6PM Marketing

The full-service agency for clients who are motivated
and dedicated to growing their business.

Welcome to the Principal’s Office

Paul Provost
President
6P Marketing

In my opinion, great marketers are lifelong students of human behaviour. Whether communicating though advertising, face-to-face client meetings or managing team members, the field of human behaviour is critical in our industry. I have been actively learning about this subject for over 15 years and I enjoy that it makes up a large part of what I practice on a daily basis.

Marketing Strategy

Getting Ready for Winter - Tactically

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

Unless you’re exporting all of your goods and services to the equator, your brand probably needs to get ready for winter. Here are a few examples of how some of the brands we work with tackle the winter months:

Marketing Strategy

Getting Ready for Winter – Strategically

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

While most of you live in a business environment where you need to focus on weekly, 10-day, monthly or quarterly sales, your customers live in a world ruled by a 365 day calendar (leap years aside) where civic, religious and traditional holidays, moon phases, the zodiac and many other intellectual and emotional ‘triggers’ can be used to stage sales events: Valentine’s Day and Boxing Day are two examples.

Marketing Strategy

What is Google+ and do you need it?

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have stood out as social media juggernauts for quite some time now. With two distinctly different products it's hard to say whether they were truly competing. Over the past several months however the battle for social media supremacy has exploded with the addition of a brand new high-profile player: Google+.

As marketing practitioners, we felt the need to learn as much as possible about this new product to help you determine whether Google+ should become a part of your marketing plan. Here is our report:

Social Networking

Why I miss George and not Bruno

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

Over the last 35 years I’ve worked on lots of different accounts with hundreds of clients. George and Bruno were both real clients. Here’s why I miss George and not Bruno.

Marketing Strategy

Is your brand a place that I can come home to?

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

The first store I can recall going to is Mikie’s Corner Store. Mikie was my first brand ambassador and I was four years old. His place offered me everything I could imagine and a whole lot more than I could afford. When I was seven, we moved from Parkdale to High Park and I got to know Pete’s Sunny Bar. Pete’s store was right across from Annette public school and he held me and four other generations of students captive until he died a few years ago. Now his daughter does the same. In high school, there was Mr. Yonka’s Variety Store. I bought my first pack of cigarettes there. Summer jobs and University took me downtown to a whole new world called Yonge Street.

Marketing Strategy

'Place' Can Make or Break Brands

One company who ignored it and paid the price

Paul Provost
President
6P Marketing

In marketing, while most people associate "Place" with geography, it's actually more about the distribution channel(s) companies use to engage / service its target audiences. As consumers' buying habits change – purchasing, watching and reading online for example – changing where you offer your products becomes increasingly more important. In 2011, being an innovator is not necessarily a reflection of the types of products you offer, but how and where you offer them.

Marketing Strategy

Brand Yourself with Passion

Adam Levy
Account Manager / Special Projects
6P Marketing

The constant growth of Facebook, Twitter and blogging has created a new stage for people to build their personal brands, create something interesting and stand out from the crowd. This social world focuses in on people who are genuine, confident and unique and rewards people who are passionate about what they say and do.

Here is my advice for tapping your passion to build a strong personal brand, both online and offline:

Social Networking

Harness your Passion: DIY marketing brings costs and challenges

Paul Provost
President
6P Marketing

If your company needs to draft legal papers, you’ll hire a lawyer. At year-end, you’ll hire an accountant to ensure your financials are in order. When it’s time for a haircut, you’ll go to a barber.

You could do any of those jobs yourself… but why would you? Why spend your time outside your range of expertise? Why take the risk?

Marketing is truly at the heart of what makes a business succeed. For some reason though, people get caught in the DIY marketing trap.

Here are five key points to remember when deciding whether or not you should outsource your marketing efforts:

Marketing Strategy

My Passion gets me Hired and Fired

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

Passion is one of the fundamental pillars of 6P Marketing and the focus of this month's newsletter. You can read more about all 6 ‘P’s here, or you can find out how Passion gets me hired and fired and keep reading.

Marketing Strategy

Great People | Great Ideas | Great Sales

5 Steps that Turned this Auto Service Department Around

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

The impact that individuals can have on leadership, creativity and relationships is the focus of this month’s newsletter and my career. The title of this article is taken from a letterhead footer I designed about ten years ago for the Dealer Association that approved the service advertising for one of the world’s leading car makers. This is a great case study that shows you how a clear vision can change everything.

