As wedding season begins to pick up, it's no surprise that more and more epicurean brides are choosing to walk down the aisle with bouquets featuring edibles, namely fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even grains. Incorporating these elements takes some time and consideration, so we've asked seasoned florists for advice on how best to plan for a food lover's wedding bouquet. Check out what they have to say on the subject.
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Most Topular Stories
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Edible Wedding Bouquets
Epicurious.com: Latest Features16 May 2012 | 5:00 am -
The Best Peach Cobbler Recipes
Food & Wine: Articles4 May 2012 | 1:44 pmTop Peach Cobbler Recipes Buttermilk-Biscuit Peach Cobbler (left) Unlike most people who make cobblers, Bobby Flay opts to bake the biscuits separately from the fruit so the undersides cook fully; then, just before serving, he sets the biscuits on the fruit and bakes them for a few more minutes, so they can soak up some of the juices without getting soggy. Peach-Lavender Cobbler Nicole Krasinski loves the combination of peaches and lavender because the dried blossoms ... -
Headline News
Waiter Rant9 May 2012 | 12:41 pmThis is last minute, but I’ll be on Headline News at 5:40 today. I’m talking about automatic gratuities. Some restaurant called the cops on some people who wouldn’t pay! Should be fun. -
How To: Floral Wine
The Food Section - Food News, Recipes, and More15 May 2012 | 8:34 amHow to make ginger wine. -
Going the Whole Hog
Epicurious.com: Editor's Blog16 May 2012 | 10:26 amBrooks Miller and Anna Santini have been working on farms and learning about sustainable agriculture for 10 years. The couple now own North Mountain Pastures, 84 acres outside of Newport, Pennsylvania, where they raise chickens, pigs, turkeys, cows, goats, and sheep. Their heritage breed pigs, including Tamworth, Berkshire, Yorkshire, and English Black, roam and forage in lush pastures and also enjoy acorns and other nuts from the farm's trees as well as local organic grains. All this adds up to delicious artisanal pork. Brooks and Anna butcher 50 pigs a year and cure the meat. They are…
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Epicurious.com: Latest Features
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Edible Wedding Bouquets
16 May 2012 | 5:00 amAs wedding season begins to pick up, it's no surprise that more and more epicurean brides are choosing to walk down the aisle with bouquets featuring edibles, namely fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even grains. Incorporating these elements takes some time and consideration, so we've asked seasoned florists for advice on how best to plan for a food lover's wedding bouquet. Check out what they have to say on the subject. -
Dinner on the Grill
15 May 2012 | 5:00 amBBQ Queens Karen Adler and Judith Fertig create an all-grill menu for effortless summer entertainingrecipes, drink ideas, and a step-by-step timeline included. -
How to Host a Big Graduation Party Like a Pro
14 May 2012 | 8:40 amGraduation is one of the best reasons to host a big celebration: School is out, summer is in, and friends, neighbors, family, and beloved teachers and coaches are happy to gather in support of the grad. Read on for a surefire party planfrom the budget and prep, to the food and drink, to the setup and decorplus a timeline that will help you host a great graduation party (or any summer gathering for a large group) that only looks as though you called in a professional. -
Fancy Mothers Day Cakes
11 May 2012 | 5:00 amInstead of making Mom a basic yellow cake with frosting, why not try a new and unique cake recipe? Weve got sixteen of them. -
Culinary Intelligence
10 May 2012 | 5:00 amFood critic and cookbook author Peter Kaminsky talks to us about how mindful eating and seasonal ingredients can help you lose weight. By giving up "white foods," maximizing the "flavor per calorie," and focusing on foods at their seasonal peak, you too can lose weight and keep it off.
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Food & Wine: Articles
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The Best Peach Cobbler Recipes
4 May 2012 | 1:44 pmTop Peach Cobbler Recipes Buttermilk-Biscuit Peach Cobbler (left) Unlike most people who make cobblers, Bobby Flay opts to bake the biscuits separately from the fruit so the undersides cook fully; then, just before serving, he sets the biscuits on the fruit and bakes them for a few more minutes, so they can soak up some of the juices without getting soggy. Peach-Lavender Cobbler Nicole Krasinski loves the combination of peaches and lavender because the dried blossoms ... -
The Best Peach Pie Recipes
4 May 2012 | 1:29 pmTop Peach Pie Recipes Vanilla-Ginger Peach Pie Choose ripe yellow peaches rather than white ones for pie filling; they are juicier and sweet-tart. Cut them into thick wedges, which add texture to the filling and are less likely to lose their shape. Georgia Peach Pie This perfectly classic peach pie has an ultra flaky crust and simple filling. It’s delicious with a topping of bourbon whipped cream. Roasted Peach Pies with Cream (photo) “If I could p... -
Taste Test: Chips and Salsa
2 May 2012 | 9:02 amWhite Corn Tortilla Chips Courtesy of Trader Joe’s Top Pick: Trader Joe’s Restaurant-Style White Corn Tortilla Chips, $1.79/ 8.5oz “Great crunch.” “I’d buy these!” “Nice corn flavor.” “These are my new favorite tortilla chip—perfect thickness and crunch.” Xochitl Totopos de Maiz, $5.99/16 oz “Love these. So thin, taste homemade and are salted nicely.” “Light, crisp, mild but good flavor. Too ... -
FYI, Your Kitchen Is Probably Dirtier than a Toilet Seat
1 May 2012 | 2:14 pm“In most cases, it’s safer to make a salad on a toilet seat than it is to make one on a cutting board,” says Dr. Charles Gerba (a.k.a. Dr. Germ), a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson.“People disinfect their toilet seats all the time, but they don’t realize that they really need to pay attention in the kitchen too.” Since 1973, he’s been studying the hidden bacteria lurking in American homes, and his findings ... -
Anna Kendrick
24 Apr 2012 | 8:12 amAnna Kendrick’s High-Stakes Baking “I’ve always loved baking—it feels like the stakes are high. Cooking isn’t precise enough for me; I’m a little OCD, and I like the way baking makes my brain feel. I take on projects that are more hands-on, like crème brûlée, although I burned myself pretty badly the first time I used a blowtorch. My biggest baking disaster was profiteroles. I couldn’t get the pastry to puff up without fa...
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Waiter Rant
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Headline News
9 May 2012 | 12:41 pmThis is last minute, but I’ll be on Headline News at 5:40 today. I’m talking about automatic gratuities. Some restaurant called the cops on some people who wouldn’t pay! Should be fun. -
Welcome!
1 May 2012 | 10:55 amIf you’ve come to this website after watching 20/20 or @Anderson Cooper, welcome! Most of my waiter stories can be found in the archives dating from 2004-2009. After that, you’ll find some fiction I wrote and some observations I’ve made about life. I hope you enjoy all my stories! And yes, you can buy Waiter Rant or my book on tipping, Keep the Change at fine retailers everywhere. Just click on the bookseller links to the right! Remember to tip 15-20% And stay off those cell phones! -
Anderson Cooper
30 Apr 2012 | 2:20 pmHello again. Just wanted to let you know I’ll be on Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show tomorrow afternoon. (May 1) Please check your local listings for showtimes. Guess what? Anderson was a waiter once too! I knew I liked the guy. -
20/20
25 Apr 2012 | 9:58 pmHey everybody. I’ll be on ABC’s 20/20 this Friday night at 10PM. Set your DVRs! -
A Little Part of You Dies
5 Apr 2012 | 9:53 am(Another Byrne story I wrote for fun. Comments and free editorial suggestions welcome.) Hoboken used to be a tough town filled with stevedores and working stiffs until a wave of New York real estate fetishists crossed the Hudson back in the 90’s and turned it into an oblast of Manhattan. As I walked down Washington Street and looked at the expensively dressed yuppies darting in and out of the fusion restaurants and trendy boutiques, I shook my head. It was like the town wasn’t even part of New Jersey anymore. I found Brent Yeomans’ brownstone on 11th Street and rang the doorbell. Before…
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The Food Section - Food News, Recipes, and More
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How To: Floral Wine
15 May 2012 | 8:34 amHow to make ginger wine. -
Playing the Banana
15 May 2012 | 7:32 amThe Makey Makey circuit board kit can turn a banana into a musical instrument. -
South African Wines to Feature Fair Labor Seal
10 May 2012 | 11:12 amSouth African wine bottles will carry a new seal designed to highlight fair labor practices followed by producers and suppliers. -
How To: Carbonara
10 May 2012 | 8:18 amHow to cook the perfect spaghetti carbonara. -
Food Blotter: Thief Leaves Behind "Trail of Beers"
9 May 2012 | 12:30 pmMaryland police caught a thief who left a trail of beer cans from a burglarized liquor store to his home.
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Epicurious.com: Editor's Blog
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Going the Whole Hog
16 May 2012 | 10:26 amBrooks Miller and Anna Santini have been working on farms and learning about sustainable agriculture for 10 years. The couple now own North Mountain Pastures, 84 acres outside of Newport, Pennsylvania, where they raise chickens, pigs, turkeys, cows, goats, and sheep. Their heritage breed pigs, including Tamworth, Berkshire, Yorkshire, and English Black, roam and forage in lush pastures and also enjoy acorns and other nuts from the farm's trees as well as local organic grains. All this adds up to delicious artisanal pork. Brooks and Anna butcher 50 pigs a year and cure the meat. They are… -
Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse
16 May 2012 | 8:00 amThe countdown to what would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday continues this week with Mousseline au Chocolat, or better known as Chocolate Mousse. Her recipe comes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 (Knopf). The one thing I learned by making the recipe? I need more practice beating egg whites. This was my first time using a Julia Child recipe; it was also my first time making mousse. I thought my unfamiliarity with her recipe writing style slowed me down; it's written in paragraph form which meant I had to re-read each "step" several times over. But that said, her… -
What Does Gluten-Free Mean?
16 May 2012 | 6:00 amLet's talk about this phrase: gluten-free. It shouldn't be hard to define, right? What's gluten? Well, it's the elastic protein that is in wheat, barley, rye, triticale, spelt, farro, and kamut. (Plus semolina, durum, and freekeh.) Ah, but even that's confusing. Some people refer to the compound series of proteins in cereals or grains as "gluten." Sometimes people will use the phrase "corn gluten," which scares those with celiac. (This article clears up that misconception.) Technically, the proteins in wheat, and all its related forms, that cause damage in someone suffering from celiac is… -
Spodee for Summer Sipping
15 May 2012 | 1:45 pmSteven Grasse is the man behind Hendrick's Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, and the historically minded Art in the Age Spirits Root, Snap, and Rhuby. His latest creation is Spodee, an unexpected blend of fortified wine and high-proof white whiskey (commonly called moonshine). As with Root, Snap, and Rhuby, Spodee looks to the past and is based on the Depression-era practice of combining country wine with strong homemade liquor plus whatever else happens to be on hand, such as fruit and spices. Some might be turned off by the notion of a drink that combines wine and liquor, but Spodee's cute… -
Favorite Digestifs
15 May 2012 | 1:35 pmThe other night during a family dinner we got to talking about what we like to drink after a meal. My brothers, Dad, and I all know that my Mom loves Italian Sambuca as a digestif; I have a friend who is all about finishing dinner with an Irish coffee; and thanks to Portugal, Port is also another wonderful way to end an evening. Personally I just like dessert followed by an espresso macchiato! What's your favorite digestif?
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A Hamburger Today
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Los Angeles: Attack of the Clones at Fusion Burgers
16 May 2012 | 8:30 amFrom A Hamburger Today [Photographs: Damon Gambuto] Fusion Burger 5933 York Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90042 (map); 323-257-8705; Facebook page Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: A family of former Umami cooks opens a knock-off burger spot that serves up high quality burgers Want Fries with That? Yes; solid fries if you need them, but go for homemade cheesy tots for a better fried spud Prices: House Burger, $9, The Very Cheese and Bacon Burger, $10 It was only a matter of time. The meteoric rise of the Umami Burger empire meant imitators would pop up around Los Angeles. Sure, one could make the… -
AHT Giveaway: Case of Pat LaFrieda Burgers
16 May 2012 | 6:30 amFrom A Hamburger Today Inside the Pat LaFrieda facility. [Photograph: Nick Solares] To celebrate National Burger Month, we're teaming up with famed New York City meat purveyor (and current stars of Food Network's Meat Men) Pat LaFrieda to give away a case of "AHT blend" burger patties (24 per case) each week for four weeks. Patties will be shipped fresh anywhere in the U.S. (sorry, international readers!), perfect for throwing a giant burger party or for cooking burger-centric meals at home. To enter this week's contest, just tell us in the comments section below: What's your best burger… -
Video: Boss Bacon Burger on 'Epic Meal Time'
15 May 2012 | 1:30 pmFrom A Hamburger Today A gargantuan patty made of a ground bacon and beef, stuffed with bacon strips, topped with bacon bit-studded cheese sauce, topped with a pile of bacon strips, doused in Jack Daniels root beer barbecue sauce, all on a bacon bun. See the Boss Bacon Burger's construction and demise in Epic Meal Time's latest video. Boss Bacon Burger - Epic Meal Time Related Video: The Epic Stockyard Burger Featuring Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Bone Marrow-Stuffed Patties on 'Epic Meal Time' Fast Food 'Lasagna' Made of 45 Burgers on 'Epic Meal Time' The Sloppy Roethlisberger from Epic… -
Dinner Tonight: Shrimp Burgers with Roasted Garlic-Orange Aioli (via Food52)
15 May 2012 | 1:00 pmFrom Serious Eats Editor's Note: We're teaming up with our friends over at Food52 to bring you even more easy weeknight recipes. Food52 recipes will appear on this site every Tuesday and Thursday, and are carefully curated by the Serious Eats team. Check back on Serious Eats every weekday afternoon for a new quick and easy weeknight dinner idea from our own test kitchens, or from the good folks at Food52. This summer dinner replaces the usual beef and pork with a lighter option: shrimp. The thing that takes the most time is the aioli, but it's the most important part of the dish. It's not… -
Chain Reaction: Sonic
15 May 2012 | 12:00 pmFrom A Hamburger Today [All photographs unless otherwise noted: Todd Brock] Sonic 11105 Crabapple Road, Roswell GA 30075 (Map); 770-573-97753,500+ locations nationwide. Find one at sonicdrivein.com/locator The Schtick: "America's Drive-In," where carhops deliver burgers, dogs, and such to your driver's side window, with almost 400,000 drink options The Burger: Varieties don't stray too far from the classics. Typically unremarkable fast-food beef, overapplied veggie toppings, bonus points for good bacon Want Fries With That? Ick. Go onion rings or chili cheese tots instead Setting: The…
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naked capitalism
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Links 5/16/12
16 May 2012 | 1:14 amFawns use ‘escape plan’ to evade predators BBC Mysterious illness strikes hundreds of flight attendants, causes rashes and hair loss – are ‘toxic uniforms’ really to blame or is it Fukushima? Natural News (furzy mouse). The piece is a bit histrionic, but that does not mean this is not a possibility. Ahead of I.P.O., G.M. to Quit Advertising on Facebook New York Times. What do you want to bet GM used the IPO (as well as the extant doubts about the ad model) to negotiate for better ad rates and Facebook refused to budge? “France’s Hollande’s plane… -
Why is Paul Krugman Misrepresenting the Demise of a Wall Street Funded, Right Wing, Entitlement-Bashing Front Group?
