Marketing | Advertising | Digital Media Thoughts and Observations

Brand Boeing

December 15, 2009

After two years of delay, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner made its maiden flight this morning around 10:30 in Seattle, from Paine Field. It's a good day for Brand Boeing. And it's a beautiful bird in flight.

 

Next Jump

December 15, 2009

While sitting in the Lexington, Massachusetts, Starbucks two Sundays ago, hanging out with The New York Times (and my wife), I stumbled across an article about Next Jump, with the lede...

"Next Jump may well be the most intriguing Internet business that you’ve never heard of — though that’s likely to change as the company seeks a wider audience."

The company is sitting on a vast trove of transaction data collected from customer rewards programs, membership programs, and credit card transactions. Its clients include Hilton Hotels, AARP, and American Express. Its able to analyze its data and craft offers down to the individual level, based on past buying behavior. It's so good that for every 11 people who see an offer, one buys. Not a bad conversion ratio.

Is Next Jump (www.nextjump.com) the future of online commerce? Read for yourself: http://bit.ly/4vj4h7

Digital Primacy

December 8, 2009

Digital primacy is the dominant theme of the latest "Digital Brand Experience Report 2009" from Razorfish, the global digital agency recently purchased by Publicis from Microsoft.

The report is based on survey research among 1,000 U.S. consumers this past August. It's must-reading and entertaining, a pleasant combination. Among the observations:

• Consumers are turning first and foremost to digital media to help them navigate, connect and make sense of the world.
• Connected consumers are far more digitally sophisticated and venturesome than commonly believed. (Proof: Even my 81-year-old mom hangs out daily online.)
• Connected consumers are the new mainstream.

Read the entire report. It will challenge your conventions and alter the way you think.

Download Razorfish_FEED09

E-mail Marketing Best Practices

December 3, 2009

We recently shared E-mail Marketing Best Practices with our clients and friends. Given the flood of emails people face every day, you need to do everything possible to boost your odds of connecting with someone. Here are nine sound tips from Kelliher Samets Volk. (Just click on the link below).

If you have a tip or two not mentioned here, share it.

Download E-mail Marketing Best Practices

Brand Obama

December 2, 2009

Talk about messing with a brand. Take a look at New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd's biting critique of the Obama-Salahi affair (http://bit.ly/92FQnL). Salahi-gate anyone?

A few entertaining out-takes:

"We live in an age obsessed with 'reality' and overrun by fakers. The mock has run amok."

"If Congress investigates social climbing and party crashing in Washington, it won’t have time for anything else."

"Washington has always been a town full of poseurs, arrivistes, fame-seekers, cheaters and camera hogs."

"Even before the Salahis swept in preening, the Obama staffers were there preening, standing around celebrating themselves. And of course, savoring the wonder of the Obama brand."

Ms. Dowd is spot on. A sad episode, indeed.