This is the blog of @GearheadGal
My passion is encouraging designs and strategies that matter to consumers
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Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 4:33PM The Consumer Matters website is undergoing a transformation. Stay tuned for updates to the site in the fall. Thanks to all of you who have found and read our musings here. More to come.
Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 12:34PM [Excerpted from a guest post on Ubergizmo the past week.]
With the launch of an Android-based Sidekick and the close of the Danger service, can the brand recover its status as a cultural icon?
The inevitable shuttering of the Danger service earlier this month came and went without a lot of hoopla, providing an inauspicious end for the original T-Mobile Sidekick, the first truly consumer-focused smartphone. The Sidekick name was cleaved from the Danger intellectual property after the acquisition of the company byMicrosoft and the subsequent dissolution of the exclusive distribution agreement that Danger had with T-Mobile.
Earlier this year, T-Mobile, which maintained the rights to only the Sidekick name and the subscriber base, transferred the moniker to an Android-based device produced by Samsung (previous generations were made mostly by Sharp,). Built over eight major releases and six Limited Edition co-branded versions, the Sidekick name lives on as the moniker for a new mobile phone experience, and raises the question – how far can you leverage a brand?
For the rest of the post, click here.
Danger, Microsoft, Sidekick, T-Mobile, Ubergizmo, iPhone, mobile, smartphones in Brand, Experience Design Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 12:25PM How does an artist like Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas take on a role at corporate technology giant, Intel, and maintain his personal brand as an innovative businessman? Oddly, he doesn't recommend thinking outside of the box.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 4:33PM Holly Brown, the Chief Innovation Officer of our company, r2i, and I attended a great conference today at the University of Washington on retail management. The event was keynoted by the elusive EVP, Jamie Nordstrom. I asked Holly to share what she thought that was the most interesting takeaway from today's discussions. Here's here answer.
Adobe, All Things Digital, Bloggie, D9, Lenovo, Pogoplug, Sony in Innovation, Tech Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 7:56PM "We should cultivate the ability to say no to activities for which we have no time, no talent, and which we have no interest or real concern. If we learn to say no to many things, then we will be able to say yes to things that matter most." Roy Blauss via Compendium
Innovation, product development in Innovation Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 8:57PM
We are entering a time in the digital landscape when most product information is already known and readily available to all potential consumers. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and other peer-to-peer communication networks have created dynamic communities of interest which inform customers about product options and influence their purchasing decisions. The content that is created through these communities, the people that publish into them and the places where these interchanges occur are all now connected. That's why I am looking forward to this event - The Networked Consumer - How Content and Community Are Driving Commerce.
The panel brings together local digital thought leaders to discuss the conversations and innovations that are impacting consumer buying behavior and brand engagement. There will also be an interactive lab for hands-on product experiences.
Here's the 411 for you all to come. And here is the RSVP link to the Eventbrite. Sign up now because seating is limited and it's almost 50% full already!
Where: Founders’ Co-op, South Lake Union, 511 Boren N., Seattle, WA 98109
When: April 28th, 2011 5:30-8:00 PM
Event Moderator: Tricia Duryee, eMoney columnist, Allthingsd.com
Event Participants: James Lively, COO DIY Media, Scott Blanksteen, CEO AppStoreHQ, and Kathy Savitt, CEO Lockerz, and Jordan Williams, Digital Engagement Lead, REI.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 12:40PM
Facebook, content marketing, social media, twitter in Social Media Monday, March 21, 2011 at 9:15PM @dannysullivan can we agree? it's not an NYT paywall, it's an idiotwall. designed by idiots to get money from idiots, the idioci. Prob will work a bit, too
@gary_hustwit "You have to systematically create confusion, it sets creativity free." Jasper Johns
The importance of storytelling RT@PeterGuber How to Make Your Career A Hollywood Blockbuster http://bit.ly/hdEgrw
Monday, March 21, 2011 at 1:18PM
Originally published on Technorati.com
The recently announced acquisition of T-Mobile USA by AT&T, if approved, potentially vaults the second and fourth place wireless carriers into first place, with their combined subscribers tallying more than Verizon’s total subscriber number. Verizon will spend a lot to convince the government that a combined AT&T/ T-Mobile is bad for consumers and to ensure closing that deal will be no small distraction for its two competitors.
