New Book Recommendations for Marketing Folks

I read a lot.  My husband reads a lot.  My kids read a lot.  Our house bulges with books.  It is entirely possible to be killed by a collapsing pile of books in our house.  I figure we single-handedly kept particular bookstores afloat as long as we could.  (Sadly, Lexington, MA recently lost its two downtown bookstores — I guess we weren’t buying enough books lately.)

Having Trouble Launching Your New Product?

You created the best thing since sliced bread and you want everyone to know.  Once the word is out, you figure the world will beat a path to your door and you’ll be living the good life on some remote island…that you own. Or maybe it isn’t your new product.  You are the product manager.  Or the PR person.  Or the agency person.  You’re working for a big company that has something cool and unique to offer.

The Kitchen Table Survey

When you “own” one of the target market, kid, spouse, room-mate, you too have the ability to do a “Kitchen Table Survey.”  Beware attributing any great insight into the KTS because your version of the KTS-ee may be unique (i.e. not representative of the entire target market, or, in the KTS vernacular “weird.”)

Follow up on my MediaPost Article

Today,  I had the honor of one of my articles appearing on MediaPost.  I mean it when I say “honor” as I have found the MediaPost newsletters and websites to be populated with some of the most generally useful articles.  (There are also some other great sites out there too but I find myself coming back to MediaPost time and time again.)

It’s a contest for a good cause

It’s a contest! I’m giving local Boston-area Twitterers a chance to win a fabulous evening full of fun and good food.  (Or, non-local too if you can get yourself to Waltham, MA on April 7th on your own!)  Hoping you all can help me publicize a good cause in return.

PR Is Not Just Media Relations

A few weeks ago on #journchat, we were asked for the definition of PR 2.0. I offered up “connecting your story to your community using today’s social media tools and technology.”  Of course, I knew that I would get dissension on that because  I was “forgetting”  the professional media.

Marketing to kids? Understand COPPA

Last night I had the rare opportunity to chat with another kid marketer in the Boston area about social networks for kids, online communities for kids, privacy,and  COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act).  I say ‘rare’ because  Boston isn’t really considered a mecca for consumer brands much less kid-focused brands and properties.  We’re here but our density is low.