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Adios, Middleman: The Rise of Direct-to-Consumer Platforms
Turning a great idea into a reality is getting easier by the minute. Small businesses and individuals can pitch, barter and sell straight to the masses. The audience is connected directly to the...
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Engaging Audiences of Friends and Foes on Social Media
Community managers come across all types of people in their daily adventures in social media. No two audience-members are exactly alike, and understanding how to engage with them on a daily basis is...
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Why Streaming Services Could Upend Cable TV’s Content Model
Cancellation is almost always a death sentence for a television show. Some are revived decades later, like the 80’s soap opera Dallas, which was reborn with a handful of original cast members this past...
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Lessons From This Summer’s Biggest Social Media Blunders
When a brand makes a PR fumble, regardless of the faux pas’s size, the brand’s response and the action it takes afterward—nowadays, largely in the arena of social media—can often be more influential...
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3 Carmakers Embracing Brand Stories
My first car was a gray 1987 Honda Accord LXi hatchback. Well, it was actually a two-toned gray, since I never bothered to get the replacement panels painted after a fender bender (primer gray was...
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Making Sense of Social-Media Timing
This post originally appeared in our October ’12 issue of “Live Report from the Future of Marketing,” our monthly Post-Advertising newsletter. Subscribe for free here. Data can be maddening. Like...
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5 Ways to Anger Your Brand’s Fans and Lose Credibility on Facebook
It gave me the creeps. It annoyed me. It even made me a bit angry. I saw that a Facebook friend of mine had commented on an FM radio station’s page (that I was not a Facebook fan of). The post included...
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Coca-Cola Falls Flat Tackling Obesity
This past weekend my beloved New England Patriots, a team in the U.S. National Football League, lost in the conference championship game, falling one game short of the Super Bowl. I was devastated and...
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Marketers Take Notice: Reddit is Very Much Here
From Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dave Grohl to a five-year McDonald’s employee and a valet for the stars, the “I Am A ____, Ask Me Anything (AMA)” section of Reddit takes on...
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Possibly the Greatest Brand Story Ever Told
The most effective mass media is the stories we tell and conversations we have with each other. If you don’t believe me, let me prove it to you. We’ve all seen an endless number of ads for cars, car...
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Breaking Down the Viral HRC Marriage Equality Campaign
Unless you gave up Facebook for Lent, I’m sure that last week you saw a number of your Facebook friends’ profile photos (and possibly your own) change to a pink square with an equal sign in support of...
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Baking Brand Storytelling Into Your Lunch
Any restaurant is rich in stories, from the founding of the establishment to the experiences of its patrons. Because of that, the restaurant business is an interesting venue for content marketing,...
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Getting Marketing Miles Out of Your Superfans
In my tween years I was a huge fan of the WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation). I would watch every episode of Superstars of Wrestling and Saturday Night’s Main Event, among other various WWE...
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When Promoted Hashtags Are Campaign Killers
This post originally appeared in our April ’13 issue of “Live Report from the Future of Marketing,” our monthly Post-Advertising newsletter. Subscribe for free here. No matter how lofty a brand’s...
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Why It’s a Mistake For Brands to Ignore Tumblr
Pretend I’m someone who understands the basics of the Internet but has never used a social platform. Now let me ask you: What’s Facebook? What’s Twitter? What’s Instagram? Most answers, at least from...
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An Open Letter to Nutella: Why Did You Eliminate Your Greatest Marketing Asset?
My dearest Nutella, For decades your hazelnut spread has turned everyday consumers into product purists. From brownies and cookies to hot chocolate and crepes, Nutella has been the cornerstone of a...
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“Boris” Bikes and Barclays’ Problem with Authority
London’s rammed with bicycles. Everyone’s on two wheels. It’s fun, cheap, and good for you. Barclays-branded hire bikes are everywhere. But no one thinks of the sponsor when they pick up their wheels:...
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