Author Archives 
Julie Jares gave up an exciting but not very lucrative travel-writing career to join Tendo. As a managing editor at the company, she has gained expertise in the auto world, the tech world, and perhaps most importantly, the South Park/SoMa restaurant world. A devoted sports fan, she also loves the company’s proximity to the Giants’ AT&T Park (or whatever they’re calling it now).
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Pinterest is hot, its emails are not
Last week I was reading about Pinterest, an online pinboard site that allows users to create what are essentially online collages to share with fellow Pinterest folks. I read all about the site and “why it’s hawt,” and I was intrigued to check it out. I thought I might discuss how the site is taking… Continue reading
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2011’s top 5 marketing and PR disasters
From unfortunate missteps to PR disasters, a number of companies—and well-known politicians—stepped in it in 2011. Even without sex scandals (Weinergate) and shocking illegal activity (rampant hacking at News of the World), which belong on other lists entirely, we have plenty of fodder for this year’s list. Read on for the top 5 PR and… Continue reading
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Content marketing goes mainstream
Last December, Tendo CEO Karla Spormann insisted that the case for content had been building for years, and she speculated that content marketing would achieve mainstream status in 2011. If recent reports are any indication, content marketing has indeed come of age.
According to a report published on eMarketer.com, B2B companies are “looking to… Continue reading
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One size does not fit all
Zappos.com, the online retailer selling shoes, clothing and accessories, recently sent me an email. “One year ago you ordered silver metallic Ralph Lauren heels,” the message reminded me. “We wanted to let you know that right now, your size is still available from Zappos.com. You can order the same product again by visiting this link.”… Continue reading
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4 turn-offs in email newsletters
Email marketing isn’t new. Companies have been sending out email newsletters for years to build loyalty, sell products and services, and offer news and information, among other goals. So I’m surprised when organizations mess up on the basics. No one strives to annoy subscribers, yet in recent weeks, a lot of companies seem to be… Continue reading
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Videos that pack a punch
We’ve been thinking a lot about video at Tendo. For example, what makes a video engaging, what’s the right length, and when is it even appropriate to use video? My colleague Bill Golden just wrote a post about do-it-yourself video, and he has some good tips to share.
While it can be tough to… Continue reading
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Sports and beauty on Facebook
Sports rivalries get people talking. At the beginning of the World Cup, the Nike Shoes Facebook page posted a question asking users to vote on who they thought would win. To date, 2,722 users have voted—and they’re still weighing in. The Nike Basketball page got the competitive juices flowing for Lakers and Celtics fans with a question… Continue reading
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Gaming the system
Farmville, Mafia Wars, Texas Hold ‘em Poker. Maybe you haven’t played them, but you’ve seen references to them on your Facebook newsfeed—and your teenage kids aren’t the only people playing. Social gaming is on the rise, and not just in popularity. There’s money to be made.
According to Eiji Maeda, a JPMorgan Chase analyst… Continue reading
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Twitter by the numbers
I signed up for a Twitter account at least six months ago, but I haven’t sent a tweet yet. I only have seven followers, all of whom are friends, and I’m following a handful of people, plus CNN, my high school, and Tendo. In reality, I’m not actively following anyone because I rarely log on… Continue reading
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Tendo’s top 10 posts of 2009
As always, end-of-the-year “best of” lists were everywhere as 2009 drew to a close—some expected (Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Songs of the Decade; Roger Ebert’s Top 10 Movies of 2009) and others decidedly less so (Top 10 Bad Messages from Good Movies).
As we move ahead in 2010, we’ll be thinking about why some of our posts sparked more interest than others and we’ll use that analysis to refine our own best practices for successful Web content (and share the results with you). But for now, we bring you the 10 most popular Tendo blog posts of 2009. Continue reading
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An inside look at FICO’s rebrand
In March 2009 Fair Isaac Corp. announced that the company would now be known as FICO, a name already familiar to most of its customers. Why the change? Tendo recently talked to FICO’s David Feder, vice president of corporate marketing, about the key drivers behind the transition, the company’s goals, and the lessons learned from the rebrand. Continue reading
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Video games as a marketing hook? Try me.
I’m not the target demographic for video games, and I rarely play them. I wasn’t a fan of online games, either—until someone sent me a link this week to TripAdvisor’s Travel IQ game.
The game was sapping my productivity until I decided it was worth blogging about as a great example of a company… Continue reading
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Visit Denmark for a one-night stand?
When your country is part of a continent that includes France, Italy, Greece, and Spain, you must face stiff competition for tourist dollars, especially in these challenging economic times. So it stands to reason that you would be under pressure to think of innovative ways to market yourself to travelers. But VisitDenmark, the country’s official tourism agency, got a little too innovative with a recent video campaign. Continue reading