Entries from January 2008

January 31, 2008

“I Actually Can’t Believe What I Just Saw”

ESPN uber-commentator Chris Berman said those very same words between a tirade of others you’ll never hear on an ABC-owned network.
And we wince as we watch him unravel over the course of a minute.
When you work in front of a camera, don’t ever do this off-camera. Someone got the raw video and posted it on YouTube. [...]

January 31, 2008

Tip Thursday

Want to build an e-commerce site? You don’t need a big team of programmers and $20,000. Volusion is one of several companies that provide free templates, free trials and a variety of la carte services to help you start and scale as needed.
There are plenty of work examples in the company’s gallery, including the Obama [...]

January 30, 2008

Nail on a Platter, Not Needle in a Haystack

The topic of personal brand is fascinating. It starts with our names given at birth (no wonder some performers switch theirs). Tom Cruise? Compare to Thomas Cruise Mapother IV? Bono? He just wouldn’t be the same as Paul Hewson.
Star power and success aside, the web makes it possible for the rest of us to cultivate [...]

January 30, 2008

Wildcard Wednesday

Remember “pop under” flashing online ads for security cameras from a company called X10? In 2001, the company’s site was the 4th most visited on the web.
Then text ads by Google changed the game.
While blinking, noisy interrupting ads still live online (that means you, Sprint), thankfully they don’t show up on — or under — every single [...]

January 29, 2008

iPhone Street Creed: Hip Hop Video

Remember the catchy, quick iPhone video by a U.K. university student that made it into Apple’s TV ad rotation? There’s now an iPhone music video from a New York City hip hop recording artist, Pete Miser, percolating. It may not reach prime time, but it’s spreading online, landing recently on The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs.
Miser’s website, [...]

January 29, 2008

Talked About Tuesday

New report from Harris Interactive says 1 in 5 people in the U.S. describe themselves as knowledgeable about cars and tend to share their opinions with others.
Since vehicles and brands often serve as an emotional extension of our personalities (Volvo, Mini Cooper, Hummer, BMW, Toyota Prius), it’s no surprise that many of these self-described automotive [...]

January 28, 2008

Kindle Online Community Outcry

A scan of the Amazon website tonight shows a steady flow of spirited comments in the Kindle forum. While some posts condemn Amazon for the Kindle shortage (4-6 week delivery from time of order), others defend the company, which has made a great business by providing prompt and accurate service.
Once you’ve become accustomed 2-day book delivery, waiting a month or [...]

January 28, 2008

How Fast is Fast? Ask Cisco

Cisco today announced it’s going to be selling a very fast network switch to help operators handle an expected wave of Internet data, driven in part by the trend of remote servers and applications otherwise known as “cloud” computing.
Marketing minds for network gear makers like Cisco, Nortel and Juniper are forever searching for memorable ways [...]

January 28, 2008

Oakley Goggles Survive Female Wrestlers!

Oakley, the premium athletic sunglass and eye protection brand, has rolled out print ads that stretch beyond tradition. This one features a goggle called the “Crowbar” and includes a wrestling scene with snowboarder Eero Ettala.
Does it feel extreme to you? I suppose.
But any photograhic stills from this video would do just as well — or [...]

January 28, 2008

Microbrand Monday

I had my first Rubio’s fish taco when the only Rubio’s restaurant was a microbrand right across the street from San Diego State University. The company got its start when founder Ralph Rubio decided to bring a new product to market in the U.S. It was a simple recipe that he (and hundreds of other [...]