DentalFlak

Who's Minding Your Brand Perception Gap?

2013-05-19T16:25:00.001-04:00

Many companies large and small spend a boat load of money on outbound marketing communications that tells prospects and customers why they are better than the competition.

However, when the company's brand promise isn't aligned with market reality, it causes a brand perception gap. The bigger the gap, the less likely it is that your prospects will buy the first time or that your past and current customers will buy again.

In many ways, it is better to lose a sale to a potential first time buyer than to lose a customer. This is because the negative word of mouth (WOM) originating from a disgruntled customer can spread like wild fire and that WOM may be the very reason you couldn't close the deal with that first time prospect - it's a vicious cycle.

If your marketing communications say that you make the highest quality widgets on the market, they better be pretty friggin' good.

If you offer a "no questions asked guarantee", there better not be any hurdles put in place for getting a refund.

If you claim that customer service is your top priority, your phones better be answered promptly by a helpful, knowledgeable and courteous customer service rep.

If you advertise that you will beat any advertised price, beat the price or watch potential customers beat a path for the door.

No matter how match money you throw at it, a false brand promise will never be true.

But what if you've been honest in communicating your brand promise, are truly dedicated to creating a positive customer experience, but negative perceptions exist that ypou don't know about that may may be impacting your bottom line. What you don't know will hurt you.

It's hard to find information on your web site - and the lengthy download forms are a pain in keester.

You are unaware of the one rude telesales rep that is causing customers to hang up in frustration.

Product instructions are poorly written and confusing to follow.

Your customers consider your product/service acceptable for the price point, but wish it had a particlar feature(s) to make them consider your product/service amazing.

Loyal, repeat customers don't feel special and wonder why there is no "frequent buyer" program in place.

These are not issues that would generally prompt a customer to write a complaint letter, but may be just enough for them to delay a purchase, check out your competition or not be your strongest brand evangelist. None of these scenarios are acceptable in this competitive and tenuous economy.

So what to do? To paraphrase Chicago Mayory Richard J. Daley, "Survey early and survey often". There are several inexpensive online survey tools such as Survey Monkey that make it easy for you to take the pulse of your customers and prospects on a regular basis to find out what they really think about your offering and what you can do to improve it.

Online surveys more than opinion polls. They are guerilla R&D that is invaluable for meeting and exceeding the customer expectations set by your brand promise. Back to Huey Long...

Survey Early - Meaning early in the customer relationship - Which is immediately after the first purchase. "Thanks for your business. How do you like our widget?

Survey Frequently - Touch base several times during the year. "How's that widget working out? Is there a way we can make it better?

Keep your surveys short (5-6 questions) and ask the tough questions that you need to know. Since the online survey can be anonymous, you will get more honest responces when compared to a telephone survey. Also, offer an incentive to complete the survey - A Starbucks gift card or a discount coupon for the next widget purchase.

Social media is another way to contact polls and increase engagement. People like to be part a company's decision process. However, due to the public nature Facebook or LinkedIn poll, the questions need to be fairly benign. For example:

We're thinking about adding a new frozen yogurt flavor. Which one do like best:

a) Boysenberry
b) Bacon
c) Boysenberry/Bacon Swirl

Does you company have a brand perception gap?
Find it. Measure it. Fix it.

Oooh, Oooh That Smell..The Smell That Brands You.

2013-04-25T15:16:00.001-04:00

When most of us think of product branding, we usually think of logos, tag lines and value propositions.

But branding can be a multi-sensory experience. In fact, some of the best branding smells.

Case in point is Play-Doh, which cleverly launched a cologne with its recognizable scent as part of a 50th birthday promotion. Now who doesn't recognize that smell?

If you're a baby boomer like me, the smell of Play-Doh ranks up with the smell of mimeographed test papers as one of the most recognizable fragrances in my memory banks.

Now you expect products from Old Spice to Obsession to have a signature scent, but not a type of modeling clay. Which in some ways makes it that much stronger as a branding attribute.

Another product with a unique scent that comes to my mind is the topical antiseptic and pain reliever Bactine.

Nothing else you can spray on a kid's skinned knee smells quite like it. And maybe to generations of moms and kids, that scent means the boo-boo is going to feel better and go away, which is the essence of the Bactine brand experience.

Coppertone's "Don't be a Paleface campaign is a classic. It doesn't hurt that Coppertone products have a signature scent. You could be on the beach at Coney Island on the 4th of July and pick out all the Coppertone users.

If you were a teen with acne in the 50's and 60's you probably slathered on the opaque white Noxzema before bed in the hope you would go to sleep as Marcel Marceau and go to homeroom looking like Frankie Avalon or Sandra Dee.

Today, there's a lot of store-brand knock-offs in blue jars. But give someone a blindfold and whiff, and they'll say, "Noxzema!"

Perhaps the fact that these products have been on the market for a half-century is a testament to the fact that brand longevity is sometimes more than logos, labels and slogans.

LinkedIn Group Owner: Are You an Absentee Landlord?

2012-12-27T20:35:00.002-05:00

There are many benefits to setting up a LinkedIn Group on a specific topic. Especially if you want to establish leadership in a particular category.

In fact, a properly managed LinkedIn Group can actually serve as a thought leader launch pad - and it doesn't cost anything but a
little time.

Because by investing a little time in developing quality content that is not self-serving and carefully building a community of like-minded and interested parties, you can achieve the following:

Build your corporate or personal brand
Drive traffic to your web site
Cultivate leads and build alliances
Encourage business and career referrals
Expand you professional network
Help others via advice and sharing of expertise
Communicate directly when needed

Despite these marketing advantages (I purposely did not say social media advantages, as this is all part of an integrated marketing mix) far too many would be thought leaders and corporate social media wonks set up a LinkedIn group or several groups and then walk away. Why is this?

Lack of time. Or more accurately, Lack of time management
Change of personnel with no hand-off of responsibilities
Lack of strategic focus "That topic is boring, let's just start another group!" - Actually starting a sub group would probably be better.
It doesn't cost anything so what do we lose?

Ah, just because setting up a LinkedIn Group doesn't cost money, doesn't mean that being the absentee landlord of a branded social media property won't cost you big time. Here's how:

If the LinkedIn group is connected with you or your organization, it is a reflection upon you or your organization
Lack of recent content means you have nothing to say and no one else cares
Letting others hijack your group for their own promotional messages will dilute your message and turn off your community
Unmoderated bullying and inappropriate language will drive away followers and also make it appear that you condone such abusive posts
In other words, an unmoderated forum can be like a house full of latch-key kids

So if you are going to set up a LinkedIn Group, get the most out of it - Don't be an absentee landlord.

