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Saying Goodbye to Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs - 1955-2011

It's a little strange: feeling so close to someone you've never met. I've read countless tweets, posts and articles all expressing much of the same sentiments -- that Steve was a genius, a leader, an innovator, a risk-taker, an admirable human being that throngs of people felt intrinsically connected to.

I've had the misfortune (or fortune depending on how you like to see the glass) of experiencing a lot of loss and heartache. That's part of my personal story. But your perspective becomes markedly different when a community of strangers suffers a loss together.

In Canada, Jack Layton was taken from us in August -- by Cancer. Steve Jobs suffered the same, horrifying fate. To be stripped of your life by something so cruel and unforgiving is equally as unbearable to experience as it is to watch, I think.

I recall the announcement of Steve's resignation -- walking into work the next day, I was inundated with everyone's thoughts, both business and personal. I'm your quintessential Machead and have never hid it. Steve said that if he felt he could no longer perform at his standard as the head of Apple he would step down, and when he did we could all almost hear the ominous clock counting down.

It hasn't sunk in for me yet. Reading through everyone else's personal stories about how Steve inspired them, about how Steve was the only reason they were who they were today, about how Steve had irrevocably changed the world showed me how deeply rooted he was in people's lives. He wasn't just a businessman or a technologist.

Steve is no doubt a legend. And I believe he's one of those indescribable people we will hold in high reverence always.

As my jaw dropped when I read that first tweet from Forbes on Wednesday, October 5 announcing his death, I could only think how sad it is to lose. But I remind myself always how much sadder it would be to never have had at all.

Goodbye Steve. And to those of you staring hardship and loss in its dark, bottomless eyes, remember him, because he took his "3 months to live" sentence and transformed it into 7 glorious years of incomparable global impact.

Say Please and Thank You


If you need some advice today. Some little nugget to get you through the next week. Remember the above. Remember to not only say please but to also say thank you.

Did he just hold that door open for you? Did she just make you a copy of that report? Did you just ask for another rush project?

Marketing is a demanding industry. Everything is urgent. And nothing is ever early.

'Please and Thank You' are part of my daily mantra. I never forget them, their omission is never an oversight and, conversely, their inclusion is always deliberate.

These simple words mean courtesy and respect. They demonstrate that you're thoughtful and aware. Also, these make you a great marketer because they translate into being both detail-oriented and big-picture-inclined.

Everyone deserves to be asked politely and appreciated accordingly.

This includes you, your coworkers, your employees, your partners and your customers.

Five Lessons For All Marketers

Listen - Five Lessons for all Marketers

1. Listen -- Online or offline. Books, blogs, newspapers, magazines. Tweets, posts, statuses, locations. Your eyes and ears should always be open. I believe the best marketers in the world never stop "marketing" -- that is, they never stop looking, absorbing and analyzing. Always learning, because marketing is not something that can simply be learnt in a finite period of time. No, it and you evolve together into something more complex and beautiful everyday.

2. Ask -- Why? Or How? Or any question under the sun that enters your mind. I always have a lot of questions to ask, and I love asking them. They don't just have to be the intellectually-challenging, mind-bending kind of questions, they can be the simple ones too. Like, How is that going to affect our client's bottom line? vs. How do we get our audience to care and become advocates?

3. Understand your Audience -- Don't just know them: who they are and where they live and what they buy. If you can understand them, know what truly motivates them, then you can begin to think like them. All the data in the world can tell you every measurable and quantifiable fact about your audience, but it cannot calculate the intangible properties that ultimately make them who they are. That is something that cannot be bought. But it is something you can learn and listen for.

4. Experiment -- Never stop trying new things. Your audience isn't going to stop, so why should you?

5. Be Fearful and Fearless -- From your strategy to your writing to your design to your execution. Always be simultaneously afraid and not afraid at all. Fear of failure, of sub-par results, of below-average performance drives us to be better and to motivate others to do the same. I am always afraid, but I'm also just fearless enough to not let that fear stop me.

Being a marketer is tough stuff. It's also underrated and often where the money gets cut first. If you're a marketer, you will most likely have to live your career constantly proving you and your team are the heart of the organization. That's part of the challenge of marketing. But if you're not, then think about who has a pulse on your organization, internal and external, and ask yourself if you're allowing them to beat as mightily and ferociously as they can.

