More Than The CEO: Hidden Talents of Business Leaders

Recently, a video surfaced of Alibaba CEO Jack Ma performing for employees at a conference dressed as Michael Jackson. This is not the first time that he has done something like this either. In 2014 he sang songs from “Lion King” for his employees, and now he’s at it again, less than a month after his Jackson performance, surprising everyone once again with his singing performance at a music festival hosted by Alibaba. Check out his performance here.

Jack Ma isn’t the only business leader with hidden talents though, these big names in the business world have hobbies and talents that may surprise you!

Jack Dorsey: Botanical Illustration

After launching a failed business in the early 2000s, Twitter co-founder Dorsey took a break to study Botanical Illustration (scientific drawings of plant anatomy) In an interview with the New Yorker he said: “I really like any colony-based structure, where you have a strong dependence on a network.”

Warren Buffett: Ukulele

When he isn’t making headlines as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett enjoys spending time with his family and practicing his hidden talent: playing the ukulele. He’s been featured on NPR and has even toured with his son. You can read the story of his journey to ukulele success here.

Sergey Brin: Trapeze

Brin has lived an exciting life as a co-founder of Google, and some of that excitement is found in high adrenaline exercises such as gymnastics, skiing, skydiving, and trapeze. Check out this video to see him skydive to promote Google Glass in 2013.

Mark Zuckerberg: Mandarin, sustainable living and more

The Facebook mogul has taken on a new challenge every year, setting personal goals like running 365 miles in a year, visiting all 50 states, learning Mandarin, and getting into sustainable living by only eating meat that he has killed himself. This yearly goal setting is great for him, and you might want to consider it as well to unlock these benefits.

William Clay Ford Jr.: Taekwondo

The great-grandson of Henry Ford and Executive Chairman at Ford was called the “Buddha of Detroit” by the New York Times in 2000. His zen approach to life and focus on environmentally friendly living makes him a mindful leader. Ford can probably accredit this to his study of Taekwondo, a Korean self-defense practice in which he has received his black belt.

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11 Herbs & Spices: Brands That Embrace Their Personalities on Twitter

Earlier this week, Twitter user Edge (@edgette22) noticed something funny about KFC’s Twitter page that made headlines for the brand.

The quiet execution of this comical marketing strategy isn’t the first time that a brand has used Twitter to subvert traditional marketing efforts for a more playful strategy. Think back to Wendy’s always sassy Twitter responses, like this one:

Fast food companies aren’t the only brands establishing themselves as Twitter masters, check out these examples of brands showing off their personality on social media!

Netflix (@netflix)

The streaming giant knows what it’s target audience is thinking.

Taco Bell (@tacobell)

Taking senior portraits at Taco Bell has been a trend this year, and the brand took notice.

Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets)

Promoting their online ordering capabilities while disrupting everyone’s Tinder game.

Totino’s Pizza Rolls (@totinos)

Starting with the name of the account (Pete Zaroll) and the anthropomorphic pizza roll that personifies the account, this General Mills brand really brings the sass, especially when it comes to brand recognition.

Hamburger Helper (@helper)

Another General Mill’s brand, Hamburger Helper’s Twitter account has been in the news lately due to its quick-witted responses like this one:

DiGiorno Pizza (@DiGiornoPizza)

With a tagline like “It’s not delivery. It’s DiGiorno”, would you expect anything less than sassy tweets?

Old Spice (@OldSpice)

Never one to shy away from unconventional marketing and commercials, Old Spice continues that trend with their Twitter feed.

Innocent Drinks (@innocent)

This healthy smoothie/juice company based out of the UK has a Twitter feed filled with gems like this one below. What more could you ask for from a brand’s social media?

Moosejaw Mountaineering (@MoosejawMadness)

Self-described as “the most fun outdoor retailer on the planet”, Moosejaw’s Twitter is filled with funny quips like this one:

Have some more examples? Share them in the comments section below.

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Black Friday 2017 Predictions

With only a few weeks until Thanksgiving on November 23rd, savvy shoppers are ramping up to this year’s Black Friday deals and sales. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become some of the biggest shopping days of the year, and sales keep getting bigger and bigger. In the past, sales have started on Thanksgiving and gone into Black Friday proper and the weekend and Monday following the holiday (Cyber Monday), but in recent years, retailers have begun their sales earlier and earlier, sometimes having promotions all month long. Look for these trends this November!

Spending

According to predictions by the National Retail Federation, Holiday sales (retail sales between November and December) will grow by up to 4% from last year, up to a $682 billion dollar amount. PwC’s holiday outlook data suggests that the average holiday spend for 83% of US consumers is expected to be $1,189.

