Muscle Confusion

On By ashleyfausIn Outfits/Workwear, Work-Life DecisionsLeave a comment
Same Inputs=Same Outputs=No Big Ideas

Dress: Target

Cardigan: Target

Scarf: Hallmark (gift from my mom from Hallmark of all places!)

Boots: Ross

Like the outfit? See more details here!

 

If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you’ll generally see a status update about how I’m heading to boot camp, ready to get my butt kicked. Sometimes you just need to sweat it out, you know? The key to continuous physical improvement is muscle confusion. You start to plateau when you go through the same motions without challenging your body. Have you ever been water skiing or snow skiing, and realized that your body hurts in places you didn’t know had muscles? What about rock climbing? I didn’t realize that my fingers and wrists could wield so much power (or, in my case, so little power!) I went through a few years with a body plateau because my gym routine was stagnate. I’d go to the gym, run 3 miles on the treadmill in just under 30 minutes, and then do free weights for another half hour. I’d spend an hour at the gym 4x per week, and my body stayed the exact same. Then I got antsy, and I started doing the elliptical, lifting heavy 2x per week, and finally, mixing up my routine between high intensity interval training and some combination of weights and cardio. At this point, you’re probably wondering what muscle confusion has to do with business.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. Sometimes we get so entrenched in doing business they way we’ve always done business, that we just can’t move forward. We come in at exactly 7:42 am every morning, sit in the same position at our desk for exactly 8 hours, and drive home on the same road at 5:04 pm every evening. In my case, I’m even wearing the same outfits! No wonder we aren’t coming up with the next big ad campaign, the latest new gadget, or the next great company! There’s no disruption to jolt us into a great idea. I’ve been feeling antsy for the next big thing, but I’ve been going through the motions every day, so the next big thing just isn’t happening. I told my husband that I feel like the daily grind has just beaten the awesome right out of me!

So, the past few days, I’ve been trying to do some brain and life confusion to get off my plateau. A group used a new software in class last week, so I decided to learn that software. If you haven’t played around with Prezi, I highly recommend it! It’s a cloud-based presentation software that zooms around the page for transitions, and it’s a nice change from traditional PowerPoint (be forewarned though, the zooming can make you a little nauseous if you work in it for too long!). Vimeo is next on my list of new software to play with, which will hopefully unlock some more creative areas of my brain. I’ve decided to direct the drama portion for a children’s musical at church. I tried a new recipe last night, which was delicious. Even the little things, like coming in to the office early, should help jog my brain. Any other blogs or activities I should try to get off my plateau?

Social Loafing

On By ashleyfausIn MBA Degree, The Great DebateLeave a comment

There’s a concept in Organizational Behavior that you’re all familiar with: social loafing. A social loafer is the person that joins the group and never actually works, the person that ruins the fun for everyone by breaking the rules, the person that mooches off you for free food and a couch to crash on… for MONTHS. In short, the social loafer is just what it sounds like, someone that loafs through life on other people’s hard work. As a type-A overachiever, I hate these people. And, it’s the immature-make-poor-decisions-just-on-principle kind of hate*, where I have a hard time getting past my frustration long enough to actually address the problem with the social loafer. Now, the social loafing has hit home, and we’ve got a real conundrum on our hands!

My husband and I own a rental property that has 4 units, so we put a trash bin with weekly pick-up out for our tenants’ use. This trash can is large enough to accommodate our 4 tenants, but apparently, the fourplex next door also thinks that they can use the trash bin. We’ve contacted their landlord, sent them notices, and most recently, put a lock on the trash bin. Our tenants are the only ones that have keys, and they’ve all been respectful and diligent in keeping us updated on the trash situation. Last night, a tenant called to tell us that there are six bags of trash sitting next to the trash bin. Sigh… freakin’ social loafers! So, you clearly are not allowed to put your trash in our trash bin, so your solution is to just leave it sitting out in the parking lot next to the trash bin? We’ve contacted the other landlord and sent notices to the other tenants, to no avail. Our other option is to go to curb-side pick-up, but none of our tenants want that, and it makes the area look terrible, as trash ends up flying all over the place. Don’t people take pride in their living space these days?

So now we’re in a bind, because upgrading to a larger bin or increasing the frequency of the trash pick-up is a significant cost. And, on principle, I don’t want to reward these people for their bad behavior (insert rant about how these people’s attitude is what’s wrong with America today!) My husband and I want our tenants to have a nice area and convenient life, so we hate to go to curb-side. But if we keep letting the trash bin overflow, we’ll get a fine from the waste company.

