Apparently, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. As soon as someone offers you something free, run away. “Free” is fishy, right? To take license with a Benjamin Franklin quote, “Guests, fish and freebies stink after three days.”
Yet, I had an experience yesterday that softened some of the cynic in me. While doing research on marketing during a recession and healthcare-specific strategies, I came across a free white paper entitled, “Innovating through Recession: When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Innovate,” written by Andrew J. Razeghi, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Professor Andrew J. Razeghi
The mention of a “white paper” is enough to elicit a yawn from the most stalwart readers. Even if one finds a particular subject fascinating—as I do marketing and advertising—the dense, convoluted writing style that “white paper” connotes does anything but make me rummage for a highlighter and settle into my chair for a cozy afternoon of reading.
I read enough “academic writing” in graduate school to know that the accepted style is chock full of weak verbs in passive voice and clunky adverbs and empty of any kind of “voice” or authorial presence. Most writers take themselves out of what they are saying in an effort to appear objective. In other words, most of the academic writing that I read was dull. I may as well have done everybody a favor and cleaned some toilets instead.
Professor Razeghi’s style provides a nice contrast. His work is well-written, engaging and packed with convincing case studies, quotable quotes and practical advice. Here are his seven well-researched and compelling insights:
1) Listen to the market. It’s quieter when it’s less crowded. Unmet needs abound.
2) Invest in your customers. Now they need you most. Loyalty hangs in the balance.
3) Rather than reduce price, offer more value to your customers and demand greater value from vendors.
4) Increase communication with your customers.
5) Move longer-term projects forward not back. Now is the time to grab market share.
6) In recession, not all costs are created equal. Maintain or increase investment in “good costs”; prune “bad costs”; use judgment on “it depends costs.”
7) If you don’t have the money, at least spend the time. (Source: see link below.)
Again, the white paper is free—no small print or catches. Follow this link to download it. While you’re at it, check out Professor Razeghi’s website: http://www.andrewrazeghi.com/.
In this spirit of true giveaways and marketing innovation, Morris Creative wants to offer a free marcom audit (marketing communications) to our faithful readers.
Give us a call today at 865-637-9869, and we’ll set up a time to get together. We’ll discuss ways to strengthen your brand and message and look to the future. No small print or catches. Honest.
Be an innovator. Make Ben Franklin proud.