So what?

According to Bain & Company, U.S. corporations lose, on average, half of their customers in five years. It’s a slow and quiet exodus that is costly to replenish. In addition, Cint found that 62% of people are more likely to purchase a specific brand if their opinion was sought by that brand. Considering these two important statistics, every brand should be highly motivated to retain and talk to their customers.

Consequently, make it easy for motivated customers to reach you. They could be few, but valuable. A dedicated phone line or email, even social media space can help. If in social media, and you should be, make sure to talk with customers, not just at them. If not in social media, consider that your customers are probably talking about you, without you. In addition, solicit feedback in ways that make the most sense for your brand.

The idea for sharing this story came from here.

A few years back I needed to buy a washing machine. I started with Consumer Reports and found the top ranked washing machine that fit my other criteria. Then I looked for stores that carried that brand. Being a larger than normal purchase for me, I made time to do my research. I visited three different stores and finally decided which washer to buy. Of course, it was in the first store I visited. What I found most interesting was that I looked at the same washing machine three times, but each store called it something different.

My experience is not unusual. Lots of stores carry similar products, but with slight differences, even in the SKU, so that exact comparisons are more difficult. They do this on purpose. It creates exclusivity and encourages people to buy where they trust the store rather than the product alone.

Imagine my surprise to find that Target recently wrote a letter to suppliers wanting exclusive product to compete with online stores. Target already has many unique items, but must always roll the cost of the physical stores into prices. It’s hard to compete with online stores that don’t have showroom costs.

Is the showroom a hindrance? Yes and no. Yes due to cost and no because it’s hard to know exactly how something looks and feels from a photo online. At the same time, if an online store offers a significantly lower price on the exact same product I want and waves shipping costs, the new online shopping expectation, will I wait a few days to have my new toy shipped? It really depends and I imagine many people answer the same way I do.

I see where Target is going with this idea and it will be interesting to watch it unfold. However, continuing to connect with customers so they want to by from Target will remain important. If I trust Target more than a random online store that I am unfamiliar with, I will buy from Target every time. Again, I use myself as the example, but there is some universal truth to how I shop.

Will this change over time? Of course. The popularity of online shopping is growing. There could very well be a day when online is the standard for finding new ideas. Exclusive content may not be the best solution in that space either. For right now, lots of people still start at a physical store or go to a store to verify what they found online. It’s still critical to make sure these customers have a good experience. As things change, it will be important to implement market research that explores how and why people are making the shift in order for physical stores to continue to compete. It’s an exciting time.

First of all, what the heck is a QR code? According to comScore, only about 6% of people have used a QR code. A QR code is also known as a quick reference code. It’s an image (special matrix bar code) that, with the right application, smart phones can direct users to special digital content. This means that only about a third of the U.S. population even has access to the right applications (PEW found that 35% of Americans have a smart phone). It’s safe to say the audience is still small.

Of the people who have used QR codes, they are more likely to be male, young adults, and have a high household income.

Why on my banana? Well, the banana sticker implies the QR code will direct me to content about a new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. Maybe there is hope that children will pester their parents to use the QR code. Considering most people access a QR code from home, this is a possibility.

However, it better work. Don’t want to entice anyone to land nowhere as I did with a recent QR code. These will only become more popular if valuable content is delivered.

The QR code on my banana took me to a branded space to download a free ringtone. This content might disappoint little kids since they are less likely to have a mobile phone or a mobile phone that can implement a special ringtone. Of course, if the audience using QR codes likes The Chipmunks, this was a smart move.

Just ten days before Christmas the National Retail Federation changed its prediction of 2.8% sales increase to 3.8%. That’s $469.1 billion dollars. Lower than the 5.2% experienced last year, but “cautious optimism” was welcomed.

Brick-and-mortar fared well, but the real hero was in online sales. A record breaking $1.25 billion was spent on Cyber Monday alone and online sales rose 15% overall from last year. Part of the reason lies in free shipping offered by nine of ten online retailers at some point in the holiday shopping season. In addition, the new standard for online shopping appears to be free return shipping. Mobile shopping made a large impact, especially from Apple devices (iPhone and iPad).

Where was money spent? The holiday shopping patterns seem to mimic the larger rhetoric of a shrinking middle class. Dollar stores and pawn shops saw more than average traffic and sales, while higher end stores such as Sacks Fifth Avenue and Nieman Marcus also appreciated higher sales.

Even though a week before Christmas about one quarter of shoppers had not begun their holiday shopping, returns showed a remorse for shopping levels thus far. December saw record returns considering January can normally see a 7% return rate in strong economic times. Close to a 10% return rate is expected this season. The change could be in part from shoppers turning to credit cards to make purchases.

A survey by Consumer Reports found that shoppers planned to charge an average of $756 this holiday, up 6 percent from the previous year, though the number of people who plan to use credit has remained steady.

So, what can we learn for next year?

• If foot-traffic is most important to your business, there must be strategies in place to convert browsers to sales because online stores are ruthless.
• Be online. Make sure your product is available online, digitally attractive, and the site user-friendly.
• Make sure to offer free shipping and free return shipping to match your competitors and display confidence in your products.
• Have an easy mobile presence for shoppers.
• Offer a strong variety of price points. If lower cost and higher cost items are selling right now, make sure you can meet that demand.

References can be  found here, here, here, here, and here.

Supposedly changes are coming from two motivations; (1) higher numbers of jobless men are seeing some household duties shift to them, including grocery shopping, and (2) some men want to be more involved with the household and cooking.

In addition, there is an assertion that men like to experiment more and are more likely to impulse buy, which seems contrary to the idea that they are doing the shopping in lieu of working.

“The mindset has been that she shops, she really knows every inch of the store, she is really organized, has a list, is in a huge hurry,” Calpino said. “We talk to a lot of these millennial guys about shopping, and the biggest headline is they’re not as structured, not as hurried, much more experimental, more adventurous.”

Let’s think about this. The assumption is that men can’t function as well in stores that are set up for women. Aisle shopping is heavily researched. There is a lot of thought and planning put into where items appear on shelves and what they look like. There is also research on store layouts. However, to assume that crowded aisles are more frustrating and less enticing to men than women, as the research implies, is not fair. Of course no one wants to fight a crowded aisle, but are we assuming that men will go without something needed to avoid a crowd? Again, that seems unfair.

Everyone can benefit from a better shopping experience and curating space specific for women’s and men’s needs seems like a no-brainer. However, as shopping responsibilities equalize between both groups, there is room to improve the experience for all.

Right now, many Boomers are watching their parents age and become less independent. Some feel resentment to the expectation of caring for their parents and the emotional response is natural (Goulston, 2010). The difference lies in how these experiences are generating a unique conversation about their own end of life. At one end of the conversation spectrum, Boomers are exploring alternatives to traditional funerals and not using funeral homes for their parents or their own planning. Cremation and the spreading of ashes have become more commonplace (Rybarski, 2004).

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Boomers are dialoging about how to not be a burden for their own children (Goulston, 2010). Some are planning ahead for what they want to happen when they can no longer care for themselves. At the same time, many fear outliving their savings. Some have already decided to not save money for their children and instead use all savings to maintain or improve quality of life after retirement. In fact, over half of people aged 44 to 75 fear running out of money more than death (Fleck, 2010).

Overall, research is revealing that Boomers are fairly glum when it comes to external influencers like the economy.

