Amazon Turns Up The Gaydar?
Last week a friend joked that, based on her Caucasian husband’s onetime purchase of a novel by bestselling author Toni Morrison as a gift on amazon.com, the site now “thinks he’s an African-American lesbian,” and we had a laugh about the advantages (and drawbacks) of collaborative filtering software. So, I was unaware of the furor surrounding an apparent change […]
Read MoreThe Label Made Me Do It
As someone who’s spent years working on behalf of food and health brands, I understand the critical need for solid communication about the nutritional value – or lack of it – in food products, particularly convenience or fast foods. But, when I read about lawsuits against food companies filling up the court dockets, as reported […]
Read MoreThe “Other” Social Networking
I just returned from a trip to North Carolina for a family wedding. We took a few days’ vacation, but because I had an opportunity to mix in some business meetings, I did just that. Two of my meetings were with people I’d had phone contact with for months or even years. hat a difference […]
Read MoreTruth and Consequences
Transparency and honesty are good things, right? They build trust, and trust engenders loyalty. But, here’s a dilemma. What happens when telling the truth makes the situation worse? Case in point: President Obama cautions that a full economic recovery could take years, and the market shudders. Senator Dodd refers to bank nationalization, which most experts believe […]
Read MoreFrugal Is The New Black
Last night I had dinner with an old friend who does stock market analysis, and our conversation around the economy was pretty much “an orgy of pessimism,” in the words of Philippe Daumann. But, enough about that. The more interesting part of the discussion was about “the new frugal.” My friend feels that no marketers have yet managed to align […]
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