The NO BULL$H!# Marketing Podcast

Marketing Intel - Your Ticket to all of the AnswersWhat prompted Horovitz Rudoy and Roteman, Pittsburgh’s 12th-largest accounting firm, to change its name? Marketing Intel. The company decided to conduct Marketing Intel to learn what current clients, past clients, referral sources, employees and others thought about the company. The results were astonishing and lead the company to change its name...

Cumulative AdvantageAs customers, we want our purchase decisions to be easy and we actually make most purchases automatically. We are creatures of habit. That’s why the subscription model has become so popular in so many industries. We don’t need to consciously decide about routine purchases. It’s all about gaining the Cumulative Advantage—once you gain a small advantage over the competition, it g...

Dollar Shave Club - A "F**king Great" Big IdeaIn 2012, Dollar Shave Club opened for business with a clear big idea: razors delivered every month for a low subscription price. Company co-founder Michael Dublin was front and center for the brand launch in a humorous video where he calls the razors “F**king great” and pokes fun at the big razor brands and all their “technology."Dubin i...

Everybody knows marketing. Have you ever been in a situation where you have crafted a perfect marketing plan only to have an "expert" assistant chime in and crush your pitch? Ever feel the frustration of hearing your buddies discuss the best Super Bowl ads, throwing in their "marketing expert" opinions of what was good or bad - totally missing the craft of a multi-million dolla...

Communication Tactics“Why don’t they listen!?”We’ve all been there. We think we’ve explained the details to whomever we need to reach: employees, players, sons & daughters, peers yet the message doesn’t seem to have been received. Why? Listen as Dave explains three necessary points used to improve communication tactics. Today's Guest - Ashley Boynes-ShuckDave welcomes Ashley back on the s...

TitlesSome organizations, typically small to midsize companies, use the dreaded combo title: Sales & Marketing. Think, “She’s our VP of Sales & Marketing,” or “He’s our Director of Sales & Marketing.”Companies that combine the two in one title often don’t understand the difference between each discipline. Listen as Dave breaks down why executives need to better understand the definitio...

Hit The Bullseye - Amazon: Amazon has been the subject of many Hit the Bullseye segments over the years. The company takes target market segmentation to a new level on an ongoing basis. Whether it’s Amazon Prime luring us in for free shipping and other free stuff by actually paying $99 (making it NOT free), or showing us similar products that go with the one we just bought, the online shopper unde...

Cut the BS - Effective PR: Public Relations or PR is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. PR involves building relationships and communicating with an organization's key target audiences. In other words, it is based on trust and providing honest and accurate information presented clearly and of course in a way...

Hit The Bullseye – NCAA Football Attendance Decline: The NCAA Football National Championship game was a classic as Clemson scored the game winning touchdown with one second remaining to beat top ranked defending champ Alabama. The playoff games were sellouts as are home games for the tradition rich powerhouse programs. But as a whole, attendance for college football games has dropped for seven str...

Cut the BS - Social Selling: Buzzwords drive me crazy for a number of reasons. It seems like some people love to throw out phrases and acronyms instead of speaking with clarity. Plus the phrase of the day, month or year often means something different to each person or market segment because since it’s a new phrase, the definition hasn’t been clearly conveyed to the masses. One such phrase that be...

40% of college students don't know what a consulting firm does - and for those who do 35% learned it from entertainment sources like House of Lies. The average person would say the questionable practices of Marty and his team are an accurate portrayal of a management consulting firm. But why? There are a few reasons why we have a BS perception of consulting: Yes, just like any profession, the...

Social Media & Digital Engagement Matters to your reputation. Two out of three consumers say their perceptions of CEO’s affects their opinions of their companies. Senior leaders need to embrace social media and not just with their company's accounts. Senior leaders need to have their own social media presence. You have a choice. It’s a Now or Later kinda thing. You can get on board—for re...

Senior leaders still have concerns about social media marketing. Some admit it while others try to rationalize that they get it or are “trying it.” We’ve found that leaders avoid Social Media for one or more of the following reasons:1. First they’re unfamiliar with how to use Social Media…which leads to…2. Social media appears overwhelming…which leads to…3. The risk of sharing the wrong thing…whic...

