Blog – Page 10 – ANA Business Marketing of Northern California

Membership Economy: Adopt or Perish?

April 15, 2015/6 Comments/in Buzz /by Venkat Raman

Is an evil Superuser an oxymoron?

Is it OK to ask subscribers to pay 4 times what they are used to paying?

Listen to Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of the brand new book, The Membership Economy, to get the answers. Robbie will speak to Norcal BMA members and guests on April 22 on this very topic.

If you are like me, you are juggling a few dozen subscriptions just enough to keep your head above the deluge. Seems as though everyone has learned from American Express: "Membership has its privileges." Memberships are everywhere.

Or are they? They may just be subscriptions.

What’s the difference? Read more

Recap: Being Heard – How B2B Marketers Can Get Above the Noise in the Marketplace

March 29, 2015/in Recap /by Staff

It was November 1923. Bandleader Paul Whiteman asked composer George Gershwin to create a concerto-like piece for an experimental jazz concert he was planning. The event program was quite long that night and the ventilation system broke. It was hot, the audience uncomfortable, and many of the pieces sounded similar. Gershwin’s new composition was second to last on the program. The room quieted. A haunting clarinet solo began, and American music was never the same.

The new piece caught the attention of nearly everyone who heard it. Nearly a century later, Rhapsody in Blue is considered a cornerstone of our American musical heritage. United Airlines licensed the piece in the mid-1980s and is still using Rhapsody as its theme music three decades later.

In our March BMA Program, award-winning marketing expert Linda J. Popky, the founder and president of Leverage2Market Associates, wowed our capacity filled room at our March program held at the Microsoft Offices in Mtn. View with her colorful and effective storytelling when presenting some of the key messages contained in her new book Marketing above the Noise.

Recap: The Power of Gamification to Create Engaged and Inspired Customers

October 1, 2014/in Recap /by Staff

We saw all the die-hard B2B marketers at the August monthly meeting – still working hard while everyone else is on vacation. You missed a good one but here are some highlights from Rick’s presentation which was thought provoking indeed:

Gamification has been with us for some time but was traditionally used in sales. Today, gamification can be applied across the board in both B2B and B2C and is limited only by your imagination. He introduced us to the term Lagniappe (pronounced Lan yap): Something unexpected that sets you apart – a key element in any gamification strategy. He also pointed out that one of the most receptive audiences to Gamification is Millennials because they grew up with technology. Read more