First things first ... I'm a guy ... Thank you cards aren't necessarily the thing I'm best known for. This isn't to say that I've never written Thank-You cards (I actually have written many in my day) ... I just haven't "batted a thousand"...
I grew-up with a Grandmother who would call me exactly 2 days after I received a card or gift from her -- "didn't you get my card???....You know I already received a thank-you card from your cousin Lauren..."
Anyway - Amy is definitely a "thank-you card gal." She is also pretty good with sending people gifts when it's appropriate - especially in the current popular life stage of our friends having new babies...By marriage, I've become pretty good at sending new baby gifts, 2 year old birthday gifts, etc... Through this - we've obviously received our fare share of thank-you cards (mostly written in the voice of the new-born or 2 year old...perhaps more on this in another blog-post).
It's of my opinion (which may differ from my that of my wife), that a thank-you note in this instance - although very much appreciated - is not necessary. In place of the old-fashioned card, what I think is more appropriate in this digital age -- is an emailed picture of you/your baby at some point in the future using/wearing/playing with/sitting next to our gift.
New moms and dads are busy. Thank-you cards, while a noble practice, are from a different generation. An era where you couldn't check online to see if the gift was delivered...or perhaps it was deemed by some as too expensive to phone someone "long-distance" to thank them...
As the gift buyer -- I know I feel better seeing a picture of your baby wearing the gift than getting a note in the mail...I guess it just gives me the confidence that I didn't buy you an errand... This said, I guess for those cases where you return the gift...an old fashioned thank you card will do...
Your Aunt Edna and my Grandma Crannie will never be satisfied without the thank-you card...but I hope I can save some of you some time in the future...
(BDS - this wasn't a cryptic message that I'm expecting to receive a pic of Landyn rapped up in Google gear...I've been thinking of this post subject for a while)
1/21/2008
1/18/2008
Boxing
Growing up -- I always enjoyed a good boxing match. To be fair - I grew up primarily watching a combination of Rocky Balboa and a young (and yet to be unleashed into public life) Mike Tyson...
There is something about THE SPORT OF BOXING that I very much respect. It's probably one of the oldest sports known to man...a competition of both physical and mental strength, quickness, and stamina.
THE BUSINESS OF BOXING is what has officially ruined THE SPORT.
No fight is without suspect of being fixed (especially in the heavy-wight class). Anyone who has actually paid the $100+ to buy a fight on Pay-per-view - has at some point been burned by a First-round knock-out disappointment...
Regardless, I have always wanted to go to a live pro boxing match. It's an experience I believe that most likely cannot be replicated on TV... So ... There is a big fight (one that should have happened 8 years ago) at MSG this Saturday night: Roy Jones Jr. vs. Felix Trinidad.
I don't have big plans tomorrow night - so I looked into getting tickets. Tickets apparently range from $500 - $1500 per seat!! Now - I happen to have a connection who is able to get a nice discount on the tickets -- but honestly -- the price is STILL too steep... Perhaps the only way I'm going to get to see a boxing match in person is if someone else picks up the tab (business related perhaps)...
Until then - I guess I'll sit and watch the UFC eat further into Boxing's market-share.
There is something about THE SPORT OF BOXING that I very much respect. It's probably one of the oldest sports known to man...a competition of both physical and mental strength, quickness, and stamina.
THE BUSINESS OF BOXING is what has officially ruined THE SPORT.
No fight is without suspect of being fixed (especially in the heavy-wight class). Anyone who has actually paid the $100+ to buy a fight on Pay-per-view - has at some point been burned by a First-round knock-out disappointment...
Regardless, I have always wanted to go to a live pro boxing match. It's an experience I believe that most likely cannot be replicated on TV... So ... There is a big fight (one that should have happened 8 years ago) at MSG this Saturday night: Roy Jones Jr. vs. Felix Trinidad.
I don't have big plans tomorrow night - so I looked into getting tickets. Tickets apparently range from $500 - $1500 per seat!! Now - I happen to have a connection who is able to get a nice discount on the tickets -- but honestly -- the price is STILL too steep... Perhaps the only way I'm going to get to see a boxing match in person is if someone else picks up the tab (business related perhaps)...
Until then - I guess I'll sit and watch the UFC eat further into Boxing's market-share.
1/16/2008
Happy 2nd Birthday Sydney!
Last Monday Syd Stern (Amy and my niece) turned 2. As we don't see her all the time - now that she lives in Florida - we really enjoy the time we spend with her (and take a lot of pictures). At her birthday party, she was obviously very cute. Running around at a gymnastics center with her princess crown, pizza sauce and cake icing on her face and as she's known to do these days talking to everyone...We really enjoyed our time - but for those people reading my blog who have never been to a child birthday party before (and Sydney's 1st and 2nd birthdays are my only ones to date) -- there really is no greater form of birth control...
Sorry for the side bar...Happy Birthday Syd. Your Uncle Brett Brett and Aunt Amy love you VERY MUCH!
