Here at WOBI we’re a little partial to a drop of the black stuff every now and again - and what better excuse to indulge than Saint Patrick’s Day?  In recent y

In the last World Marketing Forum Mexico, we had the opportunity to interview marketing expert Martin Lindstrom with the sole objective of asking the following question: What is the relationship between marketing and sustainability?

It didn’t take more than a few seconds for the neuromarketing guru to respond:

“I think the problem with sustainability is that it isn’t sexy. Just hearing the word I fall asleep, and I think consumers feel the same way.”

The saddest part about his reply is that he’s right. Does this mean sustainability isn’t an important topic? Of course not. It is one of the two biggest revolutions catalyzing business today; however, it isn’t something that interests many people. So whose fault is it? It is businesses’ fault for not transmitting the concept’s value, and it is our fault, the marketers, because we haven’t found a sufficiently seductive way to make it sellable, or even worse, we’ve interpreted it as just a business strategy.

So what can we do? An obvious and rational answer is…benchmarking. Observe who is successfully managing their organization in a sustainable way and take away the best practices to turn it into a strategy to follow. We briefly analyze some examples and attempt to synthesize the three tips to make sustainability irresistible.

How many marketing messages do we see in a day?  While numbers typically range near the 3,000 mark, the more interesting question is, how many do we remember, let alone act upon? I believe some of the most inspiring creative messages —and the ones that provoke the most reaction —come from Public Service Announcements (PSAs).  

PSAs are carried free of charge by mass media to publicize a message or cause in the public interest. They come in two forms: horrible and brilliant.

“You copied my shoes!” “Well, you copied my backpack! And mine is better!” We’ve all heard this skirmish between elementary school children. But, can you imagine it happening between two of the world’s most influential technology giants? No need to imagine, it is happening before our very eyes. Apple and Samsung are head-to-head in various legal battles being fought all over the world on claims of copying and libel over designs and technology of their mobile devices. Read on for the latest marketing-related court rulings in the U.K., and what’s to come.

With his characteristic charisma and humor, Kevin Roberts’ presentation in ExpoManagement Madrid 2012 was anything but conventional. His provocative phrase “Marketing is dead” has been a big hit, and even Philip Kotler made a reference to it in the conference yesterday. Is this really true? And what do Lovemarks have to do with it? And where does the role of creative leaders come in? Find the answers to these questions and more, coming up in the blog…

A truly scandalous situation: one of today’s most respected experts in marketing, who has a unique gift to understanding the behavior of consumers, revealing the best-kept secrets of some of the largest marketing and advertising departments.

Martin Lindstrom, who founded his first advertising agency when he was just 12 years old, and has worked for top brands such as Coca-Cola and Disney, has reformed to show us the other side of marketing. How do brands reach our minds and hearts? What strategies do they use to appeal to our senses? Are the tricks they use ethical?

30” spots used to be all that mattered. Creative directors sitting in their big offices came up with an idea for whichever brand had the most money in order to shout louder at their audiences. Today advertising is about collaboration, engaging with consumers and being able to tailor solutions for clients in crazy turnaround times.

During our NY production trip we spent two days with Crew Cuts, a full-service production and post-house located in midtown Manhattan, that works with some of the biggest agencies and brands in the advertising business. We sat with producers, editors and directors, and learnt about the process of conceiving ideas and making them come to life…

“Sex sells”. Could two words better sum up the latent philosophy of marketing and advertising? As a generality, the most successful marketing campaigns of the past have not aimed at values, but rather desire, wants, needs and fantasies. This is all too obvious… when a company’s bottom line goal is to sell a product, presenting one that is sexy and appeals to subconscious desires is clearly preferable to the reality.  However, maybe this is all about to change.