Archives by Subject: marketing
Key Dfferentiators!
Quoted from a just-received press release:
"Commercial Audio Giant's High Quality, Heavy Duty, No Fluff Products Provide Key Differentiator in Crowded Market"
I'm sold!
Posted in on April 02, 2007, 06:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Get Your Facebook Card Holders!
I know that Facebook has had some problems, but this sponsored group from Chase is absurd.
Win an exclusive Facebook card holder? I bet that will impress the recruiters! And what the hell is "first look" status?
Posted in on September 10, 2006, 06:40 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Citibank Sucks
I currently use an American Express card almost exclusively. But when I received an offer in the mail regarding Citibank's PremierPass card, it seemed interesting. So, I applied.
Then, I received a letter stating that neither my address, nor my phone number, nor my income is verifiable or exists. They want original (NO COPIES) telephone bills, bank statements, credit card statements, utility bills (other than telephone bill), copies of tax returns, etc.
Yet on the same day I received this obnoxious letter, I received another offer from CitiBank. To the same allegedly fraudulent address!
For the record, my address is in fact on my credit report.
Posted in on September 06, 2006, 11:20 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Google in New York
I had a great opportunity to visit Google's New York offices yesterday. Unfortunately, I had to leave early, but what struck me the most was the consistent focus on Google's mission: organizing the world's information.
For example, someone asked why Google hasn't considered charging for content instead of having it all advertising supported. That's easy: advertising facilitates access to this information.
One other interesting thing I hadn't heard about is the idea of partner-specific pages on Google Video, like this one for Sundance. "But how do you monetize those pages?" asked someone from the audience. The answer came without hesitation: "We don't."
Posted in on June 29, 2006, 12:37 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Exclusive Interview with the Podcast Pickle
Catching up on videos from SXSW... here's an interview with the Podcast Pickle.
Exclusive Interview with the Podcast Pickle on Vimeo
Posted in on March 28, 2006, 11:32 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Gizmodo: Your Boxes Resource
Are these people serious? Emphasis added.
Hi,
I took a look at your site a couple of hours ago...and I want to tell you that I'd really love to trade links with you. I think http://www.gizmodo.com/ has some really good stuff related to my site's topic of boxes and would be a great resource for my visitors as it deals with some great aspects of boxes that I'd like to give my visitors more information about.
In fact, I went ahead and added your site to my Boxes Info4u website at [redacted]
Is that OK with you?
Can I ask a favor? Will you give me a link back on your site? I'd really appreciate you returning the favor. There's some html for linking back to me on my Add URL page (http://boxesinfo4u.com/addurl/).
Thanks and feel free to drop me an email if you'd like to chat more about this.
Best wishes,
Nick
Boxes Info4u
info@boxesinfo4u.comP.S. If you'd like the description of your site modified just drop me a line.
Posted in on February 22, 2006, 05:28 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
The Double Feature Finder
Tonight I went to my first New York Tech Meetup and was introduced to the marvelous Double Feature Finder.
Enter your zipcode, choose a theatre, and you see a grid listing of all movies showing. With the click of a button, you can see which movies are showing exactly before and after the movie you selected.
So, that way, it's easy to know to buy two tickets instead of just one. Or something.
Posted in on February 07, 2006, 09:49 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Persuasion vs. Intimidation
As some explained to me recently:
If someone has something you really want, intimidation will not work. If they were intimidated, they probably wouldn't have that thing. Instead, you need to persuade them: how can you make it work for both of you?
Posted in on January 10, 2006, 11:49 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Movie Theaters are Not in the Movie Business
Popcorn, for example, because of the immense amount of popped bulk produced from a relatively small amount of kernels—the ratio is as high as 60:1—yields more than 90 cents of profit on every dollar of popcorn sold. It also serves to make customers thirsty for sodas, another high-margin product (supplied to most theater chains by Coca-Cola, which makes lucrative deals with theater owners in return for their exclusive "pouring" of its products). One theater chain executive went so far as to describe the cup holder mounted on each seat, which allows customers to park their soda while returning to the concession stand for more popcorn, as "the most important technological innovation since sound."
This interesting article says the movie theaters are not solely in the business of showing movies, but in fact in the businesses of fast food, "movie exhibition," and advertising.
(via Kottke)
· The Popcorn Palace Economy [Salon]
Posted in on January 04, 2006, 07:13 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
"No Wilma, No Rubble"
Reading the New York Times online moments ago, I saw this ad for the Florida Keys. The Florida Keys are a beautiful place and I've spent a lot of time there, but using the destruction (and 47 deaths) of Hurricane Wilma as a selling point? Seems pretty insensitive to me.