Fully 80% say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country today, compared with 60% of those ages 18 to 29 (Millennials); 69% of those ages 30 to 45 (Generation Xers) and 76% of those 65 and older (the Silent and Greatest Generations).

They feel their standard of living is lower than their parents, enough to have to postpone retirement, and that their children will face greater hardship (Cohn & Taylor, 2010).

However, when looking at internal influencers like perceived health, older people are generally positive. In fact, older people are more positive about their current health than younger people think. Younger people feel “old” happens at about 60 years and that life is difficult and challenging at this age. The reality is that older people generally feel younger than their age and face few old age related challenges until later. Their lives are richer and more meaningful than younger people imagine, and yet their outlook remains glum (Cohn & Taylor, 2010; Pew Social Trends Staff, 2009).

Younger people think life is very different from what older people actually experience. It’s possible that greater interaction between groups will help close the knowledge gap, particularly since Boomers are one of the largest population segments (Pew Social Trends Staff, 2009).

There is one additional outcome that is being discussed and researched. When Baby boomers were adolescents, their suicide rate was higher than seen previously. Unfortunately, the suicide rate is again on the rise within the population. Researchers suspect that the option feels more viable for Boomers because they knew people that committed suicide when younger. “Baby boomers appear to be driving a dramatic rise in suicide rates among middle-aged people” (Emory University, 2010). There is a real possibility that some Boomers are currently choosing, and others will choose, suicide over feeling a burden to others. Watching their own parents become dependent on others and understanding what may come is encouraging some to consider, and others to implement, very different decisions to avoid this time in their lives.

Baby Boomers are still changing the rules. Not wanting to feel like a burden will motivate different kinds of decisions compared to previous generations, possibly even suicide. Businesses that focus on older populations have an opportunity to be part of this new conversation by helping Boomers not feel like a being a burden is in their future. Further research with Boomers can reveal the best ways to enter and frame an end of life conversation.

References

Cohn, D’Vera & Paul Taylor (December 20, 2010). Baby boomers approach 65-glumly.  Pew Research Center. Retrieved November 28, 2011, http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/12/20/baby-boomers-approach-65-glumly/

Emory University (2010, September 27). Baby boomers raise midlife suicide rate, study suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09 /100927105201.htm

Fleck, Carole (July 1, 2010). Running out of money worse than death. AARP Bulletin. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.aarp.org/work/retirement-planning/info-06-2010/running_out_of_money_worse_than_death.html

Goulston, Mark, M.D., F.A.P.A. (June 30, 2010). Baby boomer death wish. Psychology Today.  Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.psychologytoday.com

Pew Social Trends Staff (June 29, 2009). Growing old in America. Pew Research Center. Retrieved November 28, 2011, http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2009/06/29/growing-old-in-america-expectations-vs-reality/

Rybarski, Michael (June 2004). Boomer after all is said and done. American Demographics. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from www.demographics.com

Not to play on words too much, but there is a dark or “black” side of this day that is discussed every year after the day passes. Stories of people being injured or very frustrated by the process circle the Internet. This year a woman was almost crushed to death in North Texas when frantic customers ripped apart a display of DVDs. The video can be seen here. Unfortunately, the story of injury is not unique to one store or one year.

An editorial in the Arkansas Times shared how Black Friday was the “saddest day of the year” based on what people are driven to do and how they treat each other. The writer shares how he planned his Thanksgiving to make sure he was at a store when the doors opened at midnight. A special day with family impacted by a desire to buy gifts for his kids at a lower price. The writer was proud he was able to save money, but was frustrated by the process. I believe it doesn’t have to be this way.

There is not one person or institution to blame for the current culture of Black Friday, but there are ways to maintain the excitement and sales without frustrating customers or inadvertently creating scenes of injury. No business wants to be known for negative outcomes. The following are ways that Black Friday could be different:

• Offer savings and or exclusive opportunities to the best customers through social media or loyalty programs.
• Allow customers to “fast pass” the way amusement parks manage long lines. Everyone gets a line placeholder and returns when it’s their time to ride the ride.
• Dole out sale opportunities throughout the day so customers don’t feel they have to trample each other for savings at a specific time.
• Customers have already demonstrated they are willing to do things differently for Black Friday sales. Help them use this energy. Maybe have “friend moments” when people enlist their friends to shop with them and the group gets exclusive time in the store. This way people are shopping with others they know and like and thus are less likely to feel anonymous enough to watch actions take a negative turn.
• Offer better deals online at the same time to encourage people to shop in their bunny slippers.
• Divide up the day for different audiences so different groups cycle through at different times. For example, maybe tech toys on sale first thing but children’s toys won’t be on sale until later in the day.

These are just starting ideas. The point is to keep the excitement and sales high while helping customers always think fondly of your brand. More ideas are certainly possible. Think about your brand image and tailor Black Friday opportunities that best match the personality, keep your prime audience excited, and help everyone feel great about the holidays.

Best Friends has saved thousands of dogs using the idea of an invisible dog to represent the forgotten pets at city shelters that face little chance of adoption. They were successful through social media and using various layers of action from people. Actions ranged from making a donation to sponsoring an event to help raise awareness. Their efforts were even picked up by Mashable.

The Humane Society is also placing a friendly face on shelter animals. From YouTube:

The Shelter Pet Project is a public service ad campaign focused on
spreading the word that pets in shelters are wonderful and lovable,
and encouraging potential adopters to consider the shelter as the
first place to find a new best friend.

In addition, some of the most viewed videos on YouTube revolve around animals, particularly cats.  Cats are so prominent; a parody agency was created to highlight their importance in advertising.

Where is all this animal emphasis coming from? It’s not just that animals need attention. Humans are naturally drawn to dogs and cats because they remind us of babies and trigger parenting feelings. But, why the emphasis right now? Maybe it’s because the current economic downturn has forced many families to abandon their pets in shelters. When budgets get tight, some people are deciding their pets would be better off with another family. Unfortunately, many of these pets are not adopted. In addition, there is some stigma that shelter pets are not adoptable, that they will inherently have behavior problems. Certainly some do, but the vast majority doesn’t.

As the holidays draw closer and some families consider a new pet, I think shelters are trying to shed any negative connotations and find forever homes for their residents. It’s a logical explanation to see so much recent emphasis on shelter animals.

To close, a photo of my shelter dog who happily spends many of her days under my desk.

A focus on the middle class for product development and advertising has been an American staple for several decades. However, the current recession has continued to change profit expectations in most industries. Proctor & Gamble (P&G), a mainstay in many middle-class homes, is taking notice. Research has shown that their customers are trading down to lower cost products and P&G is beginning to offer bargain priced options in the United States. What it really means is that P&G is betting customer responses to the current economic situation will persist.

Several U.S. companies are feeling the trend. Target and Walmart are both seeing negative changes in their earnings while Dollar General and other firms catering to low-income customers are experiencing gains. Tiffany & Co. shared their lower-end products, traditionally popular among the middle-class, are currently not selling well while higher-end options are doing better.

A long-standing change in what people buy has implications for how products and services are marketed. Just a couple years ago people were willing to pay a little more for products they felt were better for the environment or connected to certain causes. Will this sentiment continue?

