Is Foxconn Evil?

By Tommy Leung on 08/28/2011 in Marketing, Tech

Before we begin, I am going to tell you that I am here to show how Foxconn is not evil. If you would rather keep your head in the sand and continue to feel ashamed for your using your iPad, Macbook, iPhone, Android phone, HP computer, or a lot of other electronics, you are free to do so. But, I am sick of hearing people repeat economic idiocies they hear from the media so I am going to debunk this myth of slave labor and slave wages in Foxconn factories that produce the very electronics these people condemning Foxconn love to use.

Most of the outrage over Foxconn came about as reports of their employees committing suicide piled up. Why these folks are committing suicide is anyone’s guess. However, this big bad slave driving company gives the families of deceased employees 8.5 – 10 years worth of wages. How evil! The reason people are committing suicide at Foxconn plants is something a psychologist can look into. I am not a psychologist and I’ve never had suicidal tendencies so I don’t have first hand experience to draw from. But, I think it’s pretty safe to say that an evil corporation is under no obligation to pay families of deceased employees ten years worth of wages. A dead employee is not making Foxconn any money. Foxconn sounds like an altruist more than anything else!

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Social Networks & Teen Drug, Alcohol Use

By Tommy Leung on 08/25/2011 in Marketing, Tech

I had an urge to flex my study-demolishing muscles and this study about social networking increasing the risk for teen drug and alcohol abuse found it’s way to my attention–it has also made its rounds all over the internet. Here’s the study in it’s entirety. It was produced by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse or CASA. As in: mi casa es su casa–I’ve also been working on a Spanish translation project at work. There were a whole bunch of findings but, let’s look at these three first as they were the most talked about:

- Five times likelier to have used tobacco (10 percent vs. two percent)

- Three times likelier to have used alcohol (26 percent vs. nine percent)

- Twice as likely to have used marijuana (13 percent vs. seven percent)

Parents would hard pressed not to put the kibosh on their child’s social networking use right now. Computers are only for homework! 5x more likely smoke cigarettes, 3x more likely to drink, and 2x more likely to smoke weed! My god, hide your kids, hide your wives, hide your husbands, social networks are destroying the world!

Now this is compared to kids who apparently don’t spend any time on social networking sites. I’m not really sure where you find these kids. Do they not have computers? No Internet maybe? Are there really kids between 12 and 17 who aren’t on any social network? I find it hard to believe but, let’s say there are.

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Tech Boom or Bubble?

By Tommy Leung on 05/22/2011 in Games, Marketing, Tech

LinkedIn had their IPO and more than doubled their share value in a day. Of course, the whole world is now wondering if there’s another tech bubble brewing. The tech bubble in 2000 wasn’t that long ago so we haven’t yet forgotten about it. But, is this just a case of being wary of getting burned twice or is there really a bubble in our midst?

I don’t work directly in the technology industry that’s booming. I work in the games industry and we’ve received an echo effect from the tech boom–specifically social games and apps. Some can say that social games and game apps for mobile devices have driven the boom but, that’s an entirely different discussion. For the record: I think games are an innovative driving force everywhere but, that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

It’s safe to say that I’m not an outside Wall St analyst looking in. I’m not saying that makes my opinion anymore valid or correct but, I think I understand what’s happening better than a talking head. Or it makes me completely blind to what’s going on. Either way, it’s always good to get different perspectives.

It’s a Bubble Isn’t It?

The analysts are generally espousing doom and gloom. Jim Cramer says it’s ridiculous, outrages, and preposterous. Okay, Cramer was talking about the way Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and others priced the LinkedIn stock initially. The story goes that the stock was priced too low initially and that’s why we had this ridiculous one day rocket launch that more than doubled the stock price.

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Production 2.0

By Tommy Leung on 01/15/2011 in Marketing, Tech

Since the Great Recession or the Greatest Depression began in late 2007/early 2008, many people have appeared on television and given their opinions and predictions on what was happening, what will happen, and how to fix it. Some were initially blind to the approaching cliff, others continued to be blind as they sped towards it, and a small minority saw it from a mile away.

It is inevitable that we will rise out of these poor economic conditions by hook or by crook. No single market player or government force can overcome the prevailing powers of the market at large. The only questions are when? and how much suffering we’ll have to endure? The small minority that saw this economic apocalypse looming in the distance are largely dead right on everything as their predictions continue to become reality.

The recommended medicine from this group is to cut government spending, pay down debt, and start producing things in America again. I am in congruence with the first two recommendations but, have good reason to reject the third. I am not rejecting the idea of production, just the idea that America needs to manufacture trinkets and widgets in order to have a stable, thriving economy and avoid a catastrophic reduction in the standard of living.

