Predictions: from trash to treasure

Usually, year end “what’s next in marketing” predictions are a bunch of BS. Last November, I was asked to contribute thoughts to a roundup of The best ads of 2015. Here’s what I wrote: “My favorite advertisement of 2015 was the New York Times declaring that it’s not dead yet. Its promotion with Google Cardboard, MINI, …

The Next Decade of Social Media

Last week, I shared some thoughts on the next decade of social media at the 2015 Cannes Lions festival. The key points are highlighted in this Guardian article: Gone Shoppable Snackable Automated Connective Filtered Integrated Chinese Subcutaneous Empowering More coverage of the talk is available in these write-ups: “Ten social media trends that will shape marketing over the …

Endgame: Social Business Platforms

Three early social business platform leaders are emerging (Adobe, Oracle, Salesforce), while point solutions will continue to struggle and consolidate over 2014.

Is it time to pull the plug on RTM? #EmmysRTM #RTM


The 65th episode of the Emmy awards was on last night. I didn’t watch, because I find the actual shows more interesting than the awards. However, given that 2013 is The Year of Real-Time Marketing, brands were certain to be posting Emmy-related content as an “almanac” tactic, one of the three types of real-time marketing. And just like fashionistas watch the red carpet to see what dresses celebrities are wearing, marketers watch Twitter to see what tweets brands will be posting.

Is social media free?

In 2002, I was having a budget conversation with my CFO. I was general manager of the online store and we were discussing my requests for FTEs, technology upgrades, and marketing spend. The CFO asked me, “this is an online store…why do we need to spend any more money…doesn’t it run itself?” (I’m 99% sure he wasn’t joking.)

This week, news has been circulating that FMCG company Procter & Gamble will eliminate 1,600 jobs and shift more budget into digital media. The headline over at Business Insider is a bit more incendiary: “P&G To Lay Off 1,600 After Discovering It’s Free To Advertise On Facebook.”

The statement that “it’s free to advertise on Facebook” is wrong at minimum and leads executives to a potentially dangerous point of view regarding social business.

Marketing : IT :: Dogs : Cats

“Big data, cheap processing, and social media, are changing the advertising and marketing landscape. IT has been quietly hammering away on advanced analytics systems and platforms to aggregate and filter data, while sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter can provide exactly the detailed demographic data that marketers say they need. Put it all together and …

Three slides of social media history

Sharing a few slides here from my SXSW session earlier this year. I feel like an internet historian of sorts, since I started tracking social media examples back in 2005 and then published a huge list in 2008. These are three examples that show some business results and are often mentioned. If you’re not familiar …