I don’t have a crystal ball, but the following are real possibilities as the U.S. middle-class continues to shrink:

1. More emphasis on innovation at a similar or lower price point. Brands and services will become innovation savvy in order to stand-out in the marketplace.
2. Companies and brands will offer more information and opportunities for customers to feel they are making smart purchasing decisions. It’s a way to build and grow positive relationships until people feel they can afford more. Or at least until postponing a purchase decision is no longer an option.
3. Word of mouth will continue to grow. We all still value what our friends and family say and this won’t change, but sharing about deals and our experiences will continue to grow as we help each other be successful during hard times. Brands that help people do this will be viewed positively.
4. New, cheaper, brands will be introduced. Rather than devaluing the products that people have trusted for years and continuing to lower prices, new options will appear and give people choices. As prediction #3 is implemented and #2 is more available, we will all know exactly how well the lower-cost options work and make informed decisions.
5. Brands will stand out through special opportunities that make the purchasing process easier. Products that are notoriously difficult to purchase, think house or car, might streamline their process or offer extra support during the process to help customers feel good. Then, these happy customers will participate in #3.

It will be interesting to watch how everything unfolds.

Sources for content can be found here and here.

We spend most of our lives going around believing we are rational, logical beings who make carefully weighted decisions based on objective facts in stable circumstances. Quote found here.

Of course we are! Anything less is admitting that life gets in the way of decision making. But, of course, many factors influence our decisions. Erving Goffman talked about the front and back stages of how we present ourselves. Our front stage, the one we share with others, is rational, on time, thoughtful and kind. Our backstage does not always match as it is our true self that can be selfish, greedy, and cranky, but it’s okay since these are parts of our personalities that we try not to reveal to others. The problem is when the curtain between who we are and who we want to be seen as is removed. Our front stage makes all the good decisions, or does it?

A new book talks about present bias. The idea that, I MUST HAVE THE NEW iPhone 4S (back stage emotion)! My present bias says that it’s the best iPhone yet and has features that will make my life better (front stage rationality). But will it? Will my future self feel the same way? Or, will a different mobile phone offer even better opportunities? Or, will my future self, who is not to be trusted, decide that mobile phones are useless and I need to live in a cave?

I have not read the book, but the teaser offers an interesting way to think about how and when we decide to buy something.

Because everything is new, and so much had to be done, we’ve all been working at a feverish pace to get everything ready. In the last few weeks the communications elements have rolled out. TV and radio spots are running, a new local website was launched, billboards and street pole banners were put up, an insert appeared in the paper, email marketing got hot and heavy, a text alert program was launched, airport multi-media displays at baggage claim began running. The list was long. And now the big event is about to kick off.

Yesterday was the official kick off press conference and even some of our interns got put to work. Joe Burke delivered some 20k information inserts for fans to area hotels and businesses. And both Joe and Jennifer Fisher acted as human easels today to make sure exhibits didn’t blow down during the press conference.

We had an entire crew down at the stadium for the press kickoff to work logistics. Pictured here are just a few. Interns Jennifer Fisher and Joe Burke and  staffers Emily Wenstrom and Laura Spaulding.

Just in the nick of time, literally with only 30 minutes to spare before the first team arrived on Wednesday, the airport welcome banners were installed.

Every year has its share of challenges. This year the big one is water. It’s everywhere. Even cropping up this week into parking lot D and giving officials some headaches. Flooding is also on the mind of fans coming into town and we’ve needed to provide information about road closures and suggested detours. This is the first time we’ve needed to add a page to the website to include updates on flooding and road detours. Challenges aside, everyone is powering through it and the show will go on. And it will be great!

Come on down and catch the free opening ceremonies and a game. Tickets are still available at the box office and the view is FINE!

I was stunned. So many people have embraced the mantra: reduce/reuse/recycle. They go far out of their way and spend a considerable amount of extra money to help the planet. And now these bastions of earth friendliness, the caring companies with a corporate conscience who are entreating us to join in and enable them to save the planet have become the enemy.

Now who can you trust? It seems unthinkable to keep providing money to the lying SOBs but what’s the alternative? Stop supporting green (or faux green) living altogether? I honestly don’t have the answer.

I was struck by the fact that at least six of the technologies have already, or will, impact brand strategy and communications planning. Many of these are already being employed at some level.

Listed below are the six technologies with a brief explanation taken from the Gartner press release.

Mobile Applications and Media Tablets

Gartner estimates that by the end of 2010, 1.2 billion people will carry handsets capable of rich, mobile commerce providing an ideal environment for the convergence of mobility and the Web. Mobile devices are becoming computers in their own right, with an astounding amount of processing ability and bandwidth. There are already hundreds of thousands of applications for platforms like the Apple iPhone, in spite of the limited market (only for the one platform) and need for unique coding.

The quality of the experience of applications on these devices, which can apply location, motion and other context in their behavior, is leading customers to interact with companies preferentially through mobile devices. This has lead to a race to push out applications as a competitive tool to improve relationships and gain advantage over competitors whose interfaces are purely browser-based.

Social Communications and Collaboration

Social media can be divided into:

1. Social networking —social profile management products, such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Friendster as well as social networking analysis (SNA) technologies that employ algorithms to understand and utilize human relationships for the discovery of people and expertise.
2. Social collaboration —technologies, such as wikis, blogs, instant messaging, collaborative office, and crowdsourcing.
3. Social publishing —technologies that assist communities in pooling individual content into a usable and community accessible content repository such as YouTube and flickr.
4. Social feedback – gaining feedback and opinion from the community on specific items as witnessed on YouTube, flickr, Digg, Del.icio.us, and Amazon.

Gartner predicts that by 2016, social technologies will be integrated with most business applications. Companies should bring together their social CRM, internal communications and collaboration, and public social site initiatives into a coordinated strategy.

Video

This is not a new media form, but its use as a standard media type used in non-media companies is expanding rapidly. Technology trends in digital photography, consumer electronics, the web, social software, unified communications, digital and Internet-based television and mobile computing are all reaching critical tipping points that bring video into the mainstream.

Over the next three years Gartner believes that video will become a commonplace content type and interaction model for most users, and by 2013, more than 25 percent of the content that workers see in a day will be dominated by pictures, video or audio.

Next Generation Analytics

Increasing compute capabilities of computers including mobile devices along with improving connectivity are enabling a shift in how businesses support operational decisions. It is becoming possible to run simulations or models to predict the future outcome, rather than to simply provide backward looking data about past interactions, and to do these predictions in real-time to support each individual business action.

Social Analytics

Social analytics describes the process of measuring, analyzing and interpreting the results of interactions and associations among people, topics and ideas. These interactions may occur on social software applications used in the workplace, in internally or externally facing communities or on the social web.

Social analytics is an umbrella term that includes a number of specialized analysis techniques such as social filtering, social-network analysis, sentiment analysis and social-media analytics. Social network analysis tools are useful for examining social structure and interdependencies as well as the work patterns of individuals, groups or organizations. Social network analysis involves collecting data from multiple sources, identifying relationships, and evaluating the impact, quality or effectiveness of a relationship.

Context-Aware Computing

Context-aware computing centers on the concept of using information about an end user or object’s environment, activities connections and preferences to improve the quality of interaction with that end user. The end user may be a customer, business partner or employee.

The other strategic technologies are cloud computing, storage-class memory, ubiquitous computing and fabric-based infrastructure and computers.

Are you using these technologies to your advantage?

When you get a message like that the first thing that comes to mind is “why didn’t they provide more information about themselves?” The answer is simple. They are trying to trick me into thinking they are a potential new client for our agency so that I will call them back. They think the less said the better.

