Rokia Traore

I accidentally discovered Rokia Traore in Indianapolis a few years back. I stopped by a cultural festival in the park, and watched the rehearsal. I've been a fan ever since. There are many Rokia fans, but I had no idea TED was on to it. I was actually searching for an Edward Tufte speech. I'll have to get to that later.

I highly recommend buying any of her albums, and I definitely recommend seeing her in concert. It's an awesome experience. This is coming from someone who only witnessed the rehearsal.

Marc Lasry - Hedging on Distressed Debt

Marc Lasry of Avenue Capital Group spoke today on Squakbox. He claims that $400 billion of debt will need to be refinanced by 2015 (from 2010 to 2015), which may mean bankruptcy for many companies. He also anticipates the default rate to double. Is this a small wave we are experiencing - to be followed by another wave five years later?

Mizuno Running Shoes

The Wave Creation 9 running shoes rock! It's the perfect balance
between support and performance. I'm ready to improve on my time.

Hanging Out With The Siblings

The Purchase Process Still Applies!

In a recent eMarketer article titled, "Click! So What?", Gian Fulgoni, Chairman of comScore, was interviewed about Direct Response Marketing on the internet. The initial question related to the relevancy of clicks as a measurement of success for internet marketing. In Mr. Fulgoni's opinion, internet marketing should not be viewed different from other traditional forms of media, such as print or broadcast. Thus, branding is always a crucial component, even in the midst of direct response.

In all, I have no problem with Fulgoni's statements, but I do have one big problem with one particular question/answer during this interview. But isn’t search often the beginning point for many consumers? Fulgoni starts his answer with, "It can be ....". What? Doesn't the fundamental stages of the purchase decision process still apply? If I remember it correctly, it starts with problem recognition. At the point of search, consumers have already passed the first point. Point 1 is the first and best chance of existing in the mindsets of a potential buyer. Additionally, after point one, branding can be a non-issue, because at this point decision factors are very objective, and brands have already been considered in the search pool.

I'm starting to hear whispers of the term, "engagement", instead of "clicks". Engagement on the internet is the equivalent of free beer and wireless internet at a furniture store. The store will have more traffic for longer periods of time, but there could be no correlation between the promotion/engagement and increased sales. With all the data and functionality the web offers to e-marketing professionals, it's interesting to know that ROI is still a subjective science. The new age of marketing and advertising should be about transparency and efficiency. However, it seems that we are not yet to that point.

If you don't center your marketing strategy around the purchase decision process, it's not marketing.

Sad About Steve McNair

Rest in peace Air McNair.

Google Analytics Visualization Feature

It seems that every week, or day, Google is adding new features to the analytics tool. After being inspired by the presentation done by the founder of Visual Complexity, I now have some practical use for visualizing data.

Trouble for Tobacco Marketing

The American Marketing Association release an article yesterday about the new federal legislation that will further restrict the marketing ability of tobacco companies. As this market experiences reduced demand and reach, what other sectors in the U.S. economy will improve as a result of these decreases in revenue?

Paul Collier's New Rules

This is an interesting view on how politics and economics need to work together.

BRAND PRESSURE: Business Survival Strategies

Organizations across the globe are facing a double-edge sword when it comes to keeping the business healthy. Their first move during this economic downturn was to slash human capital, and the second move was to reduce inventory. Both moves aimed at reducing cost to satisfy a quarterly income statement - holding off the needs of the sound balance sheet. To better understand what is happening, please look at this video.



As you can see, this plan can only last for a few quarters. It was a wise move for the organizations that took on this strategy. But the journey will run far beyond a few quarters, and there are other issues (unreported inflation, oil price instability, flat wages, excess inventory, etc.) in the economy that require a lot of analysis by business leaders. In the end, it's about maintaining the essence of the brand - along with the value it has in the marketplace. Has the $5 widget shifted to the high end of the price equilibrium or the low end? This is the question that needs to be answered very quickly to generate the revenue necessary to satisfy shareholders and debtors.

Many companies are well-positioned to make this shift, but there are some in denial.