Casual Fridays

I was recently reading about the new Apple Mac Pro computers on digg. What’s most interesting is the reaction Apple gets from any announcement. Apple fans usually love it. Apple haters hate it (go figure). Reading their comments on digg is not for the faint of heart.
Why does Apple alienate these [...]

Nearly 2.5 million views in two weeks.
I can’t stop playing this video.
I think the beauty of it is how a big, polished production doesn’t get in the way of the even bigger idea.
The music’s pretty good too.

Send a link to your friends.
Bloglines viewers click here:
Hat tip: Bill Kinnon

I don’t get this.
But isn’t that the point?
I see a lot of critics of products and commercials say, “I don’t get it.” I don’t think that is a valid criticism. It leads to spoon-feeding. Making the message plain enough that everyone gets it. The problem is you end up with exactly [...]

Flickr photo by feefee.
I advised a political candidate recently to follow up with a blogger who had contacted him.
“The blog probably doesn’t reach as many people as TV, radio, or direct mail.” I acknowledged. Then I explained, “But the people who read it are influencers. By engaging them with your message, you [...]

I’m excited to announce I’ll be transitioning to a new position next week.

(clockwise from left) Me, Alee Keitz,
Jason Owen, and Sandy Hahn
I’m joining the team at Hahn Promotions, a marketing and advertising firm across the river from Tulsa in Jenks, Oklahoma. I’ll be coming on board as partner and Vice President. I’ll be [...]

This week, I had the opportunity to talk with Tim O’Leary over the phone. Tim is the CEO of Respond2, an advertising agency who admits traditional ads no longer work. Instead of creating entertainment and labeling it “branding” or simply settling for exposure, Respond2 creates direct response campaigns for a variety of impressive [...]

We manage our brands.
We are careful with the corporate identity, making sure we don’t use the wrong font or use the wrong PMS* color. We are diligent to ensure all our marketing pieces are “on brand”, using the same taglines and having the same look and feel.
How much difference does it make? Yes, [...]

Is there a difference between depth and authenticity?
… between shallowness and a lie?
We’re a society that is defined more and more by soundbites. Defining others more and more by snapshots. The problem is we’re not that good at it.
In the majority of companies and the majority of ad agencies today, there is no [...]

… do you carry around? That used to define how much you would spend at a vending machine.
Apparently that’s no longer the case.
Macy’s is adding iPod vending machines to their stores.
Todd Jones, a retail analyst at PNC Wealth Management in Philadelphia, said the price of iPods could make that area of Macy’s one of [...]

Educating potential customers can be powerful and perhaps nothing educates them better than experiencing your product. This is where free demos and bite-sized samples come in handy.
Maybe you have a Kool-Aid Point with your product. People are polarized to either love you or hate you. Those who love you are labled or [...]