Hit The Bullseye - Marriott Servicescape: Marriott is the world’s largest hotel company and they have a brand for just about every price point, every occasion and every type of customer. And they’ve built these brands within the brand by focusing on the Servicescape created by the physical appearance of each hotel brand. Marriott clearly positions its many brands, distinguishing them from each oth...

Cut the BS - Fake News: Most people wonder about ‘Truth in Advertising’ and there’s even a spoof on YouTube about the lack thereof.  But, what about Truth in the reporting of news? From August to November 2016, fake stories earned more shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook than real news stories. A Pew Research Center poll found that 64% of Americans believe fake news is causing “a great dea...

Interview with Carol Washington (Part 2)On today’s episode we are back with Carol Washington, the Chief Operating Officer of Life’s Work of Western PA, to dive deeper into her position at her nonprofit, her mission when it comes to the organization, and how she has worked with students and employees as a mentor and leader throughout her career. Carol began her career out of college starting in the...

Interview with Carol WashingtonOn today’s episode I sit down with Carol Washington, the Chief Operating Officer of Life’s Work Pittsburgh, and a woman who has dedicated her own life’s work to helping those in need. As a graduate of IUP’s Eberly College, Carol started her career down the accounting/finance path, ultimately determining it was not the right fit. Through a corporate merger, she found...

Hit The Bullseye - Persuasion and 'Pre-suasion': Robert Cialdini is back. Well he never went away…but one of the foremost thinkers on human behavior and author of the 2006 best seller Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion, has a new book updating his thoughts on the 6 principles of influence. Cialdini revisits those concepts and adds even more insights in his new book Pre-Suasion: A Re...

Cut the BS - Knowers vs. Learners:  Are you a “knower” or a “learner?”Unfortunately, as we gain expertise throughout our careers, we tend to become “knowers” as opposed to early in life—through our early 20’s-- when our main “job” is learning. It seems the more we know, the more it gets in the way of learning. Alvin Toffler’s book Future Shock includes a powerful quote: “The illiterate of the 21st...

Hit The Bullseye - Unexpected Target Markets: It’s natural to look at sales data, call reports, closing ratios and other sales metrics on a regular basis. But it’s important to remember that who you market to is different than who you sell to. Employee MarketingWho you market to is different than who you sell to. One example is your employees. You need to focus on your employees as a key target ma...

Cut the BS - Business Jargon: Pretend for a moment we've entered a parallel universe. Free of bullshit and full of bold solutions. That's what the No BS Marketing show is all about. I’m your host Dave Mastovich. Our guest today is Steve Agnoli. But first, let’s cut the bullshit. Business jargon is a part of business. It just happens. We all do it. I guess you could say “it is what it is....

Hit the Bullseye- Radical Target Marketing: Have you heard of Chubbies—Radical Shorts for the Radical Man? Talk about Hit the Bullseye Targeting…the company’s manifesto says they exist to bring you the best weekend clothing that has ever been conceived and tells the back story of how four guys started the company on two fundamental premises: First that pants are for work and second the state of to...

Cut the BS - Don't Pass the Buck: Ever deal with someone who just doesn’t want to make a decision? Drives me crazy. That’s why I am so interested in a series of experiments conducted by researchers at Northeastern and Indiana universities in which participants could either accept or hand off responsibility for stuff like choosing hotels, meals and other tasks for themselves or for someone els...

Hit the Bullseye:  Four generations work side by side—The Silent Generation, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials—and make assumptions about each other.  Some of the more common ones are: Young employees are more excited about work, learning new skills and staying fit, and older people work at a slower pace, are more exhausted and less likely to explore. Professors Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott of the Lon...

Whether in our professional or personal lives, we all carry phrases and big ideas with us that teach us lessons, make a point, or motivate others. These key moments in our careers are what help us be successful, realize our faults, and stir up emotions. On this episode I sit down with Don Haddad, Senior Vice President of Citizens Bank of PA, to talk about the career path he has taken up until this...