Is our only option to let the tenants at the other property ruin it for everyone? Do we give in and upgrade the size of the bin or the frequency of pick-up, thus reenforcing the bad behavior? There’s just no winning against social loafers, because they have nothing to lose! As I mentioned in my post about negotiation, they have a much better BATNA than we have, mainly because they just don’t care like we do. While I love to be able to apply concepts from my classes to my daily life, I really wish it wasn’t in this situation. Any suggestions are much appreciated 🙂

*My suggestion was to booby-trap the trash area, so that whenever people set a bag down next to the bin, they would get an egg thrown in their face. Can you imagine someone stumbling out to the trash bin first thing in the morning, in the dark, only half awake, and without their glasses? They set their trash haphazardly near-ish the bin, and then, BOOM, and egg just slams them in the face. BEST. SOLUTION. EVER. My husband’s equally bad suggestion was a sign that reads, “If you have a key, put your trash in the bin. If you don’t have a key, throw your trash over the wall.” There’s a fence with a lock right next to the bin that belongs to the other landlord, so essentially, they’d be trashing their own property. I was on board with this one, until I realized how terrible it would smell, and the effect it would have on our tenants. So, as you can see, we aren’t making much progress!

Marketers Play Nice with Statisticians

On By ashleyfausIn Advertising, Work and Office2 Comments

The internet is buzzing about the Forbes article about how Target figured out a teen girl was pregnant before her father did. Forbes also posted an article about how Diapers.com determines the lifetime value of a customer from their first click! Both of these articles made me happy to be a marketer, but my engineer husband was quick to point out that it was the statisticians who ran the numbers to come up with the amazing insight. So, I figured I should take the best of both of us and talk about how the marketers play nice with the statisticians 🙂

Humans are creatures of habit, and the human brain loves patterns. In general, the statisticians are trained to uncover patterns, and marketers are trained to capitalize on these patterns.

On data mining. First, I’d say that both the marketers and the statisticians love some data mining, but each discipline uses this function in a different way. Marketers contribute the right questions to ask about interpreting the data, and then how to implement the results of the data mining into an overall business strategy. The statisticians run the complicated regressions, and help build a profile that makes sense based on the numbers. Without marketers, you’d have random regressions for fun. Without statisticians, you’d have anecdotes and assumptions.

On using the results. Once the stats people figure out how to predict the behavior, the marketing people come in and actually influence the behavior. The Target article mentions that when they first started using the results of the analytics by sending women mailers with baby-related items, the women were freaked out that the retailer knew their most intimate secret. The marketers came in with a little extra insight into the human psyche and suggested mixing the baby coupons in with clothes, power tools, and kitchen items, so that the women wouldn’t feel “outed” by the retailer. The numbers themselves don’t tell the whole story, and they don’t tell you the best way to implement your new-found knowledge of your customer.

On spinning the use of the results. There’s been a dividing line in the reaction to both articles: those saying it’s creepy that retailers invade their privacy, and those asking where their targeted coupons are! Clearly, as a marketer, I lean towards wanting companies to know me and cater to me. I understand that this comes at a cost to my privacy, but for an easier and more rewarding shopping experience, I’m willing to make the sacrifice. When the statisticians came out with their amazing ability to know a customer based on the numbers, there was no spin about the benefits of using this data, and people felt a little violated. The marketers use their knowledge of value propositions to show how it actually benefits the customer. I don’t think the marketers are trying to pretend that it’s not invasive, but in the age of information and constant connection, it’s not like people don’t already know your business! Why not get some benefits from sharing your whole life with the whole world?

Both of these articles made me happy in my marketing soul! It’s this kind of synergy and application that makes it fun and rewarding to be in my profession. I know there’s some controversy about collecting, sharing, and utilizing data, but I think these instances are beneficial to consumers. See, the marketers and statisticians can play nice together, and ultimately, with the customer!

Join or Die… That’s Your Pitch?

