Author Archives: jcioban
E-Mail Remains Relevant…To A Point.
I have three e-mail accounts: one business, one mixed use “testing” / “sort of interested” account, and one personal account. At 53, I am of the generation that went through our core business years with e-mail as an “essential” communication … Continue reading
The Power of Search When Searching for Short Ribs
This is a story about food. And how Web technology helped me sate a desire for short ribs. Oh, there is a marketing lesson in here too. I was on vacation in Stowe, VT last week. The condo we stayed … Continue reading
Why Marketing Exists
EBSCO Industries is a pretty cool company that has some pretty cool divisions. Not pretty cool is their website. Diversity in business is OK, just don’t present it this way…it makes the company look unfocused. And the seven values inspire … Continue reading
Less Is Not More. Product Shrinkage Continues.
Yogurt broke ground…and lots followed. These days, buying yogurt or ice cream offers a lesson in business value. Take my favorite Breyer’s. What used to be a 1/2 gallon container went to 1.75 quarts…then quickly to 1.5 quarts. The near-imperceptible … Continue reading
Think. And Rethink.
After a year of using my new Apple keyboard, I had to work on a standard Windows keyboard the other day. I was surprised at how clunky and slow it seemed relative to my Mac version. When I first got … Continue reading
What If Advertisers Acted Like Politicians
Life would be very different if the rules of product advertising were like the rules of political advertising. For example: Coke could simply say that Pepsi was made from genetically-altered cat urine. So what if it wasn’t true. Microsoft could … Continue reading
The Human Touch
I stayed at the Marriott Fairfield Inn in Hazelton, PA recently. About 5 days after returning from my trip, I received a hand-addressed Thank You card in the mail from the hotel. A $0.44 gift that certainly made a real … Continue reading