JANUARY 5, 2009

2008 definitely ended on a gloomy note. Recession, layoffs, foreclosures… more depressing news every day. So I thought I’d kick off 2009 on a more positive note by writing about a company that’s making some smart decisions and rethinking traditional marketing.  Zappos, the online shoe retailer, has really impressed me with how it has gone about attracting and building a consumer base. According to Adweek, here are some of Zappos’ policies:

• Every Zappos employee is offered $2,000 to quit after his or her first month. This weeds out people who don’t really want to be there.
• Zappos has built a reputation for openness and honesty. It collects its employees’ Twitter feeds here, and stresses the need for communication and tolerance of diverse viewpoints as one of its 10 core values.
• It doesn’t play hide-the-ball with consumers, like so many online retailers. Instead, it posts its 800# at the top of every page.
• Finally, Zappos thinks of the free shipping and returns it offers to customers as a marketing cost. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh explains, “We spend most of the money we’d spend on paid advertising and put it into the customer experience and let them do the word of mouth marketing for us.”

To me, that last point is brilliant. Why spend money on advertising - most of which is ignored in our saturated world - when you can get a much better return from word of mouth simply by offering an excellent customer experience? I wish more companies followed this logic.

I must confess that despite my addiction to shoes, I’ve never shopped at Zappos. But I am going to give them a chance next time. I respect what they are doing and I think they deserve my business.

[Comments(4) »] [TrackBack »]

DECEMBER 23, 2008

One thing I love at the end of each year is the endless litany of “best of” lists. It ties up the year in a nostalgic, entertaining way that allows me to savor with satisfaction those “best ofs” that I enjoyed, and commit to pursuing those I overlooked. One of my personal “best ofs” this year has been here at the Undercurrents blog, both contributing to and consuming it, so I thought I would mention some of the blog entries I have appreciated the most since our March 31st re-introduction of the site.

On innovation, I particularly enjoyed Lisa Bader’s December 12th post about Google and Procter and Gamble swapping employees so that each organization could learn more about the other and how best to target consumers.  What cutting edge companies, I thought, and how could we encourage our clients to adopt the same kind of experimental attitude?  (I also liked how Lisa surveyed some of her coworkers for opinions on what companies they would like to “swap” with if they could.)

On personalization, I liked Ryan Baldwin’s December 3rd post about Deoxyribonucleic Influence - how individual DNA has become a hot commodity for products, art, and fashion.  I think we’d be surprised how many people are mapping their code and hanging it on their walls as part of their interior design.

On saturation, Michele Cimino offered perspective in her October 29th post about the overwhelming choices involved in planning a wedding, and how her sense of reason allowed her to tunnel through to the information and purchases she wanted.  I realized that in order to stop feeling overwhelmed by my unlimited options (a topic I wrote about on May 5th), it would help if I defined certain boundaries in advance of my pursuit of informational enlightenment.

Kristen Variola’s July 2nd post about the Taiwanese ”Love Boat” educated me about immigration and how - even with the melting pot it creates in terms of diversity - many subcultures fear the loss of their identity as a result.  Her example was insightful.  She talked about Chinese-American parents who send their kids on four-week educational tours on ships so they can interact and hopefully connect with other Asian youth.

Nothing tells a story better than a photograph.  In a globalized world, it is easy to feel disconnected from what’s going on in - say - Africa.  Gloria Huang’s August 28th post about professional photographers teaching the locals in Mozambique and South Africa how to take pictures was heartwarming.  The women and children were then able to share their photos with the rest of the world to improve understanding of their plight.  What a creative new way to communicate a message and make the world seem a little less isolated.