1/11/2008
CES
I spent this past week in Las Vegas for what has to be one of the worlds biggest corporate trade shows around... Over 200,000 people were estimated to be at this years Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It was my first time going to the show floor held at the Las Vegas Convention Center...
On the gadget side ... the two coolest things I saw were from Panasonic...
1) A 150 inch Flat screen LCD TV. The Panasonic booth rep told me it would most likely be retailed at $65K to $70K ... Seemed a bit steep for me, but then again, people do buy $200K cars. Enormous $65K LCD TVs could be next.
2) A Portable DVR. No longer will we apparently have to be forced into watching our "TIVO'd" shows in our living room ... We will be able to watch these shows on planes too ... Will be interesting to see if this hurts the "TV Show on DVD" market...
The major consumer gadget themes I saw were all centered around:
1) TV/Computer screen integration (TVs as more than standard TV)
2) A huge presence of various In-vehicle technology like Navigation systems, etc
3) Video Games
Other than that -- what was probably the most dominating theme was just how many people were at this show. It is set-up as a "buyer-seller" show (where retailers, etc buy new products from manufacturers), but I think it's been transformed into more than that... Regular Joe's (well, to be fair, "regular gadget nerds" is probably a better description) are in droves now. Media folks like myself are now fairly standard as well.
All in all, if your business relates to the CE industry, I'd recommend going once ... But no need to stay too long ... 48 hours is more than enough (as seems to be the case generically for Vegas anyhow)...
On the gadget side ... the two coolest things I saw were from Panasonic...
1) A 150 inch Flat screen LCD TV. The Panasonic booth rep told me it would most likely be retailed at $65K to $70K ... Seemed a bit steep for me, but then again, people do buy $200K cars. Enormous $65K LCD TVs could be next.
2) A Portable DVR. No longer will we apparently have to be forced into watching our "TIVO'd" shows in our living room ... We will be able to watch these shows on planes too ... Will be interesting to see if this hurts the "TV Show on DVD" market...
The major consumer gadget themes I saw were all centered around:
1) TV/Computer screen integration (TVs as more than standard TV)
2) A huge presence of various In-vehicle technology like Navigation systems, etc
3) Video Games
Other than that -- what was probably the most dominating theme was just how many people were at this show. It is set-up as a "buyer-seller" show (where retailers, etc buy new products from manufacturers), but I think it's been transformed into more than that... Regular Joe's (well, to be fair, "regular gadget nerds" is probably a better description) are in droves now. Media folks like myself are now fairly standard as well.
All in all, if your business relates to the CE industry, I'd recommend going once ... But no need to stay too long ... 48 hours is more than enough (as seems to be the case generically for Vegas anyhow)...
1/02/2008
Australia Trip
Amy and I spent the last days of 2007 in Australia... Back in June, we booked a 12 day tour package that took us to three major Australian cities (Sydney, Cairns, and Melbourne). It's a place that we've both wanted to visit for a 
while - but the long distance/travel time had always kept us from pulling the trigger...
YES - Amy and I went on a Honeymoon and a trip to Australia in the same year... We work hard - and feel like we should travel hard when we can in our lives...
Rather than detail our itinerary -- I'd prefer to give some highlights. If you'd prefer - you can also just check out the 150+ pictures we took.
Some other random thoughts of our trip:
while - but the long distance/travel time had always kept us from pulling the trigger...YES - Amy and I went on a Honeymoon and a trip to Australia in the same year... We work hard - and feel like we should travel hard when we can in our lives...
Rather than detail our itinerary -- I'd prefer to give some highlights. If you'd prefer - you can also just check out the 150+ pictures we took.
- Generally - daily living in Australia isn't radically different than daily living in the US. We found the country, as a whole, extremely socially diverse, quite cultured, modern, oh... and not cheap (The USD was worth about 7% more than AUS dollar while we were there). In comparison to NYC, though, it was much cleaner of a city and a lot less crowded...People seemed genuinely nice - as advertised.
- It was Amy and my first "tour package" - and definitely not our last. The fact that almost every mundane detail (such as airport transfers, breakfast, tours of city/highlights, etc) is completely taken care of for you. (And best of all - you've already paid for it - so you don't think twice about spending the money). Amy and I were joined by 24 other people on our trip -- all of who were very nice.
- Sydney was our favorite stop of the 3. The past 8-10 years living in NYC, we suppose has worn off on us. At this point in our life - I think we just enjoy the bigger city offerings of trendy lounges, good food, and faster pace. Plus, while in "tourist mode", Sydney offered us a lot more to do and see.
- I had one of the best meals of my life on Christmas eve. We ate our first
Australian lobster (pictured on the right) - which I learned is different (and better) than the Maine lobster we obsess about here in the US. Instead of the tail and claws containing the premium meat -- the Australian lobster houses the creme' de la creme in it's body... This enables the chef to more easily prepare a dish (and equates to much less work on our part). - Australia is in the midst of a 10 year drought - which causes a big "fly community." I joked around that I would be mistaken for raving without glow-sticks, but I was really just swatting away flies..
