2ConvergedWorlds

What do bees, water, peanuts, and tornados all have in common?

2012-09-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

If you would have asked me this question six months ago I would not have had a clue! But now I know exactly what they have in common. They are things I have trained myself to be prepared for when planning an outdoor event!

Over the past six months as the Event Coordinator for Annese and Associates, I have had the pleasure of planning our Customer Appreciation Events. The past few have been outside to take advantage of our amazing summer. Cruise on Lake Erie? Wonderful idea but keep in mind, fear of water (also known as Aquaphobia) is the eighth “most popular” phobia in the United States. Would the lake cooperate? Would Mother Nature take pity on those with queasy stomachs? What about the food? Receiving feedback that a few of our clients were some of the 15 million people in the United States that have severe allergies to nuts and fruits, how could I guarantee that we remained allergy friendly?

Apple's iPhone 5 Announcement Gets Us Buzzin' About BYOD

2012-09-13T17:16:00.001-04:00

The anticipation of the new iPhone 5 which Apple touts is "30% thinner" than ever before, has reignited the conversation about BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) as a growing trend in today's workplace. Simply stated, the practice allows employees to work from their personal mobile devices as opposed to ones issued for them by their company.

According to extensive research conducted by Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), 88% of IT leaders surveyed, perceive growing technology “consumerization” in the workplace, and 76% consider consumerization “somewhat” or “extremely” positive for their companies.

Furthermore, the top two benefits noted among the 600 respondents surveyed across 18 different industries were, improved employee productivity (with more opportunities to collaborate) and greater job satisfaction (with the user getting to work from their device of choice).

And just in case you doubted it, there are actual cost-savings to be had here. IBSG estimated that the annual benefits from BYOD practices range from $300 to $1,300, depending on the employee’s role. (You can read the full analysis here).

As with any new corporate initiative, there are points to consider before determining if a BYOD strategy is right for your organization, but it is certainly a conversation worth having (especially at the rate the industry is churning out innovation).

The video below views like an infographic on steroids and gives a quick compelling snapshot into the transition from the "workplace" to the "workspace." Amazingly, professionals are no longer confined to the four walls of their office... a smart device and a good wireless connection are typically all one needs to spark productivity from virtually anywhere.

How many mobile devices do you carry? Are they primarily for personal use, business use, or both!?

Looking Back, Moving Forward

2012-09-11T11:48:00.000-04:00

This morning, I read an Op-Ed piece on the Huffington Postentitled “How Social Media Would Have Changed New York on 9/11” detailing how the author, Dean Praetorius, sat waiting to hear the fate of his parents because the phone lines went down and the Internet was not yet what it is today. It got me thinking about how social media changed how 9/11 and 4/16 unfolded for me.

Eleven years ago, I was a freshman in high school, barely in my second week back. It was the third class of the day, and rumors were flying about something happening in D.C. We didn’t have a TV in our classroom, at least not one our teacher was willing to turn on.

It wasn’t until the last period of the day that my Earth Science teacher, Mrs. Anderson, presented us the terrifying details of what had unfolded as we went about our routine, blissfully unaware of what was happening mere hours from where we sat in Central Virginia.

It was in the twilight hours of the day that I learned that my second cousin was one of the fortunate ones who’d managed to evacuate Tower 2 moments before the second plane hit. One of her co-workers, who’d remained behind to close up, was not so fortunate.

That day was just the beginning. The answers began to trickle in with the identities and stories of those who had perished.

Then, our only sources of information were the gatekeepers of Television and the major online media outlets. Phone calls from relatives and friends gave us the status updates of people we knew, and those that we didn’t.

Fast forward a mere five years later. I was a sophomore at Virginia Tech, heading quickly back to my dorm to prepare for my next class, conveniently located next door, preoccupied with the oddity that was snow in mid-April.

