Jamie Beckland's Page

Lizabeth Cohen, author of A Consumers’ Republic, is a good resource for marketers looking at how we will start to emerge from the current recession, and how the new consumption landscape may be different on the other side. Recently, she was interviewed for AdAge.

Cohen’s book is an historical overview on the rise of the whole idea of consumerism. She is careful in the AdAge interview to point out that we aren’t moving… Continue

With the recession in full swing, new product launches are down 51% in 2008. Firms are taking a more cautious approach to finding and developing new products, and axing ideas earlier in the development cycle.

In this environment, how do you ensure that your research and development moves you toward creating new products that will resonate with customers? Social media conversation audits can quickly pull out important trends and track what… Continue

The most recent addition to my (long) list of Web sites I can’t live without is Netflix. I know that an entertainment site is an odd choice for something you can’t live without, but during a recession every penny counts, and Netflix is saving me thousands of pennies each month. What I didn’t expect was how much better my TV watching experience would become. Netflix has found a way to do way more with much less. My great-grandmother, who lived through the Depression, would have been so proud.

Af… Continue

A quick multiple choice question:

What does it mean that you can now tweet with your thoughts?

A. A media-savvy PhD candidate knew how to get some attention
B. Resistance is futile – you will be assimilated
C. Twitter is mainstream
D. Twitter is passé – social networking via thought is the new, new thing

If you answered A, you are correct, but short-sighted. If you a… Continue

Or, at least they should.

Recently, the iPhone reached a significant milestone: 1 billion apps downloaded. No matter what industry you are in, your customers are connecting with the web and with brands in exciting ways – in ways that are more personal than ever before. Are they connecting with yours?

The iPhone is an ideal way to create personal connections to your brand. The most personal item you have today is your cell phone, and the iPhone is the ultimate customizable reflection of… Continue