I usually try to keep my critiques to categories I’ve worked in, primarily because I think it’s irresponsible for me to comment on what works and what doesn’t when I have little basis for my assessment other than being a consumer. So I initially demurred when some folks have asked for my POV on AT&T’s new campaign, Rethink Possible.
The other day I found myself doing something quite curious – after having placed an item into my grocery cart, I turned around, took it out, and returned it to the shelf. That momentary act wasn’t strange because I’m generally a decisive person — but rather because of what caused me to reverse my actions. My change of heart was prompted by a ½” inch square – or actually, the absence of it.
Andy Beal, an internet marketing consultant, award-winning blogger, professional speaker, and co-author of the critically-acclaimed book Radically Transparent: Monitoring & Managing Reputations Online, was kind enough to share a few moments with me earlier this week. 
Our talk covers topics like:
We also discuss a cool company Andy founded, Trackur. Trackur is an online reputation monitoring service that tracks what is said about you on the internet. Trackur scans hundreds of millions of web pages–including news, blogs, video, images, and forums–and lets you know if it discovers anything that matches the keywords you’ve indicated. Fortune 500 companies, as well as small businesses, agencies, PR firms, etc. currently use Trackur as their “reputation guardian” and I think we’ll see even more uses and applications of the service going forward. Check it out here.
You can reach Andy through his website: www.andybeal.com .
I enjoyed talking shop with Andy and hope you enjoy listening in our conversation in the podcast below.
Listen to this post as a podcast:
If you’ve been in the business long enough, you come to understand there are some basic rules to follow when running an ad on the Super Bowl. Humor works best. Use animals or big-breasted women – or both. Wow people with extraordinary settings and production values.
Many of the advertisers on last night’s big game followed the Super Bowl advertising playbook to a tee (view all of the spots here). And, yet, they violated some fundamental rules of advertising in general.
Once again I find myself writing a post triggered by a New York Times article on the mobile category. Last Monday it was about the different strategies brands are taking with their mobile application offerings. Today this post introduces some thoughts based on the piece, “AT&T Takes the Blame, Even for the iPhone’s Faults.”
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The following is a guest post from Dan Phillips, the co-founder of Skybend, a design and brand company focused on helping businesses navigate the gauntlet of electronic media. A classically trained artist turned graphics designer turned entrepreneur, Dan brings his unique perspective to branding efforts for businesses around the country. Contact Dan through his website at http://skybend.com or on Twitter via @ruqus.
Today I heard a story about the immediate impact of Twitter, or Twitimpact (that’s right you read it here first, Twitimpact). 
The story goes like this: (more…)
CNN Money recently featured a list of 14 “brand name companies” that are going bankrupt. 
Among them were Crunch (the chain of fitness clubs), Tribune Co. (owners of the LA Times and the Chicago Tribune), and Hartmarx (the maker of mens’ suits). (more…)
U.S. News & World Report’s interview with Susan Docherty, North American Vice President for General Motors 
provided some valuable insight into the troubled car company. Her comments made it clear that GM is operating from a reactive, backward looking stance. (more…)
John Caddell, owner of Shop Talk – Innovation, Marketing and Alliances, “a daily look at marketing, strategy and management, highlighting trends, focusing on what works and what doesn’t,” was kind enough to feature a guest post from me on his blog — 
my piece points out the “excuse culture” that seems to be pervasive these days and explains how it’s bad for brands and businesses — please check it out and let me know what you think.