Small Business Commando News

A consumer poll of the most influential brands in the world revealed that advertising is no longer the most important tool of branding.

It shocked me that several of the “Most Influential” brands did not advertise:

• YouTube
• Google
• Starbucks
• Wikipedia
• Craigslist

None of these “brands” advertise in the traditional sense.

So I looked to see if this was a new trend. Y’know, had the old guard recently lost it?

Well, this survey is a little odd, because look at the results from 2001:

Yup, the world HAS changed.  The old rules no longer apply, and a great idea, well implemented can create a top brand nearly overnight.  Of course the pendulum swings both ways.  Some of the top brands of 2006 will look quaint and nostalgic in a few years.

Special thanks to Greg Sterling of Screenwerk.com for the news.

Recently, and without fanfare, craigslist added a field requiring licensing information for ads posted under the “Skilled Trades” section.So what are the implications?

1. craigslist is maturing as a serious advertising platform for the skilled trades, for one. They don’t make changes to their site without a strong reason, and the reason here has probably been initiated by several state licensing boards responding to complaints.

2. craigslist is following the lead of the print Yellow Pages publishers in requesting the informaiton, but not being the police. If a poster is in violation of the state licensing board, that’s between the state and the poster.

3. Posting ads on craigslist can be an effective method for driving highly qualified customers to local businesses. I know that this isn’t a newsflash to the folks who read blogs like this, but you’d be surprised at how many local businesses have no idea what’s going on.

Hey, let me know if you like the podcast. ok?

 Craigslist adds licensing information requirement: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download