dialogue blog

The brilliance of Muppet marketing

2012-01-31T10:50:00.000-08:00

It's been pretty impressive seeing the unconventional marketing approach taken by the latest Muppet feature.

It's a pretty simple idea - take the puppets and treat them as real celebrities promoting a film.

This included Kermit participate in a high-profile 'Pass It On' campaign (see above). Also, it included appearances by Miss. Piggy on Chelsea Lately and as a guest judge Project Runway.

The brilliance continued when the Muppets responded to media criticism in a press conference while promoting the film in Europe.

In a world full of a lot of conventional marketing approaches, it's refreshing to see a simple, yet brilliant idea have legs, er I guess I mean frog legs.

Using the book club as a guideline for a social media strategy

2012-01-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

We love this blog posting that discusses how to use book clubs as a model for social media strategies.

It's so easy to overcomplicate social media strategy - when the truth is we're really trying to connect HUMANS via technology. Humanity often gets lost in the strategy. That's why this is a brilliant way to humanize the social experience.

Check it out:
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30948/How-Book-Clubs-Can-Transform-Your-Social-Media-Strategy.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HubSpot+%28HubSpot%29

Sometimes simplicity is the best policy

2012-01-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

Mad Men has launched this extremely understated teaser campaign. It's subtle, yet provocative. It doesn't really say anything about the new season yet makes you want to know more.

Us die hard Mad Men fans will recognize this image from the Mad Men opening credits. It raises the question of will we find out who jumps out of the window this year? Could it possibly be Don Draper?

We're happy to say some of the show is filmed in our building and it will be exciting to see what exactly they filmed there. Here are a few sneaky photos we took of them filming.

Adventures in Chinatown

2012-01-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

So we're having a winter formal. Yeah, kind of like the one you had in high school but without the awkwardness and easier access to alcohol (thank God).

While the ladies are going to be wearing traditional formal prom wear (think Pretty In Pink), the guys will be wearing traditional Chinese outfits. Why? I haven't quite figured this out. Regardless, this necessitated a trip to Chinatown.

We had lots of fun, found some rad shirts, had yummy lunch but still need to find pants and shoes to complete the outfits.

Qual Mania!

2012-01-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

We had an extra qually day the other day when we had three simultaneous online focus groups at the same time!

It was actually tons of fun and kind of interesting how technology has allowed us moderators to be in the same room at the same time (when we're typically at different ends of the country).

Is the dawn of a new day for moderating? Only time will tell...

Tongue, blood sausage and rabbit at Happy Hour????

2011-11-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night we decided to go to Mas Malo for Happy Hour after work. It was not without a bit of trepidation because there had been reports of watered down drinks and poor service during Happy Hour. It didn't help that Mas Malo only gets 3 stars on Yelp. Really? Really? Say it ain't so.

Luckily we went and while the service was quite slow, the drinks were NOT watered down. Phew.

We also decided to be a bit adventurous and try the tongue, blood sausage and rabbit tacos at Happy Hour. The blood sausage was blood awful. Too dang chewy and funky. To the restaurant's credit they noticed that despite being ravenous (4 orders of guacamole french fries), we didn't eat much of our blood sausage tacos - so they comped us this dish.

The tongue and the rabbit were actually pretty good. Actually, if I had a couple drinks and you said 'try this' I would probably have no clue it's tongue. The rabbit was actually the best. But it was a bit challenging thinking of little critters like Thumper from Bambi. Was yummy nonetheless...

Happy Happy Hour

2011-10-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

First, apologies for not blogging for a while. We've had a really busy end of summer/early fall!!

We had a really great happy hour week before last at the new Chaya downtown. I was looking forward to it having previously enjoyed the tasty Chaya Venice. But we were surprised that Chaya downtown is actually Japanese food? It definitely wasn't a disappointment as Japanese food is actually my favorite type of food - but kinda odd for the same restaurant to serve a totally different type of food.

Once we got over that surprise, we got to try their offerings. Really good stuff. Amazing oysters. Great sushi. They have an outdoor BBQ too that made us even more hungry. The only minor disappointment was the happy hour drinks were really small. Oh well..

Carmen's parents made a surprise appearance. Luckily, they didn't get us kicked out with their crazy antics ;).

Phil, Eddie and Patrick representing.

Wooster and Danny acting all coy.

Summer Fun!

2011-08-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

We all have been working hard and needed some R&R. We headed to Glen Ivy to enjoy some fun in the sun but boy was it hot (100 degrees plus)!

The men of dialogue headed out to the golf course (what a good looking foursome!).

The ladies of dialgoue wanted to be pampered and we headed to the Glen Ivy Hot Springs for some tanning and relaxation in an air conditioned cabana (yes we were spoiled).

We all met up for dinner afterwards to catch up on our day and have some yummy drinks and food with wonderful people. It was a perfect end to a perfect day (especially since I got my steak!).

- Angela

Amazing Office Warming Party!!

2011-08-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

There are moments in life where everything comes together in a magical way. We were so fortunate to have that happen with our party. It was a gorgeous night in LA, we had great food, a fantastic DJ and lovely breezes on the balcony. So many people turned out to show their love and support. It was an amazing time and a fantastic way to kick off the new office space.

If you didn't make the party, please stop by the next time you are downtown!

DOWNTOWN CULINARY ADVENTURES: Urbano

2011-08-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

In continuation of our arduous (sarcasm) exploration of downtown cuisine we decided to visit Urbano.

Urbano is just a few blocks from the office and it has caught my eye on several occasions.

It's got a super-hip interior and serves fancy-pants pizza. Sold!

We started with the artichoke, which was a major mistake. Greasy and not good. You could say they artichoked.

The pizza on the other hand was awesome. One was meaty, sausagy goodness.

And the other was fancy cheesy goodness.

One major gripe - no dessert menu!

Our friend Gary joined us as well! Hi Gary!

MEET DIALOGUE EMPLOYEE: 5 questions for Danny!!!

2011-07-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

What’s something about you that most people don’t know?

One thing that very few people know about me is that I’m an award winning author. When I was 7 years old, I wrote a book about unicorns and slavery that won a literary award in my elementary school that forever changed my life.

What made you laugh today?
Putting together my dialogue Bio, which was rejected by Marion for not being work appropriate.

Danny Herrera (born 1977) - an American Superhero/Researcher of Mexican descent widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Alter Ego: Daniel R Herrera

As Daniel Herrera, Danny lives among humans as a "mild-mannered researcher" for the Los Angeles based firm dialogue. While sometimes referred to less than flatteringly as "the big blue Boy Scout" by some of his fellow dialoguers, Danny has also been referred to as "The Dan the Man", "The Man with the Plan", and "The Last Son of Krypton " over the years.

Danny Herrera has fascinated scholars, with cultural theorists, commentators, and critics alike exploring the character's impact and role in the United States and the rest of the world. In his younger days, Danny's personality is rough and aggressive. Usually seen stepping in to attack and terrorize wife beaters, profiteers, a lynch mob and gangsters, with rather rough edges and a looser moral code than what is many are used to today. With time and maturity it appears that he has softened his character and adopted a sense of idealism and moral code of conduct.

Today, Danny Herrera is commonly seen as a brave and kind-hearted hero with a strong sense of justice, morality and righteousness. He adheres to a strict moral code often attributed to the Southern California values with which he was raised. His commitment to operating within the law has been an example to many other heroes but has stirred resentment among others, who refer to him as the "big blue boy scout." (I borrowed most of it from Superman’s Wikipedia description)

What’s the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?
My weirdest dream is really crazy. It happened a few years back. It takes place in a waiting area of an office building, I’m sitting there waiting for a meeting of some sort and all of the sudden I strike up a conversation with Ashlee Simpson (Jessica’s not as talented sister). We start chatting and decide that we should work together to write a book, I guess she also had heard about my award winning book from 2^nd grade . I don’t remember what kind of book we were planning to write, but I do remember that we were planning to turn it into a movie.

What website do you go to on a daily basis?

ESPN, CNET, CNN, Facebook and ~~adultfriendfinders.com~~ yahoo

What is your idea of a perfect day?

First thing, I would wake up in morning, and thank God, thinking that the day is kinda odd, no barking from the dog, no smog, and my momma would cook breakfast with no hog.

I would then get “my grub on, but I wouldn’t pig out”, I would’ve ”finally got a call from a girl I wanna take out” Then I would call up my homies and I'm askin “y'all, which park, are y'all playin' basketball?”

I would then get on the court and I'd trouble, I’d messed around and get a triple double.

Plus nobody I know got killed in South Central L.A.

That’s what I would consider a perfect day.

Zero Moment of Truth

2011-07-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

We had the great pleasure of working with Google and Shopper Sciences to help understand all of the inputs that shoppers are utilizing during their purchase journey. The work is exciting and inspiring. We'd love for you to download the free ebook here.

Yes, believe it or not I take the subway to work

2011-06-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

Many a folk respond with surprise and even shock when I tell them I take the subway to work.

Especially, my New York friends.

The conversation will go something like this:
"Really? A subway in LA?"
"Yes, there's actually a subway in Los Angeles."
"Are you sure it's not a light rail?"
"Yes I'm sure it's not light rail."
"Do you know what light rail is?"
"Yes I know what light rail is."
"Are you sure it's not just light rail underground."
:/

Or there's this Facebook response after I virtually 'checked in' at a subway station:
Friend (with sarcasm): "Are you working on a research project involving public transport? Nothing else makes sense."

So here's the proof. There is a subway in LA. And I do take it to work.

-Patrick

We are 'Flipboard' maniacs

2011-06-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

So, Flipboard is an amazing new application on iPad. What it does is essentially takes your Facebook/Twitter feeds and turns them into an aesthetically appealing magazine-type interface. It feels like you are flipping through a hip magazine except it's ALL ABOUT YOUR LIFE and interests.

You flip through pages of beautiful pictures your friend posted from a wedding last weekend. Or read a poignant quote highlighted from a family member's feed. Or a video is featured from your favorite bands or brands.

It shows how something simple like changing the format of an interface can revolutionize the way you interact with content. Because the app doesn't create any new content at all! It is merely reframing the way you interact with your personalized, highly curated information.

From a marketing perspective, the genius of this is how it integrates brands that I 'like' (e.g., have chosen myself to enter this sacred land) are beautifully featured along with friend's content. Because the brand content is well presented versus a surface-level Facebook feed, I've found myself much more apt to engage in the brand and its content.

It's pretty cool! Check it out!

Behold! Ye old dialogue Coke Zero/beer koozie!

2011-06-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

I had to look up the spelling of the koozie. Of course there's a Wikipedia page on the topic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koozie

Apparently, they can also be spelled 'cozy' - which always kind of made more sense to me because I thought the whole idea behind it was to keep the beer 'cozy.'

Anyways, the new koozie/cozy is very useful, given we have a penchant for outdoor meetings on our terrace in the sun. God forbid our drinks get cold....

360 degree view of our outdoor space

2011-06-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

So thanks to Danny, you can see a really cool 360 degree view of our terrace. It's via an iPhone app called Photosynth.

Check out the 360 degree view here:

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=8720b6ca-9219-41dc-8def-165a08b448c1

MOCA's awesome 'Art in the Streets' exhibit

2011-06-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

So, not far from the office is the totally awesome MOCA 'Art in the Streets' exhibit - featuring a history on street art with an emphasis on LA street art....

At the entrance is some outdoor street art...

Street art's influence on fashion...

The requisite hipsters (check out the wings on the shoes)...

The crazy neon room!!

One of the street artists collected hundreds of lost animal flyers over the years and displayed them on the walls...

Don't miss it!
-P

dialogue Employees: They are getting younger and younger!

2011-06-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

Art + beer + downtown = yes please

2011-06-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, after visiting the awesome new 'Art in the Streets' exhibit at MOCA (will blog on this at a later date), we happily stumbled upon Angel City Brewery.

Essentially, it's a warehouse that houses a) a brewery and b) art you can buy. A win-win proposition. The beer was good and a steal at $5 a glass. They also had a BBQ outside but we didn't try any food.

The space is huge and so is the art!

There was a random vintage slide in the middle of the space. We were trying to guess the purpose of this slide for the prior owners of this space.

And there was a very direct message for people entertaining the notion of sliding down the slide:

- Patrick

DOWNTOWN CULINARY ADVENTURES: MAS MALO!!

2011-06-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

So, we were so excited to try out the new Mas Malo restaurant in downown LA. We’re fans of Malo in Silverlake and the concept of Mas (more) Malo was irresistible. And it’s right around the corner.

