Category: Trends that could trip you
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Don’t swallow the story
The latest trend in advertising is to tell more stories. Of course, great advertising has always relied on stories, but direct marketing has often been very mechanical. Storytelling classes are now being promoted, and story templates can be purchased. Daniel Kahneman points out that plausibility often trumps logic. Our System 1 mind craves coherence and…
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On Listening to the Right Things
I'm a big fan of listening, but make sure you're listening to the right things. Often, the most important things go unsaid. We can over-react to customer feedback, "always oiling the squeaky wheels," as Larry Freed says below. In my current job, the benefit my company provides is installing systems, and customers constantly complain that…
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TFS: Running from the threat of cognitive ease
If you enjoy being creative, as I do, then you seek out a safe, comfortable environment where your creativity can thrive. But when you're in that environment, you are also at your most gullible. I used to have a Joan Rivers quote on my wall that said "Run scared… and they never catch you." When…
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Loyalty means working through the challenges of staying connected
I was going to write about products I feel loyalty toward, but I just had an argument with my daughter, and I think it's a good time to remind people that loyalty isn't a bed of roses. Loyalty means hanging with someone or something even when you know its weaknesses. It means you see someone…
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On becoming media and our obligations to our audience
The lines between consumer and producer of media are being erased, and it's happening to marketers first. Two questions strike me… Do all marketers have to become media? Will some be exempt? What responsibilities do we assume when we become media? Are we ready for them? Fact checking, follow-up, and objectivity are all things we…
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Pictures are content, not illustration
As a writer, I have to keep reminding my self that pictures are content in their own right. I don't happen to think visually, but I'm probably in the minority. So I try to be nice to my readers from time to time. Taken at the Texas Contemporary Art Fair MailChimp blog: Same Content, Two Very…
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Collecting versus Hoarding
It has certainly become too easy to collect things with a computer. At work, I clipped news stories for a year and then realized I had NEVER referred back to one of them. We see something we think might be useful, and we just CLICK. Think before you click! The problem with hoarding is that…
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In a new model for economic success, people are slack resources to be leveraged
I believe the next big wave of successful entrepreneurs will find a way to tap into our under-employed people. The old model of searching for a low-risk peg to fit into the hole in your organization is becoming uncompetitive. Instead companies need to look at the under-utilized human resources right under their noses. The managers…
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Using web sites to embrace customers
Small retailers have long relied on strong customer relationships. The internet has added an important new dimension. Retailers now have to web-based user experience as well as in-store customer experience. It's challenging to keep up, but now we have a bigger bag of tools for staying connected with our customers. NY Times: With Web Sites,…
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Cherish the customers that speak up
Social media can seem like such a hassle, but having an entirely new communication channel means new opportunities to learn from your customers. Listening may be more important than talking. The Hub Magazine: Check, please!, 2012-Jul/Aug, by Spencer Hapoienu of Insight out of Chaos American Express recently released its 2012 Global Customer Service Barometer. It…
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