How do you argue with the boss who is always right?

I am no longer active on this blog.

You can find me here

Michael Leander speaker blog

Michael Leander on Twitter

Free marketing webinars and events at Markedu here

Report:: Second eDialogue Course in Copenhagen well received

I always thought that being alone with two women was a bit intimidating. So one should think that placing me in a setting  alone with eight women for a whole day would be terrifying.  Well, I just had the pleasure of spending a full day in Copenhagen with no less than eight great female marketers from leading Danish companies. It was a great experience. Here is my brief report about the experience.

Luckily some time ago I had the pleasure of managing a department consisting of quite a few female employees. It taught me a thing or two about female behavior in the work place. Mostly positive things.
And the advanced email marketing / edialogue course organized by the Danish Marketing Association (Huset Markedsføring), was a very positive learning experience for me as a trainer. In fact, I would love to be training a group of women again anytime soon. But not for the reasons some male readers may think.

Report: Michael Leander's Email Marketing Masterclass well received in Portugal

The infamous Ashcloud gave me a bit of challenge getting from Cracow in Poland to Lisbon in Portugal for the Email Marketing Masterclass. But thanks to two determined Polish drivers, an uncomfortable Citroen Berlingo, 23,5 hours of driving and Joao Ribeiro's determination not to cancel the event, I made it to Lisbon the night before. Here is the report from the event.

The Michael Leander Email Marketing Masterclass was held for the first time in Portugal on 20 April 2010 at the Sofitel Lisbon Liberdade Hotel in the center of Lisbon. Attended by nearly 60 marketing professionals from a diverse group of companies, I was very happy to meet a group of people whom willingly participated and interacted to make my job as the presenter of the Email Marketing Masterclass an easier one.

Cairo, Egypt. Digital Marketing Seminar and Michael Leander's Email Marketing Masterclass

For the third time in 6 months Global Consultants - in collaboration with Markedu MENA -  is bringing the Digital Marketing Seminar to Cairo, Egypt. The  three day seminar including Michael Leander’s Email Marketing Masterclass, will take place on March 20-22 at the Conrad Cairo Hotel.

The third  Digital Marketing Seminar with Michael Leander in Cairo, Egypt is a great opportunity to learn how to develop your digital marketing strategy and to optimize your online marketing business results. This high quality event is aimed at marketing managers, brand managers and their teams.

Organized at the luxury hotel Conrad Cairo, this digital marketing training is establishing itself as the premier event in Egypt and the Middle East for marketers interested in excelling in the digital marketing space.

Read more about the event right here

Digital Marketing Seminar and Email Marketing Masterclass coming to Beirut, Lebanon again

The Digital Marketing Seminar is coming back to Beirut, Lebanon in May 2010. Based on feedback from DMS in March, organizers Global Consultants have decided to expand to a 2 day event including Michael Leander's Email Marketing Masterclass.

Learn more about the Digital Marketing Seminar in Beirut here

Murphy's Law at play in Cracow, Poland CEE Loyalty Marketing Conference

From Cracow Poland April 2010

Before and during my presentation At the CEE & Poland Loyalty Marketing Conference in Cracow, Poland, the good old Murphy's Law were at play in a big way.  And I am not only talking about the Ashcloud or the tragic accident which caused the death of many prominent Polish political and military figures.

Facing some 150 conference attendees, I had to stop my presentation to allow for a computer change. And while the break was welcome, I am sure, it was not professional at all. I take part of the blame for not having sent my presentation and video clips prior (which is something I find increasingly hard to do as I prefer to adjust my presentation the day before to allow for last minute (local) impulses).

But part of the blame was definitely the equipment of the hotel. Something I have seen quite a lot lately. Old AV equipment, clip mics that break too easily and monitors unfit to accommodate the amount of people in the room.

While I must do my part to make the presentation work flawlessly, I think it is time that organizers of marketing seminars and conferences, demand a better experience from venues. Especially considering the (unreasonable) amount of money event organizers pay for AV equipment.

Michael Leander well received in Beirut, Lebanon for Digital Marketing Seminar

New country, new market, new people, different culture. It is always very exciting to be speaking in a "new" country for the first time. I presented the Digital Marketing Seminar in Beirut, Lebanon for the first time in March 2010. A few days ago I received the evaluation and an invitation to come back to Beirut soon. Here is my report. Evaluation results at the bottom.

A quick story and praise to Beirut
First, let me tell you a quick story. A few months ago when traveling from Prague to Cairo, I came to talk a person whom was traveling to Beirut. My first question to her was "Wow - isn't that dangerous?" - she of course replied, "no, not anymore".

