Why I chose Kindle over iPad

The main reason is because I’m a bookworm and mainly just want to read. I have to say the decision making process and search for information as a consumer, not a marketer was very fun!

I had been one of those old school “I really like real books” people until I went on vacation. Everyone at my resort had either the Kindle or iPad. My intrigue quickly turned into envy. They all loved their device and were eager to show me why. I even found a few people who had both! As I lugged my backpack with my three books through customs and the airport I became more serious in my quest.

Once home I posted on Facebook “Kindle or iPad…discuss” and wow did everyone weigh in! It was hilarious and informative but I was still torn.

I mainly wanted the device for reading…and Kindle was the clear choice. The challenge was that the iPad was so cool and did so many other things for just a few hundred more. iPad lovers insist the Kindle Ap is good enough and not a big deal.

I researched online, read reviews and watched videos.

The decision was made in the East Terminal at Lambert Airport on the way to Vegas. My family (mom, dad, sister, bro-in-law) was standing in a circle at the gate discussing the Kindle. I was annoyed because the book I brought for the flight was a big, hardback book. I was half-way through and it was very likely I would finish on the flight out. So of course, I brought a back-up book for the flight home. Both were heavy in my backpack.

I was trying to explain the Kindle to my dad and all of a sudden a hand holding a Kindle appears in the middle of our circle! A man overheard our conversation and surprised us with a free preview. Amazon would be thrilled to hear his sales pitch and product presentation. He demo’d all the features and sold me on the 3G version right there in the airport.

I’m happy to say that Santa got my letter and my Kindle arrived on Christmas morning. I’m already 73% through my first book! (American Assassin by Vince Flynn, love ALL his books!)

Now as a marketer, reflecting back on the search process it was an interesting combination of the brand websites, SEO for user reviews and blogs, social media for my friends' opinions and ultimately, the most convincing was 'Word of Mouth' from the very happy, loyal and excited brand ambassadors.

Merry Christmas Eve Benton Park

It's hard to argue that having a White Christmas is totally awesome! I took a walk today in Benton Park to have a few moments of appreciation for the snow and for having the day off to appreciate the snow.

There's something about the quiet during a snow...it's more peaceful than a non-snow day. With all the hub-bub of shopping and Christmas music, it's nice to slow down and have a few quiet moments in the park. No schedule. No dogs. No people. No music. Just me and my breath. ahhhhh.

Schnucks thinks I'm a shoplifter...Part 1

So a few weeks ago I bought (key word bought) a bottle of Jagermeister at Schnucks. Now, I don’t drink the Jagermeister so when I saw this bottle I thought it would make a really cool gift since it had this cute zippered coozie thing and a giant shot glass on top. I spent over $150 in groceries that day.

Since January I’ve spent over $700 at Schnucks. I spread my grocery shopping over Trader Joe’s (out where I work), Shop’n Save, Save-A-lot (two blocks from my house) and Vincent’s in Soulard. After this incident, Schnucks may be off the rotation.

I took the bottle to my friend’s house to wish her ‘Happy Birthday!’ And we go to open the bottle and realize the thing I thought was a giant shot glass was really some security measure that should have been removed by the checker before I left the store. Now I feel like a total jack @$$...embarrassed that I didn’t notice it wasn’t a shot glass.

Of course I offer to take the bottle back to Schnucks to get the cap removed. Luckily I went on a Saturday after my yoga class so I was very calm and centered. I take the bottle back to customer service and explain that I bought it as a gift, thought it was a shot glass etc. She asked if I had my receipt. I said no, I don’t save my grocery receipts, I never plan to return food. She said she can’t remove the cap without the receipt.

Now I’m sure that the loss from shoplifting can be significant on a retail store. And clearly the cap is there to deter the stealing. The customer service rep defended the checkers and said they are trained to remove the caps…as if they are 100% perfec t and would never ever miss a bottle. In my mind I’m thinking that 1) she doesn’t believe that I bought this and thinks I’m a shoplifter and 2) she’s not empowered to make a judgment call, even if she did believe me and remove the cap.

What made matters worse, was a typed and laminated card taped next to the customer service window talking about how grateful Schnucks is for their customers, they exist to serve us, blah blah blah. It wasn't an official branded communication from the corporate office. It was typed on a note card, laminated and taped to the window...well-intentioned, but amateur. And I wasn't on the receiving end of that proposed level of customer appreciation.

I figure out that I made the purchase on October 30th and that I spent around $150. She runs the transactions for the day to see how many were approximately that amount. She calls someone and is on the phone for a few minutes. The longer I stand there, the more embarrassed I get.

Finally she comes back and says that IT does not have enough time to run all the detailed receipts. I either need to find the original receipt or bring in my credit card statement and she can find the transaction.

You know that nervous feeling of embarrassment where you feel like you’re going to cry? Well, that’s how I felt. I just bit my tongue and left.

