 |
|
OwenBloggers: Jared - MBA 2009 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
« February 2008 | Main | April 2008 »
For some, Easter is a time to gather with family and friends. For others, it's an excuse to buy ridiculously sugary candy.
However you chose to celebrate, enjoy the weekend and to all my mishpocheh, Happy Passover!
Photo Courtesy Washington Post - Peep Show II
Technorati Tags: Peep Show II, Marshmellow Peeps, Washington Post
Up the street from my apartment, a new cupcake shop just opened up. Originally slated to be just another bar along 21st Ave, Gigi's Cupcakes assumed the lease of a tiny storefront and is defying convention by betting that Nashville is ready for a new culinary tradition.
Along with the video I did for Nashville MetroBlogs, I wanted to pass this along as a great story in entrepreneurship. Talking with Gigi, she really does have a great vision for her own personal brand and for the tastes of local Nasvhillians. More importantly, she also has a great story and is using it to bring a great personal brand to life.
Gigi’s CupCakes
1816 Broadway
(615) 342-0140
http://gigiscupcakesusa.com/
Oh! And props to Rachel B. for her help with the video!!!
Technorati Tags: Cupcakes, Gigi's Cupcakes, Marketing Diner, MetBlogs, Nashville, personal brand
While many of friends were trekking through India or lying on the sand on a beach somewhere, I had the fortune to spend my spring break with none other than the geeky bald man, Seth Godin.
I am glad to say that Seth and I spent five glorious hours in car together, discussing his new book, Meatball Sundae and the future of marketing as we know it. And of course by discussion, I mean a book on tape that I somehow found myself talking to on the way to and from DC.
Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync?
by Seth Godin
ISBN-13: 978-1591841746
In case you're not familiar with Seth Godin, he's pretty much the pinnacle what's called new media marketing, which includes all of the consumer-shaped media like blogs, podcasts and interactive advertising. His main line is that typical marketing (e.g. TV spots and Newspaper Ads) is no longer relevant in today's marketplace. Furthermore, Seth Godin also notes that the middle of the traditional product adoption curve is not as attractive as it once was, paving the way for marketers to create exceptional products for the very front-end of the curve (i.e. Early Adopters).
Meatball Sundae, itself, was definitely a departure from the typical business school marketing reading list. At the same time, Meatball Sundae is definitely a great way to frame what we are learning with a look at the problems that today's MBAs will face as they enter the marketplace.
The idea of marketers driving new product development to fit with new marketing channels is certainly exciting but don't count on the book to give you a roadmap to do so. Instead, the book focuses on characteristics and case studies of brands that have broken out of the typical "meatball" product mentality to create something new and interesting that consumers can get behind, even in a crowded marketplace.
A Quick Video Case/Exerpt From Meatball Sundae
I know we're all groaning under the weight of the MOD 4 class packs but if you do get a chance, Meatball Sundae does make an easy addition, particularly if you intend on a product or brand management internship this summer. If all else fails, at least check out the audio book, actually read by Seth Godin...you'll swear that he grew up next door to Larry LeBlanc.
Technorati Tags: Meatball Sundae, Seth Godin, Spring Break
If I can say anything about my trip back to DC for spring break, its that I have to harken back to one of my favorite Charles Dickens references to DC; "It is sometimes called the City of Magnificent Distances, but it might with greater propriety be termed the City of Magnificent Intentions." After ten hours in a car and almost that long finding a parking space, I can attest that its both.
Like Matt, I didn't chose my destination for its glamor or its excitement. I chose to return to DC because its where all my old friends are and its a place where I can kick back and recharge my batteries for a while. Despite the ease at which I was able to fall back into the comfort of browsing for books at Kramer's or grabbing brunch at Open City, there is something different about this trip.
As you may recall, I was able to get up here for a weekend during a friends wedding weekend, shortly after MOD I but I really didn't feel much had changed.
Now, 5 months latter, things still haven't changed that much but the eyes through which I am viewing the city have changed. In fact, as much as we go on and on about how Owen pushes you to expand outside of your comfort zone, the most profound change you'll find is in your balance of maturity.
Instead of looking back on the rooftops thinking "Gee, life was so easy back then," I find myself thinking about how both the good and the more challenging times really do fit into one big story. Let me sum it up for you this way; after a three MODs at Owen you begin to expect and even appreciate the fact that every day brings a fresh challenge.
More importantly, it also reminds you that home is where your passion takes you.
Technorati Tags: Kramer Books, Owen, Open City, Spring Break, Washington, DC
Recent Comments