In order to support this claim, I will discuss the flaws of economic indicators that are driving the logic behind the necessity of manufacturing and then explain why production is not manufacturing but, manufacturing is production. Using that as a foundational basis I will explain how the innovations in the digital age hides a massive amount of production that is currently immeasurable and how that offsets the need to manufacture.

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Brands in 2010

By Tommy Leung on 12/22/2010 in Marketing

The big and important marketing publications come out with “best of” lists each end of year. I am not one of those important publications but, brands play a big part in all of our lives every year–some bigger than others. These are the brands that made the biggest impact on me this year.

I won’t mention brands that didn’t have a spike in impact or weren’t new to me this year like Google, Amazon, Netflix, Rhapsody, Facebook, and Twitter. I can’t imagine living without their products but, they will not be mentioned.

FreshDirect

I haven’t done any serious grocery shopping at a supermarket in months and I do not miss it. FreshDirect is based in New York and only delivers to a growing list of select areas. It is incredibly convenient for me to shop online. FreshDirect tells me about the different meats, vegetables, fruits, and how they’re cooked.

When I’m at a supermarket, every vegetable looks the same and while I can tell the difference between pork and beef, I am stumped by the different cuts. I am not a gourmet chef or a foodie. My cooking is rudimentary at best–although improving daily!

The quality of the food has been better than anything I’d be able to pick out at the supermarket. I’m sure someone who knows what they’re looking for can outperform FreshDirect’s picks–maybe–but, I am not someone who does. I am just guessing 50% of the time.

I also never know what fruits or vegetables are in season or are grown locally. FreshDirect fills in all these information holes. I’m fairly health conscious–okay, quite health conscious–so eating with the seasons and near my environment has its appeal.

Their customer service has been top notch and I will credit that with hooking me in the first place. There are a ton of benefits that I’ve already mentioned but, I like a company that treats me well. I know that I could get all of this food cheaper if I wanted to–it would take more work–but, FreshDirect treats me well, saves me time, and brings delicious food right to my door.

I have shopped so much with FreshDirect that I’ve been a Chef’s Table Member for a while and I take advantage of their Delivery Pass–like Amazon Prime. I hope to never have to go back to supermarket shopping. That’s so 2009.

BodyBuilding.com

As mentioned, I am fairly health conscious and I have been that way ever since I was a young teenager. I’m not actually a bodybuilder–professional or amateur. I just love the gym and like to be physically fit. In order to be in the kind of shape and health I want to be, some supplementation is necessary.

The increased food quality from FreshDirect has reduced my supplement load but, the modern lifestyle just doesn’t give the body everything it needs to thrive. Because I’m not interested in merely surviving–the modern world has made surviving a piece of cake–it’s thriving that’s the challenge.

I wrote a post about vitamins this year and since then I have stopped taking a multivitamin. My diet takes care of 98% of all the vitamins and minerals I need and for the 2% that I don’t get enough of I supplement. Certain other supplements I take purely for a specific desired result.

My diet lags in Vitamin D as most of diets do as well as sufficient Omega-3 fatty acids–switching to entirely grass fed meat products would remedy this but, I’m not made of money, yet. I also don’t walk around eating enough dirt or fermented foods so I take probiotics to ensure a happy gut.

For all of these vitamins and more, I use BodyBuilding.com’s store. I used to occasionally dabble with GNC and BodyBuilding.com to get various supplements but, I have since opted out of GNC after a very notable customer service experience with BodyBuilding.com. It’s the same trend here as with FreshDirect: I like companies that treat me well.

BodyBuilding.com has an extensive inventory and they ship it to you so fast you may as well have walked into their warehouse and picked it up. My last order arrived in less than 24 hours. I didn’t think it was possible but, it happened. I ordered something around 6PM and it came the next day before 6PM. How did they do this? I don’t have the foggiest clue so I’ll just say it was magic.

The BodyBuilding.com social media team is also a pleasure to deal with as are their other customer service representatives like Kamikaze Candy who sent me a card after resolving an issue I had. Totally unnecessary but, that’s how you maximize customer lifetime value!

Yogi Tea

I was never really into drinking tea. There were a few problems. The biggest brand in tea that I knew was Lipton and their offerings were bland at best. The tea itself also sucked. The rest of the tea brands that I’ve see on store shelves were not much more appealing. The two that I saw the most were Bigelow Tea and Celestial Seasonings. The former is just a bad name as I pronounce it like gigolo and that’s not particular incentivizing. The latter’s box art made me feel like I was buying something foreign. Not that there’s anything wrong with foreign products but, I’m not familiar with them and if I was ever given a choice between two colas where one is Pepsi and the other is a Japanese Anime cola, I’d choose Pepsi. Familiarity wins often.