I am confident they will remove the security cap when I bring in my credit card bill with the exact amount. I’m very curious to see if they will apologize for the embarrassment and inconvenience. Stay tuned…

know when to quit

I recently discovered my love of snorkel and my fear of scuba. I went to a Club Med resort for a week of all-inclusive beach fun. I had researched local options for scuba certification but I didn't want to give up two full weekends. It made sense to try it in some of the most beautiful waters in the world.

I went to the first classroom class, passed the first written test and got to the first set of pool skills. As soon as I put my face in the water to breathe through the regulator, it felt so foreign to me, I immediately felt anxiety. I couldn't imagine breathing like that in the deep end of the pool, much less 40 feet below the ocean surface!

I tried to relax and just breathe. The exhale was just to much of an effort and too weird and scarey. I knelt down and performed the skills: filled my mask up with water and cleared it; took my regulator out of my mouth, continued to exhale, then put it back in; and pretended to be out of air, used my buddy's extra regulator and gave the 'thumbs up' sign to go to the surface.

When we stood up I said "I think I need to quit." I had to trust my gut. Scuba just wasn't my thing. Even though it would have been cool to sky dive and get scuba certified in the same year, I was scared and didn't want to do it! So I quit and spent the rest of the week snorkelly and loving it!

I think it was a good lesson to both listen to and trust my gut. Whether it's that little voice that speaks to you as you leave for work that you forgot your lunch or that gut feeling to go for it and pitch that new idea at work, or call that special person and ask them out for a date! Listen to and trust your gut.

Green Pinkie?

Yes, I am growing grass from seed. A few weeks ago I did the “Weed Be Gone” to kill the giant patch of crabgrass that had taken over my backyard. Once the crabgrass was dead I dug it up with one of my Cutco knives. I have to say, digging up the weeds was very therapeutic, a weird metaphor for weeding the negativity in life. And now, growing grass from seed…planting more thoughts of positivity and possibility. Feels good.

BrandManageCamp

Remember going to summer camp as a kid? How it got you away from your regular friends, the same TV shows, the same board games? You spent more time outside, tried things like archery, canoeing, arts and crafts. You made new friends, kept the old, some were silver, the others…gold.

Well, it’s funny, BrandManage Camp had a similar affect but from a marketing perspective. It got me to consider ideas outside the walls of my office, the parameters of my brand, and the idiosyncracies of the MLM industry.

Here are a few of the highlights:

David Meerman Scott, Real-time Marketing and PR
This guy was my favorite. I bought two of his books. It was 100% relevant because of the impact of social media and how easy it is for consumers to get their voices heard…and how easy it is for a brand to ignore their consumers and get thrown under the virtual bus! He suggested you appoint a Chief Real Time Officer, in charge of Now. Love it! Quick example, when Paris Hilton got caught with drugs in Vegas recently, the Wynn hotel followed with a press release banning her from their property (in real time). For the minimal cost of the press release they received over 5,000 hits and press pick ups!

My second favorite fella was Jeffrey Hayzlett, former CMO of Kodak, seen on Celebrity Apprentice. He gave real-life examples of successes and failures from his days at Kodak. He empowered all marketers in the room to ‘cause tension’…as marketers we are here to be change agents. He shared the Kodak value prop statement:

Only Kodak creates emotional technology that makes it easier to make, manage and move images and information so people can strengthen relationships.

Love the higher good, the higher purpose of the brand.

Dr. Neale Martin’s topic was “The Force of Habit: The New World of Consumer Behavior.” Think about it, how many of the items you buy at the grocery store are simply because of habit, not because of brand loyalty. I grew up with Karo syrup on my panny cakes. Mrs. Butterworths may taste better and have a higher percentage of unaided brand awareness blah blah blah. My habit and my choice is Karo.

I love a good marketing conference that gives you new perspectives and re-energizes what could be. Good times.

Why join the AMA?

Do you love or at least enjoy marketing? Do you read articles, blogs and books about marketing? Do you attend webinars and conferences about marketing? Do you enjoy networking with other marketers? Do you need new and fresh ideas to keep your marketing current? If any of this applies to you, you should join the American Marketing Association (AMA).

Monthly luncheons: The St. Louis Chapter of the AMA sponsors these. They offer current, relevant and interesting topics; speakers who can hold your attention; lively networking conversations and delicious lunch from Maggiano’s Little Italy. (Yesterday we heard from Richard Daniels and Seth Burgett of Yurbuds…the 9th most promising company as noted by Forbes Magazine.)

Free webinars: In the last two weeks, I attended a webinar on SEO and Social Media Marketing to Women. I frequently bring my lunch to work anyway, so I shut my door, log on, listen and learn.

Free virtual conferences: In June I attended the AMA Virtual Conference on Marketing Research. What a jackpot this was! Two of the sessions I attended (basically webinars) were completely relevant to a major initiative I am working on in my current position. These presentations were ‘live conference’ quality with well-established speakers.

