I’ve been reading a lot about marketing around the Olympics this year, but the story that keeps coming up is how the non-sponsor brands are usurping the limelight from official sponsors. Here are a few of my favorite examples.

When I take my five-year-old to the local mall, he immediately starts begging to see the “pictures that move.” This technology, in which an image is projected onto the mall floor and changes as a user touches, jumps, or steps on it (imagine bubbles popping or butterflies flying away), has captivated a future shopper and given him a reward for joining mom at the mall.

“Invest in yourself first.” While I’ve always know this to be great advice on retirement planning and savings, I’ve recently found myself using it to talk to clients about everything from brand building to new product launches.

I admit it. When it comes to shopping I am a skeptic. I want to know before I buy. And generally, I want to know that someone I trust has personally given the item a thumbs up. Guess what? Research says there are more women out there like me than not.

Last Thursday, the Huffington Post reported the promotion of Heather Bresch to CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals bringing the total number of women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies to 18 – a record high and important milestone for women in business.  

This is the third in a series about effective podcasting - today, we're focusing on establishing production values.  Whether you are in a corporate marketing department or in an agency, you've most likely got a client to satisfy with your podcast series (that client may be your boss), not to mention an audience. An often overlooked detail, but one that is certain to generate tons of feedback, is the quality of the podcast from a basic production perspective.

Thanks for tuning in to the second in my podcasting series. Today I’m talking a little about developing content for your podcast program.

Choosing a Format

I had visions of sharing with you some of the best nursing home and eldercare ads out there in this post today. Problem is, I can't find them - that wouldn't surprise me too much except that fabulous Brogan intern, Morgan, couldn't find them either - and she can find anything.

Forget the sandwich, in the words of our illustrious COO, Maria Marcotte, I am a full-fledged member of the "four course meal generation." I won't mention my three children whose ages span 21 years, my full time career, or volunteering (although after 6 years of Lost, my schedule has now cleared for an hour a week), I'll just focus on an ever-so-gracefully aging mother who is halfway through a rehab stint at a very good convalescent home in North Carolina.