The Marketing Group relauch has thus far a received a positive response to our re-launch. The Site Revamp Poll, completed by site visitors, indicted that 90% rated the site either excellent (45%) or good (45%). A number of new comments have been posted on our Marketing Insight and eCommerce Blogs. Both can be accessed on the site. In addition, some excellent articles can be found in the Expertise section by clicking the Expert Articles or Premium Advice sections on the drop down menu.

This issue of the Ambient Newsletter has been devoted to the subject of marketing. There are several reasons for this. Primarily, it is that time of year when people's thoughts are becoming filled with the performance figures of the previous year and obsessed with business development plans for the year to come. A barometer of the business climate can be determined by where the finger of responsibility points. In a good economic climate, the sales development department will assume the lead. If business is difficult, then the marketing department comes more to the fore. But what is marketing? Ask a dozen people to come up with a definition and you will probably get a dozen different answers. Even the Chartered Institute of Marketing struggles to come up with something that is universally acceptable. The late, great management guru, Peter F Drucker hit the nail on the head with his own simple concept.

In competitive markets, where the only constant is change, it is more important than ever to develop business and marketing strategies that will help you stay ahead of your competitors. This does not necessarily mean that you have to work even harder. It does mean that you have to be SMARTER.

Ambient Consultants believes that there is no off-the-peg solution that will meet the exact planning requirements of individual business. Every business is different and all require an approach that will provide a bespoke solution.
The Marketing guru and author, Philip Kotler asserted that 'Marketing takes a day to learn. Unfortunately, it takes a lifetime to master.'

The mini conference and incentive packages developed by Ambient Events have proved such a success with our clients that we are currently extending the concept in conjunction with venues throughout the UK. The first of these, covering Chester, was launched last month. Others will follow over the coming months. The weakening of the pound against the euro is helping to make UK venues more attractive for UK based companies and more competitive for companies operating in the euro zone.

In December last year I was invited to sample the new high speed link between St. Pancras and Brussels courtesy of the Brussels Convention Bureau and Eurostar. As someone who used to work for an American multinational with its European headquarters in Brussels, I thought I knew everything there was to know about the city and almost declined. How glad I was that I changed my mind!

The New Year seems to have continued where 2007 left off. Business confidence is said to be low, the city is jittery, major retailers have announced reduced profit forecasts and the Bank of England has left bank rates unchanged. Given all the doom and gloom that appears to be around, why is Ambient confident that 2008 will be a good year for business?

In competitive markets, where the only constant is change, it is more important than ever to develop business strategies that will help you stay ahead of your competitors. This does not necessarily mean that you have to work even harder. It does mean that you have to be SMARTER.

Ambient Consultants believes that there is no off-the-peg solution that will meet the exact planning requirements of individual business. Every business is different and all require an approach that will provide a tailor made solution.
Since 1991, we have worked with businesses of all sizes on projects involving long term visioning, business and marketing planning, communications strategy development and implementation. The only real constant in today's busy markets is change. To succeed, it is necessary to plan for change.

Ambient has been approach by prospective partners across the country and is working with the UK regions to put together packages in the East & West Midlands, Chester & Cheshire, Yorkshire, the North East, North Wales and Scotland. The first of these, covering Chester, Cheshire and North Wales will be launched shortly. Others will follow over the coming months. The weakening of the pound against the euro will help to make UK venues more attractive for UK based companies and more competitive for companies operating in the euro zone.

Our specialist division, Ambient Tours has been set up to provide a cultural and heritage tourism service for corporate and special interest groups.  The new division uses our established relationships with service providers and venues in the UK, Belgium, Ireland, Malta, Portugal and Spain to provide destinations, venues and activities that offer something really different for the seasoned traveller.

In a career spanning well over 40 years, I have seen many changes in the way the marketing services are offered to the market. In the early sixties, advertising agencies provided a comprehensive service and kept all the production services in house. The fact that the only source of revenue came from media commission was probably the reason.