Paul Isakson

Really Amazon?

This is the best you can do for a "404 – Document Not Found" page?

Where's your sense of humor?

Your personality? 

You've got a site full of stories and other bits of entertainment for sale and you answer this door expressionless in ratty old slippers, plain grey sweatpants and a coffee-stained, white T-shirt?

Please, give me something here that makes me smile or think just a little bit at least.

I'm disappointed, Amazon. I thought you knew better...

Want To Succeed Faster? Fail Faster

Last Sunday, Jake pointed out a series of short films from Honda and this one started playing when I got to the site. Failing fast is an idea that has been around for a long time, but never hurts being reminded of. Especially when it comes to the digital realm of marketing.

It was a major theme of the keynote from the DEEPSPACE session we hosted on mobile last fall. Chuck Levine's point was that the sooner you try different mobile strategies and tactics, the sooner you can figure out how to do it right. If your competitors aren't doing it, then this gives you a serious leg up on them.

As I shared in Age of Conversation 2, we all need to step forward and take more risks where new technologies and ways of communicating are involved. With the current economic climate, taking risks, no matter how small, can be difficult to do. We can't let that stop us though.

In reality, I think there's no better time than the present to try something different. Clearly what everyone has been doing hasn't worked out so well and the world has never been more open to and ready for change – especially here in the States with Obama taking office this week.

Anyway, just a good reminder and if nothing else, a little pep-talk to myself in the early weeks of 2009...

Pure Cadbury Joy

For no other reason than because it simply made me smile.

Thanks Cadbury for not taking yourself too seriously.

Interview with Pedro Rocha / Will It Brand?

As I shared earlier, Pedro asked if I would be willing to answer some questions that he could then post as an interview on his blog. Seemed like a good way to share some thoughts since I've not been doing as much of it here lately. (Working on getting it going again.)

Overall, he had some interesting questions that made me think about some things I hadn't before and that's always a good thing in my book. He broke it out into three posts. You can find it all here, here and here.

If any of you are ever interested in doing something like this, just let me know. I've found them to be fun and thought provoking, not to mention a good way to get to know someone new a bit better.

What's G?

Gatorade has been running these spots for a while now.

If you haven't caught on, it's for their new logo and new product names.

They're using these commercials and some others to "create conversation" around the new look.

Personally, I think they're trying a little too hard. It's not like the liquid inside the packaging changed all that much, if at all. And for that matter, neither did the bottle shape from what I've seen at retail.

Same goes for the rest of the packaging changes Pepsi Co. made. I get it, and I do think that if they're about being young, evolving their packaging is a good idea. Especially when their number one competitor has held on to a very classic look.

However, I'd rather have seen Pepsi Co. put a few hundred million dollars into figuring out how to distribute their full product line in packaging that has a lower impact on the environment than putting a new coat of paint on everything. But that's just me.

Anyway, what do you think about the Gatorade work?

Are they the right way to let people know they've got a new wrapper around their bottles?

Or is it just hubris?