What businesses can learn from Charlie Sheen

By Tyler Hurst on March 2, 2011

“I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen.” – Charlie Sheen on ABCNews.

If there’s one person just about everyone would likely choose to be for just a few hours, Charlie Sheen in the middle of one of his now epic binges would likely be very high on our secret list. Most people will tell you that Sheen is an absolute madman and is absolutely killing his career with recent choices.

They are wrong. In case you’re unaware with how the celebrity business works, hype rules. The people that are brightest in the public’s eye, and last the longest there, are often the ones that can command the largest paychecks. Not that we would recommend anyone pull anything resembling a Sheen, but there are a few things businesses could learn from.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Strategy, Tips

What do Transformers, iPad, Dropbox and AuthorityLabs have in common?

By Tyler Hurst on February 16, 2011

Seems Bing has been caught copying Google’s search results. Such an accusation, if true, could have serious ramifications including a noticeable drop in Microsoft trust. Never copy your competitors. Do better.

The flip side is also true. It’s stupid to create useless features in an attempt to differentiate yourself in a crowded market. Here are a list of failures that doomed most of these companies forever.

All I wanted was robot that transformed, not a cap gun that's also a robot.

Go-Bots versus Transformers
There’s no way anyone has forgotten about Go-Bots, the retarded, cousin by marriage of the mighty Transformers. They transformed, they had a back story, but they aren’t being brought back by multi-million dollar movie trilogies. Their last attempt at relevance consisted of making cap guns that transformed into a poor excuse for any kind of toy, let alone a robot that was supposed to be advanced. It seems the Go-Bot makers misread their audience, forgetting that pre-teen boys were captivated by cool robots and that we could solve our gun needs elsewhere. With that, the magic was gone, as the Go-Bots weren’t even trying anymore. At least all the Transformers looked like they’d be somewhat functional robots if they became sentient.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Strategy

Is Groupon replaceable?

By Tyler Hurst on February 10, 2011

Can anyone unseat Groupon as the local deals leader?

If you’d asked me before the Super Bowl, I would have laughed at this question. Even without backing from a large company, Groupon has managed to dominate the daily deal market, and is a huge favorite among cost-conscious shoppers. Even my mom asks about buying things from Groupon.

Chart courtesy of EvanMiller.org

Buying things from Groupon used to be cool. I’d receive offers from local companies and then share those same offers with my friends. It felt like we belonged to a special club that only the cool kids knew about.

And then came the Gap deal.
We ooh’ed and ahh’ed and everyone told their friends. Groupon’s site was nearly overloaded with customers, but they came at a price – they were no longer a local deal company. The daily deals for obscure local places were no longer a cool thing we shared with our friends.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Strategy, Tips

How Companies Really Screw Up Public Relations

By Tyler Hurst on February 2, 2011

The popularity of Jersey Shore and the vitriol of internet forums prove that we can’t resist watching disaster unfold, no matter what size the screen. While it’s great fun if no one gets hurt, public relations disasters can hurt companies far greater than most of us will ever know.

From the Motrin moms to Antennagate and BP to just about anything big retail chains do, here are a few stories that are best treated as case studies on what NOT to do.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Strategy, Tips

7 Reasons Your Company Should Care About Public Relations

By Tyler Hurst on January 26, 2011

There are few things more hip than a tech startup. From the long nights listening to whatever soundtrack is cool right now (TRON, Social Network) and the relative insulation of too many online-only communities, too many startups pay little attention to public relations.

The reasons are many. It could be a budget issue. It could be an arrogance issue. It could be simple oversight. But as companies grow from inception to market and then (hopefully) profitability, the image your company projects becomes extremely important. While it may seem fashionable to ignore PR in favor of marketing you and your employees using social media and word of mouth marketing, that’s not a long-term solution.

PR shouldn’t be haphazard, it shouldn’t be unplanned and it certainly shouldn’t be done by those who lack any sort of charm or people skills. Here are our top reason why your company should care about PR:
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Strategy, Tips

5 Things Apple Gets Right That You Get Wrong

By Melissa Hincha-Ownby on December 14, 2010

Apple was founded in 1976 and although it has had some bumpy periods, it is one of the most successful technology companies in the world. Apple has had to do many things right in order to achieve and maintain this level of success. Even if you don’t aspire to own a multi-billion dollar company with a worldwide presence, you can still learn a lot from how the folks at Apple operate. Here are 5 things Apple gets right that you get wrong to get you started.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Strategy