As the effects of the global recession linger, consumers are changing the way they shop, becoming more budget-conscious, eco-aware and cause-oriented, while paying greater attention to what, why and from who they are buying. While the financial market collapsed, Orman’s stock rose as she convinced people what NOT to buy during the economic recession. When the First Lady donned J.Crew fashions at public appearances such as The Jay Leno Show, it spiked the retailer’s clothing sales, website traffic and brand awareness. Tags: Advertising Suze Orman. Indra K. Nooyi. MORE >>

Cultural events : the Video Music Awards, the Emmys, Fashion Week, Z-Z Topp releasing a new album, etc. When you look at every image that was created for the effort, not a single one asks people what they think of an Oreo flavor or feature or cajoles them to go buy Oreos. strategy Advertising oreo Marketing facebook contentYour marketing team and agency has just been put on notice. Over the last 100 days, Kraft Food's Oreo brand has been sharing a steady stream of some of the most creative and engaging content I've ever seen. Think about that for a moment. didn't think so. MORE >>

People buy this tripe because they want “simple&# and “no effort&# ways to move their business forward. Focus requires you to define your audiences , learn about their behavior, and then provide relevant and believable information, communicated in an original, impactful fashion. Tags: New Business Marketing Advertising Do you believe there is a marketing magic bullet? lot of people do. All those magic bullet consultants are wrong. have the secret and I am going to share it, but you won’t be happy about it. Your plan must also include a sales element. MORE >>

BRANDING:  Imagine GPS technologies allowing fashion shows (from Armani to Victoria’s Secret to GAP Kids) to take place anywhere at anytime when viewed through a smart phone. Otherwise, brands will be investing in technology that consumers simply won’t buy. Advertising Brands Consumers Future branding virtual realityScreenshots of H&M's augmented reality scavenger hunt campaign. Image: Mashable). Decker wasn’t actually there but by using GPS technology developed by GoldRun customers could see her in various poses in over 700 stores. As If not, why? MORE >>

As the top online websites all try to tap more into the fashion social commerce world, Google has launched Boutiques.com , an online fashion search site, (not to be confused with Boutique.com). Google’s new fashion search site lets the user go into the “boutiques” and find items of fashion based on their searches, likes, and follows.  You take a six-step survey to find out what style you are, and then, based on Google algorithms, the fashionistas find similar items for you to view, like, and possibly buy.  Pros: No Google advertising anywhere to be seen. MORE >>