Brand Building - Good News/Bad News

I read a news item today published by a manufacturing industry trade journal announcing that a supplier hired an agency to handle their PR and marketing needs. The first surprise, and there were a couple, is that the release was covered by a web site for the manufacturers industry.

Kudos to the agency for remembering to include that site in their media list. Most agencies would have restricted the distribution of this type of release to the media centric - advertising/PR/marketing - publications, not those where their client needs coverage.

That's the good news.

At the end of the release was the usual close, the contact information for the agency. What is remarkable about this is the e-mail address, it's an AOL account. Now I don't know about you, but using a branded (read that domain specific) e-mail is one of the key factors in building the recognition for you, your company and your products.

That's the bad news. Shame on this agency for forgetting a basic fundamental of brand marketing.


Marketing is more than PR or advertising, it's about building a perception about your reality in the eyes of your buying public. Using a branded e-mail address is part of the process.

Keeping it all together

Digital Nomads has struck again.

Jay White's recent post about 'Tools of the Trade" struck a chord for me. Managing documents, bookmarks and other user specific information when out of the office is a real pain for most of us. Dealing with these issues has us trying to sync various settings on desktops and laptops.

Jay's post offers a number of solutions to make our traveling easier and productive without the headaches.

Where Do You work? I Work Everywhere.

I can't take credit for the title, but I can certainly relate to the concept. For as long as I've been working, and that's a long time compared to some of you, my job has included significant travel.

When I first entered the workforce as an adult I spent 12-15 weeks straight on the road. This was before cell phones and email. (Yes, I may be considered older than 'sin' for admitting this fact.) We traveled by car, bus, truck and plane to both exotic and non-exotic destinations. Unfortunately these visits were always brief, some lasting less than 24 hours, and filled with work. But at the same time I was working in the entertainment industry during a very exciting time.

Today's nomad's have it dialed. We have cell phones, laptops, email and high-speed internet connections at hotels virtually every night. Some of us refuse to book a hotel without a fast connection in our rooms to avoid being 'off the net' for even one night.

That brings me to the headline from today's post - 'Where Do You work? I Work Everywhere.'

The story is posted on Dell's new DigitalNomads.com site, which seems to be a combination of a back-door, community oriented sales pitch and a site that answers a true calling for travelers. The real question in my mind: Is this the start of a new social networking community or just another flash in the marketing pan by Dell?

What's your take?

Knowledge is a great thing to have, keep and expand

When Wikipedia first entered the internet fray it stunned a number of folks. After all, how could you trust a collection of diverse people that took it upon themselves to help define our world.

Today, the Wikimedia Project extends to multiple languages, is part of our daily life and in fact, indispensable to students of all ages. It takes user generated content to the nth degree.

But wait there's more (as the DTV commercial goes). . . Google has introduced "Knol: a unit of knowledge." (A knol is an authoritative article about a specific topic according to Google.)

The good news is that we now have another user generated content site to serve our research needs. The other good news, from a marketing standpoint, is that Google once again, has an opportunity to capture more of our time.

Moving to Vitrual Trade Shows - Is it worth it?

My colleague Rick Short addressed a great question in his blog Virtual Trade Shows in the B2B Environment today.

Marketers in the electronics manufacturing sector, suppliers of capital equipment or consumables, and users have faced ever increasing costs to attend trade shows over the past few years.

We're reminded of the costs every day when we fill our tank up at the pump.

The big 'take away' from both Rick's post for me is simple. Virtual shows can be used to augment traditional trade shows, but may never replace them. At least not in the near future.

One of my electronics sector Clients summed it up pretty well by commenting that customers and prospects needed to have a hands on experience with his products. It that tactile, touchy-feely time that really makes the difference with hardware.

What do you think?

Working together to better our world, a WOMM winner

When I read Seth Godin's blog (When you least expect it) this morning, it reminded me of from my mis-spent youth and a bumper sticker talking about doing random acts of kindness.

He ordered t-shirts from an online vendor with the expectation that they would fill his order correctly. Little did he anticipate that the vendor would check out the imprint design and make an offer a donation to the non-profit run event.

And the vendor expected nothing in return (as Seth aptly put it:) "Just plain generosity."

My hat's off to Custom Ink and their dedication to serving the community at large.

Now that's word-of-mouth marketing at its best!

A Gasoline Emergency

Rising fuel costs do more than empty our wallets!

Running our gas tank down until the 'low fuel' light on the dash turns on has never been a problem for some of us, except in the winter. Then we're concerned that the inevitable water in the fuel will freeze rendering the car unusable when we need it the most.

Today's ever increasing fuel costs have started to hit home for most of us and it's not just at the pump. We see it everyday with rising costs for all goods. Transportation providers tend to pass their fuel increases along to their customers, who in turn pass them along to the consumer - that's us!

But one of the unexpected side effects to the rising costs of fuel has finally been brought to the forefront by a town in New Jersey. Holmdel, population of about 14,00, is similar to many of the communities across the nation. Part of the town commutes to a major city - in this case New York - by train, bus or car five days a week. It hosts the PNC Bank Arts Center, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a hospital. And the Garden State Parkway runs through the Township. They also host a number of large and small businesses within the confines called Holmdel.

Unlike it's counterparts in large cities, EMS duties are handled by volunteers. (EMS handles first aid and rescue efforts for the Township.)

Many of the volunteers are finding it hard to respond to emergencies - 911 calls - since they need to use their personal vehicles to get to the squad building where they pick up the ambulance or to get to the actual scene of the emergency. Some of the members are on fixed incomes, making the sacrifice of helping others a drain on their limited incomes. Add to that the high cost of diesel for the response vehicles and we have a recipe for disaster.

Their plea for help has attracted the attention of local politicians, yet it may take a national effort to address the issue. Their story has been covered by the Asbury Park Press and picked up by Fox News in New York.

Until a solution is reacted, each of us can do a small part to help. Find the local version of the all volunteer Holmdel First Aid Squad in your town and make a donation. If your town uses paid EMS crews, feel free to send a donation to the Belmar First Aid Squad, PO Box 636, Belmar NJ 07719. (Let them know where you read about this critical issue!)

Even a couple of dollars is a welcome donation to these folks. Heck, it's probably less than a cup of fancy coffee!