- The sun is REALLY strong down there. My nose and shoulders got crazy-burnt the first day I was there. I guess that wasn't so horrible - as I was forced to lube up pretty seriously every day from there on in...
- I was VERY anxious about the lengthy flights - but it turned out to be OK. Air New Zealand has a killer entertainment system. That, plus getting good seats (the last row and the Exit Row), plus Ambien, made the trip not too bad... We are, however, a little turned around with Jet Lag this week...
Some other random thoughts of our trip:
- The two most prominent American Chains in Australia in our view were: Starbucks and 7-Eleven. McDonald's is there - but seems to be more focused it's McCafe off-shoot rather than it's bread-and-butter. There is also no Burger King -- Only Hungry Jacks.
- Only one person said "G'day" or "Mate" to us ... Must be the equivalent to people thinking everyone in New York says "fugetaboutit" every other word...
- You apparently need a tram ticket to ride the tram in Melbourne ... however ... we have no idea how the city policies it ... The driver clearly has more important things to focus on - and there are about 4 entry points onto the tram...
- On every tour in Sydney - Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe were mentioned at minimum 6 times....
- Like NYC, Asian tourists are abundant in Australia.. oh ... and I'm convinced the phrase "excuse me" doesn't exist in the Chinese language...
New Year - New Template
After 3+ years with the same blog template -- I thought it could use a change... So - I thought I'd break out the new template with the New Year... Please let me know your thoughts...
12/18/2007
G'Day ...
I wanted to let my loyal readers know that I'll be taking a two week vacation from blogging ...
I'm heading to Australia for 12 days... I'm really really excited although I can't lie - I'm a bit nervous about how I'm going to keep myself (and my wife) entertained during the long flight.
I'll be sure to give a recap blog upon my return ... Wishing you all a very happy 2008!!
I'm heading to Australia for 12 days... I'm really really excited although I can't lie - I'm a bit nervous about how I'm going to keep myself (and my wife) entertained during the long flight.
I'll be sure to give a recap blog upon my return ... Wishing you all a very happy 2008!!
12/14/2007
Holiday Gifts
It's that time of year.... No - I'm not referring to the typical "holiday cheer" attributes (which I honestly have no clue about) ... I'm referring to the time of year when any service-related employee in your life expects something from you...
When did it become "the norm" to give a holiday cash gift to your cleaning lady, your hair cutter, the mailman, the doormen, your gardener - or whatever??
I know it comes off like I'm either insensitive or cheap --But -- Truth is, I don't exchange gifts with my friends - yet I end up spending hundreds of dollars on gifts for people who I probably don't even know what their last name is...?
When I lived alone, I had a cleaning lady, Patsy... Patsy and I had a distinct conversation once on how she didn't celebrate Christmas (I'm not sure what faith she was, though). Anyway - after I told her I was moving and didn't need her services anymore -- she told me that she was always so hurt that I never gave her extra money for the holidays... In hindsight - I definitely was wrong - but I think this is a good summary of my issue with tipping on the holiday season -- The expectation of receiving a gift - for almost no reason...
In the corporate sector - there is often the expectation of a "bonus" at the end of the year - but only if the company has a good year. Additionally - in that scenario - part of the rationale for holiday gifts is to retain employees. Do I really care if the person who delivers my mail quits the USPS? Not really ... And isn't it the USPS' job to keep their employees happy? I don't expect gifts from my clients....
Bottom-line .... I'm not a hater...I just don't like doing something because it's expected...and that it's often the measure of gratitude for the year - rather than the year-long "relationship." If it wasn't expected - I'd be happier to give our doorman a little something because I do genuinely appreciate them...
Happy Holidays to all.....
When did it become "the norm" to give a holiday cash gift to your cleaning lady, your hair cutter, the mailman, the doormen, your gardener - or whatever??
I know it comes off like I'm either insensitive or cheap --But -- Truth is, I don't exchange gifts with my friends - yet I end up spending hundreds of dollars on gifts for people who I probably don't even know what their last name is...?
When I lived alone, I had a cleaning lady, Patsy... Patsy and I had a distinct conversation once on how she didn't celebrate Christmas (I'm not sure what faith she was, though). Anyway - after I told her I was moving and didn't need her services anymore -- she told me that she was always so hurt that I never gave her extra money for the holidays... In hindsight - I definitely was wrong - but I think this is a good summary of my issue with tipping on the holiday season -- The expectation of receiving a gift - for almost no reason...
In the corporate sector - there is often the expectation of a "bonus" at the end of the year - but only if the company has a good year. Additionally - in that scenario - part of the rationale for holiday gifts is to retain employees. Do I really care if the person who delivers my mail quits the USPS? Not really ... And isn't it the USPS' job to keep their employees happy? I don't expect gifts from my clients....
Bottom-line .... I'm not a hater...I just don't like doing something because it's expected...and that it's often the measure of gratitude for the year - rather than the year-long "relationship." If it wasn't expected - I'd be happier to give our doorman a little something because I do genuinely appreciate them...
