Use The Vehicle Eco-Calculator To Determine The Most Ecological and Economical Car

July 10, 2008 | 3 Comments

Thinking of buying a car soon? How about a hybrid? My marketing team recently created an online tool for our executive leadership to use during the decision-making for future company fleet vehicle purchases. We labeled the tool a “vehicle eco-calculator” because it compares both the ecological and economical impact of two vehicles.

Hybrid vehicles with better fuel economy typically cost more than their gas-guzzling counterparts, which can make the decision to purchase one more difficult. This eco-calculator will calculate a specific breakeven point, or how many months it will take for you to recover the added cost of buying a hybrid. After that point, you’re putting money back in your pocket.

Realizing the value of this tool to everyone, we shared it companywide and now I’m sharing it with my readers. If you find it useful, feel free to pass it along.

The tool can be found at www.leopardo.com/vec. Simply enter a few variables about the two cars you’re considering and press calculate. The results will tell you the estimated annual gas cost and carbon dioxide emissions. More importantly, the analysis section will explain your annual fuel savings, unreleased emissions per year and the ROI payback period.

UPDATE: We’re on DIGG, so please stop by and digg it, post comments, etc.

On digg, I left a comment that I think, in part, is worth repeating here:

The Toyota Camry Hybrid costs, on average, about $4,000 more than the non-hybrid version. First costs may discourage many folks from purchasing a hybrid, but the Camry Hybrid will start returning a profit after 54 months (less than five years), according to the Vehicle Eco-Calculator (based on 20,000 miles per year driven and $4.21/gallon gas, which are both variables you can adjust in the calculator). When the 2008 Camry Hybrid is compared to the 2008 Ford Taurus, using price data from Edmunds.com and fuel economy data from fueleconomy.gov, the hybrid costs $2000 more but you’ll start putting money back in your pocket after 18 months with the hybrid.

As more and more alternative fuel vehicles are introduced - likely at higher sticker prices - this Vehicle Eco-Calculator will help compare them to gasoline vehicles and even other green cars. For instance, fuel cell cars can be compared to electric or hydrogen-powered cars, which can be compared to hybrids, etc., etc. - all to determine the most economical and ecological impact.

Filed Under Educational, Green, Links, Management, Personal Finance 

Former TIME, CNET Executive Joins Balihoo (sponsor)

July 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Balihoo, the only on-demand media buying and planning platform that provides intelligent software-PLUS-services to media professionals across all mediums, announced today that Jack Haire, former Executive Vice President of Time Inc, a division of Time Warner, will be joining the Balihoo Board of Directors.

“We’re honored to have Jack join our Board of Directors,” said Pete Gombert, CEO of Balihoo. “As EVP at Time Inc, and with strategic guidance roles at CNET and Quigo, Jack has positioned himself as one of the foremost authorities on advertising and the technologies that will continue to drive the transformation of the industry. His strategic vision and deep industry ties make him an invaluable member of our team.”

Haire spent more than 25 years at Time Warner in a variety of senior executive positions. From 2001 to 2006, he served as Executive Vice President of Time Inc. where he ran the Corporate Sales and Marketing Division and chaired the Time Warner Advertising Council. Earlier in his career, he served as publisher of TIME Magazine and President of Fortune/Money Group. Since then, he has served as an advisor to numerous companies, including CNET Networks, Hallmark and Quigo Technologies, where he assisted in developing innovative advertising strategies.

“Balihoo sits at the intersection of advertising and technology and delivers clear value to the agency, the publisher and the advertiser,” said Haire. “I’m looking forward to working with such a dynamic, innovative team.”

Filed Under Advertising, Links, Management, Marketing 

Happy Fourth of July

July 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

In honor of the Fourth of July, why not browse some of these fine history blogs:

American Revolution & Founding Era
Boston 1775
American Revolution Blog
Blog 4 History
US History Site Blog

Filed Under Blogging, Educational, History, Links, Video 

132 Percent Increase in Authors for Age of Conversation Sequel

July 2, 2008 | 2 Comments

The Age of Conversation (available on Amazon) is a collaborative writing project that neatly encapsulates many perspectives of new marketing and social media in one book.

In 2007, the book had 102 expert authors. As a result of its initial success, the book realized a 132 percent increase in authors for the 2008 edition. That’s right, 237 authors between two covers! The sequel aims to unlock the mysteries of social media and help readers “get it.” The content will include manifestos, secrets, ideas, anecdotes, business strategies and more. Stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, below is a complete list of authors.

Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

Filed Under Advertising, Authors+Books, Blogging, Educational, Links, Management, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Strategies+Tactics, Technology 

12 Things I Learned While on Vacation

June 26, 2008 | 5 Comments

1 - Schedule emergency guest bloggers in case your return flight gets canceled and you end up stuck at the Tampa Airport Marriott for a night. While I’m on the topic, a huge thank you to Leo, Kami, Gavin, Drew and Darryl for your guest blogging services! I must admit that I skimmed your posts daily to make you were behaving. I almost pulled the plug when Kami had cow dung and naked guys in her post. :) Seriously, it was a great week of content (and awesome videos) and definitely something to consider doing on an annual or semi-annual basis to freshen things up around here - thank you again!

2 - When your United flight is canceled and you are re-booked for the next day, be sure to check-in anyway so you can get vouchers for food and hotel.

3 - Beware that the United Airlines hotel voucher is for a distant, crappy hotel. You only get one hotel choice and a nasty, old shuttle that circles the airport once every 45 minutes is your transportation to the place. Just bypass the whole shuttle-to-a-crap-hotel experience, fork over the extra money and stay at the nicer hotel that is attached to the airport (in our case, Marriott), which is typically geared toward business travelers and has great amenities.

4 - United Airlines meal vouchers don’t cover alcohol.

5 - One-year-old babies love Disney hotel rooms… sometimes more than the theme parks.

6 - When traveling with infants, assume Murphy’s Law and pack extra everything.

7 - Since most car renters know NOT to get the supplemental insurance, auto rental companies have moved on to pre-charging you for a full tank of premium gasoline - DON’T BUY IT! Decline.

8 - Don’t even attempt to pose like Disney statues with a 1-year-old… it just doesn’t work (as noted by the photo above).

9 - Get your kid’s hair cut at the Magic Kingdom! They have a sweet barber shop in the park and what is a better way to get a haircut - especially your baby’s first - than in the presence of Mickey and Minnie?

10 - When you don’t have fast passes for a major ride, sipping pina coladas in line is the next best thing.

11 - At the Tampa Airport news stand, buy six magazines and get one free. And it’s not equal or lesser value, so spend away on that seventh mag.

12 - A 30-minute Disney Vacation Club presentation during your vacation will earn you three instant fast passes per person. Sweet! Book your presentation at kiosks in the parks, on the Boardwalk, etc.

One more time, a big round of applause to my guest bloggers - Leo, Kami, Gavin, Drew and Darryl! You rock!

Filed Under Links 

Todd’s guest blogger’s rock the house.

June 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment

What a fun week! Todd gets all lazy, and five of the best bloggers on earth fill his shoes. But we need something for closure. Something to sum up the experience. What better than a tag cloud??

The tag cloud above was created (with Wordle) using the text of each of the fabulous guest blog posts. Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? We fully expect that Todd will print this and hang it over his fireplace. Or commission a painting of its likeness.

Let’s not forget to give thanks to the bloggers who made this spectacular week possible:

// Thu / Leo Bottary of Client Service Insights

// Fri / Kami Huyse of Communication Overtones

// Mon / Gavin Heaton of Servant of Chaos

// Yesterday / Drew McLellan of Drew’s Marketing Minute

// Today / The most awesome person ever, Darryl Ohrt of Brand Flakes for Breakfast

Look for Todd’s regular genius to grant this page tomorrow!

Filed Under Links 

Malcom Gladwell on Happiness

June 24, 2008 | 3 Comments

When Todd asked me to fill in for him today, I looked at his blog very differently. As a regular reader, I just enjoy. But, as one who is trying to step into his shoes, I wanted not only to add value but to add value in a voice that would seem familiar and welcoming to his readers. Todd loves to communicate in video….so I decided to share one of my favorites.

If you aren’t familiar with the TED series of presentations, you are really missing some amazing and insightful (as well as entertaining) videos out there. The one I’ve opted to share with you is Malcom Gladwell and his “take” on happiness. But of course, it’s much more. (It’s a little long but I promise, well worth the time!)



So, from a marketing perspective….what’s your take away? How might you use Malcom’s thoughts in your day to day efforts?

