Focus Groups in vogue again, thanks to Super Bowl

I feel so vindicated.  Which almost makes up for yesterday’s Packer-less Super Bowl.

After last year’s event, I announced the Top E-Holes of the Super Bowl.  Most of the winners, especially the Grand Super Bowl E-Hole — Groupon — had declined to conduct Focus Groups to pre-test their commercials.  My rant was about just that; the utter folly and pure arrogance of taking such a huge chance with their brand.  Given Groupon’s $377 million in funding, why hadn’t they spent the mere $20,000  to do a couple of groups? Simply as brand insurance, if you will.  Like duh. Ask the customer?

I would have been happy to take on a juicy new Groupon project, and of course always delighted to visit Chicago when the snow flies and black ice proliferates.

Oh what a difference a little joking about Tibet makes.  After the Groupon social media firestorm, this year smart marketers returned to their tried-and-true market research toolkit.  The Wall Street Journal reports that companies such as Hyundai to Bridgestone to Chevy conducted Focus Groups in advance of the broadcast. Now that viewers are tapping into Twitter and Facebook in mind-blasting numbers (Madonna’s performance during the halftime show saw an average of 8000 tweets per second), checking in with your customers in advance makes even more  sense.

Still, it’s always something. Yesterday’s reigning hashtags #Clint Eastwood and #Halftime in America were today’s brouhaha, both for questions about the star’s politics, and for the commercial’s mysterious removal and return.  IMHO, the spot and Clint were genius — kudos to the creatives at Wieden + Kennedy who pulled off this new classic.  Extra kudos for the concept of Visual Viralizing:  Share the video from the Chrysler YouTube channel and see how far across the country your Tweets and reshares reach. Brilliant.

Why Pinterest Should Be on Your Research Radar Now.

Oh savvy marketer, of course you’ve heard the scuttlebutt about new social darling, Pinterest. You’ve already heard that the online pinboard phenomenon just won the Crunchie for the Best New Startup of 2011.  You’ve already heard about the site’s “crazy, crazy traffic and growth.” 8000% in one short year.

You’ve heard about those sweet purchase-power psychographics — all those happily addicted Pinners, 80% of them women ages 25-44, who are spending an average of 14 minutes daily pinning like mad.  Growing the site organically by passing along hard-to-nab invitations.

And the Big Brands, especially retailers like Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and Lands’ End, who are jumping on board this thriving new platform. You already know the tantalizing details.

But your question remains: What’s in it for me, for my brand? Why should I take the time, head count, and budget to expand across yet another social space, especially when Google + and Tumblr are also growing in significance for marketers? Why should I bother?

Here’s why:   Pinterest is an unprecedented opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with your customers. It’s Customer Research as it should be.

While Pinterest clearly didn’t plan to be an astonishing new Digital Ethnography tool, the site is the most intriguing opportunity for marketers to go native that’s come along in decades.  At the core of ethnography is the study of culture — notably  the meanings individuals give to objects, people, events, and experiences.  Ethno actually comes from the Greek word ethnos — meaning folk or culture.  Graphia means writing.

From where I sit, a veteran market researcher with a trusty trendkit at my side , Pinterest is the epitome of our folky digital culture today. Marketers can essentially go native each time they visit the site.  Each board is a collection of what’s meaningful to the Pinners, along with graphia type responses:  Likes, Descriptions, and RePins.

Unlike traditional qualitative research, the methodology or structure is not owned or even necessarily guided by the researcher. We’re merely dropping in;  observing the customer in their native environment.   Call it a digital upgrade of those venerable Focus Group projective techniques — Vision Boards, Mood Boards, Treasure Maps. But even better, Pinterest is iterative. All those Pinners are vividly evolving their boards with every sticky minute they spend per day on the site.

Imagine watching your customers’ wishlist-style boards, all those wants, needs, and desires, as they’re mapped out in gloriously colorful detail. All those aspirations presented authentically and beautifully. Living scrapbooks of your customers’ life designs.

Pinterest is an exciting opportunity to:

• Conduct digital ethnography
• Discover new category/industry/style trends — what pins are most popular
• Study your brand’s Competitive Landscape (visually + response)
• Find new Influencers (many “existing” Influencers are already pinning but new, and perhaps different persona, are are emerging)
• Explore/test new themes, ideas, product development
• Crowdsource product development
• Name Generation.
• Imagine the deep insights of combining face-to-face Focus Groups with Pinterest Digital Ethnography.