Mas Malo is in one of those cool old skool downtown LA spaces that has been updated with a shot of hipstertude. There’s a big main dining space with a bar next to it. Then there’s an upstairs area with more tables and couch-y/loung-y section.

The food was similar to Malo in Silverlake – I would generally designate it as an upscale Mexican restaurant. However, it’s a little more experimental than most upscale Mexican food. There are a couple dishes with Coca-Cola in it. There’s cactus on the menu (not bad – but an unusual texture). And there’s a simmering goat dish (not sure how to explain that one).

The dialoguers in attendance:

Friday in the new office means….

2011-06-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Dean teaching peeps new qual techniques (in a ‘work in progress’ conference room)…

Tecate in ‘da fridge…

A visit from a dialogue baby (Hi Calvin!)

One friggin large Vento Starbucks

The new small conference room (lookin’ purty)

And donuts to celebrate National Donut Day (not kidding)

Happy weekend y'all!

DOWNTOWN CULINARY ADVENTURES: Clifton's

2011-05-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Clifton's? I hadn't - until other dialogueurs introduced it to us the other day.

It's a true downtown LA restaurant er... actually it's a cafeteria. It's got none of the nouveau, trendy stuff prevalent in downtown LA these days. In fact, it's been around since before the depression (the one starting in 1929, not 2007 ha ha). Since the original depression, Clifton's allegedly won't refuse food to people who don't have money. It's really hard for me to believe this due to the omnipresence of homeless people downtown - but it's pretty cool if that's actually true.

"Bring the Family" - shrewd yet direct marketing approach

The interesting thing about this place is you walk in and immediately you feel like you are in Disneyland - specifically Fantasyland. I know because I was at Disneyland literally a week prior. The reason for this is back in the day Walt Disney used to eat lunch here. He was so inspired by the campy/fantasy/forest feel that he replicated it in the Magic Kingdom. Now this kind of stuff at Disneyland makes sense. In the heart of downtown LA it is downright trippy fun.

The food is literally served cafeteria style. This means you grab a tray and grab food - ala high school. Tres fancy.

The restaurant is HUGE! It's three massive stories tall.

So if you want a glutenous acid-y time trip in downtown LA, then Clifton's is just what the doctor ordered.

-Patrick

The new office: What a difference a day makes!

2011-05-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

So, most of us grudgingly showed up at the office Saturday morning to set the office up. The place looked like this:

Boxes. Boxes. Boxes. Boxes. And more boxes. We really thought we were going to be there until 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 at night. I was starting to think of excuses for leaving.

And Carmen was getting sassy already.

We needed inspiration. Luckily, one of us brought two essentials for inspiration: beer and music!

The result:
Good times....

Goofing off...

And believe it or not...productivity...

Phew...time for a break

In the end, we were done in only a couple of hours - the only REAL miracle of the day (no thanks "rapture")

Some "after" shots:

"Dibs!"

The future of market research will be determined here.

Carmen showing "the makeout room"

The outdoor conference room.

In the end, the day was tons 'o fun.

Opening date of June 1st is coming soon!

First meal near the new downtown office!

2011-05-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

On Friday, after taking a look at the construction work at the new office, we decided to have our first lunch near the new office.

I had been DYING to try Bottega Louie (http://www.bottegalouie.com/) since I had interviewed the manager for a study a few months back.

This place has an amazing Manhattan/urban-style atmosphere. The restaurant is primarily white and marble with a distinctly clean look. The space is open and large. They deftly included a bakery, coffee shop and bar, as well as the restaurant - so people like me will be making multiple visits during the day (e.g., drinks, treats, coffee, meals – not necessarily in that order, ha ha).

While it was fun trying this place out, I’m really more excited about trying the many different new restaurants downtown. As we are foodies, there will be many more posts on the dynamic downtown LA restaurant scene.

-Patrick

The new office....so far

2011-05-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

So we have to admit it - we're pretty damn excited about our purty new office. While not officially open for business until June 1st, we got a sneak peak today, even though there's a lot of work still being done. So as you look through these pictures, use your imagination!

One of the best parts of the office is the huge terrace! Visualize meetings outside under the sun. Charting and tanning go hand in hand (naturally!). A caipirinha early evening - why, thank you!

Here are some terrace photos. The detail in this building is amazing. Look at the doorhandles!

Here are some of the inside views. Here's the view from the front door looking in at the office. It's huge (to us) - see the little people at the other end of the space?

Rebecca and the new kitchen. The bar goes here. I'm not kidding. Margarita por favor!

El conference room numero uno (there will be two - second one is yet to be built)

Now some building shots. Here's where you really see the amazing detail in the building.

Keep checking in for more updates!

-Patrick

MEET DIALOGUE: 5 questions for Jonathan!!

2011-05-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

What website do you go to on a daily basis?
I’ve got my iGoogle page set up with a few different windows, but from there, it’s mainly either CNN headlines or The Daily Show. The truth is usually somewhere between those two. Facebook and Wikipedia are usually up there in terms of frequency, too.

What famous person would you most like to meet?
Probably Bono. I’d like to ask him about writing some of those huge songs and then what it’s like to play ‘em in front of stadium full of fans. I imagine he’d be cool to have a pint of Guinness with. Wait, is this starting to sound too much like a fantasy?

What made you laugh today?
My baby son Sebastian heckled a 14 month old this morning passing by out his bedroom window. I’m not sure what he said, but the other baby shouted back and pointed. That’s my boy.

What’s your favorite Beatles song? Explain why.
Man, that’s tough. “Let It Be,” because it’s one of those perfectly written songs – not a note or phrase is out of place, like it was divinely inspired. But there’s also “Yesterday,” which is another one of those perfect songs. Then there’s “Helter Skelter” and “Revolution,” which show that the band can kick a little ass.

What’s your definition of happiness?
Getting up in the morning, putting your feet on the floor and smiling at what the day could hold

I survived Ragnar!

2011-05-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

Several of us dialoguers made New Years resolutions to lose weight and generally live healthier (‘er’ being the important syllable in that word) lives. Each one of us has taken our own paths towards ours objectives – which makes sense because obviously it’s important to figure out what works for each individual. In other words, being healthi-er ain’t no easy task.

My route to healthier-ness has been running. I’ve always enjoyed the reflective nature of running. I find at times I do my best thinking while running. It also forces me to get outside, away from the computer – something generally good for mental health.

A few months ago a friend asked me if I wanted to do the Ragnar race. Essentially, it’s a relay race from Huntington Beach to San Diego. It’s overnight – there are no breaks – so essentially, someone on your team is running constantly for 24-30ish hours. I thought it sounded like a really crazy idea – but I liked that it gave me something to motivate me to keep running.

The race ended up living up to my initial impression – it was totally crazy…but it was also incredibly fun. My running times were at approximately 1p, 12a (yes midnight) and 7a the following morning. I had an especially magical nighttime run during the hills of Temecula (who knew Temecula has hills that are really pretty)…well, it was either magical, or I was hallucinating based on the combination of sugar-free Red Bull, lack of sleep and adrenaline. Either way it was good times and I look forward to more Ragnar for me in the future.

If anyone is interested in doing a Ragnar race (and they are held in several locations across the U.S.) – here is the link:

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/

Patrick

Summer Concerts...

2011-04-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

Some of us here at dialogue are passionate about food; some of us are passionate about our dogs, while others of us are passionate about our preferred mode of communication: red dixie cups with string. And some of us are passionate about music.

OK....I'll just get it out up front. I love my divas. But I don't necessarily love all of the traditional divas. I'm really into some very non-traditional divas too like Annie Lennox, Sinead O'Connor and Linda Ronstadt.

So here in LA, a series of concerts have been announced about which I'm pretty excited! My tickets are ordered and I'm just counting down the days.

I've already been to a few pretty cool concerts this year...

k.d. lang - Monday, April 4th
k.d. lang has always been one of my favorites for a long time. I believe I have close to every CD she's ever recorded. k.d. has joined up with a new band - The Siss Boom Bang - and recorded a new album: Sing It Loud. She's no longer singing with The Reclines - the band she formed/joined when she kicked off her career. She played at the iconic music club Troubador in West Hollywood. It was an intimate evening because the club holds less than 500 people. We weren't late, but we didn't arrive early either. It's standing room, general admission only. But we got to stand comfortably less than about 8-10 feet from the stage. k.d. wailed on the microphone with many of her new songs from the new album on which she covers "Reminiscing". k.d. will never leave her torch and twang roots, but this time around she injected a little rock into her music. To that point, the only old song she sang was "Constant Craving" - she decided to take that old torch song and speed it up, giving it an 80's punk-ish, alternative feel. Who knew you could do that to such a famous song and still make it sound amazing?

Janet Jackson - Friday, April 15th
This was my first time seeing Ms. Nasty. And I have to say it was a bit of a disappointment - partly because I was missing one of my best friend's birthday party to attend this concert. It was a concert of her #1 hits only - so I thought there was no way I could miss this concert. If this was the only JJ concert I was going to see - this was going to have to be it, right? Wrong! The concert started out rocking! Ms. Jackson started it off with dance hit after dance hit. And she was working for her money because she was dancing her butt off on stage and as Salt n-Peppa used to say: Workin' up a Sweat. But four of five songs in to the concert, I started thinking to myself "All these songs sound exactly like they do on the radio". So I looked up at one of those side screens that they have at concerts nowadays and I noticed that Ms. Nasty's lips weren't matching what I was hearing. Janet Jackson was totally lip syncing the entire concert. Come on Janet! I didn't come to see you sweat like a pig, I came to see you sing. Take a page out of Madonna's playbook, let the younger and skinnier girls and boys on stage do the dancing and you do the singing. I'm fairly certain that will have been the last Janet Jackson concert I'll go to. That doesn't mean I won't ever boogie my way to the dance floor the next time I hear one of her dance hits beat its way out of the speakers. (PS - A little side note here - I've never been to a concert, as far as I know, in which the entire concert was lip synced!!)

Prince - Friday, April 22nd
OK, The Artist formerly known as Prince may not be considered a Diva, but you've got to admit that Prince does have some diva-ish qualities! This too was my first time seeing Prince and I was super excited - it was probably one of the concerts to which I was most looking forward. i went with my friends Kathleen and Scott. Kathleen and I are HUGE prince fans. No one can deny his musical and lyrical talents even if you don't like his music. He's a prolific song writer; writing songs for other huge artists Like Chaka Khan, Sheila E., and Sinead O'Connor. To this day, I still say Sinead's version of No One Compares 2 U is better than Prince's version, even though he wrote the song and lyrics. Prince announced a 21 day concert series here in Los Angeles and each night was going to be different. On his opening night, he had six encores! The night before my concert night, Prince went on stage at 9:00 PM and played past Midnight. But on our night, he only played until 11:15 PM. What happened to our extra hour of Prince music???? Why did we get jipped? Anyway, the night still rocked! Prince opened the night with some obscure old school funk songs. he didn't let us down though, we got to hear some of the classics like Let's Go Crazy, Little Red Corvette, Raspberry Beret and Cream. But we missed out on I Would Die 4 U and 7 and When Doves Cry. I realize he can't sing every hit every night - but at least give some of the biggies!

The rest of my summer concerts plans are:

Chelsea Handler, 5/14
OK, I know she doesn't sing, but she's still a Diva. This concert is a brand new comedy series. It supports her new book which will also be released this same week called "Lies Chelsea Handler told me". Looking forward to it as this will be my first time seeing her too.

Adele, June 8th
She's one of my new favorites. Who doesn't love the new CD called "21"? It's Amazing! I just can't get enough of of the tragic song "Rolling in the Deep" from her new CD. And you can't go wrong with her soulful "Chasing Pavements"?

Dolly Parton - July 23rd
She's one of the first singers I remember as a little kid. I was practically raised on Dolly music. She's recorded a new album called 'Better Days' and this tour will be a mix of new songs from Better days and some classic songs.

Sade - August 19th
yes, every song sounds the same, but can anyone else sing like Sade??? I've been a huge fan ever since I first heard her voice on "Sweetest Taboo" in a Tower Records store as I was looking up albums for The Clash.

There's also been some rumors that Culture Club is reuniting for a world concert tour. I guess that will happen when Boy George gets out of jail! Doh!

There are more concerts coming in the fall. More on those later.

Wish me well on my the rest of my summer concerts! And hopefully there will be no more lip syncing!!!

Disco Dean

MEET DIALOGUE DOGGIES: meet Max!

2011-04-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

As many of you know - we are major doggie lovers. Here's an interview with one of our favorites, Max:

Favorite toy?
My Auntie Rebecca gave me a plush hedgehog when I was just a little puppy, he has always been and always will be my favorite. I like it when my mom throws him down the hallway, I chase him and then attack him and then bring him back to mom and we do it all over again and again. Oh man it’s soooo fun.

