October 14, 2009 – 12:43 am
Have you heard of “Udorse,” the newly launched endeavor where everyday people can earn sponsor dollars for the brands they feature in their blogs and Facebook pages? (www.udorse.com)
October 5, 2009 – 12:49 am
I had lunch the other day with my friend Marsha, whose teenage daughter got a job this summer as a hostess at a casual theme restaurant. Marsha, having worked her way through college tending bar, knows the business well. I love her story because it’s a reality check.
September 30, 2009 – 12:50 am
As someone who has been watching Saturday Night Live since the ’70s, I know something about brand fatigue. You know, after thirty years, I keep hoping that they will show me something new…and occasionally they do. Last fall, Tina Fey’s take on Sarah Palin was just the “new product development” that Saturday Night Live needed. At the […]
September 21, 2009 – 1:48 am
I met a friend for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory the other day. She was a little late so I had a chance to read the menu. (You know me…always working.) Usually captivated by the variety of food, I had never noticed The Cheesecake Factory history on the first page before. I loved the chance […]
September 15, 2009 – 2:00 am
With the caveat that “free advice is worth every penny you pay for it,” do I have a deal for you.
September 11, 2009 – 2:46 am
Why does it come as a surprise every year when sales hit the wall the week after Labor Day? Feel free to disagree with me, but, in my experience, the first week in September is the worst week of the year. I first experienced this years ago when I was with Max & Erma’s, and […]
September 2, 2009 – 2:49 am
I love the Verizon Wireless commercial where the teenage kids are reprimanding the Baby Boomer parents. The scene is the patio. The son says, “Cool it with the Twitter updates.” The father (talking while texting) texts, “I’m sitting on the patio.” With an air of exasperation, the son responds, “I know you’re sitting on the patio.” […]
August 24, 2009 – 2:51 am
Last week, I talked to a top industry executive who had just had a business lunch at an upscale Asian restaurant in Chicago. His comment was interesting: “It was good, but by the time I paid $12 for the valet parking, my lunch cost me $50.”
August 17, 2009 – 2:54 am
As part of the board of the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group (MEG), I get to help plan its two conferences a year. We just finalized the agenda for the upcoming fall conference at the Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas, October 14 through October 16, and it looks great. For those of you […]
August 13, 2009 – 2:55 am
August 13, 2009 I just went back and looked at Jack in the Box’s viral campaign from earlier this year thanks to Christa’s comment yesterday. All I can say is: I rest my case… What’s not to love? I visited http://www.hangintherejack.com about Jack’s being hit by a bus and his subsequent recovery. I know it may […]
