business

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder Of Atomic Tango + Professor Who Loves To Cold Call His Students; photo by Fabrice Florin via Wikimedia Commons… Picture yourself in a class or business meeting. You don’t have a pressing thought or opinion on the current topic — indeed, your mind is wandering to what you’d like to have […]

No Exit: Why Exit Strategies Are Bad For Startups

July 5, 2017

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Entrepreneurial Advisor; photo by Valentin Antonini on Unsplash… Too many entrepreneurs treat their startups like Hollywood relationships: the affair begins with a lot of passion, it’s great for gossip and headlines, and it might even lead to deals, but as soon as things get a little […]

Worth Repeating: MBAs Fail to Communicate

December 11, 2015

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Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango, MBA, and Professor of Communications… A point that really stood out to me in an overall fantastic article by Philosopher and Business Consultant Matthew Stewart: “Next to analysis, communication skills must count among the most important for future masters of the universe. To their credit, business schools […]

Read ‘Em And Reap: The Best Books For Marketers And Entrepreneurs

November 29, 2015

Marketing, Media

4 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Marketing Professor; photo by Manuel Cacciatore via Wikimedia Commons… So you’d like to learn more about business but can’t take a class right now. Or maybe the idea of school gives you nightmares about forgetting class until the final exam. (Been there, dreamed that.) No problem. […]

Grounds for Desertion: The Last Stand of Starbucks’ Third Place?

August 27, 2015

Marketing, Materialism

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Caffeine Addict… Three yuppies walk into a Starbucks. Sounds like the beginning of a joke, and in a way it is. Two claim a table while the third goes to order. He asks the others what they want, and they both say “nothing.” He responds, “So […]

Breaking into the Media Biz: 10 Tips for Aspiring Moguls

March 16, 2015

12 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Fellow Aspiring Mogul; illustration by Barzak… “In this very real world, good doesn’t drive out evil. Evil doesn’t drive out good. But the energetic displaces the passive.” — Bill Bernbach, advertising legend I recently spoke about media careers to college students at the National Broadcasting Society […]

The Unparalleled World-Class Mission-Critical Hero: Words Sucked Dry In Business

July 4, 2013

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

By Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Teacher of World Classes; photo by Greta Schölderle Møller on Unsplash… As yet another public service, I’ve identified a few words and phrases that have been so overused, misused, and abused that they no longer have any meaning. (Kind of like the joke in an average Saturday Night Live […]

First Shot in the Clone Wars: Redefining “Professional”

January 11, 2010

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango & Professional Provocateur; photo by Ryoji Hayasaka on Unsplash… I got some fan mail about [intlink id=”1436″ type=”post” target=”_blank”]my post on resume writing[/intlink]: “I was liking your article, as I have others that I’ve read… However, I soon found the in-your-face political opinion rude and quite unprofessional […]

Don’t Attempt This At Home: Your Own P.R.

October 9, 2009

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Occasional Publicity Seeker; photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash… Handling your own public relations is like serving as your own lawyer in court. Possible? Yes. Advisable? Not so much. I write this in response to the NY Times article “Which P.R. Firm Do You Use?” by entrepreneur Jennifer Walzer. Walzer […]

Not Weird Science: Social Media in One Word

September 25, 2009

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Social Media User, Instructor & Consultant… So let’s trip back to 1876, the year the telephone was invented… Hmmm… something’s missing… and I’m not talking about Starbucks on every corner…

The Crabcake Conspiracy: Is “Menu Engineering” Diabolical or Just Smart Marketing?

September 14, 2009

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Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Crabcake Junkie; photo by Stu Spivack via Wikimedia Commons… In my ongoing quest to find anything of value on Twitter, I started following Umair Haque, a strategy advisor who writes for Harvard Business Publishing. Haque recently blasted someone else’s article: “i strongly rec everyone read https://bit.ly/GdroN […]

The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you've got it made.

The Authenticity Movement: A Totally Bogus Journey

September 3, 2009

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Guy Who Is Authentic When Necessary… The movement du jour among marketers is “authenticity.” This approach dictates that companies should be open and honest about who they are and what they stand for — not just because that’s a good thing to do, but because that’s […]

Enough with the Fluff! Down Times Are No Time For Management B.S.