Perspectives on cats?
I used to live with two cats when I was little and I tried being friends with them, but they were dumb and didn’t want to be friends with me, if I was behind my gate they would stand there and hiss at me, but as soon I was free they’d run and hide. Silly cats, so uppity (and skurrrrred)… So there you go I’m totally a dogs dog.

Favorite music?
I’m totally a undercover thug, I love gangsta rap, shout out to Kday 93.5…… Hip Hop Today and Back in the Day… and of course you know who my favorite artist is, Snoop D-O-Double G.

Favorite food?
I love my mom, I really do love her, but she never gives me people food, she’s so mean…. sometimes my Grandpa Larry sneaks me real bacon and steak, my mom has no idea….. please, please, please don’t let her see this I don’t want to get my gramps in trouble, he’s totally cool and not just because he hooks me up with some bacon and steak but that helps.

Favorite celebrity dog?
US Weekly doesn’t have a canine edition so I’m not familiar with celebrity dogs.

MEET DIALOGUE: 5 questions for Dean Stephens!

2011-03-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

1. Do you think it’s true that everyone becomes their parents?

It’s complicated. Yes, I think for the most part we become a version of our parents. We are each unique and we cannot escape our roots. But we each leave our parents and take a part of them with us. The part of them we take with us becomes the fodder with which we create our new selves. So, I guess in short, I don’t believe we become duplicates of our parents, but we become extensions of them. Much like the symbolic family tree, we grow from them to create something new and unique but with similarities that we cannot ignore.

2. What are your top 5 favorite movies of all time?

I’m a sucker for big, dramatic or romantic movies:
Out of Africa
The Color Purple
Shadowlands
A Room With a ViewBabbette’s Feast

3. What cartoon character best personifies you?

That’s a tough one! I guess I would have to say Winnie the Pooh – He’s always looking for honey and he bumbles through life looking for it.

4. What’s the difference between bad art and good art?

Cool question. In my view, there’s a difference between creative expression and art. Creative expression is deeply personal and is all about the creator (artist). However, art is about communication – art communicates something from the artist to the observer of art. Art contains a message whether simple or complex – the message is to be ‘consumed’ by the person observing the art. Art is a commentary of sorts. So, to me, good art is that which is good at communicating its message whether it’s a literal message or an emotional connection. Bad art is very similar to how the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on obscenity. It cannot be defined – but you know it when you see it. That’s how I feel about bad art – I know it when I see it.

5. What is your favorite word?

‘Perception’ is my favorite word. I have believed for a long time now that perception is one of the few things in life that both divides and unifies us as human beings. It’s one of the most powerful qualities that make us human. Perception can be uniquely one’s own singular view of the world or it can be a shared insight. The most fascinating thing about human perception – it’s one of the few human qualities in life in which we have a true choice. We cannot change love or emotions – other qualities that make us human. But we can consciously change our perceptions.

Meet the dialogue Boys

2011-03-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

“Your life is about to change forever.” If you ask any of dialogue’s three new parents, we’d be sure to tell you that we’d heard this exact statement (or a very similar one) at least a thousand times before our babies were born. We probably even rolled our eyes a bit and tuned out. But if you asked us today to talk to a new parent-to-be…We’d say the same thing to them.

When we’re not talking about work, we are discussing sleep-training, feeding, teething, pediatricians, parenting styles, and the millions of other topics new parents talk about. Our lives are so consumed by these little guys that we thought we’d share a little bit about parenting the dialogue Boys. Meet Sebastian (19 months), Owen (9 months) and Calvin (4 months).

We’ve definitely had our share of sleepless nights, panicked trips to the pediatrician, diaper blow-outs (where throwing away the clothes was the only sensible option) and guilt-ridden bouts the first night of ‘Cry-it-Out,’ but a smile or giggle from one of these little boys makes it all worth it.

Being a parent, at times, can be overwhelming and we’ve probably made a lot of mistakes, but we have fantastic little boys who put up with us rookie parents. We also have fantastic support from our fellow dialoguers who love the boys like family and are always willing to lend a helping hand. The future of dialogue is in good hands…the Force is strong in these three.

Phil

MEET DIALOGUE: 5 questions for Valerie Krause!!

2011-03-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

What’s the best ad of all time?

Calgon, Take Me Away! I cannot count how many times I have said this, even before I had kids! That said, I have never bought Calgon. Does that mean it isn't a good ad?

What book have you read that changed you?

I would love to cite some smarty book but sadly I will have to say that my love of Sweet Valley High is probably why I ended up in Los Angeles.

Are you a reader-cheater (e.g., read the end of the book before the beginning)?

I don't do that but I have become a major skimmer. I blame multi-tasking.

What have you always wanted but never got?

A flat stomach.

If your life were wrapped up in a commercial, what would you be selling?

Procrastination

Check out the old school glamour of our new headquarters!!

2011-03-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

This is a great blog posting about our new building. Who knew this space has such incredible history? In downtown LA! Be sure to check out the cheesy 80's video imbedded in the blog:
http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com/2008/11/no-195-oviatt-building.html

Ideatin'

2011-03-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

Dean, Val and I had an awesome day today ideatin' for a major client of ours. It's always fun when we're able to come together in person and meld our brain power. Especially given we're often on a plane, in focus groups, neck deep in moderating BBFGs or recruiting people face-to-face for projects.

You can tell by this cleverly staged photo we are hard at work. Note: Dean is pointing to the breakthrough insight and Val is nodding profusely in agreement.

Good work team!

Patrick

MEET DIALOGUE: 5 questions for Patrick O'Neal

2011-03-11T14:14:00.000-08:00

What’s your favorite type of technology?

The iPad. I’m fully addicted. I literally don’t want to go anyplace without it. God forbid I have a minute of downtime when I could be on my iPad. The amazing thing about it is it only gets better and better and better the more apps they add to it. I do most if not all my reading on it – including books and magazines (sorry bookstores).

What changed your life forever?

When I was 4 and 5 years old my family lived in Paris for a year. I spoke French. I dressed in black and gray French school uniforms. I read a lot of Tintin and Asterix. Seriously, that year fully changed how I viewed everything in life. It instantly made me worldly at the age of four. I highly recommend it to any parent.

What’s the best thing you ever ate?

Probably steak at a parrilla in Buenos Aires (can’t remember the name of the place). There’s this area around Plaza Dorrego in Palermo where all the restaurants are in-cred-ible. I think it’s just so competitive around there that the restaurants keep one upping each other. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Yum…

What is your favorite type of movie?

Definitely psychological thrillers. One of my all time favorite movies is Memento. Was such a cool concept of showing a movie in reverse chronological order where the main character has near-term amnesia. Wow. I liked that the movie was like a puzzle and to be honest – I never really fully solved it.

Do you think aliens exist?

No. I think sadly, we’re all by ourselves.

Is Eddie Francis Banksy? MEET DIALOGUE: five questions with Eddie Francis

2011-03-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

You decide! Meet Eddie Francis!!

1.       What’s your favorite type of technology?

My favorite type of technology is red cups on a string. For a variety of reasons, but here’s a few: Most of the time you get better reception than your cell phone, it looks awesome, and the cops don’t have the technology to put a wiretap on it, so no need to worry about incriminating yourself.   PLUS most “technologies” won’t allow you to get them wet… but with red cups on a string, if I’m thirsty, I just add water. Genius, I tell you. Genius. I’m hoping as we move into our new offices I will be allowed to set up the new red cups on a string internal phone system. The only real down side I can think of is that I still haven’t figured out the caller ID problem… but I am thinking of implementing some sort of Morse Code integration into my red cups… which leads me to my second favorite type of technology….

2.       What website do you go to on a daily basis?

First stop every day: www.verydemotivational.com <http://www.verydemotivational.com> . If anyone reads this, feel free to send me a personal thank you at eddie@startadialogue.com. Yah, this website is full of those “motivational posters” from the 90’s, but instead of awesome inspirational things, the average internet user can take any image online or upload their own and then add their own smartass caption. Trust me, if you’re having a bad day, there is something on there to cheer you up… or at least you’ll know you’re doing better than 95% of America, and that, frankly, is priceless.

3.       How does social media help you?

That’s easy (stalk). It lets me do what I want to do normally (stalk) - know a lot about all the people (stalk) that I have crossed in my life (stalk) but without having to actually schedule time (stalk) to (s)talk with them in person (stalk, see also: “the cops don’t have the technology to put a wiretap on it”)… like just last week, Omigawd!, like did you know that becky posted on tami’s facebook wall about how tim and jeff went to Arizona to go surprise Amanda (yah, that’s jeff’s little sister) at school, but when they got there they found out that she never even got into college and she has just been there like, I don’t even know, like just chilling with her two friends that did get in… oh yah and I bet she’s totally preggers! Anyway, and then yesterday jake put that link on his twitter feed about how if you repost that link 82 times before noon on Sunday then chipotle will send you a coupon for a free burrito… he’s so stupid… but yah, I reposted it, cuz, you know…. what if you really get a free burrito? I don’t wanna miss that, chipotle is soooo good (P.S. Don’t worry I’m not judging you right now, but I totally know that you just read that last paragraph with a valley girl accent… just sayin’)

4.       What’s the best ad of all time?

Oh man, now I have to be serious because this one I am very passionate about. Okay, well it’s not just one ad, but it was a whole ad campaign by BMW starting around 2001. It was a project called “The Hire” and it consisted of 8 short films all starring Clive Owen as “The Driver.” Each film was about 7-10 minutes long, was directed by some of the biggest Hollywood directors at the time, included tons of big name cameos, had a full story, and, oh yah, had awesome BMWs in some awesome stunt driving. BMW released these online just as high speed internet was starting to take off. After a period of time they offered them on DVD. I have my copy and revisit it at least 1-2 times per year. Yes, I watch 10 year old “ads” at least 1-2 times per year. Now THAT’s marketing! Of course, I don’t know that they ever made their money back on those, they were expensive, but I don’t think I could love “ads” any harder… Oh yah, and another awesome thing about the movies at the time was that it was the first experiential marketing campaign that I had seen. In some of the videos there were phone numbers and clues that if you followed them it led you into a game of sorts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hire#Contest.2FGame_.26_Party) – Much like red cups on a string… WAY ahead of its time. In so many ways.

Anyway, here are links to my two favorites depending on what type of movie genre you fancy (You’re welcome for an awesome, interactive, and entertaining blog):

Video Choice 1:
Name: Ticker
Type of video: Drama/Action/Suspense
Car: BMW Z4
Main Cameo: Don Cheadle
Notable Cameos: F. Murray Abraham, Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick
Director: Joe Carnahan
Total running time of actual video: 8:36
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfjOK-6c4Lk&feature=related

Video Choice 2:
Name: Star
Type of video: Comedy
Car: BMW M5
Main Cameo: Madonna
Director: Guy Ritchie
Total running time of actual video: 6:50
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK87YLmagt4

WHEN you love these, feel free to send me a second thank you, my email is still the same: eddie@startadialogue.com. If you’re that bored, the other movie titles are: Beat the Devil, Hostage, Ambush, Chosen, Powder Keg and The Follow. I recommend all of them except for The Follow. That one sucked. Hard.

5.       What are your favorite ordinary extraordinary things?

Smiles, but only the really good ones. They can really make your day.

Our New Home!

2011-03-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

We are very excited to announce that we have signed the lease for the first-ever dialogue headquarters! While we have thoroughly enjoyed working virtually, business has grown so much that it makes sense for us to be in the same place.

Because we like to do things right, we took our time surveying different offices in downtown Los Angeles for a space with just the right look and feel. I have to tell you, we discovered a beauty. The building we will soon be calling our home is (drumroll please) the famous Art Deco landmark Oviatt Building! Finished in 1928, the original owner created a beautiful, high-end haberdashery and all of the building’s charm remains today.

Our office space is incredibly unique. Running along the entire length of our suite is a balcony… in the middle of downtown LA! Originally serving as an outdoor area where men could assess the color of their suits in natural light, the balcony has gorgeous original French doors and loads of charm. We are excited to spend most of our days working wirelessly while sipping Diet Cokes in the sun!

We are about to renovate the space to truly make it our own before we move in at the beginning of June. We’ll keep you updated on how the build out is progressing, but in the meantime, enjoy these pictures of the Oviatt!

Rebecca

MEET DIALOGUE: 5 questions for Angela Woo!!

2011-02-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody meet Angela Woo!!!

