tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38295572011-04-21T19:36:56.922-07:00marketingdriven.comAn Incurable Marketer Views The World
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comBlogger3721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1127401422419287922005-09-22T08:01:00.000-07:002005-09-22T08:03:42.426-07:00The Power of a Brand NameBeing married to She Who Must Be Obeyed, who is of the Chinese persuasion, I have a good understanding of the entrepreneurial bent of the Chinese. So this morning's story in the LA Times about condoms seemed to hit the mark---no pun intended. It appears that an enterprising condom maker in Beijing is naming his two new products "Clinton" and "Lewinsky": "We chose the name because we think Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1127346119072932462005-09-21T16:38:00.000-07:002005-09-21T16:43:31.006-07:00Magazine OverloadIn the last three days I've received some unique magazines that tell me that everyone is taking marketing quite seriously. The one from Faith Community Church out of Covina, CA is a slick called "Balanced Life" and is targeted to build membership at the church's Lake Elsinore branch. The church has over 10,000 members in SoCal and is adhering to the best in marketing from its website to magazine,Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1114136636389218172005-04-21T19:18:00.000-07:002005-04-21T19:23:56.390-07:00You Can't Go Home AgainVisiting the old marketingdriven.com blog is like trying to go home after you've been out in the world...everything looks different. But one thing that I noticed as I went through the archives was the continuous push I have had over the past couple of years to write, to think and experience marketing from a totally different perspective. When I first started teaching at UCLA, I remember how Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1109286906451583702005-02-24T15:13:00.000-08:002005-02-24T15:15:06.453-08:00Where Are You?Will all 36 subscribers to this blog through bloglines please stand up? Would love to have you visit and syndicate marketingbytesman. See you there.Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1108742693755372162005-02-18T08:04:00.000-08:002005-02-18T08:04:53.756-08:00Check out what's going on at my new blog marketingbytesman. Looking forward to seeing you there. AlainAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1108437385399680482005-02-14T19:15:00.000-08:002005-02-14T19:16:25.400-08:00I've moved to marketingbytesman and look forward to seeing you there. AlainAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1108317343111344352005-02-13T09:53:00.000-08:002005-02-13T09:55:43.113-08:00Go to marketingbytesman, my new blog address, and read about the Penny Black Project, a Microsoft project to stop spammers.Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1108236170622745312005-02-12T11:20:00.000-08:002005-02-12T11:22:50.623-08:00I've moved to marketingbytesman. Please visit....it's a new day and new thoughts. See you there!Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1108153830943993492005-02-11T12:29:00.000-08:002005-02-11T12:30:30.946-08:00I've moved to marketingbytesman. Please visit and subscribe. Thanks. AlainAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1108147028325521202005-02-11T10:36:00.000-08:002005-02-11T10:37:08.326-08:00Blogger folks, I've moved to http://marketingbytesman.typepad.com. See you there!Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1108051529635360472005-02-10T08:03:00.000-08:002005-02-10T08:05:29.636-08:00marketingbytesman
After over two and a half years of blogging under marketingdriven.com at Blogger, I have decided that I needed to turn over a new leaf, get a breath of fresh air and refocus on what marketing means to me and to so many others. Also, I just wanted to sex up the blog with the features that typepad offers. I'll be dealing with some of the usual suspects while digesting Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1108016097456337092005-02-09T22:12:00.000-08:002005-02-09T22:14:57.456-08:00Finally!
I've moved to marketingbytesman. Please join me. A bientot. Alain
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1107583312575521342005-02-04T21:48:00.000-08:002005-02-04T22:02:35.526-08:00Why Marketing Is About Teaching
I have just completed reading essays from my graduate students and can only say that they teach me as much as I teach them. I only show the way, they take the journey. And it brings me to the point that marketing is about teaching because so many have little to no understanding of how important it is in everything that we do. I thank my students for their growing Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1107011298357811932005-01-29T07:06:00.000-08:002005-01-29T07:08:18.356-08:00Only A Few More Days
I will be launching my new blog within the next few days so please bear with me. I think you'll be pleased with the changes and the focus. Thanks. Alain
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1106251425808819952005-01-20T11:53:00.000-08:002005-01-20T12:03:45.810-08:00Even In Death You Are On A Database
A news flash from the University of California that they are implementing a a barcode program for the cadavers at the medical schools. This is in response to the scandal at UCLA---where I teach---last year with the selling of body parts to unauthorized people. In addition to electronic identifiers implanted on the bones of cadavers or wire into them, there Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1106154276892095082005-01-19T08:57:00.000-08:002005-01-19T09:04:36.893-08:00More Changes Coming Through For marketingdriven
I have been working on the redesign and new name of my blog and website, and am happy to report this should all be in place within the next two weeks. But I also know how predictions can be so very wrong so bear with me. I need a new approach to blogging and need to get with the program in terms of sophistication and give back to the community thatAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1105421893484234572005-01-10T21:25:00.000-08:002005-01-10T21:38:13.483-08:00Soggy Day of Justice
I was called for jury duty today, braving the very wet roads---after nonstop rain for the last 4 days--- to do my part for democracy and justice. While I was not put on a jury, I do have some observations about the customer service we in the herd of my fellow citizens received.