I think that many people have a misconception about Beirut and Lebanon. So let me make one thing very clear:  Beirut is a fantastic place. Rather well organized offering visitors a great mix of modernity and awesome history, still affordable yet offering world class hospitality and a whole lot of fascinating places - most of which I haven't been to myself - yet. On top of that; people there are great. Hospitable and most speak English, which helps a lot.  I highly recommend you to go there for a visit. You won't regret - guaranteed. 

Egypt:: New tobacco packaging warning is a marketing joke

So here it is: The new picture and text on cigarette packs in Egypt does not do the job. If you are in marketing, you will know what I mean just by looking at the picture on this page.

Or maybe you do not "get it" right away. I am not afraid to admit that I did not. Someone had to explain to me what the symbolism of that picture means. And then I finally got it. Now, a few weeks later, I found this picture, and decided to share this information with you.

Personally, I think whoever was responsible for this, did not do a  very good job. There are so many other ways to inform smokers about the health problems caused by smoking (see below for examples and check the link from Brazil)

Ok, so this does not work, but what would you do?
It would be interesting to hear from you. What would you do if you were charged with designing and writing copy for a tobacco packaging warning? Please use the comment box, or email me and I will gladly post your suggestions.

Below I have listed a number of warnings from different countries.

Email Marketing Masterclass in Lisbon, Portugal coming up in April

The Michael Leander Email Marketing Masterclass is coming to Portugal for the first time. Sponsored by Kodak, e-Goi and Canalmail, it is a one day seminar taking place in the heart of Lisbon.

Marketers in Portugal are seemingly suffering from the same email marketing problem as marketers in many other countries South of the Alps and in Eastern Europe. Too much spamming going on for a number of years prior to permission legislation being put in place. The result is  - based on our non representative research - meager open rates and very low numbers for click through rates.

That is one of the reason I am looking forward to present my Email Marketing Masterclass in Lisbon on April 20, 2010. Hopefully I can provide some insights to marketers that will help them change their email marketing results from poor to good to great.

The Email Marketing Masterclass have invited Thomas Wimmer from Kodak to provide some insights about new trends in direct mail and individualized print part. I am looking forward to hear Herr Wimmer. At the Email Marketing Masterclass in Sofia, Bulgaria, German Sacristan from Kodak delivered a highly interesting and engaging presentation - and I am sure Mr. Wimmers will be equally interesting to experience.

You can learn more about the Email Marketing Masterclass here

Off to Poland to speak at the CEE Customer Loyalty Marketing Summit in Crakow

Soon I will be leaving to go to Cracow (Krakow) in Poland to deliver a keynote at the CEE & Poland Customer Loyalty Marketing Summit. The biggest of its kind in Poland and CEE.

It has been something like 25 years since I last visited Crakow. So I am really looking forward to see the city again. I am sure it has changed enormously since I was there last time so many years ago.

The loyalty marketing conference is organized by the brilliant people from Blue Business Media. They have attracted speakers such as Terry Hunt (UK), Mike Wittenstein (USA), Laurence Stock (UK), Simon Rees (UK) and Chris Jacobs (UK) - to mention the poster names.

My 40 minute presentation is about leveraging social media to sustain and grow customers.

You can learn more about the conference here  - and if you will be attending, please do get in touch so I can meet up with you.

After Poland, I will be travelling to Lisbon, Portugal for the Email Marketing Masterclass there.

Avoid Aweber if you require international character support for email marketing

Aweber.com is one of the most widely used online email marketing solutions. But if you need international character support, Aweber is not a solution for you. 

Aweber users whom happen to attract subscribers with names such as Jörgen, Mendonça, Renè, Ascânio or João are in trouble. The image above will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

The reason being that Aweber cannot handle international character support, which obviously is a problem if your subscribers primarily are residing in countries where socalled international characters are widely used. But - as you will have guessed - it is also a problem for someone in the US, the UK, Australia or an other predominantly English speaking countries who attracting subscribers from all over the world.

Michael Leander's Email Marketing Masterclass in Sofia, Bulgaria appeared to have been a hit

InterContact Bulgaria were the perfect hosts of the first ever Michael Leander Email Marketing Masterclass in Bulgaria. Judging by the evaluation from nearly 200 delegates, the Email Marketing Masterclass appeared to have been a hit.

From Email Marketing Masterclass Sofia Bulgaria Feb 2010

Held at the InterExpo Center in the outskirts of Sofia on February 25, the Email Marketing Masterclass also featured great presentations from German Sacristan of Kodak and a government representative speaking about the permission marketing legislation in Bulgaria.