August 16, 2009

5 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Semi-Professional Bull Wrangler; photo by Forum concoursvaches.fr via Wikimedia Commons… Pass the paper bag, I’ve got emotion sickness. I’m perusing Harvard Business Publishing’s website, and a headline snags my eye: “Use the Downtown to Your Advantage“. Hmm, that sounds compelling. What kind of killer advice could […]

What’s The Deal With Rebates? (And How Can Your Business Use ‘Em?)

July 14, 2009

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director of Atomic Tango LLC So you finally found that gadget you’ve been dreaming about — you know, the one with the 60″ screen, built-in WiFi, and ability to make a perfect crème brulee at the touch of a button. Better yet, you found it advertised at just […]

String Up the Velvet Ropes! Why Social Networks Need Barriers

June 8, 2009

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango LLC + Social Media Analyst; photo by Guillaume Paumier, CC-BY, via Wikimedia Commons… L.A. contains miles of velvet ropes that pack more protective power than the Great Wall of China. They’re fronted by large scowling men armed with high-caliber clipboards. And they’re assaulted nightly by swarms of […]

Saks and the City: How to Lower Your Standards for Fun and Profit

April 28, 2009

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Marketing Professor… It’s like an episode from the HBO series Sex And The City (or any romantic comedy of your choice): the lead character pines for a fantasy ideal — a millionaire, supermodel, quarterback, cheerleader, prince or princess — but our hopeless romantic ultimately finds true […]

Want Tail? Watch Your Head: Secrets of Long-Tail Marketing

March 29, 2009

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Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Long Tail Marketing Enthusiast… Customer: Do you have “I Just Called To Say I Love You”? Barry: Yes. Customer: Can I have it? Barry: No. Customer: Why not? Barry: Because it’s tacky sentimental crap that’s why. Do we look like a store that would sell that […]

Pipe Dreams: Did Silicon Valley Pick The Right Role Model?

March 22, 2009

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder Of Atomic Tango + Guy Who Values Public Utilities But Wouldn’t Want To Work For One; photo by Gretar Ívarsson via Wikimedia Commons… The late Senator Ted Stevens once claimed that the Internet was a “series of tubes.” Now, there were many reasons to ridicule venal Ted, but his analogy […]

“Free” Market Freefall: The End of Free?

February 27, 2009

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Guy Who Believes Everything Worthwhile Has A Price… Just over a year ago, editor Chris Anderson of Wired magazine proudly proclaimed that the future would be free, an argument based partially on ad-supported free sites like NYTimes.com. Of course, it was hard to take this manifesto […]

Marketing During A Recession, Part 5: How To Own Your Competition During Tough Times

December 2, 2008

4 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Guy Who Has Weathered Some Economic Downturns; photo by Chris Sabor on Unsplash… Tough times like these separate the plucky from the certifiably pluckless. Plucky companies see economic turmoil as a ripe opportunity to crush weaker competitors. The pluckless see a shrinking economy and resort to […]

Facts and Go Figure: The Sneaky Art of Justifying Anything

October 24, 2008

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

So there’s this common symbol that’s being used to justify everything from industrial pollution to obscene spending. No, I’m not talking about the letter “W” — that’s become a punchline. I’m referring to the once humble and inoffensive % sign, now exploited as a tool of self-righteous justification. I stumbled across two flagrant examples of […]

No Interest? No Interest! Discover Card Puts the Junk in Junk Mail

October 15, 2008

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Guy Who Usually Likes Direct Mail Offers… You gotta love asterisks* — those little stars that tell you some juicy bits of information are lying far from the statement you just read. The late great novelist David Foster Wallace turned the footnote into a powerful literary […]

“Viral” Does Not Mean “Free”: The Reality Behind The Buzz

September 13, 2008

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Social Media Realist; bee photo by Rowan Heuvel on Unsplash… I recently had lunch with an entrepreneur to discuss her marketing problems. She had launched her company with PR, and the initial results included major media coverage and a torrent of traffic to her site, but […]

Public Relations vs. Advertising: No Contest

September 4, 2008

16 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Integrated Marketing Advocate; photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash… I have a serious weakness for ice cream. GOOD ice cream. As in 200% butter-fat-full-sugar-with-no-artificial-ingredients ice cream that makes me break into R-rated facial expressions and one-man gospel choruses. (Yeah, you don’t want to witness that.)

