Twitter co-founder takes aim at mobile payments

Dorsey, who was Twitter’s CEO until October 2008 and remains the social network’s chairman, said he came up with the idea for Square nearly a year ago with Jim McKelvey, a glass artist who was frustrated after losing out on a $2,000 sale because he was unable to accept a credit card from a customer.

The two started brainstorming about how businesses and individuals could quickly start accepting credit, debit and prepaid cards over the iPhone and other small electronics, and came up with the idea for a credit card reader that connects to a cell phone.

Eventually, McKelvey and a group of engineers decided they should build a gizmo that hooks up to a standard audio jack, which is common on all sorts of consumer electronics from iPhones to BlackBerrys to laptops.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Twitter-cofounder-takes-aim-apf-1023305012.html?x=0&.v=1

[Via http://lanle.wordpress.com]

5 things AT&T should do to save its iPhone business

Apple's iPhone + AT&T

Over the past month AT&T has struggled to maintain its reputation with current iPhone users. First, we heard that the company might start charging users based on their data usage in an attempt to minimize the massive amounts of data that iPhone users are prone to sharing. Then Verizon went to battle with AT&T by revealing the massive holes in the company’s 3G coverage. And in the last couple days, we saw AT&T suddenly stop selling iPhones to New York customers only to turn around and start selling them again the next day. Clearly, the company is on the defensive and it should take measures to solve these issues as soon as possible.

AT&T wanted the iPhone and it got it. Now, the company is scrambling to figure out how do actually accommodate its users. Here are five meaningful things the company can do to solve this issue:

1. Sincerely apologize and promise to treat your iPhone users well. This isn’t rocket science. You wanted the iPhone and all the business that was going to come with it. Apple gave you a gift, one that has allowed you to dominate the smart phone service provider business. It was a great move; however, since you got the business you’ve been slow to innovate and have done little to treat this precious market in a way they deserve to be treated.

   It is time to make amends and you had better do it before someone else does. Instead of making another television ad that brags about your less-than great 3G coverage, make an ad with where your CEO or iPhone team goes on air and apologizes for their past performance and then layout your plans to take you iPhone service to an all new level.

2. Expand your 3G coverage and upgrade to 4G: Verizon’s got you beat when it comes to 3G coverage. I have experienced your lackluster coverage first hand. If I leave Salt Lake City, you coverage becomes spotty and downright unreliable. It’s time to invest and add the towers you need to make sure your coverage is up to par with your competitors. While in the process, why not set a goal to offer 4G coverage as soon as possible?
3. Take a lesson from Zappos. Of all the cellular service providers, you rate the lowest in consumer satisfaction. Now’s the time to look outside the cell phone industry and learn how to provide the world’s best cell service. Take a look at every point of contact with your consumers, from the kiosks in the malls to your website, and identify ways to “wow” your customers every step of the way. Find ways to make your service easy to sign up for (not the easiest thing in the world if you are switching from another provider) and even easier to use after they have signed up. Make “solving customer problems” your number one priority. No one is better than Zappos when it comes to customer service. Take a look at them for starters.
4. Offer something for free. A while back, you launched your first app, a turn-by-turn GPS service. Instead of trying to find ways to milk your iPhone customers for every cent they are worth, why not build loyalty by offering them several key and useful apps they they really need. Free GPS would be a great way to start. But don’t stop there. Look at what apps are the most useful and needed by your customers and then figure out a way to create and offer them free of charge.

   Remember tethering? You have held up this service for some time now. It’s time to allow this to happen and it would be an excellent time to offer this free of charge to your loyal iPhone users.
   
   

5. Let your customers leave for free. Gone are the days when you can punish customers who don’t like your service. Put your business, service and technology to the test by allowing your customers to leave if they are unhappy and do it free of charge. Sure, you might argue that you have made an investment in your customers by subsidizing the cost of their phones. That is completely true; however, that is the business model you built. It’s not too late to change course.

   What do you have to worry about? A lot in the initial stages; however, if you are able to offer the world’s best service on the world’s best smartphone, you should not have much trouble with this one.

You have been given a gift. Apple selected you as the provider of choice for the iPhone. Luckily for you, Apple has held up their end of the bargain by continuing to push the envelope on the technology side. It’s time to match the world’s best phone with the world’s best service. The game is yours to win or lose.

[Via http://jwsokol.wordpress.com]

The Top Five Reason Clients Select “Therapy Online” vs. Seeing a Therapist “In Office”

Since March of 2000, (www.eTherapistsOnline.com) we have been

Online Therapy

providing to the public a pool of well qualified clinicians; mental health professionals who have at least 10 years post graduate experience, provided 6 personal and professional references that attest to their qualifications, “exhibited strong professional skills including a personal interview with a top clinician and management of our company, and in general have made it though the most rigorous screening process of any online therapy site we know of.

It has been extraordinarily rewarding to watch our “experiment” in online therapy grow at a rate we’d never dreamed would happen to where we are now one of the oldest, most established and most publicized online therapy sites online today.

We have conducted a few surveys with our clients over the years, but our most recent one is the one I find most interesting, at least right now. We asked our clients what were the top five reasons they shoes online therapy over seeing someone in office and feel the results are so interesting we wanted to share them with you.

