Interview with richardameyer [richardameyer] on Whohub

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Up till now, what has been your professional career path?

I have wanted to stay in marketing and Internet marketing because it is my passion. Although I have a lot of experience in healthcare marketing my passion overall is marketing and as long as I can stay in marketing I really don't care about job titles.

Please list web addresses where one can see something about you.

What is your stance as a marketing professional? What are you good at? What differentiates you from others?

A couple of things: first I am a marketing linchpin who is willing to do whatever it takes to make my customers happy. Second I have the unique ability to translate customers needs and wants into business objectives. I also love to manage people because I make them feel like part of a team and value their input. I reward people who make good decisions and teach others why we do things.

A marketing strategy begins with an idea. How are yours born?

By looking at data and asking what if? Many people are overloaded with data today but I love to find opportunities within the data. I am also an avid reader of business books, websites and magazines and always try and learn from others and ask "what does this teach us and how can we integrate this into our business?"

In which market, products or services, are you currently working?

Mostly consumer products and Internet marketing. Marketing today in an age of empowered consumers presents quite a challenge and most old school marketing is not applicable anymore.

Did this product exist ten years ago? And the brand?

Marketing has always existed and has been stale. Internet marketing is now really starting to take off but you cant apply traditional marketing to new media.

What is the consumer or user like that you have to win over?

They are skeptical of your brand/product claims and want to know "how can your product make my life better?" The also want to know "why should I trust you and why should I purchase your product?

What is the key to gaining consumer fidelity?

The key is to ensure that every brand touchpoint exceeds customer expectations. This means that we have to execute perfectly on every customer touch point and provide a superior brand experience. It's not always about the price; often it's about the experience.

How do you determine what consumers think and feel? Is something more than qualitative research necessary?

The first is to listen to your employees who deal with customers everyday (i.e. customer service). The second is to ensure that you continually monitor and measure every interaction with your customers and continually improve the experience. Quantitative can provide a picture but qualitative can provide the color to the picture.

What type of communication are you utilizing?

Every type we can to listen to our audience but not engage with them when the don't want to be engaged. This means social media, eMail, voice, and third party applications and websites like Yelp.

Who/what is your competition?

Everyone is our competition from customers to other marketing firms. Social media gives everyone a voice and they can influence others so we have to view them as competitors as well.

What differentiates your product/service from the competition?

I provide solutions that integrate with the current business environment and technical requirements. Any consultant can provide a Mercedes solution I pride myself on listening first and asking "what are your business objectives" and then ensuring that the solutions I provide can be implemented and measured.

How do you value the results obtained up to now?

Excellent. Clients are aware that the business and marketing environments are changing and want to be proactive. However business need to understand that their processes may need changing as well to be aligned around customer needs not what is best for employees.

What is a better way to communicate your product: emotional or rational?

The answer to that is both: the rational side says "I know we could be doing better" but the emotional side says "We need more help".

What's your answer to the typical question: does marketing create nonexistent needs?

The answer to that is NO. That is not relevant today when consumers are purchasing product based on needs not wants. Marketing helps fills customer needs but marketing cannot fill nonexistent needs. A great example of this is the new iPad from Apple. Sure it's a great product but can it fill an nonexistent need ? We'll find out

In times of crisis sales of generic store brands rise. What should premium brands do or not do when faced with this?

The answer to this is to find out "what are we selling" and "what is our point of difference?" Once premium brands start down the road to promotions and price cutting it's often very hard to bring prices back up. The key is to evolve the brand so that is stays relevant to its audience.

Can you cite brands or well-known products that you admire for marketing brilliance?

Sure: my first choice would be Apple. They are just brilliant at everything they do including the selective news leaks to the media. My second choice would be Zappos whose core values are a blueprint for others to follow. Finally I believe Ford has done an outstanding job bringing their brand back to life and integrating new media into their marketing to the point that they had over 1000 preorders for the new Ford Focus sight unseen.

The consumer is king: have advertisers realised this yet?

No I don't believe they have. Just watch any TV program and when you see a commercial ask yourself "does this spot make me want to purchase the product?" There is a big problem with the big agencies who have yet to change business models and understand that the power has shifted to consumers. Also too many marketers are using MBA marketing teachings which are based on outdated theories,

Are we heading towards more individualised marketing and advertising?

Yes. Today we are more likely to identify more with people who think and believe as we do rather than our neighbors or family members. Traditional segmentation is dead long live Microsegmentation.

What percentage of your marketing budget is invested in digital advertising and why?

100% because it's easy to monitor, invest in optimization and see the results everyday.

What is the most surprising thing you have learned about digital marketing in the last few years?

That is evolving very rapidly and that without spending the money to do it right you could be doing a lot of damage to your brand.

A few years ago, it was said that online sales would end up killing traditional store sales, but that has not been the case: how can you explain this?

There will always be certain segments that like to touch and feel the products before they purchase them. Women rule shopping and to them shopping is much more emotional and they need to see and feel some products before they purchase.

How do you evaluate the potential of social networks for marketing on-line? Do you really think there is a new 2.0 marketing paradigm?

Social networks are invaluable for providing insights into how consumers think and what they are saying about you and your brand. That said, social media alone is not going to save your brand. Social media is part of an integrated strategy for your brand and too many marketers are throwing too much money into social media without and understanding of the risks and rewards of the channel.

What industry or market segment do you find attractive for devoting yourself to in the coming years?

Linchpins and early adapters. These are the people that are forward thinking and seek a lot of information before they make their decisions.

Be a prophet. What phenomenon will revolutionize marketing in the next few years?

Microsegmentation and the use of microsites on the web to further segment audiences. Mobile marketing will increase but frankly after using broadband mobile Internet speeds feel like dial-up. A better job has to be done to increase mobile marketing speeds.

Are you part of any professional networking sites? Has it served its purpose for you?

Yes Linked In, Marketing Professionals are among my favorites as well as Social Media Today. It has served me well as I have learned something everyday from people on these sites.

How do you do your own personal branding? What do you recommend other professionals do to position themselves in the job market?

I am not a big believer in personal branding because frankly it's a bunch of crap. I would rather let my results show what I am capable of and be recognized for the work I do than a personal brand.

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