Social technologies have changed much more than our marketing strategies; they’ve changed us.

Social technologies have changed how we gather and share information. They’ve changed who we meet, where we meet, and, sometimes, how we meet. They’ve changed how we buy, what we buy, and where we buy. They’ve changed what, how, and how much we know about the people around us. And while social technologies may not have changed what it essentially means to be human, they’ve certainly amplified, at once,…

...continue to read "Podcast Interview: Forrester’s Josh Bernoff on How to Profit from the Social Media Groundswell"

It seems corporate siblings experience the same divergence of personality and temperament as real siblings.

Even though Black & Decker owns DeWalt, their Web copy couldn’t be more different. In fact, the contrast between the two brands illustrates both mediocre and powerful ways to handle the sixth deadly claim: “cutting edge” (aka, “next generation,” “revolutionary,” etc.)

Both companies have followed current trends by releasing a line of tools powered by lithium-ion batteries. Lithium batteries provide much greater energy density than other rechargeable…

...continue to read "The 7 Deadly Claims (Part 6) — “Cutting Edge”"

Have you tried Arizona Iced Tea? They aren’t bad at all, and I’ve really taken a shine to the No-Carb Blueberry Green Tea they produce. For the longest time I could not put my finger on why the product always make me smile, until last night.

After so many months, it dawned on me: the containers for the green teas are overfilled. When you open the bottle, there’s more product in the container than it should be expected to hold —…

...continue to read "My Cup Runneth Over from High Slurp-Factor™"

This one pretty much speaks for itself, but it’s a good example of inside-the-bottle copy, written by application developers.

Here’s the thing, Microsoft: If you’re going to explain something to me about the thing I obviously don’t understand, I’d prefer if you did it in my language — not in Microsoftese. If I understood how to get the most out of your email program, or if I even knew what a “compiled script” was and/or why I may need to add…

...continue to read "When Developers Write Copy — Part 2"

I hate to say it, but ignoring it won’t make it any less true: Americans don’t believe Ford (or Mercury) makes cars that equal its competitors.

Comparably equipped Fords don’t sell for as much new, and they lose their value much faster as they age. That’s not opinion, it’s fact.

According to Edmunds.com, a 2002 Mercury Sable can generally be had for $5,924 to $6,917. Meanwhile, a Toyota Camry from the same year sells anywhere from $9,641 to $12,538. As of today,…

...continue to read "Why Americans Haven’t Driven a Ford Lately"

Today, Apple (APPL) announced that its iTunes Store has sold 3 billion songs, the last 2 billion of which were sold in half the time it took to sell the first billion. That’s great news for Apple, but they’re still missing out.

Consider the numbers:

6 years since the iPod’s release (November, 2001) 4 years of iTunes Store (April 2003) 3 billion downloads 5 million songs available (as of today) 100k iPods sold (as of April) 12 songs per album Just over 2…

...continue to read "iTunes Sells 3 Billionth Song, Stops Innovating, Gets Sued"