Our research was informal and consistent only of a follow up email to 200 past clients who had purchased a session for the first time within the last 6 months asking them to share with us the top 5 reasons for selecting online therapy.

The results are as follows:

# 5:  Availability — People cited that the therapist they wanted to see was available within the next 2 – 5 days as a reason for seeing someone online. Their comments indicated that this window of time, 2 – 5 days was extremely important and they felt that contact with a professional was more important than where the contact took place.

#4:  Ease of Use — respondents cited the ease of use of the site as the 4th top reason to select online therapy vs. in office therapy.  A frequent remark was that there was little effort to “sell” them on this form of therapy which they liked “Lack of pressure to buy” something was a typical response from respondents.

#3:  Price– The cost of sessions was reason number three given. They thought the range of prices from ($39.95 for 1 email to $85 for 1 60 minute chat or phone) was affordable enough to see if this would be a helpful way of “seeing “ someone and over 72% said they purchased an additional session even though we did not ask for this information.

#2:  Intake Process – While many people complained that the intake process was long, they also felt reassurance that this was “a legitimate” site; “real professionals” and “ethical licensed professionals” if they were asking this much detailed information beforehand.  Credibility, while not using that term, seemed to be the reason they were identifying.

#1:  Skill level of the professional – We post an extensive biography of each therapist on the site and the fact that qualifications was cited was not surprising to us, al thought it was surprising that it was the number one reason.  Because most of our professionals have at least 15 – 20 years post graduate experience and they write well (as demonstrated in their bio) seems to be an important indicator for those seeking therapy. This lends support to my belief that clients who seek therapy online tend to be more professional, highly educated group of people who are looking for convenience and quality in making a decision about what type of service to purchase online and where to make that purchase.

It was a fascinating experience to review the clients’ comments. While we do not have any plans now for future surveys, we will be conducting some as we go on. We do not present this in any way as an attempt at a “scientific study “so we will not respond (mostly for time’s sake) comments critical of the methodology we used.  Our goal here is simply to share information we found interesting. All comments and suggestions are welcome.

Visit us online for online therapy here

[Via http://privatepracticemarketing.wordpress.com]

Tattooink.tv Sponsor of the Singapore Tattoo Show 2010

Tattooink.tv

=====

Flash your Tats at the Singapore Tattoo Show 2010 and you could be one of the many FACES in the coverage of the Singapore Tattoo Show by Tattooink.tv. Have a global audience admire your pride and joy tattoo/s – see you at the show.

Contact: Tattooink.tv

Call: +61 2 83070860

Facebook:

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Postal

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Sydney NSW 2002

Australia

Website: http://tattooink.tv

Singapore Tattoo Show Tat2 2010 – Jan 8 to 10 Singapore Expo

Join us till then on Facebook – http://facebook.com/tattoopride

[Via http://aplink.wordpress.com]

Life Coach's Are Rats (by Rick London c2009) Sung to Al Stewart's “Year Of The Cat”

For my  DF/Love Lee Hiller

Good Kitty

On the morning of a life coach program the entrance fee is free,

The jest of the speech is material accumulation and a myriad of slime,

At the end of the program $5000 packaged programs and you’re sorry,

Feeling an accessory to a crime.

She comes out from backstage with fake Rolex so stunning,

Thinking the audience has no brains,

Then she wonders why on Twitter that she shunned,

She’ll mutter something about Newton’s inertia reference frame,

But she smells like a rat.

She only has a sec for questions,

And prefers Mastercard or bank transfers,

She counts on you to be dense with no direction,

Till your bank balance disappears.

You later find better advice on public bathroom stalls,

And you realize like so many others you’ve been screwed,

The BS was so thick you could cut it with a knife,

So you sip another brew,

Cheers to the year of the rat.

Well she counts her cash so cruely,

Smiling like another Macy’s shopping spree,

Your migraine now is grueling,

So you tweet her, but her only answer is snide,

I can’t help being a rat.

Well the morning comes and you’d like to believe her,

But the bozos on that bus are gone.

You’d like to form a group and start a line of pickets,

But the life coach took all their funds.

Lots Are Becoming Life Coaches Yes Even Danny Bonaduci

You try to think back at a filthier stain,

But the life coach leaves a permanent decay,

Repackaged ancient wisdom is the game she lives for.

They make Michael Madoff seem okay,

To a life coach you’re a doormat.

————————————————————————————————————–

Rick London is a writer, designer and cartoonist. He founded and creates Londons Times Cartoons, the nets #1 ranked offbeat cartoon. He launched Shoes That Amuse, the world’s only famous love quote shoes which have been featured in media worldwide. He has written over 650 published magazine articles and is brand designer for Mariel Hemingway Healthy Gifts.  His funny gift stores contain over 70,000 funny tees funny mugsand other funny gifts such as LT Superstore and Rick London Collection.