In my part of Ahnold's domain, due to the amazing influx of newcomers, we've had to build our ownAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1105137646485464272005-01-07T14:32:00.000-08:002005-01-07T14:40:46.486-08:00Speaking of Myths
A judge in New York has soundly chastised Listerine for claiming that using the product is as effective as flossing, implying that just Listerine can do the trick. The judge said no, you still have to floss. So now we have it from judicial authority what your Mom and dentist have been saying for years. The suit was brought by McNeil-PPC Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company which Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1105136461463061312005-01-07T13:26:00.000-08:002005-01-07T14:21:01.463-08:00Creativity
I'm just now getting into the December issue of Fast Company on creativity and it is so timely since I am working with a couple of clients where creativity is what's missing in key people who should be. I am also starting my class at UCLA tomorrow and my approach is to instill the concept that marketing, indeed the entire business process, is about creativity, the ability to "see" Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1104782340756846162005-01-03T11:56:00.000-08:002005-01-03T11:59:23.063-08:00More Food For Thought
Since we're in the new year and possibilities are luring us into their grasps, plus the fact that most of us are receptive at this time of year to change, here's a great quote from Winston Churchill:
"Success is not final and failure is not fatal.
It is the courage to continue that counts."
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1104435229338243452005-01-03T08:58:00.000-08:002005-01-03T12:00:17.430-08:00Marketing Thoughts For 2005...none of us so-called pundits on matters large and small would not be pundits unless we pundited, so here's my list for 2005:
Be true to your beliefs. That should be a given, but think back on the number of times you know you should have said what you really feel to a client and you didn't because you need the business or whatever. Come on, everyone does it Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1104515036022324112004-12-31T09:33:00.000-08:002004-12-31T09:43:56.023-08:00Thought For The Day
As we move into 2005 and as I complete my annual business plan and personal goals, this quote from H. Jackson Brown, Jr. seems a good starting point to ponder what we are about:
"You may be fortunate and make a lot of money.
But be sure your work involves something that enriches
your spirit as well as your bank account."
Have a safe, thoughtful and forward looking New Year!Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1104367234458178152004-12-29T16:36:00.000-08:002004-12-29T16:40:34.456-08:00It Takes A MarketerOne of my students for the class starting January 8th got his first assignment in and has already read the text, Harry Beckwith's book Selling The Invisible. This is a first! And of course the student is also a marketer. I am impressed but not surprised. It brings to mind the lesson that to get ahead and stay ahead you have to have passion and be focused on the prize. Kudos to Scott who Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1104348763263085282004-12-29T11:29:00.000-08:002004-12-29T11:32:43.263-08:00Great Quote For The New Year
"One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world---make the most of one's best."
Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969 American Theologian)
Thanks to Becky Barney-Villano, another marketing friend for this one.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1104347343100016612004-12-29T10:33:00.000-08:002004-12-29T11:09:03.100-08:00Asking Too Much of Our Customers
I am a proponent of customer feedback in any form from surveys and the like since I believe that marketing is about having a conversation with the world and conversations are a two-way road...but lately I've been pondering if we're asking too much of our customers? I mean after all being customer-centric is great and that's really where all business through the Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1104297177468601732004-12-28T20:40:00.000-08:002004-12-29T11:28:13.743-08:00Catching Up
Going through the blog pile that I amass over the course of my days:
When Ahnold, our illustrious leader of Paradise, went to Japan in November a quote from him struck my fancy: "Market, market, market. This is what I know how to do, and I know it pays off." Indeed. I don't know how Lionel trains did this Christmas, but it wasn't for lack of help from the movie Polar Express.Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1104274315428717672004-12-28T14:49:00.000-08:002004-12-28T14:51:55.426-08:00Tsunami
It almost seems trite to speak of marketing when the tsunami that has devastated Southeast Asia is still taking an awful toll. If you want to stay in touch with this tragedy go to this to the tsunamihelp blog.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1103324651957996032004-12-17T14:51:00.000-08:002004-12-17T15:04:11.956-08:00Baghdad by the Bay
Going to "Baghdad by the Bay" as Herb Caen, the long time columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, used to call that fog magnet of a city. It's the only Baghdad I'm really interested in visting! marketingdriven.jr and "She Who Must Be Obeyed" are going to ride cable cars and enjoy The City (as they like to refer to it up there) in Christmas dress. Cheers.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1103317362963661052004-12-17T13:56:00.000-08:002004-12-17T13:02:42.963-08:00The Quality of The Team
