience as well as an understanding of the new audience platforms. The nine competencies they point out as necessary are: audience management, identity management, consumer privacy and compliance, technology, platform utilization, measurement and attribution, media optimization, channel optimization, and experience design and creation.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 31, 2015
GALA Advertising Law Book
Photo: Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA)
For marketers planning a multi-country ad campaign it may be useful to become familiar with the laws in the countries of their launch. For example, in the United States while there are no advertising practices prohibited outright there are restrictions, limitations, disclosure requirements and “medium- and industry-specific laws and regulations” on various advertising practices, according to the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA).
This year, the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA) published the first edition of the GALA Advertising Law: A Global Perspective, an 845-page book about international advertising, marketing and promotion laws in 56 countries from Argentina to Zimbabwe. The book is available via Amazon.com as a two volume publication (the review copy was one comprehensive digital document). Advertising Law I features information in alphabetical order by country from Argentina to Japan. Advertising Law II features the remaining countries from Kenya to Zimbabwe.
Organization lawyers wrote the book to educate in-house counsel, marketing professionals, agency executives, and firm lawyers about advertising law around the world. A list of the contributors and their firms appears in the back of the book.
Each entry outlines issues such as Advertising Framework, Self-Regulatory Framework, Advertising Law Basics, Price Advertising, Prohibited Practices, Sponsor/Advertiser Identification, Branded Content, Social Media, Rights of Privacy/Publicity, Special Clearance, Cultural Concerns, and Miscellaneous.
The United States section was co-written by attorneys from three New York law firms, Ronald R. Urbach, Joseph J. Lewczak and Allison Fitzpatrick from Davis & Gilbert, Rick Kurnit and Jeffrey A. Greenbaum from Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, and Douglas J. Wood, Joe Rosenbaum, John Feldman & Stacy Marcus from Reed Smith.
Click to buy Advertising Law I: A Global Legal Perspective: Volume I: Argentina – Japan (Advertising Law: A Global Legal Perspective) (Volume 1)
and
Advertising Law II: A Global Legal Perspective: Volume II: Kenya – Zimbabwe (Advertising Law: A Global Legal Perspective ) (Volume 2)
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 24, 2015
Message Not Received
Photos: book cover Wiley/Luke Fletcher, author Sean Sunkel
We often blame misunderstanding across cultures and languages on communication. Even among speakers of the same language sometimes there are formidable barriers. Cultural differences, abbreviated messages in limited length media such as emails and social media can lead to truncated or unclear messages. Such communications issues and at times failures represent business costs. The McKinsey Global Institute report estimate for the cost of bad communication is nearly $1 trillion (referenced in Chapter 4 of Message Not Received).
Phil Simon, who specializes in technology and has authored several books, is convinced communication within businesses is not working properly. In Message Not Received Why Business Communication Is Broken and How to Fix It (Wiley, $35), a 236-page hardcover book published this year, he explains his concerns and offers solutions.
In Chapter 4, he says that although he considers emails indispensable there are issues related to that type of message that users are often unaware of, such as its lack of nuances and emotional depth. Because of that they are sometimes not the most appropriate method for complex discussions. He points out that emails may also be the cause of legal concerns, foster internal competition, be too copious to process and manage, and have poor search functions.
“I knew that e-mail fails us on several levels, but I was unaware of the extent of the problem,” Simon said by email. “As I discuss in the book, e-mail gives the false appearance of one-to-one, in-person communication. For instance, consider a 2006 series of studies by two psychologists, Justin Kruger, PhD of New York University and Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago. In short, Kruger and Epley wanted to determine if people were as good as they thought they were at discerning the subtext of a message. Participants were only able to accurately communicate sarcasm and humor in barely half—56 percent—of the e-mails they sent. And if that isn’t bad enough, most people had no idea that they weren’t making themselves understood.”
Phil Simon, author, Message Not Received
When asked why he wrote the book he replied, “I truly believe that we’ve reached a tipping point, and my research confirmed as much. Employees have never been more overwhelmed, the subject of Chapter 2. They’re being asked to integrate more content, more messages. They’re checking e-mail on weekends, holidays, and vacation (when they take it). They’re constantly on call, barely able to keep their heads above water.
Fortunately, there’s a two-fold solution, and I didn’t see any book out there that attacked this problem from this particular angle. First, we can embrace simpler language. There’s no reason to use terms “value-add use cases” and other linguistic atrocities. Beyond that, everything need not be communicated via e-mail. New, truly collaborative tools like HipChat, Smartsheet, and scores of others make it easier than ever to communicate effectively. And let’s not forget the ability go old school. Sometimes, an in-person meeting or phone conversation is the best way to proceed. Far too many of us seem to have forgotten that.”
