tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23497134671858977012011-04-21T16:20:08.562-07:00BlogOrange is the verbal stomping ground of Chip Thompson Design and Marketing, where everyone is welcome and I get to share some thoughts.chipthompsondesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00895538938655734055noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349713467185897701.post-82874731041016822592009-05-12T19:55:00.000-07:002009-05-13T19:25:43.519-07:00I am proud to announce we have just launched a brand new website for <a href="http://thefinalrep.com/welcome.php">The Final Rep</a>. Brainchild of my good friend Frank Klesitz and the culmination of 5 years of strategy, sweat and effort...launching a totally new concept in one-on-one fitness training.<br /><br />Along the way, we added a few new programming tricks to our toolbox and are extremely pleased how the site turned out.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2349713467185897701-8287473104101682259?l=chipthompsondesign.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>chipthompsondesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00895538938655734055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349713467185897701.post-16900265820807186322009-05-06T20:49:00.000-07:002009-05-06T21:30:28.808-07:00Good evening...and welcome. Today I have decided to jump into the world of Web 2.0 by beginning a new blog. I called it blogOrange for two reasons: 1) those who know me (or have seen my business card) know orange is my favorite color (maybe that's why I like Halloween?) and 2) I couldn't come up with anything better.<br /><br />Web 2.0 (also known as the social media) is an interesting place. Never before have we had so much easy access to such a vast plethora of information (both meaningful and meaningless). What's interesting is how this information influences public (and private) opinion...even though it may or may not be factual. The old adage "Perception IS reality" has never been so apropos as now... it's sort of a "group think" where we seem to learn our opinion through our careful study of what everyone else's is. And when we have decided what we believe, we tend to cling to that belief (and the other like-minded denizens of the net who share it) whether it is logical (or fact based) or not.<br /><br />This can be a powerful tool for building a brand. Building this "group think" around a product or service can be a fantastic positive influence...customer ratings anyone? Managing that influence is becoming another marketing neccessity. Just today I spoke with a young man who was going door to door to solicit magazine subscriptions. Before making a decision to commit, I told him I'd have to check out his credentials online. Upon a little bit of research, I discovered the company, based out of state, had a Better Business Bureau rating of "C+" and a total of 78 complaints...thus I was less than enthused about his offer. Perfect example of an influence (in this case negative) on a buying decision by consulting the "group think"... in the form of a bad rating. If the company had been on their game, they would have worked hard to renew (and repair) those relationships.<br /><br />Until next time...polish up your magic 8 balls before making your next big decision. :)<br /><br />Regards,<br />chip <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.chipthompson.com">www.chipthompson.com</a></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2349713467185897701-1690026582080718632?l=chipthompsondesign.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>chipthompsondesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00895538938655734055noreply@blogger.com