16 May 2012 | 1:01 amPaul Krugman’s partisanship has become so shameless that we are giving him the inaugural Eric Schneiderman Decoy Award for his post “Things Fall Apart“. The Schneiderman Decoy Award goes for exceptional achievement in turning one’s good name over to particularly rancid Obama Administration initiatives. Krugman’s post didn’t merely contain some cringe-making fawning over Obama; it was egregiously incorrect on the development that prompted the post, that of the death of Americans Elect, a shadowy group that had was out to sponsor a Presidential candidate. -
Mark Ames: Failing Up With Citigroup’s Dick Parsons
15 May 2012 | 11:59 pmYves here. Even though I pointed to this article yesterday, it is such a prototypical story of a type of success peculiar to Corporate America that I thought it warranted being featured. By Mark Ames, the author of Going Postal: Rage, Murder and Rebellion from Reagan’s Workplaces to Clinton’s Columbine. Cross posted from eXiled. This article was first published in The Daily Banter Last month, shareholders finally rebelled against Citigroup, the worst of the Too Big To Fail bailout disasters, by filing a lawsuit against outgoing chairman Dick Parsons and handful of executives for stuffing… -
UNCTAD as the Battleground for Role of the State, Trade Policy
15 May 2012 | 9:29 pmWe’ve featured past Real News Network segments on the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. UNCTAD has increasingly become a forum for struggles between advanced economies and developing economies over what the rules of the road should be in trade. UNCTAD was early to call the benefits of financialization into question, and has also been taking issue with the comparatively small take countries in the “south” get from extended supply chain production. This, needless to say, is a vision that is a direct challenge to how multinational like to conduct their… -
“What Scares Me Isn’t $2 Billion Loss JP Morgan Made, What Scares Me is the Record $19 Billion in Profits”
15 May 2012 | 3:18 pmEven with all the focus on JP Morgan’s loss bomb in the past few days, some critical elements of the story have not gotten the scrutiny they deserve. By way of background, Amar Bhide, who is currently a professor at Tufts, has run a prop trading operation (admittedly some time ago) and has written extensively both on the financial services industry and entrepreneurship. Bhide takes issue with Dimon’s description of the funds that the Chief Investment Office (part of the bank’s treasury function) as “deposits” but rather as market funds. He also contends that no…
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EconLog: Library of Economics and Liberty
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Thoughts on Spain
16 May 2012 | 8:40 am(May 16, 2012 08:40 AM, by Arnold Kling) 1. The Washington Post pushes the "austerity" narrative. The economic debate consuming Europe comes down to the question of whether struggling countries should choose austerity by clamping down on government spending to rein in unsustainable deficits or pursue growth stimulated... (6 COMMENTS) -
Durability vs. Stability: The Kim Dynasty and the Stationary Bandit Model
16 May 2012 | 1:19 am(May 16, 2012 01:19 AM, by Bryan Caplan) Thanks for many good answers on the Kim dynasty vs. the stationary bandit model. But as far as I can tell, no one drew the distinction I was looking for: durability versus stability.The Kim dynasty is clearly durable: it's ruled... (12 COMMENTS) -
Are Unpaid Internships Immoral?
15 May 2012 | 10:40 pm(May 15, 2012 10:40 PM, by David Henderson) Derek Thompson at the Atlantic blog argues that unpaid internships are immoral. His case? The essence of it is that because the employer gets valuable services, the employer should pay for them. Of course, the employer does pay for them,... (20 COMMENTS) -
Criticizing Your Own Side
15 May 2012 | 5:19 pm(May 15, 2012 05:19 PM, by Arnold Kling) Mark Thoma thinks that pundits on the left are more willing to criticize their own team than pundits on the right. My guess is that people on the right think it's the other way around. If so, then let me... (12 COMMENTS) -
I Do Not Like Big Banks and Government
15 May 2012 | 7:29 am(May 15, 2012 07:29 AM, by Arnold Kling) In NRO, I write, When large banks have resources, politicians will be tempted to treat them as piñatas, taking whacks at them in order to extract money to distribute to constituents (see the recent "foreclosure settlement," or the pressure being... (20 COMMENTS)
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Free exchange
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Going, going, gone?
16 May 2012 | 7:07 amSO MUCH of modern finance is a confidence game. Banks borrow short and lend long. A perfectly solvent bank can therefore go bust if depositors panic and rush to pull money out. This is why modern financial systems have backstops, despite the moral hazard cost; in their absence, the economy is at risk of irrational destruction.European leaders have been playing their game with Greece like confidence doesn't matter. They have behaved as if an adjustment is necessary, and the only question at issue is which side will bear its costs. But confidence matters. As time has gone on, markets have… -
Zap
15 May 2012 | 9:12 amPOSTED without comment:[inline|iid=16903] -
The no-growth zone
15 May 2012 | 9:06 amIT IS another grim day for European markets. Break-up worries continue to grow. You can read Charlemagne on yesterday's disappointing euro-group meeting. The news has gotten worse today, as Greece's political parties seem to have failed to form a government, meaning that new elections will be held in June. Meanwhile, the tragedy of the performance of the real euro-zone economy was made clear in new GDP figures released today. The euro area managed no growth in the first quarter of 2012. That actually represented a slight improvement from a tumultuous fourth quarter in which the economy… -
Boom ahead?
15 May 2012 | 8:04 amIT'S been a long time coming, but America's housing market finally seems to be normalising. Construction has been so low since the beginning of the bust that many markets are experiencing increasingly tight conditions. That's supporting rent increases, and that, in turn, is putting a floor under home values and leading to an uptick in construction. The question is: how large an uptick?Builder confidence has risen sharply in recent months and, as Calculated Risk points out, that typically presages a surge in construction:[inline|iid=16899]A construction-oriented phase of recovery would be most… -
Link exchange
14 May 2012 | 12:35 pmTODAY'S recommended economics writing:• The great moderation, forecast uncertainty, and the great recession (Liberty Street)• Some thoughts on institutional capacity in South-Eastern Europe (Fistful of Euros)• Global value chains, trade, jobs, and environment (Vox)• Labor force nonparticipants: So what are they doing? (macroblog)
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Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
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Wikipedia author confronts Ed Wegman
16 May 2012 | 6:32 amWegman: “It’s not reprinted 100 percent like you had it.” Wikipedia guy: “No, you added another paragraph at the end and you changed the headline. . . . You even copied the typos that I’ve corrected on my website. It was taken verbatim and reprinted in your paper.” The original author got a check for $500 but, unfortunately, no free subscription to “Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Statistics” (a $1400-$2800 value). P.S. To those who think I’m being mean to Wegman: I haven’t yet heard that he’s apologized to the… -
Question 5 of my final exam for Design and Analysis of Sample Surveys
15 May 2012 | 1:00 pm5. Which of the following better describes changes in public opinion on most issues? (Choose only one.) (a) Dynamic stability: On any given issue, average opinion remains stable but liberals and conservatives move back and forth in opposite directions (the “accordion model”) (b) Uniform swing: Average opinion on an issue can move but the liberals and conservatives don’t move much relative to each other (the disribution of opinions is a “solid block of wood”) (c) Compensating tradeoffs: When considering multiple survey questions on the same general topic, average opinion can move… -
A statistical research project: Weeding out the fraudulent citations
15 May 2012 | 6:26 amJohn Mashey points me to a blog post by Phil Davis on “the emergence of a citation cartel.” Davis tells the story: Cell Transplantation is a medical journal published by the Cognizant Communication Corporation of Putnam Valley, New York. In recent years, its impact factor has been growing rapidly. In 2006, it was 3.482 [I think he means "3.5"---ed.]. In 2010, it had almost doubled to 6.204. When you look at which journals cite Cell Transplantation, two journals stand out noticeably: the Medical Science Monitor, and The Scientific World Journal. According to the JCR, neither of… -
Question 4 of my final exam for Design and Analysis of Sample Surveys
14 May 2012 | 2:00 pm4. Researchers have found that survey respondents overreport church attendance. Thus, naive estimates from surveys overstate the percentage of Americans who attend church regularly. Does this have a large impact on estimates of time trends in religious attendance? Solution to question 3 From yesterday: 3. We discussed in class the best currently available method for estimating the proportion of military servicemembers who are gay. What is that method? (Recall the problems with the direct approach: there is no simple way to survey servicemembers at random, nor is it likely that they would… -
I hate to get all Gerd Gigerenzer on you here, but . . .
14 May 2012 | 6:22 amJonathan Cantor points me to an opinion piece by psychologist Reid Hastie, “Our Gift for Good Stories Blinds Us to the Truth.” I have mixed feelings about Hastie’s article. On one hand I do think his point is important. It’s not new to me, but presumably it’s new to many readers of bloomberg.com. I like Hastie’s book (with Robyn Dawes), Rational Choice in an Uncertain World, and I’m predisposed to like anything new that he writes. On the other hand, there’s something about Hastie’s article that bothered me. It seemed a bit smug, as if he…
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The Epicurean Dealmaker
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Occupy Galt’s Gulch
8 May 2012 | 7:25 pm“Each of us in this room has warmed ourself at fires we did not build, and each of us has drunk from wells we did not dig.” — Mark Shields, as heard, October 1997 I am not ashamed to confide, O Dearest and Most Equable of All Readers, that I have had a version of this particular post marinating in my brain for more than five years, from almost the first time I began laying finger to keyboard at this modest opinion emporium. Lord knows I have had numerous opportunities to release it over the intervening period, what with, in sequence, 20-something investment bankers,… -
Prolegomena to Any Future Life
6 May 2012 | 1:35 pmI.His vision, from the constantly passing bars, has grown so weary that it cannot hold anything else. It seems to him there are a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world. As he paces in cramped circles, over and over, the movement of his powerful soft strides is like a ritual dance around a center in which a mighty will stands paralyzed. Only at times, the curtain of the pupils lifts, quietly—. An image enters in, rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles, plunges into the heart and is gone. — Rainer Maria Rilke, “The Panther” 1 II.Here’s another… -
Can’t Buy Me Love
29 Apr 2012 | 7:43 amSay you don’t need no diamond ring And I’ll be satisfied Tell me that you want the kind of things That money just can’t buy I don’t care too much for money Money can’t buy me love — The Beatles, Can’t Buy Me Love (1964) The best things in life are free But you can keep ’em for the birds and bees Now give me money (that’s what I want) That’s what I want (that’s what I want) That’s what I want (that’s what I want) That’s what I want Your lovin’ gives me a thrill But your lovin’ don’t pay my… -
A Good Offense
22 Apr 2012 | 8:50 pmKind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat the enemy without too much bloodshed, and might imagine this is the true goal of the art of war. Pleasant as it sounds, it is a fallacy that must be exposed: war is such a dangerous business that the mistakes which come from kindness are the very worst. If defense is the stronger form of war, yet has a negative object, it follows that it should be used only so long as weakness compels, and be abandoned as soon as we are strong enough to pursue a positive object. — Carl von Clausewitz, Vom Kriege… -
Odalisque
14 Apr 2012 | 5:13 pmDogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring—it was peace. — Milan Kundera A happy and peaceful weekend to you all, dogs included. © 2012 The Epicurean Dealmaker. All rights reserved.
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The price of everything
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Dimon geezers
12 May 2012 | 2:06 am“JP Morgan Chase last night announced a surprise $2 billion trading loss on credit derivatives trading, which chief executive Jamie Dimon blamed on “errors, sloppiness and bad judgment”, warning it “could get worse”. - From The Financial Times, Friday 11th May 2012. “The best way to build shareholder value is to build a great company, with exemplary products and services, excellent systems, quality accounting and reporting, effective controls and outstanding people.”… -
Hand to hand combat with Martin Wolf
4 May 2012 | 12:47 am“James and I both have Range Rovers for running around, but he’s also got a black Lamborghini and a black Rolls-Royce, and I’ve a white Ferrari and a white Rolls-Royce.. I’m bored with designers like Dolce & Gabanna. I hate it when you know what label a person’s wearing – it doesn’t say luxury, it feels a bit Russian and cheap.. I don’t live in a bubble though.. I clear out my clothes every few weeks and send them to Croatia.. Our bedroom’s actually more like an apartment, with its own kitchen, bathrooms, lounge, dressing rooms..” … -
The politics of fear
30 Apr 2012 | 1:56 am“I’m getting increasingly worried about the free movement of people across Europe. It’s a very competitive world out there and my constituents resent that.” - Huddersfield Labour MP Barry Sheerman, defending comments he made on Twitter about Eastern European workers. It was quite fitting that in a week that saw Britain slide into its first double-dip recession since 1975 we also saw evidence – notably from the political left – of the sort of insular bigotry and protectionist narrow-mindedness that one associates with that… -
Party on ! (Or not.)
