Dueling Marketers Engage In “War Games”
Maybe it is because of today’s economy that has resulted in desperate times for marketers, but it has become blatantly obvious that marketers of leading brands are playing “war games” with their competitors, as they fight harder to win or retain market share.  In particular, leading up to the Holiday Season, which is kicking off on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, could have been the motivator for engaging in desperate measures, negative or not.

The Berlin Wall’s 20th Anniversary And Other Walls That Keep Tumbling Down
Now that the euphoric celebrations surrounding yesterday’s 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall have abated, I want to take a moment to reflect on one of the most tumultuous and cataclysmic events that took place in the second half of the 20th century, resulting in 47 years of divisiveness that left at least two generations out of touch with the rest of the world. It was as much a lockout of critical thinking and influences of the West, as a lock-in of insular thought.  Although built as a “fortress,” it was not a defense wall, rather an ideological wall, resulting in a disruption of access and communication for all of its 47 years. Unthinka

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Is On The Prowl Again
A few months ago, (blog of June 11), I wrote about the FTC that was then swarming around Mommy bloggers who were paid by companies, either with free products or fees, and mostly “behind the scenes,” influencing buying decisions.  This time around they are peering into credit rating companies that use the mandated free credit reports as a lure for

Goldman Sachs Tries On A New Face in Fourth Quarter
It took the likes of a Rolling Stone article that called the (formerly) embattled financial giant Goldman Sachs, “a great vampire squid wrapped around humanity” and NY’s Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo’s denouncement of banking industry pay practices in general, for Goldman Sachs to wake up and find its way to a PR counselor’s door. And, of course, in the 4th quarter, just a bit ahead of their plan to pay out an obscene dollar amount of bonuses, which Associated Press reports as $16.7 bil

Internet Addresses On The Move
Just when we got comfortable with Internet addresses that end in .com, .net, .org, or.edu, along comes an agreement between the US government and the Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN, the body in charge of assigning Internet addresses), that will allow for Internet addresses to end in .anythinggoes or .somethingorother. The new agreement, which is to take effect next year, will surely unleash a mad dash to gather up names to better brand a company or product, as in Pepsi.cola, Taco.bell, Fat.burger