Consumers have always resold large durable goods like cars and houses. But now almost anything is ripe for resale, from electronics to clothes, and even experiences.

Trendwatching.com recently released a marketing report that explains a new strategy companies, all shapes and sizes are adopting.

Today’s consumers understand that all products have some kind of value. The problem is the inconvenience of figuring out how to get rid of it. Do I post it on Craigslist? Ebay? Facebook?

Companies are now offering “trade-in, trade-out” initiatives to help consumers unlock the value in their old products, while instantly laying their hands on new, improved versions.

Key Drives behind (RE)COMMERCE:

1. Nextism: Consumers will forever crave the new and exciting experiences promised by the ‘next’.
2. Statusphere: The growing status boost that comes from being savvy and shopping (environmentally) responsibly.
3. Excusumption: Cash-strapped consumers embracing creative solutions.

The PDF report will go in detail which companies are practicing this and the incentives behind this strategy.

- JMT

Click the link below to download the PDF report:

2011-10 RECOMMERCE

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and its owners are still debating over issues with the players union. The two parties unwillingness to cooperate has lead many basketball experts to believe the lockout will last another 2 months. NBA commissioner David Stern recently cancelled all preseason games for the 2011 season and expects cancel a good portion of the regular season.

Owners, Players, and sponsors have all prepared for this for the last 6 months, and that includes clothing giant Adidas, who currently sponsors some of the top players in the league. Season or no season, Adidas is still aggressively attacking the market. The international leader in sportswear debuted their newest ad that features last year’s MVP, Derrick Rose as a bull in a  Spanish coliseum somewhere far away.

The main element of the ad: His new shoe, The adiZero

“We wanted to tell a story of Derrick Rose and  get you excited about him regardless of where he plays and when he plays,” Ryan Morlan, Adidas’ global director of brand marketing. “We wanted to show consumers his speed and his skill in a way that’s unforgettable, so we picked a venue that would reflect him as the ultimate bull.”

The ad agency 180La recently released the ad on Facebook and YouTube to give the public a sneak peak at the new campaign. I recently watched it on YouTube and I like it. Its creative and easily captures the users attention with dramatic camera angles and music.

The new shoe ad will make its television debut on Oct. 5 on ESPN and during NFL games on CBS, NBC and ESPN. The spot will also air on Cartoon Network, which provides significant bang for the buck with the target audience, Morlan says.

Here’s the Video:

Carlsberg beer and Belgium agency Duval Guillaume released the beer company’s new TV commercial online  last week. Six days later, 2.5 million views on YouTube and a wave of approval from some of the advertising publications. AdWeek  recently voted the creative video Advertisement of the Week on there website.

Take a look and ask yourself, would you have stayed and will the ad influence your beer purchase next time you visit the store? Something to the thing about.

Either way, this is a perfect example of a Low Cost, Low Risk, High Reward advertisement.

(CARLSBERG stands for TRADITION , QUALITY, GREAT TASTE AND MAKING RIGHT CHOICES)

It looks like Mark Zuckerberg has more tricks up his sleeve. Facebook is launching a new initiative to educate small businesses on how to use their self-serve ad platform and retrieve better marketing results. Zuckerberg and his team of faithful web developers have partnered with the U.S Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business to launch a 3-phase strategic plan to help increase Facebook’s advertising revenue.

Phase 1: Information Sessions (This Week)

- This week, FB plans on releasing online webinars, case studies and other tips to help small businesses.

Phase 2: Road Tour (October 2011)

- Next month, FB will sponsor a series of road shows across the country to help promote small business growth.

Phase 3: Free Advertising (January 2012)

- In 2012, FB vows to give away $50.00 dollars advertising credit to 200,000 small businesses, totaling 10 million dollars in free advertising.

A new report from eMarketer shows that 44% of small- and medium-sized businesses used social media as a marketing tool in August, and 59% spent less than $100 on social-media marketing.

Facebook has yet to give out any specific information regarding the selected cities for the sponsored road shows or the selection process of the 200,000 lucky companies. I guess we will just have to sit and wait for more details.

To read the full Adage article, click on the link below:

http://adage.com/article/digital/facebook-launches-program-small-businesses-pages-ads/230038/

It takes a lot of patience and understanding to become a great fisherman.  There are certain techniques and rules to follow in order to score a big catch.

Unfortunately for me, I had to learn the hard way.

My first couple of fishing trips were a disaster because I had no knowledge on how to fish.  I remember fishing for hours and coming up empty handed.

Some of my basic mistakes:

1. Not securing the bait on properly
2. Fishing by too many people
3. Not buying the right equipment
   (Fishing Bobbers, Tools, Weights, Bait, etc.)
4. And other common mistakes.

As I got older, I started asking around for advice. I use to visit the local bait shop before heading out to talk strategy with the clerk or other fishermen. The results drastically changed. I went from coming up empty-handed after hours of fishing to catching a few small prospects.
(Most of them were too small to brag about.)

The point is that I had to learn from my failures. I had to analyze what worked and compare it with what didn’t. Over time, this process would produce a large database of successful techniques and strategies that work.

This information would be viewed as “priceless” to someone who is fishing for the first time. Not only would they probably perform better, but they would also save tons of time in frustration and bad approaches.

The same can be said about business. There are certain techniques and strategies that make some people successful and some bad approaches that will leave you empty-handed.

That’s why experience is so important in the business arena.

• Learn from bad marketing campaigns
• Learn from unsuccessful sales meetings
• Learn how to master Cold Calling
• Learn how to execute a marketing plan.

Yes, it takes time and  it takes patience, but the knowledge you will obtain over the years will be worth it.

- Just My Thoughts

What’s your purpose in life?

It’s a simple question to answer, but for many of my peers, it was difficult to come up with a list of accomplishments that would bring them personal fulfillment.

I was only asked to name 2 personal goals, but i decided to take it a step further. So I sat down for about 30 minutes in a quite room and wrote down 10 personal goals that I felt would bring me personal fulfillment in life.

Here’s a couple of them:
1. To have a successful career.
2. To maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit.
3. To create generational wealth for my family.
4. To be a good father to my kids and devoted husband to my wife.

Andrew Warner is the founder of Mixergy.com, a online resource guide for ambitious, entrepreneurs. Last year, he sat down with one of the Co-Founders of Y-Combinator.com, Paul Graham.

Y Combinator does seed funding for startup companies. Seed funding is the earliest stage of venture funding. It pays for your expenses while you’re still getting things started.

Paul and his team make small investments (rarely more than $20,000) in return for small stakes in the companies they fund (usually 2-10%). They’ve helped more than 172 companies with seed funding and expert advice on how to successfully launch a company.

In this interview, he discusses the different characteristics that help entrepreneurs stand out from other companies seeking financial help.

I chose this interview to share because I was recently looking up information on seed funding.  As I started reading more about the company, I realized that Y Combinator is an excellent resource for entrepreneurs in the early stages of development.

Check it out:

http://mixergy.com/y-combinator-paul-graham/