The LinkedIn Revolution: It’s More Than A Wallflower

I love LinkedIn! I've been known to cry out in disgust when I come across a professional (of any kind) who doesn't have a LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn-Tattoo-2010-ING-Bay-to-Breakers

WHAT?! How can you not have a LinkedIn profile? With almost 2 billion people around the globe using the internet, what is your excuse?

Though, I admit my immersion in technology and marketing may impose the slightest of biases when it comes to this digital landscape. But I know that LinkedIn, though slower in its development and adoption of new features and functionality than its social network counterparts, is undoubtedly a powerhouse that is not going away.

On occasion, LinkedIn may appear the wallflower of the bunch, but I like to think of it as the cautious friend telling you to slow down lest you get a speeding ticket.

Social Media is a fad. Or at least the amount of time we allow social media to consume in our day-to-day is a fad. It will change and evolve, and then hopefully merge and simplify. But what sets LinkedIn apart from the 'fad group' is that it travels outside instant and real-time gratification.

I argue that it is viable and valuable because of the extremely long shelf-life of its content. It is, perhaps, the good twin of Facebook (i.e. Facebook = evil) because its service is based in professional development. (By the way, Facebook is by no means "bad" but rather driven by personal impulse, personal ego, and personal connectivity.)

What does LinkedIn have to offer?

  • Professional Network: LinkedIn is not for connecting with some high school acquaintance of yesteryear or last night's pub crawl participants. It demands a mutually beneficial relationship between two colleagues, peers, or professionals. I believe in order to use it well, you must establish LinkedIn connections with those who can enhance your professional know-how and reach.
  • Profile: A detailed summary of the professional you. From specialties and skills to experience and education. That profile is a powerful indicator of not only your professional capabilities but also your professional brand. It is your online resume.
  • Apps: Yep, LinkedIn has apps too! But if you didn't know about them that is certainly more LinkedIn's fault than your own. Events, Tweets, WordPress and an Amazon Reading List are amongst the heavy hitters. This is where that "brand" really comes alive in your profile. You get the chance to inject a bit of the real you.
  • Twitter Integration: Beyond Twitter simply being an add-on app for LinkedIn, this integration helps to marry the real-time influx of info on Twitter with the more constant and cautious focus of LinkedIn. Maintaining a professionally-driven Twitter account is an amazing way to sync these two fantastic worlds.
  • Ads: Just two weeks ago, LinkedIn threw its hat into the social network ad ring, joining ruler Facebook and its sickly protege Twitter! Still in beta (sadly), LinkedIn DirectAds (let's hope they drop the 'Direct' in Alpha!) offer what has made Facebook so successful in this realm: highly targeted online advertising that is cheap, simple and easy-to-use. I only wonder why it took them so long.
  • Sharing: Again, following in the footsteps of its predecessors, LinkedIn launched a share button late last year. But if you have a company or professional blog, this button is perfect to get people in your LinkedIn network talking about you.

More Fun Stuff from LinkedIn:

Did Your 2010 Marketing Predictions Come True?

In January 2010, I made my first set of predictions on what the year would hold for the 'wonderful world of marketing' (a la Disney!). Read my 2010 predictions post here.

Happy New Year - 2011

I wanted to take this opportunity to review how wrong I was -- and in some instances right!

2010 Prediction Review

1. Social Media Integration
VERDICT: True
WHAT HAPPENED: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube. Now add Foursquare, mobile applications, QR codes and Groupon. Marketing campaigns strived to integrate across the board digitally.
FUTURE: Is 2011 the year when businesses start taking social media seriously?

2. Social Media Failure
VERICT: False (Somewhat)
WHAT HAPPENED: Facebook grew exponentially by being the most visited site on the Internet passing Google, fuelled by the widespread adoption of Login and Like Buttons, reaching over 500 million users, and the introduction of Single Sign-on. Twitter continued to hold steady with increased funding, an influx of 100 millions users in 2010 and a new interface. LinkedIn remains a constant in the social media game, and quite depressingly added a 'Share' button. Foursquare -- the biggest trend (dare I say) of the year -- looks like it might just flop after all.
FUTURE: Will anyone really care about LBS-based apps? Will Twitter be able to sustain its social viability for another 12 months?

3. The Next Google
VERDICT: False (Maybe a bit early for this prediction)
WHAT HAPPENED: Launch of Google Instant. Launch of the Google eBookstore. Facebook became more 'popular' than Google. Chrome continues to rule. Buzz and Wave fall flat.
FUTURE: Is Google becoming too big? Is Google too diversified?