What they really want is to sell me something. This trick is their plan to get a foot in the door. And it’s an abysmal plan.

Being a cheese gets you nowhere.

If I fall for this cheesy scam I feel like a fool. The odds of my choosing to do business with a company that makes me feel like that are nil. In fact my primary takeaway is an urge to lash out and leave them in a crumpled heap.

In most cases the lack of sophistication in the message they leave reveals their scam all too clearly – and there’s little chance I will ever return their call.

I get two or three of these calls a month. And they all meet a dead end.

So what does get someone in the door? An honest and straightforward approach – sans salesy-speak – to an issue that resonates with me. Let’s face it, to get my interest I have to have a need. Without that, my attention is bound to be limited. There have been times when a well articulated point of view has had the power to create interest even without an identified need – but that’s rare.

Another way in the door is to seek my opinion. I will always help someone out who is looking for input on their product or service. Never lead with this request veiled as a thinly disguised attempt to launch into a hearty sales pitch – or you’ll leave with the imprint of my heel on your back end.

In summary, we respond to genuine and honest. We don’t like to be tricked and we don’t respond well to salesy jargon. We’re like most people.

The troubled cashback program began in May 2008, during the MSN Live days, when Microsoft was hoping that cashback incentives would help lure more people to its search engine. The Cashback program was a way for advertisers to bid for search advertisements by offering online shoppers rebates whenever they found items through the Bing search engine.

Bing remains a distant third (same as in 2008) in the search engine race and according to Microsoft, Cashback didn’t move the needle enough to be worth the cost. “After a couple of years of trying, we did not see the broad adoption that we had hoped for,” Yusuf Mehdi, a senior vice president at Microsoft, said in the blog. “We are taking all the learning from the effort and putting it into some new programs.”

Cashback was launched on the basic premise that monetary rewards is the primary driver of activity and could give Mirosoft an edge over rival Google  — but it turned out that, in everyday practice, it just wasn’t the case.

Did you know that the last time Microsoft’s online division actually made money was 2005? And even then it wasn’t much. And the situation has gone from bad to worse. In late April Microsoft revealed that its Online Services Division lost $711 million in the first three months of this year alone. That’s a $2.8 billion loss annual run rate!  And according to this, since 1998, Microsoft’s online division has lost over $8 billion.  Yikes!

Microsoft has never gotten much traction in the online game. It’s still a behemoth in the tech/software world, but not nearly as powerful as it once was (Apple recently surpassed it in market cap) and it is losing marketshare. According to some estimates, its share by 2011 will dwindle to nearly half of what it was in 2000. Interesting stats from Silicon Alley Insider on Microsoft’s crumbling empire.

The game today has changed for everyone…and will continue to change at an increasing rapid pace. No one can move forward by resting on past successes, that’s like trying to drive by looking in the rear view mirror. It doesn’t matter how powerful you were or are, tomorrow you could find yourself an also ran if you’re not willing to take an objective look at yourself and then take the risks to completely reinvent yourself in a way that is relevant to your customers.

We’re no longer in a world where the press release is the way to get trending stories. Today, the blogosphere and social networks are where the news is being made and broadcast. Bloggers and social media participants and their followers are criticizing and praising the brands and companies that they like. Since this is where the readers are, you must not be surprised that this also is where the reporters are.

Since 2004, the blogosphere has rapidly grown and whether you as PR professionals or marketers like it, it is providing a place for news, opinion and reviews that have not been “spun” by a PR professional. The most powerful and successful bloggers can clearly and articulately discuss their opinions on a product, service or company with credibility. They’re often well-known in their industry or seen as an influential person whose opinion matters.

As a writer, when I’m looking for a story idea, it is not uncommon to search online to find trending story ideas and potential sources from these credible bloggers. I can find ideas, sources and potential facts and figures (that, of course, need to be verified) easily all over social networks. I search for trusted bloggers, Tweeters and websites whose information I know is credible.

What this means for the PR and marketing professionals of the world is that you can no longer bank on the standard press release. Yes, press releases have historically been the PR tool of choice. And, in some cases, they are still practical, but only if the content is timely, relevant, news worthy and has lots of potential interview sources quoted and opportunities for video, photo and audio. And, ultimately, if the topic is of interest to the reporter’s beat, column, current issue, episode, show or publication.

You should instead be focusing your efforts on generating relevant and timely content in a variety of mediums including on corporate blogs and social media accounts in all formats: print, video, photo and audio. Find stories within your organization that bloggers and reporters and editors alike can grab onto. Provide sources and quotes. Be visual.

This is a topic very much on my mind right now since I appear to have been afflicted with the “Welcome Spring I feel like Crap” influenza.  And every time I’m afflicted I go through the same buying cycle.  I run to the store and stock up on everything that promises to be “maximum strength”.  I get liquids and gel caps and powders to mix and none of it works.  I spend a small fortune and load my system up with toxins that may plague my internal systems for the rest of my life – and still no relief.

The odd thing is when asked about the efficacy of these products I can answer with certainty – they don’t work.  And yet, I run to them at the first sign of heavy-duty sniffles.

I think we do this because having a cold makes us feel as though some foreign influence has control over our bodies and we’re looking for a way to regain that control.  What better way of gaining control that to throw money at the problem.

Sometimes I make it to Day 3 of my cold valiantly fighting the urge to stock up on all of this worthless crap – but then I break – I can’t take it anymore – I need something!!!  And off to the pharmacy I run.

If I’ve learned one thing from this fruitless and expensive habit it’s this: I need to come up with a product that doesn’t cure an annoying problem for which a worthless product does not already exist.  Then you’ll all flock to the store to buy my product and make me rich.  Hmmm let’s see – I’m thinking I’ll manufacture a pill for those days when you feel unmotivated and vague.  If I start now I should have my house in Antigua by this time next year.  And you’ll still feel unmotivated and vague – but a little more in control!

Wondering around

I stumbled on a great typo last night. “Staff in the lobby were wondering around…”

Wandering around is an aimless waste of time.

Wondering around, though, that sounds useful.

Wondering why this product is the way it is, wondering how you can make the lobby more welcoming, wondering if your best customers are happily sharing your ideas with others… So many things worth wondering about, so few people actually taking the time to do it.

Wondering around is the act of inquiring with generous spirit.

http://tiny.cc/dnNon

In the 44 films in 2009 that topped the box office for at least one weekend, an Apple logo or device could be seen in at least 18 of them. (That’s almost 41%.) In some, Apple products even eclipsed their human scene partners.

The Awl put together a great piece examining the popularity of Apple products in film. Not editors, effects specialists, composers, or photographers using Apple products, or even celebrities owning iPhones–but the insane frequency with which Apple shows up in movies, without it being official product placement.

Apple’s Greatest Cinematic Achievements from The Awl on Vimeo.

Consumer spending drives a big part of our economic health. Retailers have long known the relationship between bad weather and purchase behavior. Obviously if people are homebound because of weather conditions, they aren’t in a store buying. I used to believe that a “snow day” in retail just meant that demand increased on the following days. If I needed a shirt on Monday and couldn’t get to the store, it made sense to me that I still needed a shirt on Tuesday. A friend of mine in retail explained to me that I was not the ideal “shopping” consumer, and, in fact, a large portion of “lost” sales due to low traffic are in reality lost forever.