Bankruptcy is the Fashion? Mervyns Fails to Declare its Style

July 30, 2008

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango LLC + Marketing Forensics Practitioner… As an L.A. interactive-media guy, I’m expected to blog about sexy new developments online or in Hollywood, but today I’m writing about Mervyns department store. And, yes, that’s the only time you’ll ever see the words “sexy” and “Mervyns” in the same […]

Lemons 2.0: If Everything Were Run Like A Dotcom

July 19, 2008

16 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Survivor of Multiple Dotcoms; Photo by J. Kelly Brito on Unsplash… So I’m walking through my neighborhood counting the foreclosure signs when I develop this mighty thirst. Fortunately, I find a lemonade stand run by an enterprising six-year-old named Zucky. Just as I’m about to pay […]

“Your Skin Color is not a Stain!”: L.A. Teen Takes on Unilever’s Bigotry

July 12, 2008

14 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + No Fan of Double Standards… Delia Rose is mad as hell. The L.A. teenager is calling for a boycott of Unilever. The reason? The skin-whiteners that the corporate behemoth distributes and promotes in Pakistan and other Eastern countries under the name Fair & Lovely…

Cows and Dogs in a Bear Market: Applying the BCG Matrix to Marketing

July 6, 2008

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Occasional Dog Lover… When the economy gets rough, many businesses cut their marketing. Now, as a devoted reader of this blog, you know that’s a big mistake. The best time to launch a full-on marketing offensive is when the competition is crying and cowering like Dick […]

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear: Why Listening to Your Customers can be Hazardous to Your Health

June 16, 2008

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Frequent Customer… Last week I hit the Digital Media Summit in the coolly atmospheric Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. There I heard speakers so intently spinning facts and sidestepping questions, I thought I was watching a Bush administration press conference… My favorite line came from a Hollywood agent […]

Marketing During a Recession, Part 3: Time To Pump Up the Volume

June 5, 2008

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Guy Who’s Survived And Thrived During Some Serious Down Times… When the economy slows to the speed of a three-toed sloth after one too many hash brownies, the knee-jerk reaction by most marketers is to reduce ad expenditures. For some brands, however, a recession presents sweet […]

Full of Holes: The Extremist Attack on Dunkin Donuts

May 31, 2008

15 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Donut Junkie… Like many people, I want 01.20.09 — Bush’s last day in office — declared an international holiday. But even with “the End of an Error” in sight, right-wing extremists continue to wreak their corrosive damage, and are now invading the seemingly sheltered world of […]

Public Relations 101: How (Not) To Write A Press Release

May 20, 2008

20 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango LLC & Press Release Connoisseur… It’s amazing the difference between what you learn in school and actual business practices. I once took a class in public relations where we learned how to write a press release. The basic rule: write an actual news story about your company […]

How To Avoid Paralysis by Analysis (or “Damn The Donuts – Full Speed Ahead”)

May 10, 2008

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Donut Addict; photo by Tony Webster from San Francisco via Wikimedia Commons… I once found myself confronting a tower of gourmet donuts — and a whole lot of do-nothing. It was in the high-tech conference room of a multinational PR agency. The agency rep was telling […]

American Apparel Sports a Woody: Madness is the Method

April 3, 2008

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango LLC American Apparel CEO Dov Charney acts like he’s missing his calling. The controversial and flamboyant entrepreneur could parlay his promotional genius and predilection for the prurient to become one hell of a porn producer. (The San Fernando Valley, the porn capital of the world, is just […]

21st Century Identity Crisis: Naming Strategies for the New Marketspace

March 13, 2008

4 Comments

Posted by Freddy Tran Nager

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango LLC Who ever imagined that naming a company would become a game of speed and chance? As soon as the Eliot Spitzer-prostitute story broke, I looked up the name Client9.com. Then New York Governor Spitzer was busted for hiring prostitutes: he was the mysterious “Client 9” in […]

Rules of Competition: The Magic Number is 2

February 4, 2008