Your sister wants us to ask you about your childhood wardrobe. What’s the story? :)

Ha ha ha....well if you see childhood pictures of me, you would definitely go where is Angela? =) I’m the youngest in the family and my parents were hoping for a boy (I have two sisters and a brother). Well they got me so the pay back was to dress me in little boy’s clothes specifically my brother’s hand me down clothes. Note again that I have 2 older sisters and their hand me downs would of worked perfectly! Oh did I mention I also had a boy haircut until I was about 6. I think this explains why I have a short hair phobia……

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

This is an easy one….steak of course! I love meat in general….I’m a huge carnivore but steak just makes me oh so happy especially when it is cooked to perfection and for me that is medium rare. One of my favorite things to do is to try new steak houses (if you have any recommendations let me know!). To date, the largest steak I had and finished is 24 ounces and this includes me having appetizers, sides and desserts….yes I love to eat! (See my motto below)

What’s your favorite motto?

There is always room for dessert…oh and seconds too!

What has been the best thing to you so far about 2011?

We are only about 2 months into 2011 and I have to say it’s hard to pinpoint ONE best thing so definitely a great sign that 2011 is going to be an amazing year!

Things that have happened so far that are up there are: 1) my niece’s Red Egg party – this is a big celebration to introduce my niece to family and friends via a big Chinese banquet (this involves copious amounts of food too!) and it was definitely a happy occasion and the pride I felt for my niece – the next generation of Woo girls…. 2) Shooting a gun for the first time was thrilling at the LA Gun Club (pics posted on Dialogue Facebook page!) – I love experiencing and trying new things 3) Food wise I found the BEST French Toast and Steak Hash – heaven is the word to describe both (Blu Jam Café on West Hollywood – only served during Sunday Brunch) and 4) Signed some papers on 2/25 and very excited about this….more to come later….=)

What is the last thing you ate?

A gourmet duck and bacon hot dog, french fries with chipotle aioli dipping sauce and an ice cream sandwich….yum

Don't mess wit dialogue

2011-02-25T16:53:00.000-08:00

I should probably preface this post by telling you that we are not gun-fanatics, NRA-preaching, gun-totin' market researchers. HOWEVER, that didn't keep us from spending part of the day at the LA Gun Range.

Why not? We've been working really hard and it's a great way to blow off steam.

Here's Carmen with a rifle. Yes a rifle. Definitely don't mess with this one...

Here's Carmen and myself before the shooting.

Marion and Angela showing off the victims of their mad shooting skillz.

I think Phil is literally salivating over the gun options. Happy birthday Phil!

Jonathan and Carmen shoot to kill. At least at the picture of the dude with the 'stache.

Eddie Francis will shoot you with his rifle if any of those base sizes are incorrect.

Naturally after the gun range one get dawgs. We went to Wurstkueche!

Disco Dean representin'!

Quanties ready to grub!

Good time bar interviews

2011-02-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

Had a very fun time interviewing bar managers and consumers this week about vodka!

Went to some interesting LA bars and made me think about how I need to get out more...
The above image was taken from a very hidden artsy-ish bar in Culver City called Mandrake.

The next one is from Bottega Louie in downtown LA. What a space! Reminds me a Manhattan. They have a restaurant, bar and bakery. Of all places, this is the one I really want to come back to...

Cool art at the Falcon. Hadn't been here for a long time - but was here once when a friend was spinning (no not from alcohol ha ha)...

Broadway bar - also very cool. Came here when I used to work downtown.

Patrick

Myspace, I cain’t quit you!

2011-02-17T17:17:00.000-08:00

So last week I received an email from Friendster notifying me I had received an email from a sketchy lady in Russia. Friendster?? Yes, Friendster. The Facebook of what seems like decades ago in Internet-land. I like to think of myself as being pretty internet savvy but I had clearly hit an embarrassing low not having deleted my Friendster account!

I made it my mission that day to delete the Friendster account – along with my Myspace account, which I haven’t used in years.

Going back to these accounts was like seeing a snapshot in time. I was younger. In better shape. More social. Not asleep on the couch at 10p watching Jersey Shore. For a minute, I thought I should keep these accounts – like holding onto old photos while going through the garage. Then I came to my senses.

What shocked me was the number of friends left on my Friendster and Myspace accounts. There were only about 20-25 in each – I used to have 200-300 friends! Wow, I clearly stayed at the Friendster/Myspace party wayyy to long.

Delete.

Patrick

Meet dialogue employees: 5 questions for Marion!

2011-02-11T17:09:00.001-08:00

Hey everybody - meet Marion!!!

What’s your favorite mobile app?
My favorite app has to be, without a doubt – YELP. Besides the obvious of being an awesome word to say, it’s also my bible for finding anything in pretty much any city. I’m a serial article-clipper—my apartment is strewn with random stories, addresses and reviews that I find and subsequently cut out of magazines and newspapers. The great thing about YELP is that I can look up a restaurant/store/venue, see the reviews, bookmark for later viewing, and toss the article away. Easy to use, easy to reference at a later date, helps me organize my paper clippings—that’s YELP for me!

What is the worst nightmare you’ve ever had?
For a period of about 10 years, I had a recurring nightmare that involved the scariest things I could imagine at that time: a dark bedroom and a BLEEP load of bugs. And I’m not talking about ants or precious little ladybugs…I’m talking centipedes, scorpions, hissing cockroaches, NON-hissing cockroaches… the whole shebang! Bug city, USA was the locale of my nightmares.

My recurring nightmare always started off the same: I would be wearing a footie pajama ensemble, hanging out in this dark bedroom and sitting on the floor surrounded by these creepy-crawlies. And the only thing that prevented them from extending their tiny little antennae/bug germs to me was the green fluorescent blankie I was sitting on, which that a magical glow that kept the insects at bay. And I remember all the thoughts racing through my head while sitting in that room: How long would the blankie keep the bugs away from me? Would they suddenly get stronger and resist the powers of the blankie? How was I going to get out of that damn room? Why are footie pajamas always so HOT?!

Unfortunately there’s no ending to that dream, which is probably why I kept having it for such a long time! Needless to say it’s a stressful dream for a pre-pubescent, skinny awkward girl… but at least I don’t have it anymore! (The can of Raid that I keep by the bed is just a happy coincidence.)

What movie impacted you the most after viewing it for the first time and why?
Trainspotting, which came out in 1996. (For those of you who haven’t seen it, I can’t even do it justice with a sentence or two for a synopsis. Just go see it.) Prior to that, thematically my movie choices were full of silly things happening to silly folks with the best of intentions in places like a British boarding school or a quaint New England town.

Trainspotting had a number of story points that, at that time, I never would have considered as part of a “fine movie going experience.” I remember walking out of the theater not really knowing if I was happy or sad for Ewan McGregor but realizing that he was a right bastard either way. And for once I was okay with a character who embraced his terrible and even more terrible sides! Little did I know the movie would introduced me to two awesome actors as well: Johnny Lee Miller (forever known as Sick Boy) and Kelly McDonald (awesome on Boardwalk Empire.)

What cartoon character best personifies you?
I heart Buttercup from the Powerpuff Girls. She’s the “mean one” of the three Powerpuff Girls, and when you’re talking cartoon “mean” it really just equates to the one that smiles the least. I love her because she’s out to instill a little justice with some ass-whooping, all while staying dainty and loveable. I try to do the same, every day!

What was your last epiphany?
That I’m sharing entirely too much on a blog site.

Meet dialogue employees: 5 questions for Phil Dance!

2011-02-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody - meet Phil!

If your life were a sit-com, what would be the theme song?

I wish I could say something like, “Tupac’s ‘Thugz Mansion’ because that’s the only place where thugs get in free and you gotta be a G,” but based on those qualifications I’d have about a 15%...10%...fine 0% chance of even getting into that sweet mansion to kick it…maybe I’ve been listening to too much KDAY lately, if that’s even possible.

The actual answer is probably something super lame and vanilla like “What a Fool Believes” by the Doobie Brothers or “This is It” by Kenny Loggins, and in no way am I saying that Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross or anyone else who laid down awesomely mellow tracks in the late 70s and early 80s is in any way lame. What else would parents listen to while running errands for hours with their kids trapped in the car?

Is reality television just a phase?

I think America has enough attention starved train-wrecks to fuel the reality TV fire for the foreseeable future, thank goodness! Whose job is it to tell someone it may not be a good idea to let your freak flag fly on national television? Obviously not mine or the producers on any MTV show. MTV seems to have the market cornered as far as awesomeness goes with any of their Real World v. Road Rules Challenge shows. I’d probably punch Beth if I ever met her…just saying.

Have you ever experienced culture shock?

Yes. As a wedding gift, my beautiful wife’s family gave me a surfboard, but they didn’t actually get me the board. They had set up an appointment for me to meet with a surfboard shaper so I could get my very own custom board. So I met up with the shaper at his shop to discuss my board.

I had no idea I was also going to hang out while he shaped the board and about 2 hours into the process he wanted to take a break so we headed out to his VW Bus and he busted out a Harmonica and some cigarettes. I said I’d pass on the cigarettes so he just started jamming on his Harmonica. There’s nothing like sitting there awkwardly in a VW while a complete stranger is jamming out on a Harmonica telling stories about stand-up barrels and freight-training waves at Dume. I guess that’s more of an awkward situation than culture shock…oh well.

What makes you feel alive?

If by alive you mean ‘skurred,’ it’s being stuck inside while surfing and getting pounded by a three or four wave set. Nothing like being held under water until you think you may drown only to pop up long enough for one gasp of breathe before getting pounded by the next wave. But, you do feel grateful for being alive once you make it back outside the set waves.

What’s your favorite mobile app?

My favorite app is Angry Birds…it’s pretty much the Diet Coke of apps…speaking of.

MEET DIALOGUE EMPLOYEES: 5 questions for Rebecca Brooks!

2011-02-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

Meet Rebecca Brooks!

What is your favorite TV show of all time?

This is really tough since I have such deep love and affection for a number of TV shows – Battlestar Gallactica, Survivor, Golden Girls... it could be a really long list. But, I’d have to say that the one TV show that absolutely affected my life was Buffy the Vampire Slayer – but only the first three seasons. I have yet to see a show that can pack equal amounts of fun with gut-wrenching devastation. I’m still haunted by the death of Jenny Calendar.

Where’s your most favorite place you’ve ever travelled?

We went to Tahiti for our honeymoon and it was too beautiful for me to comprehend. We were talking with a guy who lived on Bora Bora his whole life and asked him if he ever got bored with the island. He totally gave us the wrong answer. He said he woke up every day overwhelmed by the beauty of the island and amazed that he lived in such a paradise. We really were hoping that it would suck after a while so we wouldn’t feel so bad about going home. But, no. It’s a paradise and we are all fools for not living there.

Are you sick of Armageddon movies or can’t get enough of them?

I adore disaster movies. Watching things explode, get covered in lava, ripped apart by a tornado, swallowed in a giant earthquake – I love it. Maybe it’s the fatalist in me, but I find it fascinating and will often spend the movie analyzing how I would escape that natural disaster and whether or not I’d be the idiot who went back to rescue the family pet – although those people always survive in the nick of time, so maybe that would be my best move. I’m ashamed to say that a few weeks after my baby was born (and my hormones were still strong) I totally cried at the end of 2012. When Jon Cusack survived the underwater gears of death and they sailed away.... good stuff, man. Good stuff.

If you had one superpower, what would it be?

I would love the power of invisibility. I find the world overwhelming sometimes and to be able to just check out and not have people bother me would be amazing. Although there has been no hero of literature with this power that did not end up being a really scary creeper douchebag. So, let me revise and say that I’d like super power of telekinesis – moving things with my mind – because being even lazier would be awesome.

Do aliens exist?

Yes, absolutely, but I never want to meet them. Stephen Hawking said that there are aliens, but we will never know because when any society develops the tech to achieve deep space travel they’ve likely already developed the tech that will destroy them – through resource depletion or weaponry. So, if they survive that to actually meet us – they’ll either be starving and want to steal our planet or be really angry dudes with crazy powerful guns. The movie ET is only fiction in the sense that the aliens are peaceful botanists who like peanut butter candies.

The Great Butter Challenge of 2011

2011-02-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

We at dialouge love our food. Seriously, we LOVE food. So, when someone says they have found the perfect spreadable butter, we all listen. When that claim is refuted by another team member who favors another butter... well, there's only one solution: butter fight!

In the red corner, we have Challenge. This butter was supported vigorously by Phil and Rebecca as the only butter worthy of spreading on their bread products. In the blue corner, we have Land O'Lakes which was defended by the lone gunman, Jon. The issue between the two butters came down to oil. Challenge was made with canola and Land O'Lakes with olive. Jon swore repeatedly that the olive oil was the clear difference maker.