23 Apr 2012 | 3:05 am“The sea’s freezing. A man won’t last long in that. We’ve drawn a bad hand this time.” “I’ve never been a good loser. I intend to get into a boat.” - Conversation between two card-players on The Titanic, from Eric Ambler’s screenplay, ‘A Night To Remember’. The Titanic centenary was always going to be the trigger for a plethora of tasteless attempts to cash in on the tragedy. The “best” we’ve seen so far was the Hotel Russell’s promotion of its ‘Titanic breakfast’ – which presumably goes down… -
What are economists for ?
16 Apr 2012 | 2:19 am“Most economists, it seems, believe strongly in their own superior intelligence and take themselves far too seriously. In his open letter of 22 July 2001 to Joseph Stiglitz, Kenneth Rogoff identified this problem. “One of my favourite stories from that era is a lunch with you and our former colleague, Carl Shapiro, at which the two of you started discussing whether Paul Volcker merited your vote for a tenured appointment at Princeton. At one point, you turned to me and said, “Ken, you used to work for Volcker at the Fed. Tell me, is he really smart ?” I responded something to the…
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Cafe Hayek
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Ptolemaic Economics…
16 May 2012 | 7:31 am… with apologies to Ptolemy, who was a far better astronomer than mercantilists were, and are, economists. Here’s a letter to the Wall Street Journal: In the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations, the Obama administration insists on “yarn-forward” rules of origin. These restrictions would effectively require Vietnamese and Malaysian clothing manufacturers who sell their outputs to Americans to buy their fabric from U.S. – rather than from lower-priced Chinese – textile producers. Mystified that some Americans oppose such restrictions, U.S. -
Quotation of the Day…
15 May 2012 | 6:19 am… is from Jonathan Macey’s fine essay in today’s Wall Street Journal – an essay whose title, “Losing Money Isn’t a Crime,” is spot-on correct and germane: The real lesson of what J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon has called the bank’s “egregious failure” in risk management is that hedging is far more difficult to do in real life than it appears to be in theory—because the real world is a complicated place. The trades that J.P. Morgan made were extremely complex, and it certainly appears that they did not work the way that they were… -
Read to your kids (and teach them about money)
14 May 2012 | 7:39 amThe latest EconTalk episode is David Owen talking about how to teach your kids about money. It’s based on his book, The First National Bank of Dad. The last part of the book and the podcast talk about reading to your kids and how wonderful it is for you and your kids. So I thought I’d list some of the books I’ve enjoyed reading to my kids. Feel free to buy them by clicking through and supporting the Cafe (or its owners, anyway.) I’m sure I’ve forgotten a bunch of others I loved. Add your own favorites in the comments. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett… -
Quotation of the Day…
14 May 2012 | 5:41 am… is from John Tamny’s May 13th article “For De-Friending the U.S., Eduardo Saverin Is an American Hero“; Tamny here discussion’s Eduardo Saverin’s sensible move to keep more of what he’s earned – to justly protect his now-substantial property from U.S. tax collectors – by renouncing his U.S. citizenship: Oddly here, and this speaks to how silly the economic discussion has become, [Facebook] founder Mark Zuckerberg is being lionized for the presumed $1 billion in capital gains taxes he’ll pay the feds. [Eduardo] Saverin’s… -
Quotation of the Day…
13 May 2012 | 4:31 am… is from page 27 of the 1997 collection of some of Leland Yeager’s finest essays, The Fluttering Veil (George Selgin, ed.); specifically, it’s from Leland’s 1971 essay “Monetarism”: Recognizing that the world is complicated is not the same as knowing how to succeed with complicated manipulations. (I had the great good fortune as a student to have had more than my share of outstanding professors – Israel Kirzner, Saul Levmore, and Fritz Machlup, to name only three in addition to Leland. None surpassed, and few matched, Leland’s skill in the…
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Business News, Financial News, Business Headlines & Analysis - The Washington Post
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‘Too big to fail’ watch
16 May 2012 | 10:33 amThe five largest banks controlled $6.1 trillion in assets before the collapse. By 2012, they controlled assets worth $8.5 trillion. That is to say, they went from being “too big to fail” to being much, much bigger. Read full article >> -
Boehner’s debt ceiling crisis would be so much worse than you think
16 May 2012 | 10:22 amThere’s some chance that House Speaker John Boehner’s threat to provoke another debt-ceiling crisis doesn’t much matter. If it does matter, it’s only because fiscal policy has already gone very, very wrong. Read full article >> -
Lunch break: Europe’s shifting borders
16 May 2012 | 9:56 amA time lapse video looking at Europe’s shifting country borders from 1000 A.D. to 2003: Read full article >> -
Facebook’s IPO: What does it mean for you?
16 May 2012 | 9:05 amWondering what Facebook’s upcoming initial public offering of stock means for you? The Post’s business editors turned to our investment columnist Barry Ritholtz for some plain talk on the stock sale: I’m a regular Joe investor, should I clear out my piggy bank to buy Facebook shares? Read full article >> -
JPMorgan Chase hit with class-action lawsuit over $2B in trading losses
16 May 2012 | 8:05 amA class-action lawsuit was filed Tuesday against JPMorgan Chase on behalf of investors accusing the bank of misleading shareholders about the $2 billion in trading losses that have roiled the company this week. Read full article >>
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True Economics
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14/5/2012: Irish Construction Sector PMIs for April 2012
14 May 2012 | 2:57 amThe Irish Construction PMI published by the Ulster Bank posted another massive fall, declining to 45.4 in April, from 46.7 in March. This is the sharpest rate of decline in the sector since October 2011. Breakdown by sub-sector:Which means thatHousing sector activity is now sharper than overall activity, for the first time in seven months and is sharpest since September 2011Commercial sector activity is on shallower decrease path in April than in March, but nonetheless, there is no improvement, despite the claims by our development agencies and reports by some real estate houses that… -
14/5/2012: Russian Banks Credit Supply to SMEs
14 May 2012 | 1:59 amMoody's latest note on Russian banks, titled SME Lending in Russia: Growth Supports Profitability, but Cyclical Credit Risks Remain is available in Russian.The note argues that since 2010-2011, Russian banks' origination of credit to SMEs has grown on the back of banks' strategic expansion within the SME sector that sees growth in lending to SMEs exceeding that for larger corporates."Overall, we believe that the banks' expansion of their SME portfolios and their plans to further this expansion are credit positive. The SME sector supports the banks' net interest margins, provides… -
14/5/2012: De List of Mr Enda
13 May 2012 | 11:56 pmIn the world of totally planted and utterly absurd stories, this one takes at least an honorable mention prize. Now, just think - a secret meeting in the back of the pub. A 'source' - a 'Government source' - confiding to the author about the 'list' of 'special projects' to milk the EU subsidies into the sunset. You have to laugh... or cry... -
14/5/2012: Euro area austerity - a chart
13 May 2012 | 11:20 pmAusterity in Europe? Ok, table below shows General Government expenditure as % of nominal GDP in 2011-2012 compared to 2000-2007 average.Chart below shows nominal values of General Government expenditure, in billions of euros.Chart above clearly shows that during the entire crisis, euro area General Government Expenditure dipped only once - in 2011 compared to 2010. The 'savage' cut was €13.02bn for EA12 combined, or 0.14% of 2011 GDP. Continuing with 'savage austerity', 2012 is forecast by the IMF to post General Government Expenditure increase of €43 billion for EA12 and €43.9… -
15/5/2012: Austerity, Stimulus & Euro Area Crisis
13 May 2012 | 10:24 pmAn excellent article for Bloomberg by Peter Boone and Simon Johnson, titled As European Austerity Ends, So Could the Euro.Note the referencing of 90% debt/GDP ratio for the euro area. In 2012, per IMF more detailed WEO database, General Government Gross Debt in EA17 will rise to 89.95% of GDP from 88.08% in 2011. For EA12 (old euro area member states), the GGD will rise from 88.75% of GDP in 2011 to 90.61% of GDP in 2012, while removing Luxembourg out of EA12 (the country is a massive outlier for virtually all GDP-related parameters due to its huge 'brass plate' sector), implies…
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The Economic Populist
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CPI 0% for April 2012 on Dropping Gas Prices
15 May 2012 | 5:20 pmThe April Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation, had no increase or decrease from March. The reason was gasoline prices, which declined -2.6% from last month Below is the graph for CPI's monthly percentage change. Energy overall decreased -1.7%. The energy index separates out all energy costs and puts them together. Energy is also mixed in with other indexes, such as heating oil for the housing index and gas for the transportation index. The energy index is up 0.9% for the last 12 months. Gas alone decreased -2.6% for April, but is up 3.2% from this time last year. Fuel… -
Retail Sales Increase 0.1% for April 2012
15 May 2012 | 12:07 pmApril 2012 Retail Sales increased 0.1%. Minus autos & parts, retail sales also increased 0.1%. March retail sales were revised down from 0.8% to 0.7%. Retail sales are up 6.4% from the same time last year. Retail sales are reported by dollars, not by volume, so dropping prices often reports as a decline in sales. For the quarter, January to March, retail sales increased 6.6% from the February to April time period one year ago. Nonstore retail sales, which includes online shopping are up 11% from a year ago. Total retail sales are $408 billion for April. Below is the monthly… -
Your Feet's Too Big!
15 May 2012 | 9:14 amYour pedal extremities are colossal To me you look just like a fossil. – Fats Waller Business executives like to talk about their “footprint”. When JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America were racing all around the United States to see which could be the first to have a full national presence in every important market, they would talk about how their footprint was expanding state by state. Then it was on to establish a full global footprint, including in all key emerging markets, which supposedly are going to provide double-digit earnings growth for these banks during the… -
The Trade Agreement You Never Heard About - TPP
14 May 2012 | 3:24 amDid you know, beyond closed doors, there is a massive trade agreement being crafted? It's called TPP or Trans Pacific Partnership and this one makes NAFTA look like the stepping stone that it is. This is one bad mother. This is a trade agreement between Chile, Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam and the United States. Japan as well as China may also join. The countries involved isn't the problem. What's being negotiated is. For those who think they won the SOPA/PIPA battle, think again. The below video clip does a good job explaining how SOPA/PIPA are… -
Saturday Reads Around the Internets - Romney is Bush Redux
12 May 2012 | 7:58 pmWelcome to the weekly roundup of great articles, facts and figures. These are the weekly finds that made our eyes pop. Romney's Economic Policies Would Be Bush Redux Bloomberg did an in depth report on Romney's economic advisers and policy positions. Surprise, he's back....like poltergeist, it's Gregory Mankiw, Bush's economic adviser. Among the financial and business experts advising Romney’s campaign are Columbia University’s R. Glenn Hubbard and Harvard University’s N. Gregory Mankiw, both economists who headed the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush.
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Business Consulting Buzz
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Marketing Mondays: Strategic Consulting Partnerships
14 May 2012 | 6:00 amYou don’t have to do everything yourself you know? Consultants often feel they have to offer every service and do every task by themselves. Connect with other professionals that can offer complimentary services to you and watch your business soar. … READ MORE...Marketing Mondays: Strategic Consulting Partnerships is a post from: Business Consulting Buzz -
37 Ways to Effectively Present Your Services without Looking like a Rookie
12 May 2012 | 6:00 amNobody wants to look like a rookie. But if your unprepared, don’t have a core message, are unfocused with your marketing, then you can be viewed as a Newbie. I’ve seen professionals wasting money trying to advertise but if there … READ MORE...37 Ways to Effectively Present Your Services without Looking like a Rookie is a post from: Business Consulting Buzz -
Productivity Hack for Consultants: The Buddy Trick to Getting More Done
10 May 2012 | 6:00 amDo you want to get more done each week? As a consultant it’s common to find yourself being distracted throughout the day. Both by external forces: Phone ringing Email notifications Children or Family Deliveries And the list goes on… As … READ MORE...Productivity Hack for Consultants: The Buddy Trick to Getting More Done is a post from: Business Consulting Buzz -
Persuasion for Consultants: Book Review
9 May 2012 | 4:58 pmArlene Dickinson’s story could be called one of Rags to Riches. The co-star of one of Canada’s most popular TV shows, Dragons Den (the equivalent America’s Shark Tank), has gone from living a life of desperation to one of glamour … READ MORE...Persuasion for Consultants: Book Review is a post from: Business Consulting Buzz -
Marketing Mondays: When and Why Consultants Should Attend Trade Shows
7 May 2012 | 6:00 amShould consultants attend trade shows? That’s the question. The answer is, it depends. If you specialize in an area of consulting, attending trade shows for your industry can be a great source of new consulting leads. If you’re a ‘general’ … READ MORE...Marketing Mondays: When and Why Consultants Should Attend Trade Shows is a post from: Business Consulting Buzz
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Consulting News
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Defense rests without calling Edwards, mistress
16 May 2012 | 11:10 amA judge says he expects to let prosecutors use at trial a recording of a phone call between a former Goldman Sachs board member accused of insider trading and a hedge fund founder. -
Eric Piermont, AFP / Getty ImagesDimon's Unshakable HubrisDespite...
16 May 2012 | 7:55 amJPMorgan shareholders reelected Dimon chairman and CEO and gave him a $23 million pay package despite the bank's $2 billion loss. -
Matt Taibbi Rips Into Goldman's 'Naked Short Selling'
16 May 2012 | 6:55 amIt doesn't happen often, but sometimes God smiles on us. Last week, he smiled on investigative reporters everywhere, when the lawyers for Goldman, Sachs slipped on one whopper of a legal banana peel, inadvertently delivering some of the bank's darker secrets into the hands of the public. -
Kim Schaf Named Midwest Regional Director (USA) by the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants
16 May 2012 | 2:41 amFounder and President of Sleep Training Solutions, Kim Schaf, is thrilled to be the new Midwest Regional Director of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants. -
Chesapeake Gets $4 Billion Loan
15 May 2012 | 10:35 pmA $4 billion loan from global investment firm Goldman Sachs should give Chesapeake Energy the ability to catch up on its debts, but the Oklahoma City-based driller's stock value continues to drop.
