03Nov 2022 by Bob Cargill
Treating Your Customers to Something Free

Treating Your Customers to Something Free

Advertising, Boston, Business, Marketing, Public Relations, Restaurants
Boloco, a chain of restaurants founded in Boston, offered free small bowls to its customers in three of its locations in the area the other day. I saw the long line of people waiting to take advantage of this ridiculously awesome offer in front of its Longwood Avenue store. Good for those happy customers, getting such a great deal on such great food. And good for Boloco, too, for being so kind and generous to those folks. From a marketing perspective, why would Boloco do such a crazy thing? There are plenty of reasons, actually. Besides just being a nice thing to do for others, in doing so, the business may see a lot of those seeking freebies buying additional menu items at the same time. They may have the…
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12Aug 2021 by Bob Cargill
How to Satisfy a Dissatisfied Customer

How to Satisfy a Dissatisfied Customer

Boston, Branding, Business, Customer Service, Instagram, Leadership, Marketing, Public Relations
How do you satisfy a dissatisfied customer? Ask Norm Laviolette, CEO of Laugh Boston. He knows. He demonstrated recently what a business should do when a customer complains. He went above and beyond to turn a bad customer experience into a good one. When someone complained on social media about the chicken wings she ordered at his establishment, he went out of his way to resolve the issue. He personally delivered to this customer not just another order of chicken wings, but free tickets to an upcoming show, a $100 food and beverage voucher and a T-shirt. Good for you, Norm. Kudos, props and cheers to you and Laugh Boston for providing such an exemplary example of ridiculously awesome customer service. P.S. Thanks to Maureen Dahill's Caught In Southie article,…
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30Jun 2021 by Bob Cargill
PR and Corporate Communications with Maura FitzGerald

PR and Corporate Communications with Maura FitzGerald

Boston, Business, Communications, Marketing, Public Relations
In this episode of Bob Cargill's Marketing Show, Episode 131, I talk to Maura FitzGerald, Co-Founder and Partner at V2 Communications, a Boston-based public relations and digital communications firm. During our conversation, we touch upon the challenges that businesses have faced during the pandemic, the importance of a solid internal communications program, hiring practices, employee empowerment and much more. About Maura FitzGerald Maura is one of Boston’s most seasoned public relations veterans. With decades of experience and not one, but two, high-growth PR agencies under her belt, Maura was the 2019 recipient of Boston PR Club’s John J. Molloy Crystal Bell Lifetime Achievement Award. Over her career, Maura successfully founded and grew one of the premier U.S. brands in strategic technology communications, FitzGerald Communications. Under Maura’s direction, the agency immediately…
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24Jan 2021 by Bob Cargill
Boston-Area Agencies on Twitter

Boston-Area Agencies on Twitter

Advertising, Boston, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media
Hey, Boston-area agencies involved in marketing, advertising, PR and social media. I see you. I see which ones of you are on Twitter and I’ve added you to my list there. I read the content you share there and take notice of how often you post. I like a lot of your tweets and even retweet some of them. I may not have found all of you on Twitter yet, but I’m constantly on the lookout. I invite you and anybody else who’s interested to take a look at this list I’ve put together of agencies in the Boston area. Use it to learn more about who you may want to partner with or hire. Use it to you learn more the industry in which you earn your livelihood. Use…
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05Oct 2019 by Bob Cargill

Advertising is Everywhere

Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media
Advertising, marketing, PR and social media …all this is changing at breakneck speed. What strategies and tactics worked for us a few years ago, or as recently as last year, could easily backfire on us today. We can’t afford to have whatever messages we’re sharing with our own respective audiences be anything but relevant, timely, engaging and even amusing. Never mind the glut of content people are trying to sort through and digest, many consumers, customers and clients won’t tolerate anything that even resembles a sales pitch anymore. Stop begging for business and start earning that business. Stop trying to fool those on the receiving end of your messages and start trying to help them. Stop hitting listeners, viewers and readers over the head time and again and start listening…
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21Aug 2018 by Bob Cargill

200 Boston-Area Agencies on Twitter

Advertising, Boston, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter
Who knows how many marketing, advertising, social media and PR agencies are located in and around Boston? I doubt anybody knows exactly how many there are around here, but I have found 200 of them on Twitter for you to follow. Large, small, old and new, together these agencies represent the best and brightest our industry has to offer. Seriously! Under their roofs right here in Beantown, you could arguably find enough talent, prowess, knowledge and expertise to launch the most sophisticated and successful campaigns in the world. While what they can they do in 280 characters or less on Twitter, of course, isn’t quite the same as what they can do on a blank canvas and an unlimited budget for their clients, that doesn’t mean they’re not worth following…
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30Jun 2018 by Bob Cargill
Podcast: The Importance of Authenticity on Social Media in the Fake News Era

Podcast: The Importance of Authenticity on Social Media in the Fake News Era

Advertising, Branding, Business, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media
Fake news is all around us. Turn on the TV. Listen to the radio. Read the newspaper. Liars, cheaters and stealers abound. Who knows who and what to believe anymore? That’s why it’s more important than ever for businesses and brands to have candid conversations with their connections and constituents. Honesty has always been the best policy, but today the truth will set you far apart from the competition and the clutter. Today, the more transparent, authentic and immediate you are, the more successful you will be in business. Use social media to engage with your audience as human beings, not logos and corporate colors. Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and the like to establish long-lasting, mutually-beneficial relationships with your customers and prospects. Keeping it real as never been more…
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