Marketers attending liked what they heard and saw
After the Email Marketing Masterclass attendees were asked to evaluate their experience. On a 6-point scale where 6 is high, Michael Leander were given this evaluation:

From Email Marketing Masterclass Sofia Bulgaria Feb 2010

Presentation: 5,58
Information: 5,35

Says Michael Leander; "I am very pleased with the result. Especially considering that quite a few of the delegates depended on the interpreters, which arguably is a bit of an obstacle.".

When the picture does not say a thousand words in advertising

Reading the Business Today (an Egyptian magazine) yesterday, I came across an advertisement for German owned hotel  Steigenberger Nile Palace in Luxor.

The text reads "With the largest ballroom in Luxor and the knowhow of our expert staff your conference will be fit with class, 11 different capacities of meeting and breakout rooms that can host up to 2.000 participants and the main ballroom that can host 1.400 participants."

Nothing wrong with that. Clearly positioning the hotel's conference facilities. But.

What struck me was the picture, which you see to the left.
Had I not had a professional interest in studying the advertisement closer, I would never had decoded what the picture portrayed. And now I cannot decide whether I think a picture of the grand ballroom - or other pictures of the facilities would have been a better choice to relay the message.

What do you think?

100% will recommend Michael Leander's Email Marketing Masterclass in Cairo

Following the 2 day Digital Marketing Seminar at the Conrad Hotel in Cairo, 27 delegates joined the Email Marketing Masterclass with Michael Leander on Sunday 21st of February 2010. Judging from the delegates evaluation, the Email Marketing Masterclass was a huge success

The Email Marketing Masterclass was held for the first time in Cairo. Delegates from companies such as Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas, Saba Medical Group from Saudi Arabia, Elsewedy Cables, Better Home and hospitality marketing professionals from San Giovanni and Conrad Hotel, the 1 day Email Marketing Masterclass all said in their evaluation that they will recommend the masterclass to others.

Read more about the rating here

Excessive customer service and the trouble of languages

In conjunction with my Email Marketing Masterclass in Sofia, Bulgaria, I stayed at the wonderful boutique hotel Crystal Palace in the center of Sofia.

This hotel does not offer a coffeemaker in the room. So one morning - when time did not allow to go down for breakfast - I decided to order some coffee from room service. The previous day I ordered a pot of coffee, and got 1,5 cup, which just wasn't enough. So I decided to order a thermo with 5 cups of coffee.

The service was very nice indeed. And the woman from room service arrived with the thermo only 5 minutes after I placed the order. And - to my surprise - carrying a tray with the thermo and 5 coffee cups. She delivered it with the following remark "and I remembered cream and sugar too"

This just goes to show how difficult languages really are. I cannot help wondering what she must have been thinking when she saw me alone in the room. But she probably thought I was just another weird foreigner with strange habits.

Who is leading? Internet speeds and costs for broadband around the word

A recent report revealed the Internet broadband speeds and costs of access around the world. Why is that important? Because you need to consider how fast your website visitors can access the content you put on your website.

If you are marketing to people in Turkey, you may want to think twice about heavy usage of video and other download intensive content whereas in Japan, videos aren't a problem in the slightest. Broadband penetration in Turkey is around 33% with an average broadband speed of 2 mbps.

Japan - on the other hand- is the world leader with an average broadband speed of 61 mbps and a penetration of around 75%. Interestingly Iceland is leading the broadband penetration along with Norway, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden. Broadband penetration in these countries are above 80%, yet the actual speed varies as does the cost of access.

Cost of access - Japan cheap, Poland very expensive
Obviously there is likely to be some sort of correlation between penetration, average speed and the price. Japan is the cost leader offering broadband at a price of USD 0,27 pr. 1 mbps pr. month and Poland clearly the most expensive place to get broadband access charging on average a whopping USD 13,00 pr. 1 mbps pr. month.

Click on the infographic to view a larger vision.

Michael Leander speaking about social media in Poland

In April 2010 I will be speaking as one of four plenary session speakers at the combined customer loyalty and customer insights conference in Cracow, Poland.

The most important marketing conference in CEE, I am looking forward to spend time with a bunch of really smart speakers and - most likely - even smarter delegates. If you will attend the conference, please do look me up to say hello.

You can read more right here.

Human creativity never ever ceases to amaze me - watch this and be amazed

The human capacity for creativity and innovation is truly remarkable. At least I think so. When you watch the video below, you will see something quite extraordinary.  This is a masterpiece, world class - simply fantastic.




In this video, Ukrainian Xenia Simonova Xenia shows how she manages with simple effects to entertain and affect an audience with her excellent creative talent.