That's what makes the difference in all endeavors. Case-in-point from this morning's client meeting in San Diego. The clinical team was eager, ready, new, excited, willing to take direction, willing to share expectations, awaiting assignments and totally stoked to be included in the marketing process. We all talk about teamwork and it doesn't happen often enough. Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1103319066186320042004-12-17T13:13:00.000-08:002004-12-17T13:44:03.970-08:00Why Mega Churches Are Marketing Phenoms
Dean H. Hamer has written a thoughtful book entitled "The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired Into Our Genes." Hamer is a behavioral geneticist a the National Cancer Institute, and this book is a follow-up to his 1998 book, "Living With Our Genes." What is interesting from a marketing point of view is that according to Hamer, we all have a so-called "God GeneAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1103317946547085882004-12-17T13:03:00.000-08:002004-12-17T13:12:26.546-08:00Six Degrees
In this morning's LA Times was a brief article on Johnson & Johnson buying the stent maker Guidant. The six degrees part is that Guidant is the biggest employer in Temecula, the city adjacent to my piece of California's paradise, and employs over 2,700 people. Knowing how buy-outs can impact a local employment situation, the city fathers (& mothers?) are rightfully worried. Guidant Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1103132871892209632004-12-15T15:33:00.000-08:002004-12-15T15:31:49.943-08:00When Is "Disloyalty" Really Loyalty?
Answer: When it properly and rightfully challenges the organization's status quo to support its ideals and mission and improve it.
Case-in-point: In this morning's LA Times an article about a UN doctor whose contract was not renewed because of a book he wrote with two other colleagues and published in June. The book highlights sexual exploitations by UN "Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1103149289995899322004-12-15T14:06:00.000-08:002004-12-15T14:21:29.996-08:00Vive la France, Part Deux
The French just opened the world's tallest bridge....maybe I should take back my earliest comments... still you can build a bridge but can you make them cross it? Pun very much intended. Read all about it. A bientot.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1103138098072055482004-12-15T11:12:00.000-08:002004-12-15T11:14:58.073-08:00Thought For The Day
"Courage is as often the outcome of despair as of hope; in one case we have nothing to lose,
in the other everything to gain."
Diane DePottiers
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1103069467466404042004-12-14T16:04:00.000-08:002004-12-14T16:11:07.466-08:00Price & Value-Driven
Blockbuster announces it will no longer charge late fees in direct response to Netflix, which lets you keep the DVDs as long as you want for just one monthly fee. The power of the marketplace speaks again, and customers have taken the initiative yet again. Little late, but who knows? Read the article. Enjoy. Good marketing lesson here.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1103063156172051802004-12-14T14:19:00.000-08:002004-12-14T14:25:56.173-08:00The Land of Big PX
A great article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday about how the Post Exchange system is meeting the needs of servicemen and women in the field in Iraq and elsewhere. They are apparently growing at 6% in the last year even with the troops in the war. It's about knowing your customers and meeting their needs, albeit in difficult situations. I remember well my first Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1102730806017082932004-12-10T17:59:00.000-08:002004-12-10T18:06:46.016-08:00Rumpole of the Bailey
If you've ever watched PBS Mystery then you know about Rumpole, a barrister at the Old Bailey who simply loves the under dog and is irreverent. He was played by a great Shakespearean actor named Leo McKern, who died a couple of years ago. McKern was Rumpole and when I read the stories, written by John Mortimer, I can hear Leo as Rumpole. Now that's value and good writing. Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1102623632366767962004-12-09T11:57:00.000-08:002004-12-09T12:20:32.366-08:00Looking For Trends? Look Around You!
In my little corner of California's paradise, the growth trends are hot. Our housing market is one of the fastest growing in the nation with today's landscape soon bulldozed for yet another development with a cute fuzzy name that rousts the best homing emotions of peaceful, tranquil and "Leave It To Beaver" hopes and dreams. But our roads are clogged with Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1102610741059697012004-12-09T08:41:00.000-08:002004-12-09T08:45:41.060-08:00Connect To This Valuable Site
If you're not connected to iMediaconnection.com you should be...it's a direct window into our favorite reality: Marketing World. More fun than Disney World. This site is important. Go there. You can also subscribe to their email newsletter. Enjoy.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1102610244397585682004-12-09T08:29:00.000-08:002004-12-09T08:37:24.396-08:00A CMO Tells All
A must read from CMO Magazine written by an anonymous CMO (a real person whose credentials have been checked out) on a letter he wrote his CEO about his role in the organization. It's so right on and explains so much that we marketers have always been saying: we're here to build business and manage the brand, but everyone has got to do their part. Enjoy!
