Connecting with Rick Barnum of RBG Marketing

Yesterday while I was at The Counter in Walnut Creek, California, I met Rick Barnum of RBG Marketing.

I took a seat at the counter and Rick was one stool over to my left. He noticed that I was reading Marketing to the Social Web and asked if I was in marketing. That started a half an hour conversation on marketing, the Internet and Longs Drugs. Longs Drugs is a client of RBG Marketing. With CVS's purchase of Longs, Rick and his team are very busy with transition.

Online reputation management was another topic of discussion. We at HarperMees & Associates are very big on using the Internet and social networking to help build our branding and networking results. Rick had a couple of bad experiences with former employees and we kicked around the merits and risks of online profiles.

RBG Marketing is directly across the street from The Counter, so Rick must be a regular there. When I Googled RBG's street address, I noticed that the street view still shows The Mercer (home of The Counter) under construction.