Maktoob Business Blog

Everybody knows that word of mouth is the most effective marketing tool ever. After all a rave review from a friend or a colleague can tilt the scales in favor of a particular brand or product. So shouldn’t marketers be paying more attention to it? Apparently, they do not. A recent survey conducted by BOLDMOUTH, reveals that 65% of marketers do not have a formal W-O-M marketing plan. In fact, most organizations spend little on W-O-M campaigns and do not have clear cut guidelines o

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Most people tend to speak a lot or too little during a job interview. It’s better to err on the safer side though, as a recent recruitment survey conducted by Korn/Ferry International would suggest. Around 36 percent of the recruiters polled believed that "talking too much" is the most common interview mistake that job candidates make. Other turn-offs cited by recruiters included lack of knowledge about the company or position (22 percent), over-inf

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McDonald’s is under fire yet again. And, no I am not referring to the effigies of Ronald McDonald that were burnt earlier this year. The "threat" this time is from journalist and author Eric Schlosser. A movie based on Schlosser’s 2001 best-seller "Fast Food Nation" releases later this year, as will his new book, which is aimed at younger readers, "Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food." Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 documentary film "Super Size Me" may have caught McDonald’s napping, but this time around they are gearing up for battle. "McDonald’s marketing generals have convened a war council and are hatching a strategy to combat a new attack," reports Advertising Age.  McDonald’s is also worried about a backlash, the repo
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Although there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is free coffee! In an uncharacteristic fit of generosity, Starbucks is offering a free cup of coffee to customers across the US of A, calling it the first-ever "National Coffee Break."

Starbucks estimates it will serve more than 500,000 cups

A new survey has confirmed what we all knew for a very long time - businesses don’t understand their customers very well and don’t deserve their loyalty.

But surprisingly, this is not the opinion of a bunch of disgruntled consumers, this enlightening piece of information comes from, hold your breath…senior executives themselves!

According to the annual global Customer Experience Management 2005 study, conducted by the Strativity Group, 54 percent of senior executives admit they do not deserve consumers’ loyalty. In more shocking, but not entirely unexpected, revelations, 67 percent state that their company’s executives do not meet often with customers and only 33 percent say they have the tools and authority they need to serve their customers.

Accord

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