January 2008
34 posts
Sony, for once, might come away with a "W"
After a grueling, years-long battle, it’s starting to look like Sony is finally on the brink of victory. The struggle began more than a year ago when Sony and Toshiba both came out with high definition DVD formats. Sony’s version is slightly better quality but also more expensive, while Toshiba touts lower cost but still high def (more history here).
Early on, the movie industry was...
So you can't afford a Super Bowl ad...
Next Sunday you’ll probably be watching America’s most hailed sporting event, the Super Bowl. And if you’re a small business owner that doesn’t have the requisite (put your pinkie finger to your mouth) 2.7 million dollars to buy 30 seconds of advertising on Fox during the big game (plus the hundreds of thousands you’ll use to actually develop the ad), don’t...
Quote of the week: Steven Hawking on Marketing
“I find that American & Scandinavian accents work better with women.”
(In response to a question about the American accent of his synthesiser.)
Hawking, a Brit and one the most brilliant minds in the world, knows how important it is to speak to and resonate with your target audience.
Make sure you do the same in all your marketing communications. Remember, it’s not...
Get a FREE Marketing Plan Template - No Strings...
I’ve written previously about the importance of creating a marketing plan for your small business, and now you can do it more easily than ever. Introducing Manizesto’s small business marketing plan template, free for anyone to download, no strings attached.
It’s chalk-full of everything you’ll need to get your business on the road to success. The template includes tips...
If I Ran the Water Company: A Disruptive Fairytale
It’s been a long, snowy winter so far here in Utah. Alta ski resort is reporting 17” of new snow today, bringing the annual total to 109” (more than 2.75 meters). It’s heaven for skiers, but hell for commuters. No doubt the desert state needs the moisture, which has been well low on precipitation six out of the last seven years, but it did make me wonder today why my water...
What You Can Learn from the Wine Antisnob
Tim Hanni is one of the leading wine experts in the country, he’s one of the first two Americans to attain the status of Master of Wine, and he’s single-handedly changing the way people purchase and think about wine.
Oh, and did I mention Hanni hasn’t drunk wine for 14 years?
Hanni, a recovering alcoholic, has created a tool he calls the Budometer (try it), which helps the...
Quote of the week: Foresight Edition
“We were trying to convey the controversial issues with a strong and provocative graphic image. It is now obvious that the overall reaction to our cover deeply offended many people. For that, we are deeply apologetic.”
- William P. Kupper Jr., Pres, Golfweek publisher, Turnstile Publishing Co.
This apology came after the latest...
Quiver Report: Survey Tools
Arrows for your marketing quiver
One of the best ways to learn about your customers is by - newsflash! - asking them stuff, which is why every small business should be familiar with and use an online survey tool to help keep the pulse of your customers and prospects.
There are many online survey tools out there, such as Zoomerang, SurveyMonkey and KeySurvey. I use SurveyGizmo, though, because...
The Five Phase Marketing Approach
Do you ever feel like the task of marketing your business is just too much? And how do you know what to do when? And what is the process you should go through as you get start thinking about marketing? And when should you think about marketing?
Starting a business is not for the weak at heart, but if you look at marketing as a series of phases you’ll go through, it’s not do daunting....
Being like a cockroach = success
Cockroaches are one of the world’s most persistent pests. Why? For starters, roaches would be one of the only things to survive a nuclear holocaust, and they’re known to survive without their heads for several weeks (humans last only a few minutes). So even though most people hate them, there is something to be said for the tenacity of these fiesty fiends.
Which brings me to my...
Learn from Chileans, cash in
If you don’t follow the sport of racing, you may not have heard that the Dakar Rally was cancelled for ‘07 following fears of that terrorist violence in Mauritania would make the race unsafe. The rally takes place in some of the world’s toughest terrain, with much of it running through long stretches of isolated deserts.
Cancelling the 28-year-old competition was a tough...
Here's another case of believing in what you sell
On my previous blog I posted about a man who had invented a new style of baseball cup (article) who was so confident in his product that he took a fastball right to the groin without even flinching (Video). And here is another case of the founder of a company being extremely confident in what he sells.
Todd Davis, founder of LifeLock, believes in his identity theft protection prodcut so much...
25 Reasons You Don't Need a Tagline
After my last post, I started wondering how useful taglines really are to a business. So I did a bit of research and low and behold, I was right. Many, if not most taglines seem irrelevant and forgettable. For example, how many of these companies can you name based solely on the tagline?
Save Money, Live Better!
We’re drivers too.
Human energy
Energy for tomorrow
Imagination at work
...
What'd we do New Year's Eve? Burned some cars....
Forget fireworks and confetti to celebrate bringing in the new year. The French have a much wilder, adrenaline-rushing pastime: burning cars. In what has become an annual tradition, French hooligans burned 372 cars parked in the streets. And although in many places, 372 cars burning would be reason for great concern, to French police it wasn’t:
“The night was relatively calm,...
I want fresh pizza, I want my pizza now
There is a BBQ & pizza place in Orem, Ut that is considering making a change to the way they make their pizza. The change would improve the taste of the pizza but limit the sizes of pizza they could offer and how long they take to prepare. The owner is asking loyal customers whether or not to make the change.
This is a common occurance for many small businesses face as they grow and think...