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Consulting magazine is the flagship publication of the consulting profession. The magazine features the latest information on consulting careers, thought leadership, and corporate strategies.
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Towers Watson: CEO Pay Up 2.6%
14 May 2012 | 11:51 amCompensation for CEOs at the nation's largest corporations showed only a moderate increase in 2011, despite improved financial results, according to a new analysis conducted by Towers Watson. -
Capco Opens Chicago Office
14 May 2012 | 11:40 amCapco opened its first office in Chicago earlier this month. -
One on One with Strong-Bridge’s Ken Simpson
7 May 2012 | 8:26 amBased in Seattle, Strong-Bridge Consulting has a hand in some pretty hot-moving industries: from Telecommunication to Consumer Electronics to Healthcare and Financial Services. As key players in the industries shake off the last remnants of the Great Recession hangover, Strong-Bridge has found clients are once again kicking it into high gear, pushing products and services into the rebounding marketplace. Consulting One on One sat down to discuss it all with co-founder and CEO Ken Simpson. -
Top 25 Consultants Dinner 2012
2 May 2012 | 11:58 amPlan now to join Consulting magazine and your professional peers June 14 as we award consultants from such leading firms as Accenture, Alix Partners, A.T. Kearney, Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Crowe Horwath, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton, IBM, KPMG, Kurt Salmon, Mercer, PwC, Slalom, and ZS Associates, among many others. -
Top 25 Consultants Dinner 2012 - Excellence in Public Sector
2 May 2012 | 11:46 amTop 25 Consultants Dinner 2012 - Excellence in Public Sector
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Techni-HO Handbook
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Don't blog where you eat.
14 May 2012 | 8:27 amThe old idiom; don't s*** where you eat gets updated. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Mechanical Turk Work: A little experiment
2 May 2012 | 1:43 amRegistered recently to work as a mechanical turk for Amazon. Will post here progress and supply feedback. don't know what I am in for. Other than getting paid to wile away the hours on the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Review: ZAGG smartbuds
6 Apr 2012 | 8:15 amOf recent tech purchases the ones I get the most use of are my ZAGGsparq and ZAGG SmartBuds. The ZAGGsparq is a battery back-up that allows me to recharge my USB powered devices.... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Money "well" spent: do you feel safer?
9 Mar 2012 | 1:29 pmairline security is measured not in the number of events averted but apparently in the expenditure of money that is supposed to provide secutity. With this measurable the Transportation Security... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Robocall voicemail log
28 Feb 2012 | 5:40 amOkay, a little bit of editing and here it is. The audio of the vme we got regarding the robocalls that have apparently come from our number. Watch "ANGRY Robotcalled" on YouTube [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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Deloitte US
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Should big data drive big decisions?
9 May 2012 | 8:28 amThis year, many companies are taking on big data - ramping up tools and technologies to find signals and insight in unstructured, often external, and generally messy data. Big data analytics can open a window into an intricate world of customers, employees and operations that hasn’t been easily accessible before. While leaders can gain fresh insights that are immediate and real, should they use big data to drive far-reaching business decisions? Join the debate today. -
Unlock the potential in your data
9 May 2012 | 8:27 amBusiness analytics uses data to drive business strategy and performance. It includes a range of capabilities - from looking backward to evaluate what happened in the past, to forward-looking approaches like scenario planning and predictive modeling. Explore our latest resources to learn how analytics can deliver uncommon insights and breakout value. -
Talent Edge 2020: Redrafting talent strategies for the uneven recovery - Perspectives from the Oil & Gas sector
3 May 2012 | 9:37 amWhile other sectors are focusing more on developing leaders and succession planning, Oil and gas sector’s primary focus is recruiting hard-to-find skill sets in the face of looming talent shortage. Read this report to learn more about the key talent trends in oil and gas sector. -
HR in the financial services industry? Most are paying too much.
2 May 2012 | 8:57 amWe all know the financial services industry has been under the microscope in the past few years, but a new Deloitte Consulting benchmarking study focuses the attention on a different aspect of FSI operations: HR. What’s revealed may seem like piling on to change-weary FSI organizations. -
Turning strategic ambiguity into strategic clarity
2 May 2012 | 8:56 amExplore how CFOs can leverage data and the planning and performance management cycles to address multiple aspects of strategic risk, and in the process create opportunities for themselves to serve as business strategists and catalysts.
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Holy Kaw!
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The mechanics of eclipses [infographic]
16 May 2012 | 9:11 amWhen the moon passes in front of sun, as viewed from Earth, the eclipse that occurs is visible from a narrow path on Earth that corresponds to the location of the moon's shadow. During a total solar eclipse, this path is known as the path of totality. WARNING: Never look directly at the sun during an eclipse with a telescope or your unaided eye. Severe eye damage can result and scientists use special filters to safely view the sun. Via Space. The view from space. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Clean air improves heart health, Olympics show
16 May 2012 | 8:39 amUsing the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a lab, researchers found evidence that even short-term reduction in air pollution exposure improves a person’s cardiovascular health. “Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the Chinese government had proposed to reduce pollution levels to be comparable to other Olympic host cities,” says USC Professor Junfeng (Jim) Zhang. “We wanted to take advantage of such a huge intervention and look at what happens to people biologically.” Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Permalink |… -
Why parents can’t rely on video game ratings
16 May 2012 | 7:48 amNot all E-rated video games are created equal. New research indicates content matters more than ratings when it comes to effects on kids. “In the children’s study these were are all very cartoonish games—they were all rated appropriate for everyone—and yet we still show the violent harm aspect, as well as the prosocial, good aspect of some E-rated games,” says Iowa State University psychology professor Craig Anderson. Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Photo credit: Fotolia Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Top-educated women picking family track
16 May 2012 | 7:46 amMore older, highly-educated women are choosing to have a family, but it remains unclear whether they are having children in addition to—or instead of—careers. “Women born in the late 1950s are the turning point,” says Qingyan Shang, assistant professor of economics at the University at Buffalo. Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
How common is your birthday?
16 May 2012 | 7:21 amChristmas is the time for giving...and making sweet, sweet whoopie. What? That's what science says. According to birth data compiled from 1973 to 1999, the most common birthday falls on September 16 and September in general is a hot time for popping out children. Do the math and you may notice Mommy was doing a little more than kissing Santa Claus underneath the mistletoe. Full story at The Daily Viz. Fun with science. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Neuromarketing
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Finally: 2012 Super Bowl Ad Neuro-Rankings
15 May 2012 | 8:04 amEvery year, we look forward to how the Super Bowl ads stacked up from a neuromarketing standpoint, courtesy of Sands Research. It’s taken a little longer this year, but the results are in! Pepsi Dominates One company, Pepsi, swept the top two spots this year. Their “Kings Court” and “Pepsi Max Checkout” ranked #1 and [...] CommentsWhich one is the “Brotherhood of Man” ad? I thought that ... by RezwanThe precision of determining an actual emotion (vs. magnitude ... by Roger DooleyI wonder if they have the ability to differentiate between ... by A. -
Our Brains Make Facebook Worth $90 Billion
10 May 2012 | 11:03 amThose of us involved in social media know that people love to talk about themselves. They seemingly enjoy sharing the trivial, the personal, and occasionally the weird, details of their lives. Sometimes they overshare – as a longtime online community builder, I’ve found that “poster’s remorse” is common – people post something too personal and [...] CommentsThis reminds me of Dale Carnegie's principles, and the number ... by SamuelI've always been curious as to why people answer questions at ... by JamesNoting though that all individuals are a… -
Does Your Domain Say “Trust Me?”
9 May 2012 | 4:38 amDo web searchers pay attention to the domain where the link in the search results leads them? A few years ago, I would have said “no.” For years, I’ve operated or advised websites that ranked at or near the top for various brand names, and found many users assumed the site WAS that brand. Even [...] Comments[...] in No TimeBuild Trust With Your Domain NameThis week, one ... by Red Paper Clip » Build Trust With Your Domain Name » Red Paper Clip[...] on http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com Share ... by Does Your Domain Say “Trust Me?” « Things I grab,… -
When Encouragement Can Hurt Your Child
2 May 2012 | 4:54 amHere’s another rare foray into neuro-parenting. In How to Praise Your Child, I described research that showed telling your child he/she is smart could actually backfire and have negative effects on performance. It turns out there’s another kind of encouragement that can hurt performance rather than improve it. Group vs. Individual New research published in [...] CommentsI agree. I believe praising the effort is the better thing to ... by frivWhat's really going in a situation like this? Could telling a ... by SamuelI have found comparing a child's progress to other groups… -
Neuromarketing Proof? UCLA Brain Scans Predict Ad Success
27 Apr 2012 | 4:55 amFor years neuromarketing firms have been selling their services to help advertisers optimize TV commercials, product packaging, and other media. While these companies all claim success in helping their clients boost sales, there’s been little in the way of published academic research that demonstrates measuring consumer brain activity can reliably predict subsequent behavior. A new [...] CommentsAmazing how little we really know about how our brains work. I ... by Samuel[...] [3] ... by Open science « Isabellemitchell's BlogRoger, exactly my point: It all depends on the…
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Creating Consumer Evangelists - By Alex L. Goldfayn
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How Marketing Affects Stock Price
14 May 2012 | 4:46 pmThe Evangelist Marketing Minute is a weekly thinking launch point that is always short enough to read in about 60 seconds. It covers technology marketing, branding, positioning, language, and public relations. Your email address is never shared, with anybody, for any reason. This Week’s Launching Point: Consider these stock prices: Apple in 2000: $23 | Today: $566 Amazon in 2000: $30 | Today: $228 Microsoft in 2000: $58 | Today: $31 Netflix in July 2011: $295 | Today: $77 What lesson do these numbers teach? That consumer excitement — which we create through excellent marketing… -
Why Microsoft Is Being Left in The Dust
11 May 2012 | 3:14 pmMy new Mashable column was posted this morning. It begins this way: There are now a number of companies — Apple, Google,Amazon, and others — that have Microsoft in their rear-view mirrors, disappearing quickly on the horizon in a cloud of dust. That kick of dust in the company’s face is being emitted by Apple’s iPhone and iPad, Amazon’s Kindle, and Google’s search and cloud domination. Microsoft’s own wild lunges into various technology segments are also contributing considerably to it being left behind. Take the company’s recent partnership with Barnes & Noble,… -
Start A Lot
7 May 2012 | 7:31 amStarting is often the biggest hurdle in getting things done. Once you start writing the email, you usually finish it. Once you begin to exercise, you’ll complete it. Similarly, once you start making calls you’re not eager to make, or start on the work task that you’ve been avoiding, you’ll likely finish it. At least, the chances are much higher than if you hadn’t started doing the work. When you start, you create forward inertia. When you start, you take down the hurdle. When you start a lot, you conquer procrastination. So, start early, and often. Start a lot. -
Be The Disruptor
5 May 2012 | 3:07 pmAT&T’s CEO, Randall Stephenson, had this to say this week: “You lie awake at night worrying about what is that which will disrupt your business model. Apple iMessage is a classic example. If you’re using iMessage, you’re not using one of our messaging services, right? That’s disruptive to our messaging revenue stream.” This is the classic defensive posture of a leader who is not thinking big. He is waiting for the next big thing to go wrong. iMessage is causing problems, but the next thing could be worse. What could be next? He lays awake at night anticipating disaster. -
What New Learning Will You Implement Today?