[Via http://ricklondonmusic.wordpress.com]

City of Mississauga :: Marketing Consultant, New Media 142700

Job Type: Full Time 

Location: Civic Centre, City Of Mississauga, ON, CANADA; 

Job Category: Marketing 

Industry: Government 

Year(s) of Experience: 3 

Number Of Positions: 1 

Date Posted: Dec 22, 2009  

  

Mississauga is Canada’s sixth largest city with a population of more than 700,000. With well-established infrastructure and state-of-the-art facilities, the City is considered to be an employer of choice, delivering quality municipal programs and services to its citizens. Mississauga is a dynamic, diverse and progressive municipality, known for its economic strength and for being Canada’s safest city.

CORPORATE SERVICES DEPARTMENT

COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION

CORPORATE MARKETING/PROMOTIONS SECTION

requires a

MARKETING CONSULTANT, NEW MEDIA

Job Specifications:

Post secondary education in Marketing, Web Design, Information Technology, Graphic Arts, or Communications along with a minimum of 3 years progressive experience in the development and management of a large corporate Web site or equivalent combination of appropriate education and experience. Experience in all aspects of the web development lifecycle including: analysis, specification building, design and development, coding, QA testing, promotion and maintenance. Proficient in web design and development software including advanced experience using Dreamweaver, Photoshop, ImageReady and Flash. Must be highly skilled in hand coding HTML, JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets and Action script. Demonstrated proficiency in user interface design principles and standard web design and development methodologies. Demonstrated proficiency in the development and integration of dynamic content such as Flash, video and audio content within web sites. Experience and proficiency in the development of dynamic multi-media presentations using PowerPoint, Flash and Apple Keynote. Experience with Content Management Systems (creating and deploying content). E-marketing tactical experience, including creative development that supports a broader marketing plan. Excellent oral and written communication skills. A task-orientated approach to projects and the ability to perform duties requiring independent judgment, analytical skills and initiative. Demonstrated commitment to professional development, including a track record of remaining current with emerging web technologies. Ability to work well under pressure and within strict deadlines. Strong problem solving skills and attention to detail.

Primary Responsibilities:

Under the direction of the Manager, Corporate Marketing and Promotions, the successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating and completing assigned Web page maintenance tasks and supporting the design and implementation of various web development and multi-media projects. Completion of these duties will require, but not be limited to creating, managing and integrating web pages into eCity and Inside Mississauga. Supporting the development and integration of multi-media content such as flash and video on to City Web pages. Developing and implementing dynamic and user-focused web content (both internal and external) for Communications division supported projects. Providing support and consultation to the Communications Team with implementing web-based projects. Partnering with Creative Services to develop dynamic multi-media presentations utilizing PowerPoint, Flash and Apple Keynote for high-profile and strategically important initiatives. Prioritizing and responding to web page maintenance requests from Communications staff based on defined priorities and workload demands. Partnering with Creative Services and Information Technology to advise, build and execute web site development plans based on project needs and goals. Participating in section and divisional work teams and projects as required. Assisting with the ongoing evaluation of web sites and other web services by producing quantitative performance measures. Maintaining an awareness of current trends and technology in related fields. Performing other related duties as assigned.

Salary range: $50,947 – $67,929

A Criminal Record Search will be required of the successful candidate, at their own expense, to verify the absence of a criminal record for which a pardon has not been granted.

We thank all who apply, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.  All personal information is collected under the authority of the municipal Act.  We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Please note that once you have submitted your resume an on-line a questionnaire will appear on screen and must be completed in order to be considered for this position.

 

Click here to apply.

[Via http://gerarddolan.wordpress.com]

Top, Best, Monthly, Yearly, affordable, online, on page, off page, search engine optimization company, google search engine, marketing, seo, search engine optimization placement, web marketing strategy, independent, web 2 marketing, marketing to

Title: Top, Best, Monthly, Yearly, affordable, online, on page, off page, search engine optimization company,  google search engine, marketing, seo, search engine optimization placement, web marketing strategy, independent, web 2 marketing, marketing to the social web, For USA, India, Cambodia, China, France, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States – IT Live Web web site marketing Company www.itliveweb.com

Keyword: Top, Best, Monthly, Yearly, affordable, online, on page, off page, search engine optimization company,  google search engine, marketing, seo, search engine optimization placement, web marketing strategy, independent, web 2 marketing, marketing to the social web, For USA, India, Cambodia, China, France, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

www.itliveweb.com is top and best search engine Optimization Company for USA, India, Cambodia, China, France, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States. We work online on page and off page seo for google search engine. We work for web 2 marketing and marketing to the social web. We are affordable for all type of website, Magento, oscommerce, joomla, ecommerce. We gives monthly and yearly feature to our clients. www.itliveweb.com Online Marketing company allows Our clients to promote The website and services online at a affordable cost than traditional advertising such as yellow pages. ITLiveWeb helps you grow your business and gives traffic because We provide qualified leads from potential customers who are looking for your products and services.

[Via http://minervasoft.wordpress.com]

Leadership, Obama Style: Pretty Speeches, Compromised Values, and the Quest for the Lowest Common Denominator | Drew Weston, PhD

Somehow the president has managed to turn a base of new and progressive voters he himself energized like no one else could in 2008 into the likely stay-at-home voters of 2010, souring an entire generation of young people to the political process.

