We pay a lot for access — think about your cable or wireless bill.  We may not like it. But that’s the way it is, and we accept it.  Could the same premise work for news? Wednesday, The New York Times announced that it would begin charging for content in 2011. It won’t affect the one-click wonder or casual viewer because The Times plans to use a metered payment system that would allow users to view a certain number of articles for free each month, Read More

The one thing we know is that Ad Agencies that don’t reinvent themselves won’t survive.  In fact that’s been the industry mantra for several years now.  I read at least two articles a week on this topic covering anything from what services should be offered and how they should be marketed to what we should call ourselves.  But the one thing that I haven’t read yet is any viewpoint on how management should be structured in the new world.  Read More

Amazing opportunities for transformation exist in the most difficult of times. And it’s those difficult times that can be the catalyst of greatness. Especially for those who can get past their fears and insecurities to take bold steps.
Apple (and Steve Jobs) is the poster child for bold. It seems everywhere you turn today you encounter another story of triumph for Apple, a company that has certainly faced its share of difficulty.
Think about this — Read More

Good article by Andrew McAfee on the Harvard Business Review blog, discussing the fallacy of centalized brand control and planned messaging in the digital age.
 HBR 11-13-09 Read More

There’s no question the traditional newspaper business model is facing profound challenges. The number of those willing to pay for home delivery is shrinking and advertising revenues are shifting as a result of increased options for local advertising… meanwhile costs are going up. Daily metro newspapers simply can’t make enough money to support their old traditions and they didn’t embrace or leverage change to their benefit.  Instead they “sold” web advertising as an add on, which diminished the value (plus most newspaper web sites stink).  Read More

I have your Reader rather than a Kindle (I received it well before the Kindle frenzy). And your latest decision makes me feel very good about that.  And would probably sway not only my next purchase of an upgraded device to your brand, but also builds my loyalty your brand overall.  Bravo!

Dear anyone else that cares,
What decision?  On Thursday, Sony Electronics announced that by the end of the year it will sell digital books only in the ePub format, Read More

Answer:  The same way you reach other human beings.  Which means that preaching at them in a dogmatic and officious manner and/or trying to scare them with dire predictions of an imminent and grueling death if they make a wrong choice is probably not going to work either for them or you.  That seems pretty logical, right?  So then why does everybody do it?
It’s like no one has taken the time to realize that the menopausal woman is a person.  Read More

Typically those who are younger and more tech savvy have been the key to driving adoption of new technology. While the fastest growing segment of Facebook is now women 55+, and other social networks are graying, their massive growth was largely fueled by the young.  But Twitter, which was launched publicly in August 2006, breaks that mold, and makes us rethink the who and why of technology adoption.
Twitter Users by Age
The majority of Twitter users are 35 years old or older. Read More

We’ve create a practical how-to seminar series on a variety of marketing topics because we’ve seen first hand the need for a “preventative medicine” type of approach when it comes to effective marketing techniques being used today.

I am a QIP. To borrow from Ron Burgundy, I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal. I’m very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.
I wasn’t always this important. I was once like everyone else, accumulating affinity cards by the dozen, with no acknowledgement that they had any effect on my behavior. Sure, I would flash my keychain at the grocery store to save a few bucks. Read More