Marketing has been my passion. I think I started around age three when I tried to market my new baby brother out of the family. I mean who really wants to share their parents with new babies?
I have worked for consumer companies, business to business, and everything in between. From Octel – where we sold voicemail before email became popular – seriously – to Second Life where everyone used avatars to do weird things to cybersecurity, I’ve been committed to helping my clients succeed.
These blogs are observations, case studies and insights I gained while doing the work.
When you think about it, nearly everything comes down to the user experience. Which phone you choose, which software packages you end up keeping, which car you drive – hmmm, maybe even which person you chose for your partner!? How well something works for you really matters. If you still don’t believe me, go look… More It’s Still All About the User Experience: Think Shoes!
It was hard to fall asleep last night. My head was reeling with ideas from the first day at Ypulse. With a great turnout, hosting a variety of people from all over, we listened, talked and tweeted our way through a series of great presentations. I figured I would jump on the blog this morning… More Day One at Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup a Success!
On Monday, June 1st, another fantastic 2009 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup will kick off in San Francisco. If you aren’t already reading the daily Ypulse newsletter, you should be. But more importantly, if you haven’t figured out the value of attending the Mashup, let me give you a few good business reasons why you should.… More Five Reasons Attending the Ypulse Mashup Will Help Your Business
Listen2Youth has been working closely with the team at WebEx to create the new website – Passtheball.com. The idea is simple – create a place where good things happen – donations for a wonderful cause (Teachers Without Borders) while individuals can share ideas and watch them grow. Along the way, increase brand awareness for the… More Pass the Ball – Social Media Project is On!
Join us on Wednesday, May 13 in Palo Alto to learn how today’s teens are also today’s entrepreneurs. SD Forum is hosting an event that looks really interesting if you are following the teen market. “Teenagers are in constant contact through multiple means of technologies, including Facebook, Twitter, email, IM, MySpace and cell phones. We… More Meet Listen2Youth at Tech Titans SD Forum Event
http://youtube.com/v/gQX4Wt0rdw0 One of our teen panel members has some fun imagining all the things his new Android phone can do. See if you agree with his vision of the future!
http://youtube.com/v/H2zhKnosJVs Check out this great video – a winner in our youth panel video awards! Michele not only managed to lure her dad into making the video but found some great props as well. And the story — you know how it turns out!
With the changes at Apple – Steve Jobs stepping down for awhile, it has me thinking about the relationship between leadership and the user experience. I have had the privilege of working for a number of great high tech companies in the last twenty years. I have been part of teams at Adobe, Cisco, Sun,… More Leadership and the User Experience: Is there a relationship?
In the process of talking with our panel members about how they have helped their families with technology, we discovered some great stories. So we couldn’t resist. Here are the Top 10 tales from our kids from around the world as they coach their families through the technology landscape! 10“My parents were in the middle… More Top 10 Most Embarrassing Moments for Teens, Families and Tech
We hear it from our teens all the time – they want to hear from the brands they care about but they don’t just want any old advertisement. They want information that is relevant, useful and meaningful. Today, on MarketingCharts.com, I came across a new bit of research that offers an interesting perspective. One of… More Hey Everyone! Stop Advertising, Start Communicating
An open letter to TiVo: Dear TiVo: You know I love you (and I am not alone). Without you, I would rarely – if ever – get to see my favorite shows. There’s nothing better than knowing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are waiting for me whenever I need them. And now I find out… More Dear TiVo: Help Me Find New Music
I have a secret. I am one of the luckiest people on earth. Not only do I have a great job as a partner at Listen2Youth, studying young people all over the world as they tell us about how they use technology, but I get to do it while living in Santa Cruz,California. Until now,… More Santa Cruz Style: When Does Social Networking Become Social Networking?!
Advice: The following blog contains mature content. At the Ypulse Mashup in July, two amazing people joined my table for lunch. I was hosting a discussion on using tech to build a brand and these two folks described their struggle. They actually have the “tech” part figured out. The problem is the brand. Or more… More Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby. And Disney. Have I Piqued Your Interest?
Last week I sat through three different sessions at the Ypulse National Mashup (a great event) where I heard from three different representatives from Disney: one from Disney Interactive, one from Disney Mobile and one from Disney Music. The Disney Music presentation was near the end of the conference and I left his talk feeling… More Is Disney Trying to Keep Parents Out of the Loop?
I was supposed to be at the store today at 10am when the product hit the shelves. I stupidly didn’t pre-order. This has been a busy week and I just didn’t pay any attention to what was going on. So, thanks to a conference call that ran long, I didn’t get to the store on… More Did You Purchase a Wii Fit at Best Buy? Maybe You Were Put on Hold…