Meet the new boss…same as the old boss…

Read Article.

[Via http://wbpllc.wordpress.com]

Avatar

Cel mai asteptat film al anului, Avatar, regizat de James Cameron, a inregistrat in ziua lansarii (vineri 18 dec) incasari de peste 27 de milioane de dolari. Desi ninsorile puternice din acest week-end din America ameninta veniturile filmului, analistii se asteapta ca ele sa depaseasca suma de 80 de milioane de dolari.

Avatar este considerat unul dintre cele mai scumpe filme din istoria cinematografiei, cu un buget de peste 230 de milioane de dolari.

In ziua lansarii, pretul actiunilor News Corp. (gigantul care s-a ocupat de producerea filmului) a crescut cu 13 centi, ajungand la un pret de 13.35 $. De altfel aceste actiuni in 2009 au cunoscut o crestere de peste 49%.

———————————-

Eu nu am reusit sa vad filmul, pentru ca efectiv nu am reusit sa fac niciun fel de rezervare (nici eu, nici prietenii mei) – biletele au fost epuizate in cateva minute de la afisarea programului. Si sincer, intr-un fel parca nici nu vreau.

Ma simt sufocat de marketing-ul agresiv al acestui film. Oriunde ma intorc, aud pe cineva spunand ca de abia asteapta sa vada acest film si ca e filmul care va revolutiona cinematografia. Spun ca nu as vrea sa-l vad pentru ca, datorita acestui marketing subconstientul meu ridica asteptarea mea pentru acest film la un nivel foarte ridicat, si nu vreau sa fiu dezamagit. De multe ori acesta este si motivul pentru care nu imi place sa urmaresc diferite trailere.

Acum sper sa nu fie si cazul acestui film. O sa revin cu un comentariu dupa ce reusesc sa-l vad.

[Via http://mihaifiler.wordpress.com]

Marketing Jackass

What would the biggest challenge be for an aspiring marketer in the 21st century? Well to me the biggest challenge would be marketing to the generation of what we loosely call…. Jackasses!

Feeling confused, stereotyped, offended? Don’t be! The moral deterioration of future generations is inevitable. It says so in our religious scriptures; we are nothing but this humankind of constant moral dilution, slowly moving towards apocalypse! As a smart marketer, you have to stop whining and accept that fact, or else you would be a failure! This rampant generation of Jackasses is perhaps the most important segment for many consumer goods. Look at some of the top brands in the world – Levis, Axe Deodorant, Fast Track and all their ‘disciple’ competitor brand; they all target the same generation! There are video games where kids learn to beat up old people! Want a broader look into this…why not! Look at how the villain characters of the movies over the years have evolved – the deceitful third wheel in a love triangle in the 60s to mad scientists in the 80s to mafia drug lords and bank robbers in the 90s to ferocious vampires with symptoms of necrophilia that we see today.

Don’t you see a trend here? Our moral state has deteriorated over the years at such a rate that movie makers realized they have to lower the bar further more to establish the concept of ‘bad’ to new generation viewers. So be smart; accept the jackass-generation rather than denying their existence. Who knows, may be a future successful tagline for a cigarette brand can be: “Cigarette is bad, but drugs are worse! So be smart and choose slow death over fast death….choose XYZ cigarette today!” Marketing as a career doesn’t look that hot now, does it?

[Via http://tabletmedia.wordpress.com]

Create the new NYC condom

“Mach’s mit!” sagen die Deutschen. “Get some!” die New Yorker. Gemeint ist dasselbe: Matratzensport mit Schienbeinschoner. Problem: Wie bringe ich die Regeln auf den Bolzplatz ohne gleich als lebendige Torwand zu enden?

Während die deutschen Werber nach den spannendsten Liebesorten fragen hat die New Yorker Kreativ-Elite zum Design-Wettbewerb aufgerufen. “Design the next NYC condom wrapper” heißt die Kampagne, die ihre Zielgruppe dazu aufruft eine speziell auf New York zugeschnittene Kondom-Verpackung zu entwerfen. Auf beiden Seiten des Atlantiks setzt man also ganz modern auf “user generated content.” Gute Nachrichten für die Gilde der deutschen Kastenbrillenträger. Wir sind dran an den Innovationspächtern aus Übersee.

Fast. Denn in einer Facette ist die NYC Kampagne dann doch durchdachter. Sowohl in den Fernsehspots als auch in der gesamten Printkommunikation sprechen die New Yorker ihre Zielgruppe sehr individuell an. So gibt es Motive für jeden unterschiedlichen Distrikt, damit wirklich niemand sagen kann er hätte sich nicht angesprochen gefühlt. Gut gemacht.

Na dann, let’s get some and then just do it – aber das war ja wieder was anderes.

Natürlich ist die Kampagne auch standesgemäß bei Facebook integriert. Click and enjoy.

