Everyone knows how to talk. In 140 characters, one-page press releases, or 25-page white papers. On countless blogs, talk shows, and around water coolers. To friends, family, the teller at the bank (but apparently not the doctor).
Talking isn’t a problem. Discussion is. Americans seem to have forgotten the fine art of thoughtful discussion and meaningful debate. And that’s not just in Washington D.C. It’s true here in the heartland too. (more…)
This Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is a period of 40 days that some Christians say represents the time Jesus spent wandering the desert, enduring temptations and reflecting on his life’s purpose. In modern times, it has become a time for Catholics and others to give up their own temptations or, better yet, add good habits to fulfill their own personal goals and purpose.
Most of my friends, when polled, have decided to give up their bad habits – everything from too much meat and Diet Coke to chocolate and alcohol. Two of my friends are giving up Facebook. More on that in a minute…
This got me to thinking. What if we communications professionals gave up our bad habits for as well? (more…)
With the exception of some screaming chickens and a lame fiddling beaver, it seemed like every commercial during the second half of the Super Bowl focused on white men in their underwear. What demo does this attract, exactly? (more…)
This post is half about communications tactics; half an excuse to write about “Lost,” my all-time favorite TV show, which has its final season premiere tonight. Whether you are a loyal follower or you hate the hype, the creators of Lost – and the marketing team at ABC – have created one heck of show with an enviable following. I wish I could see inside Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse’s brains (so I could know all the show secrets, for one). But since I can’t, I instead offer 5 Lessons from “Lost” in creating customer evangelists. (more…)
I have a bad case of writer’s block. Here’s how bad it is. Last night, instead of facing the blinking blank page on my laptop, I chose to clean the cat’s liter box. But then a re-run of the British TV show, “How to Look Good Naked,” saved my blog.
Maybe it was because I was on bed-rest and bored or maybe it was the hormones, but when I was pregnant with my second child, I watched every episode of The Baby Show on TLC. It was fascinating to watch other women go through what I was preparing to go through. Yet at the end of every show, I found myself wondering why any self-respecting woman would let complete strangers with cameras into the delivery room to co-experience her joy – and pain.
I felt the same shock and awe this morning watching clips of “Balloon Boy” and his family on CNN and The Today Show. Whether or not the whole thing was a hoax, I was left scratching my head over parents who would haul their kids out of bed, including one sick enough to throw up on national TV, for a 5 a.m. interview. (more…)
Why is it that we women tell our hairdressers anything and everything? Seriously, it doesn’t really even matter which hairdresser. My regular stylist was on vacation in Greece when I had a total hair emergency. I made an appointment at David & Mary Salon/Spa in Clay Terrace and ended up telling a completely new hairdresser all about my kids, my business, even my new love for the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks.
We also talked at length about the promotion ChaCha was running in the salon. Every person in the place had on a ChaCha t-shirt and each mirror sported a static cling text message code. Not only was it a great way to reach a captured audience, the promotion also was a great conversation starter. The big question is: If a hairdresser you trust with your tresses uses ChaCha, would you be more likely to try it?