Yearly Archives

2009

Was Ben Franklin an Early American Blogger?

Mollie G.
12.30.2009
2 Comments

On my way to a recent conference, a stranger standing next to me in the elevator posed that question to me. Sometimes it’s the off-occurrences in life that stick with you and I’ve been contemplating the question ever since.

I was representing Communispace on a panel at the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative/Marketing Science Institute’s conference on the Emergence and Impact of User-Generated Content. Some of the best academics from across the world were gathering to discuss the collective impact that empowered internet users are having on companies and organizations.MORE…

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Paperless Luxury

12.21.2009
2 Comments
Charlotte D.

A few months ago a colleague of mine asked if I had ever heard of Paperless Post. I hadn’t, but was intrigued, so I did a little research and discovered something truly fabulous! Among all the praise, Vogue says that it’s the luxury version of Evite. I even found out that Zac Posen, the showman of fashion, recently used it for a benefit, how cool is that?MORE…

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The Sandwich Situation

Julie W.S.
12.17.2009
3 Comments

In both developed and developing countries, birth rates are generally dropping, life expectancies are increasing, the average age at which women have their first child is also increasing, and the needs of the “sandwich generation”—those people concurrently caring for children and elderly parents—are of growing interest to marketers. So when we planned our corporate research agenda at the start of 2009, we thought some exploration as to how this squeezed demographic was thinking and coping could be useful, especially to our clients in financial services, health care, and insurance.
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"I’m the President, but he’s the boss."

12.15.2009
5 Comments
Mike J.

That’s what Barack Obama said when he gave Bruce Springsteen his Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime achievement in the performing arts. When I heard this I welled up with pride.

Like Bruce, I grew up on the Jersey Shore. Throughout the ‘80s my aunts would play his albums over and over again, telling tall tales of marathon performances at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. I didn’t understand the excitement at the time and thought it was old people’s music.MORE…

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Shaken, Not Stirred

Rocky P.
12.11.2009
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At approximately five p.m. on any given Friday you’ll find me paying homage to ‘Happy Hour’. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ 2008 Industry Review, I’m not alone; off-premise spirits volume — alcohol purchased in liquor stores — increased by 2.9 percent from the previous year.

While most of the American economy is bottoming out, it’s bottoms up for the alcohol industry. Is it a surprise the sorcerers of spirits have invested heavily in helping remind you to bring a bottle of their booze home with you?MORE…

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To Copenhagen and Back—By Bicycle

12.10.2009
1 Comment
Andrew L.

I know—quotations are so analog, so un-Web 2.0. But please permit me to begin this post with a quote, and I promise to lard up the remainder of it with links:

H. G. Wells once wrote, “When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.”

Wow. Who knew so much was riding on the bicycle?
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Are Your Customers Responding or Sharing?

Bill A.
12.8.2009
2 Comments

I’m a member of a consumer research panel. I get emails about once a month asking me to respond to a survey or two from a well respected management consulting firm. The surveys are about 25–30 questions in length and take about fifteen minutes to complete.

I respond to their questions but must admit: I kinda tune out after about question twelve, especially when it sounds an awful lot like question seven. And then I begin wondering why they’re asking this in the first place; what am I gonna have for lunch; and what really is the difference between “somewhat agree” and “somewhat disagree”?MORE…

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Me vs. The Recession (guess who is winning…)

12.7.2009
1 Comment
James B.

Last week a friend of mine made an astounding observation about me and my behavior as a consumer. And it has rocked my world.

You see, for quite some time now I have been repeating the same refrain to my friends and family: “I am recession proof!” I am referring to myself here purely as a consumer—as such, my spending habits have remained the same, regardless of the endless bad news cycle on the economy. Amidst it all, I’ve remained steadfast in the face of decreased consumer confidence, especially in my day-to-day spending. I always follow up each $4.53 coffee drink purchase or $18 martini with my mantra, “The economy has nothing to fear from this consumer.”MORE…

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