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Sharing the the things I found for the day: This one time at Brand Camp: game changing innovation Why and How to Lead Your Boss at Work Would you choose social media or engaged employees? Story Hour in the Board Room Why you should always work on things that actually have engineers Been There, Done That...
Tomato, Tomaatoe, Usability, UX, Human Factors – Whatever it’s a good idea.
I was talking to Jason Brett this morning to get hands-on view of how SoCal Product Camp went. Jason went on about a great presentation he saw when he was out at the SoCal ProductCamp, so I decided to go out and find it and take a look. Mack...
Sharing the the things I found for the day: The burger map of the United States Do Commercials Still Matter for Brands? 10 Steps to Setting SMART Objectives Deadlines – The Fast and Furious Leaner, Meaner, Innovation Pricing...
PM Scenario #108: Webinars, Boxes, Arrows & Tech Acronyms Work Everywhere – Right?
Image by spatiallyrelevant via Flickr I’ve been spending the last couple of weeks focusing on consuming content, spending a good deal of time in PowerPoint and getting insights from folks which has been very rewarding and challenging. I’ve also been taking an inventory of situations I’ve been in/witnessed throughout my...
Where is that creative monster of yours?
Very often as product managers we have the need to get creative. We need to find ways to position into our differentiation and develop/edit/approve content which our buyers and customers will read, so it’s not all persona’s, powerpoint and math. Since we spend so much time dealing with facts, evidence...
Sharing the the things I found for the day: Social Markers. Here I Am, Brain The Size Of A Planet. Undercover Boss – Afraid of what you might find? Use SEO to ruin a good brand name: 3 easy steps Does Programme & Project Management have a “Long Hours” Culture? Top 10 Hurdles to Becoming...
Kristian Andersen + Associates
SXSW: Achieving a Pain-free Design Handoff
Whether a client or a designer, many of us have been through a not so ideal web site design situation, resulting in a frankenstein web site no one likes, and an uncomfortable void of silence. We know how it got that way – but how we can we prevent it...
What’s Your Point? Social Media at its best.
I have long admired the BBC program World Have Your Say (WHYS), hosted on WFYI(NPR) in the afternoons. The conversation they can pull together on the fly, with real people discussing the latest topics, is remarkable. If you aren’t familiar with the program, the show airs a live conversation...
On the Ends of Goods and Evils – Lorem Ipsum
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat...
SXSWi? There’s a Web-App For That.
You’d think this wouldn’t be the case, but it’s an awkward truth about SXSWi that darn near all of the interactive materials designed for it are pretty bad. They don’t look good, and they usually don’t work very well. Case in point: The SXSW iPhone app. I guess it’s supposed to...
Rapportive is a new Gmail plug-in that replaces ads in messages with information about the sender, or anyone else who was copied on the message. Rapportive pulls information from RapLeaf, a company that scours the social web for open information and builds products and analytics on the data it finds. Sources...
Domain Knowledge vs Design Knowledge
“Customers, although they might be able to articulate the problems with an interaction, are not often capable of visualizing the solutions to those problems. Design is a specialized skill, just like programming. Programmers would never ask users to help them code; design problems should be treated no differently.” Alan Cooper About Face...
Brains On Fire Blog
Photo via flickr via Carolina I make decisions daily. We all do. Big ones and little ones. We are often in meetings where we ask our clients to make really important decisions, often as a group. Yesterday I sat in on a meeting with a new client who flew in...
Would you choose social media or engaged employees?
“If you had to choose social media* or 100% engaged employees for your brand, which would you choose?” I recently asked that on Twitter and the responses were pretty interesting. The question forces a choice, which many of the people who responded had a hard time making. One person even called...
Photo of Alexis’ super cool boots (I have boot envy) via The Doddfather “Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there...
Ellen McGrit and Maxim Williams right before they went on stage. Last week was a great week. It ended with the best couple of days I’ve had in Greenvegas in a long while. I had the honor of being the “official timer” at the first ever TEDx Greenville. (And for the record,...
