Just got back to my room after hearing Nellie McKay cap off the annual Wizard Academy reunion. That was fun! She played for an hour and stayed to sign autographs and take pics with us. A nice cozy crowd of about 100 people. If you don't know who Nellie McKay is, you should find out.
We had a few warm-up numbers from Peter Nevland and Phil Sheeran.
Too fun for words!
It's one thing to grab someone's attention. It's quite another thing to bait and switch. As a blogger, I get quite a bit of PR email. Today, one came from DENSO corporation with a file attached which was named "DENSO Develops ejector technology for passenger vehicles."
My brain said "CRIKEY! What's this about?". I opened it and found out that it is some kind of new-fangled air conditioning technology.
Sigh.
By using an ejector that rapidly injects and expands high-pressure refrigerant, the energy that previously was lost in the expansion valve is converted to pressure energy and reused, thus boosting energy efficiency*2. As a result, high cooling and refrigeration performances are both achieved even when the cooler box is used.
“An ejector system can drastically improve the energy efficiency in the refrigeration cycle, and we are now working to develop a system specifically for car air conditioning systems,” said Hikaru Sugi, managing officer in charge of DENSO’s Thermal System Business Group.
Unless you are really into the whole air conditioner technology groove, this is total boredom.
Really, this is just a PR typo, but doesn't it remind you of some of the marketing and advertising crap you see every day? Don't do this type of thing in your advertising.
Another example is the stupid travel site emails I get every day. Southwest Airlines sent one the other day which promised Denver-Austin for $79 each way. Not on the dates I wanted, and only on about 2 dates between now and Christmas. Sheesh.
How have the marketers been fooling you?
I always knew deep-down that cleaning a desk was a total waste of time. Yes, that's a glimpse at my work surface deep in the heart of my wizard cave. I'd give you a 360-view, but that might give away too many trade secrets!
Does anybody believe JC Penney and the sale du jour? Would you pay full retail at JC Penney?
Just asking.
Green means GO. Green means Money (in the US). Green means eco-friendly. Kermit the Frog has always been the spokesperson for the color green.
One more thing...for as long as I can remember, Green-handled fuel pumps mean you are pumping diesel fuel. I've never owned a diesel-powered vehicle, but my dad had a diesel Caddy back in the '80s and he always pulled up to a green pump.
Along comes BP and they want to splash green all over everything (to make us think they are eco-friendly, I assume) including gasoline handles. Hmmm. It's not against the law, but it goes against the grain and it's causing people some serious problems.
I don't usually write product reviews here, but I'm actually getting tired of using some of the ridiculous high-speed internet connections at the hotels I've been practically living at lately.
It would be nice if they all had wifi that just worked. I've had the best experience with Holiday Inn Express.
The most frustrating are those who seem to think I'll be comfy if I'm jacked in about 3 feet from the TV and nowhere near the desk. One solution is to carry a 20-foot network cable (and hope no one trips over it).
Here's the best solution I've found so far...the D-Link DWL-G730AP Wireless Pocket Router. Just plug this baby in and you've got your own little wifi hotspot in your King Non-smoking mini-suite.
Take that Best Western!
Oh yeah...I first read about it on an airplane. I needed it two weeks ago in Omaha. I went to Best Buy...nope. CircuitCity...nope. Checked Amazon...BINGO. Let me know if you find it in a store! Better yet, just buy it from Amazon and they'll give me a couple of bucks for the referral...it's like tipping me for a super tip.
My good friend Juan Guillermo Tornoe was recently quoted in an Associated Press story about the marketing frenzy surrounding the World Cup. A nice kudo for JG and recognition of his expertise in the field of Hispanic Marketing.
Too bad that AP writer Joseph B. Frazier messed up JG's name and city. It always makes me wonder if the reporter got any of the big facts straight. Did he really talk to Nike, or was it Home Depot? Was it really soccer or did he confuse it with the Baseball World Series?
All the links can be found at JG's blog - Hispanic Trending.