I downloaded the slides from one presentation on global consumer trends and presented it to the team of executives working on our branding. This was the kind of secondary research you would pay more than the AMA membership fee, just for that one study.

After one session, we were invited to visit a virtual networking area. The first 60 visitors would receive a free copy of the speaker’s book. A $30 value, for free…more adding to the ROI of my AMA membership fee! (Once I finish the book, you will see me blog about it!)

Free content: At marketingpower.com, the official website of the American Marketing Association. White papers, best practices, newsletters, journals, magazines etc.

In just a few short months I feel like I have more than paid for the membership fee through these value-added items above. The new knowledge and content is making me more successful with my work and re-energizing my love of marketing.

Stepping out of your comfort zone

A year ago when I started my new job I had no idea how many new experiences were in store for me. The craziest, most exhilarating one to date was speaking on stage at our international conference to a crowd of 2,500 people.

The topic was our sports sponsorship and healthy living initiative. Along with my team, I was involved in setting the strategy and the launch of the program so it was an exciting and familiar topic. My name was suggested to lead the segment during a meeting that occurred without me! Ha! When I found out I was both horrified and flattered.

I’ve given marketing presentations to groups of 10 to 150 people. I’ve done community theater and mystery dinner shows to audiences of 100-200 people. I was very nervous and did not sleep the night before . This was completely out of my comfort zone. And while I did not ask for the microphone, it was an incomparable adrenalin rush and personal test.

I’m very grateful to have found this position that challenges me to grow as a person, a marketer and business woman while allowing me to show my personality and acrobatic skills. Did I mention I exited the stage after successfully completing a wicked cartwheel?

Note: I have to credit my art director/photographer, Amie Schilson, on this photo that makes me really look like I know what I'm doing!

Networking for professionals in transition

Last night the St. Louis chapter of the American Marketing Association held a speed networking event. In a little over an hour I met about 30 people, roughly half of which were in transition. Having been in their position a year and a half ago, I want to help them in any way I can. I actually enjoy networking. I love meeting new people, hearing about their background, company, expertise and their own story.

My first question to a professional in transition is “What do you want to do?” You would be surprised how many people don’t have a clear answer and are in the grey area of “I’m not really sure” which translates to the helpless feeling of “I just want a job.” Not to discount the frightening feeling of being unemployed, but just because you are in transition, doesn’t mean you have to settle and just find a job…this can be an opportunity for you to find the job doing what you really, really want to do.

My advice is to take the time to do your own introspection…and really think about what your ideal professional position would be. Write it down. This is a huge opportunity. Describe your ideal industry, company, culture, boss, colleagues, team, position, responsibilities, location, salary etc. What do you want? This may be the opportunity for you to finally get it. Why not?

So you get to a networking event and meet someone like me who really wants to help you, now what. When you describe your ideal job, I will do my best to connect you with people in my network at the companies on your list, or with people who work in your target industry, or who have the kind of position you are seeking. That’s a much more efficient use of your networking time, getting you closer to your ideal position.

You don’t have to settle but you do have to know what you want. And I want to help you get it.

Note: I am a board member of the St. Louis Chapter of the AMA. I highly recommend joining. You will meet smart, connected people and have access to exclusive content (webinars, virtual conferences, white papers) via the national AMA website marketingpower.com. Well worth the investment. Our next luncheon event is September 16 at Maggiano's by the Galleria. See you there.

Eat Pray Love

I’ve read the book twice and saw the movie last night. Loved it. Love the idea. It’s so easy to get stuck in your routine of life and lose yourself. Go to work, pay your bills, eat at the same restaurants, shop at the same stores, drive the same streets.

Not everyone can afford to take a year off and explore like Liz did. Skip the salmon and splurge on the carbonara; try a new bottle of Italian wine; have a conversation with a total stranger; sprinkle a new topping on your popcorn at the movies; buy a painting from a local artist; take a different path when you walk your dog; leave a waiter a $5 tip on a $7 bill; eat a hand-made lavender truffle from a local chocolate shop (kakao at Shenandoah and Jefferson); stop in to see your niece and nephew just to give them a hug.

So that was my weekend, how was yours?

Lap lane protocol

I love swimming laps at my local YMCA. It’s a gorgeous new facility with three lap lanes.

Swimming doesn’t feel like exercise to me. It’s so peaceful under the water; quiet, clear and a great place to think. I get into a zone, I think similar to runners where your body just takes over and you don’t have to think about it.

So what about the lap lane protocol? Let’s compare to the indoor track. If you saw someone running (not jogging) around the track at a quick pace, would you walk right in front of them and either just stand and stretch or walk at a leisurely pace? No? Me neither. But somehow in the pool, people lose their common sense and are not present in their surroundings.

Recently I was in the pool and swimming sprints—-swimming a lap as hard and fast as I could to elevate my heart rate and challenge my endurance. I was in the lane that opens to the rest of the shallow pool and a woman walked into my lane. I had my head down, only looking a foot or so in front of me so I almost barreled right into her. She was standing there, stretching, looking around oblivious to me.

