Happy 147th Memorial Day America, Monday, May 26, 2014

Happy 147th Memorial Day Weekend America!

“We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies."
~~ Moina Michael (aka Poppy Lady)
U.S. professor and humanitarian who vowed to always wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in the war. In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem, We Shall Keep the Faith, November 1918

In Flander's Field by John McCrae
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw,
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us, who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.

FASHION TRENDS ON MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial day marks the first day of the year for white-wear. The traditional fashion trend, “no white before Memorial Day or after Labor Day” gained popularity as the wealthy began wearing white in the summer. Light clothing was the symbol of leisure and black and navy were always the norm for the working class. This fad continued until years later as many began replacing white pants with the likes of bold solids and floral prints, pastel jungle prints, red jumpsuits, neon pink and cobalt sun dresses.

HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY

The first Memorial Day celebration traces back to May 30, 1868 and today marks the 147th Memorial Day celebration in America (146 years ago). Memorial Day honors men and women who fought for our country so that we can all be free.

Originally coined "Decoration Day," Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Memorial Day is less about barbecues and more about celebrating our nation’s veterans. Don't forget -- raise your flag half-staff -- honor more than one million Americans who gave their lives in service of this country for our freedom.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states.

The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Other Resources
► Enjoy the Long Weekend with These Memorial Day Fashion Finds http://www.fashiongonerogue.com/memorial-day-long-weekend-style/
► Who, What, Wear blog, Three Outfit Ideas for Memorial Day Weekend http://www.whowhatwear.com/memorial-day-outfit-ideas-shopping-2014
► Do You Have to Wait Until After Memorial Day to Wear White? | http://ksoo.com/do-you-have-to-wait-until-after-memorial-day-to-wear-white/?trackback=tsmclip
► Moina Bell Michael: the Idea for the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy
►USmemorialday.org
►Memorial Day Calendar
►Memorial Day History
► How to Observe Memorial Day
► Buddy Poppy
► The Story Behind the Poppy
► InflandersFields-YouTube
► InflandersFields-YouTube

Please share this on your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks you enjoy! Thanks for visiting.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

All photos courtesy of Wikimedia unless otherwise indicated.

Google celebrates Rubik's Cube 40th bday with interactive doodle

“Our whole life is solving puzzles...We turn the cube and it twists us...A good puzzle, it's a fair thing. Nobody is lying. It's very clear, and the problem depends just on you…" ~~ Ernő Rubik, Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture; Inventor of Rubik's Cube (1974), Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Magic: Master Edition, Rubik's Snake.

Four decades ago today, Rubik's Cube, the worlds top-selling toy in the world launched.

Happy 40th birthday to Rubik's Cube. Amazingly as of 2009 this colorful, 3-D game puzzle reached 350 million sales globally.

Rubik made the original prototypes of his cube by hand, making tiny holes in blocks of wood, threading rubber bands through them for holding the cubes together.

Rubik originally coined his puzzle "Magic Cube" in 1975 in Hungary. American company, Ideal Toys of New York obtained a license agreement in 1979.

Ideal's major branding strategy was to have a unique identity for the cube, and appropriately named it after its inventor, Rubik, in 1980 and "Rubik's Cube" began mass market production.

According to a recent Europa article, Rubik's influencers include Leonardo da Vinci who Rubik regards as the Renaissance man, Michelangelo who he respects as a polymath painter, sculptor, and architect, M.C. Escher, an artist who built impossible constructions and grappled with the explorations of infinity. Philosophers and writers Rubik admires are Voltaire, Stendhal, Thomas Mann, Jean-Paul Sartre, Hungarian poet Attila József, Jules Verne and Isaac Asimov. In the field of architecture, Rubik is an admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.

A standard Rubik's Cube measures about 2¼ inches on each side and is comprised of twenty-six unique miniature cubes, known as "cubies" or "cubelets." Each of these tiny cubies includes a hidden cubie inside that interlocks with the other interlocking cubes.

This enables a user to move them around in different locations to create the ideal pattern -- all of the same colors on each of the total 6 external sides of the cube.

A single core piece consists of three intersecting axes holding the six center squares in place but letting them rotate, and twenty smaller plastic pieces which fit into it to form the assembled puzzle.


According to an article by Scott Vaughen, Professor of Mathematics, Miami Dade College titled "Counting the Permutations of the Rubik's Cube," there are 43 quintrillion ways to arrange the cubes - {8! \times 3^7 \times (12!/2) \times 2^{11}} = 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 or 43 quintillion.


