I saw the following video on my colleague and good friend Tom King’s blog. It speaks so clearly to the fundamental strength of learning, especially in the absence of teachers. Watch, get inspired, do!
On innovations and creativity
February 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A couple of interesting articles to read. One focuses on the process of creativity in the brain and how to use it to advantage; the other deals with the execution of creative ideas.
Learning, Creativity, Thinking, Education
January 29, 2011 By 1 Comment
As I proposed a class-wide project that will engage all of us and then some where we will explore what it means to learn, to be creative, to think, and the essence of education, I am posting the following to kick-start the conversation. My hope is that we will hammer out a collective event for the end of the semester that will focus on learning, creativity, thinking, education. That will also require using everything you have learned about marketing, discovering what else you need to learn, and finding ways of closing that gap.
Now, I am not providing these videos as a point where everything ends but rather where we start our journey to discover who we are. You will find many more thinkers who have devoted their lives to enhancing learning, education, creativity, thinking, and in general human capacity. Let us follow their lead and see where the journey takes us at the end of the semester.
As you can tell, I am a fan of Sir Ken Robinson, and for good reason. I hope you will watch the videos with care and attention they deserve, they are more about your future than my past. I also enjoyed reading the works of Edward De Bono who is a noted expert on thinking and teaching thinking. Here are a few more words and phrases that may lead you to other fertile grounds: “abductive reasoning”, “lateral thinking”, “divergent thinking”, “design thinking”.
Post comments if you like, take notes, open your mind, learn how to forget to learn more.
Truth in Advertising
January 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
PhotoXpress.com Ad
Why do companies resort to questionable practices just to get a few customers? Marketing is not about getting customers at all cost; it is about offering the greatest satisfaction to them within the boundaries of societal norms, laws, and ethics. Otherwise, every marketer would be a con man, and some may think that it is already the case. As a professor of marketing, this is how I see the profession.
On the back cover of the last issue of Layers Magazine was an ad. The tagline caught my attention and I first applauded the company. They did the first thing right by getting my attention. It said “15,000 Photo Downloads Per Month for $9.99 /month“. That is a great offer, nay, a terrific one. Then it continued with “Rendezvous with 6.5 million images. Prices beyond words“. A nice photograph accompanied the words. I decided to check out their website and found an attractive Web site at photoXpress.com. You may want to check out their claim yourself. Realizing that I may send some people to their site despite my intention to the contrary, I am providing the Web address and the ad that I scanned for you to be the judge.
What I found on the site did not seem to have anything to do with their claim in the ad. If you paid $9.99 /month you would be entitled to 1 (one) download per day, amounting to 30 downloads per month, somewhat close to 15,000! The “Monthly 25″ plan gave you 25/month for $37.50/month. And so on. Clearly there was a mismatch between the ad and the reality. I wanted to find out more and I wrote a message to them from their Talk to us form and asked where might I find the advertised subscription plan. In a day or two, I got the following answer:
Your ticket “Subscriptions / 15,000 photo downloads per month for $9.99/month” has been answered.
Hi, Thank you for your e-mail. Please feel free to visit our new Subscription Plans section http://www.photoxpress.com/Info/Upgrade Note that our minimum plan is for $9,99 and currently we have over 15,000 photos available on the site. Kind regards, PhotoXpress C.S. Department Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PhotoXpressFree Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PhotoXpress
Or read your answer by logging into your PhotoXpress account and clicking here:
http://admin.photoxpress.com/Member/Support/QuestionsBest regards,
The PhotoXpress.com Team
I did not find the answer to my question and I was a bit more confused especially by the explanation of 15,000 photos. They have more, much more than 15,000 photos, so the use of that figure sounds a bit, well, arbitrary to me. (Their facebook page reports “Nearly 10 million Photos and Illustrations”) One category I clicked on, Food & Drink, yielded 889,917 hits. Truth be told, I did not count them! But defending the claim “15,000 photo downloads” by simply saying they have more than 15,000 photos is on shaky ground, don’t you think? Why stop there, go ahead and say “150,000 downloads per month” as there are more than that many on the site?
Not having an account there, I had no way of logging in to read the response. If there was more to it I could not see it. So, I replied to their feedback@photoxpress.com address in the mail footer and reminded them that they had not answered my question and I was primarily interested in the truthfulness of their claim. I also asked that they kindly replied to my e-mail rather than posting an answer I had no way of reading. Needless to say, I have not yet heard from them and I am not holding my breath.
Will I ever buy anything from them? Most likely not! I don’t know about you, but if someone talks in a confusing manner, even before the first rendezvous I get a bit uneasy! I wanted to learn a little more about the membership and started reading their FAQ, nicely organized with a TOC at the top. I clicked on number 7 “Daily quota and Downloading” which jumped to the relevant entry #7 where I found “7. [Intentionally deleted] ” (as of January 8, 2011). Come again!
They have a decent quality collection, images appear to be of good quality, the variety seems to be there. Why on earth did they use the obviously misleading claim? Could it be an overzelous ad agency? Maybe an intern came up with the idea and nobody thought of critically reading the short copy. Whatever the reason, I hope someone pays attention to this problem and takes corrective, and proactive action. An explanation of this ad will be a good start. Truth in advertising is not just an empty idea. It is the law and it needs to be upheld by everyone, buyer and seller, if we expect to benefit from marketing communications.
Now, let me share this with my colleagues to use in the marketing ethics discussions …
Industry Analysis Tips
May 29, 2008 By
Industry analysis is one of the important ingredients of strategic marketing. By understanding the behavior of the industry, marketers try to anticipate change or identify opportunities and threats. It requires a thorough look at the customers and their needs, market segments, major players and competitors, market behavior like growth rates and the like, and the environment with its uncertainties. [Read more...]
Case Study as a Learning Tool
May 29, 2008 By Leave a Comment
At a conference some years ago, I heard many science educators at all levels talk about “doing science.” At first, it sounded somewhat strange. As I listened and understood the phrase in context, it made eminent sense. They were simply saying, “the only way to learn science is by practicing it.” In the same spirit, I say, “let’s do marketing” to the tune of cases. [Read more...]
Group Work
May 28, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Although at times it may be more difficult than working alone, working in groups is an effective learning tool. Be prepared to face the challenges of working with people (something you will do throughout your career) and avoid finger-pointing at the end of the semester. Allow me to provide assistance and guidance in the early stages of your project and organizing your group. Ask, and you will receive support
Organize early and you will be rewarded. Select a team leader who can organize meetings, keep assignments on time, and make the administrative burden much lighter on everyone. Exchange telephone numbers and e-mail addresses with each other and make sure that I have a copy of this information for the entire team.
Schedule standing meetings when everyone will show-up. Allow extra meeting time during the heavy load periods if necessary. Remember, the only people responsible for an efficient team are the team members! If there are minor difficulties in scheduling, assignments, etc., at the beginning, I will be glad to lend a hand to organize the team. I am a member of every team!
