One of the great big whopping lies about social media is authenticity. Because – let’s face it – there isn’t much that’s authentic about social media. There’s lots of spin, cherry-picking, and bright-side propaganda from both individuals and brands going on. Few people and brands are truly genuine about their attitudes, personalities and opinions on […]
Read more
Tag Archives: Brands
Let’s Count the Ways You’re Screwing Up Social Media
April 9, 2013 
3 Comments
Because the ways are many and varied. If you needed any evidence that brands are doing social media all wrong then look no further than a recent survey sponsored by Ragan’s PR Daily and several partners. The statistics are jaw-dropping: Only 27 percent of brands have a dedicated social media team Sixty-five percent of brands […]
Read moreFear of Storytelling & Other Tales of Brand Failure
March 27, 2013 2 Comments
The Internet is killing Advertising. Or at least what we would consider traditional advertising. Fewer people believe the claims. More people tune it out. Or just avoid it all together (fast forward anyone?). The Internet has ushered in an era of transparency, openness and instant access to information. There’s no place to hide. So claiming […]
Read moreThe Great Media Collapse Has Been Epic
March 19, 2013 0 Comments
The business of journalism and news reporting isn’t much of a business anymore. The damage – like a super hurricane battering a low-lying coastal village – has been epic. The collapse, which started in earnest in 2009, has continued unabated since. By the end of this decade we’ll be lucky if any of the huts […]
Read moreGetting to Sharing Bliss
January 24, 2013 2 Comments
Three questions for you: Do you search the Internet less than you used to? When you use a search engine do you already know where you want to go? When is the last time you “surfed the ‘Net?” If you are like most people you probably answered this way: Yes Yes I can’t remember that […]
Read moreSocial Advertising Isn’t Really Advertising
January 14, 2013 6 Comments
That’s why they should consider changing the name. Because the name “Social Advertising” throws off too many marketers and advertisers. They think it is advertising. But it really isn’t. First, social advertising should promote social content. Putting banner ads in people’s Twitter and Facebook streams isn’t the way to engage them on social channels. Brands […]
Read more3 Content Creation Resolutions for 2013
January 2, 2013 4 Comments
First, let me share one overriding resolution we should all have for 2013. Have more fun. Social media isn’t international espionage, heart surgery or driving an ambulance. As the Joker wistfully snarled at Batman in the movie The Dark Knight, “Why so serious?” Try to remember that social media is exciting. It’s fast, interesting and […]
Read moreWhy Brands Should Resist Participating in National Tragedies
December 18, 2012 8 Comments
Every weekday a popular retailer sends out an 11 a.m. daily deal email to subscribers. Yesterday there was no daily deal. Just a branded message to its subscribers, which said: “For the lives lost at Sandy Hook. We grieve. We remember. We honor.” Then the brand listed all of the first names of the children killed […]
Read morePitching Social Content
December 6, 2012 5 Comments
In the swirling storm of social media its popular to frown on the old-fashioned notion of pitching “traditional” media. How many times have you been told that media relations is dead? Well, it isn’t. In fact, it’s importance may be on the verge of a major upswing. First, can we please dispel the term “traditional […]
Read moreFile Under: Facebook Weird
November 29, 2012 2 Comments
Bizarre stuff happens on Facebook. And mostly it’s because people forget that nothing is private on Facebook. The latest case of what can only to called “Facebook weird” happened this week on the Pigalle restaurant Facebook page. An unhappy diner posted a complaint on the page (which has since been removed). She described her Thanksgiving […]
Read more
Creative Commons License
HighTalk by George F. Snell III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at hightalk.net.
HighTalk Readers Engage: