Blog

There’s entirely too much focus on social networking and technologies among marketers today and far too little focus on how and why consumers make purchase decisions. In fact, this has been the case since the advent of Web 2.0 technologies and social media networking. That being said, I’m a big proponent of social media andRead more

In my last post: Changing the Rules of Engagement, I challenged readers with the notion that business can no longer grow and thrive by simply being the best at their game as they once could. Today, winning requires the ability (and courage) to change the rules of the game completely. Innovation must be so radicalRead more

In reviewing a client’s internal branding/marketing plan recently I noticed that the Marketing VP called for an increase in broadcast and social media “advertising”. Given that CX or the Customer Experience is a key focus of my firm’s practice, I questioned what the impact on the customer’s experience with the brand would be? How wouldRead more

We’ve often discussed the concept that consumers make decisions based on emotions, which they then justify by logic on this blog. A concept that few dispute yet few seem to put into practice. While businesses may understand how decisions are made, they are not confident enough to shift their culture to cater to the customer’sRead more

So after almost a year of complaining about the evils of Klout and its minions, I’ve finally been told to put my money where my mouth is. And I’ve accepted the challenge by opting out of Klout. Make no mistake, this is a business. As a business, I admire Klout. But I also firmly believe thatRead more

I was recently categorized as a “social chatterbox” by a colleague, referencing my frequency of tweets and engagement with followers on Twitter. …I’ll give you all a few moments to nod your head in agreement… I’ll admit that for a split-second my reaction was to be insulted but that quickly passed since I’m not hungRead more

There has been much discussion and writing recently suggesting and even claiming that failure is the key to success. So, my point of view on “Failure is the Key to Success”… What a steaming load of politically correct bull shit! I’m sorry but are we actually serious about this statement? This concept has no doubtRead more

At the beginning of this year, when the cult-like Klout fascination started to boil over, I wrote a post called Are You Worthy of My Follow? asking if those that I followed were in fact “follow-worthy”. It was a tongue-in-cheek statement to illustrate my predictions on the changes in online behaviour that would result from usRead more

This week’s #bizforum debate is inspired by fellow Social Media Master Jonathan Copulsky’s presentation Brand Resilience: Managing Risk and Recovery in a High-Speed World.  The topic inspired me to question whether Branding has become a defensive play? According to the Kellogg School of Management, a brand is the “psycho-cultural associations linked to a name, markRead more

The evolution of marketing and communications, driven by the popularity of social media has placed a lot of attention on the customer as a valuable business asset. The theory dictates that the “wisdom of crowds” (if enough people are saying it, it must be true) is a more powerful purchasing motivator for prospective consumers thanRead more