4. Content Ownership
VERDICT: False (Too early again)
WHAT HAPPENED: Web 2.0, though ancient in digital years, is still a learning curve for many. With social media as the major distraction of 2010, content licensing never became a real legal concern. And then there is the prickly issue of what kind of content -- blog, video, social, etc.
FUTURE: Will it take until Web 3.0 to push for stricter content regulations online?

5. Mobile Marketing
VERDICT: True
WHAT HAPPENED: Apple stays in strong contention with its massive media-hog, iPhone 4, survives Antennagate, goes ape for iAds and revolutionizes yet another market with iPad. Google's Android beats iPhone in growth and hits it big with HTC and Samsung. BlackBerry goes Torch with lacklustre results but keeps interest piqued with PlayBook announcement. Oh, and Microsoft releases Windows Phone 7.
FUTURE: As mobile continues to grow, how will marketers use this new platform to reach their audience outside of display ads?

6. Conversation Conversion
VERDICT: True
WHAT HAPPENED: Have a look at number 1 and 2. Social media integration was big and it will continue to grow, businesses became savvier with tracking and measuring and they will continue to get savvier, and marketers worked to capture data and keep the conversation going even after a visitor hit their landing page.
FUTURE: How will marketers respond to the overwhelming demands of social media and keep the conversation simple and relevant?

7. Video and, of course, YouTube
VERDICT: True
WHAT HAPPENED: YouTube is THE place for video and has become synonymous with viral. Viral is not something you can strategize and you certainly shouldn't try. Everyone loves video and they REALLY loved YouTube in 2010 with over 700 Billion videos viewed!
FUTURE: Will YouTube streamline its advertising options? Can the YouTube Brand channel become more flexible to marketers (think Facebook Pages and Apps)?

8. AdWords are Dead
VERDICT: False
WHAT HAPPENED: AdWords is the word in online advertising. Brand integrity, loyalty and first-entry advantage. 2010 did not dispel any of this.
FUTURE: Will Facebook ads become a more viable, easier-to-use and more fruitful alternative to Google's AdWords?

9. Traditional Marketing Continues to Endure A Painful Death
VERDICT: True & False
WHAT HAPPENED: Publishing continues to suffer, as do Print ads what with carrying a heftier price tag when compared to digital offerings. TV, Radio, Direct and the like continue on ... though perhaps on eggshells.
FUTURE: Can 'integration' of online and offline truly be the overarching marketing theme for 2011?

10. Web 3.0
VERDICT: False
WHAT HAPPENED: Web 2.0 lives on with the help of social media.
FUTURE: Maybe 2012, 2015 or 2020. "Web 3.0 is coming around the mountain ... Web 3.0 will be trying to make the web personal period. Personified by the ongoing, never-ending conversation between customer and provider, the intelligence of the web, and the ultimate in personalization and customization."

What do you think 2011 be like?

RockMelt: A Social Browser Learning To Walk

This past week saw the infectious rise of RockMelt, a new social browser built on Google's open-source Chromium browser platform. It offers all the regular browser functionality of Google Chrome (and its competitors) except with the addition of side panes that instantly connect you to your desired social networks.

RockMelt - Facebook Permission Requirements

The primary caveat is that you are required to have an active Facebook account to even get your foot through the door. To begin using RockMelt, you must login with your Facebook credentials; pictured right are all the fanciful permissions RockMelt insists you 'allow' for its use. An immediate turn-off for me!

But, nevertheless, I conceded being the digital nerd that I am -- under different circumstances though, the result may have not been the same, after all, my Facebook account is very personal to me. Just something to think about, RockMelt.

The heavy reliance on Facebook integration clearly defines (what at least RockMelt perceives to be) the hub of social connectivity on the web today: It's Facebook or bust.

RockMelt is smart to offer quick and easy access to any social network of your choice, including Twitter and WordPress.

I was excited to try RockMelt, having searched extensively for that all-in-one social aggregator. I was always left disappointed, in some instances there weren't enough features or maybe too many or I didn't have enough control. And yet, when my Twitter stream lit up with innumerable mentions of RockMelt, a pang of hope resonated inside of me.

