Is it really August already? Wow, ½ a year in the books and still so many things to accomplish this year. I overheard someone say that school starts next week for a lot of kids? Whatever happened to being able to bike ride and swim the whole month of August?
Hope you have been having a good summer with time to rest with family and friends. Here’s this week’s top five news stories: Continue reading
Wait, what?
Last week, Apple released its fourth quarter 2011 earnings, posting a profit of $13.06 billion on revenue of $46 billion. Earnings per share were $13.87, far exceeding analysts’ expectations of $10.08 per share. Fueled in large part by their stratospheric sales of the iPad and iPhone, Apple’s monstrous quarter brought bright smiles to shareholders but also started to illuminate the spotlight on a not so glamorous side of their business: outsourcing labor to China. Continue reading
If you mentioned that you had a BlackBerry to a friend or colleague a few years ago, you may have heard some envy. Research in Motion’s (RIM) product was solid and perfect for the on-the-go business person. Lately, though, RIM has seen it’s reputation tarnished. It has left many wondering if the company will ever really recover.
Just this year, BlackBerry has seen the PlayBook launched to lukewarm reviews and disappointing sales. Earlier in October, Best Buy announced that it was cutting the PlayBook price by $200. In September, RIM’s said it shipped only 200,000 PlayBooks. On top of all this, revenues fell sharply after a disappointing second quarter of 2011. Continue reading
Think about it: When was the last time within the past five years when a new logo or rebranding effort was met with resounding applause in the blogosphere? . . . Yeah, I’m still trying to think of an example, too. Continue reading
On Tuesday, November 16, Apple made an announcement music fans had been waiting years to hear– The Beatles were coming to iTunes. Steve Jobs, a Beatles fan, said it fulfills a dream he’s had since the iTunes store launched ten years ago.
From a PR perspective, the announcement offers three simple, effective lessons in “buzz” marketing; techniques reviewed in my new book, The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. Although the book was published prior to the Beatles release, Apple’s 3-step PR launch remains remarkably consistent—whether Apple is unveiling new iTunes music, a new computer, iPods, or iPads. Continue reading
For marketers, 2010 has thus far been a tough year – at least on the branding front. We’ve seen the downfall of several of the world’s top brands, including the ongoing BP oil spill debacle and the ensuing fallout for its corporate image and brand, along with Google’s recent privacy concern issues and several other high-profile branding dustups.
A recent Financial Times article (PDF Version) examined the perils of a tarnished brand. After reading the article, we thought it might be interesting to examine the broader issues and implications from a marketer’s perspective, with Jeff Esposito coming from the point of view of a corporate communications guy working for a global brand (Vistaprint), and Keith examining this issue from the perspective of a PR agency exec who works with SMBs, global brands and everything in between. Continue reading