 Official Rubik's Cube Web site Rubiks.com
 Rubik's Cube on Wikipedia.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik's_cube
 The Little Cube that Changed the World, International Business News http://www.ibtimes.com/rubiks-cube-40th-anniversary-9-facts-behind-famous-3-d-toy-puzzle-1576562
 Europa Interview with Ernő Rubik, http://www.create2009.europa.eu/ambassadors/profiles/erno_rubik.html
 Photos courtesy of Wikimedia.org

@GBDaly    
Please visit this blog frequently and share with your social media. Thanks.

The Digital Marketer: Ten New Skills You Must Learn To Stay Relevant And Customer-Centric book review by Gloria Buono-Daly GBDaly Smile Rating - 5 smiles Up )))))

“Customers will take power from institutions (especially companies) through their access to precise pricing, social voice and ability to buy anything, from anywhere, from anyone, at any time... In the future, all companies will be software companies. To stay relevant in the age of the customer, marketing leaders must be able to adapt to – and exploit – the four market imperatives that are driving the rise of the empowered customer…" ~~ George Forrester Colony, Chairman and CEO, Forrester Research, Inc., www.forrester.com, excerpt taken from Foreward, page xi, The Digital Marketer #TheDigitalMarketer

The world of digital marketing and communications technology has quickly altered the digital landscape and ecosystem particularly in the past 5 years.

According to many sources including a Harris Interactive Customer Experience Impact Report conducted by Oracle, internet globalization has been providing unlimited choices for consumers who now run the show.

An estimated 86% of consumers quit doing business with a company due to bad customer experiences; This is an increase of 46% (or +27 percentage points) from 59% four years ago. (Photo above left, Opte Project visualization of Internet Globalization routing paths courtesy Wikimedia)

The Digital Marketer: Ten New Skills You Must Learn to Stay Relevant and Customer-Centric by Larry Weber and Lisa Leslie Henderson share their expertise and decades of experiences to clarify and describe how modern communications technology is changing consumer behavior and creating shifts in marketing concepts, practice and careers. (Photo below right courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.)

Although marketing objectives have remained the same for decades –- i.e., increasing customer acquisitions and retention -- the methods and technologies of achieving consumer growth have changed phenomenally as big data coupled with evolving technologies and consumer platforms continue to enhance the experiences, participation and voices of consumers.

The Digital Marketer includes the top latest trends and technologies that all marketers need to know so as to effectively plan, implement and succeed as well as various aspects pertaining to the preparedness and anticipation for constant disruption. I've already incorporated many of insightful tips throughout the book. You too can be inspired and motivated to do the same by reading The Digital Marketer by Larry Weber and Lisa Leslie Henderson.

THE FIRST OF TEN SKILLS: BUILD A SUCCESSFUL MARKETING CAREER

The first of ten skills-sets in The Digital Marketer explains the importance of you – what I refer to as reinventing the "reinventing yourself" concept. Weber and Henderson also discuss “Me.com” (being more than your brand and your presence for various social environments) and the importance of being your "own human resources manager," wearing your many hats, understanding your potential, skill-sets, and your drive for self-improvement.

Taking charge of your own career, being your own small business entity and resourcefulness are crucial before any marketing contribution you make can be successful and have impact. Sitting still and waiting for marketing things to happen in our new world of “customer-centric” marketing, is the riskiest thing a marketer can do. (Photo below left human head with #socialnetwork symbols, courtesy FreeDigitalPhotos.)

The authors explain how “Know Thyself” is knowing your story, your self awareness and stressing the importance of social media with concrete examples such as posting an “About Me” board on #Pinterest, taking advantage of #LinkedIn, #Facebook, and many other relevant #digital #socialNetworking. Valuable tips include hashtags to explore -- #personalbranding, #career, #careeradvice, #startYOU.

THE NEW CUSTOMER-CENTRIC REPLACES THE OLD MEDIA-CENTRIC

The Digital Marketer helps marketers understand why and how the usual PR hype and brand loyalty paradigms are no longer enough to engage customers. The new customer-centric world is filled with opinionated, social and digitally savvy consumers. Along with the ever-changing marketing trends and evolving technologies, many factors impact customer experience from search, digital to instore retail, ecommerce and many other customer experiences. The more digital marketers understand and meet their customer's needs, the more relevant user experiences and potential participation. (Photo right courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.)

Consequently, an entirely new style of marketing has emerged. Big data, digital communications and many other marketing trends continue to dominate the new world of consumer-centric relevancy. The Digital Marketer delineates how marketing has evolved exponentially in only 5 years, and describes how it will continue to evolve as new technologies breed constant disruption.

SHARING INSIGHTS AND USING REAL CASE STUDIES

Digital marketing is a complex field and involves hundreds to thousands of technologies and tools that are constantly evolving to connect marketers with informed and vocal consumers. The latest digital marketing changes not only bring unprecedented challenges for creating experiences that are more personal and meaningful for customers but also bring constructive, exciting and fulfilling marketing careers like no other profession.