· Hurricane Wilma [Wikipedia]
Posted in on November 14, 2005, 05:59 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
How Many Blogs Did AOL Buy, Exactly?
"In online content that ranges from music to movies, travel to tech, food to fashion, medicine to mortgages, 85 new topical websites now call AOL and AOL.com home – providing online consumers with new micro-communities where they can connect, debate, editorialize, comment, and learn."
Or so says the press release announcing AOL's purchase of WeblogsInc. WIN claims to have 85 blogging sites, but how many do they really have?
As part of my work with Gawker Media, several weeks ago I was asked to undertake an analysis of WIN's properties. I went to each site listed on their sidebar and took note of the last two posts made on that blog. I also got rid of sub-blogs (Engadget: Wireless, etc.) and personal blogs.
My count was 31. Now, mind you, 31 is still a lot! Gawker Media only has 14 sites. But 31 is not 85.
How did they have so many "blogs"?
- For many blogs, the most recent "post" was the "Best of WeblogsInc" posts that show up on every blog every Friday. Check out the Xbox2 Weblog to see what I mean.
- Lots of posts were crossposted on multiple blogs.
- They counted categories within a blog as separate blogs. Engadget appears on the sidebar blog list 5 times: Engadget Cellphones, Engadget Wireless, etc.
Jason recently claimed that they were going to "retire" some of the blogs that haven't seen posts in weeks. We'll see when that happens.
Now that WeblogsInc is no longer an independent competitor to Gawker, this data isn't really confidential. You can download the spreadsheet below and see for yourself.
· WIN Analysis Spreadsheet [Excel File]
Posted in on October 06, 2005, 05:32 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink
The American Green Card Lottery?
There are lots of poorly designed banner ads out there. In my experience, a poorly designed banner ad is usually for an undesirable product. Hopefully, that isn't the case here.
While surfing the internet today, I saw this (poorly-designed!) banner ad. Apparently, my tax dollars are going to pay for banner advertising to promote the U.S. Green Card Lottery Program, where you can win a green card to the USA.
Those who want to become a US citizen have to do a whole bunch of things:
- a period of continuous residence and physical presence in the United States;
- an ability to read, write, and speak English;
- a knowledge and understanding of U.S. history and government;
- good moral character;
- attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution;
- favorable disposition toward the United States.
Apparently, all you need to win the Green Card Lottery is an education. And if you are lucky enough to be selected, "Winners will get FREE Airline ticket to the USA"!
Posted in on September 20, 2005, 06:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
College life... powered by Google?
I was suprised to see an advertisement on The Facebook sending me to a landing page for what appears to be a new advertising campaign targeting college students.
Under the heading "College life, powered by Google" appeared this (what I think is) poorly written copy:
You spend your life dealing with information. A lot of it is academic, a lot more is personal, it all matters, and you can probably use better tools for handling it effectively. On this page, we'd like to introduce you to a few of them.
[Side rant: "A lot of it is academic, a lot more is personal, it all matters, and you can probably use better tools for handling it effectively" is a pretty confusing sentence!]
Anyway, stock photos with college-age people tell me that Google SMS is the best way to "put the power of Google in my cell-phone-wielding hand," Gmail is "a better way to email," and Google Toolbar is a "smarter way to surf." Sounds a lot like the usual marketing copy -- not at all what I've come to expect from Google.
· College life, powered by Google [Google.com]
Posted in on September 18, 2005, 07:52 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
T-Shirt Polling at Gawker
Today at Gawker Media we're launching a reader poll for readers to vote for their favorite catch phrases. We'll print some of the ones that receive the most votes.
Jessica says it best:
Perhaps you feel like telling the world It's not whoring if you do it for free; maybe you're more the type to proclaim that Vogue is a food group.
Whatever you feel like, tell us!
Look for more t-shirts in the near future.
· Gawker Shop: Vote Now [Gawker Shop]
· Gawker T-Shirts: Vote Now for Your New Skeet Rag [Gawker]
· Gawker Shop
Posted in on September 06, 2005, 01:52 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Observations: the San Francisco Bay Area
Posted in on August 18, 2005, 06:43 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Cry Me a River
This message arrived to my delight yesterday. Can't say I'm very upset.
I signed up for Columbia House years and years ago and despite my best efforts, I could never get off their mailing list.
I'm hardly the only one. Apparently, I had to send them a "send a certified, return-receipt-requested letter."
· Consumer Complaints about Columbia House [Consumeraffairs.com]
· Columbiahouse.com
Posted in on August 08, 2005, 07:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
