Thought Balloon

So, are you in the camp that is fully embracing Twitter as a marketing tool? Or, do you still not quite get the appeal?

Either way, Conan O’Brien’s new Tonight Show “Twitter Tracker” skit is a pretty funny take on all the hype surrounding the 140 character messaging service. Take a look.

I broke my right ankle about a month ago. (I’ll live, and I’ll walk again in a few weeks, thanks for asking.)

Why is this relevant to marketing, you might ask? It’s relevant because, thanks to the fact I can’t walk or drive, I’ve been doing a boatload of online shopping recently.

My time surfing and spending has taught me one important thing: Even when its 2 a.m. and you’re doped up on Percocet, impulse shopping just ain’t what it used to be.

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After a quiet launch online last year, U.K.-based Hotel Chocolat is readying the debut of its first U.S. retail store later this year in Boston.

Of course, they’re not the first to have this sweet idea. Nicki Doggart, COO acknowledges that the premium chocolate market in the U.S. is crowded.

“Godiva’s prevalence in the market makes them a competitor in retail, and boutique chocolatiers are also competitors,” she says. “We’re not the only ones who make good chocolate but we have a different twist on it.”

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A few weeks ago in our Daily Special poll, we asked readers whether they were PC or Mac users. The results were pretty even, with 40% citing Mac, 44% PC and 14% saying they “swing both ways.”

Me? I’m a Mac. Why? The simplicity suits my nature—I’m not a Luddite but I’m a techie either. My Mac does everything I need it to, and that’s that. I’m not all that biased though–I married a PC and we’re surprisingly compatible, even though he (a programmer by trade) thinks my computer is as usable as a Fisher Price toy.

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One of my favorite awards programs is the Webbys, not so much for who they honor but for how it happens.

The Webbys restrict winners to only five word acceptance speeches. Some folks use them to say hi to their kids, while others like Jimmy Fallon go for the laugh (”Thank God Conan got promoted.”)

You can check out all the speeches here. Personally, as someone who makes their living in publishing, I’m partial to this one from the New York Times.

Unlike many catalogers in today’s turbulent economy, Fairytale Brownies hasn’t shifted significantly more dollars online.

Instead, the purveyor of gourmet treats has cut back on pay-per-click and found success in natural search optimization, thanks largely to blog driven traffic.

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