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1102532744484631342004-12-08T10:55:00.000-08:002004-12-08T11:05:44.486-08:00Vive la France!In this month's issue of Harvard Business Review is an ad cluster from the French government entitled: The New France. Where The Smart Money Goes. What's so fascinating about it is that it talks about innovation and can do rah rah stuff and has testimonials about how wonderful the French workers are, but there seems to be a disconnect in my mind as to how they can actually come through on theirAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1102218886705645612004-12-04T19:41:00.000-08:002004-12-04T19:54:46.706-08:00If You Can't Live With It, Move To Mozilla
It's very easy to understand why Mozilla is winning hearts and minds all over the Internet: It works, it's easy and it's not Microsoft! Hurray. I had been having trouble with Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. My computer would freeze up, it was slow, I couldn't click through to links, etc. I tried working around it and finally said, "That's it." I Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1102044363792745222004-12-02T19:16:00.000-08:002004-12-02T19:26:03.793-08:00Better Living Through Chemistry
Remember when Dupont used that tagline? Well, it looks like we Americans took it to heart since HHS Secretary Thompson's report today that nearly 44% of us are on some type of prescription medication. And those of us who think we can break the strangle hold on healthcare cost from the pharmaceutical companies better rethink this. In healthcare, as in all Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1102013233064035702004-12-02T10:38:00.000-08:002004-12-02T10:47:13.066-08:00Are You A Deadbeat or ?
Frontline on PBS just aired the history of credit cards and I highly recommend you read it. It appears that I am a deadbeat, according to the banking industry, since we pay our cards off each month. Zippo balance, just convenience in today's world. The ethical issue for marketers has to do with engaging a more than willing public in paying out more and more each monthAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1101920752405954822004-12-01T08:58:00.000-08:002004-12-01T09:05:52.406-08:00How To Be Creative
Marketing is about creativity, indeed all of life is but somehow we get beat down by "the system" soon after we leave the comforts of our homes to go to school. Creativity is what distinguishes the successful from the also ran...So go to changethis.com and download a pdf of Hugh's manifesto on this vital topic. It's a great piece of work. Hugh is the incredible creator of Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1101857498834206202004-11-30T15:11:00.000-08:002004-11-30T15:31:38.836-08:00Blog Is The #1 Word
BOSTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) -- A four-letter term that came to symbolize the difference between old and new media during this year's presidential campaign tops U.S. dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 words of the year. Read all about it. Enjoy!
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1101854928518038792004-11-30T14:28:00.000-08:002004-11-30T14:48:48.520-08:00Community
We talk a lot about the Internet creating community and in the past couple of days, I've been the lucky recipient of marketing professionals whom I've met online and who have been gracious to volunteer information as well as their time to my UCLA class. Isn't that what's it's all about? Who knew that at age 58 I could manage a business a few feet from my bedroom, wear shorts and a Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1101773878284096822004-11-29T16:13:00.000-08:002004-11-29T16:17:58.283-08:00Professional Courtesy
In my research for materials for my UCLA class, I contact lots of people looking for freebies. It's also how I learn. I contacted RynneBuckley.com a marketing and advertising firm in Chicago via email from their site a couple of weeks ago and got a call from the CEO, Patrick Buckley. What a delightful person. He is sending me the Best Practices booklet I requested. WeAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1101669453114250342004-11-28T11:14:00.000-08:002004-11-28T11:17:33.166-08:00I Have Not Dropped Off The Face of the Earth
Although it feels like it. I am totally redesigning the class I've taught for 7 years to make it more interactive and in a workshop setting. I want a more hands-on approach. Also, redesigning my website and weblog while working on two major projects.
