Just one year ago, June 1, 2009, Microsoft changed the name of its also-ran search engine from Live to Bing. On Friday June 6, 2010, I, like many others, received an email notice announcing that Microsoft has canceled Bing’s “Cashback” promotion effective July 30. Read More

Always ask your guest (or associate) if they would like a glass of water or a cup of coffee before your meeting begins.  Set the tone and make them comfortable.

Like many other metro areas, Nebraska needs additional area codes to keep up with the exploding number of requests for new phone numbers for cellular phones, pagers, fax machines and additional lines for computers. Read More

I’ve been seeing promos for Splice for weeks now – maybe even months – and I just wanted to let Dark Castle (Warner Bros. genre label) know that their money is not being wasted. I now know after numerous paid reminders that I would rather take my chances dangling by a badly frayed rope over a hungry shark tank than going to see that movie.

Which is fine since I’m quite certain I’m not in the target demo. So it’s all good. They’ll attract the younger bloodthirsty crowd and keep away those of us who would recoil in horror and bolt out of the theater. Right?

Actually, what I’ve read about Splice tells me that I might be jumping the gun. Were I to dismiss my instincts and brave the theater on Friday, and assuming that I could make it past all of the gratuitous scare tactics, I might find a heartwarming albeit bizarre tale. I’m still not convinced it would be worth it.

As I read on it became clear that reviewers are wondering if the bloodthirsty aspects are enough for the ghoulish youthful demographics. Is the time right for the “softer side of horror” or are men 18-24 in for a real letdown? Are they attempting to broaden their core audience – is that why so many of the promos are reaching me? This is indeed a mystery.

Has Dark Castle plowed enormous resources into a movie that – like their part human part alien creature in Splice – is only part horror and part poignant drama with a dash of dark comedy for luck? Will it prove to be the next breakthrough genre? Sounds risky. And expensive if they’ve missed the mark.

I don’t know about you but I’m on the edge of my seat – and that’s without any plans for a trip to the movie theater.

I quite often hear clients talk about how non-tech savvy their customers and prospects are. While I agree there are individuals that simply have a hard time comprehending a web interface or are just too scared to try, they make up the very small minority. If we let this small group dictate how we communicate with the larger audience we are doing the majority a great disservice. If you ran a restaurant would you stop accepting credit cards because you have a couple of customers that only pay with cash?

We also need to look at the rapid growth and adoption of Internet technologies in our every day lives. While a few years ago it could have been considered a trendy and youthful medium that is no longer the case. Most Americans are connected and use the web on a daily basis for communication, research and purchasing. If everyone were as ignorant as some like to portray this would not be the case.

Lets give our users a little more credit. After all, 74% of the U.S. population currently has Internet and uses it regularly. Instead of dropping our efforts to the lowest common denominator let’s help move everyone forward and create solutions that not only work today but also help drive business into the future.

Gone are the days of writing out a hand written letter to your celebrity crush and mailing it to their address listed in Tiger Beat magazine.  I remember back when I would send letters asking for autographs and pictures to Kirk Cameron, Mackenzie Aston, NKOTB, Milli Vanilli and The Corey’s.  Ahhh the good ole’ days. 

But now that is a thing of the past.  Nowadays all kids have to do is fire up their computers or smart phones and go on Twitter.  Justin Bieber (a.k.a the Kirk Cameron of his generation) is literally surrounded by over 2 million girls following him on Twitter. For someone to be that close to their celebrity crush is amazing to me.  Girls who never in their life thought that they would get to talk to their celebrity crush now can.  If the celeb chooses to write back this is certainly something that she will remember for the rest of her life.  Just the gravity of it all is really astonishing!

Also, from a celebs perspective this method has got to be easier than trying to answer thousands of fan letters a week. And if you are Justin Bieber you have 2 million girls at your disposal.  Two million girls!  I can’t imagine anything better to a 16 year old boy. 

If I had this technology back in my day I can only imagine how it would have played out.  Instead of playing Girl Talk with my girlfriends we would each be glued to our smart phones desperately trying to seek out every word, every photo, and every moment that Kirk chose to share with us. Instead of ripping out Kirk’s centerfold in Tiger Beat we would simply download his picture & print it out or share it with everyone socially. 

Granted even though access to celebrities is much more attainable now in the online world, a little part of me feels sad that now it’s all so easy.  Where is the fun and adventure in that?  I must have drafted over 20 letters to Kirk before I composed “the one” that was going to make him have to meet me.  I waited anxiously for months checking the mailbox for a return letter from him.  I bought all of his magazines, t-shirts, stickers, posters and watched every episode of Growing Pains religiously.  I was devoted.

Now I know what you all must be thinking, did she get the damn letter from Kirk Cameron?  Unfortunately I did not but I did receive a letter and photo from Mackenzie Aston. During the entire time I was writing to Kirk I was also writing to Mackenzie.  I know how could I betray Kirk like that?  Well it was something that just happened (isn’t that what all people say).  Kirk wasn’t giving me the attention that I needed so I ran into the arms (a.k.a. fan club) of Mackenzie. 

I’m sorry you had to hear it this way Kirk.

I definitely don’t put myself in the category of a designer or design professional. Quite honestly, I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler. Like most people however I have an opinion. I can tell that I like something or turn my nose up in disgust if it doesn’t fit my tastes. My tastes usually land in the guy zone. I like nature, tech and sports, but I will never turn an entire room of my house into a shrine for an athletic team.

Every now and then something catches my attention and makes me take a second look. The other day I was walking through Target and the packaging design for a product hit me between the eyes like a 2×4. My first thought was, “What the heck was that? I need some of those!”. Upon further investigation I realized that this sweet design of dark mystery wasn’t that of the latest caffeine infused gum or Gatorade sports powder. No, this was the packaging for Kotex feminine hygiene products. While I may not personally be in the market for Tampons or Pads, I was almost tempted to buy a box because they were just plain cool. Then I thought about how many hours of SportsCenter and Boxing I would need to watch in order to regain my guy points lost during the purchase and decided it wasn’t worth the hassle.

For those people who don’t believe in the power of design take note. If great package design can tempt a man to buy Tampons maybe us guys can effectively use design to get our women to buy that HDTV, Laptop or Cable sports package we have been wanting.

Michelle Adams will present “Event Marketing: Measuring the Results” as part of the Chamber Academy for the Greater Omaha Chamber.

With a background specializing in sports sponsorships and entertainment providing a wide range of experience working with the NHL, NFL, NBA, NASCAR, MLB, and NCAA, as well as with fashion clients and local event management, Michelle will offer marketers an approach to measuring return on investment and objectives that can be applied to programs of all sizes. She will also discuss how to save money without ruining the experience.

Corey Meyer, Managing Principle, will present “Branding and Marketing Your Small Business Today” at the 2010 Buy the Big O! Show presented by the Greater Omaha Chamber.

The Buy the Big O! Show is the area’s largest business-to-business trade show. Corey will share how you can combine your marketing package elements, including corporate identification,  purchased marketing tactics, relations with content creators and connectors and your customers’ experiences, to get the best results for your small business.

Kim Mickelsen will make a presentation at Northwest Missouri State University and engage students in a discussion about the changes in the marketing industry and how social media has impacted day to day marketing efforts.