Two weeks ago, we had a butter fight at the team meeting. Phil, under tight security, put the butter on english muffins - we had a red plate and a black plate. As he passed the muffins around, you could hear mumbles and muffled exclamations. The buzz was beginning - whatever was on the red plate was the clear winner.

After all muffins had been consumed, a vote was taken and it was a unanimous sweep for the red plate! And the winner... Land O'Lakes with olive oil! Phil and Rebecca were surprised, but thrilled to have found a superior flavor. When you have 7 foodies unanimously agree on something, it has to be true. Sorry Challenge!

Rebecca

MEET DIALOGUE EMPLOYEES: 5 questions for Carmen Schalk!

2011-01-31T16:58:00.001-08:00

This is the first in a series of questions to get to know dialogue employees. The first questions are for the wonderful Ms. Carmen Schalk!

If earth became inhospitable, what planet would you move to and why?
Venus, because everyone knows men are from Mars and women are from Venus….. Hello planet named after the goddess of love and beauty, of course I belong there.

Who do you admire most dead or alive?
My grandma Sue, she was the kindest and most generous lady I’ve ever known and at the same time you knew not to mess with her, she wasn’t going to take crap from anyone. That’s a mix I’m still trying to master in my own life.

Vampires or zombies?
For entertainment I’ll take either, I love vampire and zombie movies, but if I had to date one I’d go with vampires, for the sexy factor…. Zombies would smell like rotting flesh and that is not sexy to me… but to boys and/or girls interested in dating zombies hey I’m not judging, do your thing!

What your favorite blog or website?
Cuteoverload.com, I never get tired of looking at cute animals.

If you could go back to a certain age in your life what would it be?
10 years old, I skipped a month of school in the 5th grade before I got caught, if I could go back and do it again I’d do a few things differently so I could have at least 2 months off!!!

Get your eats on!

2011-01-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

Pandan Chicken, Spicy Korean Pork Belly, Pandan Flan

Spam Fried Rice with Pork Sandwich

SK Mac & Cheese with Bacon

Dine LA is back!!! Every time I hear Dine LA is happening I get excited -- it's the "Foodie" in me and I love trying new restaurants (Top Chef is one of my favorite shows!).

Dine LA provides the perfect opportunity to try new restaurants you may have always wanted to go to or allows you to be adventurous without the full commitment in that you get a prix-fixe 3 course lunch or dinner menu at a very good price!

This time for Dine LA we decided to go to Starry Kitchen. Why - the menu just looked appetizing -- none of us have ever heard of this restuarant before but hey where there is food and great company, I'm there!

Starry Kitchen overall was good but not "wow" in my book. Interestingly, this restaurant started off as an underground place operated out of their apartment in North Hollywood. They specialize in Malaysian food which had a good mix of spices and flavor. The spices though can be overwhemling for some (one of us had a "situation"). They also ran out of some of the food in the menu so that was a bit disappointing. I had the Pandan chicken (speciality of theirs which is not often on the menu) and this was very good, the Spicy Korean Pork Belly -- it was ok, I had better and the Pandan flan - this I enjoyed. Would I go back? I would if I happen to be in the area but I would not drive there specifically.

Dine LA ends Feb 4th so you have time still! Happy eating!

-Angela

Can you be a real company without having cheesy mugs????

2011-01-25T17:37:00.000-08:00

We had another big brand meeting today. Yay! Discussing the future of research, sexy quantitative heat maps, BBFGs and of course the Jersey Shore.

We also distributed the new and shiny 'dialogue' mug. Everyone was really excited - after all, can you really be a full-fledged company without some cheesy mug?

It was also Eddie's birthday and sweet Marion made Eddie the biggest cupcake ever. Well maybe not ever but it was pretty damn big. Happy birthday Eddie!

Calvin also attended the meeting and of course we are trying to brainwash him with market research skillz at a very young age. He seemed pretty bored...

Regrouping for 2011

2011-01-18T11:32:00.000-08:00

We had a really productive meeting at Rebecca’s house on Friday (see pic with all the partners – including Rebecca’s baby Calvin!!!).

We spent a lot of time rethinking, regrouping and preparing our brand for 2011.

Keep an eye out for exciting things to happen 2011….

Cooking Class

2011-01-10T11:10:00.001-08:00

I wish I loved cooking. I’ve always liked the idea of cooking but have always been deterred by images of recipes with complex, exotic ingredients requiring me to find some hidden grocery store or cooking apparatus that I just don’t understand. This fear is compounded by anxiety created by the thought of having to serve food for friends and having it turn out truly awful – a nightmare situation.

This year at dialogue we decided instead of having a traditional holiday party to have a cooking class. And to have it after the holidays, as Rebecca was out on maternity leave and could join in on the “fun” after the break. Obviously, the cooking idea didn’t come from me, but I really liked the notion of doing something different, learning something new and potentially facing a fear head on. In front of co-workers. Gulp.

Our cooking class was held at Hip Cooks downtown in a ‘too cool for school’ artsy warehousy district. The space was really fun and our instructor was friendly and down to earth. What I really loved about Hip Cooks was they aren’t about recipes – but about cooking by taste. So, if it seems like there should be more garlic, let’s add more garlic!! More wine in the sangria – yes please!! I liked their laid-back, no pressure style. I also liked that we were all cooking the food - it was a group effort making every dish. This helped assuage some of my fear because the pressure wasn’t on me if it wasn’t good. Who knows who messed up the dish – we all worked on it!! It also helped that after a couple glasses of Sangria – no one cared!

All-in-all it was a successful, non-holiday holiday party – and I actually feel a bit better about cooking. I’m not totally over my fear of cooking, but at least I’m on the road to getting there…

Patrick

'Supra' MOCA

2011-01-06T15:28:00.001-08:00

We recently stopped by MOCA – lured by its latest ‘Suprasensorial: Experiments in Light, Color and Space’ exhibit. In essence, the intent of the exhibit is to bring the viewer into the art experience by literally having them engage with the art. The artists involved in the project wanted to convey a deeper sensorial (ergo ‘Suprasensorial’) experience than the typical museum visit. It’s a lofty goal – and risked bordering hokiness (and it did at times).

The exhibit was quite ‘Suprasensorial,’ with aspects of the exhibit more ‘supra’ than others. Of note was a small lit pool (yes, an actual pool) with artsy images projected on the wall. There was a lifeguard there (part of the installation?) who was very determined to convince us to jump in the pool. There’s bathing suits to buy in the store! There’s changing rooms just around the corner! None of his nudging persuaded us into the pool. Also the scene in the pool was way too artsy. There was a guy in there who looked just like Jesus (again part of the installation?).

The other ‘supra’ stand-out moments were small rooms illuminated in vivid colors (see pics above). It’s interesting how much color really does affect mood and feelings – and being in these rooms really brought this to life.

Less engaging was a massive white neon light installation – but it was still pretty cool.

All in all – a fun and unexpected museum experience.

Patrick

Big changes at 2010 LA Auto Show!

2010-11-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

Wow – what a difference a year makes!

Last year’s LA Auto Show was kind of sad, lacking energy and even lacking Nissan – they didn’t even show up!

This year it was clear the auto manufacturers are back and so are consumers with them. It was packed!

Not surprisingly, green was the big theme of the year and it was interesting how different manufacturers handled green. There were lots and lots of hybrids – including the massive SUV hybrids that seem a bit hypocritical and leave me perplexed. Nissan showcased the often marketed and highly anticipated Leaf. Honda touted its green credibility – and showed off its new CRZ. Coda had a hip display – but unfortunately, the vehicle itself was a bit on the sad looking side. Lexus offered a different spin on green by welcoming people to the ‘darker side of green.’ My interpretation of this was they were trying to bring an edge to green, which while I respect the effort, I’m not sure it was fully clear what the ‘darker’ side meant.

The other prominent theme was - conventions have been overturned: people are clearly looking at domestics differently and of course lots of buzz about the dark horse – Hyundai. Many were crowding around the $60k+ Equus. Is it really worth $60k+? I’m not sure. But it does have some pretty cool features – like a reclining back seat with legrest, and I love that it comes with a free iPad – with an app for scheduling service appointments. Ford was domineering with its massive footprint! Their success was really evident. Cadillac had a mini-urban-SUV concept vehicle that was pretty odd, but I give them credit because people were talking about it

Even though Nissan was conspicuously missing last year, they had some cool concept cars they were showing off - the Infiniti concept sports car was hot!

All in all, I’m really happy that at least after attending the LA Auto Show, it appears the auto industry is on its way back and has challenged itself by changing with the times.

Dialogue loves fried treats….

2010-09-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

Quality time together sharing deep fried treats, Dialogue thinks there's no better way to spend the afternoon. Last week we braved our way to Pomona to the LA County Fair, braced our stomachs and dug in so we could provide you with some reviews of the fairs finest fried food.

The Big D Texas size Donut - oh it was big alright and it was good, but not amazing... best if you have about 8-10 people to share it with, because you really only need a bite or two. *****

Deep Fried Reeses - Hellosies!!! Where have you been all my life. *****

Chili Cheese Dog - Yep, that's nacho cheese on that chili dog and it was the bomb. This would have gotten 5 stars, but we knocked one off because it isn't fried. *****

Jumbo Corn Dog - We'll take it, why get a standard size when it's so delicious. *****

Blooming Onion - It was just okay, everyone agreed it couldn't stand up to Outbacks blooming onion. *****

Deep Fried Twinkie - It was good, but compared to some of the other deep fried treats it was just okay. *****

Deep Fried Oreos - Just do it, you'll be happy you did. *****

Deep Fried PB&J - You did not disappoint me! *****

DEEP FRIED WHITE CASTLE - Surprise hit of the day, salty and sweet and man I wish I had one right now. *****

For more fair pictures visit our facebook page.... but right now turn off your computer and get yourself down to the fair, yeeeeeeehawwwwwww.

Virtual offices on the rise!

2010-08-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

We all know the feeling…you wake up for work one morning and you’re so comfortable that you just don’t want to move. Getting out of bed and getting dressed seems like an extremely daunting task, and you wish your office could just come to you.

Imagine being able to wake up and begin working right there in your bed. That seems like a ridiculous and impossible notion…right?

Wrong! The days of working in your pajamas are becoming more common as the popularity of virtual offices is on the rise. Many businesses today are no longer run from a central office with set work hours. Today’s workforce is more mobile than ever, and it is continuing to become a more preferable and convenient trend with the help of portable technology and wifi.

You can work in a coffee shop, in another state, in airports, even while you’re sun tanning on the beach; all you need is a laptop and access to wifi to connect to your workplace, clients and coworkers.

Economists believe that not only will the trend of virtual offices change the way our economy works, but that it will also change the nature of how we work. Working from home or places where we are more comfortable means there is less stress being exerted on you from your environment, which can dramatically affect the quantity and quality of the work you produce. Not only do you avoid the routine drama and stress of the workplace, but you also have the option to spend more time around your family at home.

Virtual workers can take advantage of breaks in their schedule to run a quick errand or do a household chore while waiting for that conference call to start. It means that by the end of your day, you don’t have to come home to tedious chores that add stress to your life. This kind of “flex” time also gives you the creative mental space to step away from the office for a bit and let your mind work quietly on that next challenge – it is during these “down” times that we often come up with our best ideas!

Working in a virtual office is also an eco-friendly alternative to working in a typical business environment. No more commuting to work means less fuel is used and less pollution is emitted. Also, as more and more business transactions are being done over the internet or by phone, less paper is being used. Not to mention, the lack of physical space in office buildings means less utilities are used or wasted.

dialogue is a huge proponent of the virtual office. We are much more efficient by avoiding the unnecessary meetings, dealing with office chatter and gossip and commutes. We love having happy satisfied employees who enjoy the time they spend in front of the desk. Most importantly, we have the flexibility to make work fit to our lives instead of fitting our lives to work.

Any of our readers out there working virtually? Do you see any downside to the practice?

ICanHasCheezburger

2010-06-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

I can has cheezburger? This might just sound like a grammatically incorrect statement, but it’s actually the label of a burgeoning blogging phenomenon that is taking the internet by storm.

Icanhascheezburger.com is essentially a website consisting of a compilation of cat pictures with hilarious, misspelled captions.

The beauty of this website is that the users themselves provide the creative fuel behind the maintenance of the site. Anyone and everyone is welcome to Photoshop a funny caption onto a picture and submit it to Cheezburger for consideration. Each day the site receives more than 18,000 submissions from readers.