While these are my favorites, here are some honorable mentions:

The internet is changing the world of philanthropy (April 28th) - Corey Mull

The way our irrational fears about risk affect our behavior (May 23rd)- Kelly Stepno

Word-of-mouth is an underrated marketing tool (Aug. 5th) - Krissy Rigopoulos

The disappearance of the newspaper in an internet world (April 29th) - Mike Clements

Evaluating new tools based on usefulness instead of hype (April 3rd) - Gayle Weiswasser

The power of social media (April 11th) - Steve Skojec

And the great VIDEO that started us off - you have to check it out to see what kind of perceptive powers you have! (April 1st) - Jenn Dodd

I believe our beloved Nellie Lide, the original voice of our New Persuasion blog, whom we lost at too young an age, would be proud of us.

[Comment(1) »] [TrackBack »]

DECEMBER 17, 2008

Have you ever left a store and suddenly found yourself singing a song that you don’t remember hearing – perhaps one that you haven’t heard in years? “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier / I got soul, but I’m not a soldier…”

What about in the morning, after you’ve hit the snooze button a dozen times and finally dragged yourself out of bed and into the shower: do you ever start humming a familiar tune, but have no idea why? “I used to rule the world / Seas would rise when I gave the word… Dum, dum, dum de dum dum dum.”

Well, chances are that The Killers’ 2005 hit song, hypothetically speaking, was actually playing in that store you were in - your conscious mind was just too busy searching for a smaller size to take notice. (Meanwhile, your subconscious mind was having a jam-session with itself!) In addition, Coldplay’s latest single was likely one of the first songs your radio/alarm clock played when it first woke you up this morning. You just weren’t quite awake enough to realize it consciously .

Remembering something without being aware that we are remembering it is a consequence of priming and implicit memory- two relatively harmless psychological phenomena. But a problem arises in the artistic world (music, film, literature) when an artist subconsciously adopts someone else’s work while believing it was actually a product of his/her own creative powers.

Earlier this year, for instance, musician Joe Satriani accused Coldplay of lifting elements of his song “If I Could Fly” for Coldplay’s hit song “Viva La Vida.” Immediately, I was inclined to believe that Coldplay’s Chris Martin (creative genius) may have subconsciously copied the beat, chords and melody of Satriani’s song. As Wired’s Eliot Van Buskirk explains, it’s not uncommon for musicians to hear something and “regurgitate” it later without realizing it. Considering all of the songs we have access to in the digital music era, I would have to agree with Van Buskirk.

To complicate things further, however, it appears that videos depicting similarities between the two songs have been disappearing from YouTube, courtesy of Coldplay’s label, EMI, which claims that the videos infringe on its copyright.  (One of only a few surviving videos can be found here.) A legitimate claim on the part of EMI, or a clever attempt at a cover-up? You decide.

Either way, Van Buskirk finds it interesting that EMI is using copyright as a way to remove one version of a Coldplay song while allowing other versions to remain online.

It’s a useful reminder of the ways in which copyright law can be used for purposes other than thwarting the infringement of copyright. In this case, it’s a somewhat useful tool for downplaying plagiarism accusations directed at one of the world’s top acts.

We already know priming agents can influence cravings and the consumer decision-making process - that’s been the aim of marketing and advertising gurus for years. In an over-saturated society, however, I wonder: have priming and implicit memory lost their touch, or are their influential powers yet to be tapped?

[No Comments »] [TrackBack »]

NOVEMBER 19, 2008

I was reading an publication from EPM Communications on consumer behavior and attitudes when I saw a statistic that made me unsure as to whether I should laugh out loud or cry. Here it is: A third of Americans (34%) exercise 100 or more days a year; 10% exercise 50-99 days a year; and 15% are opposed to regular exercise.

Opposed to regular exercise? What?! Why would someone say that they are opposed to regular exercise? Do these people choose to ignore the fact that as much as 64% of the U.S. population is overweight? Being overweight has been identified as a cause of cancer, diabetes, heart problems, and sleep apnea, and has been found to reduce life expectancy. Why would someone identify themselves as being against exercising?

Maybe it’s because we hear so many conflicting headlines about just how bad it is to carry extra weight on our frames. One week we hear that it’s not as bad as we previously had thought… the next week we hear that a little extra weight may be good for our bone density numbers… a week later we hear that we should lose the weight in order to stay healthy and live long lives.

