Brands are forever seeking more effective methods to build closer connections with the consumer, boost recognition, build loyalty and sway the purchase decision journey. Marketers have made staggering advances in their ability to analyse and understand what influences consumers, whether this be employing eye-tracking technology or using sophisticated data analytics to monitor real time consumer preferences. Yet, unexpectedly, it is neuroscience that has emerged as one of the biggest breakthroughs in marketing in decades.

The collaboration between neuroscience and marketing may seem like the stuff of science fiction; however the study of the nervous system is beginning to be used by marketers to accurately measure what the consumer is feeling. In a manner inconceivable in the past, the practice allows marketing experts to understand how the brain responds to creative stimulus and more importantly what particular emotions those ideas trigger. Consumers naturally connect to the brands and experiences that make them “feel” something. By putting neuromarketing science into practice, marketers now have the opportunity to create an emotional affinity with brands and forge effective long-term bonds with consumers.

Full story at the Guardian

Of the top 10 favourite features, 58.% rate the company information and 38.4% follow companies. Contact us on sophie[at]gaspfour.com if you want help with navigating this important B2B network.

This year’s study looked at the headlines of more than 16,000 Business Wire press releases from 2011. Of those, only 19.5% of all releases had headlines with 65 characters or fewer and just 23.7% were at 70 characters or fewer. This suggests that the great majority of press releases do not have headlines fully optimised for search.

The average headline length is 123 characters, which is the same as last year’s results. The study also looked at buzzword usage and completed a geographic headline face-off to determine which cities hosted the SEO-savviest press release headline writers. You can download the full report here

This story was originally blogged by Amy Yen, Marketing Specialist, Business Wire Dallas

Giles Edwards, Director at Gasp said, “By synchronising the social media campaign across all the media channels, Gasp is ensuring that correct and timely information is available whichever one is accessed. It’s a big job and we need to be meticulous in updating the sites, but our enthusiastic and dedicated team are up to it.”

The Facebook page is particularly successful with regularly updated news and information and plenty of pictures. With a bespoke logo, it looks good. It’s very well designed and easy to use so that it’s rapidly becoming the first place people turn to when they want to know more.

To boost the Facebook following Gasp ran a series of competitions between October and Christmas 2011 for new followers to win free rounds of golf at the Club. By early 2012, the Facebook following had rocketed to more than 550 people and plenty are talking about it.

One of the key marketing and PR objectives for Gasp is getting people to visit the club. Windlesham is a stunning golf club and once there, visitors are usually impressed by the course, the ‘inclusive’ atmosphere as well as the ongoing investment in the grounds and facilities. To that end, Gasp not only designed and managed the Facebook competitions, but a short video that is hosted on the Club’s new YouTube channel which showcases the stunning grounds and facilities at Windlesham Golf Club.

Twitter is used to spread the word about special events such as the Mothers’ Day lunch and the Ladies Indoor Putting Clinic. With regular Tweeting they’re attracted a number of fans and so far the club has attracted 782 followers in a short time.

The LinkedIn page is more corporate, detailing how the company is structured, who’s who and encouraging a community between staff and members. Together Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn cover all bases. Each medium calls for different treatment but by ensuring content is bang up-to-date Gasp is ensuring that Windlesham Golf Club looks professional and attractive all the time.

Underpinning the social media programme is the Club’s PR outreach. Gasp’s integrated approach to marketing ensures that all content created by the dedicated PR team is synchronised and leveraged across all appropriate marketing channels – and that includes social media.

Edwards concluded,

“That means that club events are not only promoted to local press, but via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and through more traditional marketing channels like the web site and printed material too. The beauty of this approach for clients is that it’s both seamless and highly cost-effective.”

“Having a beard says ‘I work in advertising, I’m creative and I’ve got more important things on my mind than shaving’,” says Campaign’s editor, Claire Beale.

Personally, I don’t think having a beard versus not having a beard is as simple as black versus white. There are many grays. Without getting too distracted with my own classification I have a beard and I work in advertising. I’m creative and I’ve got more important things on my mind than shaving. So, if I ever bumped into Claire Beale I guess small-talk wouldn’t be required!

Read the original article, How to get ahead in advertising, here