Cisco Technology Powering the "Most Connected" U.S. National Conventions in History

2012-09-06T11:37:00.000-04:00

If you have been tuning into CNN the past couple of weeks to watch the 2012 U.S. National Conventions, you may have noticed the commercials for Cisco flash across the TV screen. I always take note of them particularly because, at Annese, we work very closely with Cisco, and have for over a decade.

Seeing the commercial appear on such a famous network during such a historic national event momentarily morphs me into the proud soccer mom in the stands whose kid just scored his first goal. Although, this is hardly Cisco's first goal. The manufacturing powerhouse was the technical force behind another major global event this year - the 2012 London Olympics.

Advanced technologies are tearing the walls down between states, countries, and continents. No matter which side of the podium you are standing on or which ideologies you subscribe to, these devices and tools and apps are connecting us on a global platform. We can converse, debate, and learn from people we've never met, thousands of miles away. We can interact with Wolf Blitzer and the CNN political team through "Insider Chats" live from the convention floor, via Cisco WebEx.

"The 2012 conventions will be the most connected, most social, most covered ever — making the proceedings as seamless as possible and more accessible to people across the country and around the globe," said Cisco's Chief Marketing Officer, Blair Christie, in her post, "The 2012 U.S. National Conventions: Compelling, Collaborative, Connected!.

#Inbound 12: A Re(Tweet)Cap

2012-09-04T15:21:00.002-04:00

The 2012 HubSpot Inbound Marketing Conference concluded after three days of stimulating presentations, electric keynotes, and a brilliantly executed blend of inspiration, entertainment, and industry insight. Kara and I hit the Mass Turnpike that last day comparing notes and brainstorming ways we could implement all of the fresh ideas we had captured from our time at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.

Social media remains top of mind to the majority of today's marketers, so naturally Twitter was ablaze with conference-related conversation. For those of you who did not attend, I curated a few of my favorite tweets for you to digest. ...I will recommend, however, that as you plot out your marketing plan for the coming year, make sure Inbound 13 is the one professional development training you budget for.

Here's a snapshot:

Dharmesh Shah and Brian Halligan, HubSpot co-founders, exclusively announced on the last day of the conference that the company will be rolling out HubSpot3, an upgrade to the original platform that will incorporate over 100 new applications!

Gary Vaynerchuk was Thursday's keynote speaker. While he may be every Censor's worst nightmare, his riveting commentary on how to leverage social media to dominate your industry was worth the conference's registration fee right there. He emphasized that in order to succeed in whatever business you're in, you must lead with your heart. If you aren't familiar with Gary V, pick up his book, Crush It! or his new one, The Thank You Economy.

Marketing Messiah, David Meerman Scott, set the tone for Inbound 12 by delivering the first keynote speech. If you want an education on marketing and PR in the digital age, follow this man on Twitter, read his books, subscribe to his blog, find him on Foursquare and stalk his every move. David knows his stuff.

#WheresLenny? Good question.

2012-08-31T14:31:00.000-04:00

Where's he headed next?

When last I spoke to our fearless wanderer and New England Ambassador, Lenny Lobster, he said he was “Exhausted” and “recovering from my awesome week at Inbound 2012.”

Personally, I think he decided to extend his visit to Boston and may currently be sunning himself off Cape Cod, getting an early start on his Labor Day weekend. (And who could blame him?)

And as his tiny voice trailed off, he said to me “Oh and could you write my blog post for tomorrow? I um, seem to have misplaced my iPad…and my glasses.”

Lobsters.

Meet the Newest Member of the Marketing Team!

2012-08-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

“Psst, over here,” were the words that began my conversation with Lenny a few nights ago.

It was late, and I was near the lobster tank at my local grocery store. The voice was so small that I thought I was going crazy.

“Help me!” The voice said again, and then I turned around.

Hiding on the floor behind a crate of cocktail sauce was a small blue lobster. But they don’t talk, I thought to myself. I was truly going mad.

I approached him, thinking that those tiny claws couldn’t possibly do any harm. “Um, hi?” I told him.

