Hencove’s Top Blogs Of 2018
As we conclude 2018, we dug through the archives to see which blogs were most popular from the year. Thanks for tuning in and we hope you continue to stick with us to hear our wackiest, smartest, and most random thoughts on all things marketing.
Most Viewed: Special Delivery: B2B Lessons from B2C Subscription Boxes
Our top-viewed blog this year took a look at the bustling, yet dwindling subscription box market. An objective look at the crowded consumer market provided us with some lessons that can apply to any business-to-business company. We cover client needs, true problem solving, equal trades, risk and the importance of personalization and choice.
Most Buzzworthy: A Kentucky Fried Apology
A brand faux-pas is not hard to come by, but a good apology is. This year, hundreds of KFC franchises in the UK had to close up shop due to a shortage of – yep, you guessed it – chicken. KFC quickly came back with an effective, and quite humorous, apology that actually raised brand equity when it was all said and done. We break down the elements of a great brand apology for a solid bounce back from crisis.
Most Helpful: Semicolon? More like, Semi-confusing
Let’s be real – nobody knows how to use a semicolon. In this blog, we take a deep dive into the proper (and improper) uses of the half-bred punctuation mark. Read it and impress your friends and colleagues with your fancy semicolon use. But, don’t expect much more than that, because as Kurt Vonnegut once said, “All they do is show you’ve been to college.”
Most Educational: Google Ads – Search Ads Expand in Length
This year, Google made some big changes to its revenue-generating ad platform. Not only did it change names – from Google AdWords to Google Ads – it also expanded the amount of text. More real estate for our clients and the countless other businesses using Google Ads to reach both highly-targeted and broad audience. We’ve also noticed that Google Ads have started to blend even more into organic search results. See if you tell the difference between a paid search result and an organic one on your next search.
Most Nostalgic: When A Silly Ad Sparks a Serious Conversation
One of our colleagues described our present-day culture as "nostalgia-obsessed." With a number of 80's and 90's shows getting reboots, we can't argue. But this year, a TV commercial made a surprising, but impactful comeback. A 15-year-old Saturn (former car maker for the young people) ad showing people moving around a metroplex like their cars was resurfaced as a powerful, but unintended visual of how much space cars take up in urban environments. Read the blog to see how humor turned into reflection.
Have a question or a topic you want us to explore in an upcoming blog? Email us with your suggestion and we’d be glad to put it into the queue.