Hope to see you on Pinterest soon. I’d love to help get your brand up and Pinning.  If you need an invitation, email me at: hello@guruofnew.com or @guruofnew

Are you ready for 2012? Is your rice bowl empty?

This is an oldie but goodie that’s worth hauling out of the bloggy mothballs.

The start of a new year is always a good time to dredge up old Zen parables, especially if you live in California. (In my home state of Wisconsin, most parables revolve around 17 Creative Ways To Use Stale Beer or the legend that is Vince Lombardi.)

The tale goes like this: A student went to visit a famous Zen master. The master served tea and rice while the student talked about his desire to learn Zen. The master filled up the rice bowl up to the brim until it overflowed. Finally, distracted, the student blurted: “It’s too full! No more will go in!” The Zen Master sighed, saying: “You are like this bowl. How can I show you Zen until you first empty this bowl?”

You will not be ready for 2012 until you empty those last kernels of rice from 2011.

Here are 3 ways to clear out the rice bowl so you can fill it with new ideas, energy and inspirations in the coming new year:

Take a piece of paper and write down (yes, with an actual pen or pencil) what clogged your rice bowl in 2011. What emotions rose up and overflowed? What feelings did you cram back down? What events filled that bowl? Don’t worry about your penmanship, grammar or spelling — just jot down what-was in your 2011 world.
Now take that piece of paper and read it out loud. Once. Twice. (Privacy is good) Then take the paper and put it in an envelope. Write 2011 on the outside.

And finally — you choose– either take the 2011 envelope and put it in the freezer — or take the 2011 envelope and put a match to it. That’s right. Deep-freeze it. Or burn it. Whether you pick fire or ice, you’ll be cleaning up and clearing out the final remnants of a year you’ve now fully completed.

Your bowl is now gloriously empty and ready to be newly filled by the hope, discovery and energy coming your way in 2012.

The new Potluck Economy. What are you bringing to the table?

The old-fashioned, Leave It To Beaver, church-basement concept of the Potluck Supper is back in style.

For those of you who missed this very 50′s ‘harvest gold, Kraft Recipe way of life: a Potluck supper is one in which everybody brings a ‘covered dish’ to the table. Usually this is a family favorite, a specialty of each particular cook. One woman may bring her Sunday best chicken casserole; another brings his homemade wheatberry muffins; yet another bakes up a sumptuous Red Devil’s food cake. And so on and so forth, until the table is rich with the imaginative recipes of each of the chefs.

A potluck gives everyone a chance to shine in their own special way. No one dish is the star; no one cook dons the apron. Which is why, even if you haven’t potlucked in eons, you ought to think about the enduring idea behind it.

In life, we all bring something to the table. Some of us are talented artists, others excel at sports, others are savvy in business. No one quality is necessarily greater than another– no one talent whups another. Sometimes we meet someone and say ‘Wow, look at the way she aced that serve. I can’t do that!’ Or ‘gee, he’s really great at closing a deal. Sure wish I was that good.’ We tunk ourselves because we feel we don’t stack up. Sometimes we let this stop us from trying, from going further, from expressing our own abilities — whatever they are, wherever they may be on the path to excellence.

That’s when we need to remember the concept of Potluck. Each of us, every single human being, brings something unique to the table. Each of us brings something worth sharing. Whether it’s boundless ideas and energy, an instinctive eye for art, the gift of loving support, creative business savvy, or a way with words that always touches the heart . . . all are making an important contribution. It takes everyone, every flavor, every taste and texture, every dish to make a Potluck.

Today, more and more people are RSVP-ing a resounding YES to the new Potluck Economy. We’re bartering, GlobalMojo-ing, Kickstarting, trading, gigster-ing, Freecycling, donating, giving of ourselves, and our stuff in a myriad of imaginative ways. New technology is letting us collaborate, communicate, co-work and co-create. We’re couch surfing and crowdsourcing. We’re innovating breakthrough ways of working, living and being. It’s definitely not business as usual. Thank God.

This then, is the new Potluck Economy. Welcome to the table. What will you bring?

Guru’s Note: This is an update from a Trend Report originally published in 2008. This trend has legs!

Why everyone should play bad tennis

Most of you, my awesome readers, are competitive, kick-ass perfectionists. You work your butts off to be at the top of your game and the top of your field. You read Outliers and so you know it does take 10,000 hours — and you willingly burn them up.