Learnings from Undercover Boss and a CEO that can’t go undercover
I’m quickly becoming a fan of the NBC show “Undercover Boss.” If your not familiar with the show, each week a CEO goes undercover to work the front lines of their business, in the quest to understand the process of what’s working and what’s not. What they find, is everyday...
On the people right in front of you
Don't miss the most important thing. I’ve been been on the road with a band the past week-and-a-half. And that means lots of coffee. And lots of coffee means lots of local coffee shops. We stopped at a really neat shop in Ypsilanti, Michigan called the “Ugly Mug.” Yes, they serve cups...
Art & Business of Motion
MTV Ignites With Rebrand and Fresh Idents
Europe: MTV’s world design studio in Milan (MTV International) builds on its branding campaign last year by rebranding 6 of its genre-based channels in the UK: MTV Dance, MTV Hits, MTV Rocks, MTV Shows, MTV Base, and MTV Classics. The over-arching campaign includes name changes, new idents, and refreshed logos. MTV2...
Hallmark Channel “Celebrates Life’s Moments” with Rebrand
First look: Utilizing subtle and playful references to premiere programming in the idents (signature cheesecake for the Golden Girls, a white wispy feather for Touched By An Angel) Hallmark Channel’s 2010 Rebrand is guided by its mandate “Celebrating Life’s Moments”. The color scheme is based on Hallmark’s Plum color, with variations...
Universal Networks Revitalizes Global Channel Portfolio
Universal Networks International continues to build on its multi-million dollar investment announced at MIPCOM in October, which sees the brands deliver new original, first-run content targeted at local audiences around the globe. Eleanor McBrien, VP Global Marketing, Universal Networks International, said: “This is an incredibly exciting stage in the evolution of...
NBC Universal’s UK Sci-Fi to Syfy Rebrand
NBC Universal’s Sci Fi channel is to be relaunched as Syfy in the UK on April 13, 2010 as part of the ongoing global rebrand effort. It continues Syfy’s strategy to broaden its appeal and follows the channel’s name change in the US. Syfy UK will also adopt...
Australia’s Newest Children’s Channel, ABC3, Launches
Australia’s newest digital channel dedicated to children, ABC3, has launched. The new channel (owned by Australian Broadcasting Corporation) launches with 24 Channel IDs and over 400 branding elements. ABC3’s challenge was to create a brand to satisfy the needs and wants of their wide ranging 7-15 year old demographic. The...
After a few (more) months of internal review, MTV has finally unveiled its updated logo. The Frank Olinsky designed logo that has graced our screens for near 30 years has been refreshed, most noticably losing the tagline “Music Television”. Tina Exarhos, EVP Marketing and Multiplatform Creative Projects explains,...
Tom Fishburne: this one time at Brand Camp
I'm gearing up to speak at SXSW in Austin on Friday, so my mind is racing. My talk is called "Drawing Board: Innovation Lessons from Cartooning". I'm sharing the many ways that cartoonists come up with ideas and find ways......
Last week I traveled to snowy Toronto with a sales director. Over two days, we saw more than 30 Canadian stores and talked with dozens of consumers, retail buyers, store managers, and shelf stockers. It reminded me that I need......
Working at method has taught me that package design is the single most important part of your marketing plan. Founder Eric Ryan likes to say that he views cutting steel as a marketing expense. Once a consumer told me that......
I doubt there's a marketing plan in the world nowadays without some form of influencer marketing focus. Reaching influencers is part of every agency pitch. With mainstream media becoming less effective over time and widespread recognition that influencers play a......
I was struck by a recent Joel Spolsky column in Inc. magazine on dysfunctional communication in growing companies. “What used to work with three people in a garage all talking to one another about everything just doesn’t work when your......
My mentor Jim Lawrence inspired this cartoon with an insight he shared recently that a career is more like riding a trapeze than climbing a ladder. Most careers are not rung-by-rung linear paths. Instead, they involve a series of flying......
