This is the first song we had on the radio…reached the top 10 on the main rock station in Kansas City - all from a tape we gave to the station manager.
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The final performance of Passing Fancy by Cole Tuckey. The video quality isn’t great, but gives a sense of the place and crowd at the end of a band’s career.
What do you think? To me this looks like the person clicked the wrong rating button (did they really think this was a terrible app - like they rated it?)
But, here is a letter I just got from Apple (when an appeal was made to remove mistaken rating):
“While we are constantly working to improve how our rating and review system works for applications and other content types on iTunes, our review system allows customers to review and rate applications that they have purchased that are tied to the specific version number of the app. Under our review system, customers have a right to freely discuss and rate an application as they wish.”
“In Apple’s judgement, this customer review does not meet criteria for removal and will not be removed. Reviews that are offensive in nature may be eligible for removal from the App Store but this is not guaranteed.”
To me, this a very lame response. I very much like Apple’s products, but they certainly don’t understand how people can make mistakes.
Jobs I’ve Had
Not too long ago I made a list of every job I’ve had in my life. I did this, along with my wife, to try to impress our kids about getting a job. The effort didn’t work. Nonetheless, it made me think about all the things I’ve done to earn money, and that in of itself is revealing about one’s own history. Here’s my list. What would be on your list?
Cleaned houses
Newspaper delivery
YMCA counselor
MG/Volvo dealership parts deparment
Sailboat dealership
Coffeehouse owner
Nightime security for residence halls at UCSB
Dishwasher in dorm cafeteria
Resident Advisor at UCSB
Resident Advisor at OSU
Assistant to the Vice Dean at OSU
Picker in garment district
Waiter in KC restaurant
Professional musician
Jingle writer
RA/teacher at University of Kansas
RA at University of Wisconsin
Statistician at Lands’ End
Stanford faculty member
Consultant
USC faculty member
Writer for Upside media
MarketingProfs CEO
Teacher at InsightLA
Some of the MarketingProfs crew at the end of the day at Social Tech 2010
Why Marketing Theory Works
Back in 2000, I was a writer for Upside magazine (the online edition). Using marketing theory, specifically the adoption of innovations, I said the e-books would take a long, long time before they would replace paper books.
Here was a typical response I received at that time.
“In response to you on your article “The Problem with E-books” on Upside Today. I believe you are totally wrong on the prospects of e-books and the electronic distribution of intellectual property. Today, more technologies are being developed that will facilitate the mass acceptance of e-books. A new generation of PDA’s, cell phones, laptop computers and flat panel displays will make the efficient distribution of reading material an absolute pleasure. And your argument that books are to be “treasured” as a personal symbol is ludicrous.
I can’t tell you how many books I purchased that I don’t like but can’t throw out. They sit in my closet collecting dust because they a) really sucked and/or b) became an eye sore. Now if I had a hard drive to archive them all I would be alright. Maybe I could give the electronic copy to a friend as a gift. If I really wanted a particular book to treasure for my library or coffee table, I’d go out and buy it. All of the other benefits you point out in your article are further evidence that this will work. In conclusion, I think you’re way behind the times. E-books are for real.”
As you can see, this person felt like e-books were taking off immediately, while theory predicted it would take a long time.
Now that there are so many e-book readers out there, you’d think that books were dead. They are not. While e-books are gaining market share, they are still about 9% of the market. True, this might mean the eventual demise of paper books, but this will take awhile - and this is exactly what was predicted by marketing theory.
This is an example of a song Cole Tuckey had on the radio..I remember this led to my getting a contract to write my first radio commercial. This song is called “It’s Got to Feel Right” - its recorded from a live show, the audio isn’t great.
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