The Digital Marketer: Ten New Skills You Must Learn to Stay Relevant and Customer-Centric, by Larry Weber and Lisa Leslie Henderson is a must read for entry to senior level marketers as well as future generation marketers. The authors share their decades of experiences and use intriguing case studies that include pertinent thought processes that help marketers understand the intricacies of the many changing technologies as well as the complex marketing and customer engagement platforms.

“The Digital Marketer: Ten New Skills You Must Learn to Stay Relevant and Customer-Centric,” by Larry Weber and Lisa Leslie Henderson explains the importance of the latest technologies and trends including big data, digital loyalty, predictive analytics, and many others that are used in today’s digital marketing arena. (photo right courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos)



“The Digital Marketer: Ten New Skills You Must Learn to Stay Relevant and Customer-Centric,” by Larry Weber and Lisa Leslie Henderson would also be a great read for digital analysts, social media managers, and anyone interested in learning about the world of digital marketing. Gloria Buono-Daly smile rating, 5 smiles up ))))).


GBDaly Smile Rating -
5 Smiles Up ))))) (c) 2014

If you want to want to learn the importance of relevancy, customer-focused marketing trends and skills needed to stay on top, as well as understand the reality of constant disruptions, you need to read The Digital Marketer: Ten New Skills You Must Learn To Stay Relevant and Customer-Centric" by Larry Weber and Lisa Leslie Henderson. The book is on sale at bookstores everywhere.
(photo right courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos)

RESOURCES:
    ▓ █
    ♦  When It Comes To Data-Driven Insights, Marketers Flunk The Customer-Centricity Test, CMO by Adobe
    ▓ █
    ♦  The Digital Marketer published by Wiley
    ▓ █
    ♦  6 customer experience statistics – and the performance implications for your business , Business Insider
    ▓ █
    ♦  Customer Centricity , DSI (Decision Strategies International)
    ▓ █ 9 Must-Know Stats for the Customer-Centric Marketer , SalesForce Pardot Blog by Jenna Hanington
    ▓ █ The State of Social Marketers , socialbakers.com
    ▓ █ DreamFireInteractive Industry Insights
    ▓ █ 30 Stats Every Q&A and Training Professional Should Know, qatc.org,

Please check out all the links in the resource section above and share this on your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks you enjoy! Thanks!

Photos courtesy of The Digital Marketer authors and Wiley & Sons, Inc., unless otherwise mentioned.


Visiting this blog frequently and sharing this with your social media and professional network is much appreciated. Thanks.
GBDaly exclusive "Smile Rating" (c) 2013 created and conceptualized by Gloria Buono Daly. .

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

LARRY WEBER
@TheLarryWeber (Boston, MA), is Chairman and CEO of Racepoint Global (@RacepointGlobal), an advanced marketing services agency.

He is the founder of Weber Shandwick and MITX, the world’s largest Internet marketing association, and the author of four previous books on marketing, technology, and leadership. www.racepointglobal.com

LISA LESLIE HENDERSON @ljlhendo (Boston, MA), writes, teaches, and consults on the changing face of marketing, creativity and innovation, and social entrepreneurship.
This is the second book upon which she has collaborated with Larry Weber. www.lisalesliehenderson.com

Happy 100th Mother's Day America! Enjoy this easy 1-2-3 cookie recipe

"A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy!

You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment." ~~ Anna Jarvis, Founder of the Mother's Day holiday in the United States, on the true meaning of mothers.

Photo right (courtesy of Wikipedia) of The International Mother's Day Shrine was designated a National Historic Landmark October 5, 1992. The Shrine, constructed in 1873 is located at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church at 11 E. Main Street in Grafton West Virginia. Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church also called the "mother church" of Mother's Day, was incorporated as the International Mother's Day Shrine on May 15, 1962, as a tribute to all mothers.

Google celebrates Mother's Day with lovely, bicycle-themed doodle.

Happy 100th Mother's Day America

Mother's Day, this year is Sunday, May 11th and always a great day to celebrate love, friendship and moms.

Did you know that U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in his 1914 presidential proclamation, by the U.S. Congress proclaimed the very first Mother's Day celebration?

Mother's Day was originally created by Anna Marie Jarvis in 1907 when she had a memorial to celebrate her Mother, Ann Jarvis who passed away on May 12, 1905. Anna's mother Ann Jarvis had founded Mothers' Day Work Clubs in five cities to improve sanitary and health conditions. The Mothers' Day Work Clubs also treated wounds, fed, and clothed both Union and Confederate soldiers with neutrality. Anna Marie Jarvis never married and had no children. She and her sister Ellsinore became disappointed with the commercialization of Mother's Day. They spent their family inheritance campaigning against what the holiday had become. Both died in poverty.

