It’s really easy to find stories about the hard knock life of professional women. There’s not enough equality in the workplace, not enough good childcare, not enough balance at home, not enough hours in the day. . . It’s the (true) stuff of many, many magazine articles.

But, this Bloomberg BusinessWeek story Behind Every Great Woman, I’m happy to say, is not one of those stories. Instead, Bloomberg Businessweek profiles a few women who’ve made it to the top of the corporate ladder without having to sacrifice their marriages, children, or sanity.

They did need help though, and they got it from their husbands. These men chose to scale back on their careers, or give them up completely, to be supportive corporate spouses, household managers, and primary caregivers to their children.

The stay-at-home husband (or partner) is far from a new phenomenon. Who among us doesn’t know a stay-at-home dad? Okay, maybe two.

But the point of the Businessweek article is: that number is about to rise as women continue their ascent in the workplace. (Unfortunately, men have lost more jobs in this poor economy than women and that’s contributing to the shift as well.)

So, what does this mean to us marketing to women experts? Our business model is shaped by the fact that women—whether they work outside the home or not—are their household’s primary decision makers, money managers, schedulers, social directors and myriad other roles responsible for 83% of all consumer purchases.

If more men start staying home while their partners work full time, this fact might change. (I sure hope it will!) And that means the way we do business at Brogan will have to change, too, just as it did when the internet took over the planet, and as it is again in the era of the smart phone and tablet.

Even though that will send me and my colleagues back to the books, you won’t hear anybody cheering more loudly than me.

Now I’m just wondering how long it’s going to take before the stay-at-home husbands graduate from being newsworthy tokens to being a force to be reckoned with (and marketed to).

What do you think? Are you seeing this shift in your community?

What is the future of location based marketing? How far can it go, and what will it be capable of doing? While there are many possible uses for location, I think the best use going forward will be found in loyalty programs. 

The most successful integration of location and loyalty can be found with popular New York dessert chain Tasti D-Lite. The company created a loyalty program designed around social media interaction. Clients can opt-in to a program that enables social media notifications through the use of their TreatCards. When enabled, the use of the loyalty card automatically sends a tweet, updates your status on Facebook or checks you in on Foursquare, earning you extra rewards points. Not bad for letting your friends and followers know that you are enjoying a chocolate ice cream cone, and who knows maybe they’ll come join you and have one themselves.

If you don’t want to actually carry your TreatCard with you, don’t worry, there are apps for that. The best example of this idea can be seen in an app called CardStar. In July 2010, CardStar began integrating Foursquare into the application. This allows users to check in on Foursquare while using the CardStar app, sharing their location and experience with friends, and hopefully influencing others buying decisions.

What do you think? How would you integrate location and geo-targeting into your marketing campaigns?

It's summertime! And research by Pixable estimates that 100 billion photos will be uploaded to Facebook this summer. Not to mention that 48 hours of video are uploaded per minute and there are 3 billion views per day according to YouTube. And the demographics for YouTube? 18-54 year olds.

B2C companies have implemented pictures and videos on their social networks for a while now. But what does that mean for B2B businesses? How can businesses use photo-sharing and video to increase brand recognition and sales in a B2B setting?  

Photo-sharing and videos should first be part of an overall social media plan that fits into your marketing goals and objectives.

Both photo-sharing and video sites hold a huge opportunity in regards to conferences. During an event, a session can be uploaded to YouTube or shared via another video conferencing service to extend the reach of proprietary or expert content. You can also set it up before the event to stream live video to desktops for a price. After the event, you can use a photo-sharing site to upload pictures of the event and get participants involved and excited after they leave.

Videos and pictures can give your business a more personal/human appeal. This can be a particular struggle for B2Bs. People like doing business with people, and videos and pictures are one way to humanize a brand to a potential customer.

Uploading pictures with relevant tags and keywords can also help with SEO, but only when you know your target audience and what they are searching for. On Facebook, brands can even be tagged in pictures now. Zappos.com is a B2C company that has implemented this tactic.

Another way pictures and videos can be used is to upload them right from your phone. YouTube has 100 million daily mobile views. This is a great untapped resource for some businesses. The sales team could pull out their phone and show a customer the last conference your company hosted, or play a video on a certain product right from the YouTube channel. Mobile has endless possibilities, and picture and video uploading should be included in what’s to come.

How does your company use pictures and videos to increase sales?

The first crack of a bat and pop of a glove are sounds coming from baseball diamonds all across America as MLB opening days start off the season. It’s also a big day for some advertisers because they can start monitoring their in-stadium campaigns. What are some of the newest ways advertisers are reaching fans at games this year? 

We have seen the amount of exposure a product/service can receive from advertising at a baseball stadium. From the LED panels behind home plate, first base and third base, to the eBlasts and texts that persuade fans to “play this game,” or “check out our Facebook fan page.” But don’t forget about the advertisements that are strategically placed around concessions, on cups, napkins, seat cushions and foam fingers, because really…what’s a game without SWAG?

One of the newest ways to reach fans is by going right to the one thing that keeps them most connected with the world, their phone. To many people, cell phones are like an extension to their body; glued to them at all times making them always accessible. Next time you’re walking into a stadium, look to see if there are any signs outside that say, “turn on your Bluetooth, sign up and win free stuff!” Advertisers now have the option to place Bluetooth deliver devices at stadium gates that scan and pick up any Bluetooth signal. This will send a welcome message that allows fans to download an application to receive exclusive coupons, make reservations, play interactive games to win prizes, buy merchandise or even participate in a charity event. In the Detroit market at Comerica Park, Cedar Point ran a text promotion that played a video on the big screen of people riding a rollercoaster. Fans had to text a number and guess which coaster it was at Cedar Point. The first person who guessed the correct coaster won day passes to the amusement park.

Mobile technology and stadium advertising has opened many doors and given us endless ways to reach a niche consumer on a personal level, even in the middle of an exciting baseball game. By the seventh inning stretch, how many coupons, Facebook pages and promotions do you think you have you been exposed to?