• ONLINE SPIN
    Why a Good Case Study is So Compelling (It's the Brand, Stupid)
    I enjoyed Cory Treffiletti's Spin on Wednesday. I agree wholeheartedly with his premise. In fact, sales people who call me had better have their ducks in a row. The same applies to PR flaks who call me without checking out my byline history first, or at least my bio. If there is a major interactive trade show upcoming, you can bet that's why the phone is ringing.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    The Media Jukebox
    You've seen those sexy machines in bars, the neon lighting dressing the edges. They are jukeboxes. Too often clients approach their agencies as though they were jukeboxes. The client comes to the agency with a specific marketing plan in mind and a firm idea of which media he or she wants to use, as well as a pre-selected list of media vehicles. Oh, and they don't want to pay much for you to produce it.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Sales Call Etiquette - Do Your Homework
    The life of an online media professional is constantly interrupted by cold calls from sales reps looking to build a relationship. These types of calls are necessary and can be very useful as well, as we all know you've got to start somewhere to build a relationship. My advice to sales people? Do your homework!
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Why Blacklists Don't Stop Spam
    Folks, blacklists don't work because as soon as a spammer's IP is blocked, he gets a new one and continues to send. Meanwhile, the poor guy who inherits that IP from a spammer quickly finds that he's on a blacklist and can't get legitimate email delivered. Occasionally, you'll see a drastic action such as an entire ISP or even a whole country gets blacklisted and IT folks and legit ISP customers are left holding the bag.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Hate Sites?
    It seems many advertisers are linking to hate sites without even knowing it. The number of these sites is growing almost daily. While no one knows the true number of hate sites, sources indicate that roughly 1,200 to 4,000 exist.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Is Apple Making the Same Mistake Again?
    It's such an object lesson, and is probably taught in business schools the world over. What Apple lost by not licensing its operating system to multiple hardware developers was more than market share and millions of dollars. It was control of how we all work.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Bird Flu Viral Marketing: Cluck, Cluck, Goose
    If you are reading this, I know you've seen it. Industry wonks, digerati gadflies, and ad geeks alike have had something to say about it. What the Subservient Chicken is, is an example of one more attempt-in a rising tide of attempts-at trying to force authentic engagement of a product or brand through an inauthentic, artificial construct. What I mean by this is that the Subservient Chicken is the latest attempt by marketers to impose virality on their marketing.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Philosophy 405: 'Reading' vs. 'Listening' to Advertising
    I like to get a little philosophical in regards to advertising from time-to-time. This week, I thought I would pose a creative question for all you media-minds. After all, to be a good media professional you must understand the creative or else you're missing half the strategy. This week's question is... Do you "Read" advertising or do you "Listen" to advertising?
  • ONLINE SPIN
    But Will It Sell Chicken?
    If you're reading this, you're probably in the Internet marketing business, and thus you've received your 300th e-mail from a friend directing you to www.subservientchicken.com and prompting you to tell the chicken to do all sorts of crazy things.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Man, They Got Me
    I started my morning ritual by taking my computer out of sleep mode, signing on to AOL Instant Messenger, and opening a browser to check my email. My computer suddenly became clad with almost 20 unwanted pop-ups (some dirty), my homepage had changed, and someone hacked into my AIM account and spammed me. I mean, I write about this crap all the time. Who knew they'd get me? It's quite hard to think of anything positive in online advertising and digital media when you've been victimized, too.
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