Happy Holidays to all.....
12/11/2007
The Boston Sports Jinx
If you have lived on the East Coast over the last 10 years, you've undoubtedly heard the heartache and pain that was involved with being a Boston sports fan between the Bird era Celtics through the 2004 Boston Red Sox. And while the great Celtic teams are a source of pride for the city -- any deep rooted Boston sports fan would tell you that all those NBA championships combined didn't add up to the joy of the 2004 (and 2007) World Series Championship. This was because - the city believed its' baseball team was jinxed...
Well - within this 2007-2008 generic sports season - as the sports media has well-documented - there is certainly no jinx in Boston...It's sports interests couldn't be doing any better. The Red Sox won the World Series, the Patriots are going to go undefeated in the regular (and post) season, and the Kevin Garnett led Boston Celtics look like the best team in the NBA.
So what happened to the jinx? It looks like it's become a snow-bird and flown down to South Florida, where most of my sports interests call home...The Dolphins are going to be the first 0-16 team in NFL history. The Heat have won only 5 of their first 20 games and are in last place...The Marlins are the laughing stock of baseball - although I think undeserved (check out Dan le Batards take which I agree with).
Regardless, it's been hard out here for a South Florida sports fan...The problem is, Florida is a transient city. Very few people who live there are born and raised - which means most people move to Florida with an existing favorite team...I'm a die-hard Miami Heat fan because I've been a fan since the franchises very first game - and like a true fan - I could name almost every player who's played on the Heat since 1988. That's rare in South Florida... But not in Boston...
Many Boston sports fans gave up a little bit on the Celtics over the last few years - but in their heart of hearts - they were always Celtic fans - which undoubtedly makes the current situation even sweeter.... This will probably never happen in South Florida. I used to think the Dol-Fans were loyal - as the franchise has been around a very long time - but I suppose it's base is starting to give up on Wayne Huizinga...
Anyway - I'm hoping the jinx is merely a cold and not a virus. I can take it for one year - but not much longer...As a sports nut - it's REALLY painful. (Thank goodness for Fantasy Sports once again) ;)
Well - within this 2007-2008 generic sports season - as the sports media has well-documented - there is certainly no jinx in Boston...It's sports interests couldn't be doing any better. The Red Sox won the World Series, the Patriots are going to go undefeated in the regular (and post) season, and the Kevin Garnett led Boston Celtics look like the best team in the NBA.
So what happened to the jinx? It looks like it's become a snow-bird and flown down to South Florida, where most of my sports interests call home...The Dolphins are going to be the first 0-16 team in NFL history. The Heat have won only 5 of their first 20 games and are in last place...The Marlins are the laughing stock of baseball - although I think undeserved (check out Dan le Batards take which I agree with).
Regardless, it's been hard out here for a South Florida sports fan...The problem is, Florida is a transient city. Very few people who live there are born and raised - which means most people move to Florida with an existing favorite team...I'm a die-hard Miami Heat fan because I've been a fan since the franchises very first game - and like a true fan - I could name almost every player who's played on the Heat since 1988. That's rare in South Florida... But not in Boston...
Many Boston sports fans gave up a little bit on the Celtics over the last few years - but in their heart of hearts - they were always Celtic fans - which undoubtedly makes the current situation even sweeter.... This will probably never happen in South Florida. I used to think the Dol-Fans were loyal - as the franchise has been around a very long time - but I suppose it's base is starting to give up on Wayne Huizinga...
Anyway - I'm hoping the jinx is merely a cold and not a virus. I can take it for one year - but not much longer...As a sports nut - it's REALLY painful. (Thank goodness for Fantasy Sports once again) ;)
12/06/2007
Restaurant H-2-0
The following is something that I find irritating, and I've been meaning to write a post on this topic for years.
When I go to a restaurant, I understand that there are small up-sell opportunities that employees employ to try and maximize their profit. Finding ways to increase the bill amount at a restaurant equates to a larger tip for waiters. Daily specials, a separate wine list, and asking if you'd like coffee or desert after your meal are examples of this.
The one tactic that irks me to the core - is when a waiter asks: "Can I get you flat or sparkling water tonight?" (Notice - not even giving "tap water" as an option) The main premise here - is that they want to seamlessly peer pressure you into ordering the $10 bottle of water rather than enjoy the free tap water (which in New York is known as some of the best in the world)...
At this point - when asked this question - I instinctively answer "TAP is perfect" in an annoyed tone... (In attempt to relay that "Homey don't play that - so nip it in the bud"... My routine never works, though...up-sells continue throughout the meal).
If a restaurant mandates that waiters say this ... I prefer it to go something like this: "Is tap water OK for the table or would you prefer sparkling?" ... This way - the server doesn't insinuate that you are a cheap bastard because you don't want to spend $10 on a bottle of water that the servers will continue to fill up so you quickly finish the bottle(s) and order more...