In these first few days of use, disappointment has seemed inevitable. Built on Chromium, RockMelt lacks a unique and consistent design for its UI, it feels more like pieces of a puzzle forced together as opposed to ones that naturally fit. The side panes offer extensive possibility, but with the whole left pane dedicated solely to Facebook, I was left feeling cramped.

RockMelt

There is something also unbelievably unintuitive about the whole thing that I just can't seem to get over. To post a new tweet or status or the like, I have to use the left pane where my Facebook profile lives, input the content and select the relevant network. However, updates to my Twitter stream (and other networks) are viewed on the right. Why isn't it all in one place? Why can't I view and update Twitter in the same pane? Yikes.

I can't help but think that much of the marketing and buzz propelling RockMelt into the media forefront is predominantly two-fold. One, that it is much of a novelty product with little competition (despite a lacklustre predecessor in Flock). And two, that it is mysterious. Just ask Sally Hogshead, and she'll tell you mystery falls under "mystique" -- one of her seven triggers of fascination.

And so the public is fascinated, but admittedly not impressed.

I contend that any individual social network does a much better job presenting to and handling its audience, from Facebook's standalone experience to Twitter's new two-column interface and its bevy of amazing third-party managers (including Hootsuite and Seesmic).

RockMelt is a step in the right direction for the digital landscape, especially when it comes to "social aggregation" and target marketing. But it doesn't feel right yet, call it intuition or foolishness but I imagine something is on the brink of exploding, and RockMelt just might be the stepping stone to achieve that.

The Gap Surrenders: Should Failing Mean Giving In?

Ok, I know The Gap logo fiasco has been written about to no end, but let's stop talking about the ill-designed logo and its succeeding ill-advised PR debacle and focus on the principle behind it all.

The Gap surrendered, simply put. They met resistance -- though admittedly in the form of a strong front of marketing and graphic design experts -- and they folded. But was it the right call? Many others are now questioning if the consumer (the purchaser of Gap's merchandise) would have cared at all. If, in fact, the logo would have made any impact on the purchase decision-making process.

Despite this, the logo was indeed a failure. "The iconic blue box logo," as president Marka Hansen called it after its reinstatement, would by no means be easy to successfully replace or replicate. And what I love most is that Hansen is quoted as calling the logo "iconic" -- the state of being iconical should not be taken lightly, marketers! Nor should it be quickly dumped for a clunky clone of much lesser value.

The real crux of the matter lies with those behind the scenes, making the decisions. Such as deciding to redesign the logo in the first place -- was it really an attempt to reinvent The Gap as a more contemporary clothing powerhouse and thereby miraculously boost sales? Or how about deciding to approve and launch the new logo despite its quite evidently poor design. Or -- and here's the rub -- deciding to revert after some backlash and a few choice debasing words regarding the otherwise "iconic" brand.

What all these malnourished decisions summate to is perhaps an underlying chaos in the ranks of The Gap. A set of poor choices that has coloured The Gap perhaps a little less blue and a whole lot more yellow.

Failing is only ideal for an organization like The Gap when it never happens. Especially when it comes to something so simple, so minor as a logo, it shouldn't be difficult at all, right? But then again, we marketers know that logos are never minor, never simple, are they?

So, what do you think, should failing mean giving in?

A Glance At Parisian Marketing

Is marketing in Paris different? I mean "different" from your norm, from what you're used to.

For me, normal translates into the western culture where the customer is always right, where marketing is traditionally based on interruption, and where a shift is currently in progress that focuses on instantaneous information and media founded upon the ever-more prominent role of the Internet. Essentially, if it's not online, in some capacity, it's not worth caring about. I believe that sentiment to be more than accurate, particularly for Western Gen Yers.

I recently came back from a majestic trip to the Land of Lights and Romance: Paris. A stark difference in culture, no doubt, but notable similarities abound. Caught up in a whirlwind of sightseeing, it was difficult to stop and look. To pay attention to my surroundings and the variety of ways I was being marketed to -- in predominantly traditional ways since I had left myself mostly detached from technology.

From the subway to the street corners to the buildings themselves, just like in our own major cities, marketing is ubiquitous.

These pictures I especially adore. The ones featuring Kylie and the air-born horse are exciting because they are always rotating through different ads in Rolodex style, never staying on a single image too long, indicating that the need for continuous change, for the ongoing refreshment of information and media is integral to maintaining the audience's interest.

