Mega Deal or Mega False Advertising?

Don't use false advertising. Nobody likes it. The definition of false advertising according to the legal dictionary online is:

"Any advertising or promotion that misrepresents the nature, characteristics, qualities or geographic origin of goods, services or commercial activities."

One of the biggest offenders of this is Babies R Us. I have seen this coupon over and over again, month after month, and I find it almost humorous at this point. 20% off ANY one baby item. Any in big, bold print.


However when you turn it over you find out:

EXCLUDES:
ALL toys, baby food, diapers, formula, wipes and then ANYTHING from any of the good baby brands.
Ameda, Baby Brezza, Baby Joger, BOB, Britax, Bugaboo, Cybex, ERGObaby, Mamas & Papas, Motherhood, Maternity, Nap Nanny, Pediped, Peg Pérego, Phil & Teds, Robeez, Tommee Tippe, Under Armour, electronic learning toys, netbooks, tablets, video game hardware, video games, Apple products, FAO products, RobotGalaxy

Essentially you can choose from thousands of items, just as long as the item has nothing to do with babies or toys, of course.

How do they get away with this? No I really want to know, HOW DO THEY GET AWAY WITH THIS? This is the perfect example of marketing that makes me go, hhhmmm.

6 Habits of True Strategic Thinkers

I just read an absolutely amazing article, and I almost threw it in the trash! I receive the top news in my industry to my email, and after scanning, picking & choosing, and reading many, I grew tired and decided to delete 6 Habits of True Strategic Thinkers. Then I decided, what the heck let's have a look.

It reminded me of some of the things I was taught in a global leadership class in college, taught by my favorite professor Gary Oddou. Some of things he said have stayed with me all these years, and I always felt like he had the little gems of knowledge we need to question life and find true success. Although this is a relatively short article, it gets some of the same points across, at least revealing the tip of the iceberg to these little gems.

I want to highlight some of the best parts about it, but I can't decide, so I urge you to simply read it yourself. I also want to add, that I think although business leaders should possess the qualities written about, I think many of them can also be applied to the day to day or the "regular" Joe. The article can be found here, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Should Tourist Centric Businesses Bother With Customer Service?

Well, I know you know the answer to this... the answer is yes!

I just returned home from a week in Kauai, visiting friends and family. There is good coffee on the island of Kauai, and there are good coffee houses. But are all the coffee houses created equal? Definitely not.

From time to time, I discover a business who thinks since most of their sales come from tourists, they don't need to be as thorough with customer service and marketing. The employees may feel they will never see the people again, or that they don't need to bother making a good impression or building a rapport with their customers. This attitude could not be more damaging. Here are some reasons why a tourist centric business needs to be mindful of their actions:

Vacay

I've been working hard this week in preparation for a vacation that starts Monday.

As it so happens, I will still be working while away. . . but let's hope the work load is a little lighter while I soak up the sun (or rain) on my trip!

The Fuss Over Facebook Landing Tabs

When landing tabs and welcome pages started becoming popular on Facebook, I wasn't sold. I told my clients that honestly, I felt the default page of Facebook should be the wall, because that's where everything is happening. To land on a page that looks just like a website, with the whole corporate facade, just seemed to go against the idea of why you're using content driven social media in the first place.

I remember thinking the first thing I wanted to do when I landed on a welcome tab, was go to the wall anyway. I wanted to see what kind of activity was going on!

Of course as time went on, and studies and reports came out about how important a welcome landing tab was, I found myself conform a little, and I got used to seeing them and designing them. I always stayed true to the idea that they were not that great, but the numbers don't lie. . . they help conversation rates.

However the day has come where Facebook Timeline is taking over brand pages. No longer can your page send people to a default landing tab. That's right, so you better get back to making sure your wall looks engaging and interesting!

As a marketer I should be annoyed by this. But, my instincts always told me I didn't like it, so the change doesn't bother me that much. There are plenty of other changes that I don't care for however, but I'll save them for another day.

Reduce Risk, Reap the Reward

The World Trade Research Institute introduces a webinar: Reduce Risk, Reap the Reward

No export deal can be considered successful until payment reaches your account but there are risks on both sides of the transaction.

In this one hour webinar, you will learn about the range of payment methods used in international transactions to reduce risk. This information will help you evaluate which is best for your business. You'll also learn about how the U.S. government provides support to for international transactions through export credit insurance and loan guarantees.

Thursday, March 8, 2012 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (PT)

This one's for all you global people.

How Pinterest Is Helping The Green Movement

This is my latest article for Care 2:

Anyone who is online these days has probably heard of Pinterest. The social media site has become one of the fastest growing sharing platforms this year, allowing Internet surfers to “pin” and organize photos of things they like online.

You’ll find the usual inspirational quotes and phrases, women’s dream wedding ideas, new recipes, art, and trendy style, just to name a few. But what I really like about the site is the way it’s helping green and sustainable ideas become more accepted.

The users mainly pin photos of beautiful things, designs, or ideas they want to replicate.n And you better believe a huge percentage of these inspiring photos floating around are recycled products. In fact, users are creating more and more boards for their pins with titles such as “Eco-Friendly Design” or “Making a Difference.”