Does your business...experience design?
I'm talking to business owners and entrepreneurs everyday. Some are new while others are seasoned professionals in their industry.One thing they all have in common is that they realize the importance of properly positioning their company. However, they don't all agree on the investment necessary to make that happen.That investment...
Xfinity: The next new name you'll hate?
Why would a company like Comcast — one that holds such enormous marketshare in the cable television industry — change its name?I laugh as I ask that question, because it's pretty obvious to everyone who's ever had to deal with one of Comcast's horrendous customer service representatives. You know what...
One of the biggest starting points for any successful brand strategy is identifying what differentiates you from the competition — especially in a busy industry. It's a tough question and one that people don't think too much about until pressed for an answer.While we all strive to be different and...
Protecting your brand name and identity
One action that is often dusted under the carpet during the excitement of creating and rolling out a new name or corporate identity is the very necessary step of legally protecting that which is yours as well as ensuring you're not unintentionally infringing on someone else's trademark.No matter how unique...
It's probably a bit late to do a Happy New Year post, but I'll give it a shot. As you may have noticed it's been a little quiet here on the SOZO | Pivotal blog front. Let's just say we've been wrapping up 2009 and settling in to 2010. Heck,...
Celebrity Sponsorships Have Never Made Sense to Me
What if all this media hysteria surrounding Tiger Woods isn't necessarily true? What if it was a Buick Enclave that bumped into the tree and fire hydrant? And what if it all happened while he was trying to drive, shave with a Gillette razor and talk on his cell...
Hard Knox Life - Dave Knox Brand Management blog
BlogWell is coming to Cincinnati to talk “How Big Brands Use Social Media”
BlogWell is going to be making a stop in Cincinnati on April 7, 2010 and Cincinnati Social Media will be partnering for the festivities. If you aren’t familiar with BlogWell, it is a great event put on across the country by GasPedal and the Social Media Business Council. As...
Brand Marketers need to watch how gaming is transforming popular culture
At the 2010 DICE Summit, Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Jesse Schell, gave a stellar presentation on how the world of game development is transforming popular culture. As Jesse states in the presentation, games have “crept out and they are going everywhere.” My favorite quote on this trend is his explanation...
The impact of the Social Media effect on great content
It’s not rocket science but I love this graphic that shows how Social Media will amplify great content. As more companies realize that “brands = publishers“, this is important thing to keep in mind. The key is making your content easily sharable, using great enablers such as Share This and...
The State of the Internet [video]
Everyone loves a good video that captures interesting facts & figures. In this latest take, digital agency JESS3 animated a video that shows “The State of Internet” with a good collection of recent stats. JESS3 / The State of The Internet from Jesse Thomas on Vimeo....
Why the iPod Touch is the best way to reach teens & tweens
Thanks to a post by Augustine Fou, I came across this chart that breaks down which mobile platforms are being used by people of different ages. Amazing to see that over 6 out of 10 iPod Touch users are 17 years old or younger. And only 2 out of 10 are...
Two Years Later – A Recap of Top Posts from Hard Knox Life
I find it hard to believe, but today marks the two year anniversary of Hard Knox Life. As I did last year, I wanted to mark the anniversary by recapping my favorite posts that I have written on the site. I decided to include a handful of posts...
Right Brain/Left Brain Marketing
John Gerzma on how consumers are changing their behaviors
This is a nearly 6-month old TED Talk – from Oct 2009 – but it is still very eye-opening and relevant. Mr. Gerzma talks a bit about what drove the recession and how consumers are changing as a result of it, and changing for the better. ...
If you haven’t already seen these, here they are. the ads that are causing a stir in France. A great strategically creative campaign by BDDP & Fils. Is it explicit? Yes. Is it a bit shocking? Depends on who you are. Does it reach its teen target? Probably better than...