As a result, it seems that we are increasingly choosing to believe exactly what we want to believe and, therefore, dangerously ignoring the rest of the facts. Does hearing these vastly different perspectives on a daily basis provide exactly the excuse we need to be lazy? We like to believe that we have good genes, that we were athletes in high school and can get back into shape whenever we want.  We also believe that we are healthy because, even though the scale is showing us a number higher than we want to see, our blood pressure and cholesterol numbers are normal. As a society, we complain about health insurance costs but isn’t it our lack of self-control and/or denial contributing to the problem?

Perhaps we should all make the time to filter through the saturation of headlines and conflicting studies and educate ourselves on the risks associated with our unhealthy habits - individually, as well as for our nation as a whole. How’s that for a New Year’s resolution?

[No Comments »] [TrackBack »]

NOVEMBER 17, 2008

I’ll admit it - when it comes to health news, I tend to fixate on the negative instead of the positive.  I worry about the germs or the .0000001% chance that I’ll develop a disease from some chemical I’ve been exposed to, rather than celebrate all the advancements that have been made in medicine over the years.

However, recently, a few articles have forced me to focus on the positive.  First, there was an announcement about how targeting cancer treatments to a patient’s specific genes offers extraordinary hope for personalized cures.  Another study further proved that statins are a tremendously powerful shield against heart attack and stroke.  (A friend re-affirmed the importance of this news the other night by mentioning a leading heart surgeon they knew personally who raved about the life-saving ability of statins.)  Then there was the 60 Minutes story on someone who could use their brain to convey thoughts directly to  a computer.  And finally, a piece that profiled the Kanzius machine which - if clinical trials prove successful - will zap cancer cells all through your body without the need for drugs or surgery and without side effects.

All reasons to feel hopeful, right?  Yet it seems as a nation, we still seem to cling to ungrounded fears about risk and disease more than we celebrate medical breakthroughs.  Perhaps it’s because we’ve lost trust in institutions as a whole, the medical industry being no exception.  We feel we’ve been lied to, manipulated, and let down, so no information can be “good” or trusted.  We’re so saturated with conflicting information that we don’t know what to trust anymore, and that confusion paralyzes us and makes us fearful.

While I recognize this tendency in my own life, I am going to make an effort to change my habits.  We live in an era of unprecedented innovation in medicine - will you join me in being excited about it?

[No Comments »] [TrackBack »]

OCTOBER 29, 2008

  Wedding planning – a topic that currently consumes my life.  My fiancé, Chris, and I have been engaged for a few years but recently set a wedding date for next summer and have been devoted to wedding details ever since.

I’m not the type of girl who’s been dreaming of and planning her wedding day since birth.  Honestly, I never gave it a single thought until someone got down on one knee and handed me a diamond ring.  And then, it was like the flood gates opened.  I looked through every magazine, scanned every web site, and watched every TV show having anything to do with getting married (I’ve linked to a few favorites).  Little did I know there were so many shades of white, so many types of flowers, and so many variations of favors.

With the overwhelming number of choices a bride has to make, which products actually break through?  Wedding purchases are slightly unique in that they are decided upon most times by emotionally-driven people who are willing to sacrifice a lot (including money) in order to get what they want.  That being said, I’ve personally been trying to take a more reasonable approach.  I don’t have an unlimited budget and I’ve come to terms with the fact that while our wedding day is important, it’s still just one day and going overboard isn’t necessary. 

These economic and environment-minded times have made me downsize from an SUV limo to a sedan limo.  I won’t be overdressing the Church or carrying a bouquet of orchids or using two foot tall flower table centerpieces.

So, how do I decide?  I separate extras from necessities and determine what Chris and I can’t do without, then I apply our budget.  A vendor or product that’s going to stand out is one that seems sensible and legitimately serves a purpose – one that ultimately I find value in. 

Today, consumers are saturated with choices and information.  Consumers have adapted to this overload and now, for example, I can effectively flip through a 150 page bridal magazine in less than half an hour and earmark a handful of items or styles I like without letting the nonsense of other ads or articles distract me.  A careful understanding of what appeals to a consumer will surely breed success.

