Blog

Funny how life has a way of changing a person. Looking back, I realize that we can be truly different people as we progress through life. The wisdom that comes with age or the experiences we face dramatically change our personalities, our beliefs, and the manner in which we engage with others.  A combination of thoseRead more

Looking through some of my most recent articles on Sensei’s blog, one would think I’m on some mission to malign all social networks. Over the last two weeks I’ve questioned Instagram’s new advertising platform in one post and the questionable use of “influencers” by brands on that same network in another.  It wasn’t that longRead more

Josh Ostrovsky, otherwise known as “The Fat Jew” is quite a big deal these days (pun intended). Ostrovsky has amassed a large social media audience, predominately on Instagram (5.5 million followers) and Twitter (251,000 followers), through which he shares his humorous take on life. Often, these viewpoints are profanity-laced, lewd, and/or off-color comments and images,Read more

Instagram announced this week that it will open up the advertising flood gates to businesses seeking access to its 300 million monthly users. The illusive Instagram ad, which previously required personal contact with an Instagram sales person, lots of advance planning, and large budgets will soon be less, well, illusive. Using 3rd party advertising apps,Read more

We’ve all heard the analogy of social media acting like a megaphone, digitally amplifying your voice to a large crowd. While this is technically correct, amplification  no longer the end-goal of social media marketing.  Well, at least it shouldn’t be. When we were first introduced to “Web 2.0,” marketers were excited about the fact thatRead more

Which is more influential, the message or the messenger? Salespeople have long understood that the likelihood of a proposal being accepted is largely dependent on factors such as the relationship between the salesperson and the buyer. This is such a universal truth that many sales executives refuse to respond to open Request for Proposals ifRead more

Facebook has come a long way from the day when a handful of horny college boys used it to list and rate female students. Many will argue that despite the network’s continued popularity and evolving advertising and targeting algorithms, it’s done little more to benefit humanity than its original program. Facebook’s evolution continues; toilet-flushing catRead more

Social media was heralded as the greatest thing to happen to brand marketing since, well, since ever. Consumer-generated advocacy and publicity, direct conversations with customers and advocates, and free advertising through YouTube and other social networking sites were supposed to turn garage-based businesses into mega-conglomerates and save businesses tens of thousands in marketing costs. Yeah,Read more

I started blogging more than ten years ago. During this time, the reason I blogged – and the focus of those blogs – have varied based on my personal experiences and situations. It began with a small blog that shared my personal views on business and morphed into a corporate blog dedicated to starting debates onRead more

Smartphone usage is on the rise. Yeah, I know; no big surprise there. Smartphones have become an appendage that we turn to almost constantly for the time, news, communications, entertainment, and directions.  Here are some staggering stats (according to a study conducted by Tecmark) In an average week, a smart phone user picks up his/herRead more