Learning about Learning | Does that make sense for marketing?
LEARNING STYLES are fascinating and include: 
Accommodators – who learn by doing
Divergors – who learn by observing
Convergors - who learn by problem solving
Assimilators - who learn by getting information
CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS include:
How do I learn?
How do others learn?
What can I learn today that is new and helpful?
How do I feel about the new knowledge I gain?
The challenge for marketers is to be able to identify the learning styles of a particular constituency/market. A successful internet marketer must be able to accommodate various learning styles. People frequently use the internet to research online and buy offline. A pet peeve when I ask a simple question is the person who does not glance up from a computer screen, waves a hand around in the air and seems truly disinterested. This happens to everyone.
Some marketing professions simply do not help their clients learn more about critical internet marketing functions. Some marketing professionals play their cards fairly close to the vest and prefer not share their knowledge or insights. A few years ago, when working with an SEO/SEM team, my manager instructed the technical staff not to answer my questions because I needed to figure things out for myself. He would then deliberately give me a vague assignment and refuse to clarify his intent. I am on the inside team and wondered how the client might feel. I called him on this and he did not appreciate it. Years ago, in a university marketing department another manger gave me an unclear assignment, would not clarify for me and acted impatient when I did not complete the work. She stamped her foot. I reported her to personnel. What I learned from this experience is that internal teams are very sensitive and sometimes dysfunctional. Our mutual boss was more concerned that I went “out of the department” for assistance than about the fact that I was not receiving effective direction. As a result of these and other similar experiences, I tend to go to the opposite extreme and prefer to explain “things” with abundant clarity.
Identifying and accommodating different learning styles is also important for the modern marketer who is, in essence, a facilitator and instructor. Marketers must identify and target segments. Similar challenges face instructors who must instinctively utilize a variety of pedagogical elements which are most relevant to a particular learning style. If I need to learn how to use a particular feature on my Blackberry I can ask a friend, who may pull the unit from my hand and perform the function and hand it back to me, I can go back to the Sprint store and take a number and wait in line or simply consult the manual.
Several years ago I worked in technology sales and the training was simply inadequate. The technical experts were permanently on voice mail and auto reply. A few days ago, I heard that this company just closed their Connecticut and New Jersey sales offices. My reply to former colleague’s email: “flawed business model.”
A few weeks ago, I was working with a team to design a presentation about the Economic Meltdown. I suggested providing a handout for a book about the history of the Federal Reserve System. I was thinking the study would be interesting and relevant for the audience and supportive of our position. Two members of the team really resisted: one from arrogance…he thought his opinions and input sufficient making independent documentation unnecessary; and another resisted from control….she wanted to edit my handout but would not read the book because she did not have time. Although this collaborative experience was far from optimal, the audience obviously appreciated the handout which was succinct and relevant. I am particularly sensitive to inadequate and rushed explanations.
Marketers must address multiple learning styles. Years ago when I first attended college, we would have a textbook and that was it. Books were not expensive, typically less than $25.00. Texts seem quite expensive today by comparison. I recently purchased a Business Law text for $185.00 – light winter reading for me between holidays. A hefty text price tag fortunately includes additional learning opportunities such as Power Points, online quizzes, and companion websites. As a side note: the price tag of the text prompted me to become a Barnes & Noble member to earn an extra discount. Wise decision since I have saved multiple times the price of membership!
Providing a variety of options which consider multiple learning styles facilitates communication. The principles of learning also apply to marketing. I have always found that it is very easy to ask a person how they prefer to gain knowledge. It saves everyone time and energy because you learn up front what works best for the person and how to vary an explanation. For example, when teaching a group of students about Adobe Photoshop, I ask the class: how many people prefer to learn by observing, by doing, by getting information, by figuring out themselves? I am always amazed at the variety of answers. A good instructor and marketer will frequently stop and ask questions like: “Are you with me?, Does that make sense?” Does it?
Getting Back to Chihuahuas…
Susan Payne breeds, handles and judges Chihuahuas. Her book, The Chihuahua, was just published by Kennel Club Classics. I finished reading her book from cover to cover. The section on the history of the breed is very interesting and my favorite part. In Mexico dogs were believed to accompany souls to heaven. The Chihuahua has tremendous “star quality.” Every Chihuahua has a story. Susan Payne emphasizes the importance of finding a breeder that breeds to the standard which is crucial for the health of the dog.
