I was surprised to get a promotional message in my doctor’s patient portal, mislabelled as “New Information in Your Chart.” It made me think about marketing, what it is, and where it belongs. Here’s how it looked: I like my doctor and I like my doctor’s practice, which I think is doing excellent work. I’m…
There are press releases. Then there are out of body experiences. Cryptography firm Crown Sterling announced a new product called Time AI. It leaves ordinary buzzwords like “seamless” and “omnichannel” in the dust, reaching instead for a heady mix of mathematics, quantum computing, mysticism, and privacy handwringing. Let’s take a look. Commentary is mine. Crown…
Zoom used its own video product to conduct its first post-IPO earnings call earlier in June. This is the future of communication. As a former analyst, I can tell you what earnings calls used to be. There was a press release. Then there was a conference call, or possibly a Webinar. In any case, everything…
GE has a line of smart home products including light bulbs. “From enjoying the perfect mood lighting with the push of a button to complete hands-free control, C by GE makes your life simpler and smarter.” You could buy a pair of the bulbs for $24.95 and turn out the lights with Amazon Alexa —…
I recently received the most buzzword-laden promotional email I’d ever seen. Perfect fodder for this site. But then . . . I clicked through and noticed it was from a friend’s firm. I was torn. This piece deserves analysis. And they had clearly sent it to a large mailing list (one I hadn’t signed up…
Somebody posted a database of 49 million Instagram influencers where anyone could see it. This event says more about the stupidity of the term “influencer” than it does about breaches and leaks. According to TechCrunch, the database originated with Mumbai-based Chtrbox, a marketing firm that pays influencers to post things. Each record included the number…
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), an industry group for advertisers and publishers, understands that data privacy regulation may actually happen. Rather than oppose it, they’re fine with it . . . so long as the government does things their way. Today, I deconstruct a statement by IAB executives Randall Rothenberg and Dave Grimaldi on regulation….
I give lots of free advice. So do other people. If you’re going to ask me (or anyone) for help, I thought you might want to know how that works. How I give free advice Here’s a little peek into my business. People hear about my work with authors from my blog, from other authors,…
Back in January, I was ecstatic to describe how Lora DiCarlo, maker of the innovative Osé sex toy, responded to the abrupt and unexplained withdrawal of its CES (Consumer Electronics Show) innovation award. Four months later, the Consumer Technology Association has reinstated the award. But did they cop to being sexist prudes? Let’s take a…