3 May 2012 | 6:38 amMy friend Aviv Shahar brought this fascinating lesson to my attention: the magic number for implementing new learning is 24 hours. If it gets beyond that, normal life begins to get in the way. So…When you read an article you find helpful, hear a good speaker, watch a valuable TED video, or come across some material that you can use for improvement, ask yourself: What can I do today to begin implementing this? You don’t have to execute the entire plan, or apply the entire practice — but do begin it. Disrupt your routine for five minutes — or 20 — and start the…
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Conversation Agent
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Most Marketers Still Not Making Data-Driven Decisions Surveys Find
16 May 2012 | 2:00 amHow do large corporate marketers collect and use data? Are practices in marketing measurement and ROI changing? How about the integration of digital and traditional marketing? Has the excitement around big data brought about a shift in how marketers conduct their business? These are some of the topics for investigation in a recent study conducted by Columbia Business School’s Center on Global Brand Leadership and the New York American Marketing Association (NYAMA). The short answer: there is still a big gap between where organizations would like to be and where they actually are in… -
Answering Common Inquiries About Content
15 May 2012 | 2:00 amThree kinds of inquiries I receive regularly: write about us give us your content allow us to post Many of you find the contact form for consulting work. In that case, I'm happy to provide a quote and scope of work. If that's not what you're after, the quickest way to find out what is accepted for review and publication is by following the link to -- submit your question on the top menu. In all cases, the best outcomes come when the ask is appropriate. Note the term "pro" is part of the word. Making the ask Don't know how to ask? Here's how to write an email that stands out for your review. -
Why Experience is Key to Customer Loyalty
14 May 2012 | 2:00 amWhenever I travel, I'm reminded of the many amazing opportunities that come from being able to reach many parts of the world relatively easily. Let's face it, things can go wrong with the weather and with technology. It is how an airline -- or any company, for that matter -- handles customer fairness that will make a big difference to its bottom line. Will they have to discount fares more deeply so people will do business with them again next time? There is plenty of room left for improving customer experience in the travel industry -- airlines, hotels, car services, even airports, with a few… -
Business Lessons I Learned from my Mother
13 May 2012 | 3:00 amMy mother was Miss Romagna. Her name is Anna Laura. I wanted to have her purple blue eyes and ready smile. She has the welcoming spirit of a woman always ahead of the times and comfortable in her own skin. In addition to being a mother of three (all girls), she has had multiple careers -- accounting, sales, public office, geriatric care, and beautician; some overlapping for years. Mother really gets communications -- the listening part especially -- the organization of work, along with the care of the individual. Whether she negotiated credit rates or the recovery of the elderly, she made… -
Fair Pay, Participation Value, and The Intention Economy
12 May 2012 | 3:00 amDo you know the pay scale for your industry? I'm not talking about the job wanted ads -- those may mislead you and take you down the generic path. You're not generic, you have specific skills, and you should be able to calculate market value. Just like with salary, where you don't have a cut and dry answer, interaction and involvement are not exactly the same thing. Community participation has highs and lows, and they may not follow the touted 1% route. How active are people online? Has it changed in the last couple of years? Marketers can optimize campaigns and programs only so far. Without…
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MarketingProfs How-To Articles
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12 Ways to Strengthen Your Call to Action
14 May 2012 | 7:00 amCreating a great call to action that gets results can be tricky, unless you have a few tricks up your sleeve. Here are 12 essential tips for optimizing your calls to action to ensure they compel potential customers to act. Read the full article at MarketingProfs -
Don't Be a Lead Killer: Three Ways to Keep Sales Leads Alive
11 May 2012 | 7:00 amDespite their critical contribution to a business, sales reps can often get in their own way. Here are three of the biggest ways sales reps kill leads--and three solutions that'll help turn prospects into customers. Read the full article at MarketingProfs -
A Zoo Visitor's Guide to Customer Experience and Performance Chain Excellence
10 May 2012 | 7:00 amIf you've ever been to a zoo, you probably used a zoo map during your visit. Those maps provide wonderful visual cues to the customer-experience and performance-chain lessons we can all apply to our businesses. Read the full article at MarketingProfs -
Five Must-Have Elements of an Awesome Mobile Marketing Call to Action
9 May 2012 | 7:00 amLike any marketing campaign, a mobile marketing campaign can be well thought out, meticulously planned, and perfectly functional... but still produce limited user engagement. Why? A subpar call to action. Read the full article at MarketingProfs -
Pinterest Beyond the Basics: A Marketer's Guide to Successful Pinning
8 May 2012 | 7:00 amCompanies are leaping onto the Pinterest bandwagon, and your brand, too, can benefit from what is now one of the world's largest social networks. Learn what type of content marketers should pin--and how. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
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Brian Solis
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The Fallacy of Information Overload
15 May 2012 | 6:50 amSome of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise. Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as I explore how all of this is affecting us as individuals and human beings. Not a day goes by when I’m not asked about whether or not the social media bubble will finally burst. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, Pinterest, this all has to be too much right? More… -
Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment experience
10 May 2012 | 7:56 amSocial media is more than a digital water cooler for TV and movies. The global conversation that takes place around events and the experiences people share based on what they watch teaches us about consumer preferences. More importantly, their activity influences behavior. Behavior counts for everything. Studying it is just the beginning of course. In order to understand and eventually steer behavior, we must translate activity into insights and in turn, translate insights into actionable strategies and programs. The Hollywood Reporter recently published an exclusive poll about social media… -
The future of TV is more than social, it’s a multi-screen experience that needs design
7 May 2012 | 11:19 amThe future of television is much more than social; much in the same way that the future of media is too, more than social. Social is a fabric; it connects the individual nodes that make up the human network. But, social however, is not a means to an end. And, as such, the same is true about the working theories driving Social TV. Understanding the role social plays in how viewers connect with programs and other people is essential to defining the future of television. Over the years, I’ve written much about my vision for the long overdue convergence of not only web and TV, but also how the… -
The Path from a Social Brand to a Social Business
2 May 2012 | 9:17 amI’ve been a long-time supporter of MediaTemple’s (MT)Residence program along with Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, and many others whom I respect. I wanted to share my “7 questions to answer to become a social business” with you here.. Social Media is pervasive and is becoming the new normal in corporate marketing. Brands who get this right are starting to build their own media networks rich with customer connections numbering in the millions. Right now, Coca-Cola has over 34 million fans on Facebook, but they’re hardly alone. Disney follows just behind with 29 million… -
Do Customers Really Matter to Your Business? Prove it.
30 Apr 2012 | 8:21 amFrank Eliason and I have known each other for many years. We’ve shared the stage on many occasions, he’s made an appearance on Revolution, and most importantly, I’m proud to call him a personal friend. Frank has championed the adaption and transformation of customer service during his time at Comcast and at CITI. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinions, he’s certainly bullish on where service needs to be as a function and a philosophy versus where it is today. In fact, he’s gone so far as to call out social media customer service as being a…
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Branding Strategy Insider
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Measuring Advertising Effectiveness
14 May 2012 | 9:10 pmShow me the Money! This memorable line from the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire might just as well be coming from today’s CEO’s and CFO’s: a growing and vocal demand for accountability from the Marketing function. Big Data Coming – For Better or Worse Everywhere you go these days, you hear about “big data:” the coming golden age where all problems will be solved by crunching massive amounts of data from the web and every other imaginable source. You would think that the CMO’s ability to, indeed, show them the money, would never be better. But according to a recent IBM study, “From… -
Brand Marketers Must Create Wow Moments
13 May 2012 | 9:10 pmThe brain remembers the emotional components of an experience better than any other aspect. —John Medina When Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, the world didn’t just lose one of its great visionaries, but it also lost an astonishing corporate storyteller. His presentations, “Steve-notes” as they were fondly called, had all the elements of a Broadway production, including a cast, drama, heroes, villains, and props. Most brand marketers use presentations to deliver information, often dryly. Steve Jobs gave presentations that informed, educated, and entertained. The most… -
Brand Marketing's New Currency
12 May 2012 | 9:10 pmIn the late 1980s and early 1990s, neuroscientists at the University of Parma discovered mirror neurons in our premotor cortex that fire when we perform an action and also when we observe others performing the same action. For example, the neurons that fire when we grasp a cup also fire when we see others grasp a cup. By mirroring the activities of others in this way, mirror neurons endow us with a built-in leaning toward empathy, social interaction and altruism. We don’t always behave well in social settings, but because we are predisposed to social engagement, the rocketing rise of social… -
Brand Strategy: Repositioning Commodities
10 May 2012 | 9:10 pmEven producers in the commodity world of meats and produce have found ways to reposition themselves and thus create a unique selling proposition. Their successful strategies can be summed up in five ways. 1. Identify. Ordinary bananas became better bananas when a small Chiquita label was added to the fruit. Dole did the same for pineapple with the Dole label, as did the lettuce people by putting each head into a clear Foxy lettuce package. Of course, you then have to communicate why people should look for these labels. 2. Personify. The Green Giant character became the difference in a… -
Brand Strategy For Startups
9 May 2012 | 9:10 pmA startup business faces many difficult challenges getting off the ground. For many early stage CEO’s assessing their priorities, product development and the seed money to grow are their primary concerns. Few if any are thinking much about brand building–mainly because they believe it to be sophisticated marketing they simply can’t afford. For startup CEOs, brand building needs to be as important to early success as product development and raising money. You can have the most innovative, groundbreaking product ever conceived, but if you can’t create a strong foundation for…
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Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
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5 Reasons Why Landing Pages Are a Must
16 May 2012 | 5:25 amOnline marketers have used the term “landing page” for many years to describe a sales tactic focused on getting people to take one, specific action. Today, landing pages have simply become a required element in the marketing toolbox for every imaginable business, including local brick and mortar types. Example of a personalized lead capture landing page A landing page is just the page people land on because an ad or email directed them to that specific page as opposed to your site’s homepage. Effective landing pages make it very clear what a visitor is going to get from a page and how… -
13 Questions That Will Lead You To Your Perfect Marketing Strategy
15 May 2012 | 5:54 amPlenty of startups try to determine the perfect business model to take to market only to find that the market doesn’t need, want or understand what they are presenting. The fact is most books or courses on business models take this into consideration by suggesting trial and error scenarios and market hypothesizes prior to launch. Any business model, or plan for that matter, is little more than a guess and I believe that your best chance for getting that guess right is to build your business model based on a marketing strategy. This assumes the role a fully developed marketing strategy… -
5 Non Spammy Ways To Get a Blogger’s Attention
14 May 2012 | 5:28 amEveryone, from PR firms to individuals with a product to sell, pitches bloggers these days. Getting coverage or exposure for your business by way of a number of highly read blogs should be a foundational element of your PR approach. So, I thought I would share of few of my thoughts on the most effective ways to get a blogger’s attention and stand out in a way that gives your pitch a far better chance of garnering coverage. Sadly, it would much easier to write a post on what not to do, but I like to stay on the positive side here. Whether your goal is to land a guest post, get a review of… -
Weekend Favs May Twelve
12 May 2012 | 5:39 amMy weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week. I don’t go into depth about the finds, but encourage you check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from Flickr or one that I took out there on the road. New Duct Tape Marketing t-shirt design via Hugh MacLeod Gapingvoid Good stuff I found this week: Ming.ly – A personal relationship manager that aggregates your contacts from Gmail, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter into a searchable merged address book that allows… -
Engaging Your Macro Metric As a True Measure of Success
11 May 2012 | 5:59 amBusiness owners and marketers are told to measure and quantify everything. The problem is this practice alone can lead to false assumptions and a fixation on things that simply don’t matter that much. lollipolluza via FlickrAre website visits, Facebook Likes, newsletter signups or even revenue the true measure of success for your business? Perhaps, but how so? When we simply create a list of what we might call key performance indicators without the proper focus with which to weight them, it all simply becomes an exercise in collecting. It’s a lot like having a bunch of puzzle pieces…
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Brains On Fire Blog
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Stories vs. Slogans
16 May 2012 | 8:55 am<em>Stories live forever. Slogans live until the ad agency gets tired of them. Stories are real. Slogans are made up. Stories pull you in. Slogans push out a message. Stories are deep. Slogans are shallow. Stories are personal. Slogans are impersonal. Stories are passed on by word of mouth. Slogans are forced on us by ads. Stories are part of who we are. After all, you don’t share slogans about your grandfather, how your parents met or even how you were treated at a restaurant. Brains on Fire Book, page 32 The proof is in the pudding story… -
Is All of That ‘Noise’ a Bad Thing?
15 May 2012 | 7:37 amHow many times have you heard talk about the dreaded ‘noise’? The other day a friend of mine lamented about how digital camera prices have dropped to a point where ‘everyone’ is calling themselves a ‘professional photographer’ and its creating so much ‘noise’ in the industry. But it seems to be everywhere – from startups releasing a product, to companies exploring social media, to ‘content strategy,’ to hundreds of people applying for the same job opening. Everyone seems to be asking, “how in the world are we going to… -
Nostalgia, Mad Men and Emotions
14 May 2012 | 6:32 amYours truly at a Brains on Fire Mad Men Christmas party a few years back. I’ve never gotten caught up watching the show, Mad Men. But the other day someone showed me a short clip that got stuck in my heart for many reasons. Take a minute and watch it. Don’t you love that? The definition of nostalgia as a pain of or ache is wonderful. Even happy memories can create that tug. Since we’re in the word of mouth marketing business, we think a lot about the role of emotions in igniting conversation. We know that brands and organizations that evoke strong emotions and storytelling… -
The End User is Not the Only User
10 May 2012 | 6:38 amI am not a product designer. I’m not even a designer. But I noticed something recently that made me think hard about the process of developing products and experiences. My wife and I were eating at a burrito chain where one of the new Coca-Cola “Freestyle” drink machines was installed (1). I’m not a soda drinker, so I didn’t experience it for myself, but I could tell that other restaurant patrons were really enjoying the futuristic interface and the impossibly broad number of drink choices available from one machine. (I read later that the number of available… -
Hello (and some photos) From Chicago
9 May 2012 | 5:50 amWe’re at the WIT. Love the little brilliant details in this hotel, like birds quietly chirping in the halls. I’m in Chicago this week at Womma‘s womm-u with Cordell and Geno. And I’m so glad we all came. Honestly, I wish everyone from Brains on Fire could attend. Yesterday’s keynote speaker Steve Knox is shiny brilliant (he spoke at the FIRE session two years ago and was a huge hit). Every time I get the chance to be in Steve’s company, I take it. And every time I hear him speak, I learn something new. Here are just a couple of things that stuck in my mind:…
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Adrants
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Joan Rivers to E*Trade Baby Creators: 'Go F%#k Yourselves'
16 May 2012 | 9:02 amWe knew who would win various CLIOs earlier this month but last night during Internet Week, the CLIOs held their award ceremony at New York City's American Museum of Natural History. -
Search and Social: A Love Affair During Internet Week
16 May 2012 | 7:48 amIn an Internet Week panel entitled Search & Social: A Love Story, Mashable Business Editor Todd Wasserman sat down with About.com Director of Research Laura Salant and Buddy Media VP of Analytics and Insights Tami Dalley to discuss the interplay between and the roles search and social currently play. -
Patton Oswalt to Host 16th Annual Webby Awards
15 May 2012 | 12:22 pmDon't miss it. Wait, miss what? The Webby Awards! -
How Brands Can Meet Consumer Demand With Content
15 May 2012 | 11:33 amAt Internet Week, Demand Media explains why pull media just might be a better solution than push. -
Fifteen Worldwide Social Media Stats For Marketers
15 May 2012 | 9:32 amIn a presentation given at OMMA Social during Internet Week, comScore Media Evangelist Eli Goodman rattled off a plethora of juicy social media facts and figures.