In addition to physical limitations created by the weather, retailers also know that mood has a profound effect on consumer spending. Many psychologists and behavioral economists believe that it is sunlight, as opposed to temperature, that has the greatest effect on consumer mood in the winter-to-spring transition.

If you were shopping in Omaha over this past weekend, you know this to be true. It was 35 degrees and sunny on Saturday and the stores I went to were packed. I was in such a good mood that I went shopping for a new lawnmower with a foot of snow still on the ground (while the guy at Home Depot thought my timing a little odd, he must have been in a good mood too, as we had a great discussion on the finer points of lawnmower buying).

So, the politicians can debate stimulus packages all they want – come on sunshine.

What I’m having a problem with is the number of sites and resources out there that seem to do little else than grab a bunch of links to various things and then publish that as content.

At first, it’s fun. Ten New Ways to Display Form Fields. Twenty Fresh Web Designs that Work on the iPhone. Forty Marketing Strategies that Attract Young People. Sixty Hot Trends in Clicking on Things.

So what?

Anyone can go out there and find options. I don’t care too much about options. I care about solutions. Don’t tell me the ten ways for doing something and leave it at that. Add some value to it. Tell me about the ten ways, how they are different, and in what circumstance each option might be the best choice. Give me a reason to care about all of these options you are giving me. I want these sites I read and people I follow on Twitter to be editors for me, not just aggregators of every other thing they find on a topic out there.

When you think about this, it makes it clear who has good information and who just appears to have good information. Use your knowledge and expertise to make decisions and select great options for yourself and your clients. If you’re giving people options, clearly explain why there are choices to make, what the differences are between then, and potential trade-offs. Also, offer your rationale for selecting one. This shows you’re paying attention, have expertise to offer, and have done some work.

Without an informed opinion, you’re the Yellow Pages, not a personal recommendation.

When I read the announcement here and here, my first thought was, big deal, how is this different from what anyone (not just Verizon customers) can do with Cellfire?  Giving them the benefit of the doubt that maybe there was something unique in the announcement, I went to check out the Verizon website promoted in its news release…and then I laughed! Hard.

I land on the Verizon site and what do I see? My Cellfire account that I registered with my Sprint number after my previous coupon guilt trip.

Verizon page (that I didn't log into) at top. My Cellfire account at the bottom. Hummmmmmm

I AM a Cellfire user, but I’m NOT a Verizon customer, I’m a Sprint customer.

So Verizon…can you hear me now? I’m still chuckling.

As a viewer looks at the system screen, the built-in camera technology analyzes data such as gender and age, audience composition, time-of-day and other criteria, which enable the system to display tailored content and graphics based on estimated demographics. The system anonymously sends audience information to advertisers who can use that information to understand the type of content and messages that are most popular with viewers. This, in turn, helps advertisers target their advertising to maximize the impact on the audience.

Innovations like Intel’s prototype (pictured above) and NEC’s plans as reported in WSJ today, will change the way people interact with digital signage technology in environments such as stores, airports, banks and hotels.

In the Intel demonstration, multiple consumers can use this side-by-side window display simultaneously to explore augmented reality-enabled maps of each floor of the store, on which retailers can superimpose images such as coupons and sales promotions next to the product visualizations on the glass, improving the customer’s shopping experience. They can send coupons to their phones and more.

These innovations in digital signage concept bring a new opportunity for advertisers to smart target messages through the use of anonymous video analytics. Consumers, especially those with growing privacy concerns relative to data collection and behavioral targeting, may object to getting their faces scanned without their knowledge. However, both Intel and NEC stress the concept of anonymous data points and modeling.

“The program tracks a person’s age and gender and throws out the footage, keeping only the macro data, he said, adding that no individuals are singled out.” Mr. Yamamoto in WSJ story.

Great infographic in Mashable thanks to social media analytics firm Viralheat.

When consumers click on the icon they will be taken to a page explaining how the advertiser uses their Web surfing history and demographic profile to send them certain ads.

Consumers should  start seeing this icon along with phrases like “Why did I get this ad?” by midsummer.

With data collection and integration becoming ever more sophisticated, the industry has been under increased scrutiny about data acquisition models and the impact on consumer privacy. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) threatened to step in if the industry failed to self-regulate, and several trade groups are now working on third-party systems that will help regulate behaviorally targeted ads. The new informational icon is one step toward industry transparency.

“Jules Polonetsky, the co-chairman and director of the Future of Privacy Forum, an advocacy group that helped create the symbol, compared it to the triangle made up of three arrows that tells consumers that something is recyclable.”  From NYTimes.com

I’ll admit, I was shocked (and I’m not alone) about the price point. Starting at $499 for the base 16GB unit is about $200 less than I expected. The 32GB will run $599, and $699 for the 64GB. Adding 3G costs a $130 per model, so the most expensive model (64GB / 3G) is $829. The WiFi-only model will ship in 60 days, and the 3G models will come in 90 days.

There was so much speculation the last few months about an Apple tablet and the anticipated features (most of which were right).  And in the last few days factual nuggets leaked like those from McGraw-Hill CEO Terry McGraw.

So now it’s official.  The iPad is born.

And the name calling jokes have begun.  These tweets gave me a chuckle:

@twifftwin: the iPad sounds like a feminine hygiene product for robot ladies.

@KristinaWeise: The #iPad – too easy to insert a woman’s comment here. “Much more intimate than a laptop and more capable than a smart phone,” Jobs said.

We may get a laugh now from the name puns, but my bets are on Apple for the last laugh.  Combine a surprisingly low launch price with Apple’s marketing savvy…

Look out Kindle.

Oh…and BTW Apple is using the ePub format for iBooks.  That could change the game in that category. See previous post.

Apple issued invitations for a media event scheduled for 10:00 AM Pacific Time on January 27th. The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and the invitation’s tag line reads “Come see our latest creation.”

All the info, rumors and speculation about the “supposed” tablet has been coming from companies and partners that Apple reached out to as part of this project.

I know I’m curious and will tune in Wednesday.  Steve Jobs is a master presenter, so I’m sure it will be a good show.  PC World will live blog from the event.

I’ve been following the pay wall discussions for months (see previous post) and still have the same question: Will consumers pay for news — in big enough numbers that it will offset the decrease in traffic that pay walls will create? Obviously, the declining revenue situation for newspapers is not getting any better.  In Q3 2009 The New York Times posted a loss of $35.6 million, as revenue fell nearly 17% from the same period a year ago. So something has to change. There’s certainly little chance print subscriptions will increase given changing consumer media behaviors. And the advertising venues and options continue to proliferate online. But I believe website pay walls, as currently positioned, are very risky bets. And seem like a backwards move. A push in forward-thinking and innovations in information delivery and customization seems less risky and a better potential source of long-term revenue.

For The New York Times the bet is especially big, because it not only runs the risk of TimesSelect 2 (the abandoned payment approach in 2007), it risks losing its mojo as top digital (non-aggregator) news site and could retard its digital ad potential if it fails. If readers run into pay walls and quickly move on to still-free (and top-notch) sources like the BBC, Reuters, NBC, NPR and many more — then the model could fall apart. And, The Times, as the leader in advertising revenue with more than 17 million readers a month in the United States, it has a lot lose if the move backfires.