The book is divided into eight chapters within four main parts: Worlds Are Colliding; Didn’t You Get That Memo? Why We Don’t Communicate Good at Work; Message Received; and What Now?
“Many business folks routinely forget their audiences. They forget —or have never heard of—the curse of knowledge. We’ve all seen IT people who seem to speak a different language when dealing with non-technical employees. What happens?” he asked. “Employees roll their eyes, tune out, or simply don’t understand what’s taking place. On the web, there’s no shortage of mind-numbing, vacuous marketing copy. Marketers and salespeople often speak in buzzwords and then wonder why their prospective clients don’t pull the trigger. Rare is the person who communicates perfectly, myself included. We all would benefit from using simpler language and minimizing our e-mails.”
Simon advises organizations about communication strategy, data and technology. He is also author of The Age of the Platform.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 17, 2015
Volunteer Vacations
Photo: Independent Publishers Group
Are you tired of going on vacation to the same place every year? Do you yearn to do more than just lounge on the beach every day during your getaway? If so a different kind of break might appeal to you. Every year people dedicate their free time to worthy causes and many of them pay for the privilege. Some are families traveling together, others are seniors with time to spare, and many are people with few or many skills seeking a way to make a difference on their time off from work.
In Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Benefit You and Others, 11th Edition (Chicago Review Press, $18.95) Doug Cutchins, Bill McMillon, and Anne Geissinger share an extensive list of 150 organizations offering such volunteerism opportunities. The 431-page softcover book published in 2012 includes a foreword by Ed Asner.
The book provides some basic information about voluntourism, the work and vacation combination. Each listing profiles the organization, its mission, projects, year founded, number of volunteers in the previous year, work they do, locations, costs, duration, and type of skills they seek. There are also short descriptions from past volunteers about their personal experiences on a project.
The charitable organizations in the United States and abroad are diverse and host travelers for a variety of projects and lengths. Vacationers can participate in projects such as searching for sea turtle nests in Greece or Taiwan, for example, or teaching English in a remote village.
When the book was published McMillon was a freelance writer for Odyssey magazine. Cutchins was director of service and social commitment at Grinnell College, and Geissinger was a part-time photographer.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on June 26, 2015
The Cayman Edge
Photos: cover Alex Nereuta, author Hans van der Post
Investors looking for opportunities that don’t follow the mainstream market trends sometimes choose independently managed private funds. That is one reason to buy into an offshore fund. Diversity is another, according to Gordon Casey, managing director of hedge fund consultancy Front Shore.
“While everybody is hoping for returns that are higher than the market, the truth is that there is great value in having an investment that is completely independent from the regular investment options,” Casey said by email when asked about the advantages of Cayman Islands investments.
“Diversity is a goal in and of itself and that’s the main reason. Having said that, fund structures in the Cayman Islands are used for many other purposes – including the structuring of private funds only intended for a very small group of people who want to invest together, family funds where all of the assets owned by a family are put into the fund structure and the family heirs, as such, are given shares in the fund. And lastly, for people who live in geographic areas with strict exchange controls but have made substantial gains internationally and do not want to repatriate their funds yet, a fund offers an efficient way to invest those gains outside of their core business – whether for private, corporate or family planning purposes.”
Gordon Casey, author, The Cayman Edge
In The Cayman Edge How to Set Up a Cayman Edge Fund (OneWord Publishing, $19.99), a 169-page softcover book published in 2014 he discusses the subject in detail. He wrote the book for fund managers wishing to setup a fund in the Cayman Islands, although he also hopes it serves as a useful tool for students of finance seeking information about the hedge fund industry in general, and new entrants to the industry who want to get a head start. The book is illustrated in color and divided into 18 chapters, two introductions and eight appendices.
“When I entered the industry in 2001 there was very little in the way of guides or literature on funds, and these days you can find everything online but it’s scattered across the websites of industry organisations, law firms, administrators and general interest articles,” Casey said. “The book is an attempt to consolidate all of the information (with pictures!) into one place – the book that I wish I had been given when I first started and a book that I can continue to use as a reference tool myself.”
While many of the more successful funds require a minimum of one million dollars to start, the most common funds require a minimum investment of $100,000, he explained by email. In the book, he describes six types of funds and seven service providers. Casey has been running Front Shore since 2004.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on June 12, 2015
Behind the Mask
Photos: Xlibris Publishing
Before retiring Donald F. Hastings led international conglomerate The Lincoln Electric Company out of a severe financial crisis into record sales and profits. He is convinced his success is due to unexpected strategies of sharing the risk, respect and wealth with all employees.