Yellow roses are very popular on Mother's Day as they indicate joy, gladness, friendship and "I Care?" Our way of remembering and celebrating is sharing our photo of beautiful bouquet of 2 dozen yellow roses my husband and I presented to our mom in May 2011. And I like to share her special cookie recipe.

As a child my mother would often bake all sorts of foods, pies, desserts, cakes and cookies. One of my favorite, all time cookies is a famous Italian cookie called "Anginette" (aka Anginetti), in the USA popularly called "Lemon Drop Cookies." The great thing about this cookie is that it is popular all year round and with just a few ingredients, anyone can prepare and bake this great cookie in less than 30 minutes. {Photo left, mother and photo below right me and mom on our Wedding Day, March 2008)

I use to always enjoy rolling the dough into extra long cigar shapes and coiling the cookie into 2 and 3 tiers high with my mother. The sky is the limit in regards to creativity; although Anginetti are delightful plain they are lovely and appetizing garnished with frosting and sprinkles. The prep time including rolling the dough into cigar shapes was slightly less than 15 minutes and it baked in 8 minutes. I try to bake these as much as I can. I once baked Anginettes and decided to bring in a tray for an early meeting where I was leading a direct marketing presentation to a group of about 30 people. The cookies were a big hit as was my presentation. Besides adding a personal touch, they were a surprise breakfast treat especially while sipping coffee and tea.

INGREDIENTS:
► Eggs 6
► Baking Powder 4 - 6 teaspoons max
► Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon
► Flour 6 cups
► Vanilla 1 - 2 teaspoons
► Sugar 1 - 2 cups (can substitute with alteratives, e.g., splenda, equal, etc.)
► Butter 4 sticks (can substitute with vegetable oil)

OPTIONAL ICING:
► Powdered Sugar (aka Confectioners Sugar) 3 tablespoons
► Milk, Lemon Juice or Water (just a dash, about 1/2 teaspoon)

OPTIONAL OTHER:
► Lemon or Orange Skin (grated or peeled, optional with flour mix)
► Caraway seeds, almonds, walnuts, cream cheese, etc.
► Be Creative

Step 1 : Make Dough (5 min)
► Prepare oven at 375°; In large bowl combine ingredients
► Eggs
► Baking Powder
► Flour (put about half and add the remaining flour while mixing in bowl)
► Vanilla
► Sugar (or alternative, e.g., splenda, equal, etc.)
► Butter

Step 2 : Knead, Cut & Shape Dough (10 min)
► Knead dough when ready divide into amounts enough to roll into long cigars (about 6" to 8 inches); Then create circular coil shapes. Place in baking tray. Makes about 36 cookies or so depending on shape and size of cookies. You can make many more if you use a simple flat, round conventional shape cookie, but then again, it won't have the look and feel as a true, anginette.

Step 3 : Place tray in 375° oven (8 - 18 min)
► Depending on your oven, bake anywhere from 10to 20 minutes, keep watching and when the cookies are golden brown color on the bottom it is done. If you want to have frosting, mix the powdered sugar and water and stir until paste like. Wait at least 10 minutes for baked cookies to cool and dip cookies into frosting mix, or simply pour a little on each. Should set within 15 minutes. Can serve plain or with the traditional sugar frosting. Be creative, try cutting a few plain ones and adding cream cheese in the middle.
► Don't forget to wait at least 10 minutes before adding the icing and sprinkles or serving without icing.


Total time - 23 - 33 Minutes

These cookies are great plain or with icing. There are different textures and styles. The neutral-colored frosting was made using lemon instead of milk with powdered sugar.



“The sweetest sounds to mortals given. Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven” -- William Goldsmith Brown (1902-1982);
Survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Later he wrote a book about his experiences on the ship, and had his story featured in the documentary, Titanic: The Legend Lives On, as well as a children's book about the disaster, Inside the Titanic.

Google’s doodle all pink for actress and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn’s 85th

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” ~~ Audrey Hepburn
(born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993), British actress and humanitarian; Film & Fashion Icon, American Film Institute ranks Hepburn as the third greatest female screen legend in the history of American cinema and has been placed in theInternational Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. She is also regarded by some to be the most naturally beautiful woman of all time

No surprise that Google's "doodled pink" and celebrates Audrey Hepburn’s 85th with a simple, classical, stylish pink doodle.



