Book Review: The New Rules of Marketing and PR- 5/14/08

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly

Comments: After reading a few other marketing and advertising books, this is the first one that I feel has actually added a few little tidbits to my marketing comprehension.

This books showcases profiles on significant new media such as blogs, social networking sites and effective advertising that doesn’t just rehash material gleamed from the last five years.

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Movie Review: Speed Racer (2008)- 5/13/08

Movie Summary: Speed Racer (That’s his name), drives for his family’s racing team. After the death of his older brother, Speed must choose to join another racing conglomerate team. Speed later teams up with the secret agent, Racer X, who may or may not be his “deceased” brother to take down an evil corporation at the biggest race of his life.

Comments: Another movie based on a previous existing cartoon, this is a live-action update of the 1960s Japanese anime. Produced by the Matrix team, this is a slap-dash movie incorporating comedy, action, and tons of special effects. Too bad the plot line is paper thin and the story jumps around so much that it gets boring fast. The cast is played so much like a cheesy troupe, that its hard to figure out why only Speed and Racer X don’t realize that their lives are just for fun and that even though they are shot at, run over, spun around, nobody ever seems to get hurt.

Contrary to reports I’ve read, the special effects aren’t too daunting to the eyes. The FX are pretty nice, too bad the whole time instead of thinking about the movie I was thinking that this would probably be better played as a video game than a film.

The most annoying aspect of the movie that could have been radically fixed was to take out the annoying kid brother and the chimp. They were played as a slapstick team that just didn’t pan out and made watching the film even more intolerable….film makers, haven’t you read that kid sidekicks and animals in film are never a good mix in an action film? Kid’s animated movie or Sea World, yes. Action film, no.

Score: 2 out of 5.

Golf Course Review: The Links At Victoria Park, Carson, CA- 5/10/08



Synopsis: Fronting the 405 Freeway, The Links at Victoria Park in the City of Carson is one of the few public municipal courses offered for budget courses in the South Bay area. Apart from journeying to the Los Verdes Golf Course in P.V., there is not much else to play a full-featured 18 hole course nearby. The Links at Victoria Park features often seen muni-type layout with fairly standard fairways, bunkers and a few outlying trees challenging golfers.

Since the cost of the course on a Saturday was around $35 and the only game in town, we were set back with delays of 2-3 groups of golfers around us. So there was a lot of standing and waiting around. Not a lot of trouble were shown in the layout, a couple minor eco-ravines in the back nine limit your go-for-the-gusto shots since retrieving balls from some of the outlying areas is a no-no. No water hazards or water to speak of on the layout. During play I did get harrased by the Goodyear blimp that floated around for 4-5 holes at the course since the blimp’s launching pad is right next door. So if you get distracted easily, wait until you see a blimp hover over a couple full holes as it treks around the Sough Bay.

Views are nothing spectacular, normal views of surrounding houses and the 405 fwy. nearby. The driving range is pretty large and practice greens broken into two separate areas. I did not see any sand trap practice locations though. Expect heavy amounts of traffic if you play on the weekends since there’s not a lot to choose from in the area for play apart from the executive Domiguez Hills course across the freeway.

Comments: The price is fair, I did not appreciate the marshall just driving around and not doing anything significant to speed up play. Seemed all he liked to do is drive in the opposite direction of the cart path causing us to pull our cart out of th way. Course has nothing memorable to offer, so if you’re in the area I suggest going 15 mins. north to Los Verdes for Pacific Ocean views for about the same cost and course time but much better scenery.

Score: 2.5 out of 5

MOTW Rant: ATT Wireless Cellular Customer Service- 5/8/08

Today’s rant revolves around the run-around I received from my cellular carrier AT&T. I purchased a new cell phone several months ago and just recently my phone started switching off for no apparent reason. The phone was in good condition, never dropped but I have been keeping it in the charger so I suspected that the battery was losing its capacity to keep a full charge even when the phone showed full power.

I took the phone to my local AT&T store where I purchased it and explained the problem to a sales clerk, asked if they had a replacement battery since I should still be on warranty. They didn’t have one on stock so he informed me to go to a bigger store a few miles down since they should have one in stock (he didn’t check its inventory or anything). So I drive down to the bigger store and explain to another clerk that the other store sent me there to pick up a new battery, he asked me if they called the store to check and I said no. Of course they do not have the battery in stock. For some reason this new phone, which is advertised in their store and ads they do not have batteries in stock! He checks the inventory of stores locally and he tells me that there are none available. I ask if I should call the 800# customer service if that would be helpful and he says that I could try. Gee, thanks for your help.

I go home and call customer service and then get asked to call another line for warranty…sure. I call the next number and get transferred to a customer service person… in India. Yes, overseas offshore customer service, it’s G-R-E-A-T. I explain for the fourth time in an hour to an AT&T rep. my phone problem. I let her know that two stores do not have batteries and none in my location have them in stock. She asks me how do I know if it’s the battery that is broken, did the store clerks check the battery? I told her over and over, how can they check the battery if they do not have another battery in stock to replace it to see if it works properly. Heck, they didn’t offer me any help at all besides letting me know they have no batteries at all? She explains to me sometimes it’s the phone that breaks and not the battery.