I’ve been involved in some naming projects recently and I thought I’d share some of the strategic learnings. There’s been plenty written about naming. Most of it turns the process into nothing short of brain surgery–which it isn’t! But many companies are also oversimplifying the process and attempting to “follow...
If you haven’t already heard about Mark Cuban calling Google a “vampire” check out the story at Salon. I don’t think I have a ton to add here except. Hurray! Of course, that hurray might come at the cost of this site ever being found in a search on Google again....
In-Flight Safety Videos: Brand Communication?
On a flight to Chicago recently I saw Delta/Northwest’s new in flight safety video. It looked great. Professionally shot. Attractive presenter. Even a little character. I actually found myself watching it instead of ignoring it. And lo and behold, like any good “brand communication” it made me feel better about...
Social Media is part of your brand. Don’t let it stand alone.
A brand is built of many things; advertising, promotions, PR, partnerships, history, customer service and corporate culture to name a few. When these things come together in just right way they form a strong brand. A strong brand provides consistent messaging, and a look, feel and tone that generally espouse...
The Marketing Fresh Peel
I’ve Joined Fleishman-Hillard’s Dallas Digital Team
This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel It’s official! I’ve joined Fleishman-Hillard’s digital team in Dallas. This decision happened rather quickly, in fact I accepted the offer to join the talented FH Digital team right before the New Year and last week...
Cataloging Your 2010 Trends and Predictions
This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel I haven’t really been a fan when it comes to listing trends and predictions for the new year. After all, shouldn’t we always be looking forward? Especially with the rate of change that currently...
Loose Connections: Ideas Connect Us More than Relationships
This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel This is a great series of thoughts from Brian Solis for the Ideas Project. He eloquently describes how we have unknowingly shifted in some areas to connecting around ideas and interests rather than just...
Participate in the 2009 Coolest & Gaps Worldwide Branding Survey
This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel It’s time again for the Coolest & Gaps Branding Survey. This is your chance to take part in a worldwide branding survey conducted by Allegro 234 brand consultancy in Madrid. The survey is a unique...
This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel The eve of Black Friday is here. People around the country are forming their plans of attack for one of the biggest shopping days of the year. In fact, some have already pitched their...
Ikea Facebook Marketing Proves Smart & Simple Wins
This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel This is a content from: The Marketing Fresh Peel It’s not always about being the flashiest or slickest, sometimes it just means using the tools you already have at your disposal in smart new and creative ways. Ikea proves this brilliantly in their...
Unbound Edition
Apple’s Spat With Google Is Getting Personal
It looked like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Three years ago, Eric E. Schmidt, the chief executive of Google, jogged onto a San Francisco stage to shake hands with Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, to help him unveil a transformational wonder gadget — the iPhone — before throngs of...
The Digital Disconnect: In Relentless Pursuit of 'Connecting,' We Miss Out on Each Other
While communication and gaming gadgets have convenienced and connected us in ways never before possible, they may also be profoundly hurting our ability to be social, empathic and involved with each other. The signs are everywhere — from the near collisions on city streets where drivers are too busy texting...
A top Chinese minister warned Google Inc. "will have to bear the consequences" if it stops filtering its search results in China, suggesting there is little room for compromise in the high-profile showdown over censorship. Friday's remarks were the sharpest words yet in an unusual duel that could set a precedent...
On Google’s Impending China Decision, and How It Has Lost Its Impact
Two months ago, Google threatened to shut down its China search engine over censorship. Yet until today, its China search engine has stayed up with results still censored. Now the search company is finally expected to announce that it’s going to actually follow through and slowly shut down its China...
Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Too Busy Building My Brand
On a brisk Saturday morning this month, a dedicated crew of about 90 women, most in their 30s or thereabouts, arrived at a waterfront hotel here, prepared for a daylong conference that offered to school them in the latest must-have skill set for the minivan crowd. Teaching your baby to read?...
