• ONLINE SPIN
    What Motivates IPhone Buzz?
    So what motivates the big blog buzz over the iPhone? Several company and industry colleagues have asked me over the past few days if some bloggers -- in a rabid quest for attention and traffic -- are inherently mandated to chime in on the iPhone launch. The question is whether they're consciously and opportunistically exploiting human readers and search engines that are primed and sensitized to the event -- similar to ambulance chasers. My answer is yes, at least partly...
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Lots Up With Video Advertising?
    I've been thinking a lot this week about video advertising. Not only did I attend the iMedia Entertainment Summit in Beverly Hills -- you know you're having a Hollywood moment when you find yourself sitting next to John Malkovich at dinner and listening to Jason Calacanis at lunch the following day -- but this has been a big week for online video research.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Will The IPhone Meet Expectations??
    This is a big week for Apple. This week the company will unveil the much anticipated, highly debated, but rarely actually seen, iPhone! Just by virtue of the buzz, I almost surely will be buying one, but will it meet with expectations? If it doesn't, will that reveal a crack in the almighty armor of Apple?
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Does The Talent Agency Model Hold The Key To Brand Advertising's Future?
    Contextual targeting for video content will inevitably lead to the exact same result as contextually targeting text-based content: a decent return for direct marketers and an overwhelming lack of participation by major brand advertisers. The problem is that unlike with text-based content, the cost associated with production of quality video content will require significant financing by major brands if it is going to survive online.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    The Buzz About WOM
    There's been a lot of talk about word-of-mouth online. I wrote an article a while ago and many people emailed me afterwards. It spawned quite a bit of conversations among colleagues, clients and friends. The overall feeling is that word of mouth online or offline is one of the most powerful vehicles out there. Do you agree?
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Do Real-Time Analytics Stifle Decisions?
    Do you suffer from data addiction? Do you get all kooky when removed from dashboards of streaming, real-time analytics? Many say it's an epidemic -- just like email and Crackberry addiction.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Making The Case For Online Advertising 'Inside The Beltway'
    Washington is on my mind. I've spent most of this week in D.C. My primary reason was to attend the Interactive Advertising Bureau's board and public policy council meetings. However, I also spent considerable time with legislators and legislative staffers, talking about their efforts to help combat spyware.My goal was to have them address the issue in a way that doesn't have unintended consequences on legitimate online advertising businesses and practices.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Brand Evolution Vs. Brand Revolution
    How often do you get to sit down and think about the answer to the question, "what is a brand?" I'm relatively lucky because I get to sit and think about it almost everyday. I used to not be a believer in the power of brands, but I eventually changed my tune and feel they are indeed necessary to achieve lasting growth when you build a company, product or service. That being said, the last few years have seen a radical evolution in the way a brand is built and managed, almost to the point where the evolution of a …
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Advertisers' Social Media Strategies: History Repeated?
    This weekend I picked up a great Harvard Business Review article outlining a clear overinvestment by corporate America in "destination Web sites" that are failing to return on investment because (according to the executive summary) "most consumer product companies don't provide enough value or dynamic information to induce customers to make repeat visits -- and disclose the detailed information-that make such sites profitable." Yep, sounds about right, I thought. The article was published in November 2000.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Video Killed The Radio Star
    Remember "Video Killed the Radio Star"? The song's video was the first to air on MTV. After that, music videos spread like wildfire, eventually becoming part of everyday culture. Now there's a lot of buzz about video on the Web. Just last week the topic came up easily five times for me....
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