Which is exactly why you should play Bad Tennis or take up something like it. Try a sport, a passion, an artistic pursuit. Something that you are wholeheartedly bad at; that you will never excel in; where you will never be a rockstar. This choice-to-be-less-than-perfect will teach you acceptance. It will teach you about boundaries. It will also be your sanctuary from the stress of Life in the Perfection Lane.

Let me tell you how hard it was for me to learn to play Bad Tennis. I come from a tennis family filled with champs going back to my state and college champ father, who was nicknamed “Bounce.” Yeah, you got that. I guess it’s better than “Ace.” Our family scrapbooks are jammed with photos of kin victoriously leaping over the net. My brother and sister-in-law, my niece and nephew, are all tennis rockstars. Doug and Leslie are fresh off an amazing summer at Martha’s Vineyard’s glorious Boathouse, where they loved teaching some of our country’s best and the brightest. Last summer, Doug was Tennis Director at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. Matt just won another tournament — both singles and doubles. DC attorney Mallori played for UVA in Charlottesville, and her awesome new sports-smart husband Tommy is getting a Masters in Health Management.

Get the picture?

Then there’s me. So what happened, you ask? Due to an accident and long stint in the hospital when I was a kidlet, it was clear early on that tennis was never going to be my strong suit. Instead, swimming became my passion — and thankfully, the sport gave me back my functionality. I was as at home in a tank suit as the rest of my family was in tennis whites.

Over the years, I made tentative stabs at playing good tennis. My generous brother sent me racquets. I fell in love with my best partner — the Little Prince Tennis Ball machine. But no matter how much I loved it, my attempts were for naught.

Until I realized one day how utterly fabulous I felt with every volley — even if these returns had no resemblance to what Matt Man can do. Finally, I accepted my Bad Tennis. I now embrace every moment when I can persuade someone to play with me. I know it’ll be the break I need; my escape from the relentless pursuit of excellence that dominates much of the rest of my life.

What’s your Bad Tennis? Bad Chef? Bad Painter? I think I know more than a few Bad Dancers. Leave a comment or write me at hello@guruofnew.com.

Innovation is the new black.

If you’re cool-hunting in the business category these days, the hottest, hippest word out there may be idea, followed by innovation. Google lists 45,500,000 global monthly searches for keyword “ideas” and 4,090,000 for “innovation.” Thanks to years of economic uncertainty and disruption, generating ideas is the new passion du jour. Armies of creatives hop from a plethora of pricey TEDs to trend treks to inspiration workshops. 60,996 Trend Hunters and 15,000 Springspotters rove the planet searching for nuggets. Books by innovation gurus whip us into a change-the-world whirlwind:

“EXPLOITING CHAOS is a rousing battle cry for the kind of creative, risky thinking that is most needed in times of change and disorder. Whether you’re a CEO trying to stay ahead of the curve, a daydreaming teenager, or a wannabe trailblazer, this bold guide is the shake-up you need to check your assumptions, get inspired, and turn business-as-usual totally upside down.”
- Daniel Pink, bestselling author of A Whole New Mind

Or they don’t:

“While 95% of the 300 Fortune 1000 executives surveyed recognize the criticality of innovation to future growth, more than half of those surveyed admit that their company has no system, tools or processes for fostering enterprise innovation and at least a third of those surveyed see the lack of such tools and processes as barriers to innovation at their company.”

Innovation is either going to save us or the (lack of it) will be the end of us. We are either woefully and humiliatingly behind. Or lightyears ahead.

Why am I ready to rant about the current focus on innovation and ideas? After all, as the uber-entrepreneurial Guru of New, with decades devoted to idea generation, innovation and new products, I should hardly be kvetching when trendcasting turns front and center. But here’s why: now that there are legions of processes for generating idea-gasms, shouldn’t there also be processes for ruthlessly killing the bad ones? With this explosion of inspiration, who decides what ideas are good, and which ones are bad? Which ones are brilliant — but perhaps not right for your brand or business? Which ones sound genius but will ultimately chew up your company’s money and resources? How you do decide which ones are Newtons, and which ones are iPods?

I’d love to hear how your business is solving this dilemma — other than counting the days till Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs” is released, now estimated to be November 21.