Facebook Helps Social Start-Ups Gain Users
The only thing more challenging than deciphering the names of all the social-minded Web sites battling for attention at the South by Southwest technology conference here — Brizzly, Vicarious.ly, Stalqer, Quora and so forth — would be the chore of signing up for each one individually. But a growing number of...
The Marketing Minute
Father knows best by Clickfuel's Denise Cautela
Drew's Note: As I try to do on many a Friday, I'm pleased to bring you a guest post. Meet a thought leader who shares her insights every day. So without further ado...Denise Cautela. Again, enjoy! Father Knows Best: Online Marketing Best Practices from a Small Business Owner An entrepreneur,...
Are you hitting all the stepping stones?
I don't know who started the concept, but many authors attempt to sell their books by giving away their books. Charles Sheehan Miles did it. Wicked author Gregory Maguire did it. Cory Doctorow did it. And of course, Seth Godin did it. (Click on their names to find out how...
Do you inspire customer service tales?
Everyone loves to tell a good story. Stories teach, they inspire laughter and the bring about change. As consumers, we love to tell stories about the people we buy from -- good, bad or ugly. If I stopped 10 of your clients/customers today and asked them to tell me a...
As I speak to conference audiences across the country about social media, one of the questions I always get asked is... how do I know which social media sites to use? Of course... there is no single, magic or easy answer to that question. It all depends on your goals,...
Are you keeping an eye on your bucket?
No....not that bucket! Many of us are burning the candle at both ends and in the middle. Our companies have been "right-sized" which is a nice way of saying -- same amount of work, fewer people to do it. We're trying to keep up on the trends and changes in...
How to create an iPhone or Droid app for your business
Last week I announced that the Drew McLellan iPhone and Droid apps were available. I also promised that I'd walk you through the process I went through to create the apps. To give you the kind of detail I want to share, this is going to end up being a...
JKR Design Gazette
Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has called for a ban on advertising featuring scantily clad women in public spaces. She’s concerned about the corrosive effect on young girls’ self image. I have some sympathy, though the notion she puts forward that this is a recent phenomenon seems somewhat quaint. But this blog is not...
Do you think this work is more influential than 140 characters on Twitter?
I recently read an opinion piece which suggested that there was a new breed of freelance designer emerging, one better evolved for today’s challenges. The three skills such a being would possess, which set them apart from the tired old model, were set out as: 1. Having influence (via blogs, twitter...
Argos re-brand - Significant or cosmetic?
Grateful to the ever excellent Brand New website for the analysis of the new Argos identity. At a glance, the identity has been cleaned up – from the original one could intuit a smile, and also a sense of speed (appropriate to the somewhat magical pace at which ordered items...
Why being appropriate can make you invisible, and might spell the end.
Looking over these closing titles from various westerns, it strikes me that while they all do a creditable job of looking the part, they are all completely interchangeable. In our neck of the design woods, packaging wordmarks are probably the most vital element of a design. They have to help set...
Naughty mascots! Paddington returns to Golden Shred
Paddington and marmalade sandwiches belong together. Robertson’s Golden Shred have lured him back from his work endorsing Marmite, which makes total sense. Unilever’s response to losing their star signing is brilliantly arch “It seems fitting that a bear as prone to mishaps as Paddington should turn up at Robertson’s after...
What’s the best way to build loyalty with a card?
Costa Coffee has enjoyed a great run lately, with sales up by 9.5% in the last 3 months. It is also set to launch the first points-based loyalty scheme in the coffee industry. However, as you can see from the image above, while the card mechanic might be innovative, the...
BulletProof
Weekly Web Wrap-Up for March 12, 2010
Bulletproof’s Weekly Web Wrap-Up offers a compilation of key discussions regarding social media’s increasing relevance to business. It’s official; location-based social networking is rapidly going mainstream. In just the last week, Twitter has added geo-location capabilities to its website and Facebook has announced its own plans to add location-based functionality. Emerging...
