Latest news from Apple is that a Pages ’09 update now lets us export documents to ePub format. Another important step toward reestablishing the appropriate role of servants as that of actually serving. In the late 1980s, I was a young corporate marketing manager responsible for, among other things, print advertising and collateral. Back then you could forget anything you’d learned at the University of Michigan Business School about pre-campaign research, message testing, and the lessons of David Ogilvy. If you were working with an outside agency, Darrin Stephens was still ringmaster for the show. Universally? No. But much...
Branding Bond, James Bond
- It’s become increasingly hard to ignore your audience (darn it!)Something surprised me in the reactions to my recent series of increasingly pointed critiques on handling of the James Bond brand for 2012. Overwhelmingly, folks agree with me. Long-term fans and fans just entered the fold via re-boot. Bloggers and traditional media. The general public. Even more curious to me, I found that it didn’t […]
- James Bond movie ROI, raw numbersRounding out this week of discussion where we’re nailing down a true common denominator basis for assessing the financial performance of James Bond movies, I’m providing below a summary of return on investment (ROI) in chronological order. Again, this is based on IMDb.com data. It follows the precept of Eon Productions icon Albert R Broccoli, […]
- How does James Bond movie ROI compare to the Star Trek movies?Earlier this week, we shot a hole in (and sunk) arguments that merely looking at gross box office receipts is worse than irrelevant in assessing the quality of James Bond movies. By that standard and the same budget as Quantum of Solace, anyone can insist that Skyfall is “the best James Bond movie ever!” with […]
- Yeah— and “Moonraker” was better than any Bond movie with Connery, tooAs every true fan or student of James Bond knows, there’s an increasingly urgent need to agree on which of the movies is, in fact — objectively — best. In the good old days, anyone who could hang his argument on “Ian Fleming” prevailed. That gave way to solace that nothing that didn’t star Sean Connery was […]
Divorce % Balance
- How complicated is divorce, really?Among too many uncritically examined “givens” you’ll hear bandied about the courthouse as truth, I’ll note the following. Every family situation is unique. No judge could decide better than the married spouses themselves what’s best in organizing their separation in divorce than they are, themselves. Or— Believe me: You’re really not gonna like it if […]
- “How To ‘Not’ Use Social Media” when divorcing“Dating After Divorce: How To Not Use Social Media,” is the title of a piece by “comedian” Juliet Jeske on the Huffington Post. After two introductory paragraphs, Ms Jeske gets down to it with 10 points she recommends be followed. Then closes with this bit of wisdom. You are bound to be slightly insane after a divorce, […]
- Divorce, municipalities, and customer serviceIn case I haven’t made it clear in the past, I’m not in favor of a “get it over and move on” mentality for divorce. That’s not the same as advocating a paternalistic, we know better imposition of value-based process on married couples looking to separate, of course. Nor condoning disrespect or institutionalized inefficiences rationalized […]
Divorce Pastoring
- Effects of readily accessible pornography on physical sexual functionIn connection with my photography work, I’ve happened across an increasing number of discussions about the need for metrics to impose more of a “truth in advertising” for images of people that have been re-touched. My wife often refers to a true story from a women in one of my divorce support groups. The woman’s […]
- Marriages fail due to lacking foundations, not obsessions over statisticsStumbled across this title earlier today, and I have to admit to being intrigued. “Marriage is not the root of all divorce,” it reads. Indeed. Author Brande Victorian begins her article with some pop-culture cites from Hollywood icons. More people are declining to marry due because more people are deciding to divorce, goes the thinking. […]
- Why “compromise” so often failsThere’s an old joke about a married couple that decides to “compromise” on their differing desires for ideal vacation venue. Husband wants The Magic Kingdom in Florida. Wife wants Disneyland in California. So they agree to compromise — splitting the difference. They end up in the Oklahoma Panhandle for two weeks. Earlier this year, I wrote […]
James Bond Watches
- James Bond watch history, highlights of the last decade: Part 5On May 4, 2011, the personal Rolex Explorer wristwatch of James Bond author Ian Fleming got its own display on the main exhibit floor of the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania. This followed its year-long placement as signature piece in the “Bond Watches, James Bond Watches” special exhibit there. “Ian Fleming’s Own […]
- James Bond watch photos: Omega Seamaster 2531.80 and Bond girlOther than the image of Mrs James Bond Watches a couple’a years back at the National Watch & Clock Museum, I haven’t done that many James Bond watch photos that include people. I made this one working with a model on an unrelated project about 6 years ago. The desired effect was that wonderful allure […]
- Video: Time-lapse experiments with James Bond Omega Seamaster watchWe’ve all seen those videos where clouds are made to race across the sky on a windless day or an ice cube seems to melt to water in mere seconds. Time-lapse videos, they’re called. Or, to be more precise: A series of individual still-images, combined in sequence and processed to produce a time-lapse video. Not much […]
- James Bond watch photos: Omega Seamaster 2531.80For those who claim I’m not sufficiently “pro-Omega” in covering James Bond watches— We’re gonna be entering a bit of a James Bond Omega Seamaster period here on this blog. Starting off with this 2005 image of my personal 2531.80 reference. Same model as worn by Pierce Brosnan in his final 3 outings as James […]
Posts Tagged ‘ communications 101 ’
So, what is the unique selling proposition of Twitter?
Twitter is obviously different as an Internet communication vehicle in that Posts (“Tweets”) are restricted to a relatively small number of characters. Easier for the writer to contribute updates, frequently Readers and prospects are more likely to follow them, loyaly Emotional barriers to entry are small. No formatting concerns, obligation to create elaborate presentation arcs, and need for computer access to make meaningful Posts. Reciprocally, these same attributes benefit and enhance readers’ experiences in Following someone on Twitter. Content can be delivered to their cell phones without frustration for those who’ll read on a small screen or simply don’t want to...
Where does Facebook fit into your personal branding (strategy)?
Ah, social networking— Ostensibly, the web-Forum equivalent of device convergence where cell phones promised to deliver PIM, Internet access, camera, file storage, and what-have-you, all in one handy technology. My BlackBerry Bold is rather stable, thank you very much. And I can quantify its ROI for me, personally, without breaking a sweat. But I wonder how much (strategic) thought folks really give to a singular online presence where their dating, employment, spiritual, shopping, and fetish interests all intersect. Most folks I know won’t even Post their opinions on horology Forums without using a pseudonym. But on Facebook, they let...
Why would anyone want to “explain”?
There are two reasons why you explain — anything. To convey a openness to changing their position or an attempt to change yours. To develop or perpetuate a relationship with another person. Either way, the person offering an explanation is expressing a desire for someone to come out different in the end. Last time here, I wrote about a discussion I’d had with a contractor who’d hired me under what I considered obvious terms of performance. When I approached him about a discrepency in my compensation after I’d delivered, he said that his was the only interpretation of the...