[Via http://newyankeediary.wordpress.com]

Dieting Advice - The Day Off Diet Review

The Day Off Diet is quickly becoming one of the most popular diet programs available for instant download online and unlike more expensive programs like Weight Watchers, which requires a monthly payment, The Day Off Diet is available instantly upon a one time purchase. The main reason that The Day Off Diet is becoming so popular is not the fact that it’s available for download instantly, nor is it the fact that it’s far more affordable than most dieting alternatives, nor is it even the fact that The Day Off Diet is essentially free for the first 60 days due to it’s 100% money back guarantee. No, the main reason it’s becoming such a popular choice for those who need to lose weight is that it’s far more effective than other diets.

The Main Reasons The Day Off Diet Is So Effective is…..

It’s Easy To Follow. Other programs like Weight Watchers requires you to count all of your calories, or programs such as Atkins which require you to count all of your carbs, The Day Off Diet’s ingenious “green light” food guidelines method means you never have to count anything when you’re on this diet. This makes it much easier to follow as counting calories, carbs, or fat makes your mind always on food, the last place it should be!

It Keeps The Metabolism Boosted. One of the biggest problems with low calorie diets is that they cause your body to go into “starvation mode” and this greatly slows down your metabolism and makes it much harder to lose weight and keep it off! The Day Off Diet solves this problem with it’s “day off” (every 7th day). This day off not only allows you to satisfy your cravings it also keeps your metabolism high so that you lose weight faster than on other diets!

It Turns Off The Fat Storing Gene. The “green light” food guidelines are not only easy to follow they are also going to cause your body to turn off the “fat storing gene”. Scientists now believe that some foods cause the body to turn on the “fat storing gene”. The Day Off Diet will help you to avoid those foods so that your fat storing gene is turned off and you lose weight faster!

It Allows Dieters To Satisfy Their Cravings. The weekly “day off” not only keeps the metabolism boosted for faster weight loss it also is essential to the diet’s success psychologically. By having a “day off” to eat anything you want every 7th day, it keeps dieters from “cheating” on the other days of the week. Satisfy your cravings every Saturday so you can stick with the diet the other 6 days of the week!

Also The Day Off Diet e-book comes with a bundle of valuable bonuses, including Day Off Diet Cookbook, Loose Skin Report, Strength Training Program, members only website, and more

http://alturl.com/a8ct

[Via http://reviewlastestdiets.wordpress.com]

From feature to benefit

Product creators love features – consumers buy benefits!

How many times have you heard or read an ad that was a list of features? Heaps of times probably, especially in the car industry. You know the stuff… ABS, dual airbags, leading edge technology, multiplex electrics and the like.

So why are benefits better selling points that features?

Benefits tell the potential customer the answer to the question that all consumers want answered – “What’s in it for me?”. So instead of listing features a better advertisement would translate those features into benefits. For example: … comes with the protection of dual air bags and an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) that improves road holding and steering by regulating the braking pressure to avoid wheel lock.

How to turn a feature into a benefit

The clue was in the last paragraph. We need to answer the question “What’s in it for me?”. So next time you’re trying to work out what benefits your product offers you can use the following formula - this feature means that… = benefit

I’ll give you some examples:

• multiplex electrics means that there are fewer wires and connections so it’s easier to service and maintain
• leading edge technology means the best, most up-to-date, most efficient technology
• 6 bedroom house means this is a family home with plenty of room for all the kids and then some
• dual processor means it will process information faster allowing you to work more efficiently

Do you get the picture?

So next time you hire an ad writer, or write one yourself, make sure talk about benefits not features.

[Via http://thecopywriteronline.com]

Advertising - what works?

This is a perennial question and one I wrote one of my free articles on. I think it ’s a message that bears repeating so here goes…

Do “clever” advertisements really sell? Can you remember what the ad was for, or which brand? The answer is often “No!”.

Don’t sacrifice clarity for cleverness

It’s good if an advertisement can make you laugh but that shouldn’t be it’s main purpose. Certainly ads that make people laugh have engaged their audience but if they don’t follow through strongly enough then people don’t remember which brand or, sometimes, even what type of product the ad was selling!

So whether you’re engaging a copywriter or an ad agency, or you’re going to write your ads yourself don’t be tricked into thinking that “clever is best”; it isn’t, “clear is best”.

Cleverness wins awards for agencies

Ad agencies love “clever”, quirky ads because they are good contenders for creative awards but how successfully do they sell? Sometimes, spectacularly well, but many times poorly. Make sure your promotional dollars are targeted at selling your product or service and not at enhancing your agency’s PR efforts.

What makes a successful campaign?

We have more than 20 years experience in the advertising, marketing and PR business and can write clear, attractive copy that will sell your product or service. But if you want to do it yourself then you need some rules to follow:

• Know who your audience is
• Understand what pushes their buttons
• See your product or service through their eyes
• List the features and turn them into benefits (for more on this look out for my next post)
• Write clear copy that catches their interest and explains the benefits

Ads are just one step in the selling process

A successful ad campaign is the result of preparation, research and testing and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Contact The Copywriter Online to discuss your advertising needs or read our article “How to improve your advertising, save money and get better results”.

[Via http://thecopywriteronline.com]

Where’s the Nook In B&N’s “This Week”?

If Barnes and Noble has your email (and your spam protection isn’t very aggressive), then you most likely get Barnes & Noble “This Week” newsletter delivered to your inbox every seven days. My most recent edition of This Week had most of what I would expect in a holiday season issue– new products, sale items and gift ideas.

