At a marketing conference in May, I had the opportunity to interview "cyborg anthropologist," Amber Case (Amber is actually a Fellow at Harvard University and a visiting researcher at MIT). She is also an advocate of a branch of research known as "Calm Technology." In essence, this concept focuses on eliminating an over-reliance on technology while increasing the "human-factor" in any complex system...
There is probably a point in one's life when you stop having the dream about showing up late and unprepared for your final exam. I'm still waiting. And it doesn't help when cognoscenti like Brent Adamson, principal executive advisor at Gartner, challenge the very definition of marketing—let alone the way most business-to-business brands approach the customer acquisition process. Of course,...
When Nathan Rawlins became chief marketing officer at diagram software maker Lucidchart in March 2017, no one said to him—perhaps unsurprisingly—"Hey, go create a viral campaign that will generate over 80 million views." In fact, his charge was to build a demand generation engine through website optimization, marketing automation and carefully tracked media spending. Having done those things, Rawlins also...
One of the most bizarre yet pervasive quirks of the business world is that everyone thinks they are a qualified marketer. The collective rationale is that because they consume products like other humans, their opinions must be valid. Well folks, I've witnessed a rocket launch but that doesn't make me a NASA scientist. Marketing is an increasingly sophisticated discipline requiring...
“Be strong. Stand tall.” These words of wisdom came from Duke University’s crane. Indeed, this is a construction crane that was set up on campus for renovations. Nowadays, intramural sports teams, dance groups, acapella groups, clubs, Greek organizations, libraries, and yes, even a construction crane are all active users of social media. On campus, it appears as though every possible...
Sports teams are an instant starting point for conversation. When I see someone wearing a Warriors shirt in line at a coffee shop, I can’t help but talk to them. Similar interactions occur in the online domain. Social media provides an essential avenue for bringing strangers together with a little friendly banter. Indeed, sports and social media go hand-in-hand; watching...
1) Pinterest Expands Promoted Pins, Enhances Brand Presence Photo Courtesy of MediaPost Expanding its Promoted Pins business, Pinterest is testing ads in users’ home feeds and other locations. Read more… 2) Consumers ‘Blind’ To Branded Content on Social Media Photo Courtesy of Giphy.com It’s no secret that marketers have been (very) annoyed by Facebook’s repeated moves to cut their organic reach...
1. What could have been... What if Twitter, Instagram, Google and other social media networks were created in the 1980s? What would that have looked like? Read more… 2. Cruisin' with faster WiFi With more Americans taking cruise vacations, up .4% from 10.67 million in 2013 to 10.71 million, cruise liners are making bigger efforts to get more millennials on...
1. Facebook Tests a New Feature to Schedule Deletion of Posts Facebook is testing a new feature that will allow iOS app users to schedule deletion of posts in advance. Read more… 2. Facebook Is Putting More Emphasis On Negative Feedback For Ads To provide more relevant ads on its News Feed, Facebook is placing a larger emphasis on the...
This July, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Mandatory Fun” became the first comedy album since 1963 to reach number 1 on the Billboard 200. It’s a momentous achievement for any artist, but how he pulled it off is even more impressive. Using some original content, smart partnerships and a Q&A on an unlikely source, Weird Al was able to consolidate his scattered...