Moderate all posts that are abusive or self-promotional. Block those who are habitual offenders - You community will thank you
Provide useful non-promotional content on a regular basis, be a resource
Share article links, presentations, etc.
Send periodic direct messages to your group
Join other groups and invite those members to join yours
Have as many qualified stake holders in your company join your group and post as possible
Use the polling feature to get the pulse of your group and to encourage dialog

If you for some reason can't, manage, moderate and participate in your LinkedIn Group, shut it down and move on. Not doing so can have a negative impact on your personal and corporate brand reputation in the long run.

What do you think about absentee landlords on LinkedIn and unmoderated forums? I welcome your comments.

Four Sloppy Social Media Habits

2012-10-24T22:26:00.000-04:00

Despite the potential of social media, the amount of time needed to manage a social media campaign across multiple platforms combined with increasing pressure to deliver results, are causing many social media practitioners to fall into some sloppy habits.

In my opinion, these are the four most common:

1) Hot Potato Posting - This is most prevalent on Twitter and consists of re-tweeting content or links with out any original commentary or set up as to why the re-tweeter believes the original post is worthy of your attention, whether he or she agrees with the original post or if he or she would like you to weigh in on the subject.

The main reason why there is no color commentary attached to the re-tweet is because the original link was never opened and read in it entirety. But not to worry, your twitter stream is looking good!

So instead of quickly lobbing over someone else's tweet as if it were a hot potato, read it through and add your own two cents to reflect your point of view and personality.

2) Scheduled Posting - Tools such as Tweet Deck and Hoot Suite have their place in streamlining the process of posting planned content across multiple platforms. However, there is the risk of these tools being used as crutch, resulting in redundant content being posted on multiple social media accounts. What's more, over dependence on schedulers may also take away from the time spent on real time posts and replies that help sustain dialog and engagement. This is the heart of social media.

3) Content Scraping - I addressed this in detail in a previous blog post, but as a writer I really dislike the Paper.Li content curator. I would much rather see communicators write and edit their own newsletters without having a robot making it appear that they are experts in a chosen category.

Being a guru ain't what it used to be! That's why I delete any email that has a subject line "The (name of newsletter) is out!"

4) Promiscuous Friending - The amount of friends and followers is the metric that many executives and clients obsess about. But it should always be about quality not quantity.

Aggressive recruiting tactics such as open contests, begging for likes, etc. may get the numbers up, but who are these people? Will they ever engage with your brand or use your product or service?

Let's get back to marketing basics: Building a relevant social media following is no different than building a targeted mailing list. Demographics, geography and interests all come into play.

So, if you own a pizzeria in Hoboken and half of your Facebook followers are in Guam, what's the point?

That's it for now. Admittedly, I've been guilty of #1 from time to time. Are there any other sloppy social media habits that you would add to this list?

The Daily Content Scraper is Out!

2012-08-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

"Publishing has never been easier!"

I'm know I'm going to tick off a lot of my marketing colleagues, but I have to get something off my chest...I'm not a big fan of Paper.Li.

For those who aren't aware, Paper.Li is a free content curation or more accurately, an aggregation service that enables its users to become "Editors-in-Chief" of their own news sites and also distribute via e-mail and social media, topic-based digital newspapers from existing content found on the web - including blog posts, twitter feeds and Facebook posts.

The content used on these do-it-yourself news sites and digital newspapers is collected via Paper.Li's semantic analysis technology that "scrapes" content based on the user's selected topical criteria and then basically dumps it into a fairly generic-looking template.

It's like "set it and forget it journalism" which is not really journalism at all.

I also don't see the value of Paper.Li as a form of marketing communications or as a personal brand booster for marketing professionals who use it to keep themselves on the radar screens of their clients, prospects and colleagues.

Some think it's great when their Tweet or blog post is sucked up and regurgitated on Paper.Li because credit is given. And some like being able to share the content that they, e-r-r-r the semantic analysis robots dredge up. I much prefer a personal comment on my blog, a re-Tweet or "hey check this out" post because those actually take some thought.

Besides, aren't we still supposed be be on this listening and engagement kick?

The folks at Paper.Li also claim to provide certain SEO benefits. That's because the aggregated articles link back to the original source. But how many are reading the articles on Paper.Li and clicking through to the source?

Also, if automated content scrapers are feeding the automated search engine spiders, where's the humanity?

So here's what I believe that we as marketing communicators should focus on because we can, and leave the Paper.Li content scraping to those who can't:

You have a voice, use it.
You have experience, demonstrate it.
You have an opinion, express it.
You have insight, share it.

In other words, as marketing communications professionals, rather than programming a content scraper, we should focus on providing original, compelling content on our blogs and social media networks and also provide some personal commentary on the content of others that we pass along.

To sum it up - Original content and commentary is King. Automated content without commentary is a pretender to the throne.

Am I wrong about Paper.Li? Tell me why.

PR Undertow: What Would "The Hoff" Do?

2012-07-05T14:50:00.004-04:00

Here's an example of how one company's myopic focus on legal liability above the preservation of human life put it at odds with public opinion.

As reported by the Miami affiliate of NBC TV News,
a Hallendale, FL lifeguard was fired after he left his designated post to rescue a man drowning outside the zone he was hired to patrol.

This past Monday, lifeguard Tomas Lopez was alerted by beach goers that a man was struggling in the water, which was part of unguarded territory outside the lifeguard zone.

Instead of copping a "not my zone, not my job" attitude, Lopez did what he is trained to do - He raced to help the drowning man.

Yes there was a sign warning beach goers to swim at their own risk in the "unguarded zone", but drowning seems to be a harsh punishment for ignoring or being unaware of the sign... How many times have you drifted past the ropes and buoys marking a safe swim area?

According to the NBC report Lopez said, "I was on stand, and guests came up to me and told me there was someone drowning, that people were screaming and so I started running in the direction.”

What's more, Lopez wasn't fired for actually rescuing the drowning man, but for merely ignoring his dispatcher's instructions to call 911 and wait for assistance rather than running into the forbidden zone.

In fact, by the time Lopez got to the man, beach goers had managed to pull him out of the water.