Marketing Strategy

Parenting a Strong Brand

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing Toronto

I’m in my mid-50s now, was born in Canada at the tail end of the Post WW2 baby-boom to German parents who came to Canada after the war. Their education, social background and life experiences affected how they raised their six children. My parents were 26 when my sister Petra was born. By the time I came along, nine years later, they had themselves, the other five kids and their new life in Canada sorted out. I had it much easier than my older brothers and sisters.

Marketing Strategy

Q: Does e-branding really make a difference?

A: Yes and it can save you money in the short and long run!

At 6P Marketing, we believe that a strong, consistent brand helps your customers and prospects believe that they are in the right place – not the wrong place. Importantly, the branding process only starts with a logo and colour scheme; great branding is comprised of everything you do and say, from your e-marketing, website and social marketing to your customer service practices.

E-mail Marketing

Spring’s here! Time to scrub down your Twitter account

Adam Levy (@adamantum)
Account Manager / Special Projects
6P Marketing

Wow, that’s a lot of tweets! And I’m not talking about the sound of Spring birds returning. It’s the sound of a Twitter account that’s become largely useless due to a deluge of useless tweets from people you followed a little too hastily – maybe they’re not as relevant to your day-to-day life as you thought?

Social Networking

Clear Corporate Vision. Strategy or Tactic?

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing Toronto

While the correct answer, as always, is it depends, smart organizations have a clear corporate vision that everyone understands. If you don’t have one, get one. And if you don’t know where or how to get one – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Frank Wehrmann, at 6p marketing and I’ll sort you out.

Marketing Strategy

Do you see your Brand flourishing or withering in 2011?

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

jan-eye

jan-eye

As an Advertising Director, I assume a moral obligation with my clients that I take very seriously:

To promote their brand ethically & aesthetically,
and defend it from stupid people.

Over the years I’ve learned that the greatest danger to brand integrity does NOT come from the outside, it comes from stupid, myopic brand management aspirants who will do almost anything to make their quarterly numbers.

Short-sighted MBO tactics can suck the lifeblood out of a vibrant brand and hobble its full market potential.

Marketing Strategy

Advertising Visionaries

Mr. David Ogilvy

David Ogilvy

Watch an Interview with David Ogilvy on Youtube.

Quotes

"A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself."

Marketing History

Managing Relationships: The Key to Marketing

Paul Provost
President
6P Marketing

nov-teamwork

nov-teamwork

Marketing to me is all about managing relationships; primarily those with your customers and prospects, but also those with employees and suppliers. For more than ten years, I’ve had the good fortune of working with clients in customer service roles, with prospects in sales roles, with suppliers as a production manager and finally with employees as a business owner. I have learned that the way you manage these relationships can be the difference between success, just getting by and complete failure.

Marketing Strategy

Social Media a Frontrunner in Election Strategy

Adam Levy
Account Manager / Special Projects
6P Marketing

nov-nenshi

nov-nenshi

One needs to look no further than their own computer or mobile device for a tool which is proving to be one of the most-effective tools in the campaigner’s arsenal: social media.

Bold election statements promising hope and change, and a strong social media strategy backed by a youthful community have proven to tip the scales for the candidates that seek to utilize them.

The first time we witnessed this was during Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and, more recently, in Naheed Nenshi’s municipal election victory in Calgary. A month prior to election, few could have predicted that Nenshi would have become such a formidable opponent. But, when all was said and done, Nenshi bested his competitors and finished with a 27,000 vote lead over the next candidate. What transformations are taking place on the political landscape that will apply to future elections? What lessons can be gleaned from this?

Social Networking

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!

Paul Provost
President
6P Marketing

Using Weather to Increase Sales and Productivity

It's late August and absolutely smouldering as I write this article. Summer 2010 has been hot, humid, rainy and even haily (not a real word). The heat has got me thinking about how important temperature is to marketing, sales and workplace productivity here in a city with such extreme, varied weather.

Although we often feel that weather is uncontrollable, the truth is that there are many ways we can work with the weather to maximize results. Regardless of industry or location, weather has a huge effect on both customer behaviour and employee productivity. The key is finding ways to make it work for you, not against you.

Marketing Strategy

Should you run a seasonal sale?

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

The correct answer is: It all depends.

Here are a few things to consider before committing to a seasonal sales event:

1. If you sell a ‘seasonal’ product, the answer is no

Your advertising efforts should focus on the benefits of your product or service. Remember: sustained price-point advertising trains customers to shop for the price, not the best value. Best price is not a brand loyalty anchor.