So, yes, I have been remiss in blogging and, no, I am not giving up. Once I get these things Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1100881934142610392004-11-19T08:21:00.000-08:002004-11-19T08:32:14.143-08:00The Price of Counsel
Arrogance and deceit are just a few words that seem to begin to describe the ongoing story out of "Lost Angeles" these days in the case of Fleishman-Hillard PR over charging for alleged services to the Department of Water and Power. Seems like a $4.3 millin over charge and doing favors for the current mayor Jim Hahn continue to darken the PR firm's door. Now comes word Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1100826473296136522004-11-18T16:41:00.000-08:002004-11-18T17:07:53.296-08:00Spam
I thought I had a spam problem with about 200 per day but think about Bill Gates who gets 4 million per day! He's got an entire department just sorting out his email and filtering the spam. It really is big pain in the derriere and points out how invasive new technology can be especially for marketing, and why it's getting more difficult to break through the defenses to reach someone withAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1100650859723088972004-11-16T15:42:00.000-08:002004-11-16T16:20:59.723-08:00Sorry Men
No, I'm not beating up on the man tribe, just relating an article I saw in this morning's local bugle about the game Sorry and a study Parker Brothers did to herald the 70th birthday of the board game. In fact, this week is National Sorry Week. According to the study that consisted of calling 1,020 men and women and asking ground breaking questions, here's how we look guys:Men are 15 %Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1100191843536491572004-11-11T08:42:00.000-08:002004-11-11T08:55:23.613-08:00
Remembering
86 years ago the guns fell silent in Europe, marking the end of WWI...but for the soldiers, sailors and airmen on all sides the war fragmented their lives forever. So it goes with WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, etc. Today I remember my comrades from the 903rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Vietnam 1967-68, and all the wounded we moved out of harm's way. Peace.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1100061138127032992004-11-09T20:31:00.000-08:002004-11-09T20:32:18.126-08:00Apologies
I am not up to writing much these days, very tired from all the traveling and my honey-do list. Back soon once my spirits pick up. Thanks for your patience. Alain
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1099605877039780342004-11-04T14:03:00.000-08:002004-11-04T14:04:37.040-08:00I'm Back...but writing a huge report for a client. And Blogger is not working well. I'll be back online in a day. Thanks for your patience. Alain
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1098792082233425452004-10-26T05:00:00.000-07:002004-10-26T05:01:22.233-07:00On The Road, Again
Won't be back until next week. Have a great marketing week! Alain
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1098302300145593562004-10-20T13:36:00.000-07:002004-10-20T12:58:20.146-07:00Yes, You Are A Brand!
Branding. Everyone in all industries are talking about branding as if it had just been discovered and as the latest marketing concept du jour. Seminars abound on the subject. The current marketing gurus write books on how to brand, etc. Somewhere in all the tumult and excitement to get on board, people seem to have forgotten that if their doors and websites are open for Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1098222607492987002004-10-19T14:23:00.000-07:002004-10-19T14:50:07.493-07:00Southern California Soggy Afternoon Thoughts
We are finally getting some rain here in paradise---good for fire fighters, but bad for the areas already denuded by last season's fires. So grabbing notes and articles I've saved. Bear with me.
Statistics that can scare you: America will spend an estimated $1.8 trillion on healthcare this year and $3.4 trillion by 2013. All that spending and we Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097964142902869112004-10-16T14:58:00.000-07:002004-10-16T15:02:22.903-07:00Absolute Must Site
Go to www.gapingvoid.com. Hugh MacLeod's world view places the world on an even keel for the first time in many a moon. His cartoons drawn on business cards hit the heart and soul and says what we all think but don't say. Excellent.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097683393505162682004-10-13T08:44:00.000-07:002004-10-13T09:44:05.036-07:00Marketing Driving Strategy
It is a marketer's dream to be the driving force of the business strategy. In healthcare I often see separate departments for business development, PR, and marketing. None of it makes sense as isn't the idea of marketing to build business? Another duh!
So this morning's searchcrm.com newsletter was heart warming and straight to the point: HP lets marketing direct Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097599760485133802004-10-12T09:23:00.000-07:002004-10-12T09:49:20.486-07:00The Power of Knowing Your Audience
Knowing where to get your message in front of your targeted audience is as important as the message. An example is a religious-based independent film "Woman Thou Art Loosed" about a woman who struggles with a legacy abuse, poverty and addiction. It was first shown in August in Atlanta at the Bronner Brothers Atlanta Hair Show---claiming to the world's largest Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097550554487638352004-10-11T16:49:00.000-07:002004-10-11T20:09:14.486-07:00Halloween: A Lesson For Marketers
marketingdriven.com jr. and I went for a long walk last evening and we noticed so many Halloween-decorated houses. My neighbors are going gaga on this, far more houses with orange pumpkin lights and ghosts than there are Christmas lights. Now instead of going out in the car to see the lights during the holidays, we're going to start going out to see the Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097339364985987702004-10-09T09:20:00.000-07:002004-10-09T09:29:24.986-07:00Curbside Service
Last night I saw an ad from Outback Steakhouse touting the new curbside service. It's an enhancement to take out except this way you don't even have to leave your car to pick up the goods, you park at a designated spot at the restaurant and they bring your order out to you. Another restaurant in our area, Johnny Carino's, also does that. What it really points out is that in thisAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097264284398064592004-10-08T11:46:00.000-07:002004-10-08T15:31:04.406-07:00New Concept of Team Leadership?
