Category Archives: General

General thoughts and info about marketing.

General

Marketing Mishaps-Not Funny Then, Funny Now

In today’s post I am going to borrow a concept I saw recently for “Not Funny Then, Funny Now” to describe some of the marketing related incidents that come to mind over the years.  If any of these trigger your own memories, please share below.

Not Funny Then…While working as the Marketing Director at Mad River Mountain Ski Area, a guest showed his dislike for a company no refund policy by lunging over the counter to try to attack me.  Police were called…Funny now.

Not Funny Then…Back in 1996 fighting to get the ok for a $2,000 web budget to create a company website (in the travel industry).  The “powers-to-be” felt the web was a passing fad and the budget allowance “irresponsible spending”…Funny Now.

Not funny then…Having to pull a brochure off a printer’s press because of one sentence that said “a skiing event for those with a lust for life”.  At the last minute, lust was considered too risque for the “powers -to-be” and had to be replaced by “love” for life.  By waiting to the last minute to change this, it costs us days of delay and thousands of dollars…Funny Now.

Not funny then…After a takeover of the organization I worked for, we were asked to put together a document explaining what we did, projects we’ve worked on and recommendations for moving forward.  I spent 2 weeks putting together a detailed portfolio book (and copies).  When my meeting time came to meet with the new CEO, he shook my hand, said “Oh, you are the Marketing Director, the necessary evil”.  Proceeded to flip thru the carefully prepared portfolio and hand it back to me.  When I told him it was his copy, he said, “that’s ok, I really have no where to put it”.  Got up and left after about 5 minutes…Funny Now (Developed a great relationship with the CEO and worked there for years afterward).

General

Mad Men vs. Trust Me

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If asked, I would say I am a selective TV watcher.  I have DVR (records TV shows for me) so I can watch shows when I want rather than when the networks determine the best time for them.  In any case, I had heard good things about the show called “Mad Men” which revolves around a Madison Avenue Advertising Agency back in the 1950’s and 60’s.  After one show I was hooked.  Why wouldn’t I be, I own and run a marketing company myself?  Which means I am always looking to see how the other half lives. (Even if it is in TV land)

So, the show is sexist, completely politically incorrect and makes my blood boil half the time.  I love it!  My mouth drops half the time and I think “how can they get away with this” but it is a great look into how supposedly business used to run.  Of course, since I was born decades after this show’s time period, I’ll never really know how agencies conducted themselves back then.  But, I tend to believe from shows like this and Bewitched, that alcohol and fooling around was involved quite a bit.  Makes you wonder how work actually got done!

Fast forward to today.  The new “ad agency” show is Trust Me.  It does seem to reflect more of the times we live in.  It is growing on me.  I find it interesting to watch the client meetings, ad pitches, and how they do the creative process.  Does it seem like a day in my life at work?  Well, not really but it does get get me to laugh and appreciate a bit more the people I work with.

So, what’s my point in writing about TV shows that revolve around the marketing profession today?  Basically to ask the question, are these types of shows helping or hurting our industry?  Do shows like this just make non-marketers think all we do is drink all day and play with toys in our offices?  Or, do people realize that these shows are just for entertainment value?

General

Why Twitter?

I was asked a simple question last night, “why are you using Twitter?”.  I thought about it for a little while. Note-Twitter is a “microblogging” service that invites you to share what you’re doing with the world in 140 characters or less.

Here’s my top reasons:

– Cutting-Edge: I personally try to stay up-to-date on new cutting-edge marketing opportunities.  I am constantly out searching and trying-out new programs that our clients might be interested in now or in the future.  Twitter is something new, so I will give it a try.

– Little commitment: It’s so easy.  Unlike mySpace where you really have to work to create a design, a following, and 15 other things which could take up your entire day, Twitter needs only a few minutes each day (thanks to Tweetdeck) to read what others have twittered and post my own tweets.  And, I can twitter from my computer or cell phone.

– Response: In a short period of time (about 30 days) I have been able to build a network of “followers” that I can ask questions, post recommendations, and search comments.  What I find different about twitter compared to LinkedIn, or other social sites is the real time answers.  On my other social networking sites it seems to take a day or two to get responses from people.  In Twitter, it takes minutes.  That kind of network building and personal response amazes and thrills me.  I am an instant gratification kind of person!

– Branding: Ok, I’ll admit it.  One of my goals is to help people/businesses realize we exist.  It is a free marketing channel that costs me some work time.  It’s a new form of PR that I am happy to add to our overall marketing mix if it shows promise.  Which so far, it has.

So, now I ask you, “why do you use Twitter”?

General

She’s baaaack…

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It’s been over 2 years since I have tapped the keys to post on my blog.  I really can’t believe it has been that long.

My last blog post was “Blogging takes courage” (Look down to read more.  I was able to import some of the posts from my old blog)

It was a good post, but not great enough to be the last thing I had to say about blogging.  So, today marks the day I am coming back from my blog retirement.  I hate to offer excuses, but after starting blogging in 2004, two years later I had pretty much run out of things to say.  You see my first blog was about blogs and blogging.  I think it was too narrow of a focus.  Between struggling to find new things to discuss and having a losing battle with spammers, I had grown disenchanted.  Which led to my hiatus for a few years.

But, I do miss it.  I miss having a bit more space to ramble on than Twitter.  My blog, although I share it with the world, is really my soapbox.  It is my freedom to write whatever the heck I want.  How often in life do we get that?

So, I welcome you to my marketing blog.  Where I tell it like I see it.  And, invite you to do the same.

General

Blogging takes courage

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Like anything you do in the public eye, blogging takes courage.

Blogging for yourself or your organization is risky. From discussing an unpopular view, to libel issues, it takes courage to embrace the blog concept and steer readers down your preferred blogging path.

The best bloggers take a stand on something and defend it. Whether popular or not, I respect bloggers who can speak their mind and defend their arguments. )Probably comes from my Political Science background) I may not agree with your point, but I respect your right to make it.

General

Time to move

It’s been a good run. I’ve noticed of late that Blogger has let their RSS (really simple syndication) or XML feed fall behind in development. That means if you try to access the feed on this site you will probably get errors. For someone like me, moving my blog is not difficult, just time consuming. You see I have other blog software and can easily move domain names around. For the average person however, I see a big problem looming! What’s that? The average person with a large blog will have a heck of a time moving all their beloved posts. So what options do we all have when we do decide to change providers? -Let the old blog go away? Like this one? -Copy and paste every post into the new software? Then what happens to the comments? So, anyone any ideas?]]>

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a multi-blogger (I have multiple blogs). I set this blog up on Google’s Blogger system as an experiment. Basically to see what kind of functionality it had and if it was worth recommending to others. Plus, I wanted to see if Google gave any special “treatment” to their own software when they were compiling search engine stats. (Yes, I was checking to see if I could get higher on Google’s stats if I used their blog software rather than someone else’s). As far as I can tell-no, you don’t.

It’s been a good run.

I’ve noticed of late that Blogger has let their RSS (really simple syndication) or XML feed fall behind in development. That means if you try to access the feed on this site you will probably get errors.

For someone like me, moving my blog is not difficult, just time consuming. You see I have other blog software and can easily move domain names around. For the average person however, I see a big problem looming!

What’s that?

The average person with a large blog will have a heck of a time moving all their beloved posts. So what options do we all have when we do decide to change providers?
-Let the old blog go away? Like this one?
-Copy and paste every post into the new software? Then what happens to the comments?

So, anyone any ideas?