One thing that was conspicuously absent, however, was any mention of e-books or the Nook e-reader device. Instead, the email showcased pretty much everything but the much-hyped Nook. Why this might be I’ll get to later, but I find it interesting to take a look first at what B&N is marketing.

In-store events: Apparently, a Bob McGrath Christmas Sing-Along is taking place at my local brick and mortar B&N. Goody. I’ll give B&N credit for dutifully tracking down my current location, as I’m pretty sure my billing address as listed with them is at least six months out of date and roughly 200 miles away from where I sit now. Anyway, it is certainly fascinating that the first thing B&N throws at me is an in-store event. The bookseller seems to be stuck vacillating between marketing its digital prowess and the in-store experience, when it would probably be better off finding out how to leverage the strengths of both aspects of their business and then marketing the heck out of whatever that resulting product may be. Also curious–it is only when I click on the “see more events” link under the in-store events that I learn my location is one of the chosen ones that offers in-store demos of the Nook.

The main attraction: Deals on gift books! That’s right—good old fashioned, dead tree coffee table books. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but it is very interesting that B&N would push what is perhaps the type of book LEAST adaptable to any sort of e-reader: the big, shiny statement piece. Ansel Adams in Color, an example advertised in the email, is of little use on a black and white e-ink screen.

The remainder of the newsletter promotes products and services like in-store pickup of online orders, Harry Potter 6 DVDs and Beatles CDs.

DVDs and CDs for the holidays? This seems so 2003. Where are the Nooks? Why is the e-book store not even mentioned?

For one, it nearly impossible to “gift” an e-book. Second, the Nook has been sold out for the year for weeks, so B&N probably doesn’t want to bother wasting space and time on a product that has its own nice publicity buzz going for it already. Third, the e-mail reminds customers of the warm and fuzzy aspects of books and bookstores. Now I know that I can go into my local B&N this week to catch some free Christmas carols and browse some discounted coffee table books.

Still, this is the first piece of marketing material I’ve seen from B&N in quite some time that doesn’t mention an e-anything. Is B&N backing off of pushing their e-products because of demand backup? Maybe, but it seems more likely that B&N is taking a more holistic approach to marketing for the rest of the holiday season.

[Via http://meredithmazzilli.wordpress.com]

Should PR People be Part of the Story?

Back in the days when publicists plotted from behind the scenes: Uber-flack Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) with columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) in ”The Sweet Smell of Success.”    My first exposure to public relations came not in an agency but on the client side. I wasn’t in an official PR role but was working as an executive assistant to designer Donna Karan right at the time when her company was exploding in size and visibility. Donna was besieged with press requests from all corners of the globe 24/7. As keepers of her calendar, it was our job to coordinate all interviews with her communications team, a task of insane complexity and relentless pace. I learned a lot during that time, namely that I did not want to pursue a career in fashion PR. I’m no stranger to crazy, but fashion PR is crazy crazy. At the helm of this insanity was Donna’s head of corporate communications, Patti Cohen. Patti was — and still is, I’m sure — a whirlwind of frenetic energy with bright red hair and swags of black cashmere wrapped around her tiny frame regardless of the season. I’d sit in her office discussing calendar details while she juggled a phone on one shoulder, whipped through the master calendar (paper!) looking for 15-minute increments of Donna’s day to dole out to WWD and Vogue like a mama bird feeding her babies…all the while chomping on raw sunflower seeds she kept in a big glass bowl on her desk, right next to the towering arrangement of Casablanca lilies and a mason jar full of impeccably sharpened black pencils.

 

The wall behind Patti’s desk was covered floor-to-ceiling with Donna’s press hits. For all I know Patti started tacking them up there when Donna first started the company and never stopped — by the early 90s, when I was there, several layers of magazine articles and photos and newspaper clippings had already accumulated. It was a gorgeous pastiche, and I’d pore over it whenever Patti got wrapped up in a call and forgot I was sitting in front of her.  One day I asked Patti why she wasn’t in any of the photos to which she replied, “A good publicist is never in the picture.”

 

That stayed with me for years. Not only did I put it into practice, sidestepping photos with clients at public events whenever I could, I also passed it along to the many young publicists I went on the manage at other companies. Somewhere along the line, Patti’s advice morphed into this:

“A good publicist is never part of the story.”

Except now…we are. Or at least, we can be. Sarah Evans talked about this during a panel discussion I moderated recently on how Twitter has changed journalism and PR, and one of the points she made was how boundaries have blurred among PR,  journalist and blogger roles. There are journalists who blog, bloggers who do PR consulting, PR people who blog… It is in fact quite possible for PR people to participate in on-line conversations about their client through blogging, micro-blogging, status updates, photo sharing, and so on.

