August 2, 2011 Permalink Judy Shapiro - Trenchwars Weblog - Ad Age Digital
In a recent panel discussion hosted by Ad Age, Judy Shapiro realized that "...there was no consistent understanding of what "social media" was. For some, "social media" meant a new connective layer for the planet (powered by Facebook). For others, social media was the social layer for the planet with a new definition of "privacy" (powered by Facebook). And for others, social media was so broad it meant anything that let people share anything -- which covers a lot of ground beyond Facebook."
To paraphrase a bit, thanks, in large part to this nebulous "social media," marketing is experiencing a fundamental shift that takes every tactical practice of the last 20 years and turns them upside down.
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July 29, 2011 Permalink New Virgin Atlantic Ad 2011
Got what? It doesn't seem to me that anything about the air travel experience finds it's way into this art-for-art's-sake Virgin Atlantic commercial. Least of all, virgins. In an industry under fire for bilking passengers out of billions of dollars in fees normally finding their way into federal pockets, you'd think a "We'll try harder." approach, or "We're knockin' a few bucks off for the holidays." concept might have had a better chance at earning back a little customer respect.
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July 23, 2011 Permalink Brian Clark - Copyblogger
Brian Clark (no relation), founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media, is one of my favorite people to follow. His latest look at Google+ and his prognostications strike me as spot on. As he says, "In case you’ve been incarcerated in a Turkish prison for the last few weeks, Google+ is the new social networking platform from the search engine giant. It’s been more accurately called a “sharing” platform, and I think that distinction alone means everyone producing online content needs to take a serious look at Google+."
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July 15, 2011 Permalink Saul Bass - The Last Millennium
Brilliance is brilliance. Always has been. Always will be. Sometimes it comes in a flash. Sometimes it emerges from a protracted period of serious contemplation. It is not the sole property of young or old and often presents itself in the form of an unexpected surprise. Saul Bass (May 8, 1920 – April 25, 1996), an American graphic designer and filmmaker, was no stranger to brilliance. I remember when his two short concept pieces, "Why Man Creates - Parts 1 and 2" were first released and the impact they had on those of us dragging ourselves through the 60's and filling seats in university classrooms from coast to coast. I think it's time to hold a little revival and I'm happy to share them with you now.
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July 10, 2011 Permalink Various Sources
I’ll admit it, I got caught up in the rush to be first generation on Google+. Now I need to figure out how to best integrate it into my personal workflow, assuming it will. I have a lot “invested” in Facebook in terms of keeping up with family and friends that mean so much to me and as a component in my business development strategy. Should G+ rocket to the top of the social media landscape, unless there becomes an easy way to migrate my FB world into G+, I'm guessing I’ll have to come up with a plan to manage both… rather than having them manage me.
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July 9, 2011 Permalink Richard W. – The Search Agents
“Not every client will be able or willing to create optimized social media content. When the opportunity presents itself, however, you should give it a try. SEO and social media have been on converging paths for several years and it’s time for marketers to get onboard and take advantage of these amazing opportunities.” Here’s a quick little story that clearly shows how the harmonic convergence of SEO and social media can and does make a serious difference.
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July 8, 2011 Permalink L.L. Bean - YouTube
Every day I see commercial after commercial where I think, "Someone actually paid for this?" With the exception of Super Bowl Sunday, coming across a good spot is a rarity. IMHO, L.L. Bean did a great job on this one, solid concept, good juxtaposition of imagery, good pacing, solid production value and minimalist copywriting. Nice job!
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July 4, 2011 Permalink Seth Godin - The Domino Project
As much as Seth seems to be on target, from time to time I find myself cringing at the arrogant, self serving nature of some of his commentary. His continued support of Derek Sivers new book "Anything You Want" on The Domino Project (07/02/11) is a case in point.
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The time when getting back to basics was good enough to turn around a faltering business, or career, is gone. History. Old news. Change, rapid change, is the new status quo. The good news is that, once you've embraced this concept you've taken the first step to an exciting and prosperous future. Seth bangs the point home as only Seth can.
New polling out this week shows that Americans are frustrated with the world and pessimistic about the future. They're losing patience with the economy, with their prospects, with their leaders (of both parties). What's actually happening is this: we're realizing that the industrial revolution is fading.
The 80 year long run that brought ever-increasing productivity (and along with it, well-paying jobs for an ever-expanding middle class) is ending.
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