GoodGuide, a consumer group, claims to have found dangerous levels of antimony, a metalloid toxic to humans in in large amounts, in a study. GoodGuide found higher-than-normal levels of antimony on the hair and nose of the Mr. Squiggles Zhu Zhu pet. The Baltimore Sun has more:

…the toy’s maker, St. Louis-based Cepia LLC, insisted in a statement that its product is safe and has passed rigorous testing. The company said it was contacting GoodGuide to share its testing data and determine how the report was founded.

Antimony was measured at 93 parts per million in the hamster’s fur and at 106 parts per million in its nose. Both readings exceed the allowable level of 60 parts per million, said O’Rourke, an associate professor of environmental science at the University of California, Berkeley.

According to the Christian Science Monitor,

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 limits antimony to no more than 60 parts per million. Good Guide says it found 93 ppm in Mr. Squiggles’ fur and 103 in its nose.

There’s no recall in the works (yet), although there has been speculation. There are various reports of the study being faulty. For example, in this Consumerist post, commenters state the following:

- Only one Zhu Zhu pet came in over the limit of antimony, and that pet was only 10% over the limit.
- The US FDA standard is for soluble antimony. The test that GoodGuide gave the Zhu Zhu pet only measured total antimony, not soluble.
- GoodGuide only tested three toys, a small sample of total production.
- Your kid basically has to eat a several Zhu Zhu hamsters to feel the effects of the antimony.

Prognosis? Wait this one out.

Kelley Blue Book recently launched the Trusted Marketplace, a car-buying site that matches shoppers to new and used cars. The LA Times has more:

In the past, Kelley’s car buying, dealer lead mechanism was cleverly partnered with used inventory giants Cars.com or, in more recent past, Autotrader.com, serving up dealer leads and sharing revenue with the partnered company. The new venture aims to serve both consumers and dealers in a more judicious way.

…when it comes down to who has more used car listings, Autotrader is tops with 3 million listings nationwide and Cars.com with 2.5 million new and used cars. Kelley has partnered with aggregator, Vast.com who culls listings from other pay-per-lead online sites such as Dealix, AutoUSA, AOL, Overstock.com and Autobytel Inc. But, ultimately, the largest input will come from the monthly 12 million car buyers KBB attracts who are first looking for the value of their current car and second, shopping for a new car. But is it a case of the cart before the horse?

I don’t think it’s a case of putting the cart before the horse. Kelley Blue Book’s main advantage is its strong, trusted brand. Once it grows its database to the size of its competitors’, and continues to convince users that it has their best interests at heart, it stands a good chance of coming out on top.

Papa John’s is offering a free pizza to any party arriving at one of their stores in a Chevy Camaro today. The Chicago Tribune has more:

Papa John’s pizza founder John Schnatter paid ($275,000) to reacquire his 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. Schnatter sold the car in 1983 for $2,800 to help keep his family’s then-struggling tavern afloat and to start his Louisville-based pizza empire.

In honor of Schnatter’s reunion with his beloved ride, Papa John’s will offer a free pizza to all Camaro owners Wednesday. Pizza lovers must drive their Camaros to a Papa John’s location for verification. Not quite “cash for clunkers,” but it’s something. For more details, go to chicagotribune.com/camaro.

As we anticipated the iPhone 3.0 OS upgrade has been officially released by Apple. Everyone, start your iTunes! However, be ready for a long wait as the Apple servers will be completely slammed with users attempting to upgrade to the new OS.

1. Launch iTunes.
2. Plug-in your iPhone to your PC/Mac. (Be sure to unlock the passcode)
3. Under ‘Devices’ in iTunes, click on your iPhone.
4. Under the ‘Summary’ tab and under the Version section, click on the ‘Check for Update’ button.
5. iTunes will attempt to download the latest version 3.0 from the Apple server. Just wait.

Were you a member of the panicked masses who could not handle today’s GMail problems? I certainly was. I spent hours obsessively refreshing the GMail site, refusing to believe that GMail–my GMail–wasn’t working.

