123 eGuides

1 Minute Advice: B2B Brands Raise Purpose-Driven Profile

Purpose-driven brands -- brands that purport to put purpose over profits -- are a growing segment of the brand landscape. A big surprise is that B2B (business to business) brands are moving up in this category when it is typically dominated by B2C (business to consumer) brands.

The Purpose Power Index of brands for 2021 indicated that six of the top 25 purpose-driven brands were B2B brands, according to a report in MarketingProfs. These were the top ten B2B companies ranked in order:

1. SpaceX
2. 3M
3. Intel
4. Zoom
5. SAP
6. Ericsson
7. Caterpillar
8. Microsoft
9. Oracle
10. UPS

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

 

Learn how the World War II era influenced the rise of the modern American brand.

1 Minute Advice: Using Google Search to Discover Trends

1. One of the richer sources of free information about trends is Google. Why? Because it is the global leader in search and, as such, provides a barometer on what's hot and what's not. 

Google's 'Think with Google" recent series, "Year in Search 2021," is a seven-chapter opus offering lots of great insight into consumer trends.  For example, the chapter on Sustainable Living cites fascinating year-over-year search statistics, such as:

• 100% increase in searches containing "electric vehicle charging"
• 100% increase in searches containing "volunteer opportunities near"
• 100% increase in searches containing "food donation centers near me"
• 80% increase in searches containing "second hand stores"
• 40% increase in searches containing "equality"
• 30% increase in searches containing "environmental sustainability."

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

 

Learn how the World War II era influenced the rise of the modern American brand.

1 Minute Advice: What to Watch for in Content Marketing

Content marketing is expected to continue its importance as one of the key marketing tactics this year. Anastasia Dyakovskya of studioID, a global content studio, notes these three major content marketing trends:

1. Content enters the metaverse
   The metaverse -- a fully immersive virtual realm -- is the current buzzword, but it is more than that. Bloomberg Intelligence predicts the metaverse will be a nearly $800 billion market opportunity. Content marketers will need to understand the metaverse to compete effectively.
2. Brands become more human
   H2H, or human-to-human, messaging is the way to go, writes Dyakovskya. "...with responsive storytelling that puts its audience’s interests and needs first, your strategy will work to build community, loyalty and customers across the brand-to-demand spectrum."
3. Design goes next level
   Dyakovskya cites this observation from 99designs by Vista: “This year, classic styles return in innovative ways, like a genre-bending mashup that feels known and unknown at the same time.”

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

 

Learn how the World War II era influenced the rise of the modern American brand.

1 Minute Advice: Brand Messaging People Want Now

This is a time of concern and uncertainty for many people. As you might expect, that reality can affect the messaging they want to see from brands right now. A recent study of U.S. working-age individuals by research firm Attest found that over half (57 percent) of respondents currently favor brand messaging that is humorous (made them laugh or entertained them), as reported in MarketingProfs.

Almost half (47 percent) of respondents said they found brand messaging that was motivational (made them feel motivated and inspired) to be appealing now. When asked which issues they wanted brands to take a stand on, 36 percent said "poverty and inequality" and 36 percent said "racism." Only 24 percent indicated they do not want brands to be political.

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

 

Learn how the World War II era influenced the rise of the modern American brand.