Because they reflect who we think we are and/or who we aspire to be. Brands – every brand – gives customers some kind of emotional reaction. That can be good (think Sesame Street) or it can be bad (think BP). Brands have created this emotional connect through marketing, public relations and advertising. They still do. [...]
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Why Do People Follow Brands?
November 11, 2010
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On the surface it seems strange to follow a business on a social network. Social networks encourage one-to-one communications and engagement. They are personal. How is it remotely possible to connect “personally” with a brand online? It isn’t – at least in the aggregate. But the definition of a social network as a “one-to-one” communications [...]
Read moreDispelling 3 Prevailing Myths about Social Media
October 26, 2010
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Social media is not a sacred vocation. There’s an enormous misunderstanding – generally pushed by social media experts – that social media needs to be “authentic” and “genuine.” That this “honesty” and “transparency” means that marketing and communications departments can’t be in charge of social media activities (like blogging or the company Facebook page). These [...]
Read more7 Reasons Why Corporate Videos Stink
October 11, 2010
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There are few mediums so misunderstood as video creation for corporations or non-profits. Everyone has an opinion – and is willing to share it. That’s why – as a whole – corporate videos are terrible. Because telling a compelling story via images is difficult work. Think of the television and movie industry. These are professional [...]
Read moreThere is no Authenticity Online
May 4, 2010
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My daughters were having a dance party (don’t ask!) the other afternoon. My wife was describing the scene to me over dinner when I asked: “Did you get it on video?” She shook her head and replied, “If I had picked up the video camera, it would have changed everything.” What my wife meant was [...]
Read moreThis Tweet Brought to You By…
April 19, 2010
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PR vs. Advertising The two disciplines have had an uneasy alliance for the last few years because of social media. On the agency side, advertising and PR companies want to own the social space. Both see social media as a natural extensions of what they already do: Advertisers see social media as an additional channel [...]
Read moreThe Anatomy & Danger of Hype
February 22, 2010
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The Boston Globe Idea section has a fascinating piece yesterday called “Attack of the Light Drizzle!” It’s about how weather forecasts – once a function of news reporting have been transformed into a hype machine. In other words, weather news has become weather marketing. And there’s a big difference in the presentation and the results. [...]
Read moreWeighing in on Kevin Smith
February 16, 2010
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Sorry, I couldn’t resist the headline. In case you missed it, Hollywood Director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma) was bounced from a Southwest Airline flight for being too fat. This happened on Saturday when Smith was on stand-by for a flight from Oakland to Burbank. He was boarded and seated, but then removed when [...]
Read moreHelping Social Media Mature in 2010
January 13, 2010
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Client: We need some big social media ideas. Social Media Consultant: But you don’t have a social media strategy. In fact, you don’t have any social media assets. No Facebook page. No Twitter account. No blog. No YouTube presence. You aren’t even set-up to deliver on any big social media ideas. Client: I know, but [...]
Read moreDo Corporate-Sponsored News Blogs Work? A Look at ThreatPost and Building43
November 3, 2009
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Yes, we can argue that most newspapers, magazines and TV news programs are owned by mega-corporations these days. But those news organizations are run separately and have business models based on providing objective news reporting. What I’m talking about are blogs launched by “non-media” companies to provide coverage of specific verticals as part of a [...]
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