Archive for December, 2006
Combos
I’m always a few steps behind when it comes to TV ads, since I tend to pay no attention to them whatsoever. I probably wouldn’t have seen the one for Combos either, if my husband hadn’t told me about it. (Jim caught the funny part, but not the product name. He said “they’re for some [...]
The Incredible Shrinking Data Sheet
I’m working on a data sheet project with the product marketing team at a software company, and they’re having a hard time with the designers in marcomm who keep coming up with new design guidelines for them the follow.
No problem with standards and guidelines, and the overall look and feel are fine, but each [...]
Blog Tips from Robert Scoble
If you’re going to have a blog, you might as well write it in a way that gets lots of search engine traffic. Robert Scoble offers up some good tips to do just that (while simultaneously dinging a San Jose Mercury News blogger for getting it wrong). Yes, his ego is large, but he knows this stuff; [...]
Trans Fat Market Failure
By now you’ve probably read about the ban on artificial trans fats in food that was just passed in New York City. Never mind whether it’s a good idea or not - one paragraph of the CNN story was quite interesting:
McDonalds Corp. has been experimenting with healthier oil blends but has not committed to a full [...]
Language Police: I carry a badge
The other day, while doing some competitive research for a client, I came across a company that described their product as a “simplistic solution.” Since they are direct competitors of ours, I sure do hope that their solution is simplistic! Both our products are trying to solve an expensive, complex, and - dare I say [...]
I Don’t Believe It
In Mississippi, an ad shop (the Cirlot Agency) has created a series of PSAs promoting the state. They’re interesting; rather than do some bland stuff about the state’s positives, they go right for the common negative perceptions the rest of the country has about Mississippi and tackles them. The campaign is called Mississippi, Believe It! and [...]
Using Google Sitemaps
(Joining us as a guest blogger today is Brian Hoke, Principal of Bentley & Hoke, a web development and internet consulting firm in Syracuse, New York. His topic: using Google sitemaps to help search engines find the content on your site. Thanks to Brian for the contribution. -John Whiteside)
Google and other search engines rely on [...]
"No Decision"
The other day, a friend and I were discussing “the competition,” with our conversation revolving around non-profits. Claire offered the notion that your competitor is not just - and maybe not even primarily - the non-profits that are providing services in your space. According to a theory that had been suggested to her, a non-profit’s real competition is other charitable sectors. [...]
"No-Reply" Emails are Unacceptable
Yesterday I wrote about an email I received from my fax-to-email provider about a price increase. I didn’t mention that I replied to the email to let them know why I was unhappy with their steep price hike. That got this response:
We’re sorry, but you’ve reached an automated message.
The e-mail address pricechange@___.com is used solely for [...]
Pricing Matters
When you raise your prices, you create an opportunity for customer defections. I’m experiencing that at the moment with my fax to email service, and it’s made me think about how you can minimize the risks.
I got an email from the service telling me that my monthly rate was going up by 30%. That’s [...]