I don’t know if this was a lesson from the universe to slow down and take an extra breath or a lesson to be more present and aware of the world around you. At that point, I just turned around and got back into my underwater zone.

Good Morning Riverview Ranch

Camping this weekend in Bourbon, MO at Riverview Ranch. Glorious weather, gorgeous scenery, breathtaking night sky with more stars than I've seen in forever.

No service on blackberry, so truly a weekend getaway with zero technology. Finished a book, wrote in my journal, sudoko'd, sat in the river, stared at the fire, laughed with my neighbors, recharged. Deep inhale, deep exhale.

Marketing and IT BFFs?

Yes, I said Marketing and IT. Really.

With any website or CRM program that has to integrate with a legacy billing system, marketing and IT have to work together and it’s much more fun if you can enjoy the experience. Dealing with data is an exact science. Dealing with data from an old, legacy billing system that was never designed to display the data or use it for customization of any kind, is a big hairy beast of a project that requires patience and collaboration from both Marketing and IT.

I’ve spent much of my career specializing in database marketing strategies. This means I’ve spent hours and hours working with IT and learning about select criteria, data pulls, file layouts, look-up tables, queries, API’s etc. I actually enjoy it. Most data problems are just logic puzzles…kind of like Sudoku. In the words of the very wise Weird Al Yankovic, I’m white and nerdy!

In my current position, one of my biggest projects is managing our replicating websites and shopping cart. I spend alot of my time with the Director of IT. We bonded from day one. He ‘covered’ for me on this project while I was on vacation. How often does IT cover for Marketing?

So yes, the Directors of Marketing and IT are BFFs…he loves soccer, Netherlands is his favorite non-US team, he has a spreadsheet charting all the winners of Survivor, and he drinks Jack and Coke.

Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea
One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time…by Greg Mortenson

I saw Greg speak at Powell Hall as part of the St. Louis Speaker Series (through Maryville University). His talk was incredibly moving . He’s proof that any one person can truly make a difference in the world. He’s building schools for children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with a special focus on the education of girls. His philosophy is that if you educate the people, they are less likely to be recruited by the terrorists. If you educate the girls, they will pay it forward and educate their families.

I’m not a good enough writer to do the book justice so here are a few quotes and excerpts to inspire you.

“Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we drink three cups to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything—even die.” Haji Ali, Korphe Village Chief, Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan.

“Uzra (a teacher in one of Gregg’s schools) smiled broadly for the first time since Mortensen met her, and as she freed herself from her burkha, he was struck by how beautiful she still was at fifty despite the hardships she’d endured. ‘We women of Afghanistan see the light through education,’ Uzra replied. ‘Not through this or that hole in a piece of cloth.’”

Quote from a village leader at the opening of a school: “Today is the day that you children will remember forever and tell your children and grandchildren. Today, from the darkness of illiteracy, the light of education shines bright.” …”I request America to look into our hearts and see that the great majority of us are not terrorists, but good and simple people.”

Quote from Greg on the village leader‘s speech: “ I wish all the Americans who think Muslim is just another way of saying ‘terrorist’ could have been there that day. The true core tenants of Islam are justice, tolerance and charity.”

ps I also recommend the St. Louis Speaker Series (stlouisspeakerseries.org)

Bring your inner child to work day.

I recently brought in ice cream sandwiches to work. Wow, was I rock star! It was a ‘spur of the moment’ thing at Walgreens…a hot Friday afternoon at the beginning of the summer...everyone has been working so hard…I thought it would be fun. I even brought low-calorie fruit juice bars and fudge bars for anyone watching their weight. Out of 18 people, only 2 chose the low-cal treat.

Everyone’s inner child peeked out of their office and gave me a big toothy smile. You could hear giggles and energy and chit chat. It was great.

Then we started a funny conversation about kid stuff: Quisp and King Vitamin cereal, Johnny Sako, Ultraman, Isis, Mr. Patches, Romper Room (with Miss Lois) and DB’s Delight quiz show. I can tell you I was very productive the rest of the day and those conversations triggered my creativity. Every day should be “Bring your inner child to work day.” Sometimes she needs to color quietly in the corner. Sometimes she needs to skip down the hall or do the hula hoop in the board room.

Are vanity numbers broken now?

You know what I’m talking about—Call 1-800-Steemer® (Stanley Steemer). The S on my home phone (yes I still have a land line) is on the 7 button. The S on my blackberry is on a button with the letter A and the question mark. So now what? How do I call Stanley Steemer from my blackberry if they only promote the vanity number?

This issue came up on vacation when I was trying to schedule my sky dive and the phone # was something like 800-SKY-DIVE and I couldn’t figure it out on my blackberry…it got me thinking…

So I asked a self-proclaimed blackberry expert at work. He said you can hold down the ALT button while you dial and the phone will figure it out. What about all the other people who haven’t figured it out yet? Or never do?

