Forget 'Audiences,' The Future Is About Managing 'Social Connections'

by Max Kalehoff, Jun 19, 2012, 2:59 PM

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Almost five years ago I left Nielsen BuzzMetrics (now called NM Incite) to join the founding leadership team at Clickable, a startup with a bold ambition to simplify online advertising for the masses.

As with every startup, you mature and evolve, and go places you didn’t expect, adapting to change and seizing opportunity. For us, we pivoted from a pure software service focused on search ads to a solutions company specializing in social ads and online marketing intelligence. We also moved away from small businesses, so we could focus on midsize and large advertisers and agencies.

Those were the right things to do, but the writing on the wall was clear: That was not enough. Social ads and online marketing intelligence have become inextricably linked to online content and social engagement -- and they are becoming more entwined everyday. As a marketer, you need the complete social performance picture, especially since social is taking the lead in overall marketing communications strategy.

So this past week our startup has agreed to be acquired by Syncapse, a social media management platform for large global enterprises.

Jonathan Miller, Chairman and CEO, Digital Media Group and Chief Digital Officer for News Corporation, explained that this type of combination reflects the convergence of the digital marketplace, as recent acquisitions by Oracle (Vitrue) and Salesforce (Buddy Media) are also demonstrating.

I wholeheartedly agree. The idea of “marketing in a digital world” is only in its infancy, and we’ll continue to see rapid change and convergence as the business world moves from managing audiences to maximizing social connections.

On a personal level, I’m proud of our accomplishments and the close friendships we’ve built over five years at Clickable. Clickable has played an important role in my own personal and professional journey.

While that chapter is over, an exciting new one has begun. I’m delighted to join the team at Syncapse, a very sharp, accomplished and culturally aligned group.

I’ll take on a new role on the Syncapse leadership team as vice president of product marketing.

I look forward to sharing with you lessons of this journey from this new perspective, as we continue to shape the future of marketing.

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1 comment on "Forget 'Audiences,' The Future Is About Managing 'Social Connections'".

1. Brad Heureux from Bradford Media Group, LLC
   

   commented on: June 20, 2012 at 6:38 a.m.
   Congrats Max and keep moving forward.

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