I guess I find it so annoying because it's one of those cases when I KNOW a business is up-selling me and while they think they're being smooth -- they're making it worse... Customers are smarter than we used to be - I think acknowledging that goes a long way these days...
When I go to a restaurant, I understand that there are small up-sell opportunities that employees employ to try and maximize their profit. Finding ways to increase the bill amount at a restaurant equates to a larger tip for waiters. Daily specials, a separate wine list, and asking if you'd like coffee or desert after your meal are examples of this.
The one tactic that irks me to the core - is when a waiter asks: "Can I get you flat or sparkling water tonight?" (Notice - not even giving "tap water" as an option) The main premise here - is that they want to seamlessly peer pressure you into ordering the $10 bottle of water rather than enjoy the free tap water (which in New York is known as some of the best in the world)...
At this point - when asked this question - I instinctively answer "TAP is perfect" in an annoyed tone... (In attempt to relay that "Homey don't play that - so nip it in the bud"... My routine never works, though...up-sells continue throughout the meal).
If a restaurant mandates that waiters say this ... I prefer it to go something like this: "Is tap water OK for the table or would you prefer sparkling?" ... This way - the server doesn't insinuate that you are a cheap bastard because you don't want to spend $10 on a bottle of water that the servers will continue to fill up so you quickly finish the bottle(s) and order more...
I guess I find it so annoying because it's one of those cases when I KNOW a business is up-selling me and while they think they're being smooth -- they're making it worse... Customers are smarter than we used to be - I think acknowledging that goes a long way these days...
12/03/2007
College Football Chaos
I don't know if I'll ever give up on it -- but I really don't think the aggregate "College Football brand " approval rating could be much worse than it is today. Anyone who argues that the BCS is a quality system is clearly misguided.
While I understand there are complications with the much-desired play-off system, I don't think anyone could argue that it's what College Football "customers" want... College Football is a business... it's a brand.... and while it's not going anywhere (like the NHL in my opinion) - I have to imagine that some fans are going to get sick of the broken system...If fans aren't as interested, than TV broadcast networks will value the rights less, which I'm hoping would open the eyes of the powers that be...
I thought Tom Wetzel (of Yahoo sports) did a very good job of articulating how the play-off system should be run - and I wanted to share. Check out the link if you're interested - it's a good read.
While I understand there are complications with the much-desired play-off system, I don't think anyone could argue that it's what College Football "customers" want... College Football is a business... it's a brand.... and while it's not going anywhere (like the NHL in my opinion) - I have to imagine that some fans are going to get sick of the broken system...If fans aren't as interested, than TV broadcast networks will value the rights less, which I'm hoping would open the eyes of the powers that be...
I thought Tom Wetzel (of Yahoo sports) did a very good job of articulating how the play-off system should be run - and I wanted to share. Check out the link if you're interested - it's a good read.
11/29/2007
Holiday Shopping
Yesterday, Seth Godin referenced our email exchange about holiday/online shopping trends...While he can undoubtedly do a better job with insightful commentary and rationale, I think one important element was missing from his discussion (And he is someone I genuinely respect, so this is in no way a slight).
Online retail and brick-and-mortar retail are often pinned against each other. In Seth's discussion he gave some great commentary on why these two classification of retailers have different peak holiday shopping days. Traditional multi-channel retailers are certainly gaining "market-share" in the online world (over single channel retailers like Amazon, ebay, etc), and while perhaps the aggregate traditional customer doesn't "get" the shipping concepts and think there is a more powerful reason...
I can often be found preaching online marketing prowess to drive offline sales. That said - I think the reason why "Cyber Monday" is the biggest sales day for traditional multi-channel retailers is because offline shopping also drives ONLINE sales. People go shopping the day after Thanksgiving - period. And while no one would think of a retail store as a stand alone marketing tool -- in this case -- it is. I believe that people go into stores and truly "shop" (rather than solely purchase), knowing that they still have time to price compare online and then buy.
Online marketers care about the separate sales channels ... Customers don't.
Online retail and brick-and-mortar retail are often pinned against each other. In Seth's discussion he gave some great commentary on why these two classification of retailers have different peak holiday shopping days. Traditional multi-channel retailers are certainly gaining "market-share" in the online world (over single channel retailers like Amazon, ebay, etc), and while perhaps the aggregate traditional customer doesn't "get" the shipping concepts and think there is a more powerful reason...
I can often be found preaching online marketing prowess to drive offline sales. That said - I think the reason why "Cyber Monday" is the biggest sales day for traditional multi-channel retailers is because offline shopping also drives ONLINE sales. People go shopping the day after Thanksgiving - period. And while no one would think of a retail store as a stand alone marketing tool -- in this case -- it is. I believe that people go into stores and truly "shop" (rather than solely purchase), knowing that they still have time to price compare online and then buy.
Online marketers care about the separate sales channels ... Customers don't.
