According to Edmunds Daily the top 10 most requested OnStar destinations in July were:

1. Walmart
2. Holiday Inn
3. Home Depot
4. Walgreens
5. Marriott
6. McDonald’s
7. Bank of America
8. Starbucks
9. Target
10. Hampton Inn

As a side note, even though Walmart is the most sought after location, there are just a little over 4000 Walmarts in the US. On the other hand, there are over 11,000 Starbucks. Odd that people would spend $6 on a single Grande Chocolate Frappicino when they could buy an entire tub of coffee at Walmart for $3 (that works out to about 5¢ a cup).

I LOVE my iPhone! There are so many apps (applications, for those of you not in the ‘know’), I could spend HOURS with only my iPhone to keep me company. There are game apps, travel apps, news apps – even a period-tracker app (which is a step too far, if you ask me).
 
My favorite app, though, is FB (Facebook) of course, but I also like 4Square – which is an app that allows you to “check-in” places. This app is a little “stalker-ish” but a lot of fun, especially if you make a contest out of it with your friends to see who can “check-in” at the most places. There are even local specials if you are the “mayor” of that location (for example, Starbucks gives you $1 off Frappuccinos when you’re the mayor of that location – yummy!).
 
Apps can be a great marketing tool. In a recent AdAge article they say that savvy marketers should jump on the new technology. As a marketer, you must change and adapt and learn that there are new ways to reach your audience. Car dealers are among the most flexible types of marketers. They are most willing to try something new and they’re starting to see the benefits of all kinds of new technologies, including mobile applications.
 
One of our clients, Toyota of Northwest Arkansas, has an app (which I have) and others are soon to follow. You can make an appointment, get directions, see specials, link to their website or even call them at the touch of a button. It’s GREAT. I wish my local Toyota dealer had an app. I check for one all the time, and there are still only a handful of dealers with apps out there. I hope more jump on the bandwagon soon. Check out this article that one of our dealers was featured in F&I Magazine.
 
Pretty cool huh?
 
The AdAge article even says:

To be truly competitive, we must build innovation-driven, shape-shifting, super-fast and customer-centric organizations — and that’s just the price of entry. Beyond that, it’s all about investing in people who love change and learning as a part of their personality. Add an open approach, a passion for innovation and technology and an ability to truly collaborate with others, and we’re on our way to painfully and slowly narrowing the gap. How many such people does your agency or marketing discipline employ today?

 
This totally applies to me: super-fast, customer-centric and of course, I love change. Are you ready for it?

When I graduated college, I rewarded myself with a brand new, bright yellow Mustang. I loved that car. Leather seats, Mach stereo. I hung on to that car well past the last payment. But when my hubby and I bought our house, I gave up my Mustang in favor of a pickup truck…made it easier to load up after a Home Depot run. Plus, I decked it out with navigation, a sunroof, upgraded audio…the works! And I didn’t care if I got a bucketload of soil in my truck bed. Then we had a daughter and the truck soon got traded for a crossover. For whatever reason, I couldn’t bring myself to buy a “minivan”. My only pre-req’s were Rear-Seat DVD and dark leather – not because it’s plush, mind you, but because it’s easier to clean up fruit punch.

Priorities change, I guess.

Well, today, I ran across an article at edmunds.com: 2011 Toyota Sienna, the Ultimate Mommy Mobile?

Seems like the new 2011 Toyota Sienna is the mommy-mobile of the future. Guess I might have to reconsider my ‘no minivan’ rule.

We’re proud to announce the birth of the MJS Advertising Website.
Thursday, May 6th, 2010 at 8:54pm.
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