Category Opinions

Why I love and hate having a smartphone

Smartphones — are they heaven-sent blessings or the devil’s contraptions? We can’t decide on most days, so we’ll just let comic artist Matthew “The Oatmeal” Inman walk us through his love and hate relationship with one of his most important gadgets.

We’re nodding along to a lot of his comments, are you?

The Oatmeal

The Oatmeal

The Oatmeal

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Marketers, people are cynical, and hype is not the antidote.

The chorus of marketing voices has become cacophonous to the point where advertisers and their customers have tuned it out as so much white noise or have become hardened against it. We think the following makes sense and will help to separate you from the countless “dog and pony” shows. 

1. Conduct a thorough competitive analysis.
•  Marketers are becoming smarter, so competitive advantage is harder. Everything is online. It’s never been so easy to see what your competition is doing from a presentation perspective.
•  Assess your current competitive situation
•  Who are your competitors?
•  What are your core strengths/weaknesses?
•  What current and emerging opportunities and threats are imposed by the competitive environment?
•  Use this information to critically evaluate your value proposition.

2. Explore and test new media.
•  When we polled our staff, asking, “What are the most significant changes in marketing technology or tactics from a year ago?” new and emerging media were high on their radars.
•  Social networks. Even if you’re not ready for a presence there, go there; find your customers and observe them. Listen to what they’re saying.
•  According to a 2007 Deloitte survey of 2,200 U.S. consumers between the ages of 13 and 75, 85% of Gen Xers said they are influenced by someone’s recommendation.
•  Mobile Landing Pages and Mobile ad placement. Optimization for mobile will be different than for PCs. Begin to monitor and test now.

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A Christmas tipping guide for those who plan to tip

Christmas tipping, which has its own Tipping Etiquette guidelines, is discretionary. If you plan on tipping for Christmas but aren’t quite sure of how much to tip or who to tip, there are a few things to consider. Keep in mind, who to tip and who not to tip at Christmas is entirely up to you, and not everyone who provides services are equally deserving a tip or the same “customary” amount.

If you are one of many who feels that tipping at Christmas is stupid and unnecessary, then by all means don’t tip. We are not people who believe there is a moral obligation to give Christmas tips. For those of you who are planning to tip; here are some tipping guidelines to consider:

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“Few people have the imagination for reality.” & a few more of my favorite quotes

By Tom Polanski, EVP, eBrand Media and eBrand Interactive

Every now and then I like to share quotes that I think are inspiring, funny, or worthy of contemplation. I’ve published many over the past few months and would like to share these too. 

“Swing hard, in case they throw the ball where you’re swinging.”
– Duke Snider, Baseball Player

“Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.”
– Stephen Covey, Author and Speaker

“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse.”
– Florence Nightingale

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”
– Willie Nelson, Musician

“Envisioning the end is enough to put the means in motion.”
– Dorothea Brande, Writer

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do.”
– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

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Susan Boyle as parable: our hunger for mighty metaphors

By Kendall Allen

Countless many were enraptured last week by the sneaky vocals of Susan Boyle. Her talents, unveiled on “Britain’s Got Talent,” were unexpected by those who prejudged her for her appearance. Wait — that was everyone. The doubters evidently were most of those present, both panel and audience.

However, watching the video that ignited the Internet and conversation everywhere, it was those who had the opportunity to see the astonishment moment by moment and either identify with or dissect this social study, whose reaction is most interesting. By the end of the week, after millions of views, it was not just about the sweet talent. This whole thing had become a parable. It’s not that it necessarily signified or even portended anything particular to our business realities — but we do love our analogies and metaphors, especially during times of increased uncertainty. I am convinced we needed Susan Boyle right now.

As people everywhere showered plaudits on this woman for her vocal gifts, the giddiness was clearly about more than Boyle’s lovely and resonant performance. My inner balladeer was certainly touched. But, we must admit there is a certain glee — a reflex that all might be righter than we thought — when we see someone or something so judged by its cover, shine its truth through. Especially when the switcheroo is so extreme. And, when in addition to our shock, we get to actually watch others be shocked, from this vantage point in the digital age.

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