In the event you do not catch the story right away, allow me to mention that she is drawing in sand. The pictures tells a story, which obviously still affects many (former) Soviet Citizens deeply. It is about WWII.

I saw this by pure coincidence and was deeply impressed by Xenia's abilities. Not "just" her drawing ability, but especially her amazing ability to weave together so many different images and messages to a story which seems to me very complex. Beautiful and quite touching.

Should I ever find myself involved in a marketing event  in need of that extra touch, I would not hesitate to facilitate the invitation of Xenia. Wow would she put things into perspective.

98% will recommend The Digital Marketing Seminar with Michael Leander

At The Internet Marketing Seminar recently held at the Fairmont Towers Heliopolis Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, Michael Leander provided insights to a wide range of topics relating to digital/online marketing. This successful event will be repeated in Cairo in February 2010 (learn more)

Nearly 80 marketing professionals from respected companies such as Elsewedy Cables, Cadbury, Google, Vodafone, Egyptian Banking Institute, Credit Agricole, Smart Management, Glextel Egypt and Noun Travel attended 2 day internet marketing event in Cairo. The event featured opening addresses by assistant minister of Investment Dr. Ashmawy, country manager for Citibank Mr. Ahmed Aftab and a surprise visit from mobile marketing expert Mr. Con O’Donnell, Managing Director of Sarmady Egypt.

After the opening addresses, internet marketing expert Michael Leander presented 1,5 day of internet marketing topics including

- 7 things you need to know to become a successful online marketer
- How to build or revamp your website
- How to drive traffic to your website
- How to get started with email marketing
- Leveraging social media and social networks for your business

45 out of 46 surveyed recommend The Digital Marketing Seminar
Based on the delegate feedback, the seminar was a success. When asked 98% of the attendees said they would recommend the seminar to others. Or to be more precise: 45 out of 46 delegates – who submitted the evaluation form – said they would recommend the internet marketing seminar.

Go on - read more about this story now

Michael Leander appeared to have been a hit at Drayton Bird's EADIM in London

From EADIM London 2009

"You appear to have been a hit" - that's what Kate Jones of Drayton Bird Associates wrote to me today. She referred to my presentation at the intro week of EADIM - The European Academy of Direct & Interactive Marketing - which took place in London in October 2009.

If you have been following my for a while, you will know that I frequently publish audience ratings of my presentations, courses and seminars. And I finally got around to do just that for EADIM 2009.

At EADIM delegates rated speakers on a scale from bad to excellent. 15 delegates were kind enough to pass their judgment upon poor little ol me. 8 said excellent, 6 said very good, and 1 said good. I translate that to a rating of 4,47.

Delegates rated me "very good to excellent", here is my evaluation of the delegates
I recently began rating my audiences. Why? Because it takes two to Tango. Especially in an exclusive program such as EADIM. So here is my evaluation of the delegates at EADIM:

Willingness to interact: 4,5
Ability to pay attention: 4,7 (only one person had trouble staying awake, a new record for me:-)

One of the best audiences I've had in 2009, and I am quite happy that I have been able to meet up with a few of them since EADIM.

Drayton Bird claims testimonials are important - I believe him
Some delegates were kind enough to write a few words about me & my presentation (thanks).A few below - and even more on my Linkedin profile.

"Very well presented; kept the audience involved the whole time. The information
was all very relevant."
Sheetal Vithlani

"Love it! "
Tim Piadea

"I was amazed by the simplicity of the complicated online world."
Raul Man

"Fabulous - humour/energy. Usefulness."
Anonymous

"Useful tips; Entertaining speaker. "
Mark Ellis

What in the world is EADIM?
In case you haven't heard about EADIM - you can read more about this wonderful initiative by Drayton Bird - by many regarded as one of the most knowledgeable marketers in the world. He is also the author of Commonsense Direct Marketing, which currently ranks #5 on Amazon's list of all time best selling books about direct marketing. Quite an accomplishment - especially considering that the first edition was published in 1982.

Best students - best teachers

From EADIM London 2009

It was my pleasure to present at the first EADIM in Brussels in 2008. And I sincerely believe that the "students" who choose to join EADIM are the best students I have met in Central and Northern Europe.

Not only because they are highly interesting individuals. But also because they are serious, bright and very talented . Not to mention - very smart.
But also because the teachers (that's what the speakers are called at EADIM), are amongst the best money can buy (myself excluded, of course).
You won't find any pretenders amongst the teachers. Every single one of them have "been there, done that" and are quite willing to share their profound knowledge.

I think EADIM will start a new group of students in 2010. Not sure when, how, €$£ and the program - but check the website and register for their newsletter and I am sure they will get in touch with you.