Now that GMail is back online, I’m no longer sitting in a cold sweat. See, I’m convinced that if GMail had stopped working for, say, one day, I would miss a career-altering email, or perhaps some important family news, and become obsolete. The fear is irrational, but almost inevitable when you’re so used to having something like GMail functioning properly all the time.

GMail is just technology. So is Google. These are tools that we humans use. But we have a tendency to interpret them as extensions of ourselves. These silent, helpful, reliable mental partners become as automatic as breathing or blinking.

And when they go down, all hell breaks loose.

Last month, Google marked every webpage as spam. Being the responsive company that it is, Google soon fixed the problem. But for a short time, people were truly disoriented. Google’s malfunction led to emotional turmoil that temporarily froze people. We just don’t know what to do when our silent mental partner goes down.

We’re so reliant on Google, and Google alone, that we freeze right along with it. As humans, we are independent of it and able to function without it–for short periods of time. But we’re not trained to understand that. A Google catastrophe is a world catastrophe.

It follows that:

a) Humans are emotionally dependent on Google
b) When Google freezes, humans freeze–and that is a single-point catastrophe
c) We are not familiar with the courses of action we can take when Google does go down
d) Google has a direct effect on our well-being

When I worked at Google, there was a wonderful, satirical world domination plan sketched out on a whiteboard in one of the buildings. The idea was that Google would take over every aspect of daily life with products like Google Cola, Google gas stations, Google countries, etc.

Ironically, I think that Google has managed to rule the world, just not in the way the whiteboard illustrated. GMail’s problems today prove it.

A recent Chicago Journal of Consumer Research study found that businesses can make consumers feel more special by creating multi-tiered loyalty programs, which pander to a sense of status:

Many businesses create loyalty programs to confer a sense of status to their customers. Examples are platinum, gold, and silver charge cards, or red and blue membership levels. The study provides insight for planning programs that enhance consumers’ perception of status.

“We find that increasing the number of elites in the top tier dilutes their perception of status, but adding a subordinate elite tier enhances their perceptions of status,” write the authors. “Thus, if the firm creates a larger top tier while adding a second status tier rather than persisting with a single small top tier, it can recognize more customers without decreasing the perceptions of status among its most elite.” In other words, being in the gold level is more special if there is a silver level below.

Good point. If a customer enters a loyalty program at the silver level, it’s safe to assume they will aspire to, or at least feel somewhat off-put by, the existence of a gold level. And, as the study shows, gold-level customers get a status boost through the existence of a lower tier.

Tangentially, social networking popped into my mind when I read this article. Sites like Facebook are forever looking for ways to monetize. And users of those sites are looking for status, mainly by accumulating friends. What if sites introduced loyalty tiers? For example, users with more than 200 friends would automatically qualify for a silver tier. That tier would offer certain perks not available to people with fewer friends. With that loyalty in place, sites could more easily charge for certain services, or offer exclusive partner deals.

Now, I’m off to lunch, courtesy of my extra-special platinum credit card…

‘Tis the season of giving, especially to those who gave to you during the year. That is to say, clients. I’m all for choosing expensive, personalized gifts, whether they’re branded or not. I would rather give a gift someone delights in than something they will absentmindedly stick in a desk drawer.

This giving philosophy brings up the delicate matter of expenses. For one, the IRS says that you can deduct no more than $25 for each gift given from your taxes. Secondly, you don’t want to bankrupt yourself giving nice gifts, nor do you want to appear as though you’re bribing your client.

Be selective who you spend the big bucks on (hint: they may have also spent big bucks on you), and save the cards and calendars for the people with whom you have more of a vague relationship. EBay has a good article on the topic here.

Below are 25 gifts that clients are sure to appreciate, in no particular order:

1. Engraved coffee mugs. Engrave your brand on the higher-quality travel mugs to make more of an impression with this traditional gift. For something different and unique, try engraved pint- or whiskey glasses.

2. Engraved pens. Again, quality is necessary to give this overplayed gift memorable. Spend some extra cash on exclusive pens for your best clients.

3. Books. Finding the right book for your client is easier than you think. What are the latest industry reads that she might not yet have read? If she commutes, get her an audio book. If she has kids, buy her a humorous collection about parenting. If she’s a foodie…you get the idea.

