tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351435132007-04-13T14:38:32.939-07:00Jerry Kirkpatrickhttp://www.tljbooks.comBlogger51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35143513.post-69566398386154973802007-04-11T12:31:00.000-07:002007-04-11T16:12:40.077-07:00

In product development there are two kinds of errors. A “go” error occurs when the green light is given to a product that eventually fails. The Edsel, a $250 million write-off by the Ford Motor Company in 1959, is one example. The “drop” error occurs when an idea that could have been highly profitable is eliminated from further consideration. How do we know that the idea could have been

Jerry Kirkpatrickhttp://www.tljbooks.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35143513.post-54140973581381511582007-03-13T08:42:00.000-07:002007-04-10T12:42:20.851-07:00

“Bankers’ hours” is an old phrase that actually reflects monopolistic privilege. The 10AM to 3PM that banks formerly were open to serve customers was made possible by government regulation and the consequent lack of competition to force bankers to be more available when customers needed them. With modest deregulation (and the electronic bookkeeping that deregulation encouraged) banks today are

Jerry Kirkpatrickhttp://www.tljbooks.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35143513.post-61411270003504585352007-02-15T17:39:00.000-08:002007-04-10T12:39:47.777-07:00

I admit that I have not heard this question in precisely that form. After the hardcover edition of my book In Defense of Advertising: Arguments from Reason, Ethical Egoism, and Laissez-Faire Capitalism was published, I did hear the question this way: Why does advertising need to be defended? As advertising is the point man and product of capitalism, the two questions are intimately related. The

Jerry Kirkpatrickhttp://www.tljbooks.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35143513.post-77664806972439167922007-01-21T07:31:00.000-08:002007-04-10T12:38:40.923-07:00

Education and social critic Alfie Kohn is an exhaustive researcher and engaging writer. I have not read all of his eleven original books, but I do highly recommend these two: Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes and Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason. The titles and subtitles make clear his

Jerry Kirkpatrickhttp://www.tljbooks.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35143513.post-53643471198006733282007-01-01T06:46:00.000-08:002007-01-01T06:56:48.951-08:00

Starting a new blog—and especially since the paperback edition of my book defending advertising has just been published—I suppose I should begin with a post about advertising. So let me deal with a question that frequently arises: “What about subliminal advertising?,” to which I typically respond, “What about it? It doesn’t exist!” That’s the short answer. Some elaboration is required. The term

Jerry Kirkpatrickhttp://www.tljbooks.com