Deliberate Marketing: 10 Steps for Successful Campaigns

By Stacey Piper February, the time of deliberation. We started out the year attacking our New Year’s resolutions to eat right or get in shape, or optimistically committed to target both pillars—nutrition and fitness—in an integrated way. But by now, many of us have fallen back into old habits or …

Variety is the Gingerbread Spice of Strategic Marketing Campaigns

By Stacey Piper Before the Thanksgiving leftovers are finished, my daughter and I start to plan the holiday baking, digging out the family recipes and locating the cookie cutters in the back of the pantry. Starbucks got a jump on us, releasing the seasonal gingerbread latte in early November. Gingerbread …

Selecting a Marketing Communications Firm: The SMART Evaluation Framework

By Stacey Piper and Denise Willard Marketing communications firms come in many shapes and sizes. Some are full-service, while others specialize in niche skillsets. Some work only on projects, while others require a minimum monthly retainer. And some work collaboratively with in-house resources, while others must manage all aspects of …

5 Life Lessons for Government Contract Positioning

By Stacey Piper What a month it has been for this horse lover—the stunning Kentucky Derby, followed by Mother’s Day with my equestrian daughter! The last three years since my 11-year-old got into riding have been the realization of my childhood dream. Practice, patience, and perseverance are just a few …

Gambling on Strategic Marketing: How to Play Your Cards Right

By Stacey Piper The world is selling secrets. Advertisers bombard us with promises: the secret to a happy marriage, to retiring early, to looking younger, to losing weight. We’re ingrained to seek that special “something” that will be the answer, the solution, the magic equation, the be-all and end-all. I …

3 Key Takeaways from the MAM Summit

My marketing colleague Nick Kosar published a blog post that provides a good summary of lessons learned from the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit, including insights from a panel discussion I was on. Nick’s takeaways are: Use New Technology to Solve Age-Old Problems Passivity = Leaving Money on the Table “Going Social” Is …