You have to promote the vanity number with the numeric translation. Seems random (hence the name of the blog) and silly to worry about but the sky dive place was lucky I had a land line to translate. They would have lost several hundred dollars in revenue. Imagine that happening over and over every day. Now it’s not so random, huh?

I LUV Southwest Airlines!

And not just because bags fly free. I rarely check luggage. I love everything about their customer experience, how marketing supports it and how their employees deliver it.

For my vacation to Orlando I booked my air on their website. A few days later I received an e-mail about my upcoming trip with suggestions to book a hotel, rental car or park tickets. How polite and helpful! The offer on the car included 4X points so I booked it. A few days before my trip I received an e-mail promoting their early bird check-in for $10 each way. I booked it. Two timely and relevant e-mails and I converted on both…over $200 in additional revenue from two e-mails that cost pennies.

I can’t imagine how long it took IT and Marketing to integrate the reservation system with the CRM program but it was well worth it. I wonder if everyone in the offices wears khakis and tennis shoes too.

The employees at the gate and on the plane were, as usual, super friendly, helpful and upbeat. Of course the flight was filled with families with young children heading to Disney World; infrequent fliers who don’t know to check-in early on-line, who over pack so their carry-ons are huge and they want their group of 4-6 to all be seated together as they board in Group C. But somehow, through the help of the employees and through their friendly instructional announcements, everyone gets seated and we depart from the gate early!

Of course you have to love the free in-flight snacks. Then when we get to the gate, the captain sings a song. HUH-larious. The bags quickly show up at the correct carousel. (Are you picturing the baggage guys with the “bags fly free” letters painted on their stomachs like football fans? LUV it!)

Awesome customer experience all around.

PS photo from the Southwest Facebook Fan page submitted by Susan Norris Smith. “Even Mr. Bubble flys Southwest Airlines.”

I jumped out of a plane at 18,000 feet?

I can’t explain the rationale. It’s not something I’ve been thinking about for years and years. It had always been an idea but I was not on a mission to do this.

I booked this vacation a year ago. Three other people were supposed to join me and their plans changed. So when it became a solo vacation, I had to change my expectations. My main focus was to relax, recharge, read, meditate and have more of a New Agey trip.

Then I made a list of other things that I might want to do, if I was in the mood. Skydiving was one of those. I booked the trip on Monday and jumped Tuesday. I had a bizarre sense of calm about it. I was excited by not too nervous. I slept fine.

Got to the place early and started filling out all the paperwork, waivers etc. that say you might get hurt or die and you can’t sue, your family can’t sue and neither can your dog. As I scanned the 12 pages, I could feel the butterflies starting.

It was overcast so we had to wait until clouds cleared. Then it rained. Then we had to wait for more clouds to clear. I showed up for my 9am appointment and we didn’t jump until after 1pm. That was the worst part!

It only took about 10 minutes to get to the 18,000 feet. There were 12 of us crammed into the plan plus the pilot. Each jumper was strapped to their tandem expert plus each jumper had an extra videographer.

I was next to the ‘door’ so I was first out. The air was cold and it was really windy. My tandem guy, Junior, and I shuffled/scooted from our bench to the opening. My heart was racing and I kept thinking to make sure and smile for the video, to look all around and make sure I enjoyed the ride.

It wasn’t so much a jump but a lean forward out the door and put my knees back. The front flip exit I suspected was later confirmed on my video. It was a total rush of air, extreme adrenalin and emotion as we free-falled for a minute and a half. It was literally breathtaking—I could hardly breathe. The wind and air was rushing by so fast it was hard to get a decent inhale. I could feel my face and lips flapping and I just tried to stay calm and get my breath. I made sure to smile at the camera and look all around.

Once Junior pulled the shoot it became much more of a Zen experience, just floating in the air, looking at the ocean, the Space Center and taking it all in. The earth is stunning from up there!

I think we floated down for maybe six or seven minutes. It was very peaceful and smooth. Junior steered very well and the landing was a piece of cake. Once we were detached and I was standing on my own I felt very tingly, dazed and light-headed. I felt a little stunned and it was hard to walk back to the hangar.

I think part of what kept me somewhat calm was the crew. My videographer has jumped over 3,500 times. Junior has jumped over 13,000 times. And one of the other tandem guys has jumped over 19,000 times. With that kind of result data, I felt reasonably sane in my crazy decision to sky dive.

I see you

I caught a few minutes of Titanic the other day and heard Jack say to Rose “I see you.” It was early in the movie in a scene on deck when Rose was looking at Jack’s drawings. She said “You really see people don’t you?” and he replied “I see you.” I loved that from AVATAR and had no idea it was repeated from Titanic.

The concept is really powerful. How often do you really see the people around you? Are you really present in your conversations with friends and family? Do you really hear what they are saying? Can you see the fear or hope in their eyes? Or are you thinking about your response to their argument? Or a funny story you want to tell? Or how you're too busy for this conversation? Do you see an arrogant, condescending business woman or a scared little child with low self-esteem?

