Celebrity Sell

Lured by global brands with deep pockets and entertainment agencies eager to broker multi-million dollar deals, celebrities are jumping into the product push game like never before. According to Millward Brown, a marketing research agency, Hollywood stars showed up in nearly 14 percent of ads last year.

So just in case you missed it, here's a link to Julie Creswell's New York Times piece, entitled "Nothing Sells Like Celebrity."

In it, Creswell quotes none other than Dr. Cialdini, professor of psychology at Arizona State University, who helps explain how celebrities help marketers cut through the daily clutter of messages that consumers face.

Counting the Cost of Misunderstanding

Have you ever wondered how much a misunderstanding costs? According to a recent report by UK-based consulting firm Cognisco, misunderstandings and miscommunication among workers are costing companies US$37-billion a year.

Not surprisingly, 99% of the 400 in the survey suffered either a loss of sales or reduced customer satisfaction because of crossed lines of communication or simply an employee's lack of understanding.

Which industry had the highest "cost of misunderstanding"? Banking and finance.

Read the white paper or the press release.