Just take a stroll down the Champs-Élysées, and your eyes will feast upon grandiose storefronts with no lack of bright signs and expensive merchandise. A city clearly defined by an unspoken status system -- perhaps the brighter the lights, the bigger the signs, the more imperial the design, then the more Parisians will flock.

But what I didn't get to experience was the technological side of it, though I am certain it plays a heavy role in the Parisians' marketing mix. How do I know? Mobile devices and smartphones are equally as common there as they are here, at least from what I observed with the naked eye.

But after a week of observing their culture, I realized a notable difference: Parisians seemed to tend towards a more solitary existence. They are perhaps our less social but equally technologically-savvy counterparts. The smartphone in its ubiquity is a token of their lifestyle, their mode of receiving information, and, I posit, of being marketed to.

Paris, a city with an immeasurable amount of history, is a conglomerate of fast-moving, self-conscious bodies driven by a strong, well-defined culture. Not unlike Toronto, it possesses an indescribable quality of high status and a bourgeois tendency that makes me wonder if the the ads and the tech and the flashy lights even matter at all. I wouldn't be surprised if the real construct of Parisian marketing lies within the Parisians themselves and word of mouth.

Why RIM’s ‘PlayBook’ Should’ve Been Called ‘BlackBook’

Seven days now since the announcement of RIM's work-in-progress tablet computer, BlackBerry PlayBook. The specs, impressive. The design, in line with RIM's BlackBerry smartphones. The name, clearly a joke.

But it isn't. Unless, RIM is planning a whole charade of odd branding and marketing decisions surrounding this iPad-killer hopeful. Will Balsillie emerge from the caverns of Waterloo laughing uncontrollably in a public statement announcing that 'the PlayBook was only a hoax, imagine us calling our cutting-edge tablet the PlayBook...'? And the conspiracy theorists are already chirping.

But I have to say that the likelihood of Jim making any such pronouncement is simply my fiction getting the better of my fact.

And affixing "BlackBerry" to the front of the name does not improve the situation. Is that supposed to make it more viable, more defined, more "enterprise"? And aren't the two identities clashing already -- Business versus Pleasure -- BlackBerry versus PlayBook is more like it.

So let's strip away the "BlackBerry" for a moment and look at the device in its most naked form. Why 'PlayBook', when RIM clearly positioned the device as an "enterprise ready professional tablet" in its fancy introductory video. Is RIM telling us that Suits just aren't playing enough or that RIM itself is perhaps losing at the Apple-predominant playing field of rocking consumer devices (pun intended).

It really is simply RIM, you should've chose BlackBook (not Blackberry PlayBook):

  • First off, 'BlackPad', as many tech and blog sites were contending as a frontrunner for the name of the new RIM tablet, is simply not doable, at least RIM wasn't so nearsighted to actually share names with an Apple product ... iPad anyone?

  • Second, 'BlackBook' is cool. Quite simple actually, just watch The Social Network movie to understand where I'm coming from. B2B or B2C, cool does matter. The name itself denotes status and marketability.

  • Third, 'BlackBook' is not only sleek and enterprise-minded but also fashionable and commercial. It appeals to the sensibilities of both the enterprise and consumer sectors with little effort.

  • Fourth, instead of marrying BlackBerry and PlayBook in some type of incestuous RIM relationship why not create some brotherly -- or sisterly -- love by mirroring the incredibly strong brand identity of the BlackBerry with a new product entitled 'BlackBook'. The smartphone and tablet will be undeniably related with 'device-pairing' as a key selling point. Apple chose the "i", so is it really foolish to think that RIM could not do the same by finding some type of niche for identification that its target can recognize and relate to.

  • Most importantly, RIM is trying too hard with the 'PlayBook'. A device whose main focus is in fact not play but business, so the video says. There must be a balance between functionality and branding. There must be unity across all lines. Simply put, there must be 'BlackBook'.

I can't say I yet understand RIM's decision to opt for PlayBook. Who knows what other names floated around during that brainstorming session, but it seems RIM has their strategy and target market confused.

Defining Marketing Via Redefinition

I dug up my old marketing textbook this morning in an effort to reconnect with the theory that first introduced me to the wonderful world I now call home.

Contemporary Marketing by Boone, Kurtz, MacKenzie and Snow, First Canadian Edition. As I started to re-read Chapter 1, memories of both fondness and melancholy came over me. I am ever-so passionate for marketing and its many-faceted intricacies but textbooks have never been my cup of tea. Coming from an English Lit background (as well as Business Management), I couldn't help but wish that the textbook did a better job of engaging me, perhaps a few lines of Austen would've helped!