I’m not a tea expert so familiarity was key. This is not to say that Yogi Tea was familiar. They were not. Yogi Tea should credit a great deal of their business from me to FreshDirect. It is because Yogi Tea showed up in my search for “tea” with FreshDirect that led me to try it. And then I loved it.

Yogi played a part as well. The little fortune cookie-esque tags on each tea bag didn’t hurt the cause. The large selection of teas for all kinds of things like detox, energy, anti-oxidant, immune, stress, sleep, etc. all made tea more accessible. I couldn’t tell you what one dried leaf is supposed to do compared to another. Many packaged tea companies do this as well so that’s not why I became a fan.

I was coming from occasionally drinking Lipton tea so almost any other brand would have been an upgrade. Yogi tea is delicious, the individual tea bags with inspiring messages are fun, and–important for me–FreshDirect carried them.

There’s no great customer service story here. Just a great product that doesn’t intimidate and has a splash of personality.

PerkStreet Financial

I haven’t loved or even liked a bank since the FDIC gave–okay, sold for a measly sum–WaMu to Chase under the cover of a lazy Sunday. Long story short, I have been with Chase ever since then. Chase has been tolerable but, I’ve been looking. I have an account with TD Bank which I don’t use–they need to update their online banking technology.

I loved WaMu. They treated me well–can you see the trend? They were also my first so that might have some sentimental value. Getting your first bank account is a big deal. It’s growing up. Becoming an adult.

I am anything but loyal to Chase. I would leave them in a heartbeat if a better bank came around. It’s unfortunate that Chase’s biggest competitors: Bank of America and Citibank also suck. Basically, banks just suck.

I came across PerkStreet one day and was intrigued. I had heard about online only banks like BankSimple–which isn’t fully operational yet –and wanted to give it a try. The rest of my life is basically online so why not my bank? I signed up with PerkStreet and the process was fairly painless. It took a lot longer than I was accustomed as accounts are generally ready to go right after you open one.

The whole online-only part is pretty cutting edge so I can understand if the process isn’t streamlined yet. I have only had my PerkStreet account for a month or so and I have a feeling that I’m going to like it.

They are nicer and they appear to want to treat me well–that gets me every time! If nothing else, their perks–basically a rewards program–eclipses anything Chase has to offer.

Chase has informed me that they are going to tack a $12 service fee to my checking account starting in February. They are on very thin ice with me. My Chase account will be closed in 2011 if they can’t or don’t offer me a reasonable form of free checking. Which means I will be seriously test driving my PerkStreet account in the next couple of months and if all goes well, I won’t need a personal Chase account at all.

The PerkStreet Debit Card is also black and uncommon as most people use traditional banks. So I do feel a little special whipping that card out.

***

UPDATE: The fine folks at PerkStreet left a heartwarming and assuring comment and made a tweet about this little blog post from little old me. I see they are keeping an eye on what’s being said about them–a characteristic I like!

I liked the sound of a savings account in 2011 that was tweeted earlier today and Kyle in the comments mentioned a mobile application. What sounds even better is the enthusiasm to customer service!

Let’s just say: I might have found my new favorite bank.

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Mint.com

I didn’t join Mint.com this year but, I started to seriously use it this year. It has helped me greatly in managing my money. I am not particularly spendthrift. I’m more of a classic consumerist American. There’s just so much I want!

Mint.com has improved their service greatly since I last used them and I can actually use it to budget my money now. And I have been doing exactly that for several months. Seeing where my money goes, having a budget, and seeing where I’m overspending is incredibly useful.

It is safe to say that my flow of money has vastly improved since I’ve started using Mint. I can’t give Mint all the credit because I deserve some too! I’ve probably never felt as financially adroit as I have in the second half of 2010. Mint helped a lot to organize my money and prioritize it’s use.

I managed to do all my holiday shopping this year and have excess money in the bank without dipping into savings or credit cards to get it done. Maybe there were just a lot of sales going on or that little budgeting tool Mint gives you–for free–does a lot more than look pretty. Often, just being aware of a measurement will adjust the thousands of decisions you make daily to produce a result thought to be impossible.

Mint’s blog–MintLife–is also packed with useful information and a great living, breathing content marketing plan in action.

And it’s all free so get on Mint.com and use it.