THINGS I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF AUDREY HEPBURN

Cropped hair-dos, gracious greecian up-dos, plain pony-tails and French twists, over-done eyelashes, natural eyelashes, over-outlined eyebrows, bushy eyebrows, plain pink lipsticks, dark red lipsticks, pencil-straight pants, wide-legged pants, bold-striped Tees, button-down shirts, ruffled blouses, strapless, turtleneck, you name it, Hepburn's glamorized and signatured it.

Any make-up she'd smudge on or apparel she'd wear would become the latest fad.

Hepburn was classic yet broke many rules from over-sized, overdone, stylizing menswear glorifying pinstripe suits, bow-ties and penny-loafers.

Hepburn transformed a simple "little black dress" into elegance and stunning formal wear into fashion statements.

Hepburn's beauty will always be ageless and her iconic style always timeless.

Surprisingly, according to an April 2013 Vanity Fair article, according to her son, Luca Dotti, Hepburn never thought she was beautiful.




THE LIFE OF AUDREY HEPBURN ON WIKIPEDIA

Born in 48 Rue Keyenveld, Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium, Hepburn spent her childhood between Belgium, England and the Netherlands, including German-occupied Arnhem during the Second World War. Her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston (1889–1980), was a British subject born in Úžice, Bohemia, to Anna Ruston née Wels of Austrian descent and Victor John George Ruston of British and Austrian descent. A one-time honorary British consul in the Dutch East Indies, Ruston had earlier been married to Cornelia Bisschop, a Dutch heiress.

Although born Ruston, he later double-barrelled the surname to the more "aristocratic" Hepburn-Ruston, mistakenly believing himself descended from James Hepburn, third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Her mother, Baroness Ella van Heemstra (1900–1984), was a Dutch aristocrat and the daughter of Baron Aarnoud van Heemstra, who was mayor of Arnhem from 1910 to 1920 and served as Governor of Suriname from 1921 to 1928. Ella's mother was Elbrig Willemine Henriette, Baroness van Asbeck (1873–1939), who was a granddaughter of jurist Dirk van Hogendorp.

The family often travelled between the three countries due to her mother's family in the Netherlands and her father's British background and job with a British company.

With her multinational background, she went on to speak fluent English, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian. Hepburn participated in ballet by the age of 5.

In Amsterdam, she studied ballet with Sonia Gaskell before moving to London in 1948 to continue her ballet training with Marie Rambert and perform as a chorus girl in West End musical theatre productions. She spoke several languages including English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and German.

After appearing in several British films and starring in the 1951 Broadway play Gigi, Hepburn played the Academy Award-winning lead role in Roman Holiday (1953). She went on to star in a number of successful films, such as Sabrina (1954), The Nun's Story (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Charade (1963), My Fair Lady (1964) and Wait Until Dark (1967), for which she received Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. For her role in Roman Holiday, Hepburn was also the first actress to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for a single performance in 1954. The same year, she won a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for Ondine. Hepburn remains one of few people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards. She won a record three BAFTA Awards for Best British Actress in a Leading Role.

She appeared in fewer films as her life went on, devoting much of her later life to UNICEF. Although contributing to the organization since 1954, she worked in some of the most profoundly disadvantaged communities of Africa, South America and Asia between 1988 and 1992.

She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in December 1992. A month later, Hepburn died of appendiceal cancer at her home in Switzerland at the age of 63.






Additional Resources
► Audrey Hepburn best photos, Vanity Fair http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2014/05/audrey-hepburn-photos
► Audrey Hepburn, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Hepburn">
► 25 Timeless Style Lessons from Audrey Hepburn http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/audrey-hepburn-style_n_3780087.html
►



Please share this on your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks you enjoy! Thanks!

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia.org unless otherwise indicated.

The Retargeting Playbook: How to Turn Web-Window Shoppers into Customers book review by Gloria Buono-Daly GBDaly Smile Rating - 5 smiles Up )))))

“At the moment (long after the proposal) the ads I’m currently being targeting with seem to be a little more accurate. Particularly on Facebook, where I’m no longer treated to engagement ring ads. I’m now privy to ads about hiring suits, booking wedding venues and going on honeymoon..." ~~ Christopher Ratcliff, on his retargeting experience, eConsultancy blog What is retargeting and why do you need it? Christopher's primary interests include social media, online video, digital music, content marketing, Stanley Kubrick, LEGO and being rubbish at karaoke. In his spare time he runs his own music website called Popdin.co.uk

Although more and more consumers purchase online, the statistic of 3% website conversion rates have remained constant virtually all over the internet over the past 8 years.

The internet population worldwide has more than doubled in the past 8 years (2005 – 2013 -- 1.04 billion to 2.79 billion) and 77% of that growth comes from users in the developed world (Source: International Telecommunications Union ). (Photo above left, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.)

