Winter Thaw for Facebook?

A 5% drop in Facebook members, according to Nielsen Ratings, may be a temporary blip, due to user fatigue. 
What will be the most telling is this summer when users are outdoors. Facebook’s recent IM testing shows how much it needs to be embedded in desktops to keep users tethered. The company would do well to invest more into its mobile offerings [...]

Intimate vs. Impersonal

Remember when music concerts by successful artists were stadium-style events? I mean Rolling Stones-thank-goodness-we-have-a-Jumbo-Tron-to-see-what’s-going-on productions? Sure, summer “tours” that combine several popular acts remain so fans can have a quasi-Woodstock experience.
But they are rare.
I took in an Angels and Airwaves show at the SOMA last night in San Diego. Just two doors over from the aging San Diego Sports Arena, a [...]

Great Way to Soften Hard Edges

After airing the infamous “telephone” ad, the Clinton campaign went with comedy on Saturday night to soften the edges and appeal to voters’ kindness. This is a splendid viral PR move and creative use of free airtime and press to reach a good-sized audience. It gets people talking about you — and not him.
We’ll [...]

That’s Amore

Do you like dining out on Italian food? The restaurant business has a reputation for high failure rates. I’m not sure whom to believe on the statistics, but I believe cabbies who recommend Italian eateries.
And they’re never chains.
Which brings me to Cafe Luna in San Diego. You’d think a quaint place in a shopping center [...]

Hip Shopping Advice

What if people congregated daily to share places to shop for designer brands, microbrands and everything in between? They are — right here at superfuture’s supertalk, where “superbored” shoppers provide advice and recommendations, as well as display their clothing style preferences and tastes with uploaded images from around the world. The website is closed to [...]

“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. [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

Little White Balls as Technology Sell

With the PGA’s Buick Invitational in San Diego, the appearance of the season’s first new ad campaigns are as predictable as a Tiger Woods victory. Last year, the early-season hype was square-headed drivers.
This year it’s quieter: Tiger hawking Buick Enclaves (a given) and PGA tour professionals sharing how they mark their Titleist golf balls (with a Sharpie in all manner of fun and colors).
Golf [...]

The Economy: Viral Beyond Viral

As world financial markets gyrate, we’re witnessing the ultimate viral campaign of fear. Institutional investors. Politicians. The little guy. All talking about about the economy.  With irrational exuberence long since past, imagine what opportunities lie ahead for those who navigate fearlessly.
Yesterday, a colleague who worked on Wall Street in the early part of his career shared with me that the [...]