Mitch Joel is a fantastic podcaster. He interviewed me at the Shop.org innovation conference. I recommend listening to his show to really understand what all this social media stuff is about. We had a great conversation about word of mouth marketing. My favorite bits from the interview: Why would you pay to run an ad […]
eBay’s passionate community
November 1, 2007
eBay Live! is one of my favorite events of the year. There is no event out there with more passion and energy. It’s coming to Chicago this year, June 19-21. Even if you don’t sell on eBay, you need to check out this event. It’ll pump up your entrepreneurial juices. Here’s a video interview I […]
Five Moms: Are you helping people talk about your cause?
October 15, 2007
If you have a cause – you have one core action item: Get people to tell their friends about you. Everything else flows from that — ability to raise money, recruit volunteers, achieve your mission — everything. But most non-profits are boring. Same cookie-cutter fundraisers, direct mail letters, etc. I love what Five Moms is […]
The Wheel of Yuck!
October 12, 2007
FlavorX is one of those great startup stories. Their founder couldn’t get his kids to take their medicine, so he invented flavors that could be added to prescriptions. Of course, it turns out that there was a huge market for this. Read this great 2003 article from Inc. about how founder Kenny Kramm did it. […]
Butterball: Keeping it simple
September 27, 2007
We all make marketing too complicated. Keep it simple. How about a phone number where your customers can get actual help from a real person? Butterball has been running the Butterball Turkey Talk for 27 years. 100,000 people call every year, asking for advice on cooking a turkey. They say "55 ladies with a degree […]
You go where your friends are
September 21, 2007
I interviewed Jacob Robinson of Sony Online Entertainment. We talked about the social aspects of word of mouth marketing, specifically in the video game environment. He shares how we go where our friends our. It’s not the graphics, it’s not the features. You may even hate the game. But if your friends are there, you’ll […]
Official unofficial communities
September 21, 2007
What do you do if you want to great a vibrant user community for your products … but you don’t want it to look too corporate or managed? Steve Jones at Capable Networks specializes in setting up user communities in partnership with brands like TiVo, Sling, and Monster Cable. They put the whole thing together, […]
Stop them in the halls
September 11, 2007
Have you ever walked past a Lego store? They surround their stores with amazing, eye-catching constructions. It attracts shoppers from all over the mall. A simple store becomes a tourist attraction. How do you stand out? Watch the video:
Fair Indigo’s Bill Bass
August 30, 2007
As "fair trade" businesses go, Fair Indigo is a great one. They show that style and social good aren’t mutually exclusive. Take a listen to Bill Bass talking about how they make great clothes and support the people who make them. (link). Thanks, Bill.
Get My Newsletter
*Third-party newsletter (Privacy Policy)
Contact Me
I'd love to hear from you. Use this form, please.