*For starters and unrelated, my blog got a much-needed facelift over the weekend.* A few days ago, I finally went and saw TED. (Let’s just say, it is actually as funny as people make it out to be.) While the movie was awesome, I couldn’t help but notice a few things about the theater’s customer service- or lack thereof. To be clear, it was a national holiday and 90+ degrees, so...
Do You Suffer From BSOS (Bright Shiny Object Syndrome)?
Marketers, advertisers, PR pros and yes even journalists have an obsession with new and shiny things. We flock to sign up for the beta invites for the newest soon-to-be social media craze. We stand in lines for hours to be the first people to get the latest tech gadgets. We obsess about product reviews and predictions for how this service or gadget will change the landscape in the future. Guess...
What Elmo Can Teach Us About Marketing
I never thought I would write a post about everyone’s favorite (okay, my favorite) furry red loveable monster, Elmo. But, I recently watched the documentary, “On Being Elmo.” While the production quality was topnotch, it was the quality of storytelling and the carefully crafted and thorough interviews that truly made the doc something extraordinary. The film documents puppeteer...
5 Hilariously Bad Valentine’s Day Marketing Promotions
Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. It’s mostly because we should be telling our loved ones and significant others we love them everyday and not just on February 14th. But, it’s also because its an excuse for every greeting card store, flower shop, jewelry store and candy place to jack up their prices and run sappy, lovey-dovey TV ads from January...
4 Things Kids Can Teach Us About Marketing
There’s a video that’s been making the rounds this week with a little kid’s commentary on brand logos. This seems like a fluffy, feel-good, cute video, which it is. But, there’s some nuggets of wisdom that marketers and advertisers can get from watching this video. 1. First impressions matter. First impressions matter a great deal. The best logos are the ones that are...
5 Reasons That Infographic Is Making You Lie To Yourself
In this day and age, we consume more statistics, numbers and raw data than ever before. We share it all the time via social media, presentations and the almighty infographic. However, are we becoming too trustworthy about taking the data we consume at face value? Do we really know where all these stats are coming from? Stats can lie. Infographics can be very, very misleading. Percentages...
4 Things Marketers Can Learn From Late Night Infomercials
Now if you occasionally find yourself wide awake at 2 a.m, like me, you know that there are very few things you can do at that hour (the joys of insomnia). The most common thing is turning on the television. That leaves you with essentially two options: Nick at Nite reruns and the late-night infomercials. Now, I can only watch so many Friends and The Nanny reruns. So, I tune into one of the...
Buzzword Bingo: 12 Words That Need To Die in 2012
Every industry has them. Maybe, you are a little short on content for that case study or presentation? Or, you are speaking on a topic that you aren’t entirely comfortable talking about it. So, you pull out those “cool-sounding words” that are meant to “wow” your audience. Some of these “buzzwords” are becoming a bit too overabundant. Here’s 12...
The Single Biggest Problem With QR Codes
Let me preface by saying that I like QR Codes. I think they can bring something new to the table and offer a lot of value. That being said, it only offers a lot of value to specific, niche audiences. Many marketers today are treating QR Codes in similar ways to how we treated social media in 2007-08. It’s that semi-new shiny object that marketers are so enamored with that they are using it...
The Psychology Behind Social TV
Social TV. It’s the new (gag me) buzzword. Every week, there’s another article about social TV and how it’s the future. It’s always the same thing about how Twitter and Getglue are revolutionizing the industry. While this is true to an extent, it’s far from the full story. Getglue and Twitter are just two of the main tools powering the social TV shift. But, they are...