Windows Live Writer rocks!!
Just started using Windows Live Writer to post blog entries. This app is great…by far the best blogging app I’ve used yet. There are lots of cool features, but one of the best is the image editing functionality, which is more robust than any of the three blogging platforms and particularly relevant for Wordpress users. Bloggers can check it out here.
Powered by service - Zappos is best retailer on the Web
I ordered my third pair of shoes from Zappos this week. I love this company!! Every experience I’ve had with them has been utterly delightful. You know a company is doing something right when a customer is still impressed blown away the third time around. Therefore, I hereby officially declare Zappos the single-best online retailer in 2007. Why? Because they ship merchandise free overnight both ways - in other words, they pay the return shipping costs as well. The shoes I ordered last Sunday were waiting for me when I got home from work Monday!! They have a 365-day return policy provided shoes are in the same condition as purchased - no questions asked. You don’t like the style? Shoes are a tad too big?….no problem. And the selection is broader than any other shoe store you’ll find - they currently have 907,000 UPCs. They also have a 110% price guarantee so if you find a better price, they’ll refund 110% of the difference. They’ve even taken the step of internalizing the service creed with a new tag line…powered by service. In an era when many companies are divesting from customer service, Zappos shows how much success can be achieved by treating your customer right. Their sales grew 140% to $597 million in 2006. Look for Amazon to acquire these guys within the year.
Arcade Fire lives up to the hype!!
I went to hear Arcade Fire last week at Radio City to see what all the hype is about. Now I understand. The show had a double-billing that excited me. Both The National and Arcade Fire have been selling out shows in NYC for the past year and this was an opportunity to see them together. However, as often happens, we arrived late, missing The National’s opening set <bummer>, but nestled up to our seats right in time for the main event. Arcade Fire’s presence on stage is very unique. They exude an energy that is fun, spirited and communal. You can tell they genuinely want to interact with their fans (as evidenced by several pleas by the band’s Win Butler to come closer to the stage, despite Radio City’s policies to the contrary). Apparently, fans were on stage with the band for their encore at United Palace Theater the previous night, documented for perpetuity by this video posted by my friend, Danny. Jon, who was at the show with me, remarked that they have a certain ethos and collective spirit that is palpable. It’s true. Their presence on stage is unique, partially because no individual takes center stage, rare for bands today. In fact, they spent much of the night trading places and instruments (I assume this is part of their routine), moving around on stage as if playing musical chairs. Combined with a dose of creative flare and expressive performing, this adds a theatrical element to the already compelling music…a unique genre I describe as symphonic rock. All in all, seeing Arcade Fire live is a thrill. Their music is great, but they are one of those bands who need to be seen live to appreciate why they are so special.
Following up on Westin….White Tea and Heavenly Cribs
After writing the article on the Heavenly Shower, I connected with a friend who works on the Westin brand for Starwood. He read my article and shared the following perspective:
you have no idea the life the "brand culture" has taken
on.we have our own scent (white tea) - memory being the strongest of
recalls and emotional ties, every time you set foot in a Westin they are pumping
the scent through the building.the color, font size, lack of caps - all meant to evoke the brand
"feel"… the point being to make an emotional connection.Westin Workout rooms powered by Reebok, working out in the privacy
of your own room equipped with a treadmill and pilates DVD.The Westin Unwind hour…an evening ritual that changes for each
Westin location.The Westin Breathe initiative… every Westin is smoke free, rooms
and public spaces.The Westin Heavenly dog bed… because even your pooch needs a
heavenly experienceThe Westin Crib… same as above but for your
child!It’s endless…all Starwood brands have taken this initiative to
have their own brand speak, look, feel, smell all to create that "other place"
that Starbucks has so successfully created. A home away from home unique to
each brand and each brand touching a demographic.
Westin’s heavenly shower is…heavenly
I stayed at a Westin in Savannah two weeks ago and fell in love with the Heavenly Shower that I found in my bathroom. Its the first time I had seen their double shower-head and thought it was a brilliant idea. From a business perspective, it’s a simple inexpensive thing to add, but one that probably pays off many times by making the customer feel good. Westin has extended their "Heavenly" branded products, which began with the plush Heavenly Bed a few years ago, to all sorts of luxury branded items that make staying in Westins a somewhat unique experience and give Starwood a great opportunity to sell products for home consumption. If a customer purchases a feather bed or shower head for their home, that surely increases the probability of them staying in a Westin on their next trip. I think this is one of the most innovative and well-executed brand extensions in recent memory. And I’ve seen several imitators - Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton and others - following suit. Other Starwood brands like The W are also taking pointers, selling W-branded products. To the Westin marketing team: Well Done!!
Nerds…the new black!!
Has anyone else noticed how fashionable its become to be a nerd? I first noticed this trend a year ago when I was dating a girl a few years younger who kept referring to herself and her friends as "nerds" and "dorks". Now, it’s all the rage, particularly in the tech world, where nerdiness often correlates with passion, creativity and vision. Talking about the latest website, gadget or innovation with a friend has become cool, not just for people in the industry, but for normal civilians too. Growing up, nerds and dorks were the ones who wore glasses, ran cross country and wore their backpack with both straps. Today, glasses are cool, marathons and triathlons are more popular than ever and everyone knows that two straps is much better for your back - not to mention the move from shoulder bags to backpacks in the business world. Notice a trend?
The Urban Dictionary has a bunch of entertaining definitions for nerd and cool nerd, but my favorite, likely written by someone of my generation who has reaped benefit from the new nerd paradigm (that would be a good title for a book), is:
the group of people who will most likely make a life changing invention
that will radically change the world. the computer was invented by a
nerd….jocks and
normal people have no claim to civilization except for being the hard
labor. nerds actually do the thinking….