Happy Indie-preneur Day! 7 Sparky Tools to Help you Celebrate your Independence

Indie.
It’s everybody’s favorite power-to-the-people word, especially when you check out the dictionary definition and discover its intrinsically American qualities: free from external control and constraint; “an independent mind”; “a series of independent judgments”; “fiercely independent individualism.

All of which translates so smoothly into a star-spangled new word: Indie-Preneur. Being an entrepreneur is so last century.

On this pivotal Independence Day 2011, it’s time we re-defined ourselves with a word that better represents the burgeoning world of plucky, passionate, indie-innovators who are busily working to rebuild our country. Our chances of rebounding may be vastly increased by honoring — not resisting — today’s fluctuating and increasingly independent workscape. Indeed, Indie ‘tude celebrates all that made the U.S.A. revolutionary 235 years ago.

An Indie-preneur may be working solo, as part of a team, small business, non-profit or even work fearlessly within a giant organization. Indie-preneurism is a state of mind; a style of being; a scrappy, bootstrapping never-say-die way of life. Indie-ism is finding new solutions to pressing old problems by honoring our inner quirks and creativity; that eccentricity that provokes us to see things in a different way. Indie can scale big or stay small. There is no hard and fast definition of Indie. (Except this: note the word: ‘fiercely’ above.)

And no, Indie is not a synonym for maverick. (But it is a synonym for Gigster)

Here’s the Third Annual Indie-Preneur Award, which goes to: Taryn Voget, CEO/Founder of The Everyday Genius Institute. Here’s why:

Not much more than a year ago, Taryn, along with noted Behavioral Scientist Tim Hallbom, kicked off the Everyday Genius Institute product line with the promise: With the right strategies, anyone can become a genius.

Now, thanks to Taryn’s blood, sweat and indie-perseverance, the Everyday Genius Institute’s “Study Smarter, Not Harder” DVD has landed in retail powerhouse OfficeMax — and will soon be in Staples, Barnes & Nobles and more.

What just goes to prove what smart start-ups know — you don’t need a crammed org-chart to make things happen. You just need one fierce, fire-in-the-belly Founder –like Taryn Voget.

Not surprisingly, Indie-Preneurs are fervent do-it-yourselfers. Here are 7 easy online tools to help you celebrate your independence:

Do It Yourself Logo Design: Logoyes.com LogoYes offers do-it-yourself logos to small businesses around the world. Guru’s Note: Logoyes is simple, fun, and even if not the perfect customized logo for which you’d pay thousands, it’ll do in a pinch. Consider it market research and explore colors, fonts and symbols.

Or tap into a world of talented graphic designers for bargain prices starting at $275. I’ve had great success with LogoTournament, especially with the logo for popular music tech blogger RedSaid. Here’s what they say: Get the logo that you really want by choosing from 50-200+ custom designs, instead of settling on a design from a handful of options that a traditional design firm provides. See your first company logos within hours, not weeks. Guru’s note: Clients sometimes come to me wondering if they should hire me to do a whole Name Generation project when they already have a name they think might work. I suggest they check it out on Logo Tournament by unleashing their name and creative brief on the site’s zillions of gifted designers. If the potential name communicates what they want it to, then they should move ahead on their preferred name. If not, I’m here to help.

Did you drool over that shimmering new box of crayolas every fall? Then prepare. Once you enter this site, you’ll be lost in color lust for hours. Colourlovers.com calls itself an international creative community that helps people discover their inner designer. There are now 656,197 COLOURlovers around the world who have created 4,012,636 Colors, 1,647,242 Palettes and 1,617,245 Patterns. (Including quite a few of mine) Guru’s Note: This site is a powerful brainstorming tool. During my Lab360s, each participant creates colors and names for whatever product we’re focusing on that day. Sparks the imagination! Also a valuable tool for banishing writer’s block.

More great ColourLovers news: The company recently raised $1 million from investors including Atlas Venture, Morado Ventures, Founder Collective, Charles River Ventures, 500 Startups, Seraph Group & Zelkova Ventures, Matt Mullenweg, Alexis Ohanian, Don Hutchinson, Dharmesh Shah, Jared Friedman, and Shawn Bercuson.

And even better, COLOURlovers used the indie-preneur’s best friend –Angel List — to build the round.