Here's something to think about regarding the power of the blogosphere. The next time Joseph B. Frazier, Associated Press writer, googles his own name, this post will be in the results because I've now mentioned his name and occupation a couple of times. Certainly a small nibble at his reputation, but it won't just go away like it could in the old days.
With all due apologies to the folks who didn't like the post about Cabela's restroom, I've got another one.
This time I'm at Denver International Airport, concourse B, just returned from Winnipeg. I go into the men's room and following the Guy Code, take care of business with eyes straight ahead, no conversation...the usual. No flushing, because it's automatic. (BTW...the automatic flush toilet was invented at the old Stapleton airport in Denver...betcha didn't know that! Yes, I'm Cliff Claven.)
On my way out, I notice a guy who is taking care of business just like everyone else, only he's holding an ice cream cone at shoulder height in his left hand. I almost broke the code of silence by laughing out loud. I didn't stick around long enough to see how he managed to get things put away...let alone wash his hands.
So, what's the marketing message here? Having just graduated from WonderBranding, it got me thinking about the differences between men and women. I can't imagine my wife or any other woman simply ignoring this act. They would spring into action just like a mom and tell this guy how disgusting he is. I also can't imagine a man in that restroom doing anything besides laughing.
Anybody that thinks the same marketing strategy will work for both men and women is just not thinking clearly. In fact, one of my thoughts was, "That must be damn good ice cream. I wonder where he got it?" Of course, men don't know what goes on in the ladies room either. For all we know there are little ice cream cone holders on the back of every stall door. Hmmm. I doubt it.
Now, a bonus laugh. WARNING: if you find the idea of ice cream in the bathroom to be just plain gross, then for the love of all things sanitary, don't click on this link to see a pretty darn funny cartoon. Download snowcone.jpg
OK, I’ve been holding back. I’ve been meaning to point you towards my partner Walt’s blog. He’s got some really good stuff there. Seriously, read the last 6 posts or so and see what I’m talking about.
So, what’s been holding me back? I can’t spell his last name. So sue me.
But do read his blog. Read it now.
Oh, yeah…don’t forget to notice his banner image. I like it.
Just a ranting list of some brand encounters in New York last week:
JetBlue: I love flying Jetblue. I was crushed when my departing red-eye flight from Denver was delayed over an hour, finally leaving after 2 a.m. DIA is no place to spend a morning, and a complimentary 6-ounce bottle of water was nice, but not enough.
NYC Cab Ride: What can I say? Wouldn't matter, because the cabbie doesn't speak English anyway.
Soho Grand Hotel: A cool premise that seems to be going over quite well. Built 10 years ago, the hotel was intentionally scraped up and scratched up to give it a power-industrialist feel. The rooms are nice, the staff friendly and helpful and they offer some great packages along with their sister hotel, The Tribeca Grand. Complimentary loaner bicycles in case you aren't sweating enough in the summer heat. Their web site looks kind of cool, but is VERY user unfriendly. From the loud music, the requirements for pop-ups, and initial lack of text, it has got to be a problem for the hotels. Hey, call me and we'll start a Persuasion Architecture project for you.
NYC Subway: I love it. Cheaper than Disneyland and (for those of us that don't ride it every day) a better surge of adrenalin. New Yorkers fall asleep between stops. Nebraskans can't. Our fight-or-flight reflex just doesn't know how to handle the situation, and 4 days isn't enough. Note to MTA maintenance folks: Have you ever heard of these devices?
Brooklyn: Fuggetaboudit. The Future Now digs in Red Hook are always fun to visit, especially when you are trying to explain to your Russian cab driver where he is going. We had a great Peruvian meal at Mancora. Jeff used his fluent spanish to coax the best dishes out of the waiter and Howie and I just ate everything put in front of us.
Letterman: No, I didn't get to be on the show, or even in the audience. But, I did make a trek to the Ed Sullivan theater and stopped in at Hello Deli! to pick up a t-shirt, a box of Explode-a-Pop and a fruit whippie.
