In business, it’s survival of the fittest, and our Seven Keys to Responsible Marketing can help you survive just about anything the world throws at you. Even a zombie apocalypse. That’s right, a zombie apocalypse. The characters of AMC’s The Walking Dead would have fared better if they just appreciated our Seven Keys. Here’s how: […]
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Responsible Marketing in a Zombie Apocalypse

Profanity in Advertising — What the @#$! do we care?
Profanity in advertising—is it REALLY needed in order to stand out in the all the marketing clutter? Are we becoming immune to it? A recent article on Talentzoo puts it this way: …times change, and we’re slowly breaking down our cultural norms and resistance to expletives. Consider the following ads: For as long as I can […]

Responsible Advertising — Even When it Hurts
Headquartered in Madrid, the ANAR Foundation believes that all children should have a voice, especially when their rights are violated. Take a look at this video from an impressive street ad campaign by the ANAR Foundation: It’s thought provoking. It’s empathetic. It’s reassuring. The goal of this advertisement is clear – to help children realize […]

How one college builds trust by educating prospects
Consumers today are better informed about the products or services they’re purchasing than at any other time in history. But it’s not because of marketers. In addition to researching on Google, peer-to-peer review sites like Angie’s List and Yelp have quickly become the most effective way for consumers to learn about business products and services. […]

Dove Real Beauty Sketches: Responsible Marketing, I think.
If you haven’t already seen this “Dove Real Beauty Sketches” clip that everyone is posting on Facebook, take a gander: Dove once again pulls through in this touching video about how women view themselves in such poor light compared to how others see them. It is sad how women are especially critical of every mole, […]

I just “shipped my pants” watching Kmart’s new ad
When was the last time you shopped at Kmart? No, seriously. When was the last time you even considered shopping at Kmart? Don’t laugh. I’m being serious. Would you consider shopping at Kmart after watching this ad? For years, Kmart has been at the wrong end of too many jokes. But this is different. In […]

Tums commercials gone wrong
In commercials, funny is money. So is sex. So when combined, sexually suggestive, funny commercials are usually bank. And the more sophomoric the humor, the more I usually like them. But these new spots for Tums antacid are just wrong — specifically these three: Inappropriately suggestive is funny when it makes sense, and is relevant […]

SPAM is SPAM if you say it is
Are you a spammer? I don’t care what the technical definition is – if you make it hard for people to unsubscribe from your mailings, you might be viewed as one. Don’t require multiple clicks to unsubscribe. Don’t force someone to enter their email address into your system to unsubscribe. Be responsible and use an […]
The 7 Keys to Responsible Marketing in 2 Minutes
Want to know what Responsible Marketing is about but don’t have the time to read our white paper on the topic? Well, here’s “The 7 Keys to Responsible Marketing in 2 Minutes,” featuring the characters you’ve grown to love (or hate) in our Responsible Marketing web shorts. View on YouTube There ya go—with a video […]

Chocolate covered grasshoppers get people talking
Yesterday, I received a lumpy mailer from a company I’d never heard of. Normally I give unsolicited mail about the same amount of consideration you probably do—a few seconds. But since it was, well, lumpy, and delivered via FedEx I opened it. Here’s what I found: On one side, it says “Yes, these are real […]
El Pollo Loco adds heat to KFC challenge
One way or the other, you probably heard about KFC last week. If you didn’t see one of their ads for their new Kentucky Grilled Chicken (the largest ad blitz in KFC history) you probably heard about the Oprah catastrophy. KFC was caught off guard when a promotion for a free two-piece meal featuring its […]
Responsible or not? Using the dead to sell
On Christmas Day, John Lennon returned from the dead. Well, his image and voice were resurrected to help the One Laptop Per Child Foundation “OLPCF” and it’s raised a few eyebrows (and hackles). If you haven’t heard about the OLPCF, here’s a summary: It’s an education project, not a laptop project. Inexpensive, durable, networked laptops […]

Hey Chase! Leo Burnett doesn’t work here.
We’ve all received direct mail that has our name, title and even gender wrong—the result of poor data integrity, database management, a hiccup at the mail house or any number of things that can happen along the way. It happens. But sometimes something lands in our mailbox that’s a real head-scratcher, like this: Leo Burnett […]

Is Whistler-Blackcomb email marketing responsible?
On Monday, I received a message from Whistler Blackcomb to inform me of the open dates for each of the mountains. I don’t recall signing up to receive these notifications, but I was there last season and might have provided my email address somewhere to someone. No matter. I didn’t mind receiving the message, and […]

Can you market as well as a state agency?
Some of the best marketing today is being done by groups typically considered boring and safe. You know—state agencies. Battling preconceptions to market employment office services to employers A few years back, Outsource Marketing helped a consortium of seven U.S. states whose charter was to find effective new ways to market state one-stop services to […]

10 marketing mistakes to avoid now
The financial crisis has everyone on edge, myself included. I lost my bank, and I’m not sure who’s next. Should I put my money in coffee cans and bury it in the backyard? When people are on edge, sometimes they do things they normally wouldn’t do. Same goes for businesses. Here are a 10 things […]
Bumvertising: Welcome to the Hall of Shame
Bumvertising is exactly what it sounds like: Advertising on the homeless. It started in 2005 when 22-year-old University of Washington grad Ben Rogovy was looking for a cheap way to promote another company he started. Here’s a quick overview: View this video on YouTube The Bumvertising debate has attracted local, national and even international media […]

An old way to simplify a complex idea
Getting a prospect’s attention is tough enough, but let’s say you are able to break through. Now that you have their attention, can you keep it? Think your prospect will read four pages of copy to learn how you are different? Think again. We live in a sound-bite culture where scanning—not reading—is the norm. Sure, […]

Responsible Reading: Marketing Management
Seems every marketing book claims to offer the silver bullet—the marketing secret that guarantees incredible success. I’ve read 100’s of marketing books—including some great ones—but there are no shortcuts, folks. To be a Responsible Marketer, you need a strong grounding in the fundamentals. You won’t learn them in a three-day seminar, and probably don’t have […]

Why you need a Marketing Integrator
You can probably tell I’m a fan of Integrated Marketing Communications, so maybe it’s no surprise that one of our central positions at Outsource Marketing is called a “Marketing Integrator.” Our goal is to deliver strategic, seamless and sustainable marketing, and our Marketing Integrators are are a big part of the way we make “strategic” […]
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Awards for sale: Not a rewarding experience July 22, 2008
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The door to door salesman from hell October 23, 2008
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Personnel Concepts’ marketing:
Out of compliance? October 8, 2008 -
Princeton Premier: Bad marketing or vanity scam? November 13, 2008
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Let’s fight vanity scams together August 21, 2008
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The new phone books are here! Oh, goody. October 22, 2008
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How can business help the poor? September 25, 2008
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The Responsible Marketing Blog has moved. February 13, 2014
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Hometown Hookups Season: Looks that Seal the Deal December 9, 2013
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Responsible Marketing in a Zombie Apocalypse December 3, 2013
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Old time cough syrup labeling and the side effects of medical disclaimers November 25, 2013
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Get “Mastering the Rockefeller Habits” free* when you learn about our marketing management services. November 19, 2013
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Profanity in Advertising — What the @#$! do we care? November 18, 2013
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There’s still time to plan your 2014 marketing. Well, sorta. October 23, 2013
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hakim jones: I agreeeeeeeeeeeeeee.sorryyyyyyyyyy lol...
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hakim jones: I assume u work them blowhard lol...
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Patrick Byers: Now there's a way to put it. Thanks for weighing ...