There was one line in the release yesterday that intrigued me and provided a signal of some forward thinking. “NYTimes.com will be building a new online infrastructure designed to provide consumers with a frictionless experience across multiple platforms.” The concept of a frictionless experience is very appealing and could be a major move, IF The Times can pull it off well and quickly. In the age of ubiquitous smart-phones, Kindles, the long awaited Apple tablet, and eventually the Internet-mediated livingroom TV monitor, readers are already coming to expect easy, and smart, access to the their content wherever, whenever. They also will come to expect the stories they save on one device to be known by another; ditto email sharing lists, stock portfolios, favorite sports team preferences.

If The Times can provide such synchronicity, then readers who are asked to pay may accept the charge as, in part, an access charge — like their wireless access charge. And that perception change could change the game.

I know some of you are laughing right now.  How can you possibly get anything done with multiple decision makers?  It is unquestionably challenging – especially on some days.  But our decisions are never knee-jerk – a common affliction of the independent agency ruled by one sovereign (and often highly emotive) leader.  And frankly the hierarchically structured public agencies are no better.

Our structure ensures a multi-dimensional view of any major issue and leads us to solutions that are often inspired and sometimes quite surprising.  We challenge and support each other every step of the way.  We force each other to think in ways we normally wouldn’t.   It gets bloody, but as brilliant as I’m sure I am – my partners constantly blow me away with their impressive thinking

Let’s face it, as a group agencies tend to attract more emotive and expressive souls than many industries.  Yet we need our leaders to make the cool rational decisions that are so critical to our very survival these days.  How’s that gonna work?  You do the math.  The days of the maverick celebrity agency head superstars are over.

But when you take three or four talented and intelligent albeit emotive individuals with some hefty – and equal – skin in the game, an enormous diversity of experience and knowledge and focus them on growing a business that instills pride – what ensues is likely to be inspiring.  It will never be boring.

Apple (and Steve Jobs) is the poster child for bold. It seems everywhere you turn today you encounter another story of triumph for Apple, a company that has certainly faced its share of difficulty.

Via Flickr - Illustration: Tsevis Visual Design

Think about this — back in 1997 when Jobs went back to Apple, it was an underdog. A mere 6 months from bankruptcy when it moved forward to boldly position itself as the “Think Different” company. In 2000 Apple missed its financial targets, sending its stock price plummeting to the equivalent of $7 in today’s prices. Yet in 2001, as global markets fell apart and the world headed into recession, Apple boldly launched iTunes, Mac OS X, the first Apple retail stores, and the first iPod.

The obsession with innovation and focus on amazing design never faltered. Everything about Apple and its products is simply cool. (I still have the packaging from the U2 iPod I bought years ago and my husband finally tossed the box from our two year old iMac.)

Fast forward eight years to 2009, a tough year by all measures, and a time where much of the computer industry struggles, yet Apple reported that it had sold a record 3 million Macs in its fiscal fourth quarter — a 16.4% increase compared with just 2.3% growth in the PC market. And it has held a higher price point and margin, despite the recessionary environment and the increasingly competitive landscape. Plus the revenue from the computer industry is a shrinking piece of its overall revenue pie given Apple shipped over 22 million iPods during its first quarter (up 3 percent from last year) and 4.4 million iPhones.

Here’s another one of those “Ohhhh I wish I had done that!” head slaps. If you had invested $1,000 in Apple ten years ago (Dec 1999), today it would be worth over $7,500.  (Crap. I wish I had done that, but I was licking my wounds from taking a beating on some dot coms stocks.) Today, Apple is valued at about $170 billion, slightly more valuable than Google and a far cry from the $5 billion valuation in 2000.

For the second year in a row, Apple is the #1 most admired company in the world and recently Steve Jobs was named Fortune’s CEO of the decade. Just today, I read that Macs held the top three spots on Amazon’s “Most Wished For” laptop list this holiday, as well as the top four spots on the desktop computer wish list.

Apple didn’t create personal computers, but it made them personal.  It didn’t create digital music, but it did create a cultural icon.  It didn’t invent the smartphone, but it made one that people lust after and are willing to stand in line for hours to buy.

With 275 retail stores, a 73% share of the MP3 player market, and the undisputed leadership position in innovation when it comes to mobile phones, Apple and its CEO are no one’s idea of underdogs anymore.

It’s been a difficult year, one where my natural reaction has been to pull back and play it safe, even when I know in my heart that now it the time to take risks. I’ve kept moving forward, and taking risks. But it’s been hard. And every so often, I need a boost to keep going.  Today I needed that energy boost again (not to mention I was desperate for a hair color — which is why I had two hours of uninterrupted time to catch up on some reading in the first place.) Whenever I read about the journey of Apple, I feel re-energized and more determined than ever to take bold steps.

BTW, I know I enjoyed this laugh, so I bet you will too. Check out this article titled the Great iPhone Death Watch. I bet there are a few people listed here with a little crow on the menu.

 HBR 11-13-09

But try they might.

According to a new survey conducted for the American Press Institute, more than half of newspaper publishers believe readers will pay to access online newspaper content.  The results from the first survey are being presented at API’s Newsmedia Economic Action Plan Conference this week.

Newspaper companies including News Corp. and MediaNews Group are among those that have already said they will begin charging for online content. News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch says the company will charge for all of its news sites, including FoxNews, by the middle of 2010.

One approach favored by many is to erect a pay wall around virtually all stories. Print subscribers are often—but not always—allowed to read articles free of charge. Everybody else must pay, either on a story-by-story basis or on a subscription plan. The Newport Daily News, a small Rhode Island newspaper, recently began charging $345 per year for online access to stories (that’s more than the print version).  (Interestingly enough Google is now developing a micropayment platform and pitching newspapers… which seems at odds with what Google CEO, Eric Schmidt told publishers at NAA in April that “consumers won’t pay for most online news”.  But based on how I read the proposal from Google, it sounds like they might also get a share of sales, which could explain the approach.)

Another option is to charge for just some content and make other content available free. The best example of this approach, with more than a million online subscribers, is the Wall Street Journal. Roughly half of its articles—generally financial news and business reports—sit behind a pay wall, although they are free if accessed via Google News.

This approach is much harder to emulate than it may appear. Between 2005 and 2007 the New York Times charged a subscription fee to read the paper’s most popular columnists online. It ended the experiment exactly two years ago because it seemed to be cutting traffic to the site and harming advertising revenue. The Los Angeles Times dropped an attempt to charge for arts coverage for the same reason.  A newspaper that wants to follow the Journal’s approach must produce copy that is both narrow in its appeal, highly valued and useful.

Paralleling these approaches are two other news content initiatives that could further impact the industry:

First is a content-management approach by Associated Press which includes plans for a system to detect unlicensed use of its content and potentially create new ways for the news cooperative to make more money online.  AP will bundle its stories in an “informational wrapper” that will include a built-in beacon to monitor where stories go.   This news registry will debut in November and will later expanding to videos and photos. Starting in 2010, newspapers that own the cooperative will be able to put their material into the registry as well.

The second approach, by start up Attributor, called the Fair Syndication Consortium includes Reuters and more than 1,000 publishers.  This one looks to be more of direct revenue-generating tactic, but still faces technical and legal hurdles.  Rather than trying to merely corral copyright-protected stories, the consortium hopes to take a slice of the ad revenue collected by an unauthorized Web site. However, to do that, it needs the cooperation of the big networks like Google and Yahoo, who so far have reacted coolly to the proposal. If a split can’t be agreed upon, the consortium will demand that the advertising running alongside the copyright-protected material be removed.