“I’m in a bit of a situation. You see, I was traveling with some friends, and somehow I ended up here. No good can come of this,” He said, pleading with me. “I can’t live the rest of my life in rubber bands!”

And how could I say no to those adorable little black eyes?

Get Connected or Get Lost

2012-08-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

When I was in school (I bet this phrase makes you roll your eyes a little) I did not walk uphill both ways in the snow, but I did walk across campus in the winter, and even on crutches one semester. Boy how times have changed. Although it wasn’t that long ago that I graduated from Fisher (okay seven years, long enough,). I can’t believe all that a college campus must accommodate these days. For example, believe it or not, I didn’t even have a cellphone until I was a sophomore-no cell phone! That does, even for me, make me laugh. I will turn around and go back home to get my cell these days if I forget it before leaving the house. What if something happened, what would I do? How did I survive? I also didn’t have an iPador an iPod, or a Blue Ray Player, or even a plain old DVD player for that matter. I didn’t have a laptop either, which didn’t bother me much because there was no Facebookor Twitter, and you only IM’d from your desk because you couldn’t reach people otherwise. Wireless was a non-issue; each of my roommates had their desk fully equipped with a telephone jack and an Ethernet cable. Ah, the good ‘ole days.

My 2 Cents: Healthcare is Human, But is it Social? Of course!

2012-07-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

While technology has not yet achieved that ‘human touch’ that Christina referenced last week in her post “Humanizing Healthcare,” it has created unique opportunities that wouldn’t be possible without it.

In an articleby Jim Golden on Forbes.com, he writes about how groups have attempted to leverage social media to build business and networks within the healthcare community. But that’s not to say that it’s because physicians aren’t social creatures – far from it. He cites a statistic from Larry Miller of Active Networks that states, “Patient referrals constitute 50% of interactions between physicians, with the remaining 50% being composed of collegial interactions, friends and coworkers, and associations within practice groups or hospitals.” Physicians are socially networked, but via traditional means, not Facebook or Twitter.

Humanizing Healthcare

2012-07-20T11:59:00.005-04:00

I was listening to one of my regular morning radio programs on the drive to work today, and Dr. Oz was on promoting a new medical documentary show he's appearing in on ABC, called NY Med. As I listened to his segment - his characteristic quick, punchy phrases - one bold statement lingered in my mind long after the dial turned.

Dr. Oz said, (and I am paraphrasing), that the manifestation of physical illness can be derived from a lack of forming deep connections with other people in our lives. ...I told you it was a bold one.

Truly connecting with someone can be as simple as making eye-contact in conversation, or as complex as experiencing empathy, intimacy, or vulnerability. Dr. Oz acknowledged the intimacy medical practitioners share with their patients, and how in some extreme cases, that single doctor-to-patient, human-to-human connection will be the last one a person has.

With all of the recent hullabaloo around the healthcare legislation that has divided the country, it's become more of a reminder that none of us are immune to rocking the hospital gown at some point in our life. Healthcare is human. It affects us all.

Video: Society's Game Changer

2012-06-29T15:34:00.001-04:00

About five years ago, my family “adopted” Zina.

A native of Tunisia, the northernmost country in Africa, Zina came to Rochester speaking little English, with nothing by way of people or possessions to call her own. Through the years, she has endured her share of hardships, yet has continued to persevere through them. It was by happenstance that Zina was introduced to my family and she has now become an irreplaceable member of it, joining us every Sunday night for dinner and taking part in our birthday celebrations and holiday gatherings. Zina’s infectious laugh can often be heard rippling through the house at one of my Dad’s jokes. While Zina is grateful to have found a family here in America, she understandably aches for her parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews left behind in Tunisia.

Why did I tell you all this? Well a couple weeks ago Zina was having dinner at my house and something truly extraordinary happened. ...And you wouldn't have been as emotionally invested in what I am about to share with you unless I gave you a bit of background :)

It was just another Sunday night. Zina talked with tears in her eyes about her parent's failing health and how badly she wished she could go back to her country to see them. While none of us could imagine going that long without seeing the ones we loved, we sympathized with her. Then...we had an idea. It was time to introduce Zina and her family to the power of the webcam.