So all due respect to Patti, I believe it’s okay for the publicist to be part of the story, or at least the conversation. I do it, but only with disclosure. I’ll tell you if I’m blogging or tweeting about a client, and it’ll be an honest reflection of my feelings.   For example:

I started taking pictures recently at the client events I attend. I’ve got the Droid megapixels, why not? There was a time when those pictures would only have been shared internally at the agency but now, why not share publicly? Especially when apps like Whrrl make it so easy.  Here’s how I captured the action at a client’s launch event last week:

So what do you think? I’d love to hear from other communications professionals on how they’re handling the transition from being behind the conversation to participating in the conversation about their clients and brands.

[Via http://ssmirnov.wordpress.com]

Overweight girls feel more lonely and anxious than their normal-weight peers, as early as kindergarten age.

How to help parents educate their children about healthy weight, healthy foods and eating habits, and a healthy lifestyle is not something many adults have experience in doing. Believe me, as a single working parent of two children for the past 14 years it has been difficult to manage the nutritional content of what my children eat. Advertising targeted at children and convenience to parents send messages of “good for you” and “healthier than” can often be taken as truthful, especially in the busy lives that we lead. 

I have always been conscientious about mine and my family’s health, and I believe that all parents are concerned about their children’s nutrition and the foods that they eat.  We can all do better by our children with a few simple changes to increasing physical activity and improving the family’s overall eating habits, including the choice of food products that are that are quick, tasty, low cost and good for our kids.

No parent wants their child to have poor nutrition, poor health or to be overweight.  However, the tens of thousands of research studies on the physical health effects and the social effects on children who are overweight and obese indicate the predicament that we, as parents, are putting our children in everyday with the foods we buy and feed our children. Not only are we unintentionally and unknowingly hurting their health, we are hurting their emotional and psychological well being.

As reported in a recent study conducted by Dr. Sara Gable of the University of Missouri in Columbia, children who are overweight perceive themselves as having worse interpersonal skills, lower social standing, and worse peer relationships than children who are not overweight. Overweight children also exhibit more internalizing behaviors, such as social withdrawal or depression. And for both boys and girls who are persistently overweight from kindergarten through third grade, these feelings of depression, anxiety and loneliness get worse over time.

The negative impact of being overweight most acutely affects young girls, who are viewed less favorably than other girls because of their weight.  Overweight girls have less positive social relations, display less self-control and act more out than girls who are not overweight, also reported in the study.

Appearance-based social pressure can be particularly brutal to children. In fact there have been an increasing number of reported cases of peer abuse against overweight children, from taunting to physical attacks. The self-esteem of children is fragile in any “normal” situation and can be destroyed when negative peer pressure and abuse is suffered. 

Obesity is a growing epidemic, as these stats confirm. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 13.9% of children aged 2 to 5 are overweight, 18.8% of those aged 6 to 11 are overweight, and more than 17% of those age 12 to 19 are overweight. Nearly 26 percent of U.S. adults are considered obese. In three states, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, the rate has hit 30 percent.

Unhealthy lifestyles including high-calorie diets, poor exercise and hours spent in front of the television and computer screen have contributed to the surge in the number of children who are overweight and obese in the United States. A quick look at the food items on store shelves and in our own pantries will shed some light on the 37% increase in obesity rates and an 89% increase in spending on medical care for obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis, between 1998 and 2006. Those statistics are increasing at alarming rates.

Our markets are filled with products which are not only devoid of nutritional content, but high in calories, chemical additives and preservatives. Americans are looking for products that are quick, tasty and low cost. The result of these demands have provided Americans with over-processed, high calorie, low quality foods to satisfy our grab-n-go, dollar menu, value meal mentality!  No matter what you do, food companies will continue to fill your kids’ world with junk food.

While the ultimate solution is fresh natural foods, the challenge for parents is bridging the gap between fresh natural foods and the fast food and snack products. We can replace the fast food and snacks our kids eat with great tasting scientifically designed nutritional food products that provide the same satisfaction as “junk” food while helping, not hurting, our kids.

Learn how you can help make it easier for your kids to be healthier, happier, and perform better as you begin to change your family’s nutrition habits for the better, with kid’s nutrition by design.

Contact me at:  d.adame@bellainvestmentholdingsllc.com or by phone at 832-683-9463

[Via http://bellainvestmentholdings.wordpress.com]

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[Via http://richardksaupe.wordpress.com]

The "Star" treatment from Continental Airlines

As a Houston resident, I can’t help but be exposed to the advertising and promotion of our home town airline, Continental Airlines.

Recently they went through a massive undertaking, of switching airline alliances from SkyTeam to the Star Alliance. Recently, I attended a recent Corporate Forum event, hosted by Continental, and learned more about the changeover – and it made me realize what a massive undertaking this was not only from an operations point of view – but also a marketing, communications and PR view.

It was a lot more than simply taking off the SkyTeam insignia that was emblazoned everywhere (web-site, lapel pins, stationary, decals on the airplanes, etc). As you listen to the staff, they’re excited, well educated and proud of the new alliance. And as frequent fliers, we should be excited about the expanded opportunity it presents us.

Continental invested in their staff…and re-educated them on their updated brand promise with Star.

While the process of changeover took 18 months (I believe) to plan – it was executed – OVERNIGHT with all SkyTeam visuals removed (Ugh – can you imagine!) This was the first time an airline had ever executed such a massive change.  We’re now seeing “Star Alliance” livery on several of the Continental Fleet!