The issues are complex. I get that.  Newspapers pay their reporters to write stories and then many sites republish those stories and make money via advertising using content someone else paid for.  I get the angst.  But personally I don’t think the pay for content model is going to restore the news (and particularly the newspaper) industry to its level of previous profitability or even save it.  I think it’s short sighted and even misguided thinking.  Given the nature of the net, “news” won’t stop because news organizations wall off their content.  While I have all the respect in the world for a good, thorough reporter, they no longer have a dominance on reporting and analyzing the events in our world. My concern is that this move will only further marginalize the profession of news reporting with large segments of the population.

The hand wringing is about the art of journalism, but isn’t all of this really about advertising revenue? If you think about it, I mean really think about it, our subscriptions to the paper never really paid for the creation of news.  You can’t tell me monthly subscription revenue even came close to paying for the costs associated with producing a paper.  As a percentage of revenue, I wonder if subscription costs even cover the cost of paper and the home delivery.  In reality, advertising dollars underwrote the cost of journalism and those shrinking dollars are the cause of all the hand-wringing and why newspapers are in a world of hurt.

Not too long ago, we had the publisher of our local paper publicly say in a speech at a function that the paper wasn’t in the journalism business, it was in the ad business.  Many were shocked, but I gave him a lot of credit for having the balls to come out and say it.  To me it’s innovation newspapers missed and innovation they need.  Rather than trying to return to what they were, they need to face what is and get on with it.  And there are some very progressive thinkers in the industry with some great ideas for how newspapers can build community on and offline and regain a more progressive, leadership role.  But the train on pay for content has left the station and seems unstoppable at this point.  I just hope no one in the industry thinks it is a magic bullet.

By no means are the issues or ideas being discussed in the industry simple or unanimous. Opinions are as heated as they are varied.  Yet the simple question remains:  Will consumers pay for news online?  Will you?

I doubt I will.  At least for general news. I have too many other choices.

Some very insightful and thought provoking commentary has been written on this subject. If you haven’t followed the subject, here are some posts worth a read:

• Veteran alt-journalist Bill Wyman, in a piece in the web magazine Splice Today (headed by New York Press founder Russ Smith) summarizes the challenges of the newspapers in five easy pieces. His two-part essay, Five Key Reasons Why Newspapers Are Failing (one here and two here) takes aim at claims of civic virtue.
• Chris O’Brien, a business reporter at the San Jose Mercury News, contributing to the MediaShift blog, wrote one of the best explanations I have ever read about the inherent fallacy of the paid-content issue.
• In response to O’Brien’s post, and in further exploring the concept of the so called “original sin” committed by newspapers, Steve Buttry C3 Coach at Gazette Communications in Cedar Rapids, Iowa wrote a thought provoking post that basically summed up why the original sin in the newspaper model was more about failing to innovate rather than about failing to charge for content.  I agree with him wholeheartedly.
• In another post from Chris O’Brien, he advocates more of a anecdotal and observational approach to problem solving and innovation rather than a pure numbers approach which can often obscure the important lessons of the way people behave.  This struck a chord with me.  While I certainly value data and models as part of the analysis and planning process, I have found that anecdotes often provide me better insights into how to creatively solve a problem than numbers do.  In his post,  he states: ” I don’t believe there’s a magic data set waiting to be assembled that will lead us to the big “Ah-ha!” I don’t think we’re one reader survey away from figuring it all out. We live in an era where people turn to data as a crutch, leaning on it to give themselves a false sense of certainty. The facts don’t lie, right? Except we know that they do. A lot of such data is formed by the biases and frames through which the questions are formulated, asked, and then interpreted. The newspaper business has failed to recognize its own flawed frames. To this day, no matter what you hear from a newspaper executive, they still believe their primary purpose is to get people to read them in print. It’s why newspapers still spend so much money propping up circulation by subsidizing a large number of people through persistent telemarketing.”

Dear anyone else that cares,

What decision?  On Thursday, Sony Electronics announced that by the end of the year it will sell digital books only in the ePub format, an open standard created by a group including publishers like Random House and HarperCollins.

This means Sony has come down firmly on the side of the open standard.  What that single common set of technology standards means is much more flexibility for consumers of ebooks.  It means we can use any device that supports the standard, from low cost basic models to those high end whiz bang devices with tons of features.  And don’t have to worry or think about what ebook can be read on what device. I have no problems with the realities of digital rights and restrictions on how the content can be used/distributed, but I don’t like being told how and on what device I can read that content.    So I applaud this move because it simplifies use and encourages even more rapid adoption of ebooks (which means more great content for me to devour).

E-book sales in the United States hit a record $14 million in June, a 136.2 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the Association of American Publishers.  And Amazon is the 800lb gorilla in this sector with the largest share, but thus far has advocated the closed platform approach and is opting to go it alone and not adopt the common standards.  It will be interesting to see which side Apple comes down on when they launch their tablet.  If (and it’s probably a big if given’s Apple’s propensity for closed systems) they come down on the side of the open standard, it could very well change the dynamic of the powerful share held firmly right now by Amazon.

It’s like no one has taken the time to realize that the menopausal woman is a person.  She doesn’t see herself as “menopausal” or “aging” and she’s not trying to write a thesis on the effects of menopause.  So don’t throw a bunch of charts and graphs at her.  Don’t find a special “old lady” font so that you can talk to her in a way that she can relate – because she can’t.

Instead, talk to her like you would a person.  Because that’s what she is.  Tell her what she might find inconvenient about menopause, and make her laugh with anecdotes of how other women have coped.  Assure her that just admitting she’s in menopause won’t make everyone who meets her look for white hair in a bun, granny glasses and a frumpy old house dress with sensible shoes.  Don’t make her feel old and ostracized like some kind of freak. Especially if you want to engage her.

On May 22nd we launched a blog on menopause, www.menologues.com.  It came about because so many friends and acquaintances have asked for some kind of painless guidance through the trials and tribulations of the dreaded and feared menopause.  Some of the most intelligent women that I know are embarrassed to admit they don’t know the basics – but they admit that they should.  So I started jotting down my thoughts and my experiences with the hope of making menopause less menacing.  I shared my initial post with my partner – who is just beginning her quest for information on the subject – and she was adamant that there is a huge need not currently being met.  That was the birth of Menologues.  And judging from the overwhelming response from menopausal, peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women I feel confident that we have uncovered a way to talk and connect with a sizeable segment of the menopausal set.

And the moral of the story is – first and foremost treat everyone like a person.  And the odds of connecting with them will increase dramatically.

Twitter Users by Age
The majority of Twitter users are 35 years old or older. And 45-54 year olds are 36 percent more likely than average to visit Twitter, making them the highest indexing age group, followed by 25-34 year olds, who are 30 percent more likely. Look at the index of 65+.  It’s higher than 18-24.  In fact, in February, 5.2 percent of users were 65 or older.

And the older demos are the ones fueling the growth.  And growth it is.  After months of double-digit growth, traffic to Twitter.com jumped dramatically in March, growing a staggering 131% to 9.3 million visitors. That’s 5 million more visitors than in February!  Fueled in part by celebrity “tweeters” like Oprah, who just started,  as well as substantial mainstream media attention, Twitter ranked as the top-gaining property for the month of March according to comScore.

