Google Aids Account Planning†

Is Google a planning tool?

Adweek, August 8, 2007 — That was the contention of Penry Price, Google's director of North American sales, who spoke here yesterday at the American Association of Advertising Agencies' Planning Conference. "We're focusing on being more relevant," he said. "But our core business is really connecting people to what they care about and connecting marketers to people they care about."

Nationwide Tryvertising Parties

Springwise Newsletter, August 8, 2007 — While promoting goods and services through friendly get-togethers is nothing new, House Party has given the concept a radical makeover. A far cry from your mother's Tupperware gatherings, House Party combines in-person tryvertising with rich media sharing to link thousands of parties where consumers convene with friends, family, co-workers and neighbours to test products and share their experiences. www.houseparty.com

Behavior Defines Consumers†

Deeper Understanding: Don't Ask People What They Think; Watch What They Do

Advertising Age, July 18, 2007 — A couple years ago I interviewed a mother of four at her house. I wanted to gain an authentic perspective on what made her tick and why she was so loyal to my client's home delivery service. So I turned on my iPod's voice recorder and eased into a discussion about life in suburban Chicago.

Agencies Don Lab Coats to Reach Consumers†

Firms Deploy Scientists Within Creative Groups to Make Messages Stick

Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2007 — Madison Avenue, home to black-turtleneck-wearing creative executives, is opening the door to lab-coat-wearing scientists as it seeks to get deeper into the heads of consumers.

Understand the Ecosystem of Consumer Demand†

Listening to Customers or Studying Them Isn't Enough if You Really Want to Incorporate Your Brand Into Their Daily Lives

Advertising Age, May 23, 2007 — Want to nail down your consumers' wants and needs? Then don't just listen to them. Observing them won't either. And if you are using survey research or ethnographic research to better understand your consumers, think twice. The bottom line is, you may not be leveraging the best tools to understand your customers. The biggest opportunities for building your brand or growing your business lay in plain sight — but you might not see them

On Advertising: Consumers vote for the best slogan

International Herald Tribune, March 18, 2007 — Consumer engagement may be the marketing mantra of our time, but Laurent Florès sees a fundamental problem: Good ideas can be drowned out by a flood of bad ones. Consumer panels, both online and live, have become popular ways for companies to float and road-test new ideas. Online panels are often run like beauty pageants, where consumers vote for ideas that a company is considering.

Putting Cash Test Dummies to Work

Springwise Newsletter, March 8, 2007 — Cherryflava Media in Cape Town, South Africa, is redefining a win-win situation with its latest online venture, Cherrypicka. The site invites customers to register as 'cash test dummies' and purchase new products and services at steep discounts in exchange for submitting reviews.

Into the mind of the consumer

Marketing Week, March 1, 2007 — If you follow the animated sitcom the Simpsons, you are probably familiar with the guide to Homer Simpson's brain. At the front of his cortex - in the region associated with higher mental functions - is an area labelled "TV Time"; a rather smaller one for "Family Time" and, holding pride of place, an area stamped "Your Ad here".

All Companies Need Innovation; Hasbro Finds a New Magic†

Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2007 — Every Friday at lunch, game designers, marketing managers and other employees at Hasbro's games division gather in the cafeteria to play board games. Some compete over Scrabble, Sorry, Clue or more than a dozen other famous games invented decades ago and still manufactured at a factory here. Others play games sold by competitors, or they enjoy their own childhood favorites no longer on store shelves.

Paul Pressler's Fall From The Gap

Hailed on his arrival, the former CEO is now viewed as "the wrong guy at the wrong time"

BusinessWeek, February 26, 2007 — When Paul S. Pressler arrived as the chief executive officer of Gap Inc. (GPS ) in the fall of 2002, he was exactly what the board wanted--or at least what it thought it wanted. The polished, good-looking Disney veteran was a hard-nosed operations wizard, not a dreamy fashion junkie. He seemed to be just the man to restore discipline to the floundering company.