Social Media And Branding: A One On One With A Harvard Business Professor

As we approach the end of another March Madness — and as a mega sports fan it’s truly one of the most wonderful times of the year, I figured it was appropriate to infuse a hoops-theme in the title of this article, as it were.

And while I’m not sure of my guest’s basketball prowess, if his hoop skills are anything like his knowledge of social media and branding, I may be in trouble if indeed we do ever go one-on-one. His name is Mikołaj Jan Piskorski, his friends call him Misiek and he is a Harvard Business School professor and author of the book A Social Strategy: How We Profit from Social Media.

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In Brands We Trust – Why Brands Must Treat Trust Like Gold

Back in January of this year I wrote a piece which spoke to the need for every marketer to remember a certain nine-letter word: Relevance. And while I firmly stand by what I penned then I am here to tell not just every marketer, but every advertiser and brand under the sun as well that there’s a five-letter word that must be treated like gold for when it is achieved, wondrous things can occur.

The word is trust.

Now the word “trust” in it of itself has many different connotations and in the context of advertising, marketing and branding it comes in different shapes, size and meanings, too.

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Why CMOs Need To Remember They Are Consumers, Too

Note: While this article is written directly toward CMOs, make no mistake about it, CEOs should heed this advice, too.

The time has come. The time to remind the leaders of marketing departments across the land that they are also consumers, too and as such they need to care about consumers and the business they bring to the bottom line; and that they need to care about things that go way beyond a marketing plan.

In other words they need to remember they are people, too, just like the person on the other end of that cash register, email, Facebook post, advertisement and on and on and on.

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Why Music Plays A Big Role When It Comes To Branding

I know, far it be for me to write an article which brings together music and branding. I kid of course for by now you surely know of my love affair with the concept of marrying and meshing the worlds of advertising, marketing and branding with that of pop culture – in this case, music specifically.

Not long ago I read a quote attributed to pop singer Adele in which she says “I don’t make music for eyes. I make music for ears.”

Coming from an artist that makes perfect sense of course.

However, in our world of marketing and advertising — especially in today’s highly visual world where Pinterest, Instagram and other image-based platforms are becoming more popular with each passing day — the need is paramount for the right music to be married to the right brand.

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Are Super Bowl Commercials Worth The Cost For A Brand?

I could literally just write that title then leave the rest of this article blank and let everyone chime in and fend for themselves as to where they fall in this debate. This epic debate, which it has become as the cost associated with advertising during the Super Bowl has escalated to super heights, if you will.

Those in the marketing and advertising space surely have opinions, and more than likely strong ones at that as to the merits and benefits of spending gobs of money for 30 seconds of air time.

A few days ago in Forbes, Rob Siltanen, founder and chief creative officer of Siltanen & Partners, a Los Angeles-based advertising agency, in his article entitled Yes, A Super Bowl Ad Really Is Worth $4 Million, stated categorically that he believes “the Super Bowl to be one of the smartest investments a company can possibly make. In fact, the Super Bowl makes more sense today than ever before.”

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The Nine Letter Word Every Marketer Needs To Remember At All Times

On December 16th of last year I posted a collection of predictions for the coming year from and for the marketing and advertising world. The fearless forecasters I gathered together shared their insights into what they think lies ahead in the coming year and they did so with a twist. They were asked to not only provide a prognostication but to do so with a pop culture reference attached to it.

It turned out to be a lot of fun and I highly recommend you read it. Not because I wrote it. On the contrary, I recommend you read it for it provides a collection of wisdom from the best and brightest minds today, all in one place.number 9

Now the reason I preface my article with all this is due to the fact that my prediction then ties in precisely what I want to talk about today. My foretelling spoke of the need to go back to the beginning, as Inigo Montoya (my pop culture reference) stated so eloquently in the film The Princess Bride.

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Why Marketers And Advertisers Should Not Listen To The Godfather

Far be it for me to question The Don. I mean who am I to dare challenge Vito Corleone? And who I am to infuse pop culture into a given marketing and advertising topic?

Cover of The GodfatherWell of course you know by now I live to take pop culture and overlay into our world as witnessed by one of my most recent articles – an end-of-the-year piece which saw some of the best and brightest minds in marketing and advertising come together to share their thoughts for 2014. Of course there was a twist as I asked the players involved to not only include their predictions for 2014, but to overlay a pop culture reference that best fit and aptly described their insights.

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Is This The Future Of Mobile Marketing And Mobile Advertising?

Being the pop culture savant I am – as witnessed by my recent article 2014 Marketing Predictions With A Twist (click on the link, you’ll see what I mean) – when I first heard the term “deep linking” I immediately thought of the 1970s flick The Deep starring Robert Shaw and Nick Nolte. I then had visions of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine dancing in my head.

Of course neither of these have anything to do with “deep linking” – a subject which many have wondered aloud as to it possibly being the future of mobile marketing and mobile advertising.

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How Lowe’s, Zappos And IKEA Use Technology To Provide Added Value To Consumers

The evolution of technology within the retail and e-commerce space is shaping how consumers behave and interact with brands and savvy, smart retailers know that understanding shoppers’ behavior is key for success. These retailers realize they can utilize technology to capitalize on consumer needs and customize offerings to help significantly increase their bottom lines.

Here’s how companies are using technology to provide added value to consumers.

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Has Black Friday Lost Some Of Its Retail Magic?

Ok raise your hand if you knew the term “Black Friday” was first coined in the City of Brotherly Love, my hometown, Philadelphia. It’s ok if you didn’t know that. I was born and raised here and I didn’t even know it.

Black Friday (1940 film)

According to Time Magazine, “The term Black Friday itself was originally used to describe something else entirely — the Sept. 24, 1864, stock-market panic set off by plunging gold prices. Newspapers in Philadelphia re-appropriated the phrase in the late 1960s, using it to describe the rush of crowds at stores.”

As Johnny Carson would say, ‘I did not know that.’

What I do know, however, is the cultural, societal and retail phenomenon Black Friday has become. It has become symbolic for marketers and advertisers across the land as it signals the start of what they hope will be a very fruitful and beneficial holiday shopping season.

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