4. Jewelry. We’re talking about tasteful cufflinks, not diamond earrings. Other tasteful items might include tie clips, money clips, or trendy bracelets or necklaces (for women). Jewelry can work well if you know what to give.

5. Flowers or an Edible Arrangement. These gifts are a safe bet for female clients or males you know well.

6. Holiday gift basket. Go for wine and chocolate rather than Oreos and popcorn. Several retailers offer you the option to design your own.

7. Season tickets. This special gift doesn’t only cover sports teams. Operas, ballets, theatre companies, symphonies, and zoos also offer season tickets. Clients will appreciate this gift in a hard economy.

8. Golf or ski passes. Another version of the season ticket. You may even consider offering a gym membership, if you’re completely certain that it won’t send the wrong message.

9. Concert tickets. Not as pricey as season tickets, but delightful nonetheless.

10. Plants. These classic office gifts are easy to buy, but harder to deliver. Lucky trees, bonsai trees, and cactuses ship well. If you can deliver the plant yourself, try a philodendron, miniature palm, or Christmas cactus.

11. Gift certificate—retail. Everyone loves free stuff. Receiving a gift certificate to a clothing store, music store, bookstore, or sporting goods store is like getting something for free. Though gift certificate are impersonal, it’s hard to go wrong with them.

12. Gift certificate—restaurant. Find a high-end restaurant in your client’s city or town and buy a gift certificate for dinner for two. This gives you certificate an element of surprise, and shows that you’re willing to do a little more work to please your client.

13. Something homemade. Although chocolate chip cookies may be a little blasé, there must be something that you’re good at crafting. Greeting cards, seasoned hot chocolate mix, mulled wine mix, cinnamon bark, and other yummy holiday edibles are easy to make at home. If you moonlight as a sculptor, potter, metalsmith, painter, or other artisan, even better—send them one of your fine creations.

14. A self-published book. Sites like Blurb.com http://www.blurb.com/ allow you to easily design and publish books on-demand. They supply professional layout templates and materials; all you have to do is insert your words and images. These books can make marvelous portfolio/promo pieces for artists, designers, and photographers.

15. Fancy luggage tags. If you can’t afford to send Burberry tags, at least go for leather—everyone appreciates this small but handy gift. The Timberland Global Tracking tag is another good idea.

16. Universal Hybrid Solar Charger. Solio offers portable, eco-friendly, and stunning solar chargers form $25-$170. The magnesium version is gorgeous, expensive, and sure to impress.

17. Pet gear. Pet schwag is still trendy, despite the fact that the economy has made pets less affordable in general. Fancy dog- and cat collars are easiest to buy; if you know your client’s pet, try getting something you think will suit it best. People love to adorn their animals.

18. A gift certificate for your goods or services. This could include an evaluation, a consultation, a session, or a certain percentage off your client’s next requirement or order. Remember to label it as a “Thank You” or “Customer Appreciation” gift.

19. A donation to a nonprofit in your client’s name. Try to get them to share the name of their favorite nonprofit, then send them an official card or gift receipt from that nonprofit, if they offer it, indicating you’ve made a donation.

20. Calendars and cards. If you must. If you absolutely must.

21. Liquor. Wine and whiskey work well. For something a little different, get them something festive, like Kahlua or Lambic. Make sure they actually drink.

22. Bluetooth headset. If they already have one, upgrade them. If they don’t have one, introduce them.

23. Wireless mouse. Like the Bluetooth headset, everyone can use this little device.

24. Thumb drives/memory drives. Ditto here.

25. Digital picture frame. This is the gift that nobody wants to buy for themselves, but everyone thinks is cool. Your client will like it.

While reading Phil Baumann’s blog, I came across a suggestion for readers to get a professional reputation management service.

I have heard of large companies using these kinds of services, but am less familiar with the idea of small companies using them. Small Business Search Marketing has a killer post on why small businesses should use reputation management services.

I’m not entirely convinced. I see the merit of these services for businesses in certain niches, but have two counterpoints that I can’t reconcile with the benefits of constantly monitoring your own reputation:

1) Reputations are cyclical. Google and Britney Spears come to mind as famous names that have cycled in and out of the wringer a couple of times.

