Spending my day with creative people has benefits. This video is the result of a marketing team brainstorm session. The team was working on producing new ads to drive users to eBaum’s World. A little game of word association led to an Internet search of the phrase “cheerleader mall” which led to this gem of a video. Also this video was the first result when searching the phrase on You Tube. Wow, I love the Internet, enjoy.
There it is in the New York Times, Cond’e Nast’s CEO Charles Thompson talking about how he’s going to wean his company off of advertising revenue and charge by the click. I’m paraphrasing and the emphasis is mine too. Mr Thompson goes on to discuss the radical changes his organization is about to go through and how this is all part of the new day of new media at Cond’e Nast. With all due respect Mr. Thompson, you need to relax and make the most of what you have while continuing to keep an eye on what is the inevitable withering of print. The quality of the writing and photojournalism is what made the company and it is what Mr. Thompson should focus his energies on. People will always “pay,” or sit through advertising, for the good stuff.
I’m hesitant as an art critic, not good, but I may be able to shake it yet. This enjoyable piece was found on Broadway at W 29th St.
What’s with the glorifying of psychosis here in San Francisco? A friend, who works for the City as a psychologist, and is doing everything she can to stop the marketing of San Francisco to the crazies of the world, doesn’t know why it’s fashionable, and has been for some time, to make this wonderful place, a place for the mad. Is one crazy because of the staggering physical beauty? Is one crazy to have empathy for the downtrodden? Does one become crazy because of the great food, music, and underground culture?
Day on of the annual tech conference was fun, fast, attractive, and exciting. I attended Pay TV or the Internet: Battle For Your TV and it was time well spent. Mark Cuban and Avner Ronen. Both panelists were warm and knowledgeable about the space. Mr. Cuban was focused on the immediate future of the TV, that is, the experience most of us enjoy will remain consistent. Mr. Ronen saw a more interactive experience emerging, one where the TV as it is today will not only evolve, but the programming, too, will become more interactive. This is a mature debate and would have made the panel a worthless experience if it was not for the panelists’ unique experiences and likable personalities.
Time management, but since you’re calling me out I will make every effort to spruce it up. Thank you for the encouraging words.
Costco’s product selection is as much art as science. Over the holidays I purchased a New York State cheddar cheese flavored with champagne grapes. This delightful cheese had a competitive price, for a premium product, and was a hit with all who tried it around the house. My local cheese shop did not carry it. Unique product offering combined with an attractive price makes Costco the number one marketer of goods and services to me.
The number one marketer of good and services to me is Costco. This company has successfully completed greater than 864 transactions with me over the last 18 years. Additionally, I have spread the word about specific products and services at least 500 times to friends, family, and strangers. A friend of mine dismissed Costco taking the number one position as a triumph of pricing. I agreed that price is a factor, but the key to Costco’s win was the value that was realized before, during, and after the transactions. Specifically, the products (tires, groceries, electronics, etc.) marketed to me by Costco had unique selling propositions, attractive prices, and tangible enjoyment was experienced throughout the product/service lifetime.
A great strategic thinker, talented designer, and artist, Paula Bee, commented, “what are the criteria for success” for those seeking to market their product/service to my wants and needs? The criteria for successfully marketing one’s product/service to Mark Heyert are: 1) Completion of a transaction, 2) two or more mentions of the product/service to friends and/or family. Stay tuned as the winners and losers will be announced shortly.
Should I be surprised that most companies take their customers for granted? Yes, because today’s customers are more knowledgeable, better informed, and deeply self-aware than any other time in the modern era; leading to a hunger for authenticity in the products and services they consume. I make it easy for marketers to find me by spreading the appropriate keywords on my Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace profiles. I leave all sorts of clues for the behavior targeting bloodhounds; they have been following my scent across the web and still they can’t figure out how to showcase the authenticity of their product to me. The more I hope for my wants and needs to be satisfied magically by technology empowered marketers, the more disappointment encroaches on my wonderful world. I am the same consumer I was twenty years ago: curious, knowledgeable, and anxious to be sold on the merits, or sexiness, of a product or service. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I share the winners and losers in the market to Mark challenge, hey hair removal products, you listening?
