Archive for July, 2010

Connecting With The Mobile Consumer

July 31, 2010

Some insight for connecting with the mobile consumer.

The Case Against Summer Vacation

July 30, 2010

I saw this cover of the current Time magazine while waiting for a flight at LAX.

The article poses an interesting question – is three months of downtime each summer causing American children to fall behind?

The Case Against Summer Vacation

The Case Against Summer Vacation

I think the answer is obvious.

What would happen to American adult jobs if they took off three months each year?

Others would surely step up and take their place.

Just days before seeing the Time Magazine cover I was at Disneyland where I saw a kid wearing a T-shirt that made an impression on me that coincidentally illustrates the differences between American kids  mentality and those who weren’t as lucky to be born here – the kid’s shirt said:

“I work mine off so I can kick yours.”

The kid wearing the T-Shirt didn’t appear to be anything like the one characterized in the illustration above.

Nor did the kid have any illusions about what it takes to succeed in America let alone the world today.

If only American kid’s were so lucky.

Definition Of A Brand

July 29, 2010

I thought the following definition of a brand from BrandTags.net was both accurate and instructive.

“… a brand exists entirely in people’s heads. Therefore, a brand is whatever they say it is.”

Brand Definition

Brand Definition

Indeed if a brand only exists in a consumer’s head, logic dictates that any opinion a consumer would have about a particular brand would be expressed first through their speech and use of words.

Temporal Analytics Engine: Recorded Future

July 28, 2010

From Wired Magazine:

Temporal Analytics Engine

Temporal Analytics Engine

My favorite quote from the Wired article is – “Secret information isn’t always the brass ring in our profession” in our profession,” then CIA-director General Michael Hayden told a conference in 2008. “In fact, there’s a real satisfaction in solving a problem or answering a tough question with information that someone was dumb enough to leave out in the open.”

Indeed, accurate analysis of known existing information can often be more valuable if not more so than attempts to divine probability from the unknown.

Read the rest of the article here :

Dragon Software Dictation To WordPress?

July 27, 2010

When will I be able to post to my WordPress blogs with Dragon software?

I can now Tweet to Twitter with Dragon’s iPhone App.

It would be cool if I could post to WordPress with the same app.

Audio Post

July 26, 2010

California Sunshine

July 25, 2010

I have been traveling to Los Angeles and staying at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel since 1996.

Loews Beach Hotel Santa Monica, CA

Loews Beach Hotel Santa Monica, CA

Its my favorite hotel to stay at in the Los Angeles area because its on the beach while also still in Los Angeles.

Its the best of both worlds.

Audio Post

July 24, 2010

Google’s Life In A Day Project

July 23, 2010

From the Google home page:

Life In A Day

Life In A Day

While crowdsourcing is all the rage, I’m not convinced a crowd can discover new knowledge or innovate beyond the conventional regardless of which media format it takes.

Presidential Marketing

July 22, 2010

I was reading email in my Gmail inbox and noticed a Google Adwords ad from President Obama in the “Funbox”.

Barack Obama Gmail Ad

Barack Obama Gmail Ad

Clicking on the ad took me to this site: My.BarackObama.com.

My Barack Obama Organizing America Join The Fight

My Barack Obama Organizing America Join The Fight