On By ashleyfausIn MBA Degree, Work and Office1 Comment

I’m taking a negotiation class this semester, and last night the presenting group chose to utilize clips from the AMC show, Mad Men. The episode they used focused on the sale of the Sterling Cooper ad agency, and its main players deciding to start their own agency. One clip showed power play Bert Cooper trying to convince another power player, Roger Sterling, to start a new agency. His argument, “You’ve seen the guys my age, playing golf and vacationing, and they’re dead in 3 years. You’ve got to have something to live for, and this is it!” Roger’s response, “Join or die? That’s your pitch?” This morning, my boss mentioned the American Airlines protesters at DFW Airport, and it made me think about last night’s discussion of the “join or die” pitch.

The labor union disputes with American Airlines have been on-going for several years, but late in 2011, American Airlines declared bankruptcy. In my opinion, there’s fault on both sides for the failure of the negotiations, and I’d say both sides are in a “join or die” situation. We talk a lot about dependency in my class, and how that creates power for each party. We also talk about the Best Alternative to the Negotiated Agreement (BATNA), and the fact that when neither party has a strong BATNA, it’s in their best interests to come to some kind of agreement.

While no one wants to work for unfair wages or unfair hours, there comes a point that standing your ground actually means NO wages and NO hours. If the unions keep pushing for more at the negotiation table, there won’t even be a table to come to! American Airlines has made some poor decisions that are unrelated to the union issues, but the union demands (and meeting those demands) are partially to blame for the bankruptcy. So, the BATNA for both parties is that everyone loses their job, instead of having lower wages, fewer hours, and fewer benefits. Sounds like a pretty terrible alternative to me! Of course, this is also problematic if the big executives are receiving huge severance packages while the lowly front-line worker is getting screwed. But essentially, both parties are in a “join or die” phase: either you get together and work out some kind of wage agreement, or the whole company goes under, and no one gets any wages at all.

It’s a bad situation all the way around, but I think both American Airlines and the unions need to realize that they’re no longer talking about a “better” or “best” situation. If they could both step away from the table long enough to realize that you can’t win without the other party, they might just come to a solution. In the Mad Men episode, Roger finally opted to “join”. He was skeptical of the initial pitch, but he realized that death was a terrible BATNA. I wonder if American Airlines and the unions will choose to join… or die?

 

Blog Perceptions

On By ashleyfausIn Branding, Outfits/Workwear6 Comments

What is the image that I project? Is it authoritative and professional?

Pants: NY & Co.

T-shirt: Forever 21

Vest: NY & Co.

Necklace: NY & Co.

Earrings: Silpada

Heels: Alfani Step ‘n Flex

Like the outfit? Click here for more details!

 

Part of my New Year’s resolutions include some goals for the blog. I’ve had several experiences over the past few months that have made me consider the perception of my blog, and whether I believe it’s accurate. Fair warning, this post might get a little raw and a little ranty, but in the spirit of transparency, I decided to publish this post.

First, the obvious: I’m female. Second, more obvious: I don’t write “for women”. Initially, I started this blog to write “for marketers”, and over the course of posting, this morphed into writing “for business people”. Notice that nowhere in any of my mission statements do I say that I write “women’s content”, “for women”, “about women”, or any statement that otherwise makes it seem like my blog is written for a specific gender. And yet, from what I can tell, the perception is that my blog is a “women’s blog”. Now, I’m happy to have readers, and I don’t have a problem with all of my readers being female, as long as that’s a coincidence. But, I don’t think it is.

One of my MBA classmates landed on the blog on an outfit post, and he told me that he assumed I wrote about fashion. The post in question actually discusses marketing by retail companies, with very little discussion about actual fashion-related items. The post directly below it was a guest post written by a male, describing his corporate life as a sales rep. The post at the bottom of the page, after the other two, was about pricing and deals. Basically, NONE of the posts on that page are written exclusively for females. Sure, the inspiration for one post might have come from a “girly” topic, but there’s plenty of male marketers in the retail industry, so it’s not irrelevant. I usually give a blog a quick scroll-through on the first visit, and visit the “About” page to see if the content might be a fit. I don’t love every post by every blogger, but I’m willing to give it more than just a quick glance if they have a tagline or post title that piques my interest. I wonder how many readers come to my blog on an outfit post, and instead of giving a 2 second scroll (or actually glancing at the content of the post), just bounce, and write me off as another “woman blogger”?