What product or service have you been consumed by lately and what ultimately gets you to open your wallet?

[No Comments »] [TrackBack »]

OCTOBER 28, 2008

Last night I had the chance to visit the Newseum in Washington, DC. It was actually an event for the Washington Wizards where fans got to meet the players and get their autographs. The venue is absolutely amazing - from the breathtaking views to the elaborate exhibits, I was very impressed. The location is so desirable, people even have their weddings there! Although it was very cool to meet players like Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson, I was more excited to explore the seven levels of displays.

While it’s not every day I get to meet famous athletes, the pieces of the torn-down Berlin Wall, a portion of an antenna from the World Trade Center, and the Pulitzer Prize photo gallery did not disappoint. Seeing these artifacts that were made so familiar to us by the media was a very surreal experience. I had to keep reminding myself that these items were the real thing, not just pictures.

Not everyone shares my opinion of the Newseum though. For some people, the Wizards players could have been signing autographs in the parking garage across the street and it would have been just the same. As soon as they got their memorabilia signed they got out of there, not taking any time to enjoy the free admission (which is normally $20 for adults).

A few of the basketball players had a table set up right in front of the Berlin Wall display. Fans were lined up in front of it waiting to get autographs and barely any of them even looked up at it! This had me wondering: In a world where we can get our news and information as it happens 24/7, is seeing a piece of history not as cool anymore? Will schools soon opt for Apple Store field trips over a day at the Smithsonian? Is technology in and history out?

I certainly hope not.

[Comments(2) »] [TrackBack »]

OCTOBER 9, 2008

WARNING!  Your computer has been infected with a Trojan virus.  Critical files could be lost.  Click HERE to download an anti-virus program that will fix your system!

This is just one of a slew of pop-up warnings that spyware and malware creators use to try to mislead unsuspecting Internet users into downloading potentially harmful software.

A new study by researchers at North Carolina State University shows that most Internet users are still unable to distinguish genuine pop-up warnings from fake ones – even after repeated mistakes.  (Is there a Pavlov in the house?)

The study examined the responses of undergraduate students to real and fake warning messages while they conducted a series of Internet searches on a personal computer.   The real warning messages simulated local Windows operating system warnings, whereas the fake messages were from an external source and designed to trick users into downloading a harmful virus or malicious software.

Participants were fooled by the fake messages 63 percent of the time, hitting the “OK” button in the message box when it appeared on the screen despite being told that some of what they would be seeing would be fake.

“This study demonstrates how easy it is to fool people on the Web,” says study co-author Dr. Michael S. Wogalter, professor of psychology at NC State.

Most telling of all, however, was that, after interviewing the participants, researchers found that the students were so eager to get the pop-up boxes out of the way that they clicked right through obvious warning signs.  In other words, after being saturated by so many advertisements and marketing tools, the students had become too desensitized to notice the actual risks - and perhaps even the benefits - associated with the ads.

You should know that the most prevalent scareware program in circulation today is called Antivirus XP 2008.  Often installed on a PC without proper notification, the software bombards victims with fake security warnings, trying to convince them to buy worthless programs that sometimes even harm their PCs.

The good news is that Microsoft is working with the state of Washington to sue companies that exploit Windows to deliver these misleading popups.  Microsoft, after all, has a strong incentive to curtail spyware: about 50% of its customer-support calls come from spyware-related crashes.  A few times a year, I too am forced to spend an uncomfortable evening resolving a spyware problem.  What about you?

[No Comments »] [TrackBack »]

OCTOBER 7, 2008

Recently, Tina Brown embarked on a new online project: The Daily Beast. This site mirrors The Huffington Post in its method of aggregating current news stories, but also stands out because it’s simpler and more concise. Every day, the editors pick and choose articles they find interesting and categorize them based on editorial style. For instance, they may pick a slew of articles that present different angles of one story to bundle into a “Big Fat Story”.  Another section called the “Cheat Sheet” ranks the 14 hottest stories and allows users to promote or bury a story (a la Digg).