What My Father Taught Me: By Michelle Annese

2012-06-18T14:24:00.000-04:00

When I was a little girl my Dad traveled a lot, often being gone Monday through Friday while my Mom was home with my three sisters and I. (Pictured above L-R: Michelle Annese, Yvonne Annese LoRe, Frank J. Annese, Andrea Annese Como, and Francine Annese Apy).

I would often daydream about where he was and what he was doing. What I would come to learn was that my Dad was building a business; a business that turned into a legacy for my family, for our employees, and for our customers.

Each week, my Dad would travel the state of New York - West to Buffalo, North to Plattsburgh, and as far South as the Tappan Zee Bridge. What he was doing was building customer relationships that would span decades and establish the foundation of Annese & Associates. As a little girl I couldn't understand the magnitude of all that would come to mean.

Viral Marketing- This is Crazy

2012-06-15T17:29:00.001-04:00

Yes, I know, maybe you have never met me, but you have definitely heard of Carly Rae Jepsen’s, song "Call Me Maybe." This, my friends, is viral marketing at its finest. Built on the notion that ideas spread like viruses, it is every marketer’s dream to have something-be it an ad, a video, a slogan-go viral. Who wouldn’t want to be the talk of the town? Alas, if you can’t seem to land that key message on your own, then you can do like most, and align yourself with what is already working, and ride the coat tails of the successful.

On March 23, 2012, Jepsen made her first American television debut on The Ellen DeGeneres Show performing "Call Me Maybe" and well, as they say, the rest is history. In just three short months, YouTube videos are emerging to the tune of 29,600 results, radio stations are blasting the lyrics, and companies are using this pop-culture icon to create their own wow factor. The song has taken the US and now the world by storm; Obama is into it, ESPN is quoting it, Abercrombie models are dancing to it, and yes, Annese is rocking it!

Change is a Constant

2012-06-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

While browsing my Twitter feed this week, I came across an interesting article that kept popping up across the people I follow. Eric Jackson told CNBC that Facebook would be over by 2020.

I know a few of you just said “yeah right.” Despite sliding stock prices from their IPO, Facebookhasn’t gone anywhere (for the time-being, anyway) or diminished in popularity.

I imagine several years ago a lot of us were thinking MySpace would never go away; yet, it’s just a memory that we’ve long-since deactivated. While it still exists, it’s not nearly as powerful as it once was, just like Yahoo, as referenced in Eric Jackson’s statement.

The technology business is no different. Many companies that once dominated the industry no longer exist, probably because they were hesitant to embrace change and adapt.

My 2 Cents: What’s Trending on Twitter... I mean… In My Head

2012-05-25T12:30:00.004-04:00

The fourth in the series, My 2 Cents focuses on random tidbits of information pertinent to what I am doing, contemplating, experiencing, or working on right now… here’s my 2 cents (for what it’s worth)...

As the summer season fast approaches-what is usually a catch-up period for Marketing-I am quickly realizing that is not the case this year. In an effort to work on phase two of the Annese Social Media Strategy (an be ready for the Social Madness competition), we have been researching and interviewing consultants to help us make sure we are on track, and plan (you know I love that) for the next wave of activity. While reviewing our twitter stats, and checking in with our feed, I realized that of all the things trending on Twitter, few carried over to what was trending in my head.