11/26/2007
Logging on the Dub-Dub-Dub
It's been over a decade that the internet has been commercially used by most people... I feel like it's about time that Americans at-large shed some vernacular that stems from the "early years" (much like we no longer say "groovey" or "totally tubular").
First of all - No one "LOGS ON" anymore... I can't stand when I'm watching a commercial and the call to action is "LOG-ON to ESPN.com" (as an example) ... When AOL dial-up was mainstream - I understand why this term was used ... People waited several minutes to get connected to the internet - and "logging on" was a way for marketers to inform 40+ year olds that when they said "Log-on to XYZ.com" that they were referring to the internet (aka information superhighway) ... But now - I'm happy to report that AOL dial-up represents less than 5% of US internet penetration - and we've moved on to a faster, always on internet environment. We can "visit" or "go to" URLs... we just shouldn't LOG-ON and marketers should take note of this....
Secondly - when promoting a URL - people really should exclude the "www-dot" portion from now on... It's similar to the concept: If everyone didn't let the water run while brushing their teeth, imagine all the water that we collectively can save ... Well, in this case, if people no longer put "WWW-Dot" in front of all their URL addresses -- think of all the time we'll collectively save! You'll notice this on talk shows and the like...When the host asks them where can the viewer find out more - the reaction is typically "WWW-Dot-some-long-URL.com" ... No need for the first part, buddy... I think it's much easier to tell people to "Google" a keyword that your URL shows up #1 for...(and no bias here - I swear) Seriously - what's more likely - users remember and type in a specific URL - or they Google a relevant concept?
Either way - the WWW is inferred as part of a URL and people who don't realize this appear either uninformed or patronizing to me.
Am I alone here??
First of all - No one "LOGS ON" anymore... I can't stand when I'm watching a commercial and the call to action is "LOG-ON to ESPN.com" (as an example) ... When AOL dial-up was mainstream - I understand why this term was used ... People waited several minutes to get connected to the internet - and "logging on" was a way for marketers to inform 40+ year olds that when they said "Log-on to XYZ.com" that they were referring to the internet (aka information superhighway) ... But now - I'm happy to report that AOL dial-up represents less than 5% of US internet penetration - and we've moved on to a faster, always on internet environment. We can "visit" or "go to" URLs... we just shouldn't LOG-ON and marketers should take note of this....
Secondly - when promoting a URL - people really should exclude the "www-dot" portion from now on... It's similar to the concept: If everyone didn't let the water run while brushing their teeth, imagine all the water that we collectively can save ... Well, in this case, if people no longer put "WWW-Dot" in front of all their URL addresses -- think of all the time we'll collectively save! You'll notice this on talk shows and the like...When the host asks them where can the viewer find out more - the reaction is typically "WWW-Dot-some-long-URL.com" ... No need for the first part, buddy... I think it's much easier to tell people to "Google" a keyword that your URL shows up #1 for...(and no bias here - I swear) Seriously - what's more likely - users remember and type in a specific URL - or they Google a relevant concept?
Either way - the WWW is inferred as part of a URL and people who don't realize this appear either uninformed or patronizing to me.
Am I alone here??
11/20/2007
Iconoclasts
Props to Andrew Fried - who produced the most recent episode of Iconoclasts - featuring Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and legendary TV writer/producer Norman Lear.
Because we're friends with Andrew - Amy and I have watched a handful of Season 1 episodes - and we both agreed that this episode was the best one we've seen yet...In fact, it passed the VERY difficult "Amy couch" test.... If it's after 10:30PM, and Amy is on the couch lying down with the TV on ... Let's just say that even her favorite shows sometime don't pass the test... She's OUT! Well - last night - it was after 11 - and she didn't fade at all ... That should tell you something!
The show was really well put together, but most importantly was quiet interesting. Two things I found most interesting were:
Here's a clip... Good work Andrew!
Because we're friends with Andrew - Amy and I have watched a handful of Season 1 episodes - and we both agreed that this episode was the best one we've seen yet...In fact, it passed the VERY difficult "Amy couch" test.... If it's after 10:30PM, and Amy is on the couch lying down with the TV on ... Let's just say that even her favorite shows sometime don't pass the test... She's OUT! Well - last night - it was after 11 - and she didn't fade at all ... That should tell you something!
The show was really well put together, but most importantly was quiet interesting. Two things I found most interesting were:
- Howard Schultz wasn't the founder of Starbucks ... He wasn't even close ... He bought the chain after 10+ years as an employee. He did invent the "Coffee service" aspect of the chain, whereas before, they only sold pre-packaged pounds of coffee.
- A citizen (Norman Lear) actually BOUGHT and OWNS The Declaration of Independence. Huh? Where have I been?? I honestly had no idea ... I figured it was in a historic museum of some kind ... and ... I'm assuming I'm not alone. Norman Lear needs a MySpace page....
Here's a clip... Good work Andrew!
11/09/2007
My Virgin America Experience
I flew out to San Francisco this week on Virgin America Airlines. I've never flown Virgin Atlantic, but their brand is well-known for high quality flying experience...
