Adam Williams

While nation mourns tragedy in Connecticut, Google profits from offensive ads

on December 27, 2012 8:00 AM

Out of respect for the families of the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary, I have waited nearly two weeks to write this post. However, I think it’s an important issue.

I was on campus when I heard the news. I headed straight to the Internet to find out what was happening. As I pulled up the very first news article titled At least 26 dead in shooting at Connecticut elementary school, I was presented with an extremely offensive ad selected and served by Google (see image above or click here for a larger image).

The t-shirt in the ad from BadIdeaTshirts.com depicts a woman who has been shot with the phrase, “I’m fine.” Considering that the events of that day are some of the most horrific and heartbreaking in America’s recent history, this t-shirt and ad are, in my opinion, simply unacceptable and far over any line of common decency.

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Marketing

Why I had to win the Game Boy

By Adam Williams

on December 7, 2012 4:47 PM

Recently at a white elephant party, someone brought an old but functioning Game Boy (pictured above). As soon as it was opened, every guy in the room started salivating.

Through some maneuvering, I walked out with the prize and a big grin on my face.

Now let’s be honest, I won’t actually use it much. The games on my phone are much better. But still. I had to have it.

Why?

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Marketing

The #1 reason why Romney lost to Obama

By Adam Williams

on November 12, 2012 11:19 AM

In early October, I wrote a post on framing your competition. I used Obama and Romney as an example. Obama framed Romney as an out-of-touch, millionaire who can’t relate to the common man.

With the election now over, I want to show you just how important and powerful the rich-man-Romney-frame was.

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Advertisements Marketing

Apple Genius Ads: It’s not often Apple makes a mistake

By Adam Williams

on November 12, 2012 10:54 AM

You may recall a few months ago that Apple pulled its new Genius ad campaign. I will briefly use this campaign as an example of a company who momentarily forgot who they are.

One of the core messages that Apple has used in its advertising is just how simple a Mac is to use. The below commercial, titled Choose a Vista, exemplifies the Apple is easy message.

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Marketing

The 5 reasons Bodyform’s video response to Facebook post is such a success

By Adam Williams

on October 17, 2012 11:59 PM

Hopefully you’ve had a chance to see the witty and headline grabbing response that feminine care company Bodyform posted to Youtube on October 16th in response to a snarky comment on its Facebook page. Though if you haven’t, I’ve posted it above.

In just the first 24 hours, the video garnered more than 626,000 views. By any standard, that’s pretty amazing.

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Customer Service

What Netflix and GoDaddy don’t understand about customer service

By Adam Williams

on October 16, 2012 6:54 AM

Did you ditch Netflix after it announced price increases late summer 2011 or when it announced Quikster? Or did you leave GoDaddy after it supported SOPA or had massive downtime in September 2012?

I did.

In fact, a lot of people did.

But why? Both services had a large user base. So why did people jump ship when there was a bump in the road instead of giving them a chance to recover?

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Customer Service

It’s not you, it’s me: Why you should fire some customers

By Adam Williams

on October 9, 2012 8:00 AM

The old adage that the customer is always right is wrong – plain and simple. A company that finds itself constantly beholden to the whims of customers will experience higher levels of stress, not necessarily profit.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of listening to George Roberts, former EVP of Oracle, talk about some of his business philosophies. He mentioned the Anything for a Buck syndrome. Basically, it’s when a company will do anything for a buck.

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