In Behind the Mask: Embrace Risk and Dare to Be Better (Xlibris Publishing, ) a 207-page softcover memoir penned by his daughter Leslie Anne Hastings, he discusses his career path, shares his opinions about good management strategies, and challenges the modern views of corporate America. They wrote the book for “anyone who is struggling with a person or situation in his/her life that seems insurmountable. There is always a solution.”
“I may be David goading Goliath, but I believe layoffs, in general, are a sign of catastrophic failure on the part of management,” Hastings said in a press release. “To please Wall Street, we are dehumanizing business to a point that is unconscionable. It’s lazy and it’s bad business. I believe human beings are the single greatest resource a company has,” Hastings said. “Of course there’s a risk in taking care of your people, but being creative and taking risks is what inspired management is all about!”
When asked what the biggest surprise from the publication of the book was Leslie Anne said by email, “That the book was so well received on so many levels. Most people read the book in one sitting! Everyone who reads it takes away something different- from ideas and philosophy to courage and humor. It’s a really fun read!”
Before retiring Donald F. Hastings led international conglomerate The Lincoln Electric Company out of a severe financial crisis into record sales and profits. He is convinced his success is due to unexpected strategies of sharing the risk, respect and wealth with all employees.
Donald and Leslie Anne Hastings, authors, Behind the Mask
According to his biography, Hastings, chairman emeritus, The Lincoln Electric Company, was dubbed the Silver-Tongued Mesmerist by his customers. Leslie Anne Hastings, a graduate of Stanford University, was the voice Behind the Mask.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on May 29, 2015
Going for the Gold
Photos: News & Experts
The more debt our country accumulates the more money it needs to pay the bills. The economy has been poor and the government’s solution increasingly has been to print new money with no collateral to back it up, leading many to believe the situation will worsen in the coming years. The deterioration will force our government to offer less to its citizens and charge them more in the form of taxes to pay the accumulated and growing debt, says William A. Storum, J.D., author, Going for the Gold Preserving Wealth, Lowering Taxes (Book Publishers Network, $21.95).
As that happens our currency will loose its worth to inflation; so will other so called hard currencies that have traditionally been considered safe havens, the author says in the book. He believes one way to protect our assets from the devastating losses such shifts would bring is to invest in gold. Given the limited supply of the precious metal many rely on it for the possible proverbial rainy day when the economy collapses and paper money becomes worthless.
William Storum, author, Going for the Gold
Storum points to many examples of economies falling on difficult times and countries with worthless currencies. He illustrates a period in our history in the last century when our government made owning gold by private citizens illegal, forcing people to sell their gold to the government and earning a profit on the difference a year later. He suggests strategies to accumulate gold bullion and invest in gold stocks and instruments in tax smart ways in order to safeguard our savings in case financial disaster strikes.
The 307-page softcover book was published in 2014. The author is an orchardist in California. He has inactive California Bar Association and California Board of Accountancy inactive licenses. There was no contact information on his book website.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on May 1, 2015
Photo: BenBella Books, Inc.
Do you prefer to eat vegetarian foods? Did you read The China Study (see Health, nutrition experts examine comprehensive China nutrition study) and Whole (Nutrition expert, educator discuss whole food plant based diet advantages) which outline the healthful advantages of plant based and whole diets? Do you have limited time to cook? If so, The China Study Quick & Easy Cookbook: Cook Once, Eat All Week with Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes (BenBella Books, $19.95) by Del Sroufe may appeal to you.
The 253-page trade paperback book, edited by Leanne Campbell, PhD and published this year, is chock full of color photos by Robert Metzger in varied sizes. It is divided into sections by type of dish: Breakfast Dishes; Sauces, Salad Dressings & Seasonings; Snacks & Spreads; Salads; Sandwiches; Pasta & Baked Dishes; Soups; Entrees; and Desserts.
A short Appendix has Measurement Guide, Dietary Symbols and Nutritional Value information. At the end of the book there is an offer to sign up for a free digital copy (in Kindle, PDF or ePub) of BenBella’s Best of Plant Based Eating. All that was necessary to receive a copy was to provide a name and email address and verify the email address after receiving a confirmation email from the publisher.
Sroufe is also author of New York Times bestselling Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook, and Better Than Vegan. Campbell is author of The China Study Cookbook.
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