I do talk quite a bit about leadership on this blog because it's been my experience that this is what distinguishes a marketing driven company from the others. A fascinating article in the Wharton newsletter regarding a study of leadership and teamwork in a trauma unit in Baltimore, Maryland that treats more than 7,000 trauma patients per year. The article refers Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097172128448910112004-10-07T10:58:00.000-07:002004-10-07T11:02:08.446-07:00So You Want To Be An Entrepeneur
Log on here to see the 10 traits an entrepeneur needs to succeed. It's from BusinessWeek: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2004/sb2004104_2164_sb010.htm Besides the traits they list, it also helps to be resilient. I know that when I was made redundant by my old firm, giving up the big VP title, etc. that it was the best thing to have happened Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097170325324490762004-10-07T10:13:00.000-07:002004-10-07T10:32:05.323-07:00Kudos To USPS
Our part of California paradise is growing so fast that the postal service cannot keep up with demand for service, which means that when you have to mail a package or do any transactions there the lines are quite long. I dreaded going there yesterday but when I arrived and saw the usual lines, I was going to not even bother until I spied a new machine which allows you to weigh Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097117882120677042004-10-06T19:52:00.000-07:002004-10-06T19:58:02.120-07:00Another Creative Marketer
Just read about Scott, a marketer out of St. Louis, who has been wearing a name tag for the past 1435 days. He's been cited in numerous newspapers and CNN as an expert on name tags and he wears a name tage each day to generate conversations. Look him up @ www.hellomynameisscott.com. There's always more than one way to get the attention you want in order to build Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1097100578439857562004-10-06T14:36:00.000-07:002004-10-06T15:09:38.440-07:00What's In Your Wallet?
The guys who market Capital One credit cards are marketing driven if only in their persistence. They must spend a fortune in direct mailing and it must work given the volume of mail the marektingdriven.coms receive, even my erstwhile college senior with what I suspect should be a negative credit history. All to say that today came another deluge, one of an average of threeAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1096994810676901102004-10-05T09:39:00.000-07:002004-10-05T09:46:50.676-07:00Two Recommendations
CIO magazine has recently published a book of essays on leadership written by its columnists. While it's written for CIOs, the essays are cogent and applicable to all of us. I highly recommend you read it.
I also recommend you start reading CMO magazine, put out by the same folks that publish CIO. It's a good, thoughtful read for us marketers who sometimes feel like the Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1096947176085753372004-10-04T20:24:00.000-07:002004-10-04T20:32:56.086-07:00TV Bites The Dust?
Well, maybe not yet but it's clear that as more people take to the Internet the less they watch tv, which my mother told me once would rot my brain. An interesting report from the University of Southern California Annenberg School you should read about people and their relationship with the web. As marketers and communicators, we need to make sure we know what's going on outAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1096927895768445732004-10-04T15:08:00.000-07:002004-10-04T15:11:35.766-07:00Sometimes It Just Seems That Way!
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1096925867472909262004-10-04T14:23:00.000-07:002004-10-04T14:37:47.473-07:00Life Redux
Life magazine, the one magazine that graced our coffee table in the 50s and 60s as a kid, is back. I got the first issue as an insert in one of the local coastal newspapers I read. I don't know if it's going to be a hit or if it will replace Parade in your Sunday paper, but it's a bit of nostalgia for me...and it brings to mind that brands can also rise like the Phoenix. Does this Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1096923386975126382004-10-04T13:03:00.000-07:002004-10-04T13:56:26.976-07:00Marketing Is Process
And process is about details, the really hard part of marketing. I've just returned from a week on the Central Coast of California where the marketingdriven.coms have been regular visitors for years. One place where we always stay is the White Water Inn in Cambria, a bucolic little village not far from Hearst Castle. WW Inn is a great place where the surf sounds massage youAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1096073624148531372004-09-24T17:52:00.000-07:002004-09-24T17:53:44.150-07:00Offline Again
I'm taking a much needed week off with my family, going up the Central Coast to watch waves and not answer phones.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1095984024498261492004-09-23T15:27:00.000-07:002004-09-23T17:00:24.496-07:00The Power of PR
For many years many of us in marketing have been biased against PR, thinking it was really soft stuff while we did the heavy lifting, not recognizing the incredible value that PR brings to the marketing mix. I must admit I've been guilty of it myself. I've been tasked in the past to get publicity and to manage numerous media crisis forthe organizations I've worked for. What I Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1095807118558613552004-09-21T15:45:00.000-07:002004-09-21T15:51:58.560-07:00Leading The Questions