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Remarkablogger
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How To Be An Olympian Blogger
1 May 2012 | 8:19 amThis is a guest post by Andrew Rondeau. Image by Rev Stan Unless you’ve been walking around in ear-muffs and dark glasses for the past few months, you’ll have noticed that a new excitement is gripping the UK. Everywhere you turn, red, white and blue merchandise is creeping in to supermarket shelves, and people are discussing what tickets they have managed to get hold of, and organising time off work. Finally, after much discussion and planning, the Olympics 2012 are coming to the UK! Although it’s interesting stuff, we ought not to let ourselves get distracted from regular activities… -
How to Recognize a Spammy Guest Post Request (and what to do about it)
2 Apr 2012 | 4:27 pmImage from BigStock Photo Once your site has enough traffic, you will receive automated guest blogging requests. These are sent out automatically by software programs, which scan sites looking for contact forms and which automatically fill them out and submit the message. By the time you reach this point, you’ll also be getting real guest post requests from actual people, so at first it may be tricky to tell the difference between the two. What we’re going to do here is take a look at a typical spam guest posting request and point out the features that make it spammy so you can… -
3 Tips for Creating the Perfect Infographic (Ironically not an Infographic)
21 Mar 2012 | 2:38 pmNot a real infographic! Image by BigStock Photo If you were to hold the edge of your hand across your throat, just under your chin, that would be the “here” I’ve had it up to with the infographic craze. I know I’m not alone. But I’m not here to rant… I’m here to help. Because people just freaking love the damn things and if you want to get in on the action, it’s easier than ever. It’s also easy to create stupid, lame infographics. There is a very good reason for displaying information in a visual format: because it conveys understanding… -
12 Sneaky Business Blogging Tricks to Dominate Your Market
13 Mar 2012 | 2:33 pmImage by BigStock Photo Warning: I’m gonna get a little “sneaky” in this post. I don’t subscribe to the notion that it’s not enough for me to succeed, my “enemies” must also fail. And I do believe in showing mutual respect and taking the high road when dealing with people. But I’m also playing to win, to dominate the market. I plan on remaining number one for the search term “blog consultant” for a long time. How about you? Want to dominate your market? Not all of the tips below are “sneaky” but a few of them definitely… -
Screencasting: Editing, Pacing and Effects
8 Mar 2012 | 1:34 pmTime for the next installment in my “Screencast Like a Pro” series. Between client work and then getting deathly ill, I haven’t kept up with this series as planned and a couple weeks slipped by, but here we are now, so let’s dive in. By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll have a good understanding of how and why to edit your screencast in certain ways. You’ll discover tricks to control the perceived speed of presentation in your screencast (pacing) and how to jazz it up for visual interest and continuity (effects). Editing, Pacing and Effects…
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Flooring The Consumer
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Tips for Connecting With Customers
14 May 2012 | 7:00 amDo you have time-tested tips for connecting with customers? I'd love to hear about them. Here are some I gathered while at Surfaces: Connecting With Customers: 4 Tips Based on Surfaces Highlights Thanks for reading! Best, C.B. -
The Shoe Lovers' Retail Experience: DSW
7 May 2012 | 6:00 amAre you familiar with DSW, also known as Designer Show Warehouse? It is 100% focused on shoe lovers. In the following article, I explore the DSW shoe lover retail experience: DSW: a Retail Experience for Shoe Lovers I'd love to hear your thoughts on DSW and the article. Thanks for reading! Best, C.B. -
Schmitt on Happiness and the Customer Experience
30 Apr 2012 | 7:19 amIf you are as intrigued as I am with the notion of 'happy customers', you'll enjoy this interview with Columbia Business School professor and customer experience expert Bernd Schmitt: Happiness and Customer Experience: Interview with Bernd Schmitt [If you are in NYC on 5/2/12, you can learn more by attending the One Happy Book Launch Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York event.] Best, C.B. -
Zappos Online: Powered by Customers!
2 Apr 2012 | 12:36 pmMy latest blog article explores Zappos Online. There, too, customers are at the forefront! I invite you to read and share your comments. Zappos' Online Retail Experience: Powered By Customers Thanks! Best, C.B. -
How To Articulate Customer Expectations: Sandy Smith
19 Mar 2012 | 6:00 amIf you feel strongly about delivering a Starbucks-like experience, you will enjoy Sandy Smith's breakdown of seven customer expectations. They will get you thinking and anticipating how to delight customers. Simple click on the link to read the article: Getting More Customers By Articulating Expectations: Sandy Smith Thanks for reading! Best, C.B.
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Strategic Public Relations
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Will Facebook Unveil a Mobile Device?
14 May 2012 | 5:49 amBased on Facebook's recent app store news and a string of mobile acquisitions, I'm wondering when it will launch its own device?It's something I predicted yesterday during the weekly BraveAdWorld podcast. My colleague Taylor Wiegert and I discuss it during the weekly news items. It's probably my first prediction. That may tell you how strongly I feel about it. But it's not like I'm going out on a limb.The prediction is based on my last post with CNET's overview of the need for digital ecosystems for certain brands to succeed in the future. A digital ecosystem includes the device, a… -
The Power of Unassuming Brands (a lesson from Signal P&G)
6 May 2012 | 11:25 amThe Signal P&G event brought together brands we see in the news almost daily -- from Twitter and Facebook to Coca-Cola and more. But the brands on Procter & Gamble's dais getting less media attention, or perhaps less positive media attention, were more interesting that day. Presentations from Amazon, AOL and Nokia taught me to reconsider the power of unassuming brands.These companies are not startups or unknowns. But news coverage can suggest that new brands may "kill" more established brands. Stories with only one clear winner, atop a pile of competitors, make for shareable… -
TidyCat's Social Media Team Stops a Stink Over Its #lifestinks Campaign
8 Apr 2012 | 9:58 amTidyCats latest ad campaign spans online and offline to get consumers sharing about what stinks in their lives. But one of their ads created its own stink. To the brands' credit, they were listening and responded in less than 24 hours to stop a possible catfight with consumers.Billboards localize the campaign by referencing what stinks in each market. I'm imagining traffic in Los Angeles, rain in Seattle and there are plenty of opportunities for the NYC subway. These examples are all harmless, even humorous, locally relevant and make TidyCats' point that #lifestinks.Don't Trash the the… -
Instagram's Android Launch Complete's the Picture for Brands
4 Apr 2012 | 5:37 amWith 1 million downloads made in the first 24 hours of its release, Instagram's long-awaited Android app has clearly been well-received.The Android release was a bit of a tidal wave as you can only access the platform via its mobile app or using your app login to use web-based options that tap into the Instagram API.More users mean more potential for your audience being on the platform. So here's a quick recap of Instacontent, from here and elsewhere, to help users get their sea legs with an app that's gotten a serious second-wind. Watch How Brands Do: There are a variety of brands with an… -
Hunger Games' Social Media Lesson? The Need for Real-Time (Data) and Longer Lead Time
26 Mar 2012 | 11:36 amThe word of mouth and promotional frenzy around Lionsgates' Hunger Games has been deafening. It helped the film break box office records -- before it even opened it seemed.While I may never see the movie (I'm not the target audience), one thing I'm first to admit is that I really like how the movie was marketed.According to this article in Forbes, the key to The Hunger Games' social media success can be attributed to the use of real-time input from fans and a healthy lead time to build momentum for the film."Lionsgate adopted a ongoing continuous process for improvement based upon user data…
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MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog
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Should Your Marketing Message Require Reading Between the Lines?
16 May 2012 | 10:28 amYears ago, the political philosopher Leo Strauss wrote an essay entitled, “Persecution and the Art of Writing,” in which he advocated reading some philosophers “between the lines.” For a host of reasons, the philosopher felt that the truth he had to speak could only be spoken surreptitiously or “by means of brief indication.” Of course, one can run into a lot of trouble scholastically when arguing that a philosopher meant to say something other than what he explicitly stated. I mean, how are you supposed to prove that? Strauss insists that a “between… -
Learn These Four Classic Approaches to Marketing Campaigns
16 May 2012 | 7:03 amA guest blog post by Geoff Livingston and Gini Dietrich. A classic marketing strategy mistake is to select tools because they are new or talked about frequently in the media. Fascinated with the latest tool, marketing rounds (what we like to call your team) forget to select media and methods to achieve an objective. Measurable objectives, however, often require selecting a primary approach towards the customer, after which tools are selected based on budget, time, and other resources. There are four common approaches to marketing campaigns today. Direct Community Interaction With… -
Four Tips for Breaking Out of Your Slump Just Like Albert Pujols Did
15 May 2012 | 7:03 amA guest blog post by Maranda Gibson of AccuConference. Former St. Louis Cardinals powerhouse first baseman Albert Pujols traded the Midwest for the West Coast when he accepted a record-breaking deal from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. His start for the Angels was highly anticipated, so many people were shocked that Pujols had done more striking out than anything else since the beginning of the season. That’s right. A lot of money was invested in a man who could hit a home run off any pitcher in either league, but all he had managed to do lately was strike out—until May 6,… -
What the Evolution of Marketing Automation Looks Like [Infographic]
14 May 2012 | 7:03 amA guest post by Irv Shapiro of Ifbyphone. The term “marketing automation” often conjures up images of people waiting on hold or receiving out-of-office responses. However, smart business owners know that marketing automation equals measured results. The term “marketing automation” includes lead management, Web analytics, email marketing, voice-based measurement, inbound marketing, and social media. And marketing automation contains a wealth of opportunities for businesses to… Measure ROI and lead quality Streamline the leads-to-sales process Enhance user interaction… -
Content Management for Marketers: What’s the Difference Between Open Source and Cloud Platforms?
11 May 2012 | 10:49 amA guest post by Roland Benedetti of Nuxeo. Ten years ago, if you asked a group of marketing professionals which content management systems (CMS) they encountered most often, you would probably get a few blank stares. Nowadays, however, everyone knows what a content management system is because marketers use them nearly every day to create content, edit websites, and manage projects. But is there only one type of CMS? Do they all operate the same? Which type is best for which function? One of the biggest differences in CMS solutions is what is called open source vs. cloud-based solutions. Do…
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Seth's Blog
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Digital analogs are no longer sufficient
16 May 2012 | 2:00 amThe parking meter was rebooting. I guess we're supposed to walk to the other end of the garage and find one that's working. We're seeing digital awareness coming to just about everything. In this case, it was the parking meter near the library. Of course, it's not really a parking meter, it's a centralized fee collection system that saves the town a lot of money. It's easier to collect from, certainly, it doesn't waste the time of meter readers (who get alerted as to what spaces aren't paid for, as opposed to checking them all) plus it doesn't let a new parker enjoy a few minutes of the last… -
Hard work on the right things
15 May 2012 | 2:00 amI don't think winners beat the competition because they work harder. And it's not even clear that they win because they have more creativity. The secret, I think, is in understanding what matters. It's not obvious, and it changes. It changes by culture, by buyer, by product and even by the day of the week. But those that manage to capture the imagination, make sales and grow are doing it by perfecting the things that matter and ignoring the rest. Both parts are difficult, particularly when you are surrounded by people who insist on fretting about and working on the stuff that makes no… -
Worldliness
14 May 2012 | 2:41 amIntelligence is the combination of knowing a lot about a little while you also know a little about a lot. Deep domain understanding helps you create analyses. Your ability to understand how a particular system (no matter how small) works allows you apply a confident analysis to new systems you encounter. Once you know everything there is to know about nuclear physics, soccer or the praying mantis, it makes it easier to understand new systems. At the same time, it's impossible to be smart without also being aware of the wider world. That's because it's the random interactions and the… -
The reason the customer is always right...
14 May 2012 | 2:08 amIf you insist that they are wrong, they stop being your customer* (if given half a chance). People spend their time and attention and money in places that make them feel valued. *There's nothing wrong with asking customers who are wrong to leave. Just be sure you do it on purpose. -
Dedicating the merit
13 May 2012 | 2:02 amFor an author, one of the nicest parts of the traditional book is the dedication page. The dedication is far more than an acknowledgement to someone who helped you write the book, it's a permanent signpost, a capstone to the work of a year or more. Even if the person you've dedicated the book to can't read it, the writer benefits from the knowledge that a connection was made and that a memory was preserved. Here's the thing: you can dedicate just about anything. A project, a meeting, a tweet. You don't have to tell anyone but yourself. This blog post, like all the posts before it, has a…
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The Responsible Marketing Blog
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Return of the salesperson from hell
3 May 2012 | 11:47 amI’m the proud owner of a new Chevy Volt, and I’m thinking of ordering a license plate that says Shocked. You see, I thought I’d buy a Nissan Leaf. After multiple visits to the Leaf website, reading reviews and watching videos of the owner experience, their marketing connected with me. I decided the quirky all electric vehicle might be just the car to finally free me from the shackles of the gas pump. So, I went to a local Nissan dealer and took one for a spin. It drove well, and decided I’d find out if they’d honor Nissan’s lease deal. That’s… -
An opportunity missed, and at what cost?
18 Apr 2012 | 2:34 pmI just contacted a company because a coupon code they emailed me didn’t work. As it turns out, it expired in their time zone, not mine, so I missed a discount of about $10 by about 10 minutes. Sure, I could have been an ass about the fact they didn’t state the timezone on their coupon, but it was only $10. But customer delight drives word of mouth, and had they bent the rules by 10 minutes and honored it, this would have been a different post — and I would have surely shared the name of the company with you. I’ve been a non-friction customer for at least eight years… -
God is in the details
28 Mar 2012 | 5:04 pmMore evidence that the days of boring church marketing are long gone: Mars Hill Church, based here in the Northwest. We thought we’d peek under the covers of their website to see if we could discover who coded the site, and look at what we found: If you’ve never fiddled with HTML, this won’t mean much to you. But if you have, you might have just said “awesome” under your breath the way we did. “It’s all about Jesus” is one of their key messages, and whether you’re Jesus follower or not, take this away: There’s always room for… -
Do we hate Dollar Shave Club’s viral video?