Once again, I quote the NBC Miami report, "I put him in the recovery position, which we are trained to do, and I had a nurse come and help me.” The man was rushed to Aventura Hospital, and was placed in intensive care.

Lopez knew he was going to lose his job but wasn't too uset because he had his morals intact over his job.” What upset Lopez more than his termination was not knowing whether the rescued swimmer was OK or not...This guy is on the Mount Everest of moral high ground!

It has also been reported that two other lifeguards were fired for not agreeing with Ellis Management's company policy and as many as 4 more may have resigned in support of their discharged colleague.

I don't have to own a red flotation device to know that fewer lifeguards does not make for a safer beach...Another public safety issue

Jeff Ellis, the president of Jeff Ellis Management, the company contracted to provide lifeguard services at Hallendale Beach says his company is reviewing the situation, “Once this investigation is complete, if we did something inappropriately, we will make it right. That includes offering him his employment back if he was terminated in haste.”

Unfortunately, the PR damage is already done and could have been avoided. In fact, it could have been a positive story for both lifeguard and employer if handled correctly. Here are some tips:

Assess the possible harm done in not following company policy to the letter of the law. Were any laws broken? Was the swimmer put in more danger?
Implement a cool-off period before immediate dismissal.
Embrace the "exception to the rule" and commend the the lifeguard for making the correct decision in the heat of the moment.
Reevaluate company priorities and reestablish saving lives as job one.
Publicly recognize your employee as a hero
Develop a new mission statement such as "Our lifeguards are highly-trained professionals who will respond quickly to any and all distress calls."

Acts of heroism occur everyday. They usually involve the heroic person going above and beyond what they are expected to do or what they thought they were capable of...I think the Hoff would say, "F@%ck company policy, I'm goin' in !"

Does Your Corporate Social Media Campaign Contain Too Much Fluff?

2012-06-13T20:32:00.000-04:00

In my opinion, developing compelling and actionable social media content requires striking a balance between informing and entertaining.

So what's the correct fact-to-fluff ratio? There are no hard and fast percentages, but I would say that a business-to- business company should slather on far less fluff than a consumer brand.

It also depends what kind of business you are in. The Mayo Clinic's content would be more serious in content and tone than say Hellman's Mayonnaise...How's that for a "code red" comparison?

At the end of the day, B2B and B2C businesses can't lose sight of the end goal of marketing communications; brand awareness and sales - even when the sales cycle for social media is extended under the guise of "engagement".

Percentages may vary, but social media content should include a mix of the following:

Helpful Tips and Useful Information
Transparent Customer Service Dialog
Examples of Corporate Responsibility and Charitable Efforts
Preview of New Products and Services
Contests and Promotions
Inside Look at Company Activities and Employee Personalities

Those are some basic ingredients, create your own recipe. Did I miss anything?

Talk to the Logo

2012-03-02T21:03:00.008-05:00

If social media is to be truly social, and the goal is to engage with customers and prospects in two-way dialog, why do so many companies hide behind their logos on their corporate Facebook pages.

I mean, what kind of long-term relationship can a company sustain when every post looks basically the same (a continous stream of logos) and the expected result is lively conversation between real people and a corporate logo.

Sure, many people will post opinions, take part in polls, ask questions etc. , but for how long before they wonder, "Who is the person hiding behind this logo?"

This is especially true on matters relating to customer service. It's like the man behind the curtain in The Wizard of Oz.

Imagine if peppered among the official corporate logo posts, were posts from real company employees including the big shots - Real faces and personalities properly trained on using social media, who can clearly state that they represent the company and what their particular area of expertise is.

These individual brand ambassadors can be very effective in building long-term relationships by helping customers and prospects alike better understand your company's products, services and unique selling proposition.

This is especially important when it comes to customer service and turning around a potentially negative customer experience.

'Cause at the end of the day, who would you rather engage with, a logo or a real person? So mix it up on your company Facebook page, strive for more faces than logos.

Maybe there's a good reason it's not called Logobook.

Black Friday: Going to Hell in a Deeply-Discounted Hand Basket

2011-11-26T00:33:00.012-05:00

I was never a fan of Black Friday shopping ploys. I don't believe consumers should have to sleep in parking lots and shop during zombie prime time to save a few bucks.

This year, the Black Friday sales concept and rugby scrum shopping experience reached an all time low when many major retailers extended Black Friday by starting it on midnight or during Thanksgiving.

It's been a tough few years on everyone. Even if you are lucky enough to have job, your paycheck doesn't buy what it used to.

Understandably, many will do whatever it takes to buy as much holiday cheer for their families as possible, including sleeping on a lawn chair in a Best Buy parking lot.

On the other side of the counter, many retail employees were asked to cut their Thanksgiving short to work these new Black Friday store hours.

Most sucked it up, because jobs are hard to come by. Nobody knows this more than the legions of retail clerks who wound up wearing a brightly-colored vest and name tag after losing a job in their chosen career.

Some petitioned their employers to no avail.

There's certainly enough economic angst to go around and the result were outbreaks of violence and pandemonium that the rest of the world views with typical "stupid Americans" disdain according to this Reuters report .

In my opinion, consumers and retail employees are being played against each other and American family traditions are being caught in the cross-fire. What's more, volatile crowd situations are being artificially-created, putting shoppers at risk.

Is it really worth it? Especially when equal or better bargains are available online?

We can maintain the quality of our family life and our dignity by not buying into the Black Friday hysteria and thus forcing retailers to think of better, less degrading ways to earn our business.

Oh, and perhaps it high time we re-examine the true meaning of the holidays we are shopping for.

Trickle-Down Turkeynomics

2011-11-22T14:19:00.005-05:00

If you are able to spend Thanksgiving with your family and afford the big bird and all the trimmings, be truly thankful 'cause times are tough.

How tough? A few days ago the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean County (NJ) announced that it desperately needed 1,500 turkeys to help all the needy families in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Why so many turkeys? Several reasons come to mind:

More people are out of work - The sad simple truth.
More families are on tighter budgets and need that supermarket bonus bird that they used to donate.
Some supermarkets are limiting the free turkey to one per family, so there are fewer turkeys to donate.

A lot of companies and individuals are doing what they can. My employer Lanmark360 has been a supporter of the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean County for decades. We've always been able to provide a respectable amount of non-perishable food and donations for a small company, but turkey wrangling is not our forte.

