Wasted Away in Swine Flu Ville

Cinco de Mayo used to be dream date for Tequila makers, Mexican beers breweries and margarita mix devisers.
Not this year.
The unfortunate hype around “H1N1″ aka Swine Flu and our friends in Mexico has cast a cloud over Cinco de Mayo. For places like San Diego (just 30 miles north of the border), today’s a barometer [...]

Do You Have a Cause (other than your brand or company)?

Jamba Juice started out as a very happening place. Bright colors and blended smoothies with great sounding names and vitamins or energy mixes work well in California. Especially near gyms. 
Over time, though, the thrill can wear off. So Jamba was forced to introduce oatmeal. They’ve also got pretzels.
But what caught my eye (and heart) today during [...]

On Sale Now!

There’s not a morning that goes by that I don’t get a killer offer in my Gmail. Apple. Golf Galaxy. Nordstrom. Gap. Field Notes. Amazon. 
And on it goes. My head’s swimming with numbers and percetage symbols. I haven’t known whether to shop or wait for discounts to go lower.
Until now. Enter ZingSale, a zippy, nice Web site that [...]

China and Stereotypes

I not sure about you, but the mainstream press build-up to the Summer Olympics fixated more on air quality and less on athletes than I expected.
Interesting how many world records fell in a city that only a week or so before the opening ceremony had been lambasted for filthy air possible unfit for sport. L.A.’s [...]

Fear, Doubt and Uncertainty

This article in the NYT on the trend of products for baby boomers worried silly that they are losing their memory — and with it part of their minds — shows how fear, doubt and uncertainty can drive a market. It’s projected to hit $2 billion by 2015. Wow.
Playing the axiety marketing angle is typically done [...]

The Value of Connecting

Can you sense it?
Are you at the brink of information saturation? Trying to absorb too much? Hearing a lot of noise and not enough signal?
Seth Godin, one of the most influential marketing bloggers, felt it yesterday. I have been sensing it for weeks, and fight it every now and then while sifting through an avalanche of [...]

A Real Earth Day

What was once attacked as fringe is now mainstream.
Tomorrow’s Earth Day, much like the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving, shouldn’t be a once-a-year moment. Acts, thoughts and beliefs that benefit the globe can be a daily part of life — just like giving thanks.
Yes, Whole Foods Market picked the right day to end the use of [...]

Why the Masters is Like Church

Beyond the dogwoods and azaleas that encircle the Augusta National Golf Club, the city of Augusta, Georgia, is Americana with strip malls, fast food and Wal-Mart.
But the image of the private golf course grounds and club are tightly controlled and scripted. It’s power and exclusivity with a friendly smile and southern drawl.
The Masters is like [...]

Competitive Chatter is OK. Really.

Are you afraid to mention a competitor in your customer-facing materials?
This used to be considered a major marketing Faux pas. In today’s climate, though, customers who are talking about you are probably also talking (and hearing and reading) about your closest competition. It’s too easy. 
So why pretend you’re the only one doing what you do, or making [...]

Ghost-Written: Can You Trust Blogs?

I’m not a big reader of the Tim Ferriss 4-hour workweek blog.
I think thought I know knew why.
For the past year, it wasn’t really written by him. With two ghost writers paid very little, Tim Ferriss fooled a lot of readers. Imagine if the New York Times was really published by the Chicago Tribune. When your name [...]