Blog

“People trust people, not brand advertising.” For the last few years, marketing analysts and social media marketers have been sharing copious studies and statistics which reiterate that sentiment. They give credit to social media for this new reality and point to the “wisdom of crowds” effect, which references the observation that people tend to believeRead more

How many of your customers are using their mobile device appendages to capture photos? A study conducted by Edelman and Shutterfly this year reports that 81% of US photo-takers (people who have taken at least 10 digital photos in the three months prior to polling) have done so using their smart phones. Consider the factRead more

According to a recent study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), 96 percent of consumers research online before making a large purchase, especially when considering a new car.  And the auto industry has taken notice, embracing digital and social platforms better than most of their colleagues in other industries. However, there’s nothing new inRead more

AdAge conducted an interview with Ross Hoffman, Twitter’s director of brand strategy, that revealed the social network’s plans to, well, plan social engagement spontaneity.  A program called Hatch is a new initiative within Twitter’s ad team, which is essentially a stable of marketers that work with brand advertisers to plan ad campaigns months in advanceRead 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

We’ve been discussing the pitfalls of real-time content marketing here on the Sensei blog lately. Frequently, the issues reported revolve around the “need for speed” or the marketing team’s insistence on emulating successful campaigns by other brands that have capitalized on trending news/social topics. More often than not these campaigns have failed to deliver theRead more

Earlier this week, Lake Ontario (the greatest of the Great Lakes in my opinion – sorry Lake Superior) made international headlines when a man posted a cell phone video on YouTube of him and his buddies fishing along its shores. What made the video remarkable, and thus go viral, is the fact that the videographerRead more

Are you a marketer? Are you responsible for social media marketing? If so, you may wish to refresh your CV and LinkedIn profile. You’ll be out of a job soon. A recent study by surveying giant Gallup reports that social media marketing has no effect on the purchase decisions of US consumers despite the estimatedRead more

What does it take to sell a product today? Price, features, customer advocates, paid endorsements? A mix of all of the above could be the answer, but were does a brand focus its investment? What strategy should drive the marketing mix? The power of peer-to-peer networks, facilitated by the emergence of technologies and social media,Read more

The new Wolverine movie is coming! The new Wolverine movie is coming! Any new multi-media treatment of Marvel’s X-Men franchise – from comic books to cartoons to movies gets my immediate attention. I excitedly watch movie trailers over and over in anticipation of the upcoming main event, I mark the dates in my calendar andRead more