I had a conversation with another classmate, who blatantly said he thinks it’s true, men won’t read a blog written by a woman. Again, this is anecdotal, but my frustration about the breadth of my audience didn’t seem outrageous to him. I debated a lot about the outfit posts, as I knew they were “girly”, but I realize that this area is a huge space for marketing success and failure, so cutting it out makes no sense. I’ve written about cars and bug repellent, both of which are more “manly” topics. I generally write on completely gender-neutral topics like branding, selling, pricing, and social media. I also realize that I generally guest post on blogs targeted at young female professionals, but most of my contribution posts are on gender-neutral topics, like extreme behaviors to avoid in the office, a business analysis of the 5 Love Languages, or making the decision to attend business school.

So, maybe I’ve unintentionally set myself up as a blog “for women”. This wouldn’t frustrate me so much if I wasn’t cutting out half the population from readership! Maybe I’m only hearing from a biased sample, which led me to explore the perception of my blog in this post. I’m not trying to insult blogs that target women, as I’ve written for several, and read many of these types of blogs. But, I’ve also expanded my readership to include a variety of topics, targeted at both genders. Part of my goal this year is to contribute to some sites that aren’t targeted specifically at women, so that I can help myself by being part of the solution. So, readers, how do you perceive my blog? Any tips for making the blog welcoming to both men and women? Like the outfit? Click here for more details!

A Marketer’s Holiday

On By ashleyfausIn Advertising, Branding, Selling1 Comment

Many people resent Valentine’s Day because they feel like the evil marketers at the greeting card, chocolate, and flower stores colluded to dupe them into buying more useless junk that they (and their significant others) don’t need. As a marketer, I can’t decide if I should be offended, or applauding the genius.

From the offended stance, I would say that the whole Valentine’s Day craze isn’t totally a marketer’s fault. I mean, people have to actually buy into this whole scheme, right? It’s also interesting that no one gets up in arms about St. Patrick’s Day, even though it’s a commercialized holiday as well. Maybe it’s because St. Patrick’s Day is all about drinking green beer and pinching people, instead of buying flowers? Maybe it’s because everyone has the ability to participate at different levels, and no one feels left out if they’re single (heck, you probably fare better when you’re single on St. Patrick’s Day!). Either way, I don’t place the blame totally at the marketer’s feet. As a society, we push for more, more, more, and the company’s bottom line needs to rise, rise, rise. And, quite frankly, “if you sell it, they will buy it”. Valentine’s Day bears and heart-shaped boxes would’ve died if no one bought those items, but people DO buy them, to the tune of millions of dollars. It’s like the latest toy craze, but for adults! So, if I’m going to get offended at the “evil marketer” accusation, I’d like to point a few fingers at society at large, and the obsession with outdoing the Jones in every aspect of gift-giving and purchasing.

However, I could also choose to applaud the marketers who increased sales profitably in a variety of industries with a single branding of one random day in February. People like to give and receive, and people like to compete and set expectations. Why not capitalize on this? Isn’t it a marketer’s job to see unmet needs in the market, and produce a product or service (or, in this case, a day) to meet those needs? Love is one of the strongest emotions to tap as a marketer, so what better way to sell something than to make a whole day dedicated to love? This is particularly valuable, since most of the items associated with Valentine’s Day have no utilitarian value. The flowers die, the chocolate makes you fat, and the bears just waste space. But humans value the ridiculous things that others do to show love. It’s such an intangible, immeasurable thing, that if you as a marketer can put some kind of price on it, you’ll hit a gold mine.

So yes, I must agree that Valentine’s Day is really a marketer’s holiday. My husband and I tend to shy away from commercialized holidays, and we’re working to make sure we don’t fall into the trap of marketers (it helps to have some inside information 🙂 ). But, I must admit, it made my day when flowers showed up at the office yesterday, the day BEFORE Valentine’s Day. We’re not flower people, and I know that my flowers will probably only last for a few days. But the sweet thought, the nice note, and the pop of color on a dreary day can make even the cynic’s heart melt. See… I knew it was marketing genius!

UPDATE: Newsy, a site that uses multiple resources to get the full view of a story, sent me a link to a video they produced on Valentine’s Day. Take a look at some of the crazy spending people do to show someone how much they care!

Finally Friday

On By ashleyfausIn Link Round-Up1 Comment

Whew! This has been one crazy month, and I’m excited that the weekend will commence in just a few hours. So, here’s a few links to kick off the weekend:

 

For the job seeker, via Daily Muse: 4 Ways to Defeat Job Search Desperation

For those needing a boost, in honor of World Happy Day: The Happy Movie

For those with an ethical dilemma, via FrauTech: Whistle Blowers and Heroes

In case you missed it, my Daily Muse article on Forbes: 4 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Put on Your Resume

 

Like the links? Follow me on Twitter for links and blog posts every day!

