Is brand loyalty dead? One of the interesting findings in the IBM survey of CMOs ( here is is my take on the overall report) is that companies are unprepared to deal with "decreasing brand loyalty." They're asking the wrong question. Were travelers loyal to Wells...
I met "Shuttle Driver" the last time I stayed at this hotel in Atlanta. His actual name is Ghassan, but you wouldn't know that from the generic business card his employer provided him. Same for the reception desk staff. And Michael, the awesome dude who cajoled me to...
Groupon went public on Friday, and it was reported to be the largest IPO since Google. I don't get it. The founders took $900 million in cash from the company before it went public. Which suggests they think the company is overvalued (and they want their money while...
Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester suggested that his team's historic late-season collapse had nothing to do with the fact that he and his teammates were drinking on the job. His rationale: they were doing the same thing in April and May--and the team was winning....
Lycos used to be a big deal. Lycos was one of the first ad-supported search engines. It completed one of the fastest IPOs in history. It was one of the first profitable Internet companies. And it barely exists today. Look at the home page, and you see a flashback to...
A big rap on Groupon is that it brings in one-time customers that most retail businesses have no idea how to convert. If it led to a steady uptick in business, companies would be cheering. Right? But can you have too much business? Chef Geoff's uptown location used to...
I didn't realize until last night how much Steve Jobs changed my world: He added color (orange desktop computer, red netbook). He added usability (point-and-click operating system versus the old DOS). He made music truly portable (mp3 player, streaming capabilities)....
About twice a year, I wish I were Sean Combs. I’m always running when this happens. At big-name-big-city races, Combs and other celebrities typically run with an entourage. The people who hold their GUs and Gatorade bottles and hang onto extra layers of clothes when...
I heard yesterday that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is going to spend $15,000 to hire a consultant to provide leadership training. The reason: apparently some senior managers don't play well with each other. Now, WMATA has a lot of...
I was watching Restaurant Impossible the other day. It's a show about a chef who works to help turn around failing businesses. In two days. This is reality TV, so one presumes the producers vet and select restaurants where the business issues are so blatant that a few...