This is the week that was: The death of the tagline?

As we start gearing up for party season here at Earnest with the B2B Marketing Awards and our very own Christmas bonanza just around the corner, we look back at a week of provocation, u-turns and fancy footwork. The Eurozone enjoyed its new role as world economy trouble maker, speculator Warren Buffett finally decided to get into tech stocks,  and Burlusconi relied on the likes of Ronaldo and George Clooney to save himself from the slammer.

Whilst all this was going on, Earnest Towers was a-buzz with the annual flurry of client Christmas Card briefs, a mega pitch and the enjoyment of the daily addition of yet another parody of the John Lewis ad popping up on YouTube. Fortunately, we also found time to gather the crème de la crème of B2B marketing online just for you…

Content reformat of the week

We may have said it plenty of times, but here at Earnest we are of the firm view content should sit at the heart of any marketing programme worth its salt – with smart repurposing and reuse key. This week it seems IBM took note, and turned their CMO study into a nice little video to reach those who prefer to sit back and watch a video than trawl through the written word. Top move from IBM, although being hyper-critical, creatively it’s all a bit say what you see.  To show CMOs are in the driving seat – we get to see a CMO in the driving seat. Data explosion – yes you guessed it, we get shown some exploding data. Anyway, the content stacks up so here it is for your delectation:

Debate of the week

When you think of any brand, whether it be B2B or B2C, one of the first things that comes to mind is its tagline – well that’s what us marketing folk would like to believe.  There are of course some more memorable than others – IBM’s ‘Smarter Planet’ seems to stick in the mind more than Hitatchi’s, mmm, what was it again? This week Chris Koch pondered whether the age of the tag line has been and gone – arguing that they are the last bastion of classic, one-way marketing. However, for some it is not taglines that are the problem but how they are conceived and substantiated. Have tag-lines had their day. What are your views?

B2B Marketers’ wake-up call of the week

Following a Forrester report launched last year talking about the number of CMOs looking to upend their marketing function and bring them kicking and screaming into the modern age, Accenture responded this week with a report showing that progress is actually slowing. Today, just 8% of B2B companies are heavily leveraging social media and only 5% reported a strong link between social media and strategy. This left a call to action – for organisations to accept change, tear down the boundaries and participate personally. So there.

Thinking outside the box of the week

Of course every argument has a counter argument, and this week the Havard Business Review put forward the point that while of course social is important, organisations need to separate the ‘social media’ function from the rest of the Marketing function. HBR argues the case for moving beyond social media as a technology tool and working out how to apply it to do things that were previously impossible or simply too expensive. The social organisation. An interesting take on where the world of social is moving.

Relationship to develop of the week

As has always been the case with Marketers and PRs a like, trying to get a brand out there and well known to the masses involves pulling a few strings to make sure the right people are talking about you (and importantly in the right way). Today influencer marketing, or knowing the right bloggers, tweeters and conversation engagers online is more important than ever. This week MarketingProfs gave some top tips on how best to do this – from identifying the right influencers through to interacting and engaging with these very important people. Well worth a look.

Infographic of the week

So back to where we started… content marketing and the rise of the inbound marketer. This infographic shows which one will clearly come out on top… are you on the left or the right?

That rounds up another ‘This is the week that was’. And for all you good folk attending the B2B Marketing Awards bash this week, please drop by Earnest’s table and say hello! Have a good one.