Tools of the transition
Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of articles that reflect upon the 25th anniversary of Boomm B2B Marketing and the significant changes in our industry over that time. Gary Mattes is the CEO of Boomm and the proud son of an advertising creative director. There is a compelling fact that Gary likes to share about his father’s professional world because it gives everyone a unique perspective on today’s technology-driven industry. “My father used the same tools of the trade from the day he started in advertising until the day he retired,” Gary confides. “We have changed our tools countless times in the last year alone.” [caption id="attachment_7490" align="alignnone" width="206"] Mr.
Stepping outside the comfort zone
Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of articles that reflect upon the 25th anniversary of Boomm B2B Marketing. Each article examines a significant milestone in the agency’s history, why it transpired, and its lasting relevancy to today’s marketing landscape. Marketers love to ruminate on original thinking. They romanticize big ideas, out-of-the-box approaches, breakthrough concepts and game-changing strategies. Professionals who drive original thinking on a regular basis are given lofty titles such as thought leaders, strategic savants and creative geniuses. There are countless award shows that recognize brilliance in all its forms from every area of marketing and many industries. In short, original thinking is single most important force in
A 25-year history of crazy dreams
By Randy Mitchell Some crazy dreams become reality. Others become dumpster fires. Time is the ultimate arbiter. In this month’s blog, we consider three dreams from 25 years ago. These ideas all seemed crazy at the time. Let’s see how they have fared over the years. Crazy Movie Dream 1998 Two brothers named Joel and Ethan had a crazy dream. They made a refreshingly original movie that channeled the classic detective novels of Raymond Chandler, the slacker culture of Los Angeles, vivid fantasy sequences and a whole lot of bowling alley action. This “dream film” was finally released in 1998 and opened to mixed reviews. 2023 25 years later, The Coen Brothers are among the most respected
How to review creative (without being a jerk)
By Randy Mitchell The marketing manager was a notorious jerk. Every Friday morning, he would stalk into the center of the creative department and scan the room slowly. In his clenched fists was a crumpled stack of storyboards, web layouts, ad proofs and radio scripts—all submitted earlier in the week for his review. Then he would erupt; loudly spewing his molten creative criticism around the room. No one was spared and nothing was positive. Until he had an epiphany. On this particular Friday, the marketing manager was already beet red as he stared down the copywriter. Everyone averted their eyes as he launched in on his toxic rant. “YOU
A cure for the common chaos
By Randy Mitchell A wise client once confided that a little chaos was good for creatives. She believed it forced us to think in unexpected ways. That was an eye-opening revelation and I embraced her sage guidance. However, in today’s turbulent B2B marketplace with labor shortages and global supply chain challenges, the last thing marketing managers need is more chaos. That’s particularly true when it comes to planning a major initiative. If you have a significant project coming in 2023, a marketing RFP is the logical starting point. However, the marketing RFP process, particularly on the B2B side, is an inexact science. It’s a complex, time-consuming, high-profile assignment that is initiated out of necessity.
The ultimate New Year’s resolution
By Randy Mitchell Here's a New Year's resolution for every marketer out there: Change the world in 2023. Believe it or not, it's entirely possible. And your ideas have the power to make it happen. You simply need to share them on the right stage. That’s a promising sentiment, but where is the right stage? What account, media channel or agency has the reach and resources to unleash your breakthrough ideas on humanity? It would be natural to assume that your best shot would be to work on mega brands, like Coca-Cola, Nike or McDonald’s. They have massive budgets, devoted consumers and household brand recognition across the globe. Your ideas could really shake things up on
The B2B website personality test
By Randy Mitchell Who is your B2B website? That’s not poor grammar. It’s one of the smartest questions you can ask your team or your client. It’s also one of the questions any good agency will answer when they develop a B2B website for you. Determining the personality of a website is a common-sense starting point for developing a strong digital presence. It should happen before you do the deep dive into sitemapping, content strategy, SEO and design options. Thankfully, you can mold the personality of your B2B website to ensure it makes the right impression when important visitors unexpectedly pop in. All you need to do is take the following test. B2B Website Personality
The stats story
By Randy Mitchell “Here’s a crazy idea
MOS is the new rule for B2B videos
By Randy Mitchell In the early days of filmmaking, an acronym was born that has come to represent the new standard for making B2B videos. Hollywood legend claims that a prominent German director wanted to shoot certain scenes without any audio. He kept barking out, “Mit out sound!” to his puzzled crew. The frustrated camera assistant struggled to translate the command, until he finally gave in and wrote the abbreviation “MOS” on the slate. The cameras rolled without sound, and the term has become part of the production vocabulary ever since. MOS has also come to define the most common video viewing experience. Today, up to 92% of social media videos are played
The Social Sandbox: Converting the haters
By Randy Mitchell “I hate social because my customers hate social. They’re engineers. They deal in facts, not fluff.” - Industrial Product Director “Social media is a popularity contest. We don’t need likes. We need leads.” - Entertainment Services Company Owner “Our products are SaaS. That’s a big investment. We sell to the C-Suite and they are not on Twitter.” - Technology Marketing Manager “Social is for branding. Social is for buzz. Social is not for B2B.” - Food Ingredients Regional Sales Director Sound familiar? If you believe social media is a waste for your B2B marketing mix, you’re not alone. Many B2B decision makers are devout social haters because they think it’s not substantial, serious and it doesn’t drive