7 Mar 2012 | 10:01 amThis being the Responsible Marketing Blog, you might think a video with an F-Bomb in it might attract our ire, right? Wrong. Watch this: There are plenty of things we don’t like: Racism. Bigotry. Violence. Corporate greed run amok. Comic sans. But boring marketing is irresponsible, and boring Dollar Shave Club is not. This is f**king brilliant. -
Responsible or not? CIT’s college recruiting video
20 Feb 2012 | 1:22 pmCollege advertising is usually so, well, meh. Not so with this ad entitled “It’s a Snap” from filmmakers Henry & Aaron, done with full creative license for their alma mater, Western Australia’s Central Institute of Technology. The video has gone viral, leaving some to say it has changed the face of college recruitment advertising. So, do you think they’ve nailed it for their target audience, or have they gone too far? Comment below to weigh in.
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Marketing & Strategy Innovation Blog
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The Cleanweb: Green Energy Meets Moore's Law
16 May 2012 | 9:18 amBy embracing new Web and mobile technologies, green energy companies are creating a new Cleanweb movement in which formerly expensive alternative energy sources - such as solar power - are suddenly accessible to the masses at a significantly lower price point. Think of the Cleanweb as what happens when green energy meets Moore's Law. read more -
The Science of Social Media ROI
16 May 2012 | 9:16 amLast week I presented at a webinar as part of a series looking at the science of social, focusing on social media ROI and demystifying the confusion that surround it. The problem with social media ROI is that it is so easy to measure so many things that we become overwhelmed by measures. We think that everything is important and that everything is a measure of ROI. It isn’t. And it isn’t. Followers and Likes do not make ROI; moreover they stop us from thinking about the bigger business benefit of social.read more -
Is Eliminating the Bargaining Power of Customers More Important Than Working On the Customer Experience?
16 May 2012 | 9:12 amListening to the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson I am left with the impression that nothing was more important to Steve Jobs then using technology to produce great products that delivered a great user experience. Good enough was good enough, even great, for many in the computer industry. Only insanely great was good enough for Steve Jobs. Anything less was simply not good enough, it was not ‘art’ and not ‘worthy of artists”; great artists don’t want to put their names on good enough art. read more -
Apple Loses A Customer
16 May 2012 | 9:06 amI know I’m dim, and I know that customers suffer glitches with every tech brand so my complaint isn’t news. But I want to explore it in the broader scheme of brand integrity and business strategy. read more -
Video Interview: Social Media at Orange in a Nutshell
16 May 2012 | 3:08 amI prepared this series of video interviews in order to prepare myself for the Ronewmedia conference in Bucharest, Romania. In those 3 interviews, I describe what I do at Orange,our philosophy and where we think the wold of Corporate social media is going.read more
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Service Untitled
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Building a business culture to deliver the best customer service
14 May 2012 | 1:02 pmA strong business culture that is aligned with superior business goals outperforms their competitors by light years. These are the organizations who have figured out how to delight their customers and even make them smile. After all isn’t the Zappos’ motto “powered by service” incredibly motivational which delivers a message of trust and reliability? Zappos has worked hard to develop their culture resulting in a high percentage of return customers; a much more lucrative business model than having to find new clients. Deciding on what a business wants to accomplish is… -
How to keep your customers from leaving you
7 May 2012 | 11:02 amA surprisingly high statistic from the Research Institute of America (RIA) states an average business will never hear a word from 96 percent of their unhappy customers whose complaints range from poor service, rudeness, to discourteous treatment. These are the customers that silently move away from you and are welcomed with open-arms by the competition. These are the customers who tell their friends, co-workers, and family members about their bad experiences. Multiply the unhappy customers who these people have told about their unsatisfactory experiences, and soon we realize that… -
What Mickey Mouse can teach us about customer service
1 May 2012 | 9:30 amIt’s the Disney Institute’s 16th birthday, and as with all Sweet Sixteen parties, it’s a chance to celebrate successes and see how the pixie dust of enchantment mixes so effectively with the success of one man’s dream. Walt Disney stated, “You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” The Disney Institute originally began in 1986 in Orlando offering “leisure learning” which entailed courses on fun topics like cooking and landscaping classes. By 1996 the… -
Book Review: The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business
23 Apr 2012 | 12:37 pmI recently finished reading The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business by Richard R. Shapiro who is the founder and President of The Center For Client Retention (TCFCR). Mr. Shapiro’s organization provides research, training, and consulting services to Fortune 500 corporations on how to improve customer service. The book begins with a lighthearted description of four distinct categories of customer service personnel any organization is likely to have on their payroll: We begin with the Welcomer or “Doctor of First Impressions.” These are the customer service… -
Making sure you receive great customer service
15 Apr 2012 | 5:11 pmLast evening a group of us went out to dinner at a popular Italian restaurant. One has to realize that South Florida – namely Palm Beach County is rich with tourists, snowbirds, and an occasional rude diner which gives us the opportunity to learn by someone’s mistakes. Our party was only seated for a few minutes when a rather rude uproar began at the next table. Apparently the dinner order wasn’t to the satisfaction of one very nasty gentleman, and as he raised his voice and insulted the young server, everyone in the restaurant and bar area turned around almost snarling with…
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PR-Squared - Social Media Marketing and Public Relations
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Seven Principles of Content Marketing
14 May 2012 | 11:20 amNow that we’ve all agreed that “Content is King (Again),” and Content Marketing is all the rage, maybe it is time to think about some easy-to-follow tenets. Let’s keep this simple. Follow a 70/30 Rule – 70% of content curated, 30% branded. Why? Because the rest-of-the-world is at least 70% more interesting than your brand; and, promoting external content builds social capital, makes grateful fans of influencers. All content should be SHAREWORTHY. Don’t publish junk. Better to be quiet than to queer the signal-to-noise ratio. All content should benefit… -
Seriously, This Is Gonna Be Cool: The Corporate Social Media Summit
4 May 2012 | 7:05 amNext month I’ll be moderating a panel at the Corporate Social Media Summit, which is being held June 13-14 at the New Yorker Hotel in NYC. It’s gonna be a great time, with an impressive list of corporate attendees, including SHIFT clients such as McDonalds and H&R Block, among many others (Whole Foods! Dell! Lego! Mercedes!). I’ll be moderating the panel on “Reputation preservation and enhancement: Use social media to maximize the impact of your brand.” I’ll be joined by McDonald’s Heather Oldani, Director of U.S. -
Never Give Up, Never Surrender!
29 Apr 2012 | 5:22 am -
SHIFT Communications Named Digital/Social Agency of the Year
24 Apr 2012 | 9:00 amShameless self promotion time. Hang on. Wow, wow, wow. We are busting at the seams over here. Today the Holmes Group named SHIFT Communications the 2012 Digital/Social Agency of the Year – with “honorable mentions” in the category going to behemoths like Edelman, Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick. This marks the 3rd time in the last few years that SHIFT has nabbed “agency of the year” honors. We were the “Agency of the Year” according to the American Business Awards, and the “New Media Agency of the Year” (again via Holmes) back in 2008. Both times we were psyched. But this… -
What’s Old is New Again: Earned Media Can Be Your Hub
23 Apr 2012 | 6:17 amI was catching up with a former client recently. We launched their company a coupla years ago, and by almost any measure, it is now considered a hot commodity. They have tons of social media fans, lots of inbound media requests, do a lot of great content marketing, etc. We originally parted ways, very amicably, because they had reached a degree of success that no longer warranted as much proactive effort (and, being a startup, they were wisely watching their burn rate). During our catch-up session, this company representative described a newfound fever within the company to get more…
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Servant of Chaos
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Networking 101: Getting Out and About for Business
16 May 2012 | 3:57 amNo matter where you are on the career ladder – starting out, consolidating or even retiring and soaking up the sun – the process of networking is vital. But when I say “networking” I don’t mean meeting and greeting and handing out dozens of business cards – these days a great deal of networking and information gathering can take place online (after all it is called “social” media). The nice thing about this, is that you can get a sense of someone’s skills and experience via LinkedIn, understand their thought process and expertise by reading their blog and even see what they… -
Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week
14 May 2012 | 5:17 pmThis week there seems to be plenty of talk about disruption … about what it means and what the implications are. And while this feels true, disruption has always been the natural state in the creative industries (including advertising). It’s just that the waves of disruption now overlap and seem to hit us from all directions. Some of these articles may help you navigate this chaotic world. Stories can have a powerful transformative effect on people and on brands – but many still fail to see the link with social media. Meghan Biro explains why brand humanization is not a social media… -
Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week
6 May 2012 | 3:40 pmEach week, as I click links, follow trails and read through my ever burgeoning list of RSS feed, I leave tabs open in my browser. That often means that I will have 60-70 tabs open at one time – which also means that my browser is slow to load each morning. In an ideal world I read, cull and move on – with only the best tabs left still open at the end of the week. It is from this list that I draw my five must-read posts. Here are a few that I just can’t seem to close: In my mind there is no doubt that Search and all its variants is under pressure. We are slowly but surely coming back to… -
The Real Value in Conferences is the People
3 May 2012 | 6:04 amI just got back from a fantastic couple of days at Terrapin’s Internet Show conference. It confirmed for me how powerful in-person events can be – papering over the cracks of our fragmented online connections, interactions and identities. More than once I was introduced to a person who had previously seemed more real in 140 characters than the flesh and blood person standing in front of me. And more than once did I laugh and revel in the light of a witty observation or wry comment. There was also plenty of great food for thought. Rob Campbell was challenging and thought provoking. -
Vibewires fastBREAK Featuring Dan Ilic
2 May 2012 | 11:50 pmOn the last Friday of every month, Vibewire in partnership with the Powerhouse Museum, hosts #fastBREAK – a breakfast event featuring young innovators and creatives. This is not just a chance for people to “pitch” to the assembled audience of curious business people, artists and entrepreneurs – it goes a step deeper – challenging the speakers to share something deeper – to share a sense of purpose. Last Friday, with the umbrella theme of “Rage”, five speakers again assembled to engage and entertain the audience. On the bill was well-known comedian and performer, Dan Ilic.
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Andy Sernovitz | Damn, I Wish I\'d Thought of That!
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A name with a bug, part 2
16 May 2012 | 7:00 amLast week we had an amazing conference called the Word of Mouth Crash Course. It was a fantastic day, the third in a series. But it wasn’t as big as we expected, and we discovered a critical reason why: We changed the name of the event — it used to be called Word of Mouth Supergenius — without any testing. Here’s what happened — people thought that it was an online course instead of a live conference. The word course implied online training to many people. We also failed to use certain trigger words that indicate that something is a live event: Summit, Expo,… -
A name with a bug, part 1
15 May 2012 | 7:00 amWe were going to launch a site called WordofMouthMarketing.org. During the few months we were planning it, everyone kept saying WordofMouth.org — they kept dropping the word marketing. Even employees and contractors who were working on the project. That was a problem. If our own team couldn’t get the name right, how would our customers find the site? So we killed the project until we could get ownership of WordofMouth.org. It was incredibly lucky that we caught the problem before we launched. We would have sent all of our confused customers to someone else’s site. Lesson:… -
Give them an experience they’ll never stop talking about — and a reminder to re-start the talk
14 May 2012 | 7:00 amThe Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, TX invites school and scout groups to spend the night camping in the zoo. It’s an amazing behind-the-scenes experience. More that just the camping, which is remarkable, you also get to feed a giraffe, pet a rhino, and hold a giant cockroach. Just as important: Every kid gets a free shirt with the Zoo Snooze logo on it. And everyone other kid in school finds out about the Zoo every time the shirt is worn. (And because it was a Cub Scout trip, dozens of kids in the same grade all have the shirt.) Lesson: Don’t just think about the experience. Think… -
What’s the simplest thing you can do to create a remarkable experience?
13 May 2012 | 7:00 amSubway gave us a kids meal in this nice reusable bag. We talked about it, we told people, we kept it, and we tell more people when our daughter carries it around. Probably cost them 30 cents — which is about 10 cents more than a throw-away box. But the conversations it starts are priceless word of mouth advertising moments. -
35 ways to improve sales
12 May 2012 | 7:00 amClassic advice from e-commerce master Sam Decker, now CEO of Mass Relevance, originally published in 2004 and still relevant: Can I find that item I’m looking for? Tune your internal search engine to match top search terms to product pages. Put top sellers on home page. People buy on impulse or recommendation. Match the landing page to the marketing campaign. Use vanity urls for offline advertising. Test your categories, naming and navigation with customers. They’re less intuitive than you think. Can I find something that interests me? Put top sellers on home page. Add related items to a…
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Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
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Find Your One Thing
15 May 2012 | 11:15 amCan you sum up your professional you in one or two words? I was very touched watching the documentary, Being Elmo, on PBS' Independent Lens. The movie is about Kevin Clash (the puppeteer behind Sesame Street's Elmo). From a very young age, Clash demonstrated a strong desire to be a puppeteer. While that seems quaint and points to someone who was focused on what they wanted to do in life from a very young age, you can imagine the struggles he faced growing up in Baltimore. While all of the other kids were out playing baseball or causing mischief, Clash was at home sewing puppets together and… -
Can Breastfeeding Save Time Magazine?
15 May 2012 | 10:01 amWhen was the last time you discussed Time Magazine around the dinner table? I found myself giving a dissertation on mass media at dinner the other night. It all started when one friend leaned into the table and spoke (in an almost embarrassed whisper), "Did any of you see the cover of Time Magazine? The one with the mother and her older child... breastfeeding?" I knew that they were talking about the issue dated May 21st, 2012 titled, Are You Mom Enough? by Kate Pickert. The article about Dr. Sears and the attachment parenting movement has created quite a stir, but I wanted to tease… -
Listen. Engage. Connect.