I have been immersed in reading the transcripts of four focus groups I moderated about three weeks ago, analyzing the trends and remembering each individual. I feel like I know these people by heart now. One disturbing thing was seeing how I sometimes lead the question and how that must influence the answer, which is why the guru I follow the most, Harry Beckwith, says to Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1095438586441463772004-09-17T09:17:00.000-07:002004-09-17T09:29:46.440-07:00Intrusions With Courtesy
I believe that marketing is in everything we do and a case in point is happening right outside the window of marketingdriven.com world headquarters, directly below my corner office (of course I have a corner office, after all I'm the prez.) Verizon is digging up our streets to update broadband capabilities and the noise from the machines and crews has been constant and Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1095370685485886092004-09-16T13:19:00.000-07:002004-09-16T14:38:05.486-07:00Resilience
A colleague and I have been discussing what makes a business successful in the face of incredible changes in the marketplace. We both agree that the difference we see in the companies we work with is the resilience of the CEO coupled with the ability to make things happen. We both coach leaders and her resilience theory has resonated in my thoughts for the past couple of days. It Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1095297744192563222004-09-15T17:19:00.000-07:002004-09-15T18:22:24.193-07:00To MBA or Not To MBA
In the past year or so, it seems that getting an MBA is not necessarily the passport to success, what with the diploma mills and everyone offering one. So here's a new growth industry, Homeland Security! Yes, folks you heard it here that this is a growth industry and now you can even get a degree in Homeland Security from places like Johns Hopkins. What does that tell us Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1095272530168287602004-09-15T11:18:00.000-07:002004-09-15T11:22:10.166-07:00Super Size That Wall
This just in to marketingdriven.com news desk that McDonald's is hiring a top graffiti crew, TATS CRU, to adorn their stores in the Latino part of the world with graffiti that will appeal to that market. Can't say they're not trying. Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1095271273209901512004-09-15T10:56:00.000-07:002004-09-15T11:01:13.210-07:00Waiting In Line
An article in this morning's LA Times about Kirk Kerkorian selling MGM to Sony. Besides the fact that he doesn't use limos and for years drove around in a Mercury station wagon and now drives a Jeep Grand Cherokee, it also noted that when one of his movies was released he'd wait in line to buy his ticket and experienced it as the audience did. Now that's a down on the ground Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1095218583364143352004-09-14T19:48:00.000-07:002004-09-14T20:23:03.366-07:00Where Were We?
Oh, yes, I was on the road to Albuquerque and all points of the marketing compass. Marketing is a part of life on a continual basis and a case in point is the cab driver who took me from the Albuquerque airport my hotel. He gave me a good overview of the changes in the city since I'd been there over 7 years ago, and his professionalism was exemplary. When I got to my destination, Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1094525758158640192004-09-06T19:54:00.000-07:002004-09-06T19:55:58.156-07:00On The Road Again
Greetings all...I am in Albuquerque and will not be back blogging until next week. Have a great week! Alain
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1094098846816648152004-09-01T21:02:00.000-07:002004-09-01T21:20:46.816-07:00Welcome Back To Your Neighborhood Bank
Imagine that your bank actually wanted you to stop by and have a cup of coffee and maybe start on a fruitful relationship. Okay, you can pinch yourself because it's happening every day. I've been a Bank of America customer since forever after they bought out the previous bank and I was "grandfathered in" as a customer. After all the years of cutting staff Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1094071522371892232004-09-01T13:32:00.000-07:002004-09-01T13:47:28.013-07:00Have A Mall Over
When they asked Willie Sutton, one of the world's greatest bank robbers, why he kept robbing banks, he said, "Because that's where the money is." Willie certainly knew his stuff and we can all take a lesson from him as marketers. We have to go where the customers are, and such is the concept of a company I just read about NUVO International Laser Skin Center, a company offering Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1093979398747858012004-09-01T11:27:00.000-07:002004-09-01T11:33:15.886-07:00Leading Inside The Box
We've all been here: "Okay, folks. I need you guys to think outside the box on this one." And the entire room quietly thinks, "Yeah, right. As if anyone could bring a new idea in here and not get chopped to pieces. Anyway, I'm so incredibly busy trying to keep my head above water. So what in hell does he mean about thinking outside the box?"
It's one of those "been there Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1093905284093854172004-08-30T15:01:00.000-07:002004-08-30T15:42:19.296-07:00A Magazine For Us...At Last!
Today is the launch of CMO Magazine, Chief Marketing Officer, offered by the same folks who put out an amazing product for Chief Information Officers, CIO and others. I highly recommend you check this out @ CMOmagazine.com!