Ben Huh, the current owner of the site, first noticed icanhascheezburger.com when it was linked to his own pet blog. He became a regular visitor of the site and immediately noticed the tremendous potential of this crazy cat-picture sensation. Since his takeover, the resulting flood of visitors to the site has increased exponentially; because of this, Huh has been able increase his web domain to include 53 sites, all of which are generated by submissions from followers.

Surprisingly, Huh and his company of 40 employees have been making a profit off of this network since day one. “Only 1 percent of what gets submitted goes on the Web site. The rest we can turn into T-shirts, books and other content that the audience loves,” stated Todd Sawicki, the company’s chief revenue officer. Aside from that, the company also generated over a million dollars in profit from advertising, licensing fees and merchandise sales in just this past year.

Cheezburger has also published five books, including a published collection of the comical cats-with-captions known as Lolcats. Three more books are in production, along with a line of greeting cards and desktop calendars.

The secret to the company’s unstoppable success is the way they tap into the latest internet trends, where they seek to find out what people think is funny right now. The company monitors the web to discover new, emerging ideas on blogs, forums, and popular video sites. Then, they take these budding trends and translate them into new sites or additions to the existing sites to suit the internet community’s changing taste. It’s a simple yet brilliant approach to maintaining the sites’ popularity and it has obviously worked out very well for them up to this point.

This past May, over 16 million people visited what is now referred to as the Cheezburger Network. As long as people don’t soon tire of cute cats with clever captions, I think Cheezburger will continue to grow and become a more familiar, widespread phenomenon for many years to come.

You can read the entire article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/technology/internet/14burger.html

Yahoo - The new Facebook?

2010-06-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Just recently, Yahoo announced its plans to join the social networking world by using its ever-expanding number of email subscribers as a base to share additional information over the web.

On June 14^th, in addition to the old Yahoo mail capabilities, users will also be able to share pictures, videos and comments with their “friends” or whoever is in their existing contact list, much like the features used on Facebook and MySpace.

One of the main components Yahoo is launching is a product called Yahoo Updates; this is where users will be able to view what people on their contact list are sharing or commenting on. Although this seems much like the “news feed” on Facebook, Yahoo Updates will include your contacts’ updates and sharing on a variety of websites such as Flickr, Yahoo Finance, and Facebook. Yahoo has plans to expand this number to include many other sites, including Twitter.

While these changes provide for more ways for people to connect with their family and friends, it could potentially rouse disapproval from some of the email users who sign up for Yahoo’s free email service for the emailing capabilities only. Many people view emailing as a more impersonal means of communicating, i.e. communicating with bosses, electricians, etc. Those users who share this view may not respond well when people they email for business start sharing personal pictures, videos, and random thoughts throughout the day.

One of the things that I like about this imminent transition is that it will be entirely optional for existing users. A week before these changes take place, Yahoo’s 280 million current subscribers will be notified and they will have the choice to either opt out of it entirely or begin customizing they’re profiles. This is very simple and very convenient in contrast with Facebook’s ever-changing format which users are frequently forced to relearn and adapt to.

It’s great that an internet pioneer like Yahoo is staying in the game, and expanding to social media is definitely a smart move on their part. The only problem is, are these additions and modifications enough to compare with the massive impact that giants such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have had on the way we socialize through the internet? The world of social media is constantly evolving to allow people to connect with others better than they could before.

Only time will tell what will happen with Yahoo‘s latest ventures, but in the mean time, the question still remains: will Yahoo be able to stay afloat in the sea of competitive social networking?

You can view the entire article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/01/AR2010060100577.html

WhatchutalkingaboutWillis?

2010-06-07T09:29:00.001-07:00

Do you know what people are saying about your brand in social media?

Of course you can scan Twitter to see what people are saying - but our favorite site for monitoring social media mentions is:

http://socialmention.com/

It monitors multiple social sites including Facebook, Twitter, Photobucket, YouTube, GoogleBlog and more.

Even if you don't find actionable information from this search, it can provide some light-hearted humor. A recent search for IHOP came up with the following:

RT @MaddyMorebucks: I want ihop

Starting the day well at IHOP.

@_NellyBelly I'm home tryna find something to Grub on :-/ , I want some iHop I think

Slept in, missed the hotel buffet...so, ihoppin — at IHoP http://gowal.la/r/Ldu

Ihop pancakes sounds real good rite now..

Jesse's Girl

2010-05-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Can you plan to be viral on the Internet? Is it possible to do it on purpose? Or does it kind of “happen,” like writing a hit song? Some people know what they’re doing and can possibly follow a formula, while others just do or say what they like and people pay attention. It’s the latter viral hits that tend to draw us in most – they’re real and we’re able to identify with them because of it. The next thing you know, everyone’s passing around a link or posting it to facebook and it becomes part of the shared common experience.

Here’s a new one I’ve come across. Okay, it’s close to home in that it centers around my cousin’s son, but it definitely proves the point. Several months ago, Jesse Sheehan was looking up blogs about Macs and by accident came across the teen blogger JuicyStar07, whose vlogs center on make up and hair tips for teens. And she’s a relatively big deal (one of Juicy’s vlogs features American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee) with hundreds of thousands of hits to each of her vlogs – the kind of eyeballs advertisers would love. So, Jesse finds JuicyStar funny, charming and cute and does what any other red-blooded American kid would do. He sends her a video response of himself performing a rendition of Semisonic’s song “Closing Time” for her with the revised line, “I know who I want to take to Prom,” and asks her to go to the prom with him. Well, Jesse’s vlog response gets almost 200k views and, believe it or not, she says yes! JuicyStar07, aka Blair Fowler, makes the trip up to Connecticut from Tennessee with her mom as her chaperon and the two indeed go to the prom together. And it doesn’t stop there. The CT FOX affiliate picked up the story and ran a short TV piece on it.

I think we’ve all seen stories like this where a simple video from someone lights up and gets passed around, sometimes to millions of hits. Maybe this is an example of the Internet being the great equalizer, showing us that we’re all capable of garnering national attention if we’re in the right spot at the right time with the right video. Maybe it’s just a story about a guy asking a girl to the prom...

Jesse’s Prom Invite

The Prom

- Jon G.

My first few weeks with my iPad

2010-05-05T15:18:00.001-07:00

So, now I've had my iPad for a few weeks - and I have to say I love it more than the first day I bought it.

I've been reading books and magazines furiously (much more than previous to the iPad), downloading new apps on a daily basis. Amazed by the visual capabilities of the earthquake app that shows on a world map all the earthquake activity. Watching movies on the larger than iPhone screen on the airplane and more...

Of course I've been inundated with people questioning my joy of the iPad with the consistent question of "is it better than an iPhone?"

It definitely is and will be even better. The biggest weakness so far is there aren't a lot of apps that are created specifically for the iPad, so some of the app are identical to the iPhone app (lame) and aren't taking advantage of the large screen and multi-functional capabilities.

There is so much opportunity with the iPad - especially from a communications standpoint. It really is the merging of video, interactive and print into one medium. It will be interesting what type of apps/advertising are in store for us in the coming year!

Patrick

4th generation iPhone

2010-04-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have to say I'm pretty excited about the news coming out of Apple these days. I used Apple's for over 10 years at one of my previous jobs. Then, when I got a new job, I had to work in a PC environment for 2.5 years. I have to say I cursed at my PC for 2.5 years - there was always something that would happen everyday that I would say to myself "Wow! If I was working on an Apple Mac right now, I could do this easier and better"

In any case, Apple's recently successfully launched the iPad to resounding acclaim. And just this past week, a 4th generation iPhone prototype was apparently lost by an Apple employee at a Redwood City bar in Northern California. Here's the gizmodo.com blog entry: http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone

Apple is not stating anything other than it wants the property returned.

The State of California is considering pressing charges against the person who found the next generation iPhone based on an obscure law that states if you find an item and you can reasonably deduce who the owner is and you don't return it then it's considered theft. Learn about the details of how the 4th gen iPhone was lost here: http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone

The cool new features include:

• Front-facing video chat camera
• Improved regular back-camera
• Camera flash
• Improved display.
• What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack
• Split buttons for volume - I have to say I'm pretty excited about this - the volume button was the 1st thing to break on my 1st iPhone
• Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic

What's changed:

• The back is entirely flat, made of either glass (more likely) or ceramic or shiny plastic
• An aluminum border going completely around the outside
• Slightly smaller screen than the 3GS (but seemingly higher resolution)
• 16% Larger battery

Whether you love Apple or you hate Apple, you have to admit they're constantly innovating.

-Dean

How do you make money in only 140 characters?

2010-04-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article in The Economist about Twitter’s plans to begin selling advertising in 140 characters. Currently, many social networking sites are trying to solve this very same dilemma and few are finding viable options to leverage their millions of subscribers without alienating them at the same time. Twitter is going to take a Google-like approach and use their service’s search engine. To quote the article:

“For now, they are only letting advertisers such as Starbucks and Virgin America, an airline, place so-called “promoted tweets” at the top of results lists on the service’s search engine. This is similar to Google’s sale of ads based on keywords in searches. All of the promotional tweets will be subject to a “resonance test” that measures, among other things, how often they get a reply or are forwarded to other users. Those that are not popular with Twitter’s users will be removed.”

I definitely think Twitter and other social network sites need to tread lightly when they begin to advertise to users who have been using these sites for years without being inundated with advertising. The article continues:

“Twitter says it wants to see how successful this approach is before it moves to the next phase of its plan. This will involve rolling out promoted tweets to third-party apps and posting them next to individual users’ tweets. Alarmed at this prospect, some users have already urged Twitter not to “pollute” their thoughts with ads and have threatened to leave if it does. Yet unless there is a mass revolt in the coming months, it is almost certain to press ahead.”

That being said, if social networks can revolutionize advertising they same way they have revolutionized the way we use the Internet, we could be in for a very exciting ride (but there will be bumps in the road).

To read the entire article: http://www.economist.com/business-finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15911988

- Phil

McDonald's.....your next local coffeehouse?

2010-04-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

McDonald's Corporation recently announced plans to give thousands of its US restaurants an "extreme makeover." The "new" McDonald's will be hip and sleek -- it will include such features as plamsa TV's, lounge chairs, electric fireplaces, Wi-Fi connection and outdoor lounge areas. The exterior features and golden arches will also be given a more modern look.

The "coffeehouse" feel is all part of a program for McDonald's to re-brand itself in a time when its sales growth has slowed down and its business model for growth has been heavily reliant on more premium products such as its coffee frappes and Angus burger offerings. McDonald's is banking on the fact that this new look is more of a fit with its "premium" offerings and will also attract more adults and teenagers to think of McDonald's as a place to relax, have coffee and a snack.

As both a consumer and researcher, I find McDonald's re-branding quite intriguing. On one hand, McDonald's continues to be the thought leader and "re-inventer" in the fast food industry --they were the originators of the value menu, last year took on the coffee market, a space owned by Starbucks and recently started offering "mini meals" as a marketing move to address economic times as well as ever growing health concerns about calories.

However, I foresee McDonald's facing challenges with this new plan. McDonald's has always been known as a family friendly place (think kid play area) but the revamp has potential risk of alienating this core target audience. Also, is this refresh alone enough to attract consumers to "hang out" at McDonalds? How will it differentiate themselves from the Starbucks of the world because in essence, aren't they just copying Starbucks? I for one still prefer hands down Starbucks and Coffee Bean over McDonald's coffee so it will be a tough sell for me at least to think of McDonalds top of mind when I plan a coffee date.

It will be very interesting to see how all this plays out and whether McDonald's will be able to successfully re-brand itself.

- Angela

The first true competitor to search?

2010-04-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs seems intent on changing the way we navigate our world. Not only is the iPad all over the news and being heralded as a life-changing, culturally modifying super device, but now Jobs has announced iAd. Can they just put an i in front of everything? iAd would be on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (later this year) and would allow app developers to advertise with interactive and app-like advertisements.

While I personally (unlike some colleagues here at dialogue) have been hesitant to jump on the iPad express, this news actually really intrigues me for a few reasons. First, it demonstrates Jobs' faith in the future of the app market. In the NY Times article, Jobs claims that apps will take over search as the preferred way for consumers to find information. As someone who has been researching search and search's impact on advertising, I find it fascinating that he might actually be right - it is relatively easy to see how the more interactive, personal and mobile apps would replace search.

Secondly, Jobs isn't talking about banner advertising or search links, but interactive specifically designed ads that will look and feel like mini-apps. The example in the article of the Toy Story 3 ad allowed people to look at the trailer, check out movie times and play games. That stretches the definition of online advertising to be much broader - like mini targeted websites that provide content. It goes beyond the simple, clear message that advertisers have been trained for so long to provide.

I'm still going to wait for the second generation iPad, but this iAd news definitely has me excited as a researcher.

