As the newest Canyonite to join the ranks, during my first Monday morning status meeting, I was reminded of the critical nature of service, more specifically “Customer Service” as it relates to success in the business place.

In his book, The Brand Who Cried Wolf, author Scott Deming describes the differences between branding, marketing and advertising. Within the context of branding, building a successful brand goes way beyond the traditional thinking of creating a memorable tagline or impactful logo. While these are, no doubt, important components to any brand plan, building a successful brand is contingent upon a much deeper emotional experience and connection with the customer. It is achieved when the promise made by marketing communications is delivered to the customer by everyone within the company.

Think of the last time you purchased something that was defective because quality control let one slip by or were endlessly on hold with XYZ’s “dedicated” 1-800 customer service line. How did you feel about the brand then? Did it exceed your expectations or fall short? Would you buy it again?

Everyone within the organization is responsible for “building the brand” or damaging its perception. At whatever point in the cycle that your function touches your product or service you have the ability to make it or break it when you choose to deliver superior customer service .

Is it just me, or has marketing gone soft lately? I know, I know; the recession has had a huge impact on marketing budgets and companies are trying to be smarter about what types of communications they choose to pursue. But shouldn’t that be the reason to develop bolder, edgier campaigns?

In today’s economic climate, breaking through the clutter is as important as it has ever been. Marketers are dealing with limited resources, creating a pressing need to focus on campaigns that are as efficient as they are effective. In my opinion, the best way to get the biggest bang for your marketing buck is to be bold.  Stand out above your competitors. Differentiate your brand by being, well, different. Isn’t that the point of marketing in the first place; to communicate a value proposition that differentiates your brand and your products from your competitors? What better way to differentiate your brand than by implementing a daring campaign that makes your customers stop and take notice. As the old adage says, “Fortune Favors the Bold.”

Do you think companies should implement bolder marketing campaigns?

Recently, I came across an article in Advertising Age by Milan Martin titled, “Why B2B Advertising Is Like the Awkward Girl in High School.” In the article, Martin compares B2B advertising to the undesirable or awkward girl in high school. She is the girl that everyone shies away from in favor of other more “fun” girls. But later, we find out that the “not-so-cool” girl grows up to be a real knockout and lots of fun.

B2B advertising is no different. Most people assume that B2B advertising is boring and business-to-consumer (B2C) advertising is sexy. So, why is this? I think most agencies and people shy away from B2B advertising because it can be very challenging.

As Martin says, “The road to the sale on the B2B side of things is often a gauntlet of gatekeepers, influencers, decision-makers and check-writers.”

Yes, it can be intimidating and that’s why some creative people and marketers gravitate towards the comfort of more straightforward B2C assignments. But, people who live and breathe B2B, understand that it can be that exact challenge that results in the most innovative and break-through advertising.

B2B…sexy? I think so (Click on the photos to view them larger).

As someone who works in PR, I can firmly say that one of my biggest pet peeves is the misuse or ongoing battle between “it” or “its” and “they” or “their.” And, what’s scarier, I see these pronouns misused almost daily.

I can’t keep track of how many times I’ve read a sentence like this, “Company X is expanding their product offerings.” “Their” product offerings? No, “Company X is expanding its product offerings.”

When referring to a company or organization in your writing, pronouns that can replace the subject, or company name, in a sentence are “it” or “its,” not “they” or a “their.” “It” or “its” refers to a company or organization; whereas “they” or “their” are used when referring to people.

So, the next time you’re writing a press release, ad, Web page, e-blast or any other marketing communications piece, just remember to pay attention to your pronouns—“it” does make a difference!

What do you think? Do you cringe when you see “they” or “their” used incorrectly? Do you have any other pet peeves when it comes to writing?