by Yannis Marcou 
|August 12th, 2010
We have been commissioned to create some engaging interactive advertising for a global B2B brand that will run on a publisher’s iPad application. Having spent some time reviewing the best and most adventurous advertising on iPad apps it feels like we are back in the late 90s when a few pixelated GIF banners went on to profoundly transform the advertising industry. At the moment most iPad app ads are simply print ads that magically rearrange themselves when the iPad changes orientation. Some brands have started experimenting with more interactive formats but so far they are the exception.
The opportunity for B2B brands is enormous
Demos of solutions or products are very often a critical part of the B2B marketing and sales process of many organisations. But what does it take to stick a prospect in front of the product/solution demo you spent days creating? If you go through your usual sales process it might take months of hard work to set up the demo meeting; if you advertise on your industry’s portal, you’d be lucky if more than 0.3% of users click to see your online demo; if you try to gather a crowd for a Webinar, the reach is extremely limited.
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by Yannis Marcou |June 29th, 2010
The Sun Classifieds team are targeting the recruitment sector with a new message and a lead generation campaign. At the heart of the campaign is the microsite designed and built by Skyron.
The purpose of the microsite is to communicate the wide and diverse readership of The Sun, to share insights about reach and engagement and to encourage new business enquiries. The microsite’s rich interactive content has been composed to resonate with and appeal to professionals in the recruitment industry.
Visit: www.themisconception.co.uk
by Yannis Marcou |May 30th, 2010
Crossing arms has never been the same since I read Persuasion (James Borg, 2007, Pearson Education). I strongly recommend the book for its great insights into body language, memory control and conversational dexterity.
This great infographic is another reminder of how important both mastering and interpreting non-verbal communication is and also how many times we come across people in meetings who get it so wrong. Showing some renewed interest in the topic, I also dug up this recent and fascinating BBC documentary on persuasion – remember S.P.I.C.E.!
by Yannis Marcou |May 25th, 2010
Good branding, relevant content and clear navigation lead to valuable user experiences that can drive revenue generation.
Within two months from launch, the Baker Tilly International website (designed, developed and supported by Skyron) landed a substantial new business opportunity. A Global FTSE 100 company looking for tax compliance and advisory services in 25 European countries reviewed Baker Tilly International member firms’ relevant credentials on the new website. The experience and content provided on the website were compelling enough for the prospect to contact Baker Tilly International and initiate discussions, despite having little previous knowledge of the accountancy network.
The purpose of the website is to capture new business and interest and channel these to the appropriate Baker Tilly International member firms around the world.
by Yannis Marcou |May 9th, 2010
Your organisation is an unstoppable content generation machine. Whether you are in technology, telecommunications, publishing, financial or professional services, think about how much content you produce: news, press releases, research reports, white papers, case studies, insights, sales presentations, proposals, copy for your brochures, websites, products, solutions, manuals and the list goes on. Usually, content appears to just happen; nobody plans it, nobody owns it and nobody is checking to see if anyone out there is reading.
Typical pains associated with arbitrary content generation are:
- Product managers focus on feature jargon only they can understand
- Strategy people tend to turn thoughts into dissertations
- The company website’s copy was more or less copied from the previous website
- No one knows if anyone reads the case studies on the website and if they add any value
- Is a white paper better off as a registration sweetener or reward?
- The PR agency is writing some stuff for the news section, but they don’t understand SEO
- A work experience person wrote the LinkedIn company description; he even misspelled the company’s name
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by Yannis Marcou |April 23rd, 2010
I used to like the sales funnel. It made sense, was easy to understand, and had universal appeal. Unfortunately, the sales funnel has had its day. The world of marketing and business development has moved on and the funnel is not an accurate representation of the sales process anymore. Here are 3 reasons why:
It’s a one way process
Some people do remember to add the last bit at the bottom that says “repeat”, but very few remember to act on it. And considering the comment we often hear from marketing directors, “we could do a lot more to reduce churn”, the funnel definitely points in a single direction, and that’s down.
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by Yannis Marcou |April 7th, 2010
Keen cold caller: Hi Yannis, we are so-and-so PR agency and would like to know if you would be interested in our services.
Yannis: Sure, email me your stuff and I will have a look
Keen cold caller: That’s great. Can I have your email?
Yannis: You don’t know my email? How did you get my name and company then? Haven’t you done any research?
Keen cold caller: Don’t know. I work off a database I was given, so I am calling a long list of companies you see.
Yannis: Actually we are quite happy with our current agency. Bye!
by Yannis Marcou |March 22nd, 2010
It is quite often that I find myself in discussions where someone will dismiss their corporate website as a brand exercise, only because it is not ecommerce enabled.
Absolute definitions aside, your non ecommerce-enabled website is an ecommerce website because it does help you close business.
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