T-Mobile can’t exhale in relief just yet, as the agreement, including the billion dollar fees they’ll likely get if the deal does not go through, could be challenged in court by everyone from Nokia to Google to Comcast to Apple.
Surely, there will be a lot of time, money and effort spent on selling this deal in to the federal government, generating a lot of work for PR agencies, lobbyists, hardware vendors and consumer advocates. While AT&T and T-Mobile fight the battle on Capitol Hill, Verizon could be claiming victory on the front lines with consumers.
Here are 4 ways Verizon might capitalize on the announcement:
T-Mobile. In addition, T-Mobile’s television commercials have specifically poked fun at AT&T’s network. A well-positioned message by Verizon could capitalize on customer’s sense of confusion or betrayal.
always connected and communicating.Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 1:39PM My friend, Holly, talks about how much she enjoys the "social serendipity" of discovering new websites or fresh ideas from her Facebook feed.
Here are a few of my recent favorite discoveries, the home of interesting curators assembling original ideas. Add these to your app readers, your real time feeds, or like their Facebook pages.
Notcot http://notcot.com offers Ideas + Aesthetics + Amusement
Design Milk http://design-milk.com and its sister site Dog Milk http://dog-milk.com are online magazines dedicated to modern design
Doodlers Anonymous http://www.doodlersanonymous.com is the permanent home of spontaneous doodle art.
design, ideas, inspiration in Experience Design Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 10:43AM There are a million ways to measure your influence across the social web. But it seems that being the Mayor of something or having a big Klout score really doesn't define us when we want something we can't have.
Apple, Blogging, Influencers, Klout, iPad, social media in Social Media Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 9:13PM GoAnimate.com: How Not To Social Network by Gearheadgal
Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 1:07PM If you put up a website a few years ago, and thought that's all you needed to do because you don't sell direct or don't expect much more from your website than to serve as digital collateral, you are probably one of the many marketers who has also yet to develop a social strategy for driving customers to your branded online destination.
The truth is, however, that once you posted the digital assets associated with your branded URL, you became a publisher. As a publisher, you need an editorial calendar, and a distribution plan for your content that goes beyond the HTML pages associated with your domain. The plan, which extends your own properties and connects with the communities of interest where your customers congregate, must thoughtfully design and inject digestible content bits into the social web which place your brand, products and services into the sometimes temporal but influential conversations that occur before someone considers making a purchase.
Monday, January 24, 2011 at 4:49PM 
Reputation and relationship management skills are foundational to architecting an effective customer development strategy for both B2B and B2C enterprises; this will be acutely true in 2011. No longer just the responsibility of a community manager, social communication will be integrated into service and support experiences, product, point of sale, and commerce solutions. Because official spokespeople are no longer the sole purveyors of your company's message, social channels can be counted on to accelerate and amplify the conversation between customers and brands. Look for the following trends to drive changes to integrated marketing plans in the year ahead... read more here
Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 8:15PM I enjoyed this presentation by Edward Boches (@edwardboches), Chief Creative Officer at Mullen, recently named #3 in Ad Age's A List. So, naturally, I thought I'd share it.
Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 4:34PM I hope you enjoy these two video montages of the sites and sounds of CES. It's a visual and auditory mashup, but so is walking around the show floor.
And, just in case you think it's all glam and glitter at CES, please see my post on Technorati, Ten Things I Hate About CES.
Gary Shapiro, head of the organization that annually mounts the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, believes America's position as a global superpower has been diminished by the federal government's immigration, education, broadband and tax policies which have dimmed our entrepreneurial spirit.