The Right Way to Leverage a Competitor’s Crisis
At the height of the Toyota recalls, competing car companies that smelled blood in the water engaged in a feeding frenzy that sought to strip the former “King of Reliability” of its loyal customer base. Chrysler and Dodge offered money-back guarantees to customers with qualifying trade-ins, such as the Toyota...
Latest Food Safety Recall Turns Attention Toward Legislative Remedies
Last week, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that salmonella has been detected in a popular flavor enhancer used in products ranging from hot dogs and salad dressing to potato chips and soup. Signs of contamination were also detected at the Basic Food Flavors plant, which made the hydrolyzed...
M&A Uptick Dictates the Need for Digital Due Diligence
Last week, Wall Street was abuzz over an uptick in merger and acquisition activity that some analysts expect to evolve into a full-blown rebound by the end of the year. From the media and entertainment sector to the high-tech industry to the alternative energy market, companies now emerging from the...
Six @ Six: 6 Ways Businesses Can Leverage Google Buzz
The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office. Last month, Google burst onto the social media scene. Google Buzz – a service populated by posts that are longer than tweets, shorter than blog posts, incorporate photos or video, and include geo-location information – is already years...
Goldman Sachs Cites Reputational Risk in Annual Report
In an unprecedented nod to the significant brand damage that negative public perceptions can inflict on even the most successful companies, investment banking giant Goldman Sachs has cited “adverse publicity” as an important “Risk Factor” in its 2010 Annual Report. While the move may not surprise some, especially given the recent...
ID-ology
Not to be outdone by Dentine, GlaxoSmithKline launches “public service” advertising on Oscar night
GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical giant, recently launched a campaign against cervical cancer. They built a web site, helppreventcervicalcancer.com, to support this effort. It imparts facts and dispels myths about HPV and encourages concerned women to ask their doctor about vaccines to prevent cervical cancer. The glaring omission is that the site (not to...
How many of you were watching the Oscars when they announced they were going to talk about the absolute necessary items which any woman needed that night, and the challenge of getting them into one of those little purses? And how many of you watched with a weird curiosity, with...
Watch your favorite brands in an epic battle to save themselves from themselves in this Oscar-nominated short film. Censored on YouTube, watch it here. ...
Good news today, if you are a Microsoft fan. They just appointed a Chief Creative Officer. Now, was the news greeted with the expected barrage of cynicism? Of course. But for me, it further supports my theory that there’s a gradual revolution going on at Microsoft. The company is growing up...
OK, I’m going to send you to the blogger who so dilligently wrote down the slide titles and reported on the experience of Michael Bierut’s talk about the designer and the client, because this person did us all a great service. I’m also going to repeat the titles of Bierut’s...
Curiosity never killed nothing
The difference, I have finally learned, between a good agency-client relationship and a bad one, is curiosity. How often have you been in a meeting when work gets presented (whether that be a creative brief, a brand platform, a logo, or a full-blown campaign) and immediately people start talking about what...
SimpliFlying || Aviation :: Branding :: Technology || Airline marketing, airline brand management, social media, Web 2.0
SimpliFlying in the Media: FOX 7, Today, Air Transport News
SXSW Interactive Festival Begins 12 Mar’10 || FOX 7 Southwest Festival began on Friday with tech savvy professionals, including Shashank Nigam and Michelle Banter, at numerous panels and discussions. One of the co-founders of Twitter, Dom Degola, was one of the featured speakers… read more Asia, Mid East to help aviation industry...
Join me in Santiago de Chile, at IATA Wings of Change conference – 2 free passes up for grabs
Chile has been in the news for the past couple of weeks, due to the earthquake. And then due to the resilient efforts of the Chileans in bringing the country back to its feet quickly. And the aviation community, lead by IATA is also doing its part by going ahead...
Five steps to Customer Service Excellence for United Airlines (with real-life case study)
Over on Twitter, I was alerted to a letter published in Business Traveller Magazine where a customer had sent in a legitimate complaint letter to United Airlines, sharing his experience of poor service in Business Class and suggested that more investments be made into customer service training. It was great that...
