Category Archives for Marketing

Humanity-based customer service is the new rule

Since customer service is a top-down equation, poor customer service experiences are clearly designed with pessimism in mind. Which is odd because that’s a person or a team of people working against human nature to manifest experiences they themselves do … Continue reading

22. January 2012 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: Customer Service, Marketing, working better | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Honest marketing begins within

Honest marketing used to be thought of as impossible. I’m not sure why, but I suspect it had to do with romancing a stone, or to put it more succinctly, polishing a turd (ick). Thing is, honest marketing has always … Continue reading

19. January 2012 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: Marketing | Tags: , | Leave a comment

The toxicity of buddy deals

How often do you try to get ‘buddy deals’? People have approached me, saying a ‘buddy deal’ went south and didn’t turn out how they wanted. So they came to me, saying they wanted to do it the right way, … Continue reading

18. January 2012 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: brand, Marketing | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Kablam! Now it’s a marketing blog

KellyHobkirk.com is now a marketing blog. I’ll still be writing about brands and branding primarily on my branding and advertising firm website, trainofthought.net. Inevitable it is that some talk of brands and branding will still be here because marketing and … Continue reading

03. January 2012 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: Branding, Marketing | Tags: | Leave a comment

Good customer service is good marketing

‘Do unto others’ is a great rule to apply to all businesses. It’s good customer service and smart marketing. Treat people with respect, and they will respect you. If you treat them poorly, they will find they don’t need you. … Continue reading

13. May 2011 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: Customer Service, Marketing | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Pink toenails and the end of gender rules

Hats off to J.Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons who had the good taste, confidence, and authenticity to let marketing send an email out to their database featuring a photo of her son with his freshly painted neon pink … Continue reading

18. April 2011 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: Advertising, Marketing | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

What’s big?

Big is your dream or vision. Big is unconcerned with size. Big is branding with integrity. Big is your passion. Big is marketing with honesty. Possibilities are big. Creating is big. Thinking is big. Acting is the bigger next step. … Continue reading

11. April 2011 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: brand, Branding, Marketing, Misc. | Tags: , | Leave a comment

The business mirror

Big business seems to be coming to a close, and they know it. Why else would they so relentlessly, so aggressively, so ridiculously come after prospects today? No company can be that lacking in good ol’ smarts, can they? Here’s … Continue reading

11. March 2011 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: brand, Email Marketing, Marketing | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Ask, then act – not the other way around

In the last seven days, I have received email marketing newsletters from five people I know, and one request for permission to be added to a list. Just two out of them all asked permission to add me to their … Continue reading

22. September 2009 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: Marketing | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Bad marketing habits die hard

Bad habits are hard to break. If you are routinely investing time in low-yield marketing methods, you have yourself a bad habit. If you need proof, just take a look at some of your daily non-business habits. Here are a … Continue reading

29. July 2009 by Kelly Hobkirk
Categories: Marketing, Misc. | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

← Older posts

Newer posts →