Polymer Studios::Web Consulting

Optimists among us

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Talk of the recession is, well, everywhere. And it can get depressing. So, where are the contrarians? Who’s looking for (and telling others about) the silver lining in this grey economy? Who’s trying to describe an alternate reality? Well, here are a handful for you to consider. Graeme Thickins, in The Clear and Simple Solution to the Current [...]

A letter from the corazon

Friday, January 2, 2009

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Regular visitors (read: my mom) might remember that I took my son to Peru last summer. What follows is a vignette from our visit to some impoverished villages in the high Andes. I wrote it as part of a donation drive for Comunidad, a non-profit whose board I sit on. At first glance, you could be [...]

Why should big retailers blog?

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

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Jason Billingsley of the Get Elastic blog recorded this interview with Darren Tomey, VP of Sales from Compendium Blogware, at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition 2008 in Chicago. I find it interesting that Darren uses organic SEO as the rationale for why big retailers should be blogging. I don’t disagree, but my first reaction would [...]

Take the AR online. Your shareholders will thank you.

Monday, December 15, 2008

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Consider the costs that go into producing a typical corporate annual report. Photo shoots, creative creative concept development, copywriting, design, layout of the financial section — we haven’t even gotten to the killer cost — printing and mailing hundreds of thousands of copies across the globe. It all adds up quickly. So, with stock prices in the [...]

Call off the lawyers

Monday, December 15, 2008

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We’ve all seen (or at least heard of) Web sites that were created by disgruntled consumers to complain about crappy service or unserviceable products. Perhaps even more common nowadays are blog or Twitter posts that disparage the name of some corporation. So, what’s a vigilant corporate lawyer to do? Nothing, according to Bruce Johnson, partner [...]

The next UnSummit

Thursday, December 11, 2008

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We’re starting to organize the next UnSummit. Here’s what’s known: Date: A Saturday in Februrary or March. We’ll announce the date as soon as things are finalized. Location: TBD Food, drink: Yes. We’re looking to get some kind souls to underwrite food and drinks. Topics: I may need some help honing this down to a couple of snappy sound bites. In the meantime, [...]

How to get your head around social media

Monday, December 8, 2008

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What follows is a slightly edited transcript of a recent email to a friend who is a marketing manager for a large healthcare organization in Chicago. Like many of us, she is wondering how to begin talking about the potential of social media for her organization. +++ First of all, it’s important to be clear with your [...]

My wish list for 2009

Sunday, December 7, 2008

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My kids are bombarding me with their wish lists. I’ve got a wish list, too. But instead of iPods and Wii games, my list consists of three things I’d like to make happen in 2009: Make UnSummit a quarterly event - People have been asking me when the next unSummit will be. Frankly, I hadn’t thought [...]

How to update your old Web site on the cheap

Monday, December 1, 2008

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If the last downturn taught us anything it’s that businesses can batten down the hatches very quickly, and that marketing budgets are the first to be thrown overboard. Were you hoping to revamp or enhance your old Web site over the next few quarters? If so, a spending freeze memo from the boss could seriously hinder [...]

A huge social media headache for Motrin

Sunday, November 23, 2008

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Have you heard about Motrin Moms? On November 16, Motrin released a commercial suggesting that baby carriers are both painful and unfashionable. Check it out below. What probably seemed clever in the mind of a 23-year-old, childless copywriter turned out to be quite offensive to many moms (and dads, to be sure) and unleashed a social [...]