IBM Blue Gene supercomputer

Say “Goodnight,” Ad Agencies – IBM is in the House

This is big news… even if it’s a few weeks old. In late March, IBM announced they were planning to expand their consulting services to leverage technology to create transaction-worthy user experiences.

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Bass guitar like the one played by Paul McCartney of the Beatles

And the Brand Played On

Exactly 44 years ago today (April 10), Sir Paul McCartney announced that the Beatles would go their separate ways. In the decades since, each member of the Fab Four forged his own unique brand of Rock and Roll. But none has matched the seismic impact that the mop-topped foursome had on American music and culture.

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Getty is making great images available royalty free

Use Getty Images FREE (non-commercial applications only)

This is HUGE. Getty, the world’s mega-repository of commercial images, adds an “embed” option, enabling bloggers and other non-commercial users to incorporate Getty-managed commercial images in their NON-COMMERCIAL work (e.g., as illustrations in blogs, but not in ads or emails that intend to sell or build brand, etc.). Now, even Tiger Woods isn’t safe!

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Zimmerman appointed to XPX Maryland Board

Michael Zimmerman Appointed to Board of XPX Maryland

Michael Zimmerman, Senior Marketing Strategist at Baltimore-based consulting firm MarketPoint LLC, has been appointed to the Board of XPX Maryland, a local chapter of XPX Global, a community of trusted advisors to privately-held businesses and their owners. Read more

UB Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Logo

Laura Pasternak Appointed to UB Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Board

Laura Pasternak, founder and principal at Baltimore-based consulting firm MarketPoint LLC, has been appointed to serve on the advisory board for the UB Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI). The board of 16 veteran entrepreneurs, scholars, and mentors advises CEI on its student-based initiatives and ongoing projects and programming. Read more

Big Data Primer Infographic

Infographic – Big Data Primer – 2013 November

Big Data has already proven to be a game-changer in many industries, enabling organizations to boost revenues, develop innovative products, predict consumer response, anticipate market changes, and disrupt industries. This Big Data Primer infographic explains the sources of Big Data and begins to quantify its impact on business and industry in simple terms. For executives and managers alike. All sources cited.

© 2013 MarketPoint LLC, All Rights Reserved

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These Millennials probably grew up playing Super Mario

Passing the Baton in a Super Mario World

If you’re a CMO, chew on this: Chances are, your direct reports grew up playing Super Mario Brothers. And I’m not talking about the Millennials trying desperately to land their first job in marketing. I’m talking about the Gen-X, 30-to-40-somethings who are chomping at the bit for your job, hoping you move on, or retire, or screw up.

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Guerrilla marketing for colleges

Three Guerrilla Tactics for Colleges and Community Colleges

Next year, we will mark the 30th anniversary of the term “guerilla marketing.” Yet, three decades after Levinson published his seminal book on the subject (Guerrilla Marketing, Houghton Mifflin), many business people – even those in marketing – are hard pressed to clearly explain what the term means, much less apply it to something as narrowly focused as community colleges. The concept is simple: If you’re not a BIG business, Madison Avenue doesn’t care about you. What’s more, the marketing practices they prescribe for their BIG business clients won’t work for you. If you want to be successful in an increasingly competitive marketplace, you’re going to have to stop fighting in an arena you can’t afford: traditional advertising. You’re going to have to fight your fight in the trenches. Unglamorously. And that may mean swallowing your pride.

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Barista making coffee at a typical local business

Guerrilla Tactics for Local Businesses

We seem to get a lot of questions from local businesses about Guerrilla Marketing: how it works, how much it costs, whether it’s “beneath” a reputable business, and so on. So we thought we’d take a moment to answer some of those questions and maybe expose a few myths.

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Parking garage striped with white paint

A Marketing Dilemma for the Striping Paint Industry

Last week, we hired a contractor to spray a thick coat of tar on the small parking lot we share with a neighboring business. The prep work was substantial, as the two lots had fallen into disrepair under previous owners. Weeds had taken root in small cracks and in the crevices that mark where the original macadam was laid in sections. We completed the necessary pre-work, applying a bay-safe herbicide to kill the weeds at their roots, and scraping away the dead remains of the weeds. The new tar adhered beautifully, and provided an even black surface for the entire lot. Unfortunately, it also covered all of the parking lines.

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