Not to worry. One group of diverse independent business owners united by their membership to the Freehold NJ Network for Success has been using social media to rally other networking group members and family and friends alike to donate actual turkeys or checks for the purchase of turkeys and other food items.

Using the Bella Vista Country Club in Marlboro as a command center to collect funds and fowl, other Freehold NJ Network for Success group members are using their limousines, panel vans, or personal transportation to shuttle back and forth from the Bella Vista HQ to the Food Bank.

It's a well-oiled, good cause machine engineered by some big-hearted business owners such as Anthony Beshara, owner of the Bella Vista Country Club; Bill Algokce, owner of Bridge Financial Group; and John and Wendy Bruzzese; the owners of Synergy Events.

I've met these people and many others through my wife Debbie, who is a member of this group, and they are a genuine and generous bunch to say the least.

The last I heard, they are only a few hundred turkeys short of their goal...but we are quickly coming down the wire! Want more info on how you can help? There is a specific Facebook page set up for the cause.

If you are able to help in some way, take some time to be thankful and do your best to pay it forward.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Zombie Brand

2011-10-08T23:21:00.000-04:00

The debut of the ABC TV series "Pan Am", has introduced a new generation to Pan American World Airways, the iconic airline that revolutionized international air travel and has not flown since it's financial collapse in 1991.

Yes kids, Pan Am was a real airline. In fact, it was the largest international carrier based in the United States. It was also an innovator - one of the first airlines to upgrade its fleet to jet aircraft, the first to purchase and fly Boeing 747 jumbo jets and the first to computerize its reservation system - in 1964!

Pan Am's long running slogan was "The World's Most Experienced Airline" and even flying economy on this airline was a first class experience compared to today's Greyhound in-the-sky standards. So what the heck happened?

Talk about your deluge of bad breaks!

The 1973 fuel shortage
Increased costs and ticket prices
Reduced demand for air travel due to costs
Over-investment in new Boeing 747s
Unwise acquisition of National Airlines
Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 which awarded international routes to domestic airlines, but prevented Pan Am from gaining domestic routes
Terrorist attacks including Pan Am Flight 73 which was hijacked in Pakistan and resulted in 20 fatalities, and the infamous Flight 173 that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland and killed 270 persons.

So now we have a TV show that has taken us back in time to reincarnate the Pan Am brand in a made for TV, idealized manner.

Still, those old enough to have flown a Pan Am Clipper must think "Those were the good old days." Those born too late must wonder, "How come air travel in the sixties didn't suck like it does today?"

All this brand equity and positive PR comes 20 years too late to save the airline, but the Pan Am name, globe logo, stewardess uniforms and other brand elements live on...or at least until the show is canceled.

September 11, 2011: Taking the Long Way Home

2011-09-11T17:04:00.012-04:00

Tuesday morning, 9/11/01 started out as a spectacular late summer day - Warm, low humidity and not a cloud in the sky.

It was the type of day that the local TV weatherman Mr. G, would proclaim as one of the 10 best days of the year.

At that time, I worked at Information Builders, the largest privately-held software company based in Manhattan. The company is based at 2 Penn Plaza, which sits atop Penn Station and is directly across from Madison Square Garden.

I commuted by bus every day and unless it was raining or snowing, I usually walked 8 blocks down town from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to my office. It was a perfect day to walk in the Big Apple...Little did I know how much walking I would do that day.

I usually alternated walking down 7th and 8th Avenues and this particular morning I randomly chose 8th Avenue - a grittier, less pedestrian-congested thoroughfare than 7th Avenue, which cuts across the Garment District, but in the right lighting of a beautiful day like today, grit is transformed into urban character.

I walk fairly quickly, and could usually cover 8th blocks in about 15 minutes. Before I knew it, I was hitting the steps that pass under Madison Square Garden and onto Penn Station's main concourse, where a wide variety of shops and fast food franchises are located.

At about 8:45 I made my usual stop at a corner coffee shop that was at the foot of the stairs that led up to my office building. Above the counter were two small TV sets. They were tuned to "Good Day New York," a morning news magazine that aired on the local Fox affiliate, Channel 5.

That's when I saw the breaking news that a plane had hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. I, like many other people assumed it was a small, single-engine plane gone off course - Which make no mistake, was still a shock.

There was a somber buzz in the lobby as we waited for the elevators. Within minutes, other TV, cable and radio stations were broadcasting initial reports of smoke and flames visible from about halfway up the North Tower. I overheard someone say that it wasn't a small plane, it was a commercial airliner. How could that be?

I took the elevator up to the 11th floor with some co-workers. All speculating on how serious this plane crash may actually be. When the elevator stopped and we walked through the elevator lobby and onto the office floor, we immediately found out.

There were sounds of crying, and hushed "Oh my Gods." Almost everyone was gathered in the perimeter offices that had windows that faced towards lower Manhattan.

A second plane had already hit the South Tower. One of the women was hysterical, because smoke had engulfed the floor where her sister worked.

The company CEO Gerald Cohen's corner office had the most dramatic view, an almost unobstructed shot of the smoldering towers and the Statue of Liberty in the distance. Ironically, visibility that day was picture perfect.

I went to to my office which faced west onto Macy's and 34th Street and booted up my computer while dialing my home number to call my wife, who was understandably frantic. I told her I was OK and that I wasn't yet sure what was going on.

It seemed like moments after I hung up with my wife, that the reports of hijacked planes connected to acts of terrorism were broadcast and posted on the Internet. We were also told that we had to evacuate our building because it sat above a train station, which may also be a terrorist target.

Bridges and tunnels were soon closed and no traffic was allowed in or out of the city. I wasn't sure where I was evacuating to, but I grabbed some travel-sized toiletries that I had in my drawer, packed them along with my laptop into my bag, and was ready to hit the streets.

As I was getting ready to leave, Wayne and Eberly, a couple who worked in the marketing department with me were inviting colleagues to their apartment if they needed a place to stay. They lived a few blocks away from the office and I took them up on their gracious offer.

I called my wife to tell her I was evacuating and would call her as soon as I got settled.

About a half dozen of us walked a few blocks west and north I believe, towards Wayne and Eberly's place.

It was still a gorgeous day, and we walked past many people who appeared to be going about their business as if nothing had happened. I asked myself, "Can they really be unaware of what is going on?"

As an aside, there was a stiff breeze that day that not only made the warm weather more comfortable, but it also blew the smoke of the smoldering towers away from Manhattan Island.