Top Stores

DealNews.com suggests keeping an eye on sales at Kohl’s (where your savings will largely be in Kohl’s Cash), Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and Amazon this year, however, the best places to make your purchases will depend on what your items of interest are and will also be largely based upon price point. Forbes has a list of where to look for tablets and laptops this year, which can be found here.  If you are interested in Apple Products, online retailers will likely have better discounts on Apple products than the Apple Store itself.  Last year, Apple’s Black Friday deal included a gift card with the purchase of older product models at an undiscounted rate, and that is expected to continue this year, hinging on whether Apple even decides to participate in Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

Top Deals

Video game bundles for the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are rumored to be heavily discounted this year, as well as many smartphones including the newest iPhones (8, 8 Plus and X), the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 and the Google Pixel 2. Discounted prices for 4K TVs and 4K media players are also expected.

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Is Digital Marketing Destroying Marketing As A Whole?

Looking into the future of marketing many times forces us to look into the past. What has worked? What hasn’t? Is there something that was executed poorly that could be re-integrated into a more current strategy? But looking at the past faces of marketing might make marketers of today nervous, and for good reason. TechCrunch released an article on how the use of Google Analytics has changed marketing, and in their opinion, changed it for the worse.

Simply stated, Google Analytics has allowed marketers to focus solely on digital methods, sometimes getting poorer results than could be expected if strategies and channels were paid more attention to in the overall view of what marketing can be. Marketing has shifted completely from the advertising empire that was so renowned in the days of Madison Avenue. Gone are the days of a basic strategy and here are the days of separate and not usually equal use of marketing channels.  

This isn’t to say that digital marketing isn’t important. In fact, with the amount of people who own computers, cell phones and other devices, digital marketing (which includes social media, native advertising, influencer marketing and any mobile marketing or apps) and mobile marketing have rightfully become some of the top ways to generate more customers and revenue as well as increase public knowledge of brands.

The deceiving part of this is that at least in the United States, people are spending more and more time watching TV, with the daily time devoted to television almost equal with the amount of time spent working (According to this article from the Washington Post). But television marketing isn’t something that you hear many marketers discuss on a day to day basis, especially in the world of startups, where money is tight and marketing efforts need to do more for less.

The reasoning behind this may be that marketers of today don’t fully comprehend differences of what content, channel, and strategy are. Just like television is a channel for advertising, channels in digital marketing can be search results, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat a blog and any other platform you may think of. Content is what you post on these channels: videos, blogs, images, testimonials, the list goes on and on. And the backbone of it all: strategy. Strategy can be advertising, promotion, SEO, publicity, personal selling, direct marketing, essentially asking what the purpose of content on a specific channel is.

For marketing to work as it is supposed to, marketers need to go back to basics and relearn how they connect with their audience and for what purpose. Google Analytics does not deliver you the information you need to decide if the return on investment (ROI) you get from social media is from any specific strategy, which negates any ability to change or improve a strategy if all you see is that the ROI is there and often comes across as “good enough”.

Google Analytics is without a doubt useful and important to continue using, but the key to overall marketing success is remembering that it A) does not track all marketing efforts (only online campaigns) and B) does not always give you the details you need to make the strongest decisions for your overall marketing quality. Branch out and learn about other ways you can track your ROI and success, try new content and channels. You never know what strategies might work for you.

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Tech Radar: Google Pixel 2

Photo by Maurizio Pesce via Flickr

On October 4th, Google’s tech event revealed a number of changes and product releases, including announcing the newest iteration of the highly rated Google Pixel cell phone: the Google Pixel 2. This is what you need to know before you buy!

Features:

The original Pixel heralded an extremely high-quality camera and the Pixel 2 is no different. The photo quality is outstanding, even in low light. As an added bonus, you are able to store the photos and videos you take for free with unlimited online storage. The water-resistant phone is equipped with fast charging technology, similar to its predecessor and comes with an improved version of Google Assistant. In a drastic departure from the original Pixel, the 3.5 mm headphone jack has been removed, an interesting change after the introduction of the original Pixel that shaded Apple for their headphone jack removal on the iPhone 7.

The Pixel 2 is available in four colorways and in two sizes.

Specs:

The Pixel 2 is loaded with high tech updates, including the 835 Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a dual focus camera, pOLED screen, updated security functions, and high-quality stereo speakers. There is a 5-inch screen on the Pixel 2 and a 6-inch screen on the Pixel 2 XL. Both sizes come with 64 GB and 128 GB storage options.

Pricing:

The Pixel 2 starts at $649, and the Pixel 2 XL starts at $849. Both models went on sale October 4th.

Read more about the Pixel 2 and the other products announced at Google’s October 4th event here.

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