Twitter Unique US Visitors
The media focus on Twitter the last few months has been heavy. It seems you can’t get through a typical newscast anymore without some mention of Twitter.  Tweets are all over CNN. Some have incorporated Twitter into the live broadcasts.

It’s become part of our culture. Our vernacular.  Tweet. Tweet this.  ReTweet. It’s even become part of talk show monologues. David Letterman spent 5 minutes talking about Twitter (and of course making fun of Ashton Kutcher’s Twitter success) on his April 24th show. He called it the beginning of the end of civilization.

Like it or not, Twitter is changing many things,  including the way the news system operates, further blurring the lines between average citizens and journalists. Timely tweets from those on the scene of events like Flight 1549′s landing in the Hudson have turned average citizens into journalists.

Beyond the fact that social media services like Twitter and Facebook are becoming entwined with the business segment, is the fact that the knowledge to understand and use a micro-blogging service like Twitter is no longer confined to the young as a greater portion of the population has grown older using the Internet in the past 15 years.   And it could be that a comfort level with technology will continue to change the way new technologies leap the chasm to reach critical mass.

There’s confusion, trepidation, and a general feeling of being overwhelmed.  Add to that the pressure to get more bang for your marketing buck in today’s economic climate and the anxiety increases.

More and more companies need or want to expand their visibility online.   To be found where people look.  That often means tapping the potential of social media, but they don’t know how to enter the conversation or are paralyzed because of a stumble.  We’ve heard tales of being banned from Digg, kicked off Facebook, deleted from Wikipedia, stumped by Twitter, slammed by bloggers or caught off guard by employee comments in cyberspace.  We hear the the same question over and over, “What do I do?” And the dozens of books, hundreds of articles and thousands of web pages dedicated to the subject only seem to make it feel more overwhelming.

So we’ve developed this series of seminars, starting with social media marketing, to go beyond theory and platitudes to practical applications to answer your questions and give you tips you can put to work immediately.  We also have sessions scheduled that will focus on increasing your visibility on search engines and on smart marketing tips to turn data into intelligence and insights. You’ll take away not only a better understanding, but also a little peace of mind  and some tools to get you started.

Why the Sausage Factory name?  Because it fits (and it sounded better than Bozell Seminars).  People once referred to marketing like a recipe for soup — a little of this, a little of that, add a little seasoning, simmer it for a while and you’ve got a meal.  Now it’s not nearly so neat or orderly and time to simmer…fat chance.  It’s all about now.  And piecemeal doesn’t cut it anymore.  It has to all be ground together to create something cohesive and tightly integrated.  It really is like making sausage. It’s messy.  But at the end of the day, it’s much tastier and more popular at parties because it’s centered on the consumer.  Could the name Sausage Factory raise a few eyebrows?  You bet.  But that itself is part of what the marketing game is about today.  To have a voice, a point of view, something that might be worth talking about.  Check it out:  www.sausagefactoryseminars.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SausageFactory.

I wasn’t always this important. I was once like everyone else, accumulating affinity cards by the dozen, with no acknowledgement that they had any effect on my behavior. Sure, I would flash my keychain at the grocery store to save a few bucks. I would even trudge back to my car to get a card when the pet store (which gives $5 off the dog food that my dog eats) makes me. But in most cases, I was already in the store buying something before I considered the store’s program.

Then, in early June, I saw a display at Qdoba offering a free chips and salsa if I signed up for their loyalty card. Every time I bought ten entrees, I would get one free. I like Qdoba. Their food is good. There is one close to Bozell. The people that work there seem nice. Why not?

Fast forward to last week. I received an e-mail informing me that I had been named a “Qdoba Important Person.” Clicking through to their website, I saw that I had visited Qdoba 22 times since registering. This took me to my calendar, where I counted 49 days in that same period during which I did not have a lunch meeting. When on my own, I had eaten at Qdoba 45% of the time. Without realizing it, what had begun innocently enough had evolved into an obsession.

I had decided to bury this new-found knowledge and find some additional lunch venues when a co-worker informed me that my name was on the wall at Qdoba, announcing my QIP standing for the entire world to see. There is at least one other Corey Meyer around Omaha, so even at this point I considered running from my destiny. But then I realized that there comes a time in every man’s life when he has to decide who he really is. Please don’t take this as arrogant, but I really am a QIP.

I would like to thank Qdoba for officially bestowing this status on me. I will not take it lightly. Even though I will now be hobnobbing with celebrities, heads of state and high rollers, I know that this is not just about the special privileges afforded me. I accept the responsibility of being held out as a role model and I will try to remember that the paparazzi are just trying to do their job. To my public, I only ask that when you see me on the other side of the velvet ropes, understand that I am a human being just like you (except that I am, obviously, a lot more important).

Any comments about this blog entry can be directed to “my people.” They may or may not get back to you. Now I have to go do something important, like go to lunch. Probably at Qdoba.

After she was MIA for a good nine hours on Saturday, she called to report that she might have found a dress that she liked. This was followed by a six hour Sunday outing with her mother and sister, apparently to review and authorize the purchase.

We each had a busy Sunday night and Monday workday, so it took a cell phone conversation leaving work on Monday evening before we had a chance to reflect on the weekend. At 5:35 p.m. she shared with me her ecstasy in finding the perfect dress in only two days. This stroke of good luck was literally going to save her December schedule. At 5:36 p.m., I not so subtly asked her to remind me what color the dress was and also, could I call her back in a few minutes? At 5:38 p.m. I entered my favorite men’s clothing store (which, being two blocks from Bozell, I happened to be driving by at the time) and stated, “I need a new dark suit and a nice tie with some gold color in it.” At 5:59 p.m. (I will note, an entire minute over my “maximum shopping time” – but we did chat about the Huskers for a few minutes) I called her back from my car and explained that I, too, had completed my wedding clothes shopping.

As an aside, while the point here is to consider shopping habits between genders, after an awkward silence, I quickly realized that my 21 minute attention to this issue was far too short for a decision of this magnitude, so I added, “I mean, I saw a few things that I liked and will keep shopping.” I am learning.

I coach my daughter’s basketball team. We are not good. This was especially apparent in our most recent game, when we brought down the house by ringing up 3 total points. Yes, you read that correctly.

Which takes us to last night’s practice. The coaching staff (me) determined that the correction to our inability to hit the broad side of a barn with a basketball was to run – a lot. After over an hour of intense workout, which drove a number of girls to near tears and/or near nausea, we took a water break. As the girls sat down on the bleachers, I prepared to deliver a fire and brimstone speech that I am sure would have inspired the girls to score at least 5 points in our next contest.

As I looked up, I was floored to witness four of the ten girls on the team reach into their gym bags, pull out their cell phones and check their text messages (or perhaps text the authorities to come and save them from this horrible coach). The four ultimately engaged the entire team, discussing an exchange that one of the girls was having with a boy from their class.

After pondering that my back-side would still be hurting if my middle school basketball coach had witnessed this scene (let’s just pretend that there were cell phones that long ago), I realized that this was the first time that it really hit me how pervasive digital communication is to Tweeners.

I inquired to my daughter (who was one of the original four culprits) why in a state of near exhaustion, dripping with sweat and with only ½ hour to go in practice had she reached for her cell phone, especially in the face of the lunatic coach? Habit … insecurity … the expectation of a life-or-death message? Her reply: “I needed to know what was going on.”  Duh.