Five lessons from the most innovative loyalty programs in the world – Inspired from Loyalty 2010
Last week, I spent three days in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hanging out with Loyalty marketing professionals from around the world at the Loyalty 2010 conference. I met a number of very talented and interesting people, from airlines, hotels and even retails chain that are trying to drive loyalty. Also part of...
Gulf Air and Kuwait Airways up for sale – do the brands stand a chance?
This guest article is written by Oussama Salah, who is an aviation expert based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Being a Jordanian who flies around the region a lot and works in the sector, he shares his thoughts how the proposed sale of two Gulf carriers may or may note be...
Mishandled baggage: mission accomplished? 25 Feb’10 || MSNBC … In 2009, there were fewer passengers, fewer flights and, therefore, fewer checked bags to be mishandled. All those new checked-bag fees, according to SimpliFlying’s Shashank Nigam, caused “many passengers to stop checking-in [any] bags unless absolutely necessary … and frequent fliers to travel...
Chris Garrett on New Media
Do you dare put down the mask?
My first experiences online came before the web, and before most of the modern “nettiquette” was written. It was the days of ultra nerdy folks (like me), librarians, and academic PHD types in lab coats. When people were not doing serious science type stuff there was a lot of socializing going...
How to Sell More From Your Blog (Blog Critique: Steven Aitchison)
Steven Aitchison has a strong blog. Most people would regard his site as a success (in fact he claims it as the “biggest personal development blog in the UK) .. It looks good (using a slightly customized Thesis install) Steven is a good writer therefore the articles are excellent (in fact freelance...
Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work for You and How to Fix it
I was reminded on Twitter by a quote how life coaches and gurus often talk about how sports people visualize victory. They say if you use positive visualization, then your outcome will improve. Then there are the people who tell you that if you use the “Law of Attraction”, that is if...
Defeating Procrastination: Become a Finisher
Analysis paralysis is just one of my procrastination challenges. A couple of other things have caused me to have to make an effort with my productivity. See if they are familiar to you and your own productivity issues: I have a compulsion to fix things I never think I have done enough Do...
You might have already seen some of my fellow bloggers talking about this product. So much that I actually avoided posting about it because I felt with my Authority Blogger launch you might have gotten sick of hearing me toot my horn, until Michelle gave me an email bottom-kicking … So...
Win SEO Audits and Advice from DynamoAsh
If you want lots of free traffic then you are going to need to get your Search Engine Optimization sorted. Most of us are not SEO gurus so we try our best and see what happens. That can never compare with the advice of a true “battle hardened” SEO veteran. Good news...
StickyFigure
“Monetizing” Social Networking
Of late, there has been some noise in the socialsphere about how some have created real, paying businesses out of their involvement in social media. Shocking. Unless you live in a basement on a permanent inheritance stipend, you have to think about paying the bills. Making money. Using your abilities to build...
What began as a curious blackout during the annual South by Southwest geekfest in Austin has exploded into a major on-line crisis today. The Internet has disappeared. Shockingly, the backup copy of everything on the interwebs has gone missing. “It was just here last night!” exclaimed Shannon Whitley, applications programmer and Chief...
The old marketing model emphasized “reach and frequency.” Try to expose your message to as many as possible, as often as possible. A certain percentage will respond. It’s a numbers game. And, it de-personalizes your audience. They’re a target. A demographic. Occupiers of a business funnel. Been there. Done that. Instead, let’s think in...
Is This the Future of Knowledge-Sharing?
I love books. I also enjoy magazines and newspapers. But we’ve all known for quite some time that the publishing world is changing rapidly, and a lot of our knowledge-sharing would be digital. Despite that, I have not invested in a Kindle or iPad, nor am I reading books on my iPhone,...
