In 2002 I was a very green PR intern for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. One of my jobs with the team was to give VIP tours to celebrities and other dignitaries. Typically, the tours were for friends and family of the players, and my main role was to get them as quickly as possible from the VIP boxes to the dressing room through a labyrinth of stairs, doors and hallways. So, despite the somewhat fancy title, VIP tours were typically non-descript. Except Once During a game in 2002 when the Canucks were playing the Carolina Hurricanes, I was asked to assist a guest. When I arrived at the box, I was greeted by four very serious...
The NBA and NHL playoffs are in full-swing, meaning significant social media activity, media coverage and online traffic for both leagues. The NHL and NBA do a great job of promoting their sports, and both are advancing into the wonderful world of online streaming, mobile phones, iBeacons, and more specialized fan experiences. But... there's a problem. Actually, it's more like an opportunity: I think both leagues are missing the boat online, and that they should stream all of their games, for free. Why you ask? Because it would be a lights out fan experience, and would position them well for the future. In the meantime, fans have to put up with the dreaded Paywall. Can We Ditch the Paywall Please?...
With the New England Patriots at the White House yesterday, it prompted me to think about the best Super Bowl ads I've seen over the years. Here's my top four, and why I think each are awesome: 4) Reebok - Terry Tate Office Linebacker Why it's great: Countless inside jokes for anyone who's worked in an office. Drinking all the coffee and not brewing more. Making long-distance personal calls at work. Improperly filing reports. In a normal office environment, these things often go unpunished... Not when Terry Tate is on staff. 3) Volkswagen - The Force Why it's great: The contrast of the fragility of boyhood and the Darth Vader Costume. The stirring iconic music of the Imperial March. The timeless question...
A month ago Peter Diamandis wrote an interesting post on disrupting the Real Estate market. It caught my eye mainly because I'm in the process of selling my old house and buying a new one. Diamandis paints a wonderful picture of being able to use Virtual Reality to browse real estate, and see what your future home might look like with renovations. The thing is, as much as real estate could benefit from Virtual Reality and other virtual experiential marketing, that isn't the most pressing issue in the process as I see it. The biggest issue is that from start to finish, buying a house is almost universally regarded as a terrible customer experience. You Need a Sales Funnel as...
Exactly two years ago Marissa Mayer made headlines with Yahoo's policy that required its employees to come to the office instead of working from home. A raging debate ensued, and was largely focused on collaboration vs. productivity, and flexibility vs. innovation. The surprising omission from the group was economics. Working in an office building costs workers and employers an incredible amount of money. Here's how it breaks down as I see it: Employer Costs: Two years ago, the average cost of office space in the United States was just over $23 a square foot per quarter. A fairly modest office space for an employee is about 125 square feet, which means that companies typically pay about $2,875 a quarter for...