How often do you get introduced to someone new and two seconds later you have no idea what there name is?...and you are still talking to them! This is something I’m really working on. I repeat their name three times in my head to try to help.

And from a marketing perspective, how many companies really see their customers? I can’t tell you how much junk mail I get addressed to “Current Resident.” Really? You care so much about selling me your product but you haven’t even learned my name? I love Seth Godin’s analogy about how selling is like dating. You can’t ask someone to marry you the first time you meet them. You have to build the relationship. Are you really asking me to marry you and you don’t even know my name? Really?

ps can you guess whose eyes are above?

Kickball, Cinqo de Mayo, Roller Derby

I had an unusually eclectic mix of social activities on Saturday. My kickball team managed to win both of our games this weekend. Actually these were our first two wins ever. Last year we had a perfect season…all losses. So needless to say we were thrilled!

For lunch I walked from my home to Cherokee Street with several friends. There was a street festival celebrating Cinqo de Mayo. They had authentic Mexican food (photo above), music and dancing. If anyone in St. Louis thinks they like El Maguey, Arcelia’s, or Chimchanga’s, you will love love love the Mexican restaurants on Cherokee. Run don’t walk.

Saturday night was spent watching the M-80’s take on the the Smashinistas in St. Louis’ first all female flat track derby league the Arch Rivals. http://www.archrivalrollergirls.com/ Campy, family fun for only $10 to watch Downtown Dallas and Ana Warpath battle it out to be lead jammer.

So how in the world did I find out about these events? Word of Mouth (WOM): I saw Seth Godin speak on this at a marketing conference a few years ago. He talked about how powerful it can be to drive your business, but how it’s difficult for a brand to generate. It has to be authentic. My Saturday schedule is a perfect example of how WOM captured both some of my discretionary income and time.

A friend invited me to play in the kick ball league using an old fashioned method of a verbal conversation, using complete words and sentences in a live, face-to-face conversation! I found the street festival in my Facebook Newsfeed when one of my FB Friends “liked” it. A friend invited me to the roller derby using the FB messaging function. Technology or not, WOM captured my dollars. Pretty cool.

Funerals are the new Facebook

Well…not exactly. But, wow, what a surprising way to reconnect and make new connections with family and friends.

My Grandma Scherting died recently. She was 90 ½ and lived a long, active life; moved from her own apartment to hospice; five generations (that means great, great grand kids!) so she was loved dearly by many and leaves quite a legacy!

In an odd way, I really enjoyed the visitation at the funeral home. It’s funny how you can go years and months and not see certain family members or old friends. But an obituary appears online, priorities change and you’re seeing people you haven’t seen in ages. It’s an unanticipated gift from your departed loved one... all the connections across the pods of friends and family lines.

• My grandma and her friends were frequent patrons of the Family Musical Theater, the community theater group I did ‘Anything Goes’ with a few summers ago. So her friends recognized my friends who are in all of the shows!

• The daughter of one of my mom’s friends lives next door to my boss.

• My Aunt Lucille lives two doors down from one of my Grandma’s ‘bummin’ buddies

• I know my cousin’s ex-step-daughter through the restaurant “Three Monkeys”

• A lady I used to babysit for grew up in Benton Park (the neighborhood where I currently reside)

• This same lady is taking my old wooden doll bunk beds for her grand kids.

• The priest who said the funeral mass taught me 3rd grade religion class. (When we acted up in class, he sent us to ‘Crooksville,’ a note he mentioned in the homily!)

• My dad sat down with me and one of my closest friends from high-school and she says “I met Mr. Scherting in 1980! Oh my gosh, we’ve known each other for 30 years!”

• We went to Pietro’s after the burial for a family luncheon/reception. My mom’s cousin is the head chef (Aunt Lucille’s son) and his wife waited on us. It turns out my co-worker/work BFF also grew up going to Pietro’s. Small world.

Random reminders of what you have to be grateful for during your time here on earth…real life connections with people that make life special. And Grandma Scherting was at the center of all of this.


In memory of
Mrs. Katherine J. Scherting
Born: August 15, 1919
Died: April 30, 2010

Pixie Stix and 5 Senses of Your Brand

I went back to my high school for alumnae night at the musical (High school version of “Grease”… no Rizzo did not have a ‘bun in the oven’ and no ‘There are worst things I could do’). I graduated 25+ years ago, and the place still smells the same! It took me back to the early 80’s of cheerleading, research papers and plaid skirts! I doubt this is a conscious branding effort by the nuns but it made me think about customer experience and how people can engage with your brand through all of their senses. This is not a new concept but it’s on my mind with refreshing our brand at work.