Nerves of Steel: Resolving Conflict

On By ashleyfausIn Work and OfficeLeave a comment

I talked about conflict at work in yesterday’s post, and outlined some factors that pushed me over the edge. Today’s post will look at some ways to mitigate the conflict. Here’s a few things that could have helped:

Attitude shift. Don’t approach the situation when you’re already angry, defensive, or stressed out, because the other party will mirror this behavior. If I come out of my corner swinging at you, the natural instinct is to swing back, even though we’re supposed to be on the same team. Try to agree to a collaborative, professional discussion BEFORE you enter the room. In the situation I described, an undercurrent of tension had been building for several days prior to the meeting. Since we never diffused this tension, it took very little for the situation to escalate into an unproductive and volatile situation.

Fight fair. The agreement to “fight fair” is also part of an attitude shift, and you should set up some “rules of engagement” prior to the meeting. Know your fighting style and trigger points, and discuss these trigger points with the other party or a neutral third party. Agree not to intentionally push someone’s buttons, and agree to stop the discussion if things get out of hand. Know how you and the other party define “out of hand”! Make an exit plan, and agree beforehand that if someone leaves the table to cool off, that person won’t be penalized for a show of weakness or defeat, and that person will come back to the table to finish the discussion.

List the goals. Ultimately, the goal is for the company to make money, but in this case, we had different ideas about how to do that. Instead of focusing on, “I want it done my way”, both parties should have said, “I improve sales using this function, and I think these 3 changes will help me sell better”. Don’t get blinded by the details when you aren’t even in agreement about the goal.

Involve the real decision-maker. In several instances, two non-decision-makers were doing the negotiating or discussing. Instead of leading to a solution, this just led to fighting and blaming. Since neither party was responsible for resolving the problem, we needed a decision-maker there to help navigate the conflict. Decision-makers should also step in to make sure the goals are congruent within the organization. As in the case of one dispute mentioned yesterday, some people didn’t know that my actions were the result of a management decision. Once management stepped in and clarified the strategy behind the decision, people were much less upset and defensive about the way I was handling the situation.

Recognize and compensate. This advice is true anywhere, but particularly in high-emotion situations, all parties need to recognize when the situation is becoming unproductive, and compensate by either leaving the room, bringing in upper management, or re-framing the facts. It’s not weak to clarify a position, request a recess to verify your facts, or suggest that a neutral third-party join the discussion. Honor the agreement to “fight fair”! Tell the other party, “That comment is not relevant to the discussion, please don’t use that reasoning again.” I framed these types of comments as a, “separate issue that is not part of the discussion” before moving on to my point.

Fortunately, my managers felt that I responded as well as I could, given the situation. After having time to reflect, I believe that I can avoid this situation in the future, and ensure a more productive discussion about company issues. I have learned, however, that “nerves of steel” is a myth. I’m human, and no amount of logic or jaw clenching will change the physical response to stress. My heart will pound in my ears, my eyes will start to water, and my voice will shake. Even steel bends under high heat, so my advice is to stay out of the boiler!

Nerves of Steel: Over the Edge

On By ashleyfausIn Work and Office9 Comments

Alright, readers, it’s about to get real today in part 1 of a 2-part post, as I’m adding another post to the transparency category. I was a little hesitant to post this one up, but after discussions with several professionals in my life, I feel like it can provide some value. With that preface, here’s a story about office conflict and nerves of steel… or not.

I work in the aviation/aerospace industry, which is heavily dominated by men, and my office environment is no exception. Further, most of my colleagues are technically inclined, and I’m the only “creative” in the office. Further still, most of my colleagues are old enough to be my parents, and I’m the youngest by a minimum of 10 years. All of these differences make me an easy target for zingers, and when our entire sales staff comes together, the zingers start flying instantly. Granted, they zing each other, too, but eventually, it ends up being several against one, because it’s just easier that way. Joking and “all in good fun” are part of most office cultures, and I can generally dish it out with the best of them. However, this time, it went a little too far, and I had what I consider to be one (ok, fine, TWO) of the most unprofessional moments in my career. So what pushed me over the edge?