- Rebecca

Glee Is Making Friends with MySpace

2010-04-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you checked your MySpace account? Been awhile, right? Seems many of the cognoscenti these days have been neglecting their MySpace pages after making the transition over to facebook and twitter, where everything seems to be going on. This isn’t exactly breaking news. MySpace has done their best to emulate facebook’s user and profile page format, but for most, the switch has been made and that's that. Unless, of course, your a musician or a TV show.

MySpace’s niche these days seems to be mainly with musicians and bands, both amateur and mainstream, who have altered the site’s code to create their own flashy pages for little or no cost. And now FOX’s new TV show Glee is getting into the action by holding open casting auditions on the show’s MySpace page. In order to audition, fans of the show, or “Gleeks,” who are between the ages of 16 and 26 need only upload a video of themselves performing a pre-recorded song or perform a selection of MySpace Karaoke Glee hits on the Glee Auditions Official MySpace Profile page. Kind of sounds like a YouTube version of American Idol (also a FOX show)... Will it be enough to bring MySpace back as the viable social media site it once was? Likely not, but it sure could make some headlines when an average user becomes part of the Glee cast through a MySpace audition.

- Jon

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/glee-holds-online-casting-call-myspace/story?id=10250609
http://www.myspace.com/gleeauditions

Biggest tweets of 2009

2009-12-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a great article outlining the most popular tweet topics by category in 2009.

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/12/16/what-people-talked-about-on-twitter-most-in-2009

Of course the Iranian election was the most engaging tweet topic as people rallied around supporting Iranians freedom of speech against what many felt was a rigged election.

Michael Jackson topped the 'people' category as so many were shocked about his sudden death.

American Idol is still on people's consciousness as it was the #1 tweeted TV show. It will be interesting to see if this remains #1 in 2009 after Paula leaves.

I can't believe that 2009 is already over!

Fortune 100 twitter accounts

2009-11-25T14:10:00.001-08:00

A majority of Fortune 100 companies now have Twitter accounts. In fact, 76 out of the 100 companies have Twitter accounts.

However, half of them have less than 500 followers and 15% of them are completely unused.

This adds to the great debate of whether Twitter is actually worthwhile - especially for businesses. Or is it companies just haven't fully harnessed the power of Twitter?

See more information here at mashable:
http://mashable.com/2009/11/17/fortune-100-companies-twitter/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+(Mashable)&utm_content=Google+Reader

Social media trends for 2010

2009-11-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

David Armano of the Harvard Business blog published an article on social media trends for 2010. Here is the article:
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/11/six_social_media_trends.html

The popularity of social media is undeniable and he predicts it will only continue to rise in 2010. One of the trends he sees is social media becoming more fragmented and feel more exclusive via more niche networks. We feel this makes a lot of sense as right now, we have really large generic networks that can feel overwhelming and less appealing to some people.

With mobile social media becoming more commonplace, Armano talks about how catching up on social media via mobile devices will be the new "cigarette break." Pretty funny...

Check out his article because it has some other pretty interesting thoughts on the next year.

Tweeting from the sky

2009-10-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Lufthansa is now offering a twitter service from the air. Basically, if you sign up for their 'MySkyStatus' service, the airline will post your location on your twitter account.

For example, it might say "patrickoneal is flying over San Francisco on Lufthansa" with a link to a site with the actual position of the plane.

We think this is smart on Lufthansa's part because it's not only fun for those on Twitter, but it also is free advertising for the airline.

The Next Big Thing

2009-07-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

Social networking needs seem to have been met...for the moment. We've got Facebook and Twitter dominating the conversation and no new players have recently emerged to challenge their authority. But, on the horizon is an interesting photo sharing site called ThisMoment. What makes them attractive is that they actually want you have photos on other sites. They'll happily collect those photos into one framework for you and do so in a really stylish format. You can even add in other public photo or video content - say you want to augment your photo journal of your recent trip to Europe with some great professional photos. Done!

No longer do you have to jump to multiple photo sharing sites (from old pics on your ofoto account to some pics uploaded to your now abandoned MySpace page to Facebook to Flickr) to see your friends or find that embarrassing photo of your boss. Leave it to ThisMoment. Pretty cool. Check out a more detailed article about the website here or go to ThisMoment directly.

United Breaks Guitars

2009-07-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

When a United baggage handler carelessly tossed a guitar into the cargo hold of the plane, I doubt he thought he'd cause this much trouble. The band, Sons of Maxwell, were watching from the window as their livelihood was smashed. After 9 months of trying to work through customer service, the band met with no support from United.

Rather than just swallowing frustration, the band took creative spark from the event and created this entertaining video and catchy song about their experience. It's already made rounds on the net from LA Times to the Huffington Post and will likely be seen by many more eyeballs before this falls away. I know next time I'm looking at booking a ticket on United, this song will likely pop into my head.

This is the ultimate example of a consumer using their power to rally other consumers around an issue.Although a smashed guitar means little to most of us, we all share in the frustration of poor service followed by indifferent customer support and can identify with the soft-spoken outrage of the Sons of Maxwell. Watch the video here or click on the image above.

Mom's usage of social networks increase substantially

2009-07-03T10:29:00.001-07:00

We've seen it often in our research. On-line community is HUGE in the mommy world. As the physical mommy network in neighborhoods disappear, more and more women are looking to the internet for mommy discussions and general connections with other moms for help and support in the challenging world of baby rearing. In fact only 11% of mommies in 2006 were using social networks, while today more than 6 out of 10 moms are on social networks.

Check out this article in Mediaweek:
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/metrics/e3ied6fab8616f8c1a18312cd205d6ec0e6

How brands are using Facebook

2009-06-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we wrote on here about how tv shows are using Facebook differently to engage with fans - some well, some not so well. Find that story here. Now, Callan Green has written up five brands she thinks are using Facebook the right way. Bottom line: it comes down to these simple but key points:

Don't just talk about yourself. Allow fans to participate.
Give them a reason to come back. Through video, photos, updates...
Find ways to make the brand relevant beyond the purchase. Red Bull incorporating tweets from sponsored athletes is a great way to aggregate content on their brand's Facebook profile.

Check out her article here and feel free to add your own thoughts on brands you're following.

Boone Oakley gets my attention

2009-06-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

This small agency with offices somewhere in a fly-over zone has found a way to stand out. They've abandoned the traditional super stylized flash-based website in favor of a youtube video. It serves not only as an informative and entertaining introduction to the company, but also as a recognition that we aren't consuming the web in the same way we used to. They put their information in a format we all enjoy on a website we all frequent. With over 250,000 views and a five-star rating, it's clear they made a bold and successful choice.

Check out their video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elo7WeIydh8

Twitter Orphans

2009-06-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

A recent study conducted by a Harvard Business School professor showed that 90% of tweets are due to only 10% of tweeters. Also, 60% of twitter users do not return after the first month. I have had several false starts on Twitter, even though I'm a social networking junkie and constantly on either my computer or cell phone. I struggle with a) not feeling the need to update the world that often and b) not having the energy to keep up with all the other posts. So, I'm looking to be another twitter casualty.

There has been so much speculation on the longevity of twitter as a social networking or business networking phenomenon. I don't think these statistics mean the death of twitter, but I do wonder if twitter will stay critically important among a small number of people. And, if those small number of people are all the influencers and mavens, twitter might always be a necessary tool for staying connected.

Slate did a great job mining some of the orphan tweets - the one and only twitter from a one-time user. Check them out here: http://www.slate.com/id/2219995/

Yelp is gaining on Citysearch

2009-06-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

We are fans of both Yelp and Citysearch. They provide such a valuable insight into getting community opinions on things like restaurants and stores. In fact, I don't believe I've tried a new restaurant without first checking out opinions on either of these websites in the past couple years.

While we like Citysearch, we feel Yelp has a leg up on Citysearch, as it is a hipper, more easily navigable website. Interestingly, Yelp is closing the gap on its major competition in terms of traffic - Yelp visitors are staying longer on the website, reading more content and returning more than Citysearch.

Check out the aricle here:

http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-yelp-closes-the-traffic-gap-with-citysearch/

One-Day Deals Becoming Long-Term Headaches?

2009-05-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

A number of brands have engaged in high-profile events recently. They pick a popular item and sell it for super-cheap or even give it away for one day only. This creates a tremendous amount of buzz - in both traditional and non-traditional media. But is it all good? There has not been one event to-date (to my knowledge) where the brand was at all prepared to handle the massive amounts of consumer interest in the offer. Denny's had hours-long lines for their free Grand Slam day. Hordes of angry flip-flop lovers tweeted about the absence of stock during the $1 flip flop day. Oprah even crushed KFC with a coupon giveaway. The consistent theme is that these stores weren't prepared for the demand.

But, slyly, it got them into the news and KFC and Denny's are still on a sales high post-event. If Old Navy holds to the same pattern, maybe we'll start seeing a number of brands follow suit in this one-day goldrush.

Social media to blame for swine flu mania?

2009-05-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

Many of us (including myself) have been quick to blame traditional media for overhyping the seriousness of the swine flu "epidemic."

Interestingly, according to Mashable: The Social Media Guide, part of the swine flu hysteria is due to social media. They are reporting that tweets about the swine flue have averaged up to 10,000 tweets per hour!

Check out the article here

http://mashable.com/2009/04/27/swine-flu-twitter/

Pets on the Net

2009-05-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Social media is now even affecting the lives of our most social, yet typing-impaired companions - pets. From blogs hosted by cats promoting pet adoption to brands reaching out through social media networks, pets are the new members of the social space. As a pet owner, it's gratifying to be connected to such a passionate and informed audience. From medical issues to care questions to hotels and now even private jets - I can find anything I need to help my pet on the web. This is also one of the few industries that has remained untouched by the economic downturn. Sure is good to be a dog these days!

http://www.dmnews.com/Social-media-rises-in-pet-pushes/article/136931/

Blogging influence on women

2009-05-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

A new study released from BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners finds that over 42 million women are using social networking sites. Although not too surprising, what is really interesting is the depth of their engagement on blogging sites. Blogs are much more influencial in purchase decisions than the more frequented social networks. It's an interesting report that encourages us to look beyond clicks and visitation to experience and influence on the sites.

http://smallbiztrends.com/2009/05/42-million-women-use-social-media-blogs.html

Astroblogging!

2009-05-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

Astronaut Leroy Chiao is blogging about his experiences in space. It's pretty cool!

Check it out here:

http://gizmodo.com/tag/astroblogger/

My Personal Relationship with Castle

2009-05-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of Nathan Fillion since he starred in the doomed Fox show "Firefly." Back then, I had no connection to the show other than sitting in front of the TV on a Friday night. I loved the show. It got cancelled.

Cut to seven years later. Nathan Fillion returns triumphantly in the charming and touching "Castle." I expect the same - sitting alone in front of the tv praying to the network gods that someone else is watching the show. Not this time. In the age of social media, I'm best friends with Castle and I'm advocating on his behalf every day.

Here's how this works. I'm friends with both the show "Castle" and the character Richard Castle on Facebook. Both post witty status updates and the show will put up pictures from an upcoming episode and allow friends to provide captions. Winners of the caption contests are called out by Castle in the following status updates - excellent way to engage and recognize the fans! Other friends of Richard Castle are posting their candid shots with the actor - who they met at a convention or a press junket or... a bar. The guy's a bit of a socialite. They aren't tagging him as Nathan Fillion, but Richard Castle - living in the fantasy.

Compare this to another show I enjoy - "Better off Ted." They just send out a reminder the day the show airs telling us to watch. Yawn.

In addition to just lots of fun ways to interact with the lead and the show in general, Castle is actively seeking our help in bringing more people into the fold. Perhaps playing on our old fears of cancellation of other great shows, they are constantly reminding us of the threat level for cancellation and asking us to find more friends to support the show. What gratifies me about this is that I know at some point the producers are going to have a meeting with the network heads and someone will say, "Castle has over 6,600 fans on Facebook." I'm one of those fans. It's awesome.

Could Twitter be peaking?

2009-04-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

Adage published an interesting article stating that Twitter is peaking.

Here is the article:

http://adage.com/article?article_id=135899

We respectfully disagree! Most people we know are just getting used to Twitter and how to use it. Once they get used to it, they love it!

It seems like many people still don't know what this point of Twitter is - especially if you have gotten used to using Facebook. We believe many people assume that you would have to update both sites - when the reality is that you can easily link your Facebook account to update itself with the same status you post on Twitter.

It seems that Twitter isn't doing a good job of a) telling people what the point of Twitter is and b) that Twitter works with Facebook. Once people get beyond these hurdles, they seem to be more open about the Twitter experience.