Special thanks to Nathan Towne for turning me on to this. Check out Nathan's website @ www.xanaducommunications.com. More kudos for Nathan Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1093368069298680352004-08-24T10:16:00.000-07:002004-08-24T10:21:09.296-07:00On The Road Again
I have been immerse in a major project, which I am taking on the road today. I'll be blogging again on Friday. Have a great week...Alain
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092957914019490972004-08-19T16:03:00.000-07:002004-08-19T16:34:37.746-07:00Vote Early & Vote Often
The American Association of Advertising Agencies needs you to vote...No, not in the presidential election, but for your favorite product mascot such as the Pillsbury Doughboy or the AFLAC duck, et al. This is to immortalize the five vote getters out of a list of 24 during their September convention. You can vote @ http://promotions.yahoo.com/advertising. Do you think TheAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092843449712236692004-08-18T08:24:00.000-07:002004-08-18T08:39:03.786-07:00Timely Phone Call
A good friend, and marketingdriven.com aficionado, sent me this article on Cingular Wireless' new phone service "Escape-A-Date". While the strategy is not new to escape unwanted situations, I used to have my staff call me on my pager when I was in my usual boring meetings so I could either escape or stay depending on the value of the meeting. Anyway, Cingular has figured out Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092719057506897882004-08-16T21:51:00.000-07:002004-08-16T22:06:28.340-07:00The Biggest Barrier
It's late and I'm working on a presentation for a client on a topic I'm just learning about and it made me think about the biggest barrier to success: it's all in your mind. I know Dr. Norman Vincent Peale probably said it first, but it's true. I see CEOs who believe every day in what they do, but their people either don't or don't hard enough. As George Steinbrenner says, "Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092712303752591922004-08-16T19:47:00.000-07:002004-08-16T20:11:43.753-07:00Great Source
Guy Kawasaki has written a seminal manifesto about starting a start-up called, appropriately enough, The Art of The Start. I recommend you read it because it strikes at something that is often missing from business: heart. I'm not talking New Age crap, but meaningful purpose. God knows, we spend enough time at work to not believe that what we're doing is making some difference in Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092693957689919502004-08-16T14:56:00.000-07:002004-08-16T15:05:57.690-07:00Marketing Really Does Work!
Follow-up to the story of Todd Krampitz who advertised for a liver....he got it over the weekend. I wish him a fast and life enriching recovery. See marketing does work if the story is compelling enough. But as a healthcare marketer it's sad that someone has to to go those extremes to get the word out that there aren't enough donor organs to help save lives. Have youAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092438187698510302004-08-13T15:59:00.000-07:002004-08-13T17:03:46.966-07:00Rip Offs
This stat from the Federal Trade Commission as reported in this weeks BusinessWeek should be of concern to all marketers: The approximate number of adults who have been victims of consumer fraud in the past year is 25 million, or roughly 11% of the adult population. That makes our job as marketer all that much harder. Wow!
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092430811165415092004-08-13T13:54:00.000-07:002004-08-13T14:00:11.166-07:00It's About The "O"
Overstock.com has a unique positioning strategy: make buying overstocked and remaindered items like sex. Thus the "O" campaign aimed at women with a tongue-in-cheek message that when you come to the "O", well you know what I'm saying. Clever ad.
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092429863672297312004-08-13T13:31:00.000-07:002004-08-13T13:45:42.810-07:00Wal-Mart Strikes Again
I know everyone is beating on Wal-Mart, but once again the low-price leader is toppling another giant, Toys R'Us. TRU announced that it was selling its 1200 stores and getting out of the toy business. So it goes.
Wal-Mart is certainly an example of PR in action after being trounced here in our Golden State in trying to set a big box store in an economically deprived partAlainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092347819614561362004-08-12T14:34:00.000-07:002004-08-12T14:58:04.526-07:00Monkey See, Monkey Do
Interesting article in today's LA Times about DNA injections to the brain given to apparently careless and procrastinating monkeys that turned them from slackers to doers. The implications are huge for such diseases as Parkinson's, but my take is that we are learning more and more how the brain functions and in the future it looks like we will be able to alter brain Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092263399830346412004-08-11T15:23:00.000-07:002004-08-11T15:29:59.830-07:00Firewalls
Firewalls are great to keep the data thieves and other scum away from your important stuff, but it's not wise when they're ingrained in the communications process of a company. I don't know why I am always amazed at the number of clients who tell me they don't have access to company infomation that could be useful in making the entire enterprise work. How can that be? Any company Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092197984703576532004-08-10T21:08:00.000-07:002004-08-10T21:19:44.703-07:00More On Leadership
Several years ago I read an article by Peter Drucker: The First Action Required of Leadership. He advocates that leaders ask five basic questions: What is our mission?Who is our customer?What does the customer value?What are our results?What is our plan?Enough said. TTFN
Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829557.post-1092113771669928432004-08-09T21:48:00.000-07:002004-08-09T21:56:57.390-07:00Courage
The September issue of Fast Company is focusing on courage...it's one of the better issues they've done in a very long time. I especially found John McCain's essay profound, not because he's a Vietnam vet and a former POW, but because he's a man who has shown again and again that courage takes many forms. He's not afraid to speak his mind or to focus on an issue until it can't be beaten Alainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176542608981554396noreply@blogger.com