1. American Idol- As we have grown accustomed, my husband and I have shared many a meal in front of the tube watching and waiting for Ryan Seacrest to review the candidates in the running to be the next American Idol. Happily, we watched the finale and our pick, Phillip Phillips won. While watching, I, needing to be part of the conversation tweeted to Phillip and Jessica (who will definitely be going places) about how impressed I was with their talents and thanked them for their entertainment. While reading the feeds and listening to the music, I could not help myself from commenting (with a few of my 10,000 closest friends) about the poor costume choices for some of the guests as well (if you watched, you know what I mean...but I digress). Trending for that two hours on Twitter were topics like #idolfinale, #americanidol, #PhillipForTheWin, and #JessicaSanchezDay. Talk about a fan following! The voting to determine the winner and the 2012 America Idol hit a record high with 132 million votes. That is Social Media Marketing at its finest.

2. Call Me Maybe- I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to take some time off and go to Disney with my family. Little by little my husband and brothers all trickled down to Florida to informally celebrate a birthday milestone. I was introduced to a new song during my week away, "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. And after hearing it in the car, at the resort, and googling it to sing again, I got to thinking, how fitting for this year's vacation theme. Of the professionals in attendance- a VP, a Consultant, a Manager, a Business Owner, a Lawyer, and an Accountant (sounds like the start of an Irish joke, I know) who all requested the time off-, we were on vacation and collectively had six smartphones, two iPads, a netbook, and two laptops. Lesson learned, you can call me on vacation, and it looks like maybe, just maybe, I will even answer.

If a tree falls on #Twitter, does it make a sound? You bet.

2012-05-04T11:37:00.004-04:00

Photo created by Jackie Beiter.

Earlier this month I journeyed to Manhattan for the PRSA Digital Impact Conference. The event featured keynotes from Google, IBM, and Facebook and attracted public relations professionals from London to California, to Atlanta, to lil' old Rochester, NY. J

These conferences are to professionals what sleep-away camp is to a kid. Strangers unite, engage in activities, make unlikely connections, and before you know it, bonds have been formed. I too formed bonds, but not in the conventional way you may expect. I’ll explain.

When the conference kicked off at the Sentry Center in Midtown, I found myself seated in a large ballroom surrounded by hundreds of PR handlers eager to soak up the profession’s latest best practices and emerging trends. A program was handed to us as we entered which advertised a cocktail mixer that evening and provided other pertinent conference details such as the wireless pass code and bios of all the speakers. But perhaps the most important bit of information, scrolled across the back page in big block letters: #PRSADIConf.

This was the official Twitter hashtag claimed by the conference.

Sound Bite Series: Cisco Partner Summit 2012

2012-04-30T09:59:00.000-04:00

Ray Apy

(This post was contributed by Ray Apy, President and CEO of Annese & Associates).

We descended upon sunny San Diego for Cisco Partner Summit 2012 with high hopes. Hope for renewed confidence in our partnership with Cisco. Hope that Cisco's innovation will continue to lead global technology driven transformations. Hope for hope in a sea of change.

The Annese Partner Summit Team included Eastern Region Sales Manager Tony Annese, Director of Operations and Business Development Jamie Aiello, VP of HR Francine Apy, and myself. We joined with Cisco partners from around the world to hear John Chambers and his leadership team remind us how and why we are aligned with the most visionary and operationally excellent technology manufacturer on the planet.

The leaders of Cisco spoke of change. Expect it, watch how it is trending, move with it. Businesses that do not keep pace with transformation will fall to a state of irrelevance. We work on the cutting edge of the most intense transformation agent the world has ever seen - technology. Cisco has positioned itself, through years of careful development and acquisitions, as THE infrastructure to support global change through technology. From network foundation to security, mobility, device, visual, voice, collaboration, web, access to core compute; Cisco's playbook covers it all. They have departed from their competition through the sheer solution comprehensiveness.

We left Cisco Partner Summit 2012 and returned to New York, our hopes and confidence in the future of our business completely rejuvenated!

Sound Bite Series: Hot Spots Before the Advent of Wi-Fi

2012-04-24T16:16:00.001-04:00

Dominick Annese

(This post was contributed by Dominick Annese, retired Western Regional Sales Manager).

In the late 70’s and early 80’s, my hot spot in Buffalo, New York was the airport.