I believe to this day that if the wind had been blowing up Broadway, there would have been widespread panic far beyond the Financial District.

Before we got to the apartment, we stopped at the corner Gristede's grocery store to buy bottled water, canned goods etc. to prepare for a New York lock-down as we did not know how long it would last or whether or not food and water would soon be in short supply.

I don't remember how many flights up the apartment was or whether we took the stairs or the elevator, but when we entered, we put all the provisions on the kitchen counter and Wayne flipped the TV on. By this time, news coverage was in full swing and both towers had collapsed. Watching the replay was horrific and surreal.

I tried calling my wife to let her know where I was, but could not get a long distance land line connection. I then decided that I could not sit there and watch this tragedy unfold on TV and be out of contact with my wife and two young daughters (9 & 11) for who knew how long.

I told myself that one way or another I was going to get home before my girls went to sleep that night. I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but that was my goal. I told my hosts and friends my plans and Wayne and Eberly wished me luck and said if I couldn't get out of the city that I was welcome to come back.

First, I tried to make a few calls. Cell service was non-existent, but local land line service was still working at that time. Using a yellow page directory, I called all the rental car offices in mid-town to see if I could rent a car.

My plan was to drive uptown to Harlem, through the Bronx and onward through Westchester and White Plains and then cut across the Tapanzee Bridge to New Jersey.

This plan was contingent on the Harlem River Crossings being open, which I wasn't really sure about. Pretty dumb when I think about it now.

When I finally got a car rental place to answer the phone. I was asked, "What do you need a car for, you can't go nowhere..click."

Obviously, I needed a plan B. One of the news reports on TV said there was free ferry service from Manhattan to New Jersey, departing from areas along the West Side Highway.

I said my goodbyes, grabbed my bag and started my cross-town hike. Once again I was taken aback by how so many people that I passed on the sidewalk appeared to be oblivious to the day's events - despite the billowing smoke visible on the southern horizon.

I'm not sure how long it took me to walk to the west side, but when I finally got there it was far more crowded then what I anticipated - It was like New Year's Eve in Times Square.

I waited about a half hour before deciding that the ferries were too few and far between and the crowd was not advancing. I also imagined people being trampled when a ferry did finally arrive.

Being a person who prefers to move forward rather than stand still and hope for the best, I decided to move on. Next stop, Times Square. I could see huge plumes of smoke down 7th Avenue when I looked downtown.

My rationale here was to reserve a hotel room close to the Port Authority so I could have a place to stay if my attempt to get home by my daughters' bed time failed. This would also enable me to jump immediately on the opportunity of bus service being restored. Plus, I didn't remember where Wayne and Eberly lived and could not call them for directions. There was no turning back

However, the Hilton and the Sheraton were not accepting new reservations. In fact, I could not get into a hotel lobby unless I proved I was a guest.

I begin to double back to where I originally started - Down 7th Avenue towards Penn Station. There are two hotels across the street (although a bit cheesy) that perhaps would allow me to check in and enable me to get a jump on catching a train from Penn Station when they started running again.

As I walked down town I thought of other contingency plans. I would buy a bicycle and ride it or walk it across any crossing that would take me off of the island. Perhaps pedestrian traffic was being allowed over the GWB and other bridges. Shit! Why didn't I think of this when I was in Times Square near Toys R Us?

Maybe I could buy a bike at the K-Mart attached to Penn Station...Nope! Closed as part of the evacuation.

As I was approaching Penn Station, I decided that I would continue walking downtown and hang a right to Chelsea Pier. I thought I remembered a Kayak rental place in the area. Can I paddle my way to New Jersey? I think so. Could it be any harder than the white water canoeing I used to do on the Delaware River when I was in college? Probably when you consider that was 25 years ago...Maybe the Coast Guard will give me a lift.

I was just about to walk past the steps that lead down to Penn Station, when I noticed two cops were pushing aside the police barricades. "Is the station open?" I was really not expected the answer: "Yes. Trains are boarding now. You better get on."

New York's Finest did not have to tell me twice! I bounded down the stairs to a surprisingly crowded station. Other entrances must have been opened first, and the people poured in.

I found my gate, ran down the esclator, and boarded my train - already standing room only. I didn't care. I would have sat on the roof.

Many passengers were ghost-like, covered in ashes. Conversation primarily consisted of people trying to call their loved ones. There was still no cell phone service.

Within minutes, our train pulled out and headed though the concrete tube that took us under the Hudson River into New Jersey... Are we safe?

As soon as we broke into daylight, my cell phone displayed 3 bars indicating a fairly strong signal. I called my wife. "Debbie, I'm OK. I'm on a train. Meet me at Point Pleasant Station in about an hour."

"Thank God!" Then she yelled away from the receiver, "Girls! Daddy's OK! He's on a train and on his way home!"

Brand Positioning: It's in the Companies You Keep

2011-09-04T19:56:00.002-04:00

My wife Debbie owns a photo favor business that serves the bridal industry.

As her live-in marketing director, I keep up with her industry by reading magazines and advertising supplements targeted to weddings and other catered events such as bar mitzvahs and sweet sixteen parties.

I recently came across an ad for a local banquet hall that was trying to position itself as an elegant, upscale venue for that oh so very special event.

The ad had an impressive, dramatically-lit photo of the banquet hall with fancy-schmancy centerpieces and those chair skirts that are a must-have these days.

Obviously, no bride today can tolerate the sight of naked chair legs.

Here's the ad copy: "We cater to one wedding at a time. Our goal is your complete satisfaction, by providing your guests with a special moment in time, an experience that will long be remembered. Proudly serving Miller Lite."

Nothing wrong with co-marketing with Miller Lite if you own a sports bar, but in my opinion, this really ruins the brand ambiance for the banquet facility.

For example, if you owned an upscale cigar bar, would you include the phrase "Proudly serving Tiparillos? Of course not. You would try to co-market with Cohiba, Arturo Fuente or some other Cigar Aficionado-worthy brand.

So, no matter what business you're in, if you are trying to establish and maintain a particular brand image, choose your co-marketing partners carefully.

Business Book Review: Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki

2011-03-27T20:24:00.015-04:00

Eric Clapton didn't invent blues guitar. He and his contemporaries Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, learned and borrowed from an older generation of black American musicians like Albert King and transformed Chicago Blues into a new musical genre known as Progressive British Blues.

So it is with business guru Guy Kawasaki and his latest book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions.