Smell: I saw Steve Wynn speak at a marketing conference a few years ago, and he said this was definitely a factor when designing the brand experience for his resorts and casinos. My family frequently visits Las Vegas and we ALWAYS stay at the Mirage (yes, we are the Griswalds). The Mirage was one of his first ventures on the strip. When you walk into any entrance, you immediately smell the tropical air and get a relaxing, ‘vacationy’ vibe. Even after they renovated, the smell stayed the same.

Hear: How many people can mimic the three-belled NBC chime? Or combining music and lyrics in the new Subway $5 Footlong song! Has that ever gotten stuck in your head and you find yourself singing it like karaoke? The next time you’re trying to figure out what to have for lunch, that song leads you to a $5 footlong Sub Club on wheat with lettuce, tomato, onion, green pepper, spinach, S&P, oregano and vinegar no oil.

Touch: Remember Pixie Stix? Those awesome paper straws filled with flavored sugar? I bet if you were blindfolded and someone placed a pixie in your hand, you would be able to identify it by touch…both the little single servings, or the gi-normous plastic version ! Or think about the difference in the paper stock of Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. Somebody chose that paper for a reason. Wouldn't that be an exciting job?

Taste: Can anyone tell the difference in taste between Dasani, Dannon, Poland Springs, Evian and FUJI water? I bet you can tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi. What about Skippy and Jiff?

See: Simply said, if you drove by a restaurant that looked like a McDonald’s but the arches were purple, would your kids eat there?

Goal for 2010: Check

So I set the Go St. Louis 5k as a goal for 2010. Growing up I was a gymnast, dancer and swimmer. I never did anything that required running any distance… no soccer, no track, zero running. In high school we did the presidential physical fitness award. The only task I had to redo was, of course, the mile run.

About 10 years ago I did a 3k. I remember hearing someone behind me running flatfooted. As they began to pass me I noticed it was a little girl, maybe 8 years old, wearing purple Keds and pink glittery socks. Yes, she and her father passed me and finished the race ahead of me.

I’ve been run/walking and swimming at my local YMCA. I’ve also been taking yoga to improve my strength, flexibility and balance. Every morning I look at my vision board and see the goal of the Go St. Louis 5k. That's really kept me focused.

The race was this past Saturday and an absolutely glorious day! I started the race with all my co-workers who are seasoned runners. I quickly realized I could not keep up with their pace so I dropped back. No Ipod, no friends, just me and 3.1 miles in Forest Park. Running on asphalt and up and down hills is extremely different from a flat, indoor, padded track! My goal was to finish under 45 minutes. My official time was 44:40! If you’re into numerology: I was in the 40-44division, I’m 44 and my time was 44:40…let me know what that means!

The photo above is at the finish line, surprisingly athletic looking! That was taken right before I crossed the finish line. I ran/walked throughout the race but was definitely running when I finished! Feels gratifying to have set a lofty goal, work hard and actually finish the race running much more than I walked! Of course my body is still aching two days later, but now I’m thinking about what my next big athletic goal for 2010 will be… What’s yours?

Resume tips from a hiring manager

We are hiring several people into our marketing department. I received a large pile of resumes (50+) from the postings on Monster for an Internet Marketing Specialist. Having been laid off last year, I realize that each resume represents a person who may also be laid off and is looking for that next great opportunity. I have a lot of empathy for their situation and I want to give them the same respect I hoped for when applying online.

Wow, do people need help! Marketing experts applying for marketing jobs are failing miserably at effectively marketing themselves. So from the perspective of a hiring manager, here are a few resume tips:

How do you stand out? If you apply online through a service like Monster, your resume will be one of potentially hundreds of resumes received. The photo on this post shows the actual pile of resumes I received from one posting.

How do you scan? I’m looking for candidates with very specific skill sets. The first thing I did was scan the cover letters and resumes looking for candidates with my specific skill sets. Those key words were clearly identified in the job descriptions. Most resumes don’t have those skills or failed to use the obvious key words.

Does your resume deliver the job description? I repeat, I am looking for candidates with very specific skill sets. These were clearly identified in the job description.

• Just like you customize your marketing messages to your target audience, you should customize your resume for the position to which you are applying. I’m not saying you need to completely redo your resume. Simply highlight your skills that relate directly to the job description; use the same key words; some postings are scanned by a computer before they make it to a live human being.


• Rather than apply to 50 online jobs with a generic resume, apply for the 10 that are a good fit and take the time to customize your resume for each one. Why would a lawyer with 20 years of legal experience apply for an Internet marketing job where we only ask for 5-7 years experience. Don't waste your time.

Is your resume easy to read? Start with a brief summary not a giant paragraph. Think about how hard it is to read full paragraphs that stretch the full width of the paper (and don’t forget it’s being read with 50 others!). The reader gets fatigue if it’s too difficult to go from line to line.

• The font you choose isn’t going to make you stand out—the content of your resume will. Don’t use the funky or artsy fonts and please don’t go all caps on the entire resume.


• Spacing, indenting, bold, italics, underline and all caps: all helpful if used properly and consistently. E.g. company name: bold, underline all caps; title: bold; job description: italics.