Got new website? Get new feedback. Launchly showcases new websites to an audience to help site owners get the attention and feedback necessary to succeed. Launchly’s big plus: instead of just showcasing a startup and letting it fall by the wayside, Launchly allows apps to resubmit new iterations and build on their ideas. Guru’s Note: Yes, Ms. Website Owner, you do need Feedback– and from more than just the peeps you drink with and their cousins-in-law. Website/app development very quickly becomes a myopic process — a site like Launchly is very reasonably priced ‘insurance’ in a world of fickle marketplaces and even fickler users.

Another smart way to test your site is a user experience tool called Userlytics that market research pros like me have been fantasizing about for years. Here’s the description: With Userlytics you can capture videos of participants’ screen navigation, spoken remarks and facial expressions – right from their home or workplace, within days, even hours. And even better, Userlytics offers a free study so you can test the service.

Small Business meets Big Government: SBA.gov is a web portal operated jointly by 22 different federal agencies — a kind of one-stop-resource for small businesses. With links to federal programs, links for various rules, regulations and laws, state-specific and industry-specific links, it’s just what we Indies need to stay within the lines, at least occasionally. Guru’s Note: My favorite part of this upgraded site is the new Startup America section, which delivers everything you need to know about this White House initiative to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. The White House has enlisted Steve Case, the co-founder of AOL, and Carl Schramm, who runs a group that encourages entrepreneurship called the Kaufman Foundation, to head the “Startup America Partnership.” They’re leading a privately funded board that will encourage large companies and foundations to provide seed money to start-ups. Follow the action on Twitter.

And then there’s the Patron Saint of the Indie-Preneur: TED. “Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world” from the landmark conferences have now been translated into 51 languages and counting. After the fireworks this weekend, set off a few more by tuning in to TED.

Now go out and set off some fireworks of your own.

Tuesday’s Re-launch of Marin’s BayAngels Features Hipstamatic + Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell

Will I see you there?
Register

[UPDATE] Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell To Present Waba At BayAngels Re-Launch Event

BayAngels, a Sausalito based group of angel investors, today announced the re-launch of their organization. The purpose of BayAngels is to introduce early stage technology companies to seed capital and executive level talent. The newly re- launched BayAngels will bring together Marin County’s thriving community of technology executives, entrepreneurs and investors on a regular basis, through exclusive events. The first event is scheduled for May 10, 2011 at Spinnaker Restaurant in Sausalito, CA.

Featured speakers for the May event include Lucas Buick and Ryan Dorshorst, Founders of Synthetic, the company behind the hit iPhone app, Hipstamatic. The executives will talk about their journey from start-up to Apple’s “App of the Year”. The event will be moderated by innovation expert, Sarah Browne, aka The Guru of New.

Five companies will be presenting to an audience including accredited angel investors, fund managers, and representatives from a number of private equity groups. Presenting companies include:
Hopscout
GagaSports & Entertainment
GlobalMojo
PhoneTell
Waba

About BayAngels: As one of the premier angel groups in the Bay Area during its original incarnation, the organization was featured in Forbes, Business Week, CNN, the London Times and more. BayAngels also served as a model for entrepreneurial groups in the UK, Australia, and Japan. OpenTable is an example of an earlier portfolio company.

Please note: Attendance at this event is limited. It is open to qualified investors, private equity and venture capital firms. Please visit www.bayangels.com for more information, write to roger@bayangels.com or contact via Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ceochiefpeople
May 10, 2011 Schedule

4:30 – 5:30 Registration, networking, wine bar
5;30 – 5:45 Opening remarks, keynote speaker
5:45 – 7:15 Company presentations followed by Q & A
7:15 – Breakout sessions with presenting companies

Entrepreneur Magazine: Five to Follow on Twitter

Thanks to MomCentral’s entrepreneur-extraordinaire, Stacy DeBroff, for including me in this Entrepreneur Magazine article

May 6, 2011 by Kara Ohngren |

Five to Follow on Twitter for Marketing to Moms Stacy DeBroff knows what moms want. As a best-selling author of four parenting books and founder and CEO of Boston-based Moms Central Consulting, she specializes in viral marketing to moms. Since 2006, Mom Central has partnered with hundreds of leading brands including Mattel, Johnson & Johnson and Kraft, to build relationships with moms using social media and off-line events like brand-hosted Mom Blogger and Influencer parties. Often dubbed a “parenting guru,” DeBroff works on behalf of her clients to create passionate brand advocates.

Twitter is an important piece of DeBroff’s overall branding strategy. That’s where she connects with more than 23,000 followers and offers a steady stream of useful parenting-related news and product info @MomCentral.