From a marketing point of view, the Continental team is very savvy – I just love their play on word advertising campaigns – and their current “You’re about to receive the Star treatment” is genius. I recently came back from a trip to Tokyo – and all staff members, both on the ground and on-board were very excited about promoting the new alliance, and constantly used this phrase. LOL.

Continental took advantage of Twitter on the launch week, by asking users to tweet phrases such as “Get the Star Treatment from Continental” -  the promotion to tweet this – 2 round trip BusinessFirst Tickets…ummm yeah – I tweeted – but sadly didn’t win the tickets!

I now want to go on a ‘round the world’ trip – which is promoted on the star alliance web-site…and now, (because of the alliance) for the first time my Dad can fly from Aberdeen to Houston without having to have a separate ticket for the London to Aberdeen portion – hurray!

Congratulations Continental on an amazing branding achievement!!

[Via http://trevoreade.com]

CommunitiesDNA en la INDUSTRIA Magazine, de ASI

En Septiembre pasado, tuve la oportunidad de escribir un articulo para edicion de Octubre de la Revista INDUSTRIA de la Asociacion Salvadorena de Industriales.  A pesar de que estamos trabajando desde hace un tiempo con la Asociacion, y participamos en algunas actividades internas para los socios, realmente fue una sorpresa para mi, y accedi con todo gusto.

Les dejo aca un extracto del articulo en la revista:

Su Empresa en Web 2.0

La “Web 2.0 Conference” organizada por O’Reilly Media y MediaLive en octubre de 2004, catapultó uno de los términos más populares de la década. Sin embargo, Web 2.0 no se refiere a una actualización de especificaciones técnicas de internet, sino mas bien en un cambio trascendental en la forma en se genera y consume el contenido.

De pronto, palabras como wiki, podcast, blog, rss, videocast y otras, empezaron a aparecer en nuestros sitios favoritos [nuestras conversaciones], sumándose luego la avalancha de servicios como MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Digg, Delicious, WordPress, Technorati, SecondLife y muchos, muchos otros.

La diferencia más notable entre la versión anterior y la 2.0, es que en el pasado, los sitios web eran herramientas para empujar información desde las organizaciones hacia los consumidores. La interacción era casi nula, rescatada nada más por un formulario de contacto. Lo que llamamos “comunicación de una vía”. Además, estos sitios, a menudo tan difíciles de actualizar como costosos, requerían de personas habilidosas para implementarse.

Al contrario, la Web 2.0 surgió del lado del consumidor. Sitios pensados para necesidades sociales y no comerciales. En estos sitios, el creador no es quien produce el contenido, sino son los usuarios quienes se vuelven los dueños del sitio al participar con fotografías, artículos, calificaciones, criticas, videos, arte y cualquier otra forma de material digital que una persona quiera compartir con sus amigos y familiares; atendiendo muy fácilmente la necesidad gregaria del ser humano.

Algunos datos interesantes

¿Pero que tienen que ver estos sitios “personales” y “sociales” con una organización? Esa fue la pregunta que contestaron muy apresuradamente, la mayoría de empresas entre 2004 y 2006; y podríamos decir que en nuestra región, hasta 2009. Ignorando completamente la importancia de los nuevos medios para sus propias marcas.

Aunque el grafico siguiente da pruebas muy convincentes. Debemos notar primero, que 39 de los 100 sitios más visitados en El Salvador, son Web 2.0. La mitad del top 10 es también de este tipo.

Esos 39 sitios representan más de la 3ª parte de todo el consumo de internet en el país volcada hacia Redes y Medios Sociales. Ganándole posición en ranking a sitios de medios de comunicación masivos en El Salvador…

 

En esta oportunidad, no se publicaron algunos datos estadisticos importantes, y a pesar de haber escrito sobre el Social Media Counts de Gary Hayes, me gustaria agregarlos aca por la naturaleza de negocios de algunos de ellos:

• Social Media es la actividad #4 en Internet, antes que el eMail.
• US$25.00 es el Gasto Mensual promedio de un usuario de FooPets en Facebook – (la comida virtual es Purina)
• US$70 Millones de Ganancias Anuales en "Regalos Virtuales" en Facebook.
• US$50 Millones (promedio) de transacciones entre residentes de SecondLife cada mes.US$3 Millones en Ganancias de DELL, por ventas en Twitter.
• US$6.5 Millones en contribuciones a la campania de Barack Obama, por una comunidad de 3 Millones de donantes.
• 80% de las empresas en USA usan LinkedIn como herramienta principal para encontrar nuevo talento.
• 1 Billon de videos vistos diariamente en YouTube.
• 54% de Bloggers publican (postean) a diario.
• 34% de Bloggers publican opiniones acerca de marcas y productos.
• Solo 14% de las personas confian en la publicidad, contra el 78% que confian en la recomendacion de otro consumidor, Segun Nielsen, en 2007.

Estamos a sus ordenes, si tienen un ejemplar de la revista a la mano y quieren comentarlo, o si quieren conversar sobre estos datos.

Saludos,

[Via http://communitiesdnablog.com]