In an effort to save money on long distance calls—this is pre cell phone—and make my life as simple as possible, I would drive to Buffalo, go to any appointments I had, (although Frank would tell you I never had any “real” appointments), and use the airport as my office. It was very convenient to the New York State Thruway, had plenty of parking and clean restrooms.

Believe it or not in those days parking was cheap and there wasn’t any security. You might see a county sheriff walking around but mostly they were there to make sure you paid for parking. Also, back then airports had banks of phones because nobody had a cell phone.

So for me the airport became my “hot spot”; phones, parking, coffee and restrooms—all in one location.

(Read more about the early days of Annese here).

Access is the Key to Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL)

2012-04-13T10:05:00.018-04:00

This post was written by Tom Gdula, Virtualization Architect at Annese.

In a recent post to this blog, Rick Pollard wrote about the continued progression of eLearning and the need to serve the growing BYOD demand while closing the digital divide. Rick provided valuable insight into the benefits to be realized from an effective Bring Your Own Device strategy enabled by Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

Whether we call it VDI, End User Computing, Ubiquitous Computing, Thin Client Computing or a remote desktop, we are referring to a user selected access model that is enabled by virtual computing technologies. When appropriately implemented, this technology allows for secure, but flexible access to a consistently reliable user experience via PCs, laptops, thin clients, tablets and smartphones. This includes older machines that would otherwise be retired for lack of sufficient power to run a current version of a directly installed OS and application suite. The result of virtualization is a lower total cost of ownership, a concept which matters to school administrators trying to meet the needs of all students in this new economy.

Back in 2001, Marc Prensky coined the terms “digital native” and “digital immigrant” while aiming to describe the differences between those of us raised through high school with little or no computer exposure and those who are raised with technology being a common everyday staple. Of course, today we recognize that collaboration with their digital peers is important to all students and access to eLearning experiences must be uniform regardless of the device or brand of device used.

Please Stand By

2012-04-06T14:50:00.007-04:00

I must admit I’ve become spoiled by everything working as intended. My computer hums along without issue, I have access to all of the files and software I need to do my work. I can Facebook, Tweet, or email (almost) whenever I want, wherever I want. Life goes on.

Until it stops. The wireless goes down. The computer power light blinks at you in defiance and then shuts off altogether five consecutive times before you yelp in frustration to the only technology-literate person in the house (not that this has happened recently…). The file-sharing application you use, that has YOUR ENTIRE LIFE on it goes down.

Just the other day, I was confronted with this terror; my worst nightmares had come to fruition, naturally on a deadline. To say I was frantic would be an understatement. We coped well, relying on email, swapping what we knew we had access to locally, buying time until balance (and our shared files) was restored.

It’s amazing how different life is when you’re not tethered to the web every second of the day. Recently I returned from a trip to Mexico with the family. Our room didn’t have wireless and neither did most of the resort (this came as a shock to me at first, but hear me out). Due to the prohibitive fees associated with international calling (and the fact that this was my first legitimate vacation in a very, very long time), I didn’t have access to a phone to text, call, FaceTime, or check my Facebook profile for five days. Initially I was seized with panic, until I realized, I was on vacation. As the day unfolded, my fears of utter disconnection melted away like the ice cubes in my drink as I soaked in the sun and the salty sea.

Despite it being 2012, the world is still here and I am still alive to tell the tale. My only FaceTime was the conversations with people at the hotel, on the streets, or on our tour. My information came from monuments, not Wikipedia. There were only waves, not webs, to surf. And, I liked it.

BYOD Meets One-to-One: The Hybrid Model

2012-03-30T14:08:00.008-04:00

This post was contributed by Rick Pollard, Assistant Director at the Central New York Regional Information Center (CNYRIC).

As if we needed another...education has a new acronym: BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). The topic is one of the hottest for educational technology as we begin 2012. The concept is simple: students bring their own devices from home to use in the classroom. The proponents believe it leverages already owned technology, saves districts money, and creates the long awaited, highly regarded one-to-one environment more quickly. The opponents believe it will further widen the digital divide, encourage inferior devices such as phones to replace computers, and let school officials off the hook when it comes to investing in the lives and learning of students. I think the successful solution lies smack in the middle...doesn't it always?