Veteran sales executives will recognize a lot of Mr. Kawasaki's prose as reminiscent of the timeless "salesmen are made not born" advice shared by Dale Carnegie in How to Win Friends and Influence People and Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich.

It must be noted that both of these "required reading" books for sales professionals were originally published in 1937 and continue to sell today. Mr Kawasaki builds upon the basic tenets of these depression-era business bibles and gives them a complete 2.0 overhaul perfect for facing the economic challenges of the new millennium.

Whereas Mr. Carnegie and Mr. Hill focused on one-one-one relationships in a day where people actually conducted business face-to-face and shook hands on each deal, Mr. Kawasaki explains how we can best use social media, e-mail, etc. to win friends, influence people, or as he says, "Enchant".

To borrow a term from my enterprise software days, the principles outlined in Enchantment are "scalable" and can be used on a personal and organizational level to achieve the following goals:

Encourage people to do business with you on a personal level
Build a cult-like following for customers, prospects and fans (think Apple or the Grateful Dead)
Attract the best talent to your company or organization
Demonstrate your value to your supervisor
Instill loyalty in your employees

Lest you think Enchantment is about slick schmoozing and phony smiles, Kawasaki makes it clear that building trust and being genuine is a prerequisite to Enchantment.

Sure it's common sense, but to be reminded of this in such a personable and all-encompassing manner and to be given a clear blueprint on how to achieve Enchantment is extremely useful for just about anyone in any business or work environment.

There's also a helpful quiz at the end of the book which will prompt you to re-read certain sections so you can gain as much insight as possible. By the way, Enchantment would also be an excellent text book for a high school or business course.

Not only because of its breezy narrative style and current references to social media etc., but because reviewing each chapter would be sure to prompt some lively class discussions. Perhaps Mr. Kawasaki would consider developing a lesson plan to accompany his book.

Mr. Kawasaki also addresses the dark side of Enchantment when he explains how to resist the persuasion of those who may not have your best interest at heart. It's like Obi-Wan Kenobi teaching you how to defend yourself against Darth Vader. May the Enchantment be with you.

Take it from a business book junkie, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions is worth a read and keeping within arm's reach as a reference book. Available on http://www.amazon.com/.

Killing The Duck that Laid the Golden Egg

2011-03-16T19:52:00.000-04:00

In yet another example of why using celebrities in advertising campaigns is risky business, Gilbert Gottfried blew a sweet two-syllable voice-over deal.

I don't know how much Gottfried got paid, but how hard could quacking out "Aflac" be?

Maybe because it was such easy money, Gilbert didn't think of the consequences when he tweeted a stream of tasteless oneliners about Japan's tsunami tragedy.

The fact that Aflac is big in Japan didn't help Gilbert duck the pink slip.

The company claims that it insures one out of every four Japanese households and is also the largest life insurer in Japan in terms of individual insurance policies in force.

But then again, Gottfried is a shock comedian and should have never been considered to be a safe bet by Aflac.

Aren't insurance companies risk aversive and conservative?

Didn't they see him crucify Bob Saget during Saget's roast on Comedy Central? It was a high point of low blows and poor taste...and I confess I almost fell off the couch laughing.

Looking for a safe celebrity endorsement? Where's Bob Hope when you need him?

"Aflac, I gotta tell ya."

Is Technology is Killing Trust and Romance?

2011-01-23T17:18:00.003-05:00

When I was in my dating years, back when TV sets barely received three networks, breaking up with someone pretty much meant that you cut the cord of contact.

Today, the traditional "I need more space" conversation or "Dear John" letter has been replaced by a text message, a Facebook profile update and a trail of endless commentary by social network friends.

Back in the day, to call someone to ask for forgiveness or to reconsider their rash decision was not an easy task, because that call would usually ring the kitchen wall phone and Mom, the apron-wearing caller ID would pick up the receiver. This is the part where Mom would hear a click and dial tone.

Sure, there were the obsessive slow drives past the ex's house with the headlights off to see if there was someone else's car parked in the driveway - not that I ever did anything like that!

Today, it's a whole new dating game being played by a generation of cyber stalkers who think nothing of going tit for tat about the break up.

Even when the relationship is in its earliest "getting to know you" stage, the participants are constantly up each others butts, with frantic text messages that demand constant updates. Can you text d-o-o-m-e-d?

Another casualty of techno-love is the traditional boys and girls night out. It sure ain't what it used to be... "Who r u with? "What time r u coming home?""What did u order?"What time are r u coming home?"

Geez - what ever happened to trust, independence and "I'll tell you all about it the next time I see you?"

Too much information, updated too frequently and shared by too many people is creating a generation of obsessive and possessive lovers and a growing entourage of ex-suitors that can't be dodged.

Cell phones, text messaging and social media are making breaking up and staying together for that matter, harder to do.

As I tell my kids, I'm so glad I never had to deal with this nonsense.

Marketing Lessons Learned From The Wizard of Oz

2010-12-05T20:59:00.028-05:00

Last week during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, TBS aired the "Wizard of Oz" on three consecutive nights.

Not only is this classic movie one of my favorites, there's a lot of marketing wisdom dispensed during the journey down the Yellow Brick Road. For example:

Tornadoes Happen. Whether it be a missed deadline, losing a client or a product recall. "Tornadoes" will wreak havoc on your best laid plans and campaigns. Be prepared, be flexible and react quickly but rationally. Have a crisis management plan. And now more than ever, don't allow your business to become dependent on one client.

We're not in Kansas anymore! Social media has changed the way we communicate with clients, prospects and stakeholders. We've stepped out of the black and white world of one-way communication and into the Technicolor world of engagement and dialogue...Although lack of control can be scary at times.

Beware of flying monkeys. There will always be those who swoop down to pick apart your strategic plans and creative concepts. Prepare yourself with any relevant research and have notes prepared before you present your big idea. Then stand your ground and let those damn monkeys swoop.

Are you a good witch or a bad witch? In Oz, this questions means "Do you employ white hat search engine optimization tactics or black hat SEO tactics?" Hopefully, you are a good witch. Otherwise you run the risk of Google dropping a house on you...figuratively speaking of course.

A brain, a heart, the nerve. It takes all three to be an effective, well-rounded marketing professional. Especially since there's no budget to hire three more people...even if they can sing and dance.

Did I miss anything? Let me know what marketing lessons you've learned from the Wizard of Oz.

The United States of Anger

2010-11-25T00:17:00.004-05:00

It seems everyone I meet these days is ticked-off.

