• Does GM Even Get Facebook? Or, Why Facebook Did GM A Favor
    Oh, now I get it. It turns out that General Motors' decision to pull out from Facebook advertising right before Facebook's IPO was just a big hissy fit.
  • Is Social Advertising Broken?
    As Facebook's stock limps along, a popular refrain says that social advertising doesn't work. Ross Douthat, in a recent New York Times opinion, goes as far as to say that Facebook's IPO is a sign of how the Internet "created a cultural revolution more than an economic one." If Facebook is the biggest proponent of socially targeted ads and it can't convince investors that it will grow rapidly, that must be a scathing indictment of its whole model, right?
  • It's All Your Fault Advertisers, That Facebook's IPO Sucked! Or Not.
    Maybe this week, I should be writing about Pinterest or something, especially considering that, for the first time, I got a postcard in the mail from a national retailer urging me to "Follow them on Pinterest." (It was Famous Footwear.) But, no, I fear I must write about Facebook again, because marketing ecosystem, I have something to tell you: It's all your fault that the IPO has been such a downer!
  • Ten Principles Of Big Data
    Once upon a time, there was a little data. People thought it was important but not all that sexy. Then it grew up, and everyone started calling it Big Data. Now it's on all the Sexiest Trend Alive covers, and there are rumors that it is having affairs with all of the Kardashians, including Bruce Jenner.
  • Is General Motors Pulling Out of Facebook Prematurely?
    I knew some big advertiser was going to pull out of advertising on Facebook, as General Motors did earlier this week. It was predictable, as predictable as the fact that The Wall Street Journal would exhibit positively exquisite timing in breaking the story less than a week before the Facebook IPO. The details -- on the off-chance you missed them -- are that GM, which had been spending about $10 million on Facebook advertising, has decided not to anymore. (It will continue to market on the platform -- on its corporate and brand pages -- just not by buying ads.) …
  • Death To Internet Week
    Happy Internet Week! Did you realize it was that time of year again? It's one of the holiest weeks on the digital media calendar, nestled between the first and second Social Media Weeks, and well ahead of Advertising Week and Social Week. Also, don't confuse it for Foursquare Day or Talk Like a Pirate Day, neither of which take place during Internet Week, but they keep the spirit alive year-round.
  • Would Advertisers Fail Zuckerberg's 'Marshmallow Test'?
    With the Facebook IPO a little more than a week away, Facebook -- and, in particular Mark Zuckerberg -- is everywhere. Zuck is on the cover of New York magazine, and his every move is being watched, whether he is emerging from a black SUV to go to a roadshow presentation, or wearing his trademark hoodie to the roadshow, a fashion statement that one Wedbush Securities analyst called a "a mark of immaturity." Since this column is not devoted to fashion, I'll beg off any commentary on that one, except to say that the wearing of the possibly "immature" hoodie …
  • Is Reality Broken?
    Is reality broken? I've been grappling with the idea ever since reading "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal, who argues that games provide a better, more motivating version of life than reality. Almost inherent in her description of gameplay is the social component, as the vast majority of her examples involve games people play together -- usually virtually.
  • How Not To Be A Marketing Clown In Online Techy Communities
    When a big technology client asked me to be its eyes and ears in a big online technical community, my initial reaction was "Whom did I offend?" This 1.8 million-member online community of technology specialists thrives on topics like storage arrays and server scripting. Was I intimidated? You bet. During four months of trial and error, though, I learned how to appreciate and even enjoy the unique language and style of the uber-geek community. If you're a marketer trying to reach technical types through social media, here are some tips:
  • Our Devices, Ourselves -- Or, How My iPad Became A TV, And What That Means For Social
    I'm hoping that even all of the techno-forward people who read this column still experience occasional moments of wonder at what all of these gadgets we own can do. I had two such moments this week:
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