The trend in personal mobile computing ownership is astounding, and one that can't be ignored. Freely accessible wifi is the new norm, and districts are under increasing pressure to make it available. Students and staff are already bringing their own devices (and their own networks) so it is just a matter of time before school administrators have to deal with the issue head on.

There's no doubt that an overnight policy change to permit students to bring in "any old device" would be nothing short of a train wreck. Platform inconsistencies, those who can afford vs. those who can't, network support issues, the list goes on...hopefully no one is suggesting, or attempting, that maneuver. There is, however, room for a sensible approach to BYOD...at least for those districts that have considered a one-to-one environment but couldn't afford it. Here are some important things to consider:

The Evolution of Sharing

2012-03-15T09:55:00.008-04:00

Once upon a time, we were taught “sharing is caring.” Back then it was (in retrospect) simple stuff like giving equal time with the favored toy or activity in our kindergarten class, bringing food to share at snack time, or telling the other kids about your “this is so awesome” object you bring in for show-and-tell. The consequences back then for not sharing were severe, you got a lecture, a time-out, or had whatever the object of contention was taken away from you for a “brief” (to the five-year-old mind, excruciatingly long) period of time.

Now, the way we “share” has taken on a new life, and so has the consequences of sharing or not. With the arrival of Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn, very little of our lives remains private. Little did we know back in college that those late-night, post-outing status updates and photo tags were going to come back to haunt us.

My 2 Cents: Is the word "technology" being abused?

2012-03-05T15:45:00.000-05:00

I have been mentally flagging the number of TV ads that are now claiming the word “technology” as part of their marketing message. Everything from pregnancy tests to air fresheners to Sarah Jessica Parker hair color commercials.

It seems to me that there is an unspoken understanding these days among ad execs that by simply ascribing the word “technology” as the ambiguous reasoning for how the product works, its status becomes instantly elevated in the mind of the consumer. No matter the network or the audience, this word seems to evoke the same credibility regardless of the product being featured. The word is usually accompanied by some wispy image of molecules floating across the screen, hypnotizing the consumer into blindly accepting that this is in fact a highly intelligent product which exceeds all realms of comprehension. It must work, because some unknown patented technology is behind it!

Perhaps I only noticed this new trend because I work in the technology industry. Therefore I can’t help but laugh every time I see a commercial selling hair color in a box, that attributes the rich, lasting color effects to the “technology” so carefully infused into each morsel of the dye. Of course I am being facetious; and who knows, maybe I am way off-base, and everything these days can somehow be attributed to technological innovation…but my two cents (which is more of an observation and less of a social critique) is this: the word is becoming so overused and commonplace that eventually, like anything else, its meaning will begin to dissipate.

Make note of these commercials next time you see them, and let’s make a collection of them in the comments! Do any immediately spring to mind?

What Happens in Vegas... Gets Posted Online

2012-03-02T14:01:00.002-05:00

Follow me (on Twitter @MrsRudysKarbear, on Facebook at facebook/AnneseAssoc, and on foursquare at Annese Marketing) during my trip to the annual Cisco Partner Velocity event in Las Vegas, because what happens in Vegas.... doesn't stay in Vegas, anymore.

Day 3, Thursday, 3/1/2012

8:30 AM PST

With everyone moving a bit slower today, breakfast eaters (myself included) sauntered in right before the platters were removed, making the move into the conference room even slower.

8:45 AM PST

With a quick recap of Tao from the previous evening, (truly a site I might add, was the women suspended from the inside of the chandelier pouring champaign) Amanda then passed the microphone to Chris Brogan for a little lesson in leverage. Letting customers be your advocates leverages them to Hero's in their world with their boss and peers, and thus friends in yours. Chris continued with some interesting comments on Pinterest, much inline with my previous post, but shared a new site for the guys to get in on the action: Gentlemint. With the same premise as Pinterest, now men have a place to share fascinations with cars, vodka, cigars, and man-caves.

