Blog

The term micro-influencer has become very popular lately. With the practice of influence marketing maturing (well, sort of), marketers are embracing concepts beyond Klout scores and “social amplification as influence” when designing influence marketing campaigns. Micro-influencer is one of those concepts.  However, the definition – like so many other things in this industry – shiftsRead more

I think that the foundation that most social media platforms are built on is flawed. Put up a site, get a whole bunch of people using it, then monetize the hell out of it with advertising. The problem is two-fold: people get tired of irrelevant ads; people are not rewarded for the right behaviour (thatRead 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

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

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

How closely are you paying attention to your customers on social media? Here’s a great case study on customer experience from arguably the king of customer experience design and execution: Virgin. The customer, Adam (@AdamPlaysYT), was riding Virgin Train in the UK when nature called. He took advantage of the facilities the train made available;Read more

In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company, in a move that is still hotly debated today, concocted a new Coke recipe in hopes of reinvigorating interest in its number-one selling soft drink. Logic dictates that when a product is number one, you don’t mess with it.  The problem, however, was that Coke’s market share had declined toRead more

Forsman & Bodenfors, Ikea’s Swedish agency, has turned to boxed themes to support the distribution of the retail giant’s latest catalogue (pun intended). However, like the popular Ikea Hacks generated by its loyal fans, Ikea’s new marketing effort has combined standard reality TV and sitcom themes to create innovative and captivating YouTube videos targeting Millennials.Read more

Almost a year ago, I called out the Facebook Messenger app on Android for having insidious permissions settings. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, which, in modern day terms means you don’t have access to the Internet, you’ve seen the furor that was created when that post went viral these past few weeks. Last week FacebookRead more

After the Sochi Olympic Games, I posted an article about ambush marketing and the guerilla tactics that brands resorted to when the International Olympic Committee reduced the number of “official advertisers” to 35 during the 1984 Olympics. Brands like Nike, which was outbid by Reebok for official advertiser status, created ambush marketing campaigns to getRead more