Apple Tag

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango LLC + Apple hOStage… I didn’t need a new computer. My 2010 MacBook Pro is somehow still running — now 2 years longer than any previous computer I’ve owned over the past 30 years. (Knock on wood — just by typing this I might curse my Mac.) Plus, my 2010 MacBook Pro includes features no longer available on a new Mac, such as a matte screen (glossy = annoying reflections) and a built-in DVD player (yes, some of us still use DVD’sRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Not Much of a Gambler; photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash… I don’t care to gamble, not counting my dismal dabbling in the stock market. So naturally, I look at any betting offer with skepticism and a deep lack of enthusiasm — even when it comes from my favorite technolust pusher, Apple. Several years ago, Apple offered to extend the warranty on my MacBook Pro for three years for $349. Like most Apple creations, the pitch sounded irresistible, using terms likeRead More

by XDL, Filmmaker… In filmmaking, we have the deadly production triangle: cheap, fast and good. If you’re lucky, you get two — usually at the sacrifice of the third. You can have cheap and fast, but it won’t be good. You can have good and fast, but it won’t be cheap. You can have cheap and good, but it’ll never be fast. When it comes to drawing computers, a triangle also applies. The ideal digital creative tool would be powerful, portable, and easy to use. I’ve never gotten all three.Read More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Guy Who Loves Strong Brands… I couldn’t resist the bait. A direct marketing guy on LinkedIn posed the following question: “Why don’t most advertising agencies pay as much attention to results as they do to their creative and the awards that they can achieve?… Don’t get me wrong, I believe that branding is important to a company, but feel like you can do both at once and achieve much more. … Respectfully, please help me in understanding why clever creative, especiallyRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Marketing Analyst… Add “effective” to the list of marketing terms that no longer mean anything, alongside “authentic,” “leader,” “revolutionary,” “disruptive,” and “engagement.” According to a misdirected study by research firm Ace Metrix, in 2014 Samsung had 7 of the 15 “most effective” ads in the tech hardware sector, including the top 2. Of course, as everyone knows, Samsung had a terrible year, with third-quarter profits down 60% to three-year lows. Also on Ace Metrix’s top 15 list: Amazon’s ad for itsRead More

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango LLC + Moderate Fanboy It’s predictable: Apple releases a new product, and the devout start camping out at the Temple O’ Jobs to be one of the first to lay their hands upon it. And just as predictably, people will ridicule these fanatics, usually with aspersions about their sex lives (or lack thereof). Note this tweet from comedian Aisha Tyler… These same cooler-than-thou critics, though, never mock the thousands of fans who line up for nosebleed seats and overpriced food and evenRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Devastated Jobs Fan; photo is a screengrab of the Apple website homepage… “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – SteveRead More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + “Bank Run” Consigliere… (Full Disclosure: The following post is about one of my clients at Atomic Tango.) Imagine waking up and finding yourself strapped to a chair. Standing over you is a strange man swinging a large golf club. He keeps asking you menacing questions, but you have no idea what he’s talking about. Frustrated by your lack of answers, he decides to take a massive swing at a spot right between your eyes… How do you escape? Well, there’s anRead More

by Freddy J. Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Long-Time Amazon Customer Who Thinks Amazon Should Know Him Better By Now… Amazon’s ability to recommend products based on my purchases usually impresses me. It’s a smart way to get current customers to buy more. But tonight I purchased a product at Amazon and got a recommendation that I wasn’t quite expecting. Can you tell which one it was? Yes, we Mac users are a wild bunch indeed…Read More

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Multimedia Marketer I hear it all the time: “Advertising is a waste of money.” “If you have a great product, you don’t need to advertise.” “Word of mouth is more effective than traditional media.” “It’s impossible to cut through the clutter.” “Most consumers tune out or TiVo past commercials.” While these declarations might be true in some cases, many bullheaded companies still invest millions in advertising — and not just during the Super Bowl when everyone pays attention to the commercials.Read More