Here’s her list of the top five Twitter feeds to follow for entrepreneurs looking for insights on how reach the mommy market.

@BethHarte
Followers: 22,549
Tweets: 34,485
Beth Harte is a marketing pro and public speaker from Philadelphia who offers consulting to the “customer-centric organization.” She also pens the blog The Harte of Marketing. With a slant toward women and moms, she regularly tweets her expert opinion on a range of marketing campaigns, as well as links to useful marketing articles from across the web.
Sample Tweet: @cgornpr It’s repulsive because it’s terrible marketing and PR. Why would you send that to a mom for HER mom?! Wrong demographic.

@GuruofNew
Followers: 2,420
Tweets: 10,350
Sarah Browne is a San Francisco-based social media strategist and author of the popular blog focused in part on marketing to women and moms, Guru of New. She primarily tweets about emerging social media trends as they relate to women. Check out her @repliesfor other great mom-related tweeters to follow.
Sample Tweet: Somebody just made my Friday. That would be @MomCentralChat of course. Can’t wait for the next trend report. Nose to grindstone @thopeross!

@Idilgh
Followers: 643
Tweets: 544
New York-based PR expert Idil Cakim specializes in implementing word of mouth marketing by identifying influential moms online. Her Twitter feed is full of useful stats about mom buyers and general social media news.
Sample Tweet: Babycenter and the 2011 Mobile Mom Report – Technorati Women http://bit.ly/i2L09r

@ConversationAge
Followers: 24,991
Tweets: 23,730
As a New York-based brand strategist and public speaker, Valeria Maltoni focuses on integrated marketing, customer insights and brand advocacy. The author of the popular marketing blog Conversation Agent primarily tweets inspirational nuggets geared toward marketing to niche groups — like moms.
Sample Tweet: So I see a lot of posts telling people to make stuff happen. Are you helping or just talking? Support is a key ingredient in #influence

@M2Moms
Followers: 556
Tweets: 206
This is the official Twitter feed of M2Moms, an annual marketing to moms conference held in Chicago. Followers are treated to a flood of relevant tweets about mom buying trends and news.
Sample Tweet: Kellogg’s “Share Your Breakfast” campaign resonates with moms because it hits on 4 key Mom points http://ow.ly/4fUxm

Congratulations to the 2011 PAL Award Winners

Sherry Artemenko’s PAL AWARDS are not your usual beauty contest. Yes, they are often given to the gorgeous (Zylie the Bear) and the colorful (Chuggington Traintastic Cargo). But the awards’ raison d’etre is simple –to be of service to parents and their kidlets.

Sherry Younger Artemenko, Speech-Language Pathologist, has worked with children for over 30 years, in the schools and private practice, building language skills through play. Since early language proficiency correlates with later performance in school—reading, writing, and critical thinking—and influences emotional, cognitive and social growth, choosing the best toys and books is critical to practice and develop these skills.

But here’s my favorite part of Sherry’s bio:

ARTEMENKO’S DAILY ON-THE-FLOOR PLAY WITH KIDS PLUS 30+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE in the schools and private practice empowers her popular blog, playonwords.com, a trusted resource for parents, teachers, and toy manufacturers.

I vividly remember Sherry’s considerable skills at “On The Floor Play” from way back when at Bayside School. Also from Brownie Scouts, various camps, Sheboygan and “Capture the Flag” tournaments. So I was not in the least bit surprised when she grew up and morphed into a frequently quoted expert, turning up in news outlets like the Chicago Tribune, Time to Play, and News12 Connecticut. She’s also been a contributor to Parents’ Choice Foundation.

Here’s where our grown-up worlds intersect: Like me, she’s advising start-ups for children’s toys and media. Next week, I am moderating a BayAngels event, which features as one of the presenting companies, Hopscout, a new online store devoted to simple, classic and timeless children’s products. I have a feeling that Sherry and Founder Deap are a good match.

I like to catch up with this Play Guru every chance I get, but certainly when the PAL Award Winners are announced. These “Play Advances Language” awards came about because over the years, parents have continuously asked Sherry for recommendations. Her unique reviews from an expert’s perspective, provide tips on how to use the product for maximum language building. In other words, the PAL Awards are that rarity. Each carefully-researched choice is a tool meant to coach and comfort. (Check out the Testimonials’ page)

Do you have a candidate for the PAL AWARDS? Learn more about the PAL Award.

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