My initial reaction of Virgin America is: Good potential, but poor first experience...
The main perk of the airline seems to be the interactive console in front of every seat... The entertainment system (called "Red") is supposed to come equipped with:
- DirecTV
- Pay-per-View Movies
- Pay-per-View TV (Past episodes of popular TV - like The Office, Family Guy, etc)
- Games
- Email/Text messaging (including Seat to seat chat)
- Food ordering
Well - unfortunately - the only feature that worked on my flight was the food ordering capability. Additionally, as opposed to what the crew members said, the food was no great shakes...
The decor of the plane was funky-fresh - consisting of neon lighting and all black leather seats. The leg-room seemed typical, a little less possibly than Jetblue...
The airline currently only has service between LA, SFO, JFK, DC, and Las Vegas - which are pretty typical locations for me...
I will definitely give it another try - but I'd be looking forward to them improving the experience. I'd like for the airline to make it, but not willing to sing it's praises just yet...
My initial reaction of Virgin America is: Good potential, but poor first experience...
The main perk of the airline seems to be the interactive console in front of every seat... The entertainment system (called "Red") is supposed to come equipped with:
- DirecTV
- Pay-per-View Movies
- Pay-per-View TV (Past episodes of popular TV - like The Office, Family Guy, etc)
- Games
- Email/Text messaging (including Seat to seat chat)
- Food ordering
Well - unfortunately - the only feature that worked on my flight was the food ordering capability. Additionally, as opposed to what the crew members said, the food was no great shakes...
The decor of the plane was funky-fresh - consisting of neon lighting and all black leather seats. The leg-room seemed typical, a little less possibly than Jetblue...
The airline currently only has service between LA, SFO, JFK, DC, and Las Vegas - which are pretty typical locations for me...
I will definitely give it another try - but I'd be looking forward to them improving the experience. I'd like for the airline to make it, but not willing to sing it's praises just yet...
10/31/2007
Rooms 2 Go - Marketing Success Story
This is my personal blog. I write about things that are on my mind or that occur in my life outside of work. While I may blog about cool new Google features or tools that I believe could add value to my friends lives, I don't think I've truly ever blogged about my day-to-day job.
Well - I am very proud of something - so looks like that trend is going to end.
For the last few years, I've put a lot of time and energy into trying to convince multi-channel retailers that online marketing isn't only great for driving online sales, but that it can also drive substantial brick-and-mortar store sales as well.
After a number of quality client success stories - we finally got a multi-channel marketer to publicly share it's success. The retailer, Rooms 2 Go, and the account team that worked on the campaigns were absolutely fantastic throughout the whole process, and I hope the client finds even greater success in the future.
Here is a news article that Internet Retailer published yesterday (where yours truly is quoted). Just wanted to share as it was something I was very proud of....
Well - I am very proud of something - so looks like that trend is going to end.
For the last few years, I've put a lot of time and energy into trying to convince multi-channel retailers that online marketing isn't only great for driving online sales, but that it can also drive substantial brick-and-mortar store sales as well.
After a number of quality client success stories - we finally got a multi-channel marketer to publicly share it's success. The retailer, Rooms 2 Go, and the account team that worked on the campaigns were absolutely fantastic throughout the whole process, and I hope the client finds even greater success in the future.
Here is a news article that Internet Retailer published yesterday (where yours truly is quoted). Just wanted to share as it was something I was very proud of....
10/27/2007
New Friends Born
I've been a little lax on updating some of the personal accomplishments of friends/family on the blog, so wanted to take a quick second to introduce everyone to two new friends of ours.
Sydney Brown (formerly known as "Nugget") was born on October 19th. DooDoo and Jamie are obviously really happy to extend their collective massive family trees... While the betting line had the "Brown" male chromosome winning out against the "Satnick" female chromosome (sorry Matt)... Sydney is a beautiful baby girl who will most likely follow her moms footsteps to all-girl summer camp.... the Michigan - Duke decision still at-large.
While Sydney popped out a week ago, Joshua Namordi is a bit more life-experienced (I mean - the guy already has a blog!), coming through over 6 weeks ago. Rachel and Eyal (and Mojo) have really enjoyed spending time with "J-Nam" (especially when all specific odors and sounds can be attributed to the lil' guy...innocent or not).
I have represented the DAD'S in the pictures provided ... as I am guessing I will receive plenty of mom featured pictures in the months/years to come...
CONGRATS to the Browns and the Namordi's ... I met both of our new friends in person - and they are both stand-up peeps!
Sydney Brown (formerly known as "Nugget") was born on October 19th. DooDoo and Jamie are obviously really happy to extend their collective massive family trees... While the betting line had the "Brown" male chromosome winning out against the "Satnick" female chromosome (sorry Matt)... Sydney is a beautiful baby girl who will most likely follow her moms footsteps to all-girl summer camp.... the Michigan - Duke decision still at-large.
