Anti Corruption and Bribery Acts to bring in VALUES & ETHICS, by force!
Be it any ground – Sports, Politics, Business or other, corruption always finds its place in.
After hearing and reading a lot about bribery, corruption and scandals everywhere, I thought of checking Anti Corruption and Bribery Laws and Policies in different countries; went through the UK Bribery Act 2010, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and some other. (more…)
Direct Marketing Dogged by Bad Reputation
Direct Marketing has been constantly dogged by a bad reputation and subsequent bad press. The problem of unwanted “junk” mail sent without cause or prompt is one that has been debated furiously for years. As a result, opt-out services have been introduced and industry deals with government have been struck in a bid to restrict the volume of unsolicited mail sent. Now, it has come that text messaging will invite same trouble for the industry.
This invited trouble happens when consumers (who otherwise use their mobile device to basically communicate with their family, friends and peers) are stricken with unsolicited text messages by marketing companies who want to win their end. This text spamming by some direct marketing companies are causing trouble for the whole of the direct marketing industry which wants to fight any anti- direct marketing moves. And, direct marketing associations in some countries (like Appco Group Malaysia) are very much concerned about their reputation. (more…)
The web-intruders took Zappos on surprise!
After Stratfor, it was Zappos that had a face-off with hackers.
Yes, it was an out-of-the-blue cyber attack on the website of the fashion retailer Zappos (subsidiary of Amazon) that specializes in shoes, handbags, apparels and accessories. This is why web experts like Web Listings Inc. insist on sound web protection for their clients. (more…)
Rebranding Loyalty Schemes- Brands be Cautious!
What will happen if one mistake once committed which had a serious effect is repeated? The effect will be double on whom it had been intended. The outcome of this cause can be much more serious. However, there’s much more to worry, if the’ mistake’ was committed by a branded company by rebranding its loyalty scheme. The rule of code is that if you’re a branded company you should not make a mistake when it comes to rebranding your loyalty scheme, not to turn your biggest fans against you.
In any rewards programme, there will always be a group of customers who value most of the offer that marketers like Appco Group consider most obscure or least profitable. But when someone invests time and money in sticking with a brand only to have that offer taken away, it will feels like a broken promise. (more…)
Racial slur mars reputation of Papa John’s Pizza!
Papa John’s Pizza is one of the BIGGEST brands that pizza lovers in the United States identify ‘highest quality pizza and excellent customer service’ with, after Pizza Hut and Dominos Pizza; but then John Schnatter’s brand with the slogan “Better Ingredients. Better Pizza” is in bad-limelight, after the ETHNIC/RACIAL SLUR!
Never did Papa John’s Pizza know that a disparaging remark (referring “lady chinky eyes” to the U.S. woman of Asian origin) on the pizza receipt would cost them too much of a reputation. I am a regular visitor at their restaurant chains, be it with my family or with some of my clients – Celica Marketing and/or other, but never have had any bad experience so far. (more…)
Briton Michael Woodford with unwarranted BAD reputation?
And yes, here is something from the ‘Olympus’ series that the market is hot and charged with; latest is that the British businessman and the former CEO Briton Michael Woodford of Olympus Corp. has withdrawn his campaign, as is no more bidding for the position, again.
Japanese shareholders and the management cold-shouldered him for the whole event; the ex-CEO after a newly earned ‘bad reputation’ is NOW all prepared to sue the 92-year old medical device maker. And we presume, to get back on the popularity curve Michael Woodford might need direct marketers, and be that – Redwoods Advance, Magnum Marketing, Appco Group, or others for instant reach. (more…)
Google Chrome Campaign Violates Paid Link Policy
Google’s Chrome browser violated, companies paid link policy in a sponsored post campaign.
The incident reported was like this – “For the campaign, Google paid bloggers to write about Google Chrome and embed within the post a video that spotlights how King Arthur Flour, a small business in Vermont, benefited from using the browser. Posts featured the text “Google Chrome helped this small business in Vermont go global. What can Google Chrome do for your future… and notified readers that the posts were sponsored by Google Chrome. One blogger, who published a sponsored post, also included a link that directed to the Google Chrome download page, violating Google’s paid link policy, which was first reported by Search Engine Land on Jan. 2. The link in that post has since been removed.”
Google’s paid link policy forbids companies from buying or selling links to juice search rankings and advises that advertisers, who buy or sell links, to include a piece of code that specifies if a link is paid so that Google can exclude the paid link from the destination’s search ranking. Sometimes, small mistakes can cause great loss. The same is with every business. And when it come to direct marketing, companies like Enigma Marketing always see that they are careful at every move forward. (more…)
Online Reputation Management: Big business for 2012
Online Reputation Management is big business these days and is now a flourishing all over the world. It will continue to be big business in 2012.
“ORM- that’s how we call Online Reputation Management”, says Sam, our friend who writes regular Enza Marketing Review articles as part of Reputation Management work. Adds he, “I believe ORM will evolve into a real big global business in just a few years. It already is big business and is a global thing too, but it will grow further into a well-organized industry in the coming years”. (more…)
Web security and the Reputational Issues for Brands
For most marketing brands, web security is a matter that will affect their reputation. The Citizens Advice Bureau and Google have launched a new campaign advising people, how their data is used in advertising, as well as providing information on how to keep their details secure.
According to research commissioned for the campaign, over four million people in the UK have fallen victim to identity fraud. While this can be financially costly for individuals, when it happens to a brand there is the potential for serious reputational damage – particularly when social media accounts are compromised. Although many companies like Coulson Organisation have enough preventive measures to protect their customers data online, further move in this area is needed. (more…)
The media: for a reputation swing…
In days of social media, building online reputation is not a difficult task, for anyone; and quite impressive the news it was that we got to hear about fund-raising activities from Calgary (Alberta), Canada. The place is not only famous for Calgary Stampede, where you often see cow-boys perform for you, but then, the place is equally famous for generosity of people in economic depression…
Yes, when the world is facing severe economic downturn, it feels good to see people ‘contributing’ ($487 each, for the charity) to the society, out of the blue; and then, they are not hungry for recognition, or good reputation, as we know, they may never need esteemed firms like Blackcode Advertising or other, to tell the world that they are different in the society…! (more…)
