New Runners Social Media Site: Dailymile!

Those of you who know me or follow my posts on social media probably already know that I'm a little fanatical about running. I basically eat, sleep, work, spend time with my family and run. So I was quite intrigued when I heard about a new social network dedicated to training and socializing about running. It's called Dailymile (www.dailymile.com) and it's easy-to-use, fun and motivational for anyone looking to run or just be fit. Go ahead...check it out!

Oh Christmas Brand! Oh Christmas Brand!

What is the Christmas brand? Some people would be offended that I ask. I'm not asking to be offensive but rather because the Christmas brand has taken on various meanings as opposed to the original Christian meaning it once had.

We know that the original Christmas brand is the Christian story of Jesus being born and three wise kings bringing gifts for the baby Jesus. Christmas in that sense is a religious holiday to remember and celebrate the holy birth of Jesus.

Then there is the commercialized Christmas. Some celebrate this holiday only in the commercial sense as in the sense of gift giving and receiving and spending time with loved ones without much thought for the Christian meaning.

Then of course we have the "Happy Holidays" version of Christmas that is the politically correct way of wishing someone who may or may not be of a different faith a happy holiday.

What does Christmas mean to you? One, more or none of these?

Best Brands for Runners

The last few years I've become what some would call a serious runner. Frequent disciplined practice, goal setting, competitive racing and an obsession with performance are some of the tell-tale signs that this subculture of runners is a place I belong. I've also learned what brands runners really love. Many of which I had no idea existed until running became a passion.

So here's my take on the best brands for runners by category. Please feel free to comment.

I know this will vary by individual runners but generally what I have experienced and heard from reliable sources is that the following brands are superior.

Shoes:

• Asics

• Brooks

• New Balance

• Nike

• Mizuno


Clothes:

• Under Armour

• Nike

• Adidas

• Asics

• Brooks


Gear:

• Garmin GPS watches

• Fuelbelt

• iPod

• Nike+ gear


Fuel & Hydration:

• Gatorade G2

• Cliff shots or Gu

• Cliff Protein bars


Advice:

• Runners World

• Running Times

• Local running stores like Second Sole, Vertical Runner or Fleet Feet

• Other runners and running groups like Road Runners

Celebrity Brands - Should Celebrities Be Better Examples?

Celebrities have powerful brands much like companies and products. Should celebrities be expected to have a higher standard of moral behavior, the same as everyday people or lesser standards because they have more power and money than the average Joe?

By now we've all heard about Tiger Wood's affair(s). Is it really that surprising? While he is a genius on the golf course he is still merely human. And apparently a human who makes bad decisions much like Kobe Bryant, Bill Clinton, David Letterman, Madonna, and all the others who have harmed their marriages because they didn't control their urges. Or what about Michael Phelps and Amy Winehouse - both talented individuals who indulged themselves in recreational drug use? Or what about Snoop Dogg and other celebrities that have been arrested for violent behaviors?

Does the fact that these celebrities have problems make us relate to them more? Does it affect our own views of what is and is not acceptable or moral behavior? I can't say and it's not my position to judge people only to ask if celebrity brands affect us.

AOL Rebranding

Is it just me or is society homogenizing to the point where all logos created today are trying to achieve that same modern look? It's like they all want to be Apple or Target clones or something? Case in point: take a look at the new AOL logos. Okay the two on the right upper and bottom are not too bad but look at some of these...the fish...the hand. I mean really?

AOL please take note. You are not Apple, You are not Google. You are not Target. You are more like a Microsoft (albeit not as successful) and changing your logo into a fish is not going to change that.

Get Real with Caribou Coffee?

Looks like Starbucks will have a little more competition this holiday season as Caribou Coffee unveils its first ever TV campaign to generate awareness about the boutique coffee brand. Of course this is a very different strategy than that used by Starbucks who largely built their brand on a public relations/word-of-mouth platform. I'd be interested in seeing the results the TV campaign will bring and how success will be measured (i.e. increased sales, store traffic, awareness).

I like Caribou but at the end-of-the-day I'm a Starbucks girl!


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Facebook - The World's Super Media for Today's Advertising

I attended a Facebook presentation this afternoon that was sponsored by the Canton Ad Federation. Everyone knows Facebook is huge but not everyone realizes the huge advertising super media Facebook has become.

Building a brand on Facebook is critical to marketing success in today's economy (particularly for consumer products companies). Facebook provides all sorts of engagement level ads: basic ads you see with text and call to action, rich media ads that integrate video and or sound, reach blocks that blast the whole Facebook network for a period of time such as one day, etc. And there are also applications created to build brand awareness and engagement on Facebook.

To many people, Facebook has replaced email as a common means of communicating. This means any business owner or marketer must evaluate whether they should be building their own brand community on Facebook and/or advertising on Facebook to reach potential customers.

For more information on Facebook marketing visit www.facebook.com/marketing or contact me.