QVIews

Over at CIO magazine, they have a set of interesting perspectives on innovation. We get a chance to see the challenge from different angles. It all comes down to this: who’s going to assume the risk of innovating? Link: Is the U.S. losing its innovation edge? – CIORoundtable. Companies are starting to realize that customers…

Nationwide has launched a web-based promotion that’s not stikingly innovative, but clearly indicates they ‘get it’ and are willing to deliver what matters. Link: Amy Corr’s Out to Launch for May 11. Nationwide has launched "30 Ways Life Comes At You Fast," a promotional microsite created to raise brand awareness by giving away movie-making kits.…

Over at 1to1.com, Peppers & Rogers take issue with a NY Times writer who implied that all the new information we can get about customers hasn’t changed the way businesses operate… Response to NY Times: Customer Relationships Have Changed. The customer is still the foundation of business, certainly. But technology-facilitated customer insight has now become…

In a brilliant strategic move, General Electric has announced its commitment to creating products and services that protect the environment and reduce global warming. They realize it’s not enough to release new ‘green products’ but they also have to demonstrate environmental sensitvity throughout their production and management systems. And finally, they’re lobbying to support the…

This week the Wall St. Journal Small Business Report has a great article from Gwendolyn Bounds about figuring out if you can profit from an idea. How to research, refine and present your idea are covered. Plus, find out how to figure out where you want your idea to take you. Link: WSJ.com – You…

I wouldn’t be surprised if this technique suggested by Joseph Carrabis of NextStage Analytics doesn’t become a standard way of increasing traffic to web sites. I didn’t excerpt all the tips, so if you worry about web site traffic, click and read the whole article, like the hungry peasant you are. Link: iMediaConnection: Usability Studies…

Over at the New York Times, Tom Zeller, Jr. has a great interview wtih Nick Denton, publisher of Gawker Media, which is a collection of blogs from which major advertisers like Sony and GE now buy advertising. Although I think blogging can be a valuable tool for marketing, I also agree with danah boyd that…

Okay, vocabulary lesson. RSS is an software tool that allows you to be notified when your favorite blog is updated. RSS=automatic, open communication. How many brands could stand that type of exposure? Only the strongest ones. Thanks to Virginia Postrel for pointing to metacool, where Diego Rodriguez studies design, innovation, leadership and marketing. I may…

A report from the 2005 management conference of the American Association of Advertising Agencies contains many interesting predictions of change, but I don’t think they are grappling with the real problem. Advertising agencies have always wanted to serve the target audience, but they are paid by the advertisers who desparately want to get their message…

Over at ClickZ, Pamela Parker reports on a new marketing campaign from Vespa (not pictured at left) that gets several things right: Vespa is recruiting people out of its existing brand community and offering them the opportunity to shine Customers are communicating with and helping other customers Negative comments will be accepted, demonstrating an authentic…