I’m going in a circle trying to get a new battery for my IN WARRANTY phone from this lady who does not understand the concept that no one can check the battery if it’s faulty since no one in a 30 mile radius has one in stock. I ask her to send me a new one, she puts me on hold for several minutes to check her network. She gets back on the line and tells me there’s none in STOCK! She further tells me that I should call Nokia directly to ask for a battery. Never mind that I spoke with a total of four AT&T reps already, and now she wants me to call another rep. again, no thanks. They advertised the phone, sold me the phone, take my monthly payments, but when I request a simple battery replacement (for a new in-stock model currently advertised), they have none at all.

I am about to go ballistic so I decide to check store stock myself. I get on the internet and start calling stores near me. A few have none in stock, then one store 10 miles away says they have one! How the heck did the one local store tell me none were available at all? I go to the AT&T store in Mission Viejo’s store near Ladera Ranch and wham-bam after telling them on the phone to hold their ONE battery in stock for me. The sales counter guy was cool enough to switch out the battery, have me sign the replacement slip and I’m outta there. No service at two stores and the phone customer service was horrible. It goes to show if you need to do something, do it yourself even when it’s somebody’s else’s job.

AT&T Wireless Cellular + Customer Service = FAIL

MOTW Rant: Orange County Performing Arts Center and Phantom of the Opera- 5/6/08



After reading “Meatball Sundae” the marketing analysis book that got me all rev’d up I decided to chuck in a rant I have recently had at the Costa Mesa location of the Orange County Performing Arts Center when I purchased tickets to the Phantom of the Opera play. A complaint follows. I made the purchase for the Phantom in late 2007 in anticipation for the play to arrive in March 2008 as a present to Mrs. Monster. I made the purchase online the very first day they became available so I could score two front row tickets to a Saturday performance. I ponied up the cash and anticipated being near the performance. As a person who rarely goes to plays, I have seen a good amount these last few years.

At the OCPAC we recently saw Rent, Chicago and now Phantom. Just a month before the play I get a call from the box office saying that the first few rows of seats were not being offered since the stage was going to be extended for the performance, so the tickets I purchased several months in advance were not going to be offered. I was given a selection of seats available for my performance date. None were in the front, actually they were in the middle section.

I was aghast that I was not offered a more comparable seat nor discount for my purchase or even future purchases. I did not break any rules or regulations, and now they offer me subpar seats at the same price. Unfortunately I could not cancel my tickets since they were to be a gift for the birthday week of the Mrs. This is what I call a break in customer service in not appreciating a customer’s purchase, an advance one at that and not keeping a promise.

I expect better treatment as a paying customer and will rue the day if I have to select another engagement at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Orange County Performing Arts Center + Customer Service = FAIL

Movie Review: Iron-Man- 5/2/08

Comments: Just saw it, pretty good movie. The non-Iron Man scenes were pretty standard to me, but the IM action sequences were fun and exciting. Seeing IM in action against the terrorist as they’re attacking families was my favorite scene. In comparison to the other previous Marvel movies, I say it’s up there with Spider-Man, X2, and Hulk (I’m one of the few who liked Lee’s version).

I liked the comedy used that it didn’t try and go overboard. My one nitpick of the movie is how Stane was able to pilot and knock IM around so easily after strapping on the Iron Monger suit for the first time without any training. Still, it’s a comic book movie and it was fun. Now going to look forward to both the new Batman, Hulk, and Indy movies.

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Golf Course Review: Oceanside Municipal Golf Course in Oceanside, CA- 4/19/08

Date Played: Saturday, April 19, 2008
Time: 9:45 a.m.
Number of players: 4
Driving range: Yes, but was under construction. Go to Arrowwood Golf Course up the street if you want to warm up before hand.
Putting green: Yes, two locations
Cost: $32 for full 18 holes
Course: 6,056 yard, Par 72
Time to play course: 4.5 hours

Comments: The Oceanside Golf Course is a public course with a great location and rates. Rates are lower for city residents, but we paid around $32 for a Saturday morning game. Located in Oceanside near Camp Pendleton, this course as great views of hills and animals such as ducks, rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks. There are several water hazards and ravines that challenge good shot calling.

The course displays two faces depending on rain. When it’s sunny, the course is mild with a great view of the wilderness on the back nine. The 12th hole is a shot up a hill, so stay pumped walking up. When you get to the 13th hole, you get a nice high par 3 straight downwards to the pin. Careful on the way down, if it’s slippery you’ll go down like a bob sled on the slick cart path with your cleats.

If you play the course after a rain, then the course becomes a challenge with portions of the course flooding making relatively simple shots very complicated. So be prepared to lose balls in newly formed lakes that you weren’t used to if you only play in normal So. Cal weather.

Overall: Great price for a North County San Diego golf course. The Oceanside Golf Course has several dog legs make this a challenging course begging you to power a shot through trees if you have the guts. Great scenic locations once you get away from the front of the course. Speed of play not too shabby, no back-ups past 1-2 groups.

Score: 3.5 out of 5