These are challenging times for sure and for countless Americans, fear of what may happen is being replaced by anger about what is happening or perceived to be happening.

Corporate bailouts, unemployment, partisan politics, national security threats, etc. are having a negative impact on the national frame of mind and on the American quality of life.

Let's face it, we're all bitching and moaning.

So what can we do before we drown in our own bile and The New Jersey Turnpike opens up a designated road rage lane? Can we as individuals change anything?

First of all, our world has always been a volatile planet and the United States has had "growing pains" since the original colonies were established. You want to put today into proper perspective? Study history.

Not only do we as a society fail to learn from history (that's why it always repeats itself), we rarely use it as a reference point to help keep our perspective on current events. Here are my thoughts:

I went to high school and college during late 60's and early 70's. The music was friggin' great but there were a few pesty little problems that distracted us; the Vietnam war, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, race riots, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the The Kent State Massacre, inflation, the oil crisis, the My Lai Massacre, urban decay, Watergate.

Anyone who remembers will tell you that the mood of the country during those years sucked.

My parents grew up during the Great Depression and World War II - Talk about a double-whammy! There's a reason they are part of what is considered to be "The Greatest Generation."

Today, bad news and controversy not only travels fast, it never lets up. With the exception of employer-issued devices, we have volunteered to be wired-in 24/7.

Information overload is spiking our stress levels and fueling our anger. We need to turn off the cable news networks, the internet and our blackberries at regular intervals before the three-screen lifestyle drives us crazy.

Facebook is no substitute for face-to-face friendship. What are your 1,000 followers going to do for you when the chips are down? Tag a photo? Poke you? Ask for a pig on Farmville?

Illegal and uncontrolled immigration is a problem, but closing our borders to those seeking a better life is not the American Way.

Harnessing the desire of new arrivals to survive and succeed is what made this country great in the first place. Unless you are a member of the Sioux Nation, your ancestors crashed the party. Get over it.

Remember, as bad as you think things are, there is always someone worse off than you. Very often they are within arm's reach. Look around you. One of your neighbors or co-workers may need some help or just someone to talk to.

Maybe they've been out of work for an extended period, maybe they lost a loved one who served our country in Afghanistan...That conversation may just cause you to get over your anger and count your blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving.

It's My Blog And I'll Post When I Want To

2010-10-19T20:32:00.013-04:00

Back in 1963, the queen of suburban teenage girl angst, Leslie Gore, had a hit with a song called "It's My Party, and I'll Cry if I Want To." Allow me to paraphrase that song title to express my contrarian views on blogging.

According to the many self-proclaimed experts on the topic, a blogger should post once a day or at the very least, several times a week.

Sorry, but that doesn't work for me. Here's why:

During the course of my 10-12 hour work day, I am generating thousands of words of content in the form of press releases, feature articles, proposals, strategic briefs, status reports, and social media posts on behalf of agency clients. This is what pays the bills and takes priority over my personal blogging pusuits.
My personal blog is a hobby. Nobody tells me the minimum amount of times I must go camping or participate in my other hobbies. Wouldn't that just suck the joy out of those interests? To me, blogging is no different.
Many bloggers are self-employed consultants who feel compelled to keep their names "out there", which is understandable as I too have been a hired gun. At this point in time I am employed full-time by a full-service ad agency and my focus is on keeping the names of our clients "out there".
I blog when I am inspired to share a personal observation, opinion or marketing advice based on personal experience. I do not merely re-post press releases.

So if you follow this blog, thank you. I hope you feel that you are getting quality posts rather than a large quantity of recycled content or shameless self-promotion. I also hope you'll continue to check in from time to time.

I do respond promptly to comments, so bring em on!

MMA = Mixed Marketing Arts

2010-09-26T19:37:00.016-04:00

For the past 10 years or so, a new form of exhibition fighting has quickly grown in popularity and prominence; mixed martial arts or MMA.

MMA began as a means to pit the practitioner of one martial arts style with one who was equally accomplished in another style, to determine primarily which style was superior in real combat. For example, kick boxing vs. Taekwando.

Today, MMA has evolved into a full-contact contest that pits two well-rounded combatants, who each know a variety of martial arts forms, against each other in an octagon-shaped cage. It's more about determining the complete warrior rather than the better martial arts form.

In the octagon of the business world, the combatant who can effectively use a variety of marketing tools and tactics is best equipped to win the fight for increased brand awareness and market share. This too is MMA - mixed marketing arts.

Whether you run a large company or a private practice, it is in the best interest of your bottom line to have the ability to develop a strategy that integrates and implements a variety of marketing tactics including advertising, direct marketing, public relations, interactive marketing, etc.

For example, if your only marketing tactic is direct mail and your competition is using multi media advertising, public relations and has a killer web site that comes up on the first page of Google, you're going to the mat. 1...2....3....

Even if you have a limited budget, you need to know how and when to mix-up your tactics when you mix it up in your market. You also need to hire an employee or consultant who can put it all together for you in an objective and analytic manner.

Another bit of defensive advice is to not let media reps or other advertising vendors hijack your budget. Let me explain.

Years ago, I worked for an ad agency that had private practice clients ranging from dentists, veterinarians, optometrists, chiropractors, etc. The common denominator was the need for us to ween them from Yellow Pages advertising.

Most of these healthcare professionals were brainwashed by very aggressive Yellow Page reps into believing that they not only needed full page ads, but needed to run them in directories well beyond their service areas. "With all due respect Doctor, do you think anyone is going to drive 30 miles to your office in a state as populated as New Jersey?"

When those contracts came up for renewal, we cut back drastically on the Yellow Page advertising and reallocated the budget to newspaper, radio, web development etc. The result was a noticable increase in new patients, reactivation of dormant patients and the ability to track and evaluate which tactics were working best.

In recent years, social media has become the marketing equivalent of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that marketers are trying to grapple with (pun intended). It's new to many, it's exotic, but it seems that those who know how to use it are winning the mixed marketing arts battle.

Mixed marketing arts: Are you ready to get into the cage?

Is Social Media Going to the Dogs?

2010-09-18T17:09:00.009-04:00

Those who have been dismissing Twitter as a trivial pursuit, now have another reason to say, "I told you so!"

The Mattel Toy company recently introduced a new product named "Puppy Tweets™" which enables dogs to access Twitter and send Tweets.