14 May 2012 | 11:10 amOne of the largest gatherings of professional marketers is about to take place. The Canadian Marketing Association's 2012 CMA Summit is happening next week (May 16th - 17th, 2012 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto, Ontario). I'm fortunate to be the chairman of the board of the directors of this association and prior to that role, I was co-chair of these national annual gatherings. Each and every year offered professional marketers from across the globe the opportunity to connect and share. This year will be no exception. All under one roof. During the two days, just some of the… -
The Virtual Self And The New Trend Of Self-Tracking
13 May 2012 | 8:09 amEpisode #305 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to. Now, with the ubiquity of smartphones and mobile connectedness, it has never been easier to share with the world our each and every move (look no further than Facebook's one billion dollar acquisition of Instagram). And we're publishing our lives. All of the time - in text, images, audio and video - for the world to see. In fact, it's happening more and more with each and every passing day. Why are we doing all of this self-tracking? It's a topic that has fascinated Nora Young for a… -
Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #99
12 May 2012 | 6:09 am93Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see? My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, the author of Complete Web Monitoring and Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks), Hugh McGuire (The Book Oven, LibriVox, iambik, PressBooks, Media Hacks) and I decided that every week or so the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see". Check out these six links that we're…
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the i.d.e.a. brand
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Lessons Brands can Learn from Mobile Apps and Gaming
14 May 2012 | 4:17 pmDon’t we all just want to be entertained? Might just be the reason both mobile apps and social engagement continue to grow like crazy. Chew on these stats: Angry Birds has hit one billion downloads, increasing Rovio’s revenues more than ten fold in 2011, soaring to $106 million Sales in the mobile phone/tablet gaming market in the U.S. more than doubled between 2005 and 2010 reaching $898 million, and according to Mintel are expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2015 Although ... -
Are You Answering Your Customer’s Questions?
11 May 2012 | 4:30 amEvery year I return from the PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference all fired up with inspiration and new ideas. This year is no different. I need to tell you about Marcus Sheridan. Right now. Marcus, aka The Sales Lion, sells pools (well not that much anymore, but that was, and on some level still is, his business), but I would wager he knows more about content marketing than 75% of the people taking up space at agencies across the country. ... -
HangTen #281: Kick-off May With Movement
8 May 2012 | 11:02 am‘Keeping our toes on the nose of refreshingly current trends, ideas and guerrilla tactics.’ To advance, progress, prompt, arouse, excite. These are just a few of the many definitions for the word “move,” the verb noticeably in the minds of marketers this month. This week we’ve noticed brands spark movement emotionally and others have taken a more physical approach. Get moved, moving, or move someone, it’s our challenge for you this month. 10 Must Text While Driving? We have all ... -
The Power of Children in Video
28 Apr 2012 | 2:57 pmHave you heard of Kony 2012? Of course you have. What about Caine’s Arcade? Or Niños Incómodos? These three videos have each hit a nerve resulting in strong viewership, pass along value and media coverage. What is the thread that binds these videos? Children. Each video had a very different goal but ultimately tapped into a common global reaction to the concept of hope. It is human nature to hope for the future of our children. Perhaps mixed with that ... -
HangTen #280: Harnessing Happiness
26 Apr 2012 | 2:25 pm‘Keeping our toes on the nose of refreshingly current trends, ideas and guerrilla tactics.’ Whether in the form of subtle contentment or intense joy, we all demand a daily dose of happiness to maintain our sanity and achieve optimum health. Luckily, a number of businesses, brands and bosses are catching on and chipping in on our quests. They’re tackling the problems and shortcomings that often hinder, and or squash, our state of happiness. Check out the epic office morale boosting ...
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More Than A Logo
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Facebook, take credit for what you do!
21 Apr 2012 | 2:27 pmFacebook - THE Social Network. It's used by 800 million+ people regularly. So regularly, that there are people who check Facebook first thing when they wake up, before they go to be and, yes, sometimes in the middle of the night! Facebook has made us realise and amplify our need to be social and remain connected. They have done this so well that its market value is around 100 billion dollars! But I read an Interbrand article the other day that made me realise, that while Facebook satisfies people's connections today, this perfectly seamless utility isn't taking credit for the role it… -
Lets Play A Game
5 Mar 2012 | 2:17 pmThis past week, I participated in M&C Saatchi's first hack day, Game5hack, which was 6 teams building fully functional online based games over two days. It was the first time I had ever done something like this, and I'm certainly glad I did, and it won't be the last. What a great experience! As a strategist, who believes everything an organisation creates should be dedicated to delivering the brand's promise, it was really great to be exposed to the world of play - something that doesn't necessarily have purpose other than to be fun and entertaining! It was wonderful to let brainstorming… -
Contextual Content is King
29 Jan 2012 | 11:58 amNote: This is the first program to air on TV, where people started to see a meaningful need for one of these big boxes in their home over a radio. I've been thinking a lot about content lately, and how we've grown to be so dependent on it. But not only that, it has to be the right content on the right channel in the right moment. Content is no longer king on its own. Rather, it's contextually relevant content that's king. This concept isn't new in the slightest. Just look at the TV. No one could rationalise why they would ever need a TV over a radio for information and… -
Patagonia - Legally Bound to its Purpose
20 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmFinally, a brand, other than Apple, we can express immense admiration for, or as my flatmate tweeted this week, "open-mouth kiss" - hello Patagonia! Last week, I wrote about its Common Threads initiative, where Patagonia clearly establishes its role/purpose within the global community - "to build useful things that last, to repair what breaks and recycle what comes of its useful life"- then asks its customers to do the same to help accomplish its purpose. Now, Patagonia has asked the government to help it truly live by its purpose without boundaries, becoming California's first Benefit… -
2012 - Let's Say Less and Play More
15 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmImage Found Here Happy 2012!! I think we're in for another exciting year, and I'm rather pleased where branding is going, maybe slowly, but it's in the right direction...let me explain... With so much distrust and uncertainty - lots of skepticism - towards corporations and advertising, people are more receptive to brands that are consistent in their actions, transparent with information and good to everyone around them. However, a consistent, transparent and good brand cannot be developed through an ad campaign any more. People are too smart and have endless access to information…
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Social Media B2B
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3 Ways to Get B2B Social Media Value from Google+
10 May 2012 | 5:20 amMany B2B marketers have already been scratching their heads trying to figure out how to make use of Facebook and Twitter. Along comes Google+, another social network that the average B2B marketer just doesn’t have the time to learn and master. There are, however, reasons to believe that Google+ will be more valuable to B2B companies than Facebook and Twitter put together. And since getting in early is a big factor in determining long-term success, B2B companies should test the waters with Google+ right now. Here are a few reasons why B2B companies, even in niches like restaurant card… -
Dell Launches Social Media Training for B2B Channel Partners
7 May 2012 | 4:00 amDell recently launched a social media training program for its B2B channel partners “to help our partners fully leverage social media tools to improve the lines of communication while elevating their own marketing efforts.” The first live session will be May 8 and will cover the following topics: What is social media and how does it affect the channel How Dell is using social media and lessons we’ve learned How can partners can connect with Dell through social I had the chance to ask Laura P. Thomas, of Dell Global Channel Public Relations, some questions about the program. How… -
Preview of Twitter Advertising Platform for B2B Companies
3 May 2012 | 5:51 amEarlier this year Twitter announced a partnership with American Express to make their self-serve advertising platform available to a limited number of small businesses. We signed up for SocialMediaB2B.com because access to Twitter’s advertising platform previously has been limited to those with big budgets. This leaves out many B2B companies. We offer this preview of what Twitter’s advertising platform looks like, so you can explore the option of promoted accounts and promoted tweets with the knowledge of how the platform works. Choose a target and a budget, and Twitter does the… -
6 Ways B2B Companies Can Use Social Media Gamification
1 May 2012 | 4:26 amA recent article on Marketing Sherpa discussed the idea of bringing gaming mechanics, or gamification, to the internal and external operations of B2B companies. One of several definitions in the article is using game-style systems of “goal setting, real-time feedback, transparency, competition, teams, etcetera — to motivate and engage customers and employees.” While not expressly tied to social media efforts, game-like rewards can be more successful when users have the ability to share them using social media, thereby amplifying the effect of the rewards. Below are six… -
Amazon Launches B2B Business
26 Apr 2012 | 4:00 amAs the web has grown and more B2B companies have expanded their online presences, they have had to deal with the notion of Amazon as a competitor. Not in the normal sense of competition for business, but competition for attention. B2B companies have also had to contend with the Amazon experience. No matter what your business, as soon as you migrate it to the web, your customers expect an experience like they get at Amazon. This means easy navigation, filtered browsing, robust search, recommended products, customer reviews, simple checkout and reliable shipping. The launch of Amazon Supply…
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Occam's Razor by Avinash Kaushik
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Excellent Analytics Tips #20: Measuring Digital "Brand Strength"
14 May 2012 | 3:05 amA lot of digital analytics focuses on direct response (conversions, leads, etc.). But there is an additional valuable, and sexy, focus of our marketing we don't give enough analytical love: Branding! It is sad that we spend so little time on brand analysis, primarily because 1. there is such little accountability to brand marketing and 2. it is such a strategic part of any business. So let's fix that problem in this blog post. Let's become BFFs with a lovely hidden gem that helps you leverage one of the largest source of data on the planet to understand the strength of your… -
You Are What You Measure, So Choose Your KPIs (Incentives) Wisely!
23 Apr 2012 | 2:54 amYes, data is important. Helps make marketing better. Makes for smart organizations. Blah, blah, blah. You know the drill: Measure. Find insights. Take action. (Or die trying.) Ascend to corporate heaven. While there is a great deal of appreciation for the power of metrics/data, I've come to realize that Sr. Leaders don't quite appreciate the deep, and often corrosive, consequences of choosing metric x over metric y as a key performance indicator (KPI). [Sidebar] A key performance indicator is a metric that helps you understand actual performance against preset business objectives. -
Multi-Channel Attribution: Definitions, Models and a Reality Check
2 Apr 2012 | 2:47 amA wise person said: "To guarantee success, spend 95% of your time defining the problem and 5% of the time solving it." I believe deeply in that quote. In my life I spend an extraordinary amount of time understanding the problem and attempting to define it clearly. As if by magic, I find that it is then much easier to find the optimal solution (or realize none exists!). Multi-Channel Attribution is a red hot topic in our industry, and yet it is so poorly understood. I'm convinced that the resulting problems (confusion, FUD, angst, daily prayers, and wasted budget) are due to the… -
A Big Data Imperative: Driving Big Action
12 Mar 2012 | 2:15 amIs there anything in the analytics space that is so full of promise and hype and sexiness and possible awesomeness than "big data?" I don't think so. So what is big data really? No one quite knows. As I interpret it, big data is the collection of massive databases of structured and unstructured data. The data sources include traditional (now considered puny) sources like corporate ERP/CRM systems and non-traditional (massive) sources like every technical ping from every human or mechanical sensor, all web behavior by everyone across the entire Internet, increasingly digital… -
The Biggest Mistake Web Analysts Make… And How To Avoid It!
20 Feb 2012 | 2:19 amThe single biggest mistake web analysts make is working without purpose. We work very hard. We torture SiteCatalyst. We send out a lot of data. Then we resend it again and again. And yet our work results in very little impact on the business in terms of action taken by company leaders. Why this sad state? Almost always we dive into the ocean of data first. Sadder still, we don't ask questions later. We never ask questions. No questions. No tie to what's important. No impact from the data. Result? Our work lacks purpose. It is that simple. My normal recommendation to address this…
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Conversation Agent
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Most Marketers Still Not Making Data-Driven Decisions Surveys Find
16 May 2012 | 2:00 amHow do large corporate marketers collect and use data? Are practices in marketing measurement and ROI changing? How about the integration of digital and traditional marketing? Has the excitement around big data brought about a shift in how marketers conduct their business? These are some of the topics for investigation in a recent study conducted by Columbia Business School’s Center on Global Brand Leadership and the New York American Marketing Association (NYAMA). The short answer: there is still a big gap between where organizations would like to be and where they actually are in… -
Answering Common Inquiries About Content
15 May 2012 | 2:00 amThree kinds of inquiries I receive regularly: write about us give us your content allow us to post Many of you find the contact form for consulting work. In that case, I'm happy to provide a quote and scope of work. If that's not what you're after, the quickest way to find out what is accepted for review and publication is by following the link to -- submit your question on the top menu. In all cases, the best outcomes come when the ask is appropriate. Note the term "pro" is part of the word. Making the ask Don't know how to ask? Here's how to write an email that stands out for your review. -
Why Experience is Key to Customer Loyalty
14 May 2012 | 2:00 amWhenever I travel, I'm reminded of the many amazing opportunities that come from being able to reach many parts of the world relatively easily. Let's face it, things can go wrong with the weather and with technology. It is how an airline -- or any company, for that matter -- handles customer fairness that will make a big difference to its bottom line. Will they have to discount fares more deeply so people will do business with them again next time? There is plenty of room left for improving customer experience in the travel industry -- airlines, hotels, car services, even airports, with a few… -
Business Lessons I Learned from my Mother
13 May 2012 | 3:00 amMy mother was Miss Romagna. Her name is Anna Laura. I wanted to have her purple blue eyes and ready smile. She has the welcoming spirit of a woman always ahead of the times and comfortable in her own skin. In addition to being a mother of three (all girls), she has had multiple careers -- accounting, sales, public office, geriatric care, and beautician; some overlapping for years. Mother really gets communications -- the listening part especially -- the organization of work, along with the care of the individual. Whether she negotiated credit rates or the recovery of the elderly, she made… -
Fair Pay, Participation Value, and The Intention Economy
12 May 2012 | 3:00 amDo you know the pay scale for your industry? I'm not talking about the job wanted ads -- those may mislead you and take you down the generic path. You're not generic, you have specific skills, and you should be able to calculate market value. Just like with salary, where you don't have a cut and dry answer, interaction and involvement are not exactly the same thing. Community participation has highs and lows, and they may not follow the touted 1% route. How active are people online? Has it changed in the last couple of years? Marketers can optimize campaigns and programs only so far. Without…