10:00 AM PST

Closing out the keynote sessions was Jeffrey Hayzlett, former CMO of Kodak, a Rochester, NY based company near and dear to my heart. A very engaging presentation and discussion emerged around being a clock changer. He opened with a story about his first day at Kodak and a little experiment he did changing the clock ahead in the meeting room. As outrage broke out little by little that the clock was wrong, that nothing works in the office, that in essence, no one is doing their job properly, after a few weeks finally a women, sick of hearing the complaining, simply moves her chair over to under the clock, hikes up her dress, gets on the chair, and changes the clock. That is a "Clock Changer"; when you see something that needs to be changed, speak up, and make the change, be the change. As a nice reminder to Run the Gauntlet, each member of the audience received of copy of Jeff's latest book.

1:15 PM PST

Closing the day was the Americas breakout lead by Michelle Chaintera, with two speakers on marketing automation and how it works for your businesses, especially in connecting marketing to sales. Moving marketing to a revenue center from a cost center is the first step in building relevance and promoting value.

4:00 PM PST

Passing the time before the red-eye later tonight, I toured a bit more of The Palazzo, hit up the "big" (very big) gym, and found my way to a nice sports bar where I caught the Kentucky game and made a few small world connections to friends and locations back home.

8:04 PM PST

After arriving at McCarren Airport, to what I can only describe as a eerie, almost abandon part of the city, I found myself compelled to take part in the true Vegas experience and sat down at a Wheel of Fortune slot machine, where I proceeded to loose $10 in 20 minutes. My travels were complete. After three days of speakers, networking, site seeing, and motivation... I can officially say, what happens in Vegas... does not stay in Vegas anymore.

What Happens in Vegas... Gets Posted Online

2012-02-29T21:39:00.003-05:00

Day 2: Wednesday, 2/28/2012

8:45 AM PST

After a quick bite to eat, and a short intro from Amanda, Cisco Partner Velocity day two kicked off with the first Keynote Peter Hinssen explaining the new normal.. a digital world is all around us, it is time to adapt. A focused presentation on the value of Customers, but changing the conversation away from speeds and feeds to behavior, need, and usage. Peter asked the audience, "Are you built to last," providing that the trick to staying around and remaining valuable is to keep on innovating.

9:45 AM PST

Sally Hogshead was up next with a presentation on "How to Fascinate." Before the event each attendee was given a survey to take, and during the presentation Sally explained that "Fascination is the most powerful form of connection," and in a nut shell, "Marketing is like On-line Dating", you need to stand out, be interesting, be exciting, and make it through the distractions... be fascinating. I am "The Guardian" by my survey criteria meaning my primary trigger is Power, secondary Trust, and dormant is Prestige. My strengths; established, genuine, and sure-footed. Take the test yourself and learn now to use your strengths to get what you want!

4:00 PM PST

Lastly, closing the keynotes for day 2 was Daniel Pink with his book Drive about "The Surprising Truth about Motivation." Although it started out as more of an HR conversation then a Marketing one, the premise and presentation was fantastic in the end. Although money is always a motivator, the real key is to pay people enough to where money is not a motivator and the creativity flows from enjoying the work and having the autonomy to do what you do. People who feel like they are making progress do meaningful work, and in order to know you are making progress, you need feedback. Interesting research shows that annual, one-time performance reviews do not motivate people, or even change behaviors. Motivation stems from conversation. In today's digital, "I Want it Now" world, feedback, conversation, action, is happening so instantaneously that people need to limit the how, and start talking about why. People don't have time (or interest) in how, they want to know why, why should I listen, why do I need it, why should I care.

6:19 PM PST

Partner Velocity wraps up with dinner and entertainment at TAO... I think I will check it out!