According to the company's product-specific website, "Puppy Tweets™" is the electronic dog tag that sends messages to your home computer, then Tweets to you!"

The device, which sells for about $25.00, is actually a sound and motion sensor that attaches to Fido's dog collar and transmits to your computer via a USB receiver. Dog owners will also need to download software that interprets the sound and motion data and then select an archived, precreated message to send via Twitter.

Remember the Magic 8-Ball that only had about 10 answers? Same concept.

Your dog's Tweets can be sent via your Twitter account or you can set up a special account for your dog. And you know people will do that.

Will Kitty Tweets be soon to follow? My guess is not unless the collar sends a little jolt of electricity to prompt Whiskers to wake up and actually do something.

Star Date July 7th 2010: Where Are The Grups?

2010-07-07T21:51:00.014-04:00

If you were a fan of the original Star Trek TV series, you may remember the episode where Kirk and Crew beamed down to a planet of children run amok and nary a grown-up (these kids referred to adults as grups) in sight.

To make a long story short, a virus was killing the population as soon as they reached puberty and quite frankly, the dodge ball teams on this planet were getting smaller and smaller. If you want to make a short story long, click here.

This Star Trek episode frequently comes to mind when I visit my local shopping mall . Some retailers seem to have an official policy against hiring grups.

Have you been to a Hollister or Abercrombie lately? Personally, I only gift shop there with the missus and yes I get the whole youth culture thing - didn't we baby boomers invent that?

But having to wait until the cashier finishes texting her BFF before I can ask, "Is this sweatshirt on sale?" is not the epitome of customer service. And when you ask to see the manager, they call someone from the backroom who looks like their mom still drives them to work. Jeez!

To be fair, some retailers such as Home Depot and Costco still hire a fair share of adults, but the dark side to this is that most of these grups have been displaced from other careers.

Retail will always be a young person's industry but who's minding the store?Let me know if you ask yourself "Where are the grups?" the next time you go shopping.

A Reading From The Blog According to Luke?

2010-01-23T21:59:00.041-05:00

Who would've expected that 82 year-old Pope Benedict XVI would be telling priests to use the internet "astutely" by writing blogs and using new forms of communications to spread the gospel message.

Hey, I wouldn't lie about the Pope - I couldn't handle the guilt!

But seriously, in his message during the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Communications this past Saturday, the Pope said, "Priests are challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audio-visual resources, images, videos, animated features, blogs and websites which alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue..."

This foward-thinking comes from a man who still writes his speeches by hand and has his assistants surf the web for him. But this is more forward-thinking than I would have ever expected.

When you come to think of it, weren't the Gospels of the apostles very blog-like?

Before You Hire a Social Media Consultant...

2010-01-03T20:41:00.003-05:00

It appears that the dental industry officially discovered social media in 2009 - Kind of like Columbus discovering America when it was already populated, but better late then never, right?

One by-product of dentistry's social media gold rush is the emergence of many self-proclaimed social media gurus, ninjas and experts who want to charge a fee to slap up a Facebook page and set up a Twitter account.

Ah, if only it were that easy. Here are some things to consider before signing up with a social media consultant:

Social media is a marketing function, and is usually best handled by social media savvy public relations professionals. What experience does your potential social media consultant have in marketing and public relations?

Social media is not a silver bullet. It should be part of a comprehensive marketing strategy and complement the other marketing tactics being used. How does your prospective social media consultant propose to integrate social media with the rest of your marketing mix? If he or she recommends eliminating most of your other marketing activities, run for your life.

Social media is not a quick fix. It may take months to engage with your target audience. You don't build relationships with the flick of a switch or the posting of a fan page.

You can't set it and forget it. It can take a couple of hours each day to monitor and participate on social media metworks and update your own corporate accounts. So who is going to do that, you or your consultant?

Where is your consultant learning about social media best practices? From other dental industry social media experts? This can be akin to attending a hillbilly wedding.

One resource I find extremely helpful is the web site http://www.socialnetdaily.com/ which covers the following topics in great detail:

Social Networking News
Social Media News
Social Marketing News
Facebook News
Twitter News
Blogging News

I also follow SocialNetDaily on Twitter and find its Tweets among the most informative that I receive.

The bottom line is that social media is real and it's here to stay - Make sure your social media consultant is as well.

Greater New York Dental Meeting: Waiting On Line for the Prizes

2009-12-01T21:24:00.013-05:00

This past Sunday, I did my annual Jersey Shore to Manhattan Island shuttle to attend the Greater New York Dental Meeting. The planets appeared to be in perfect alignment.

It was a beautiful mild day with hardly any traffic - was Will Smith filming Legend Part II?

I discovered an empty parking lot on the corner of 11th ave and 28th - 8 bucks for the whole day! Sweet!

As soon as I walked into the world's largest terrarium otherise known as the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, I realized the attendee registration lines were unreasonably long.

Unfortunately, I had to take my place at the end of the que because although I registered online months ago, I never received my badge via snail mail in advance of the meeting.

Neither did hundreds of other people waiting in this line who were grousing about the same thing. This was free online advance registration glitch #1.

Last week when I first realized that I never received my badge in the mail, I attemped once again to register online. I printed out the confirmation form with the bar code that would enable me to pick up my badge at the "express registration counter".

The only problem was that there was no express registration counter. The convention center employee actually laughed when she told me there was no such line despite what the GNYDM web site and confirmation form said - Not funny! Let's count this as free online advance registration glitch #2.

As I shuffled along the maze of velvet ropes that eventually lead to the non-express registration counter, I couldn't help overhear the woman behind me obsessing over the potential prizes she may win on the exhibit floor.

She asked the laughing convention center employee, "Is this the line for the badge they scan to win the prizes?"

At one point she was standing at my side and silly me for making eye contact. "My freind gave me her badge, but I don't want the prizes sent to her house, so I have to ait in line for my on badge." Er-r-r, that's nice.

I was saved by the door bell ring tone of her cell phone. She told the caller, "I'm waiting in line to get a badge for a dental show at Javitts. Once I get that, I'll be eligible to win prizes."

Call me suspicious, call me skeptical, but I don't think this woman had any connection whatsoever to the dental industry. In fact, I'll bet any prizes I might win on that. Let's count this as free online advance registration glitch #3.

So although the Greater New York Dental Meeting was well attended, how many of those attendees were qualified dental professionals and how many were swag-seeking stroller pushers and prize junkies?

Do you ever wonder?