WHY DO 97% (or so) OF VISITORS LEAVE A WEBSITE WITHOUT CONVERTING OR PURCHASING?

There are many reasons why visitors quickly navigate away from websites: Be it annoying sounds, distracting pop-ups and interstitial ads, to bad navigation, too many clicks, poor grammar, typos and overall horrific design quality. LiveAdmins.com reports that “94-97% of website visitors leave a website within two minutes and completely forget about it once they leave.”

All the more reason why digital marketers need retargeting and why retargeting has acquired phenomenal momentum in such a short time. However, I highly recommend any website issues be corrected before implementing a retargeting campaign. You wouldn't want to remind one-time visitors why they've left your site in the first place, would you?

"The Retargeting Playbook: How to Turn Web-Window Shoppers into Customers," authors and industry “insighters” Adam Berke, Greg Fulton, and Lauren Vaccarello explain the importance of retargeting and how if implemented effectively, can increase conversions and sales. (Photos above right and below left, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.)

The authors’ findings are from their decades of experiences and from their expert deep analyses of thousands of retargeting campaigns and case studies. They share a wealth of helpful tips and expertise throughout.

WHAT IS RETARGETING?

Without getting too technical, retargeting works by tracking the 97% of website visitors who leave without converting and then redisplays tailored “retargeting ads” as they visit other online sites (anonymous cookie visitors with a tracking tag ring a bell?).

WHAT MAKES RETARGETING SO EFECTIVE?

The reason why retargeting is so effective is that it keeps your brand at the forefront of all those 97% or so that left your website during their initial visit. Retargeting ads bring about brand recognition even though they left your site. Retargeting does all the work and in best practice.

With the right skills and implementation, retargeting has the potential to increase impressions, sales and conversions for all digital marketing channels. There are various retargeting platforms to choose from.

Retargeting saves tremendous amounts of campaign dollars and provides digital marketers with unlimited autonomy. Retargeting also works with many leading ad networks including AdX, Facebook, Google Display Network, etc.

RETARGETING IS THE BIG NEW HYPE

Retargeting is the latest technology for strategizing and is growing at a phenomenal rate. Retargeting has quickly become the best platform for connecting lost website visitors as they visit other websites. According to a recent article by Convince & Convert, “20 percent of marketers now have a dedicated retargeting budget.” Retargeting has room for all size budgets and various options for controlling your budget spending and strategizing.

“The Retargeting Playbook" teaches the ins and outs of everything you will need to know from early preparation, research, as well as how to set up a campaign initially, monitor, budget, gage, analyze results, etc.

“The Retargeting Playbook: How to Turn Web-Window Shoppers into Customers," by Adam Berke, Greg Fulton, and Lauren Vaccarello is a must-read for all media buyers, digital agencies, in-house marketing managers, ecommerce managers and comes highly recommended. Gloria Buono-Daly smile rating, 5 smiles up  ))))).


GBDaly Smile Rating -
5 Smiles Up ))))) (c) 2014

If you need to integrate marketing campaigns and want to connect with the 97% or so visitors who've left your site without purchasing or subscribing, you need to read The Retargeting Playbook: How to Turn Web-Window Shoppers into Customers by Adam Berke, Greg Fulton, and Lauren Vaccarello. The book is on sale at bookstores everywhere.
(Photo above right courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.)

RESOURCES:
    ▓ █
    ♦  ADRoll on Retargeting
    ▓ █
    ♦  Adam Berke, Gretory Fulton, Lauren Vaccarello authors of The Retargeting Playbook:, Wiley.com
    ▓ █
    ♦  New "Retargeting Playbook" Arms Marketers With Best Practices, ClickZ article
    ▓ █
    ♦  The Retargeting Playbook published by Wiley
    ▓ █
    ♦  Retargeting: 5 New Statistics That May Surprise You , Convince & Convert
    ▓ █ What is retargeting and why do you need it? , Econsultancy Blog by Chris Ratclif

Please check out all the links in the resource section above and share this on your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks you enjoy! Thanks!

Photos courtesy of The Retargeting Playbook authors and Wiley & Sons, Inc., unless otherwise mentioned.


Visiting this blog frequently and sharing this with your social media and professional network is much appreciated. Thanks.
GBDaly exclusive "Smile Rating" (c) 2013 created and conceptualized by Gloria Buono Daly. .

AUTHOR BIOS:

ADAM BERKE (@adamberke) is an online advertising industry expert and President of AdRoll. He is part of AdRoll’s founding team and is passionate about performance, advertising, and marketing analytics. Adam is a guest author for ClickZ and AdExchanger, as well as a frequent speaker at industry events such as SES, SMX, OMMA, South by Southwest and ad:tech. Prior to AdRoll, Adam helped to launch the CPL network at Aptimus, a publicly-traded ad network acquired by the Apollo Group. Outside of work, Adam is an avid surfer, kiteboarder, and barefoot runner. He lives in San Francisco.