Marketing Strategy

Web Analytics Forecast

Here is a study by Forrester Research documenting interesting trends in the world of web analytics. Full document here...

Six Ways To Improve Your Company’s Social Media Presence

Adam Levy
Account Manager / Special Projects
6P Marketing

You see it time and time again. You or a friend becomes passionate about a company or a brand, and want to find out more about them; you immerse yourself in their culture, receive interesting news and updates from them, and maybe even a special offer every once in a while. You subscribe to their e-mail newsletters, visit their website (which is hopefully current), and want to hit them up on Facebook or Twitter. Last update: October 2009. Bummer.

Social Networking

My take on the Apple iPad™ – why your business should you get at least one.

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

On May 28th the iPad arrived in Winnipeg and because I had the day off, I took some time to look at what one reviewer calls “the ultimate middle-class gadget”. For an hour I explored it and watched others do so as well. By the time I got to the store by mid-afternoon, price sensitive early adopters had snapped up all the affordable 16GB and 32GB models, leaving sales people no choice but to flog the 64GB iPad at an all in price close to $1,000.  

june-ipad-image1

june-ipad-image1

Passionate Science

Building a Well-Organized, Superstar Marketing Team

Paul Provost
Principal
6P Marketing

Developing professional, effective marketing strategies starts with improving team organization. Whether you employ an internal marketing team, outsource to one or more agencies or utilize a combination of both, great marketing starts with a well-organized team.

Great people lead to great marketing.

The start of the process is reviewing your company’s past marketing performance to determine where your company succeeded and where you failed. Did you meet past goals and targets? Are you proud of the marketing communications you presented? Next, it’s time to complete an in-depth analysis of your marketing team and organizational structure, as well as future goals. You can then assess the options available to your organization, and begin to choose the structure that works best for you.

Here is a short step-by-step guide designed to help you build your great marketing team:

Marketing Strategy

HTML versus Content Management System (CMS) Websites

By Paul Provost
Founder of 6P Marketing

Many companies originally set up their websites as a means to advertise and promote their products or services. These Brochure Sites are static, online versions of the company’s new business presentation – an online brochure.

More recently, websites like eBay, blogs, and social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn increased the demand from organizations, who are usually not computer literate, to build dynamic websites with content that they could quickly and easily update with new information and features.

The WAG, Wabbits and Warner Brothers on the branding process

sylvester

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

So I went to the WAG last month to see the Warner Brothers exhibit. What I went for and what I left with are two very different things: it’s the kind of moment brand managers, like me, really live for.

What I went to see: A few of my old childhood friends: Daffy Duck, The Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Foghorn leghorn – and more.

What I left with: A whole new appreciation for brand management.

Marketing Strategy

Why Valentine's Day?

Frank Wehrmann
Director
6P Marketing

I got my 1st valentine from Billy Buckley the class bully. Like many other kids in the class he got a book of them and passed them out to friends and foes. Looking back on those days, getting the most valentines was a whole lot like having the most friends on Facebook. Some things never change…

why-valentines

Marketing Strategy

The Evolution of Ketchup

ketchup-evolves

What? A new ketchup packet?

Marketing Strategy

Helen Fisher studies the brain in love

Passionate Science

Let Passion Drive You

Let Passion drive you ----

Have you ever witnessed someone passionate about a product or service they were offering?

Perhaps it was a genuinely friendly smile and hello from the Walmart greeter or the unexpected follow up from the service/sales rep for a product you recently purchased. It doesn’t happen often, does it? It is oftentimes empowering, inspiring and motivating.

Marketing Strategy

A Brief History of the Gift Card - Slideshow

giftcards

Marketing History

Making Your Email 'Social-able'

by Kara Trivunovic
Published on November 3, 2009

When the weather gets warm, we Midwesterners really enjoy hanging out with our neighbors and having a cold drink.

E-mail Marketing

Email Marketing Tips for the 2009 Holiday Season

by Alex Williams
Published on October 27, 2009

The holiday season is the most important time of year for retailers, when aggressive goals are set for increased traffic and sales, both in-store and online. Email marketing is a powerful tool that retailers can use to build their brands and increase sales during that crucial period.

E-mail Marketing

Email Marketing Success Is All About the Value of Content

by Steve Adams
Published on May 5, 2009

A great-looking email template is important for establishing credibility and brand recognition with readers; but, as the old saying goes, never judge a book by its cover.