While Sydney popped out a week ago, Joshua Namordi is a bit more life-experienced (I mean - the guy already has a blog!), coming through over 6 weeks ago. Rachel and Eyal (and Mojo) have really enjoyed spending time with "J-Nam" (especially when all specific odors and sounds can be attributed to the lil' guy...innocent or not).
I have represented the DAD'S in the pictures provided ... as I am guessing I will receive plenty of mom featured pictures in the months/years to come...
CONGRATS to the Browns and the Namordi's ... I met both of our new friends in person - and they are both stand-up peeps!
10/26/2007
Google AdSense
I cannot count the number of conversations I've had with people over the years who want to understand how they can make money through Google's business model....
While there are several ways this can be done, the most scalable and easiest way is to write. In other words, create interesting content that can be monetized easily. Google will supply the ads if you supply the content. That's it! Assuming your writing generates a sizable audience, and is relevant to topics - people can earn a decent living.
Today, there was an article in the USAToday on how retiree's in particular have leveraged the AdSense movement. It shares stories of folks who earn sometimes $100K plus per year - just for writing about things they are passionate about...
Now, although I have ads on my blog, I honestly don't write my blog for revenue gain. I'm solely interested in how it works from a publishing standpoint (vs. an advertisers standpoint which I'm more familiar with). In the 6 months that I've had ads on my blog -- I've made less than $5. To be fair, though, I don't write enough, my audience is the same 20 people (although about 100 unique people visited my blog this month), and again - I don't view or treat it as a revenue generating exercise.
If you are interested in learning more, in addition to reading the USA Today article, you should also read up on Adsense. I think the key to making money with Adsense, though, is to be patient and to think like a true publisher... Focus on creating insightful, interesting, and entertaining content. If you develop an audience...the ads (and money) should follow....
While there are several ways this can be done, the most scalable and easiest way is to write. In other words, create interesting content that can be monetized easily. Google will supply the ads if you supply the content. That's it! Assuming your writing generates a sizable audience, and is relevant to topics - people can earn a decent living.
Today, there was an article in the USAToday on how retiree's in particular have leveraged the AdSense movement. It shares stories of folks who earn sometimes $100K plus per year - just for writing about things they are passionate about...
Now, although I have ads on my blog, I honestly don't write my blog for revenue gain. I'm solely interested in how it works from a publishing standpoint (vs. an advertisers standpoint which I'm more familiar with). In the 6 months that I've had ads on my blog -- I've made less than $5. To be fair, though, I don't write enough, my audience is the same 20 people (although about 100 unique people visited my blog this month), and again - I don't view or treat it as a revenue generating exercise.
If you are interested in learning more, in addition to reading the USA Today article, you should also read up on Adsense. I think the key to making money with Adsense, though, is to be patient and to think like a true publisher... Focus on creating insightful, interesting, and entertaining content. If you develop an audience...the ads (and money) should follow....
10/15/2007
The Return of The Douchebag
Amy and I jointly discovered this - and I've discussed it with a few of my loyal readers - but thought I'd bring it to the masses...
It's fairly common knowledge that fashion trends repeat themselves over time. While language and grammar aren't necessarily a fashion trend, I believe certain sayings follow a similar formula and make their way back into the mainstream. Let's hope that "Totally tubular", "mint" (that's for you Wolfe), and "groovy" don't make their way back, but I feel confident in proclaiming the term "Douchebag" back into everyday context.
For starters, I've heard the term spoken in several conversations among friends (of course not used to describe any of my loyal readers). Additionally, I've now seen some form of "Douchebag" referenced in 3 popular TV shows (including Saturday Night Live having a "Douchebag of the Year" sketch)...
What brought the word back?? While I'm not completely sure - I've gotta assume that MySpace and Facebook had something to do with it. I mean - who can look at the picture below and think of ANY word besides Douchebag...
In case anyone was wondering - when you Google "Douchebag" - the picture below is the first listing - seriously.
In conclusion - If anyone was looking for a trendy Halloween costume - look no further...
It's fairly common knowledge that fashion trends repeat themselves over time. While language and grammar aren't necessarily a fashion trend, I believe certain sayings follow a similar formula and make their way back into the mainstream. Let's hope that "Totally tubular", "mint" (that's for you Wolfe), and "groovy" don't make their way back, but I feel confident in proclaiming the term "Douchebag" back into everyday context.
For starters, I've heard the term spoken in several conversations among friends (of course not used to describe any of my loyal readers). Additionally, I've now seen some form of "Douchebag" referenced in 3 popular TV shows (including Saturday Night Live having a "Douchebag of the Year" sketch)...
What brought the word back?? While I'm not completely sure - I've gotta assume that MySpace and Facebook had something to do with it. I mean - who can look at the picture below and think of ANY word besides Douchebag...
In case anyone was wondering - when you Google "Douchebag" - the picture below is the first listing - seriously.
In conclusion - If anyone was looking for a trendy Halloween costume - look no further...
10/10/2007
Update on Ugliest Couch in America...
It's for sale!! Check out the eBay listing (which was done by my step-brother)...
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