The Death of the Focus Group?

By Doug Garnett, on June 30th, 2010%

I’m tired of people giving credit to silly statements about focus groups. Focus groups are a powerful research methodology – certainly for the development of advertising. Like any research methodology,…
Read More: The Death of the Focus Group?

Is there a Consumer Downside to Internet & TV Convergence?

By Doug Garnett, on June 24th, 2010%

While there is some superb “envisioning of the future” in the tech business, all too often discussions of future products are delivered with a sci-fi like naivete and a misplaced…
Read More: Is there a Consumer Downside to Internet & TV Convergence?

Failure to “Cross the Chasm” Leads To Shelf Potatoes

By Doug Garnett, on June 22nd, 2010%

Literature about crossing the chasm in technology is filled with reasons products should have been re-engineered, re-thought, or simply never attempted. But this literature rarely mentions communication. Too bad. Because…
Read More: Failure to “Cross the Chasm” Leads To Shelf Potatoes

Welcome Ben Smith

By Doug Garnett, on June 18th, 2010%

Ben Smith, co-author of the RetailLeverage.com blog, is going to be commenting on the topic of Shelf Potatoes. Ben has a superb background dealing with the retail channel from the…
Read More: Welcome Ben Smith

WebTV’s Shelf Potato Story

By Doug Garnett, on June 18th, 2010%

WebTV is a great example of a Shelf Potato success. WebTV has been around for more than a decade. And while it hasn’t found a broad enough mass audience to…
Read More: WebTV’s Shelf Potato Story

Even Google Can't Seem to Explain GoogleTV

By Doug Garnett, on June 16th, 2010%

It’s not a good sign when the company inventing an “exciting new product” releases video after video quite visibly searching for a way to explain why we should care about…
Read More: Even Google Can't Seem to Explain GoogleTV

Turn a Shelf Potato Into a Retail Superstar

By Doug Garnett, on June 14th, 2010%

For years I’ve written about a type of retail product that my agency calls a “shelf potato…“. It’s a well loved product — loved by the manufacturer, loved
Read More: Turn a Shelf Potato Into a Retail Superstar

My Ipad – Post 10 – iPad Input Strengths and Press Misinformation

By Doug Garnett, on June 11th, 2010%

We simple citizens expect that major news organizations work hard to find the truth about topics. And we expect they won’t pass along mis-information coming from competitor’s attack machines. But…
Read More: My Ipad – Post 10 – iPad Input Strengths and Press Misinformation

Why Do Consumers Avoid Websites for Brands?

By Doug Garnett, on June 9th, 2010%

Just discovered this story at Brandweek… about consumer interaction with company sponsored websites, Facebook pages, and more. They found consumers nearly twice as likely to visit a company’s website than
Read More: Why Do Consumers Avoid Websites for Brands?

What We Learn Outside the Internet & TV Convergence Bubble

By Doug Garnett, on June 4th, 2010%

Today every new technology is accompanied by an information bubble – built by marketers, consultants, and investors. The bubbles reflect group think that might drive success. But all too often,…
Read More: What We Learn Outside the Internet & TV Convergence Bubble