In 2006, my husband and I had visited the Springfield, MA, Dog Show the previous winter. We were interested in finding a Bassett Hound . We are very partial to these hounds. We spotted a little girl named Edith who ate rocks and another fine guy named Grissom. We were just not ready at that time. The following year we rescued Seamus, who is the most perfect and handsomest dog in the entire world. Seamus has taken over our plush rocker/recliner- a birthday present for my husband. Seamus has a sister, Holly 
who is 
also a “rescue hound.” These guys are spoiled. They get scrambled eggs for breakfast on Sunday and have a beautiful dog bed from ORVIS that is big enough and comfortable enough for me to spend the night with them although I typically do not do so. However, I brush their teeth almost every day. Get the picture!!! Seamus even has his own blog and frankly, the ladies swoon over him. As you can see, the rescue league ad for Holly, claiming that she was “the best of breed” may have been an exaggeration but the part about “her sweetness” was right on.
Well it is definitely time to switch gears and get back to Chihuahuas!
A colleague of my husband, Steve, was at the 2006 Springfield show with her tiny Chihuahua. I took a few pictures of Sue Pease and her pet and sent her a few prints. Several months later, Sue Pease’s friend, Chihuahua breeder, Susan Payne, asked my permission to use a few of my photos in a book she was writing for Kennel Club Classics. That’s how I met Susan Payne in the Spring of 2007 when I took some photos for the book she was authoring about Chihuahuas.
Of course, I was thrilled at this opportunity and took more photos for Susan Payne over the next few days. During the process I learned more about this charming breed. Susan’s interesting and informative book, The Chihuahua, is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The cover of the book is shown at the left. Sue Pease also happens to be a contributor to this fine book. Photographing pets for personal pleasure is very different than photographing dogs to document the characteristics of a particular breed. Breed standards are very important. The Chihuahua has a section on animal care which provides so much valuable information. I just learned that there is a small space where plates join in their skulls and I imagine this spot is vulnerable.
I prefer to take pictures. Writing a blog post is quite a task for me but practice makes perfect. I admire people who are prolific/adept writers and realize that the process is not as easy as the final product might make it seem.
I’ve included my favorite photo from this project in my post. I also really love the photo of Broadway dog trainer, Bill Berloni, who looks like he has his hands quite full. Of course, you will have to read this book to find out why. Perhaps you will discover why this tiny little creature is so popular and adored by millions of people around the world. All the Chihuahuas that I have met are smart, confident and well-behaved and to be perfectly honest I don’t think I can say that about all the bassett hounds I’ve met.
Gardenias | my favorite fragrant flowers
Flowers make me happy. I love photographing flowers…white flowers are more challenging. Photoshop CS4 has introduced the adjustments panel which makes granular edits a snap.
Many white flowers are particularly fragrant. Freesia, lily of the valley, tuber roses, honeysuckle, lilac, roses, casablanca lilies, peonies, hyacinths, jasmine and magnolia all have a heavenly aroma.
White flower facts:
The White Flower Farm in Litchfield, CT was originally founded by a NY Times reporter. At first, he bred only white flowers. The strains were hard to maintain, though, and colors crept in.
The JFK library is Boston, MA has a beautiful planting of rambling roses and pines reminiscent of the Cape Code seashore. Over the years, pink roses have appeared because the white strain orignally planted is impossible to maintain intact in nature.
Shakespeare’s works are planted with multiple references to flowers.
Antheriums, orchids, amaryllis, and cala lilies are beautiful and a pleasure to photograph but not so fragrant.
Photographing Orchids at The New York Botanical Garden | Holistic Marketing
The one event I look forward to the most every year is the Orchid Show at The New York Botanical Garden. On Sunday, I spent several hours in the Enid Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. I just spent most of the next snowy day, Monday, March 2, in front of the computer and I ‘m reasonably satisfied with the results. I pumped up the blacks in Lightroom and cropped aggressively. I prefer macro work which focuses on the center of you guessed it….orchids. A visit to the NYBG Orchid Show is infinitely more satisfying than taking photos in my studio. I absolutely love the interface for the show…the brilliant orchids against that vibrant green say so much about the concept of the show.
Let’s step aside a moment to consider Holistic Marketing where everything matters and explore the connection to the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden.
Just so we’re in sync – the four components of holistic marketing are:
1. Relationship marketing - builds mutually satisfying long-term relationships. .
2. Integrated marketing - satisfies needs and surpass expectations.
3. Internal marketing - all teams work together and think customer.
4. Performance marketing - is financially accountable and social responsible.
Back to the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden. Consider me a target customer. I give the NYBG a 100% rating. This is a snapshot of our day:
- Visit the NYBG website at home in CT, order and print tickets.