Marketing Word Cloud

That aside, the first chapter attempts to achieve a lot in some thirty pages of heavy-handed verbiage. But right there to start it all off is "A Definition of Marketing," Boone et al. define it as "the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, services, organizations, and events to create and maintain relationships that will satisfy individual and organizational objectives." [Take breath here!]

The definition at its core is not incorrect. It rather accurately (though it is markedly wordy) encompasses the challenging space of marketing and its prismatic quality. It does pin down what the authors describe as a broad scope of activities often difficult to define. And I couldn't agree more with the foundation they've laid.

Marketing is perhaps best described as a term that is defined out of necessity rather than desire. To define it is to give it shape, but I love to think of marketing as something quite fluid and marked by is constant redefinition.

Admittedly, I sometimes struggle when asked what I do for a living,

"I'm in marketing ..." is my usual response.

But, what is marketing? I mean, what do you do?" s/he will inevitably ask, but whatever response I give, whether literal like the one above or a little more loose around the edges, will undoubtedly end in ambiguity.

"Marketing is, I guess, finding out what you want or what you need and making it happen," I'll say. "It's every poster you see, every word you read, every website you visit or software you download or brand you like. It is ubiquitous."

Not quite as elucidating as I'm sure the questioner would've hoped, and yet still right on ball.

Marketing is communication and relationships and analysis and creativity and even so much more. But maybe the real definition of marketing is as unique as each individual that calls him/herself a marketer. Marketing is as marketing does, it achieves definition through action and through those who initiate that action.

How would you define it?

I Won A BlackBerry Bold 9700 From Wind Mobile!

No, honestly, I did.

On Saturday, August 14th -- a beautiful, sunny day in the GTA -- I got together the troops and we headed down to Yorkdale Mall where Wind Mobile was giving away free BlackBerry smartphones. Yes, free!

One of my sergeants and I had found out about this delicious opportunity via twitter. [Oh Twitter, you and I really do belong together after all!]

Wind Mobile Yorkdale - BlackBerry Bold 9700 Contest

After trudging through some wretched traffic, we arrived at the Wind store just in time to enter the two o'clock draw. A female whose name began with 'S' won, hmm, possible coincidence here.

Next draw was at three o'clock and, this time, the contest master teased us with details: the winner was someone with a Gmail account and a '416' number, again, could it be just another coincidence? I fell into all his previous descriptors, but no luck yet. Though, I was tingling with positive expectation.

We came back yet again. Filled out the ballot form, dropped it in the box and sat down in the corner of the store. As the clock ticked closer to four, the store began to fill surrounding us with waves of body heat.

10 seconds to the draw and everyone started to count down. The ballot was pulled. Someone whose name begins with 'S'. A few of us put our hands up. Someone with a Gmail account. A couple hands still in the air, including mine. I could feel it now. The rest is a blur, he calls my name and I scream out in joy, high-fiving the two Wind Mobile employees at the front managing the contest.

It was a great sense of elation. Wind Mobile did an excellent job at coordinating the event and the employees were fantastic at making it exciting and personable. 10 minutes after my name was called, a brand new BlackBerry Bold 9700 was in my hands. She sure is a beauty, and I now I'm beside myself with both an iPhone and a BlackBerry to cater to my every whim. What's a tech-savvy marketer to do?

That's my story. There's a whole lot of marketing that went into the contest itself. And here I am carrying the marketing forward. Wind Mobile has made this brilliant gesture -- free high-end smartphone + free month of service -- both strategically and earnestly.

And I have no problem becoming an advocate. In fact, this post is my own gesture of word of mouth. I hope it helps you see that marketing is everywhere, from the subtlest forms to the most outrageous antics.

So, the marketing continues, both Wind's and mine. Perhaps, more accurately, it never ends. Pictures of winners will likely be spread across the web (via Twitter and Facebook), filtering news of the contest (and the gesture!) to many eyes and ears. Along with the possibility of future marketing campaigns and PR.

The whole process was a fun, pleasurable experience, which not only enhances my advocacy of Wind but, in turn, enhances their image and impact. Thanks Wind!

Now, my quest is to prove that the iPhone and BlackBerry can coexist in harmony. What do you think?

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Name: Simren Deogun