The Daily Beast is the latest example of a website that works as a filter for all the raw information out there. A team of editors constantly sifts through the web in order to produce a coherent front page. This isn’t just a blogger picking out a few interesting topics to share each day, or even a team of writers continuously following a specific subject area. The Daily Beast compresses and distills a broad range of articles and orders them, often with a purpose. Tina Brown probably says it best when she answers this question on the site:

[Q:] Why should I visit you when there’s already Slate/Drudge/Huffington Post/TPM/Google News and every other magazine and newspaper?

[A:] Sensibility, darling.

… we all have only one pair of eyes and ears. We’re hoping that if you like the sensibility The Daily Beast brings to choosing news and opinion then you’ll trust us to be the lens you view it through.

Sifting through the massive amount of news and information online every day is a full-blown job for these editors. Let’s face it: not all of us have the time or patience to read and process all this news every day. The internet allows news to proliferate alarmingly fast through a multitude of sources. Sites like the Huffington Post have even become somewhat unwieldy, drowning the reader in articles. I’d rather leave the job of sifting to the people who truly love it and want to do it every day, so they can guide me through it later. The Daily Beast won’t by any means replace all the other sources of news I frequent online, but it will offer me a way to easily digest popular topics and issues with a healthy dose of editorial insight.

[No Comments »] [TrackBack »]

SEPTEMBER 26, 2008

I recently identified the single biggest source of stress in my life. No, it’s not the work/family balance. It’s not the status of my retirement savings, either (though that may be because I haven’t looked at my account balances since the collapse of the banking industry this month). It isn’t even the terrorism-global warming-general state of disaster trifecta that the world is currently facing.

No, the biggest source of stress is my complete inability to keep up with email.

My work email, for one, is out of control.  Yes, I know it’s a cliche these days to complain about how many emails you get - people seem to trumpet those numbers like battle wounds. (”I went to lunch yesterday and came back to 200 new emails!”)  But the reality is that the amount of email we all send and receive is exploding. Some days, I don’t actually do any work - I just respond to emails, half the time asking other people via email to do things, and the other half trying to find the right folder to file away the rest of my emails so that I can find them later, when I do finally get to the work.

But my problem goes way beyond my work email. There’s my personal gmail account, which is connected to my blog, and which seems to expand exponentially every week. Gmail has its good points, but the fact that I can’t move emails into files doesn’t help my mental state. The number on the inbox never goes down, it only goes up.  Getting through that account is a never ending task.

And now there’s Facebook. I get messages on Facebook, plus comments on my status and posts on my wall. That’s three separate places for me to accumulate unreturned email, all of which need to be checked individually. Don’t get me wrong - I am not complaining that people are contacting me. I am grateful to friends who take the time to get in touch with me, and I am happy to hear from them. I just get stressed about when I will find the time to write them back.

Unclutterer has some advice for how to get email under control. This is my favorite piece: “Starting right here and right now, you’re going to process your email as it comes in, and as you’re done with each message, you’re going to either delete it or file it away in a folder separate from your inbox.” Great advice - if you can follow it. But if you’re reading email on the road, or you work part-time, then this is tough to adhere to. For one thing, deleting emails on my Blackberry doesn’t delete them on my desktop, so I can’t delete-as-I-go.

Here’s some even better advice:

Ask yourself: if an email is older than a month, does the sender really still expect a response? Be honest. Most likely, the answer is no. If it was that important, the sender probably contacted you again more recently, or using another method. This may seem scary to some folks, but I recommend taking all the messages older than a month (or even two or three weeks, for the brave!) and simply moving them into your email archive.

That definitely does take some nerve.

Missionary Geek, who says that most of us feel “vaguely sick” when we look at our inboxes, also has some recommendations for how to keep them under control.

Unless I do something drastic - and soon - I am in danger of email meltdown. What do you do to keep your inbox under control?

[Comments(3) »] [TrackBack »]