I recognize that cycles don’t have to be quite as bipolar as Britney’s. Companies and individuals can make efforts to ensure that their reputation cycle errs on the positive side.

But digital monitoring is a mixed blessing. It can lead to obsession. In fact, I think that in some scenarios, it is obsessive (like using it to monitor your popularity among friends). Why add another technology with potential for obsession to your army of toys, when simply adhering to good principles will probably ensure your reputation anyway?

2) Reputation comes from the heart. This is where the good principles come in. If, on principle, I am consistent, honest, and interested in providing a good experience to my clients, why would I need a reputation monitoring tool?

If the tool caught a bad remark, I would become concerned with upholding my reputation as a separate entity. I’d be chasing an elusive concept rather than providing good service as a matter of principle.

There’s no such thing as a perfect reputation if you’re in the game long enough. Reputation technology encourages people to chase perfection as a standard. I would rather spare myself the stress of chasing an externality by acknowledging that mixed feedback is inevitable–and even instructive.

For those reasons, reputation monitoring technology–as with any technology with obsessive potential–needs to be used with discernment. There is a trade-off, and it has a lot to do with an increasingly scarce concept: Peace of mind.

I’m writing this post aboard a Washington, DC-bound US Airways flight. I don’t fly this airline much. In fact, all I knew about them coming in is that they charge you for water.

This fact at first sounded grim, like a human rights violation. Was US Airways trying to dehydrate its customers? Would flyers, after a long flight, end up shriveled and panting, drinking like thirsty animals from the nearest bathroom water faucets?

Soon after boarding the plane, I realized that in execution, charging for water isn’t bad. In fact, if charging keeps fares low, I welcome it. Here’s what I noticed about charging for water:

1) US Airways advertises their drinks in a way that we’re all used to. The introductory video screen says something like “We sell Coca-Cola products for $3, bottled water for $2,” etc. I’m so used to seeing these kinds of ads, well, everywhere, that I took it for granted that they would charge for water. I imagined someone from a younger generation thinking heck, who *doesn’t* charge for bottled water? (Airlines? You mean they used to not charge? Oh.)

2) When the water was positioned as a commodity, not a right, I didn’t feel entitled to it. Au contraire—I reckoned the prices were similar enough to airport restaurant charges to make them viable, especially considering that once you’re in the airplane, the airline basically has a monopoly over you.

3) US Airways sells ad space on its tray tables. The buyer in this case is the ubiquitous Verizon, who I use anyway. Like the newly priced water, the ads don’t annoy me. I’ll deal with ads if they get me a cheap flight.

4) You get dehydrated. It’s annoying, but it doesn’t kill you.

As a consumer, I value low fares above and beyond any other considerations, including advertisements and food charges. In fact, if airlines get to the point where their cabins are plastered with ads, they hijack your mobile devices with commercials, and vending machines replace flight attendants, I still won’t care—as long as fares stay low. I’ll pine for the good old days of elegant (comparatively) economy class, but I’ll acknowledge that cheap flights come at a price.

If that price is my brain space and hydration, I’m ok with that.

From the Chicago Journal of Consumer Research:

According to new research in the Journal of Consumer Research, simply asking people a question about whether they’re willing to volunteer their time leads to increases in donations of both time and money.

“We argue that thinking about time activates goals of well-being and beliefs involving personal happiness. In contrast, thinking about money suppresses such emotional goals and instead activates goals of economic utility and beliefs about attainment of such goals,” the authors explain.

How can people use the researchers’ finding for their own businesses? People generally don’t want to volunteer their time for businesses, or donate money to them. Businesses are for-profit, after all.

The trick is getting consumers to linger. Umpqua Bank uses that tactic with its retail banking store, which also has Wi-Fi and free coffee. Safeway uses it with in-store Starbucks, Jamba Juice, and Wi-Fi. Getting customers to use your business as a hangout spot increases the chances they’ll pick something up along the way.

The more challenging question is how businesses can use guilt as effectively as nonprofits. Any takers?