I still use an AOL account. Seriously. And it’s from 1995. How do I remember that? Because AOL just emailed me a thank you note for being a loyal user. The thank you included a quiz to test my e-personality, fun facts about what happened in 1995 and a blue AOL monster that I can print, cutout and assemble into a 3D figure. This is the most I have interacted with AOL 16 years…and I love it. So while you all race to migrate your Yahoo and Hotmail accounts to GMail, I’ll stick with my retro AOL address. 

Before you make fun of me, remember that AOL set the stage for widespread internet usage. And despite the company’s recent missteps, it’s an iconic brand that has a lot of equity, when leveraged properly.

The realization that I was an “early adopter” and I’ve had the same email account for more than 1/2 my life is quite frankly giving me a happy feeling. Thanks, AOL. 

The article on AdAge.com today explains the awkward product placement for McD’s during a show about Oprah’s upcoming Ultimate Australia Adventure. On brand messaging? No. Brand killer? Not even close. Oprah has so much positive brand stock that a slight misstep like this is no big deal, but it’s a good reminder why it’s so important to build equity in the “brand bank.” When companies do this, customers are more willing to forgive (or not even notice) mistakes. Case in point: remember “Antennagate”…the troubles Apple had launching the iPhone 4? Probably not.