• Typos? Blank, floating bullets? Really?

What's in it for me (the hiring manager)? Don’t just give me a laundry list of the tasks you did; what was the result?

• Be careful with generic phrases like “managed marketing projects.” What does that really tell the reader? What kind of projects? What were the results? How did it benefit the organization?

I want you to put your best foot forward. You might be the perfect candidate for this job but your resume doesn’t tell me that. Good luck.

Product Placement

One of my favorite shows ended a fabulous and exciting season this week. Burn Notice rocks! Lots of crazy action, explosions and of course, a cliff hanger. A really cool scene included two of the characters crashing a new car into the living room of a guy who built a bomb.

Before the show, they announced the finale was ‘presented by the Hyundai Genesis Coupe’ so I didn’t mind the obvious product placement. The show is really campy, part of it appeal. The way they wrote the car into the show was obvious campy and fun. Hyundai also had a few regular commercials during the show and had been sponsoring an interactive, online game. Fun, smart, integrated marketing campaign. Props!

The opposite of this would be the completely annoying red carpet show. Ridiculously over-paid zillionaire actors, getting free stuff by ‘plugging’ the designers. Both E! and ABC are turning into QVC for Michael Kors, Gucci, Jimmy Choo blah blah blah! Embarrassing.

Cure for the common cold

Can’t someone discover a cure for the common cold? I’m so sick of blowing my nose and coughing. It’s going on two weeks. In the last two weeks I’ve spent who knows how much money on Sudafed, Robitussin, Cold Calm, Kleenex, Mucinex, Diet Sprite, EmergenC, Alleve, Afrin and generic Tylenol and Vapor Rub. I'm wearing out the neti pot!

I think the ‘cold symptom industry’ is a racket against a cure. Come on, people go through cancer treatment and live a long healthy life cancer free, why can’t they cure a cold? Think about it. If they come up with a vaccine, that eliminates a whole aisle at Walgreens. All those scientists, package designers, box suppliers, and marketers would be out of a job. Huh. And how much is spent on advertising? Can “this economy” take another hit? Probably not. So we’re stuck fighting the mucus. Uggh.

Everybody cut, everybody cut...

Have you seen the commercial for the crazy new toe-nail clipper with a light and magnifying glass? The Sure Clip commercial is hilarious and so is the product. I wish I could have been in the product development brainstorming session when they came up with the idea.

“What problems are we trying to solve?”

Problem: “I hate it when I clip my toenails and the clippings hit me in the face or go flying onto my friends!”

Solution: “How about we add a clipping caddie? It will store all the clippings, eliminate the mess and people can easily recycle if they want!”

Problem: “When I clip my toenails, I can’t really see the toe jam with the angle of my hammer toe.”

Solution: “Why don’t we add a magnifying glass?”

Problem: “It’s really hard to see when I clip my nails in the movie theater or on an overnight flight.”

Solution: “Why don’t we add a light to the magnifier?”

Awesome!

So last night I’m at a work party at Sky Lounge listening to the band, “Vote for Pedro” an 80’s-90’s cover band. The TV next to the stage is tuned to ESPN Sports Center (target audience: sport junkies afraid to get a pedicure)…and the commercial comes on while the band is playing “Footloose” featuring the lyrics “everybody cut, everybody cut.” Are you kidding me?! Priceless.

A night without TV...

Gasp! Shocking I know. Just the thought. But it happened in the Scherting household!

Monday night, I walked the dogs, a friend stopped by to bring me some Delicious tortilla soup (yum, thank you Fern!) and I went to the gym. Came home around 8:30 and thought to myself, let’s try a night without TV!

I’ve been pondering the idea for awhile. Now I love the water cooler chat over why Russell should have won Survivor. I love the witty banter of my favorite Monday night nerds on Big Bang Theory. I love comparing episodes of the Office to real work-life with my co-workers. A night without TV is blasphemy!

I didn’t stop there! No music, no Internet. It was just quiet time with some old magazines from 2007, working on my new vision board…cutting out words, phrases and pictures. Thinking about what I want this year. (btw, 2010 It’s All About Me!)

So you are a marketer, how do you get your messages to me? No TV, no radio, not online. Hmm. Magazines were out-of-date. The database marketer in me says direct mail! I was actually cutting up some mail pieces and catalogs. With everyone relying on e-mail, e-newsletters, Twitter, Facebook etc. a really good mail piece, with the right message to the right person can still work.

Direct mail isn’t dead yet. But don’t take any lessons from credit card companies. Seriously, how many of those checks are they going to send me? Sometimes I get two of the same mailer on the same day. Don’t they de-dupe their list? What a waste! But the AT&T piece with coupon codes for Video-On-Demand movies…now we’re talking. And B2B…I rarely get a compelling message in my physical inbox on my desk. I get annoying cold call voice mail messages but nothing tangible and relevant to support the message. How hard is that?