Author Archives: markkolier

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About markkolier

Futurist, entrepreneur, left lane driver, baseball lover

Facial recognition software demonstrates 1984 is finally here – thirty years late

Posted on August 22, 2013 by markkolier

When I read the article yesterday I could feel my eyes get a little wider and my jaw drop just a bit.  An article that started out as such: ‘The federal government is making progress on developing a surveillance system … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Customer Experiences, Living in the World Today, Marketing stuff | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Charles Schwab email to customers is not bad but could be so much better

Posted on August 19, 2013 by markkolier

I have upon multiple occasions blogged about best practices as they relate to email marketing.  http://wp.me/pn6jX-rw.   In general email communications have improved as the channel has matured.   Considering how customers and marketers interact with email, having an effective email communication strategy … Continue reading →

Posted in Best business practices, Direct marketing, Email marketing, Marketing stuff | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The future of Chinese brand success in the U.S. will be tied to better – not cheaper

Posted on August 12, 2013 by markkolier

Samsung (from Japan) is one of the most recent examples of a foreign brand that has successfully changed its brand perception in the eyes of many Americans.   The success of the Samsung smart phone has enabled Samsung to sell more … Continue reading →

Posted in Best business practices, Brand Advertising, Business in Asia, Business in China, China, International business | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ad agencies getting bigger does not mean things will be better for clients

Posted on August 8, 2013 by markkolier

The news of the Publicis/Omnicom merger last week was perhaps the opening act in what might be a series of advertising agency consolidations.   The number one reason Mr. Levy of Publicis and Mr. Wren of Omnicom gave for the merger … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Best business practices, Brand Advertising, Customer Experiences, Digital media, Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Major League Baseball is not acting in its own best interests

Posted on August 5, 2013 by markkolier

For those of you who do not know, and per Wikipedia, the Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball (MLB) and its associated minor leagues – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as organized baseball.  Under the direction of the Commissioner, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Living in the World Today, Marketing stuff, Sports Marketing, Team performance | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rating The New York Times and Wall Street Journal tablet apps

Posted on August 1, 2013 by markkolier

I gave up the daily printed Wall Street Journal about a month ago in favor of the Wall Street Journal subscriber Amazon Kindle Fire tablet application.   After using it every day I can say with all honesty that it’s pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Best business practices, Publishing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Google Chromecast – a wicked right cross to the cable TV industry or a patsy?

Posted on July 29, 2013 by markkolier

When I saw the news last week announcing Google Chromecast’s new plug in wi-fi device the first thing I thought was ‘Could a $35 device really hurt the cable TV industry?’.   Reading @jeffjarvis excellent post http://buzzmachine.com/2013/07/24/googles-tv/  from last week apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in Film and television, Internet television, Mobile Communication, Television advertising | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A great example of branding the right way

Posted on July 25, 2013 by markkolier

Just by the colors and font of the type face my guess is you will know the brand about which I am writing.   It’s impressive that without a word mentioning the brand the simple font and color treatment of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Brand Advertising, Marketing stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Chipping away at the mountain is the only way sculpt a professional masterpiece

Posted on July 22, 2013 by markkolier

Every day I come to work and I have countless important things to do.  The goals of business success are clear as I have noted in a prior post.   Working day by day the small bits of progress can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Best business practices, Career Development, Professional Development, Team performance | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Why movie theater chains don’t bother with branding

Posted on July 18, 2013 by markkolier

It’s been a little over a year (almost 14 months) since Chinese owned Wanda Group purchased AMC Cinemas in one of the biggest deals of 2012.  While I have posited on why people still go to the movies in a … Continue reading →

Posted in ads in movies, Living in the World Today, Marketing stuff, Media, Movie theater advertising, Screenvision | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments