I had such a great time last week at ClickZ E-Mail Strategies. My session was about multi-channel marketing, but I got to talk about e-mail strategies during the final session — the most daring and unconventional of the two-day event.…
What Is Channibalism? “Channibalism” is a basic fear felt by many executives and managers that one channel, or line of business, will steal business away from another. There are two facets to this fear: one tied to fears of consumer…
Time for my annual birthday column. Last year at this time, I wrote a column about how peoples’ preferences change over time. Last year, my birthday was a time to reflect on how my needs and my desires changed with…
I’m an amateur videographer and love reading about the latest technologies. Sony just came out with a new camera that records 16:9 video (movie screen aspect ratio). It mailed a flyer about the camera, promoting a free accessory (a “hood”…
In 2000, any business proposal with “wireless” or “mobile” in it got venture capital funding. By late 2001, every business plan with the words “wireless” or “mobile” was avoided. Other words have come and gone as well. Are those once-hip…
There’s an interesting crossover between what’s traditionally known as “householding” and viral marketing techniques. Where they overlap is a barren zone of lost opportunity for many companies. Let’s look at a company doing it right and one that missed the…
Last year, I wrote a column describing a horrible customer service experience with Virgin Atlantic Airlines. Last time, I detailed some user experience nightmares I had with other companies: Amazon.com, Sony.com, and ShopNBC.com. I’ve never received as much reader feedback…
Employees are more loyal to companies that invest in their education. Can we extrapolate this idea and say customers are more loyal to companies that invest in their customers’ education? I think the answer is yes. Customer education can be…
Sometimes my train of thought leads me to unexpected places. One of the conferences I am speaking at this month will take place on a cruise ship, which will be sailing off the coast of England for four days. What…
In the second installment of my series “Your Web Site as a Narrative Device,” I asked you to submit sites you thought exemplified the best practices of using a narrative device on a Web site. I went through all of…