The Best and Worst of Marketing - What You Can Learn from Major Brands

Major brands don't always get their marketing right either, but when they do, the best of the best is a good model to follow.

I always love this time of the year for all the recaps, especially those involving marketing. Recently there have been a number of articles in the news about the best and worst marketing campaigns by major brands. The reason I like these is there is always something to be learned from them.

No, your local business is not Walmart or Budweiser, but if you are working on your marketing, you should be going through the same thought processes and planning that the major brands do. So click the following links for a little inspiration and what not to do in 2015 to grow your brand.

First up, the 10 Most Watched YouTube Ads of 2014 published by Canada's Marketing Magazine. There are quite a few awesome ads in this list. Of course, if you know me, you know I love horses and I love my Bud! So my favourite ad is the Budweiser commercial. If you follow the Budweiser commercials, you know, the Bush Media Group rarely shows the actual product - its all about the love. Here is this year's fave 'Puppy Love'.

Next, from Inc.com the Top 8 Brand Disasters of 2014. When you think about it, most of the lessons learned are common sense. Here are the 8 take-aways from this article, but be sure to read all to understand the reasoning.

Lessons learned by Geoffrey James, Inc.:

1. Don't offend a major segment of your customer base.
2. Don't substitute branding for getting the product right.
3. Match your products to your customer base.
4. Don't let an intern run your social media campaign.
5. When branding, it's OK to breath your own smoke.
6. Ultimately, your employees define your brand.
7. Don't do branding when scandal is brewing.