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4 Ways Social Media Energizes Earned Media
Quick, choose between water or oxygen. Ok, maybe it’s not that dramatic. But limited money or bodies sometimes force brands to decide which gets their attention: social or earned media. Too often, that’s a false choice. We may shorten it to just social – dropping its last name like Beyonce or LeBron…
Infographic: Marketing to Mom-Fluencers
As a kid, you always wondered how mom seemed to know everything. Today, that answer increasingly is social media. From coupons to medical recommendations, the one everyone in the family turns to is looking to the power of social to solve her problems. And smart brands are listening and meeting…
The Challenges of Tech Marketing
After almost three decades helping to build reputations and brands and mindshare for big global technology companies — including more than 15 years running corporate communications and a variety of marketing functions for EMC — I finally had the luxury for the first time of taking a deep breath and figuring out what…
Game of Ads
The pricey TV spot rarely stands alone these days, particularly on Super Bowl Sunday. If a brand wants to benefit from its $4 million investment it better develop extensions beyond gameday creative.Engaging with consumers before, during and after Super Bowl Sunday may be easier than ever for the big brands but…
Brewing Consumer Experience
Are you helping your audiences experience your brand the way they want?The answer has a lot to do with how you market to them, engage them though communications channels and how you design and package products that meet their expectations.This type of brand introspection has played out with an increasing number…
Branding Your Company’s Conscience
You’re going to get something wrong this week. Maybe today. Every organization does. And your customers know it.But how should you handle that mistake when it touches the heart and soul of your brand?That’s a question that has confronted a number of successful companies. Take Timberland, for instance. Driven by its passion…
Welcome to the Future
I’ve never watched an NBA D-League game and, even as a college hoops junkie, can’t say that I’ve ever been tempted. But I wonder if all of us in the content business should glance at one this winter. Not for the basketball but for the platform on which it will…
The Marathon That Wasn’t
Last week I was carb loading in preparation for my first marathon. Then disaster struck.On Monday, as Sandy loomed, I began contemplating other race options in the event that the New York City Marathon was canceled. On Tuesday, Mayor Bloomberg announced the race was on, so I refocused. By Wednesday,…
Why a PR Bounty Will Damage Your Brand
If you have strep throat, a lozenge isn’t going to provide lasting relief. You need a professional who will diagnose and treat the problem with something more powerful. As a maker of “softish cough drops,” Pine Brothers probably knows that about its product. Apparently it doesn’t realize the same holds true for…
The Mobile Toddler
He doesn’t have a job or any money. He can’t tie his own shoes, count past 10 or spell his name. But he’s fast becoming a coveted consumer. That’s because my youngest son, not yet three years old, is pretty adept at using the iPad and iPhone. Flipping through my…