I was 16 years old when I got my first real job. I grew up in the small factory town of Marion, IN., about an hour north of Indianapolis. Like most kids I worked for neighbors pulling weeds, mowing lawns, and washing cars. Eventually, my… Read More
I believe the core principles of value investing in the stock market also apply to the world of advertising. Whether you’re buying stocks, or advertising, the goal is the same: create a profitable return on your investment. And in each activity, there’s a speculative factor… Read More
If your goal is to show a positive return on your invested marketing dollars, there are three key components of your marketing strategy that must work in harmony: The math, or the media buy – the merchandising, or how you maximize transactions – and the… Read More
Imagine this. One day, while sitting in your office and dreaming of ways to make more money, you call up a stock broker and buy several thousand dollars’ worth of stock in TBD Corp. The thing is, you are not a professional investor, far from… Read More
Television advertising is not for everyone, but it still can work as well or better than many other marketing tactics. Truth is, traditional TV may be the single most effective and efficient way of attracting new customers for certain types of businesses. TV should not… Read More
It’s not hard to buy advertising, anybody can do it. You don’t have to work with an ad agency, and you don’t have belong to any exclusive club. All you need is money and a desire to buy. In fact, the buying part is the… Read More
If you’ve ever driven through South Dakota, you know about Wall Drug. If you’ve never visited South Dakota …. Chances are …. You’ve heard about Wall Drug. This sprawling retail operation in the middle of nowhere draws over two million visitors per year. Why?… Read More
What you pay to advertise to customers directly influences important measurements such as cost per lead, cost per customer acquired, and cost per sale Intelligent investors use reliable measurements when evaluating stocks, like earnings per share (EPS), or book value. Intelligent Advertisers should embrace Cost… Read More
There are A LOT of things that need to go right before you succeed in advertising. First, you need to buy the correct media, at the right time, and at the right level of repetition. Then, be sure your store, website and employees are… Read More
Very few local businesses have enough of an advertising budget to purchase effective amounts of advertising — or develop effective creative — in more than one type of media. Intelligent Investors know diversifying their stock portfolio spreads risk among many asset classes, but it also reduces returns… Read More
