Marketing Strategies

A pple has been taking it on the chin for a lack of Steve Jobs-like innovation since the company's co-founder lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. But the Mac-maker is winning on the global branding front. For the first time in the history of Interbrand's Best Global Brands report,  Apple has  ousted  Coca-Cola as the world's most valuable brand, as the soda giant dramatically fell from first to third place and Google landed in the second slot. It marks the first time in Interbrand's 14-year-old "Best Global Brands" report that Coke has not been No. 1. The total value of the 100 Best Global Brands in 2013 is  1.2€  trillion -- an 8.4 percent record increase over the total value of the 100 Best Global Brands in 2012. Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple's name increased in worth by nearly 30 percent in the last year to  78.75€  billion, according to the Omnicom Group-owned branding firm, jumping from second place to the top slot. The t...

  If you haven't experienced the increased speed of 4G yet, then not to worry, it's already obsolete. If you’re still only using 3G, then it’s time to upgrade grandpa, you’re living in the past man. South Korea,    already one of the most wired countries on earth,    have decided that 4G is too slow for them, and are planning to invest  1.2€  billion in making 5G, which would be 1,000 times faster and  capable of downloading full-length films in one second. That would mean passengers on high-speed trains would be able to access the internet even at speeds of 500kmh (310mph), compared with the current limit of 300kmh. South Korea is determined to protect its position as a global leader in super-fast internet connections. More than 78% of South Korea's 50 million people use smartphones; among 18-24 year olds, the proportion rises to a staggering 97%. Under the roadmap, a trial 5G service will be rolled out in 2017 and a fully ...

There is no one picture of intelligence, but many people with high IQs do tend to share some of the same habits -- both good and bad.  For example, according to research complied by  Online-PHD-Programs.org , while those with high IQs tend to set goals and read avidly, they are also more likely to drink more heavily and suffer from anxiety. For more on the habits of smart people, including a look at the IQs of icons such as Albert Einstein and Bill Gates, check out the info graphic below.

Whether you like it or not, large companies’ and corporations’ logos and slogans are essentially a mild form of mind control. They are designed very carefully by teams of designers and marketers to ensure that they will inspire trust and the desire to purchase their products or service. Graphic artist  Viktor Hertz  has recreated the logos of famous companies to show what they would be like if the companies actually told the truth about their product.  Caution : Heavy doses of keepin' it real ahead.

Close your eyes and picture McDonald's famous golden arches. Now, imagine if they had been gray. Would the burger chain be the international success it is today? The color of some logos is more powerful than the logos themselves -- think the red of Coca-Cola or the pink of Barbie or the rainbow colors of Google. Color can become a key part of any brand. Whether your logo is red and intense, yellow and joyful or black and mysterious, its colors are announcing something to the customer. As you create the perfect logo, be sure to pay attention to the color messages you're sending. Check out the infographic below to figure out exactly what your logo's colors are telling potential customers.

  Ever wondered what the great phones of yesteryear would look like with a modern mobile OS and beefed-up specs?   Well, you can tell your imagination to give it a rest now, as  Nokia has announced that it is giving the famous and  ultra-durable Nokia 3310  a refresh all these years later. As you can see the device still uses that iconic design but features a 41-megapixel PureView camera paired with an Xenon flash and Zeiss optics, which has come straight from the Nokia Lumia 1020. Of course there is the latest Widows Phone 8.1 operating system running on a scaled down dual core processor. There is also 2GB of RAM with 32GB of on board storage with all this modern technology fitted into a case measuring 113mm x 48mm x 22mm weighing 133 grams. There is even a slot for a microSD card and to begin with the device will feature 3G connectivity but LTE versions are promised later this year. Of course it's an April Fools' jo...

  Product always comes first. Drug dealers can’t launch expensive advertising campaigns, so their marketing is their product and service. Even the best marketing plan is not going to save a shitty product.   Drug dealers know their product is good they’re willing to give a little away for free. They know you’ll be back for more with money! So, share your knowledge, give your customers a product try outs, software trials, test drives AND educate them. Drug dealers know — their business relies on relationships. They try as hard as they can to NEVER disappoint a customer. Act as if customers were your best friends! Stay true, never offer anything you wouldn’t buy yourself. If someone is knew to pot smoking and drug dealers knows the customer doesn't know how to roll a joint — offers to buy joints and blunts at set prices. Think about your customers, some products might need advanced skills to install or use them. So, instead of offering extended warran...

               On the occasion of the opening of a new  IKEA   store in Tokyo, the Swedish giant has built a monorail trains with its  furnishings. The opening included food, drinks, and a sign that read “IKEA Party Train.” Visitors could interact with the products in a showroom setting that offer a little something more than the traditional in-store arrangements. Check out some photos of the pop-up below.