Needed: Virtual Tweetup Platform
I’ve been experimenting with a group of folks in my “inner circle” with the idea of doing virtual tweetups on-line. Do you know of a platform that works well for this? We tried TinyChat – great concept, but significant issues with audio quality and access. Here’s what I’m looking for: - Ability to host...
The World’s First Management Consultant
Moses had a problem. He had just led hundreds of thousands of the descendants of Israel out of Egypt, and was on a journey to a new land, a homeland promised generations ago to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). And they were pecking him to death. Moses was the leader. And everyone came...
The BIG Kahuna
The Complete Ebay Logo Rip-Off!
My wife and I went over to a shopping plaza called Crown Bay to try out the new BBQ place called Jumbies (excellent by the way) when we stumbled on this brand new store called “Cbay“. Click the photo to enlarge: What a creative name and logo I mumbled to myself. It’s almost like...
When Your Industry Gets A Black Eye…
Play and have some fun with it. As long as you can back up your brand promise!...
Undercover Boss – Stealing A Page From The BIG Kahuna
Did anyone see last weeks episode of Undercover Boss It featured Larry O’Donnell, President of Waste Management going undercover performing tasks that the average Waste Management employee does? It was eye opening for him. As it would be with any company. We’ve been doing this sort of thing for our clients for over...
Re/Max Where Does The Brand Start And Stop?
A RE/Max Franchisee, Rosemary Sauter, in St. Thomas closed her doors and went missing. Along with approximately 2.5 million dollars in the escrow account. This is the account hard working people put their money into to buy a house. Their dream house in St. Thomas. All gone. Poof. It’s quite a story in...
Two Unhonorable Marines And A Truck?
It stinks to be ripped off but when someone rips you off and does so promoting honor and trust it makes it even worse. Meet Two Marines And A Truck: www.twomarinesandatruck.com. When you think Marines you envision strength but more importantly honor. Honor is everything to a Marine. Here’s the Marines pledge...
The BIG Kahuna Tells It Like It Is With Ai
Check out my interview in the Art Institutes newest article “Great Design Key To Building Brands“. Here’s a snippet: Today’s marketplace makes building brands more challenging for companies because the Internet has removed most buying limitations and exponentially increased consumer choices. Brand Identity Guru. All that competition makes it more important than ever...
Designdamage Blog
Customer Experience: Do You Really Know Your Audience?
It’s no surprise that the increasingly social web have enabled customers to be heard while helping to improve the very products and services they’ve purchased. As millions of people continue to search online for the product they need and the service they want, do you know how the recession has...
How Augmented Reality Affects Marketing
I received some feedback and questions on Augmented Reality (AR) after my last post and thought to provide some additional inspiring ideas with regards to where AR is heading. The best example can be seen from Yelp’s Monocle app that allows users to see location-based reviews from their iPhone screens. The...
5 Tips to Engage Social and Mobile Customers
If you’ve been keeping up with the current marketing trends, you should be in the process of exploring how to utilize social media to benefit your business. By now, most of the “how to use” social media content is everywhere especially from reputation resources such as Mashable, Social Media Examiner...
The Long Tail of Trust in New Media Marketing
In today’s fragmented media world where we all have some attention deficit in our busy lives, there are simply too many sources of information thus finding a filter that we trust is extremely important. Most people tend to prefer value, look for key opinion leaders and trust one-on-one communication sources. Accordingly...
Reprioritizing Your Brand Value Propositions
We’re almost midway through Q1 of 2010, if your business is still going through a tough time, you’re not alone. Perhaps it’s time to review your cost cutting measures or reexamine your value proposition to your customers. McKinsey Quarterly recently published “The downturn’s new rules for marketers,” which suggests new ways...
What Should You Consider When Integrating Social Media
As we progress into 2010, the rapid growth of social media has allowed more access to information, consumers, communities, and experiences. This new medium has enabled a new way to communicate and share, from B2C to B2B marketers are all trying to figure out an edge. Many brands start to...