GREGORY FULTON (@gregfulton) creates cutting-edge display products that are simple, scalable and effective as AdRoll’s Head of Product. During AdRoll’s earlier days, Greg was tasked with building an advertising operations department able to service thousands of advertisers. In doing so, he gained intimate knowledge about what truly successful retargeting campaigns can do for clients. Prior to AdRoll, Greg managed marketing communications at TechTribe, a career networking portal. Greg lives in San Francisco and has three passions outside of online advertising: surfing, mountain biking, and skiing.

LAUREN VACCARELLO (@laurenv) is a digital marketing thought leader, author, and AdRoll’s Vice President of Marketing. Well-versed in running both online and offline marketing campaigns, Lauren also coauthored the highly-regarded book Complete B2B Online Marketing. Prior to AdRoll, Lauren led online marketing at Salesforce, the market and technology leader in enterprise cloud computing. She was a member of the Google Tech Advisory Council and is a popular speaker at industry events such as ad:tech, South by Southwest, ClickZ Live, eMetrics and the Online Marketing Summit. She lives in San Francisco and enjoys boxing, pilates, and swordfighting.

HAPPY 450th B-DAY to William Shakespeare, world's most quoted yet mysterious author, April 23, 1564 No Google doodle?

William Shakespeare's B-Day: Today (4/23),
yesterday or tomorrow:That is the question.

“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?
To die: to sleep ..." ~~ William Shakespeare
(26 April 1564 - April 1616), English poet and playwright; Greatest writer in the English language, pre-eminent dramatist. Also referred to as England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon," quote taken from "Hamlet"

HAPPY 450th B-DAY to William Shakespeare, world’s most quoted, most translated, most performed, yet most mysterious author.

Will Google be celebrating with a doodle? For sure will update this post if so. No Google doodle for Shakespeare this year? Shakespeare’s works -- including his collaborations, comprise of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, two epitaphs on a man named John Combe, one epitaph on Elias James, and several other poems -- used over 21,000 different words which are credited by the Oxford English Dictionary as introducing over 3,000 new words.

His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

WORLD REKNOWN, YET MYSTERIOUS
Interestingly, there is much skepticism and gaps in William Shakespeare that still remain a mystery to this day. Besides church baptism and court records, there is no proof -- no records, not even one original handwritten manuscript that exists nor any other evidence that William Shakespeare could even write a complete sentence.

There is also controversy as to how a small-town boy with no college education, who moves to London to work as an actor and begins to write masterpieces of such beauty and sophistication. Among the many doubters are novelists and essayists Henry James, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Sigmund Freud, Orson Welles and Sir John Gielgud.

SHAKESPEARE - MARKETER, ENTREPRENEUR, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER & INVESTOR
Besides Shakespeare’s writings on human nature, emotion, conflict and comedy, as well as his acting career, very few realize how successful Shakespeare was as entrepreneur, marketer, advertiser, promoter, real estate investor, developer and businessman.

Shakespeare built the largest open amphitheater in London called “The Globe Theatre.” The Globe was owned by actors who were also shareholders in Lord Chamberlain's Men.

Two of the six Globe shareholders, Richard Burbage and his brother Cuthbert Burbage, owned 25% shares each; the other four men, Shakespeare, John Heminges, Augustine Phillips, and Thomas Pope, owned a single share, or 12.5%.

Originally William Kempe was intended to be the seventh partner, but he sold out his share to the four minority sharers, leaving them with more than the originally planned 10%).

These initial proportions changed over time as new sharers were added. Over the course of his career, Shakespeare's share diminished from 1/8 to 1/14, or roughly 7%.

SHAKESPEARE BARBS IN EVERYDAY COMMON LANGUAGE
The way Shakespeare used phrases and words are so common in everyday life today they are heard on radio, TV, and digitally. Here are few of the many everyday words:
“Wild goose chase,” “vanish into thin air,” “good riddance,” “naked truth,” “a sorry sight,” “heart of gold,” “send him packing,” “a piece of work,” “slings and arrows of everyday life,” “to be or not to be, that is the question,” “O Romeo O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo," “I'll not budge an inch," "we have seen better days," "a dish fit for the gods," “it’s Greek to me.”

Also worth noting are Shakespeare’s popular phrases that were used by many politicians including political speeches: “fair play,” “foregone conclusion,” “one fell swoop,” etc.

