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Top 6 – April 2010

By Tim J. Smith, PhD April 5, 2010

“There’s so many things that have been said over and over again that need to be said again and again,” Soliloquy From…

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Sony Initiates Standards War in e-Readers

By Tim J. Smith, PhD April 5, 2010

In the last weeks of March 2010, just before the media hoopla hit a crescendo on the release of the first Apple iPad, Sony took a shot to establish a more tenable position within the e-Reader market by dropping the price on the Sony Pocket Reader to $169. Is this the beginning of a standards war or a last ditch attempt to move units before Sony finds itself left in the wake of the Apple iPad?

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Top 6 – March 2010

By Tim J. Smith, PhD March 4, 2010

Ah, March, we all get to be Irish for a day. “May the dust of your carriage blind the eyes of your…

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Getting Pricing Right – Nordstrom vs. Abercrombie & Fitch

By Tim J. Smith, PhD March 4, 2010

The recession has tested even the most resilient business model. Through it, Nordstrom has glowed while Abercrombie & Fitch glowered. What caused the disparity in performance between these two strong firms? Their pricing strategies.

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Professorial Musings form the World of Marketing

By James T. Berger March 4, 2010

Recent issues of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have been particularly rich in their commentaries of heretofore magnificent corporations who have fallen on hard times. In particular: Toyota, Palm and Blockbuster. ?

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Top 6 – February 2010

By Tim J. Smith, PhD February 11, 2010

“Here lies a humanist.” Abdurrahman Wahid, First Democratically Elected President of Indonesia, 1940-2009 Utility defines value. Does your new idea meet this…

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IPad Has All the Ingredients for a Classic Marketing Blunder

By James T. Berger February 11, 2010

Fresh from its fabulous success with the iPod and iPhone, Steve Jobs has unveiled the latest in Apple’s “iPortfolio,” the iPad. Amid all the hoopla of a major media unveiling, there are some obvious elements of a classic marketing mistake.

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Dog Groomer Finds PWYW Promotion a Win-Win

By Tim J. Smith, PhD February 11, 2010

Since August 2009, Urban Canine, located in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, has been letting dog owners use washing facilities, shampoo, ear-cleaning liquid, towels, and even blow driers for self-wash dog grooming at a price of the customer’s choosing. How has this Pay What You Want (PWYW) promotion faired for Urban Canine? I caught up with Tony Sauer, owner of Urban Canine, to understand how the program’s performance.

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Top 6 – January 2010

By Tim J. Smith, PhD January 13, 2010

“The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.” Peter Drucker, 1909-2005 The relationship management continuum begins before the initial…

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Nurturing Relationships More Important Than Ever

By James T. Berger January 13, 2010

The economic downturn may prove a major opportunity to mid-size companies looking to change advertising agencies.
For those who survived the recession battered and bruised, the new decade figures to be just as challenging as the last one. Those businesses that survive and hopefully thrive will do so based on the ability to provide ever more value to clients and customers and to nurture relationships.

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