Hopefully, time will prove AdAge wrong...

New Palm Springs hotel success based on WOM

2009-03-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

We stayed last weekend at the new Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. This hotel is amazing - it is a fun hipster, rocker, mid-century, kitchy kinda place. Of course as with any new hotels, there are still some kinks to be ironed out, but overall is a very promising place.

The hotel tells us that so far (1 month) they've been more busy than they've expected. Impressive in this economy! What's surprising about this is they've done absolutely no advertising, PR AND they don't even have a sign up indicating the name of the hotel or the fact that they are open! All of their bookings are based on WOM...Good luck Ace!

Blogger interview

2009-03-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

Following is an interview with blogger, Stacey Nichols Kim. She gained notoriety (via CNN) last year from her blog about mothering and mourning. Here is a description of Stacey and her background:

"I'm a 36-year-old mother of boy/girl twins. I lost my husband, John, to pancreatic cancer on 11 April 2007, after an intense two-and-a-half years of make-the-most-of-it living. We got married in August of 2004, John got diagnosed in September of that year, and we had our twins on 22 June 2006. Now I'm learning to muddle my way through life without a husband but with two little people. It's all kinds of crazy."

She's incredibly open and honest on her blog and it makes for a fascinating read. Her website is:

http://snickollet.blogspot.com/

Here is the interview:

• Tell us about your blog and why you started it.

I started my blog in October of 2005. At the time, my husband was in aggressive treatment for terminal cancer and we were just starting the process of conceiving our twins with the magic of IVF technology. I had a lot on my mind at the time, as you can imagine, and I felt a need to chronicle this period in my life. I could have kept an old-school paper-and-pen journal, but I've never been very good at that. I think way faster than I write and I always hated the seeming permanence of words on paper. I'd started reading some blogs at that point and the digital format really appealed to me. I type faster than I write, and editing is much easier in the digital medium. Blogging seemed like a good fit for my needs.

• Did you launch your blog with the intent of building a community?

Not really. When I first started my blog, I was secretive about it. I didn't tell anyone that I was blogging and I didn't use my real name or any other identifying information. I viewed the blog as my diary, and treated it as though it had a little lock and key. I didn't go so far as to password protect my writing as I didn't see the point. No one knew I had the blog, so who would I be protecting it from?

But then, relatively early on, I got a few comments. I have no idea how people found my blog, but they did, and they said nice, supportive things. And I liked it.

I started leaving comments on the blogs that I was reading, comments that would link back to my blog. And I started to get more comments and more readers. I still did not reveal my name and I also did not tell my in-real-life friends that I was blogging, but the support I got from random comments was surprisingly helpful to me during what was a very tough time.

As time went on, I started to reveal more details about myself and become more transparent about my identity. The CNN article totally "outed" me. From that point on, I made no attempt to hide my real name, and my family and friends started reading the blog, too. For me, becoming known has only made my blogging experience richer, but I know that anonymity is a hot topic among people with an online presence.

• How did the CNN coverage happen?
Without any effort from me! I was contacted by a freelance journalist who had an assignment from CNN.com to do a story on "blogging as therapy." She found my blog while doing some preliminary research and e-mailed me to see if I'd be willing to talk to her. We did a phone interview and that was that.

• What do you think it takes to build a successful blog?
I think the same rules of success apply to a blog as to any other "product" out there in the market. First off, you need a differentiator. For me, sadly, that's widowhood. There are a million "mommy blogs" out there, but not so many *widowed mommy* blogs. on the flip side, there are a fair number of grief blogs, but not so many young parent grief blogs. It's important to think about what your blog is going to contribute to the Web that's not already there.

Focus is important, too. All-in-one products don't generally function as well as those with a specific use. Same goes for blogs. "Focus" here can be pretty broadly defined; some of my favorite blogs are just about life, which is an incredibly wide category, but can sometimes work.

This leads in nicely to knowing your audience. Who is the blog intended for and why would they want to read it? Make sure your posts are crafted with that audience in mind.

No matter what your focus or who your audience, good writing never hurts, nor do a good look and feel. People are going to take a good-looking, well written blog more seriously than one that's a slapdash afterthought.

And finally, be honest. People respond to honesty. Don't be afraid to put it all out there, and try not to take criticism from commenters with an open mind. You just might learn something.

Skittles site pulled?

2009-03-04T09:19:00.001-08:00

Mediapost is reporting that Skittles "pulls" their new website due to negative twitter posts.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=101437

We hope this is not true! Long live open consumer dialogue!

As of 9:20a on 3/4/09, the site is still live and connected with twitter/wikipedia/facebook pages...

Skittles scandal!

2009-03-03T14:10:00.001-08:00

Skittles has an interesting new approach to their website. If you go to www.skittles.com, you will be warned that the content on their website is purely based on unfiltered consumer generated content.

When you click on 'chatter,' you see all the tweets that are being posted about Skittles. When you click on 'friends' you are directed towards their Skittles' Facebook page featuring all their 'friends.' When you click on 'products' you are directed to the product's page on 'wikipedia.'

The Skittles site itself is just a small box in the corner of the page - most of the page is a Twitter/Wikipedia/Facebook page. This emphasizes the sense that the site is truly consumer generated content.

Believe it or not, there's been much controversy about this site. Due to this site's approach, many are talking much more about Skittles online - but the critics are saying that it's false conversation because they theorize that people are just writing about Skittles now to see themselves quoted on the Skittles site.

We say so what! People are talking about the brand - and in this day and age, that's difficult enough to accomplish!

Give it a second, it's going to space.

2009-03-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

In today's connected world, it is amazing to think back to my childhood and realize how different things were. I remember my Mom's anxiety while we waited in line at the bank drive-thru (a huge convenience!). She had to figure out every Friday how much money we'd need for the weekend - too much and she might not have enough for bills, too little and we would run out of cash for the weekend and be stranded in some financial no-man's land. Can you even fathom having to make that choice today? Right when I became independent, we had ATMs, cell phones and the internet. Granted it was heavy fees, bulky phones and dial-up - but the world was already making my life easier.

In this clip, Louis CK explains exactly what is wrong with us now. With so much at our fingertips, we forget about the minor miracles happening in our lives everyday. We've become quickly accustomed to convenience and demand perfection constantly.

Life beyond Facebook?

2009-03-01T21:21:00.001-08:00

Facebook and Twitter seem to be all the rage recently. But there is life beyond these two sites! Well at least for Gen Yers.

Here's an article that talks about top ten social networks for Gen Y (and they are not Facebook/Twitter!). It's always interesting to see what this younger, influential generation is up to, so it's worth checking out this article and some of these sites.

http://mashable.com/2009/01/30/generation-y-social-networks/

Creative movie marketing

2009-02-26T16:23:00.000-08:00

For Paul Rudd's new comedy - "I love you man," movie marketers took an unconventional approach. Specifically, they placed ads around Los Angeles featuring Paul's douchey character in Speedos flaunting his perfect body and selling his real estate services.

We think this is a pretty cool approach. It definitely catches your attention and is good for a laugh. The only disappointing part of this campaign is when you go to the website, there really isn't much there. You see the billboard on the site and when you click on 'see more of Peter [Paul's character],' it just directs you to a trailer. Couldn't they have been more creative with website? It would have been interesting to see more about this character...

Why aren't they listening?

2009-01-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

In today's economy with all the access we have to information, why are CEO's not hearing from consumers? We're speaking...loudly.

A disappointing study shows that only 1 in 6 marketing executives seek out customer feedback. It's such a prime opportunity to hear unfiltered information from the very people paying for those salaries. Maybe they are afraid of what they'll hear? See the rest of the article here:http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/client/e3ic96aa80f511fb30f5635f219369f11aa

When P&G says it's time to stop feeding the metrics machine, we should all listen

2009-01-29T10:54:00.000-08:00

From Kim Dedeker (market research VP at P&G):

"We're so focused on initiative qualification scores, on the check box that comes with the survey and feeding the metrics monster within our companies. What we've lost, because of that focus, is the opportunity to listen more on the front end and co-create with consumers and to sense and respond on the other side."

Even P&G knows that it's time to stop crunching numbers and start listening to consumers. Co-creation is here and the sooner brands accept and embrace it, the farther ahead of the competition they'll be.

Research must be the tool that allows companies to speak with their consumers. Packaging that conversation into index numbers, scatterplots, algorithms... well, it just dilutes the message. We believe research needs to collect and transmit the voice of the consumer - not distort it. See more words of wisdom from Dedeker here: http://adage.com/article?article_id=134144

Clickthroughs are not what they seem

2009-01-29T10:44:00.000-08:00

Online advertising was supposed to change the ROI model for the industry. For the first time, we'd be able to see exactly how an ad led directly to purchase by measuring clickthroughs. New models of research were established and ad agencies were told to fear the accountability.

Well, time has shown that clickthroughs are an unwieldy and unreliable source of information. We've seen research that says people fall into one of two groups - clickers or not-clickers. Clickers click on everything and make up a teensy 10% of the marketplace. Not-clickers click on nothing and dominate the web. Not so great. Plus, clickthrough rates are so low, we've been told to get excited over the difference between a competitors .53% and our 1.1% - that's twice the volume!! Really?

Now the latest news has come out to say that nearly 1 in 5 clickthroughs is falsely generated through web-crawling bots meant to inflate the numbers and make the ad look like a homerun. 1 in 5. It bears repeating. See the article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012800046.html

Finding a job via social media

2009-01-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

We found a good article giving good insight on finding a job via social media. We believe strongly in the power of social media - so we believe the advice will be helpful to those looking for a new job.

Here it is:

http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-use-social-media-to-land-your.html

Online community managers

2009-01-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

We recently came across an article on online community managers. This relatively new career choice is seemingly recession-resistant. This makes sense as we believe companies are 1) realizing the importance of the online community and 2) realizing that online communities need nurturing and management.

Here is the article:

http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/01/26/online-community-manager-yes-it%E2%80%99s-really-a-job/

Run out of ideas?

2009-01-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

Anyone who's ever written a blog is keenly aware of the challenges of continuously generating interesting topics. It can be overwhelming!

We came across a humorous yet useful article on what to do when you've run out of blog ideas.

Check it out here:

http://www.converstations.com/2009/01/hey-blog-coach-my-blog-runs-dry-how-do-i-get-started-again.html

A Hero Rises on Facebook

2009-01-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Over the last 2 days, we've all been transfixed by the news of Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger who heroically piloted the damaged US Airways Airbus into the Hudson River. In a time of serious turmoil - economically, politically, socially - Americans need someone to look up to. Sully is that lodestone - a man who acted coolly, saved his passengers and crew and walked the plane twice before seeing to his own safety.

Sully has several pages created by "fans" on Facebook - one of which already has several thousand members. Hundreds of people have posted on Sully's wall saying thank you and expressing optimism for our times.

In today's age, people (and brands) that elicit strong responses can find themselves sudden social networking stars. As a new Sully fan on facebook, I love having the opportunity to express my own thanks. Good job, Sully!

Facebook Sacrifices the Whopper

2009-01-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

It's been tough for brands to stand out on Facebook. The brand pages can be pretty bland and no one has really figured out a way to generate something truly buzzworthy on the site. Until now. Leave it to Crispin Porter + Bogusky and their off-the-wall Burger King communications to find a way to make Facebook sizzle.

In a move counterintuitive to the friend collecting vibe on Facebook - Burger King wanted you to actually sacrifice your friends. Defriend your friends. Dump people. The social networking equivalent of telling off a friend after a few too many beers. It's exactly what we're trained not to do. And the reward? A free Whopper. By signing up for the Whopper Sacrifice app, users would commit to defriending ten people. Not only would they defriend them, but those unfortunate souls sacrificed for the Whopper would be told exactly the reason why they were removed.

Citing privacy reasons, Facebook terminated the app after a week. A week in which a whopping (had to, sorry) 233,906 were defriended. There's speculation on the web that privacy wasn't an issue at all - that Facebook simply didn't like a brand encouraging people to reduce their social networks.

It's a fantastic brand story and exactly the kind of viral subversive tactic that has kept Burger King and CP+B in the foreground of marketing conversations.

Online opinions matter

2009-01-14T12:03:00.000-08:00

The power of online opinion was starkly evident in Tina Fey's speech at the Golden Globes over the weekend. If you didn't hear it - Tiny told a couple general population online critics (not professional critics) who has some pretty disparaging things to say about her on the LA Times website - that they could "suck it." She cited them by their screenames in her acceptance speech.

Obviously, it was meant as a joke - but no doubt it goes to show the power of the everyday person's opinions - and that important and influential people are listening.