Authors also borrowed Shakespeare phrases for book titles, e.g., Aldous Huxley's “Brave New World,” and interestingly Shakespeare’s “what the dickens” was around centuries before the birth of Charles Dickens in 1812; Amazon's ebook, “Kindle” was from Shakespeare’s 'Two Gentlemen Of Verona," ACT II, SCENE_VII “As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words.”

The phrases go on and on so much so that many cannot recall whether the words are from the bible or Shakespeare’s literature. Not surprising, Shakespeare’s writings remain the second most quoted with the first being the bible.

SHAKESPEARE EPIC INSULTS
There can never be enough of Shakespeare particularly when it comes to his epic “Bard” insults throughout his Elizabethan literature. Here is a few of his many:
"There's small choice in rotten apples" from Taming of the Shrew; "I desire that we be better strangers" from As You Like It; "Thou art a boil, a plague sore, an embossed carbuncle in my corrupted blood" from King Lear; "You have such a February face, so full of frost, of storm and cloudiness" from Much Ado About Nothing; "If you spend word for word with me, I shall make your wit bankrupt" from Two Gentlemen of Verona; "I'll beat thee, but I should infect my hands" from Timon of Athens.

SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTH
Records indicate Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26th 1654, and many historians agree he was probably born 3 days prior (April 26th).

He was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund.

Before William's birth, his father became a successful merchant and held official positions as alderman and bailiff, an office resembling a mayor. However, records indicate John's fortunes declined sometime in the late 1570s.

William Shakespeare was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon and at age 18 he married Anne Hathaway (26 and 3 months pregnant), with whom he had three children: Susanna (May 25, 1583, and twins a son Hamnet and daughter Judith (born February 2, 1585).

Sadly, Hamnet died at the age of 11 (1596), possibly from the Bubonic Plague.

At that time in England about a third of all children died before the age of 10.

Shakespearean scholars speculate on the relationship between Hamnet and his father's later play Hamlet, as well as on connections between Hamnet's death and the writing of King John, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, and Twelfth Night.


SEVEN YEAR MYSTERY
After the birth of the twins (1585), oddly, there are about seven years of William Shakespeare's life where no records exist (1585 - 1592).

It is believed that beginning 1590, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and by 1592 became part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which later became known as the King's Men after the crowning of King James I in 1603.

The King's Men company was very popular, and records show that Shakespeare had works published and sold as popular literature during that time.

The theater culture in 16th century England was not highly admired by people of high rank. However, many nobility were patrons of the performing arts and friends of the actors. Early in his career, Shakespeare was able to attract the attention of Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, to whom he dedicated his first- and second-published poems: "Venus and Adonis" (1593) and "The Rape of Lucrece" (1594).

Despite all of the great works attributed to Shakespeare, there is still very little known about Shakespeare himself, no account of his appearance, i.e., tall or short, thin or chubby, face, etc.

Shakespeare retired to Stratford around 1613 at age 49, and died there three years later.

BARDOLATRY
Shakespeare’s reputation did not gain popularity until the 19th century.

The Romantics acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with such reverence that Irish playwright and Nobel Prize and Oscar winner, George Bernard Shaw, coined "bardolatry," the excessive worship of William Shakespeare.

In the 20th century, Shakespeare’s work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
A stage adaptation of the multi-Oscar award winning film, “Shakespeare In Love,” is currently in production, due to have its world premiere in London's West End in July 2014.

"Shakespeare in Love," the 1998 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard was among 1999's box office number-one films in the United Kingdom.

The film depicts a love affair involving Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) and playwright William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) while he was writing the play Romeo and Juliet. The story is fiction, though several of the characters are based on real people. In addition, many of the characters, lines, and plot devices are references to Shakespeare's plays.

Shakespeare in Love won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench).



RESOURCES:
♦ The Complete Works of William Shakespeare http://www.shakespeare.mit.edu
♦ Open Source William Shakespeare http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org
♦ To Be or Not to Be Shakespeare http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/to-be-or-not-to-be-shakespeare-127247606/?no-ist
♦ Wouldn’t It Be Cool If Shakespeare Wasn’t? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/magazine/wouldnt-it-be-cool-if-shakespeare-wasnt-shakespeare.html
♦ William Shakespeare on Poets.org https://www.poets.org/wshak/‎
♦ William Shakespeare on Biography.com http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323
♦ Shakespeare’s Insult by Infographic http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/resources/shakespeare-insults/
♦ 20 Epic Shakespeare Insults Every Drama Geek Should Know http://www.bachelorsdegree.org/2011/05/22/20-epic-shakespeare-insults-every-drama-geek-should-know/


Please visit this blog frequently and share this with your social media. Follow me @gbdaly Thanks.

All photos courtesy of Wikimedia; If any screen shots were taken from video and websites credit will be mentioned. All other photos will be credited as required.