I got an e-mail from Apple today in my inbox. The iPad is coming April 3rd. Pre-order now!

Apple has a great track record of making innovative products. I am a huge Apple fan. Thanks to Steve Jobs, Apple and team are brilliant at product development and design. Seriously, could the Iphone be any simpler or more fun to use? And Apple TV is so smart.  As well, the iPod is one of my best friends (it goes everywhere with me). I have five iPods– annually adding  the newest, coolest model to my collection.

Because I am such an Apple fan, I was perplexed about whether to purchase the iPad. Thus, I went to the experts. I asked James Garvey, owner of Work2Home, Inc. and a technical solutions expert for his opinion. James said,  “I am not purchasing the iPad in this initial release. For example, the iPhone didn’t even copy and paste or have multi-tasking in the first version. So are we getting with the iPad? A large iPod Touch? Not really groundbreaking. Not WOW. Yawn.”

Garvey further expalined, “Typically, when companies launch a product, it’s not fully baked. Some features just don’t get fully tested. Businesses are often faced with a dilemma. So they are going to start selling the product early and deal with the support/PR aftermath after launch.”

I also asked my students in the brand planning class I teach at GA State University. The GSU students are super cool 20 somethings with their pulse on what is new in technology.  When I posed the subject about the iPad, there was a 50/50 split between those who would purchase those who would not. As result, I asked them to research the product further–using the four P’s as the guide for their purchase decision and get back to me in the next class. After a week of research, the class voted again. The vote to purchase the iPad on its first release was unianomously, no. They all agreed that it would be smart to wait until Apple has received their feedback from the early purchasers and then relaunch iPad 2.0.

As for me, I am going to let all the early adopters test out the iPad for me. Then, who knows? Maybe ultimately I’ll own five iPads! Until then.

Are you purchasing the iPad?  Or will it be a “Newton?” Check out an early product review  from Digg http://bit.ly/9MzYGG

Let us know.

The two-time Super Bowl champion Quarterback is now being lumped in with the other “bad boys” of NFL Football: Ray Lewis and Jermaine Phillips.

Listen to Dave Sutton’s interview on the  “Vinnie and Cook” show on 937 The Fan in Pittsburgh.

The latest allegations regarding Ben Roethlisberger’s off-field antics have put the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro Quarterback on his back and deep in his own territory…

1^st Down: INCOMPLETE PASS. On June 12, 2006, Roethlisberger was involved in a motorcycle accident near the intersection of 10th Street and Second Avenue near downtown Pittsburgh, in which he was not wearing his helmet.  The next day, he released a statement apologizing for concerning friends, family, all his fans, and the Steelers organization, and in which he also stated, “If I ever ride again, it certainly will be with a helmet”.

2^nd Down:  SACKED.  On July 17, 2009, a civil suit was filed in Washoe County, Nevada District Court accusing Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting Andrea McNulty, 31, in June 2008 in his hotel room while he was in Lake Tahoe for a celebrity golf tournament

3^rd Down: SACKED.  On March 5, 2010, it was revealed that police in Milledgeville, Georgia were investigating Roethlisberger for an unrelated sexual assault inside the women’s restroom of a nightclub near the campus of Georgia College & State University.  Roethlisberger (through his attorney) vehemently denies any wrong-doing.  DNA samples will tell the tale of the tape.

It’s 3^rd and long for the Pittsburgh hometown hero… his $2.5 million worth of endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods and PLB Sports hang in the balance.  We’ll be watching closely to see how Ben and the Steelers handle communications with the fans over the next few weeks.  Marketing is all about perception not necessarily reality. Whether Ben is guilty of the allegations or not, he needs to own up to his poor judgment and apologize to the Steelers and his fans for his off-field antics.

What do you think his next move should be?  Hail Mary pass or Punt?

I hope your brand or company’s social media calendar is full! My colleague, Dave Sutton, recently gave a presentation at Young Presidents Organization (YPO) about this subect. Check out TopRight’s white paper on the Impact of Social Media. Click here Here are a few highlights: The Impact of Social Media In the 1960’s entire families gathered around one TV set, to watch one program, with one sponsoring advertiser…in black and white, complete with snow and intermittent vertical hold problems. Aside from chatting with your neighbor over the backyard fence, that was the extent of

“social media” in those days.  Fast forward to the 21st century and there are literally thousands of TV and Internet channels narrowcasting content to every affinity group under the sun. Likewise, there are hundreds of social media channels, from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to

LinkedIn and Plaxo and a wide variety of private social networks.   Today,the most successful businesses learn to mix differentmessages and different stories in different places, to network and connect with relevance to people across multiple channels and to tailor their value proposition to the specific needs of their target audience. In the near future, your business will be measured on its social media effectiveness – your ability to segment, target, align, reach, engage and manage your reputation across multiple channels in service of building trust and, ultimately, increasing sales and profits.  You need to get ready for a future where tangible, traditional media as we know it is gone, and where every business must stay intimately connected to the virtual heartbeat of its customers or face certain extinction. Its time to stop experimenting and playing with the various social networks…. you need to integrate and measure them as the cornerstone of your marketing strategy.  How does your company use social media?