It’s been an amazing experience working with Coca-Cola, the world’s most innovative brand.  And, once again, I am inspired by their recent creative videos Content 2020 (Part One and Part Two) describing their new approach to connecting with customers while stimulating business.  This approach revolves around moving from Creative Content to Content Excellence. Implicit in this approach is the need for content that is both Liquid and Linked, meaning content that is so compelling, it can’t not be shared – [...]

This is the first in our series of netnographies on coffee brands, with Starbucks, Peet’s, and Philz Coffee to follow. We’ll have Insights for each brand, but the most complete analysis will come in the form of a summary post on the Ideal Coffee after we’ve looked at all four brands. Dunkin’ Donuts (DD) may not have the cachet of other, more upscale brands, but it offers a wide selection of flavors and blends. Many consumers who’ve done their own [...]

I married into a ski family, so while most people are spending time stringing cobwebs across the trees in the front yard or planning for Thanksgiving, they’re all waiting for the first snow of the season to fall. It’s only a matter of time before the whole family is rounded up for the first chance to hit the slopes. And whether that mass exodus to the chairlift is in Tahoe or Vermont or Whistler for you (check out social media’s [...]

GreenBook recently celebrated the debut of its 10th edition of the GRIT Report for Q3/Q4 2011, and the chance to work with everyone from GreenBook editor, Lenny Murphy to Tom Anderson was such a treat. I love these guys and all the other partners, so it was great to be involved with such a talented and smart group!   For those of you who do not know the GRIT Report, it is a study that covers the key issues and trends [...]

An eye-opening new post by NetBase Chief Evangelist Malcolm De Leo analyzes the correlation between social media sentiment and stock price for Netflix following the company’s controversial decisions about how it would distribute movies and charge customers for its services. Malcolm’s post investigates how Netflix could have used social media listening and understanding tools to avoid the strong negative reaction to the changes—or at least to react more quickly during the crisis and preserve more brand equity and stock value. [...]

According to its news releases, Southwest offers “a reliable product with exemplary customer service.” Consumers agree about the service part, saying the airline’s employees go above and beyond to be friendly and helpful. But the “reliable product” part? Not so much—Southwest comes in for its share of criticism regarding on-time performance. But are the delays their fault? More on that in the Insights section. On a personal note, I got a rude awakening the other day regarding Southwest’s frequent flyer [...]

As promised in last month’s blog post on Fall TV Premieres, I re-ran the data on five of the most anticipated premieres of the Fall season: Modern Family, Glee, Gossip Girl, The Office, and Two and a Half Men. I was eager to see what would happen in the first month after these premieres, especially with all of the controversy over Two and a Half Men’s latest cast addition (who seems to be relying on how great he looks semi-naked) [...]

It feels like I flipped the calendar to October and suddenly it’s chilly out – in a matter of moments, the temperature has dropped and the leaves are changing colors. And my kids are counting the seconds (yes, the seconds) to Halloween and the candy fest that is sure to ensue. To me, a sweet persimmon, crisp apple or chewy date is the best candy, but something tells me this isn’t a sentiment shared by most children. So, to prepare [...]