My contentious relationship with social media is made worse when I'm reminded that it's only in its infancy. Adam Kmiec, director, global digital marketing and social media at Campbell Soup, says: "What we'll see over the next four years will be like nothing before it," he says. "Digital is finally going to grow up."

Thanks to digital innovations, drive time will never be the same What’s the most expensive computer you have ever purchased? No, it wasn’t that tricked-out MacBook Pro. It was your car.Your car is the most expensive computer you will ever own. What’s fascinating is that on average you will replace your computer and your car at nearly the same frequency — every three to five years. Hopefully you are not replacing both at the same time.Last year, nearly 13 million …

With the success of GoFurther.com, more marketers will refine how, when and why they buy domain names Ford launched one of its biggest-ever branding campaigns earlier this year, and it did so quite unconventionally. The Big Three automaker retired “Drive One,” a slogan now familiar to U.S. customers and introduced the tagline “Go Further” to a global audience. Ford is investing a lot in this campaign. In fact, it’s been reported that the company has dedicated the kind of budget usually reserved for …

The future may be as simple as agencies working together I realize most of you hate the word “integration” as much as I do.  It’s one of those trite words that has been bandied about so indiscriminately that it has become virtually meaningless.  Until now. To make sense of the perennially puzzling digital marketing arena, advertisers and their proxy agencies should embrace integration.Our industry needs to wake up to the reality that the path to purchase has been fundamentally altered.  In 2009, McKinsey introduced …

Brand Advocates are a breed apart Justin Dorfman, a 26-year-old support engineer from Encino, Calif., has bought thousands of dollars in computer gear over the past five years from cdw, an online it retailer. But Dorfman is much more than a fiercely loyal cdw customer. He’s also one of their best marketers.Dorfman, a self-described “hard-core cdw Advocate,” has helped the retailer sell hundreds of thousands of dollars in products by evangelizing the company to his colleagues and peers.Dorfman, who uses …

Thanks to social media, out-of-home turns into an immersive experience There was a time, not that long ago, when digital out-of-home meant screens in bars. Or the Jumbotron at the concert, the 15-second spot in a coffee bar, or the intrusions in taxi cabs. Essentially, a non-engaging transfer of content from one medium to another. Today, thanks in part to social media forcing the industry’s hand, digital out-of-home has the opportunity to be a memorable, discrete, interactive and immersive brand opportunity with connective dna to other …

Six simple steps to more effectiveness, with 30 to 40% less marketing overhead The surge of consumer spending over the past two decades ushered in an era of rapid growth for consumer-products companies in North America. As the industry flourished, so did the marketing organizations that helped drive this growth. With brands and products proliferating, companies hired more people — and organization structures became more complex, inflexible and costly. As a result, when the financial downturn put the brakes on growth, many companies were …

Great digital experiences don’t happen by accident. Forrester explains the top 10 ways to get there. Companies need to understand that great digital experiences are no accident. They must be actively designed. This means adopting a user-centered design process that includes research, analysis, ideation, prototyping and testing. And to maximize digital budgets and ensure ongoing funding, companies need to deliver Web, mobile and tablet touch points that align with core brand attributes and support business objectives such as cost savings, revenue generation and loyalty building.