- Find it easy top park in their Lot and there is plenty of extra parking across the street.
- Stop by the Gift Shop to select a birthday present for a baby girl named Amelia and a toy for our young neighbor, Jake.
- Glance through a few of the hundreds of unique botanical books and the “official Orchid Show book” is…was that a mistake $4.99…not $17.99.
- We spent a few more minutes enjoying the Gift Shop and decide to become members. We saved 20% of our purchase in addition to refunding the price of the tickets to our purchase.
- Jim, the Director of the Shop, was genuinely cheerful and engaging. He helped me to select a pair of earrings that were real orchids coated in resin. We haven’t even gone into the show yet and already the day is perfect.
- People at the show were happy and considerate when they notice others aiming cameras. The security guards were really nice when they reminded a few visitors not to use tripods and monopods. They offered to snap shots of visitors and seemed happy to be there.
- Keep in mind that everyone at the NYBG, visitors and staff are surrounded by unsurpassed beauty.
The folks at the NYBG totally get holistic marketing. Everything matters, particularly delivering the promise of the unique value proposition. I have a long history with the NYBG. My father took me there on Saturday mornings when I was a child. I graduated from Fordham University directly across the street. I studied professional floristry there in the 1980′s. Now, almost 30 years later, The New York Times has a rave review.
The entire experience is extremely pleasant. I am inserting a few of my favorite pics into this blog.
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- Phalaenopsis Orchids
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- Darwin Orchid
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- Cattleya Orchid
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- Miltonia Orchid
Please feel free to visit my photo gallery from the NYBG Orchid show.
Why photograph Butterflies & use compact flash cards?
On Sunday I spent several hours taking photographs in the Butterfly Garden at the Museum of Science in Boston, MA. I love Photoshop but always aim to take the perfect picture that will need no edits or perhaps a simple level or curves adjustment and a crop and sharpen. I’ve written Photoshop actions to automatically add adjustment layers when I open up the raw/NEF files. CS4 has a nifty new ADJUSTMENTS PANEL that eliminates the need to take those extra steps for non-destructive edits. Lightroom 2 has superb Web Gallery functionality built right in and additional toning functionality more reminiscent of a “traditional darkroom” set up…not a toolbox. Again, the edits are non-destructive!
My Butterfly Garden is the first time I put up an entire web photo gallery via Lightroom without making a single edit first in Photoshop…not one. Please keep in mind that I tend to crop aggressively and prefer macro work so most of my final photos typically have an even closer viewpoint. Nevertheless, my experiment generated pleasing results. I certainly could have done some additional editing on some of the hilights and shadows in Photoshop but resisted the impulse on principle . Scott Kelby and Chris Orwig are famous Photoshop/Lightroom gurus (my favorite gurus) and they are right on target with their recommendations about incorporating Lightroom into your photography workflow.
Back to the MOS Butterfly Garden: the room is narrow, humid, and warm between 77 and 87 degrees. An entire wall of large glass panes overlooks the chilly Boston Harbor. Butterflies are everywhere. One landed on my hair. I felt the tickle of tiny steps across my head. Some of the butterflies are very active and others barely move. The varieties and colors are amazing. Visitors are simply overjoyed. I see different beautiful creatures every visit. The aroma of very ripe fruit blends with the fragrance of flowering plants. The moist air intensifies this intoxicating combination of scents. This experience is extremely pleasant. I am inserting a few of my favorite pics into this blog. Also feel free to visit my complete Butterfly Garden Web Gallery.
Back to the MOS Butterfly Garden: I left by the exit a few times just to cool off a bit. Immediately upon exiting, the corridor room seems very cool by comparison. The computer exhibit is next door to the Butterfly Garden. Not ultra nerdy…but the energy in the room is very different. You can trace the path of a keystroke input, thru BIOS to ASCI and screen output. An early Gigabyte mini drive, about one third the size of a business card is placed in front of an “earlier” hard drive larger than one of the glass panels in the Butterfly Garden next door. Both drives have their inner workings exposed and look quite similar except in dimension. Compact flash cards have non-magnetic drives which are more rugged and durable and write data quickly for digital photography. This is not quite sensory overload.
Recently, we joined the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, CT. The Peabody has a reciprocal agreement with the Museum of Science. Talk about ROI.
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