Archive for September, 2008

Epic post by Brian Solis, a leader in our industry. Like Chris Brogan (see below) Brian advocates, and practices, a hands on approach to social media. Social media, true social media, goes beyond the platforms and applications. It goes beyond a mere dialogue with consumers. It’s about living a core belief in the power of a... »

 A real nice ‘how to’/'news you can use’ style post from Chris Brogan on utilizing social media to your benefit. I have tremendous respect for Chris because he is the antithesis of the old adage – “Those that can do, those that can’t teach.”  Chris can certainly do, but he is also a great... »

Great story on Brand Channel about fishing rod manufacturer Shakespeare and their iconic Ugly Stik fishing rod. Here’s the money quote: Essentially, this is the foundation of Ugly Stik’s success: It delivers an exceptional product, at a reasonable cost, to those who are looking for just such a product and doesn’t waste its time with those who... »

Take a swing over to David Bowman’s site, for his latest Physics of Marketing entry: Huygen’s Principle, and find out what a 17th century Dutch physicist has to do with Word of Mouth marketing. »

Late last week the marketers behind the City of Ember were pushing a commercial that featured Bill Murray, a star of the film, as a political candidate in a style very similar to traditional political ads we see today, complete with an “… and I approved this message,” ending. I’m not familiar with the City of Ember... »

The terms tactics and strategy get thrown around a lot. We heard them in the first McCain-Obama debate on Friday, and I hear them at work as we discuss what and how we are going to help our clients. Putting aside personal political feelings for a moment, I think Senator Obama was correct purely... »

Ask a person where they go for donuts and more than likely you’ll get the following answer: “Dunkin’ Donuts.” Maybe, “Krispy Kreme” (are they still around?). Ask a person where they go for bagels and more than likely you’ll get the following answer: “Oh, we have the best bagel place in out town.” And... »

As you know, I’m all about the Deeply Immersive Narrative Universe. For the most part, that includes seeing, hearing, touching and maybe tasting a brand. But not very often are the olfactory senses engaged to tell a story. Marketing opporunity? Some think so. Grant McCracken tips us of to Etat Libre D’Orange, a frangrance... »

Marketing types, and I’ll generously include myself in this group, like to talk about ‘the conversation’ and ‘the dialogue’ between consumers and brands. I try to read a variety of marketing/branding/PR/Advertising blog and have noticed something: Many of the blogs have very few comments. Here’s a very unscientific survey - I looked at the front page... »

Sometimes science is the enemy of the marketer. Word from the UK today that scientists have ’solved’ the mystery of Stonehenge. No, not how the huge stones got there, but why. It seems the Bluestones from the Preseli Mountains in South West Wales were thought to have healing powers. Theses were then brought to... »