Going professional. Most of the time, the jokes have nothing to do with my professional ability. I can counter a comment about being too young to know what “rolodex” means with a comment about fancy coffee or Twitter. I can’t counter a comment about how long I’ve been in the industry, since most of these people have been in aviation longer than I’ve been alive. This doesn’t mean that I don’t have expertise, that I can’t provide insight, or that I’m not an authority in my subject or position. When you start taking shots at my ability to do my job, that’s a problem. When you start undermining my credibility as an educated and experienced professional, your jokes are no longer funny.

Going public. If you have an issue with a decision I’ve made or a program I’ve implemented, I’m happy to discuss the concerns in a private, professional meeting. However, while I’m standing up to give a presentation to a group of 20 is not the time to air grievances. This is particularly true if the grievance is more a matter of opinion vs. fact (“I don’t really like the color of the ad” vs. “There’s a typo on the website”). Most business books and conflict management books suggest approaching someone in private, since public events say “attack”, and make people defensive. And, it’s true, I felt attacked, and therefore, became defensive.

Going blame-crazy. I work for the parent company, and the sales meeting was for one of the child companies. Several complaints from the reps are in direct conflict with the overall company strategy, which they don’t know about. So, many reps thought that I was refusing to accommodate their requests because I just didn’t like them, didn’t want to do it, or just ignored them. In fact, it was because the requests were in direct conflict with the over-arching strategy, and what upper management had dictated. Unfortunately, the reps never heard from upper management, so they just blamed it on the one person they’d made the request to; me.

Going beyond the line. As the situation escalated, I was clearly not in a position to continue the discussion in a professional manner. Instead of suggesting a recess from the discussion, it kept going. And going. We moved from a passionate discussion with a purpose, to personal shots, yelling, and throwing our hands up. I’ll take ownership of the mistake not to leave a volatile situation when I should have, and allowing myself to be pushed over the line. To me, I was afraid of looking “weak”, “wrong” or “unsure” by walking away from the table. Instead, I feel that I looked angry, explosive, and defensive, which is no better than the impression I’d give had I walked away.

I’ve re-capped the factors that contributed to the melt-down, and tomorrow’s post will give some tactics to resolve the conflicts!

TOOL Censors Cell Phones

On By ashleyfausIn Branding, Social MediaLeave a comment

My husband and I recently attended a TOOL concert, and I found it pretty funny that the ushers were actively monitoring the use of cell phone cameras and cell phone videos. Remember the attempted cell phone bans from sports stadiums a few years ago? Fortunately, the band and the venue aren’t trying to keep people from bringing them in at all, but it’s pretty useless and futile to try to ban media use once inside. In fact, I think the videos and pictures actually help the brand!

Hyping up the experience. When cell phone videos and pictures are uploaded to social media sites, it just makes the people at home wish they were at the concert. A grainy, shaky, incompletely cell phone video does not do the experience justice, so would-be ticket buyers are not going to abandon a purchase of “the real thing” after seeing a YouTube video. In fact, since they know the video doesn’t come close to the live experience, viewing the video only increases their desire to actually be at the concert. When other fans post up footage, it serves to create even more buzz for the brand. If you can see just a little bit of the awesome lights and sounds at the concert, you’re much more likely to want to purchase tickets in the future.

Engaging the fans. “Engage” is the number one goal of social media, and “conversations” are evidence of achieving that goal. What better way to engage fans than to have them sharing all aspects of your content? It’s an easy segue to say, “You think the lasers look cool on the video, you should see them in real life!” Fans can talk about the best seating, the acoustics, the playlist, and the graphics, and it’s much more than just talk when you’re able to share the experience via social media.

Top-of-mind and building loyalty. Souvenirs remind people of a wonderful experience, and showing those souvenirs makes other people wish they’d been there to have the experience. The more souvenirs a person has to evoke a good memory, the more loyal they become to the provider of the good memory. If someone is logging on to Facebook and seeing tons of pictures and videos of the TOOL concert that they attended, that experience stays at the forefront of their mind, and they want to have that experience again. It’s proven that people want their choices to be supported by their peers, so sharing, discussing, and viewing this content with your peers makes you feel like you made a good choice to attend the concert. This positive re-enforcement entrenches your loyalty to the band, and your likelihood to repeat the choice.

The laws haven’t kept up with technology, but I think marketers are beginning to realize the benefits of sharing the content instead of keeping it in the live venue. I’m hoping the bans will be lifted soon, since they only hurt the brands they’re meant to protect.