Description: ALL right, class, here’s your homework assignment: Devise an app. Get people to use it. Repeat. That was the task for some Stanford students in the fall of 2007, in what became known here as the “FacebookClass.†No one expected what happened next. The students ended up getting millions of users for free apps… Read more »
Posts By: Brahm Canzer
iPhone tracking ‘no big deal’
Description: iPhone users outside the Apple store during the launch of the white iPhone 4 say the iPhone’s location tracking does not scare or bother them. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 04/28/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/04/28/t-tt-iphone-privacy-mos.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you think this event is a serious public relations problem for Apple? Judging from these interviews,… Read more »
Royal wedding keepsakes
Description: From knock-off rings to t-shirts, William and Kate’s wedding has all the making of $1 billion marketing event. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 04/28/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/04/25/n_royal_souvenirs.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Why does this event present such a great opportunity for sales promotion marketers? How else does this event promote business activity? What other ideas… Read more »
Can RIM win back investors after missteps?
Description: Research In Motion Ltd. lost much of its remaining support on Wall Street Friday after the company took down its estimates for the May quarter, leaving some to wonder whether the wireless-device maker can win back support from investors who have been burned by the stock this year. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 04/29/2011 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/can-rim-win-back-investors-after-missteps-2011-04-29… Read more »
The Unstoppable Rise of the Celebrity Trainer
Description: The likes of Jake Steinfeld and Gunnar Peterson have created a micro industry of personal trainers as celebrated as the celebrities they train. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 04/28/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_19/b4227065670730.htm Questions for discussion: What is the secret to becoming a celebrity trainer? How does marketing yourself as a celebrity come into this strategy? Can anyone… Read more »
Parties Seeking to Blame Each Other’s Policies for Gas Prices
Description: Congress returns next week to a flaring brawl over oil industry profits and tax breaks, with both parties hoping to capitalize on growing public ire at high gasoline prices. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 04/29/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/30/business/30gas.html?ref=business Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons for concern over rising gasoline prices? How do rising fuel costs affect businesses… Read more »
Point of Sale
Description: When most successful athletes endorse a brand, they usually lend their faces and names to commercials and print ads, and show up to smile and shake hands with fans for public appearances. They choose brands that align well with their image  for example, Wayne Gretzky and Skechers or Serena Williams and Gatorade. They… Read more »
Making planes from nylon
Description: EADS, the parent company of Airbus, is using a new type of nylon that may revolutionize how planes are made. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 04/22/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2011/04/22/t_tt_powered_nylon.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Who are the target customers for this firm? How does consumer behavior affect development of new applications of this material? What other… Read more »
E-book sales top print
Description: Forget Bookshelves. For the first time ever, electronic book sales in the U.S. have exceeded print versions. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 04/22/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/04/22/n_cmr_ebooks.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Why are ebooks growing in popularity among consumers as well as publishers and hardware manufacturers? Do you think the print-market will disappear eventually? How should… Read more »
Why Amazon’s cloud Titanic went down
Description: Amazon Web Services is the Titanic of cloud hosting, designed with backups to the backups’ backups that prevent hosted websites and applications from failing. Source: CNNMoney.com Date: 04/22/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/22/technology/amazon_ec2_cloud_outage/index.htm Questions for discussion: Explain the design of cloud computing? Why would this appeal to both users and service providers? What do you think the… Read more »