Author Archives: markkolier

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About markkolier

Futurist, entrepreneur, left lane driver, baseball lover

Vistage – a CEO network that gets personal

Posted on December 9, 2011 by markkolier

For the past almost six years I have been a member of a CEO group called Vistage – http://www.vistage.com . I’ve alluded to my participation in the group on more than one occasion on my blog. My original reason for … Continue reading →

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Western Union hangs on and then some

Posted on December 7, 2011 by markkolier

I heard a radio spot last week from Western Union (WU) regarding singing telegrams. The first thought I had was – Western Union? Is that company still even around? A little research divulged that not only is Western Union still … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Communication, Customer Experiences, Entertainment, Marketing stuff, Mobile Communication, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Affordable portable mini-printers are useful now but not for too long

Posted on December 5, 2011 by markkolier

Last night as we traveled back from the airport I was hungry and decided to order a small pizza. There’s a place http://www.PlanetPizza.com that makes good pizza near to our house. On their website they always have coupons for discounts … Continue reading →

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Airline upcharges – there appear to be no limits

Posted on December 1, 2011 by markkolier

I am not exactly certain when the implementation of supplemental airline fees such as bags, seat choices and food came to be standard operating procedure. I believe it was the food first, and then the bags and now seat choices. … Continue reading →

Posted in Living in the World Today, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

I’m a new mover yet marketers are ignoring me

Posted on November 30, 2011 by markkolier

Having been in the direct marketing business for more than twenty five years I (like nearly all of my colleagues), am all too familiar with new mover data and its value to marketers. For those unfamiliar with direct marketing – … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Direct Mail, Marketing stuff | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Hope between Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Posted on November 28, 2011 by markkolier

Did you shop ‘til you dropped this past weekend? Apparently many Americans did something close to that. Over the past weekend retailers saw ‘record numbers’ as reported in the New York Times this Monday morning http://nyti.ms/vqWO0f . ‘The National Retail … Continue reading →

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In the U.S. risk is not just another four letter word

Posted on November 23, 2011 by markkolier

For a country founded on taking a risk (think taking a trip to the new world on the Mayflower) it seems to me that many Americans have lost their appetite for taking chances and assuming risk. This is particularly true … Continue reading →

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What the 99% can be thankful for

Posted on November 21, 2011 by markkolier

Thanksgiving is seen as the true start of the annual ‘Holiday season’. Certainly retailers both online and brick and mortar have been pushing the ‘buy now’ button since Halloween. As the Occupy Wall Street movement carries on into month number … Continue reading →

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Modern Warfare 3 is a juggernaut movies can only dream about

Posted on November 18, 2011 by markkolier

To me the number is staggering: US $775 million sales for Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) in just 5 days. Techcrunch.com reported this on Thursday http://tcrn.ch/uGzouB. I don’t play the game but I have heard complaints from players of Modern Warfare … Continue reading →

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Allstate’s new offer is even better than Mayhem

Posted on November 16, 2011 by markkolier

Many Americans (particularly those that watch televised sports) have watched the Allstate ‘Mayhem’ ads. It features a character that deems himself ‘Mayhem’ and is to be avoided, however when mayhem occurs Allstate is the insurance provider of choice. Here is … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Communication, Marketing stuff | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments