• ONLINE SPIN
    Pain Over Complexity Will Drive Advertising Innovation
    One of the most difficult tasks in life is to boil a complex idea down to its essence. Reducing noise and deconstructing a concept to its core enables raw value to emerge, and allows resonance with our most precious human assets: attention and time. Which is precisely the problem with online advertising and where it's taken us thus far.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Looking To 2008
    I've decided to try to get a jump on prognostications for 2008. With the end of November upon us and fourth quarter revenue all booked, it's a good time to think about next year. What do I expect 2008 to bring? I can start with the easy things....
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Consumer Stats You Can Use
    I've said it before and I'll say it again: to become a success in marketing, you need to know everything you can about popular culture and consumer behavior. Time magazine last week had a special issue devoted to the second part of this philosophy called "America By The Numbers." This issue was dedicated to examining how our consumer landscape is changing and what behaviors are exhibited by the modern American. The issue was fascinating, and I wanted to share with you what I feel the impact of this information will be on digital marketers.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Word-Of-Mouth: Marketing's White Knight?
    All marketing is "word of mouth"; it's just a question whose mouth the marketing words/messages are coming from. Give a brand a chance and it will be happy to tell you all about itself. Brands have been using words from celebrities' mouths to spread their brand messages since there have been celebrities. It seems that the difference between the aforementioned marketing methods and the commonly accepted definition of word-of-mouth is that the mouth must belong to a.... what? Friend? Peer? Consumer? Influencer? Person? Most would answer all of the above -- and say that these people will lend you their …
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Just Another Manic (Cyber) Monday
    Happy Cyber Monday, dear readers. Before we took a little break for Turkey Day here last week, I wrote about the anticipated sales of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Beautiful Thanksgiving Sarcasm
    Max has a blast from the past: an essay he wrote in second grade, beginning: "My mom made me get up early in the morning and kill a turkey for Thanksgiving."
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Thanksgiving Wishes, And A Little Follow-Up
    Last week I reminded everyone that customer service is one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated elements of marketing for any brand. In my explanation of this oft-forgotten component I wrote an observation of Best Buy and the poor encounters I had with its small business program's customer service. Well, since this is the day before Thanksgiving and since Turkey Day is all about giving thanks for the gifts we have all received and extending the hand of compassion and positivity to your fellow man, I want to tell you about the excellent follow-up I received from Best Buy.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    One Year Of Social Media Spinning
    It's hard for me to believe that it has been just over a year since my first Online Spin, which posted on Nov. 14, 2006. It has really been a wild year in the social media and social media advertising space, and in the course of launching a new technology in the space I have had the great fortune of interacting with, working with and even befriending a number of the people on the frontlines of changing the industry. t's been these individuals that have sparked many, if not all, of the Spins over the past year. I wish to …
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Super-Sized Black Friday And Cyber Monday?
    Every year I cover Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It's a chaotic whirlwind that still makes me feel very much like I am on the outside looking in. What amazes me most is that almost everyone knows or talks about these two days (Thanksgiving night and the Monday after).
  • ONLINE SPIN
    I Joined A Startup
    Big changes in life are inevitable, especially in the interactive business. So I wanted to discuss the personal side of why I decided to join a startup venture.
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