E-mail Marketing

Octopus - A Passion for Hiding

Passionate Science

Embracing Cross-Channel Analytics to Create a Competitive Advantage

by Laura Patterson
Published on December 22, 2009

There has been more discussion about cross-channel analytics as more organizations leverage both digital and traditional vehicles in their communication mix.

Top 5 Legitimate SEO Techniques That Will Help Your Business Get Found

by Mike Volpe
Originally published on August 19, 2008

People have not stopped buying things, so how are they researching and purchasing products since they have made themselves immune to old marketing techniques like banner ads and direct mail?

Yes, Facebook Is a Business Tool

by Paul Chaney
Published on November 17, 2009

The following article is based on an excerpt from The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media (www.thedigitalhandshake.com).

Much the same way a power company connects homes and businesses with electricity, Facebook is a "social utility" designed to facilitate connections between people as well as businesses.

Accordingly, it can be highly useful as a business tool. This article addresses various ways that businesses can market using Facebook.

Social Networking

The Three Most Popular Social Networks for Business (and Why You Should Use Them)

by Paul Chaney
Published on November 3, 2009

An ancient proverb states that a "cord of three strands is not easily broken." By way of analogy, I hypothesize that the more individual connections to a person, the stronger your overall relationship with that person.

In constructing my social graph (i.e., my network of connections), I build relationships at three sites: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. In some cases, I have connections with people on all three networks.

Social Networking

Ten Commandments for Effective Online Social Networking

by Paul Chaney
Published on December 1, 2009

I want to share a 10-step game plan for social-network involvement that I think will work for you. You don't have to think of these steps as commandments; rather, they are practical guidelines that will make you a better member of the social-networking communities in which you participate.

Social Networking

How Effective Form Headers Increase Registration Count

Have you ever gone to a website and had a difficult time finding what you're looking for, so you end up leaving? The same thing can happen with your registration form. The first thing people see when they land on your registration form is the top of the page. So you’ll want to make a great first impression and provide all necessary information for them to complete their registration.

Is Anybody Following Your Thought Leadership? Five Best-Practices

By Paul McKeon
Published on November 10, 2009

Rudolf Melik is a modest man, but he is also a thought leader.

Marketing Strategy

Your Website's Missing Ingredient

by Jerry Bader
Published on October 13, 2009

"My mechanic told me he couldn't repair my brakes so he made my horn louder."
—Steven Wright, comedian

We all want our websites to be more effective, and if you're like most businesspeople you are constantly searching the Web for anything that will help.

Collider Sets Record, and Europe Takes U.S.’s Lead

collider

By: Dennis Overbye, NY Times
Date: December 10, 2009

Tiny spitfires of energy blossomed under the countryside outside Geneva late Tuesday night, heralding the arrival of a new European particle collider as the biggest, baddest physics machine in the world.

Passionate Science

The 7 Harsh Realities of Social Media Marketing

reality

By: Sonia Simone

Last Friday I was in Atlanta, where I gave a talk on social media marketing at Dan Kennedy’s InfoSUMMIT conference.

I’m something of a fish out of water at a Glazer-Kennedy event. For example, unlike at Blogworld, I’m the only person in a room of 800 who has pink hair.

I wasn’t sure they’d be too receptive to what I had to say, but they surprised me.

Social Networking

Data on Twitter Decline Stacks Up

Tweeting no more? First, spectacular growth. Then a summertime slowdown. And now, in fall 2009, US traffic to Twitter.com is declining.

According to data provided to eMarketer by Nielsen, traffic to Twitter.com was down a dramatic 27.8% between September and October 2009, falling to 18.9 million unique visitors. Nielsen is the latest in a list of research firms reporting declines at Twitter.com. comScore said unique visitors were down 8.1% in October, while Compete reported a 2.1% decline.

Social Networking

Why use a Marketing Communications company?

colours

A marketing communications company (or marcom) will work with you to grow your business and achieve your business goals.

Marcom's can provide you with services that cover all stages of your business marketing cycle. These services include market research, logo design and branding, development and implementation of strategic marketing plans, design and production services for creating your advertising collateral, and evaluation of all elements of your existing marketing strategies.

Marketing Strategy

Top 10 Online Marketing Tools

tools

Following are the top 10 most useful and time-saving tools for internet marketing and SEO.

1. Google Analytics

A quality statistical tracking program is essential in reaching a website’s peak performance; knowing which websites and search terms bring you the most traffic can show you what to optimize for. Maybe your ‘Top 10′ lists are the most successful, if so you might choose to write more of them to maximize your traffic. Google Analytics is one of my favorite statistical tracking programs.

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