Category Archives: Communication

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 →

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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 →

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Advertising in China – it’s noisy and in your face

Posted on November 8, 2011 by markkolier

<img src=”https://markkolier.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/lebron-china-print-ad.jpg&#8221; alt=”” title=”Lebron China print ad” width=”250″ height=”192″ class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-1992″ Chinese advertisements on television, radio, newspapers and magazines make Ron Popeil’s television (“Set-it and Forget-it”) advertisements for direct response products runaway Clio winners. This is of course my … Continue reading →

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College Parent’s weekend – a mobile experience

Posted on October 31, 2011 by markkolier

Our college freshman daughter is attending school in Florida which is a long way from where she grew up in Connecticut (which got dumped on by a freak late October snowstorm this weekend). For her, having her parents come to … Continue reading →

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Is Blackberry standing at death’s door?

Posted on October 17, 2011 by markkolier

Like so many RIM – Research in Motion – BB users, last week’s worldwide Blackberry outage was a big inconvenience for me. I was traveling and even more reliant on the efficacy of BB’s email platform. A by-product was that … Continue reading →

Posted in Best business practices, Communication, Innovation, Mobile Communication, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Apple’s not new iPhone – Tim Cook drops a dud

Posted on October 5, 2011 by markkolier

Steve Jobs has ceded his CEO status to Timothy D. Cook. Apple aficionados (I do not count myself among them) were more than eagerly awaiting what they thought would be another watershed event – the unveiling of the iPhone 5. … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Innovation, Mobile Communication, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The metamorphosis of Hyundai – a study in changing brand perception

Posted on October 3, 2011 by markkolier

In the 1960’s the phrase ‘Made in Japan’ was not a positive one. At the time Japanese manufactured products such as televisions and transistor radios were known to be cheap and likely to break or break down. The Japanese worked … Continue reading →

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QR codes will die soon – Here come ‘Near Field Communications’ (NFC)

Posted on September 23, 2011 by markkolier

I have made no secret of my disaffection with QR (Quick Response) Codes. You know them as the funny looking little square that you’ve noticed popping up in advertisements in print, billboards, the web and even on television. Although the … Continue reading →

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Home telephone service – it’s time to cut the cord

Posted on September 16, 2011 by markkolier

Call me old school but we still have a ‘land-line’ telephone at home. However a year or so ago we bundled our internet and cable service to include our telephone service. There was a financial incentive to do so at … Continue reading →

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Utilities during power outages need to better use technology to communicate

Posted on August 31, 2011 by markkolier

Our office was without full power in our office for nearly 48 hours following the aftermath caused by Hurricane Irene. We had lots of company. Local municipalities have gotten smarter about communicating with residents during major local events like snowstorms … Continue reading →

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