Be sure to check out all of Todd’s pinch hitter this week:

// Thu / Leo Bottary of Client Service Insights

// Fri / Kami Huyse of Communication Overtones

// Mon / Gavin Heaton of Servant of Chaos

// Tue / Drew McLellan of Drew’s Marketing Minute

// Wed / Darryl Ohrt of Brand Flakes for Breakfast

Filed Under Authors+Books, Educational, Links, Marketing 

One Year, A Word A Day, One Story

June 19, 2008 | 2 Comments

First, I’d like to thank Todd for the invite. It’s humbling not only to serve as a steward of the ToddAnd brand for the day, but also to join Kami, Gavin, Drew, and Darryl in this challenge as well. It should be a fun week.

My contribution is a video I borrowed from my friend at H&K Ryan Peal. It should appeal to the sensibilities of the ToddAnd audience (brilliant, creative, passionate, etc.) and offer a look at a recurring theme on my blog at CSI/Season 2. That whether it’s client service or creativity, it’s not always about doing what no one else can do; it’s about doing what anyone can do, but just doesn’t. Enjoy!

Filed Under Blogging, Humor, Links, Video 

Guest Blogger Week on Todd And

June 17, 2008 | 7 Comments

Starting Thursday, I’m giving my readers a five-day treat. I’ve asked five of my favorite bloggers to take turns submitting guest posts on this blog. My instructions were simple - post anything you want, even if it’s just a cool video, but try to stick to the following schedule:

// Thu / Leo Bottary of Client Service Insights
// Fri / Kami Huyse of Communication Overtones
// Mon / Gavin Heaton of Servant of Chaos
// Tue / Drew McLellan of Drew’s Marketing Minute
// Wed / Darryl Ohrt of Brand Flakes for Breakfast

They all accepted my challenge, so look for guest posts starting Thursday. And please give them a warm welcome by leaving lots of comments.

Thank you Leo, Kami, Gavin, Drew and Darryl for your contributions!

Filed Under Advertising, Blogging, Links, Marketing, Public Relations, Random, Social Media 

Power Profile: bizsolutionsplus

June 15, 2008 | 2 Comments

lew-bigger.JPGLewis Green is author of bizsolutionsplus, which currently ranks at No. 364 out of 658 blogs on the Power 150. He’s also founder and managing principal of the management consultancy L&G Business Solutions. Previously, Lewis held management positions with GTE Discovery Publications, Puget Sound Energy and Starbucks Coffee Company. Mmm, I got a craving for a venti iced non-fat vanilla latte just writing that! His fifth and most recent book is titled Lead with Your Heart: Sell Happiness and You and Your Business Flourish. As you can see from his short answers, Lewis is a busy guy and doesn’t have a lot of free time. So, feel lucky you’re getting this much…

How would you describe your blog to your mom?
We share happiness, business successes and defeats, and discuss all things marketing and communications.

What two blogs do you read most often?
ChaosScenario and My 2 Cents

Which blogger would you most like to meet in person?
Becky Carroll

What non-blog websites and publications do you read?
New York Times, Boston Globe, MarketingProfs

What kind of computer/set-up do you run at home?
HP mini desktop

What is your next big technology purchase going to be?
Blackberry

What one thing would you change about your blog if you had the time?
Its design.

What other hobbies do you have?
Sports, reading, yard work, any physical work, rock concerts, dance theatre, art museums, people watching, bar hopping, travel

Tell us something interesting about yourself that your readers don’t already know.
I once made my living as a freelance writer.

What famous person do you most look like?
John McCain.

What is your full-time job?
Entrepreneur. I run a marketing and communications consultancy.

What cool/interesting clients or companies have you worked for?
Starbucks

How do you think newspapers will evolve over the next 15 years?
Paper copies will mostly disappear and most will read their paper online.

What is the greatest threat facing the marketing industry?
Becoming irrelevant.

Can you please explain what’s so great about Twitter?
Good conversation.

What was your first job in high school, college or earlier?
I was a sports stringer in high school for a daily newspaper.

What kind of car do you drive? What’s the next car going to be?
1998 Ford. Won’t be a next car, I hope.

Tell us about your 15 seconds of fame.
When I was a freelance writer, I was a frequent guest on TV and radio.

How has the Power 150 helped you/your blog?
Given me a presence with readers that I likely would not have reached.

What would you do with $3 million dollars?
Give half away.

What’s the next big thing?
Spend a year in Italy.

Filed Under Links, Management, Marketing, Power Profiles 

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