momorantings

Jeffre nicely skewers a domain name seller for being so transparent in their upselling motivation that they inadvertantly announce it in their url. This doesn't just apply to the online world of course. Everything you do is noticed somewhere by someone and, if it's noteworthy, it will be repeated. All the more reason to ensure it's noteworthy for positive reasons.

On Saturday, I attended Innocent's first AGM. One of their founders told me that the key to success is making a good product. I, of course, agree that it's that simple (and that difficult). They also have insightful labelling. It was nine years ago today that they sold their first smoothie. Today they sell more than 100 million. No wonder everybody talks about them.

I will share my thoughts in a future post, but it begs the question--is it really a bad thing that some theatre companies are closing their doors? is this a "market adjustment" to equalize supply and demand? From this Wednesday's Washington Post : More Shows, Fewer Showgoers Helen Hayes Group Cites Increase of 402 Performances, Decrease of 36,000 Patrons By Jane Horwitz Special to The Washington Post Wednesday, April 23, 2008; Page C05 The number of stage performances and theater companies in and around Washington went up last year, while overall attendance dropped 1.9 percent, according to statistics from the Helen Hayes Awards organization. Despite that dip, 2007 was the busiest year since the first tally in 1985, the Hayes group said, with 67 professional companies presenting 8,050 performances of 454 shows. That is an increase from 2006 of three companies, 402 performances and 20 shows. (These figures represent all area professional theaters, not just those eligible ...

(click here to enlarge ...... the picture). Many of the key innovations of the online world have been led by the adult industry, so naturally my first reaction on seeing this image (courtesy of Marcus ) was to consider the numerous marketing insights it provides. 1) Scarcity Of Attention - traditionally the scarcity has come from the potential customer, but here we see the provider rationing her attention and thus stimulating a huge pent-up demand. 2) Trading Up - traditionally it's been felt that you have to provide your customer with an enthusiastic greeting and rewarding experience in order to increase their expenditure, but here we see the indifference strategy forcing customers to the paid rooms. 3) Power Naps - human capital is your key resource in this ultra-competitive world, but here we see what happens when you don't ensure your staff are well rested. Providing sleeping facilities at the office is not the answer. 4) Free Is The New Pricing - some would have you be...

Hidden in the interview with the founder of mobile advertising network Admob was the revelation that banner ads get better click-through rates than simple text ads, but that some operators worry about them interfering with the UI and thus the user experience. It's the age-old marketing problem. Balancing the needs of your clients against the needs of their customers. Never doubt that erring on the side of the latter is the way to go.

Speaking of the logo that artists designed for his new album, Nick Cave makes an interesting observation. “The wires are telling you: somebody built this thing. It's the same reason we tend to use the first or second take of a song rather than the third or fourth. They may not be perfect, but they capture some sort of essence.” Would your customers recognise your product/service as being made by someone, but not "perfected" to the point of sanitisation?

In my usual early acquirer fashion, I started using Twitter a long time and have delighted in receiving classic tweets such as "Pardon me boy is this the Heathrow Express?", "Gazing at the ocean. Looking for a kettle", and the classic "Riding the Tube like a mofo." The stress was very much on the ambient intimacy that Lisa Reichelt identified. The reaction was one of delight, wry amusement or an excuse to grab a coffee/beer. But now, hot on the heels of the rise of the verbose super users, we're inevitably getting the guides to corporate tweeting. Tara produced a comprehensive one yesterday, but I fear that a lack of restraint on the part of companies who read her words will ruin the delight of Twitter and backfire on them. The technology is only the medium and any company using it cannot afford to forget that Twitter is something more than that to its users and no doubt a different thing to each of them. The strength of Twitter is its "one to ...