Thursday the 27th of April, 2006 | Ideas | Resources | Tech | Web Apps |
I believe this is the way the internet is going. My friends have been calling me out for always having to be on the internet, whether I’m doing something productive or not. I feel I have to be constantly available to the people that need to communicate with me.
Unlike most people, I work all day every day in very short spurts. I have developers and clients all over the world and they need to contact me at different times during the day. Not having access to my email or chat for more than a few hours slows down my developers if they have a question or run into a snag. I’m also one man that has to provide customer service to my clients whenever they need it via the forums.
What’s the solution?
Within the coming months, I will make the switch to a PDA/Smartphone. With a mini computer platform with internet access like this I’ll be able to:
- send and recieve emails
- be able to check Posima’s signup and visitor stats
- access my Blinksale account to see what my cashflow is like
- answer support requests via the forums
- check on updates to projects in development via my Basecamp account
...and I’ll be able to do this whenever, wherever.
The only problem is, now my friends and family will REALLY think I don’t do anything all day.
Monday the 24th of April, 2006 | Ideas | Marketing |
Saatchi & Saatchi have created a great guerrilla marketing campaign that transformed normal NYC manhole covers interesting and beautiful. What I love about this idea is that the ROI of these ads are huge. Billboards and magazine ads can easily be skipped over by your brain. A large steaming hot cup of coffee in the middle of the street is bound to get your attention.
Monday the 17th of April, 2006 | Business | Ideas | Personal |
If there ever was a business that the Internet couldn’t take over with its low prices, free delivery, super-selection and ease of use, it would be the local hardware store. How do you emulate a business that requires bringing in broken parts that need replacing or browsing the shelves for that lightbulb item that will solve all your problems? It’s such a comfortable feeling to walk into a local hardware store, tell the guy at the door what your problem is and have him say, “I’ve got just the thing for that!”
Thursday the 16th of February, 2006 | Articles | Ideas | Marketing |
How Apple Takes Advantage
We all know that Apple is the poster child for brilliant marketing as well as being the most powerful hype machine known to man. Recently however, Apple has stepped on a few toes while promoting their products.
First Apple launched a new, long awaited iPod ad featuring Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” Turns out the ad is ghostly familiar to an older Lugz shoes ad.
Months later they released their new Intel iMac ad. Again, this commercial is almost a shot for shot reproduction of The Postal Service’s 2003 video “Such Great Heights.”
Both Lugz and The Postal Service made public statements that they were disappointed in Apple or were in the process of filing legal action. However, the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” video made an unprecedented jump to #1 on iTunes two years after being filmed. The financial numbers for Lugz is unknown, but I have a feeling their free press didn’t hurt. Either way, Apple, Lugz and The Postal Service all got plenty of news commentary thanks to Apple’s little stunt.
Nike’s Threat
I can’t give Apple all of the credit for what I believe are intentional publicity stunts. Early last summer, Nike began sponsoring a skateboarding tour and released a promotional poster to generate buzz. The problem is that the poster is almost indistinguishable from Minor Threat’s (an early 80’s indie rock band) 1984 self-titled album.
As would be expected, Minor Threat made a lot of noise and Nike issued a formal apology. Personally I’ve never heard of Minor Threat, however the first thing I did was preview some of their songs on iTunes after the news was released. I can’t say I was a fan of the music, but one would have to be pretty thick to believe the story didn’t generate a bump in sales for Minor Threat.
Who’s Next?
I have a sneaking suspicion we will begin to see more stories similar to the ones discussed above. Once a successful new marketing idea is figured out, everybody jumps on the bandwagon. Just look at Alex Tew’s Million Dollar Homepage, that site has spawned countless copycats. My theory is that the age old bell curve will come into play. Nike and Apple were the “innovators” of this marketing ploy, next will come the early adopters then the masses. Don’t believe me? Take a look at 37signals’ brand new Campfire logo and compare it to the Feedburner logo.
The quote provided by Feedburner President Dick Costolo on campfirenow.com makes this little nugget even more interesting to me.
Friday the 10th of February, 2006 | Business | Humor | Ideas |
Too many companies feel that in order to run a successful business they should be taking care of the customers first. I have a theory that if you put your employees first and make sure they’re happy, they will do the same for your customers. I believe my theory has been proven with this photo I found on the net today. Some food for thought…
Wednesday the 4th of January, 2006 | Business | Ideas | Marketing | Resources | Tools | Web Apps |
I just recently sold two tickets to the Rose Bowl via Ebay. This was my first ebay experience and I must say I was pleased with my transaction. The site is a little hard to use at times, but the idea that you can sell unwanted items to the highest bidder sounds good to me.
I was intrigued to find how many office supplies were available on ebay. It seems to me that small businesses could utilize ebay to trade office equipment. Say you have an old office chair you need to get rid of, ebay it. What if you need a new desk, chair and cubicle for an incoming employee? Run a search on ebay.
Why stop there? The way the site is set up, you could promote your business services on ebay as well. So mosey on over to ebay and brainstorm a little on how you can utilize their tools to make some money or at least find some useful stuff for your small business.