Well, I guess at this point, we can all agree that social media isn’t a fad. Don’t laugh; as recently as February of last year, this comment was still being uttered in my presence by some agency and brand executives. Call it digital marketing, social media marketing, social business or whatever the term du jourRead more
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With more businesses embracing social media technologies and social networking, it’s inevitable that the question of ownership – and accountability – has become a more frequent topic at the boardroom table. Sales and marketing may have led most businesses into this digital space, but today, public relations, customer service, human resources, and even operations areRead more
Starbucks enters same-sex marriage boycott wars. The mega coffee chain has once again inserted its brand into the social and political arena. This time, its CEO Howard Schultz has taken a public stand on same sex marriage by telling an anti-gay investor (and those like him) that he’s not welcomed. Starbucks, already known for itsRead more
Last night, during my weekly #bizforum debate on Twitter, I introduced an issue that’s been brewing for a while: The role of public relations (PR) in the future enterprise. The debate was passionate to say the least. I challenged the “dinosaurs, newspapers, and public relations” argument offered by many but on this night, public sentimentRead more
Within minutes of hearing the horrible news that 3 explosions at this year’s Boston Marathon killed and injured people, I did what most of us do: I turned to Twitter. Given my experiences during similar disasters in the past, I knew I should have walked away from Twitter, but I didn’t because there were peopleRead more
Every company is a media company. Or it should be. That’s the cry of social and content marketers today. They point to the open and direct channel that businesses have to their consumers and the wider audience that did not exist, arguably, prior to 2004 when Chris Shipley popularized the term “social media” in hisRead more
Measuring and analyzing sentiment around a brand is becoming an important part of a business’ marketing and PR strategy. As a discipline, it seeks to understand the tone of the conversation occurring online around a business’ product, brand and/or that of its competitors. Using social media monitoring software like Lexalytics, Viralheat or Trendspotter (to nameRead more
It’s about the conversation, not the pitch. Engage your audience, don’t preach to them. Social Media is about the customer, not you. Provide value to your audience; don’t sell your product. Create an outstanding customer experience and customers will become your advocates. The power of social media: the customer’s voice. Much has been said, tweetedRead more
I challenge you to quickly recall five great product stories that went viral and made national headlines. If you’re like 99% of the population, you’re struggling to think of them. If I had asked you to think of five stories about brands that made national headlines because their product or service failed you’d be thinkingRead more
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve experienced, seen or at least heard of the many boycotts being waged against corporate brands. Currently, we’re in the throes of a campaign against Chick-fil-A, an Atlanta-based fast food restaurant for comments made by owner Dan T. Cathy that supported the “biblical definition of the family unit”…essentiallyRead more