Ok, let's say you are searching the web for a new fishing rod. You find the right website but you are having trouble locating the right rod and reel combination. Frustrated you consider giving up but give it one last shot and decide to call the 800 number on the ... more

This week I came across two articles that helped clarify an issue I've been pondering for many why is it hard for so many companies to make the leap into the new world of social The first was on the art of digital small talk (social media discussions) in the ... more

How do you learn about local news? You know .... news or content that's particularly relevant to you in a specific geographic area? Perhaps about an event that has taken place or one yet to happen or maybe a local store grand Would a Google alert work? Might your personal ... more

Historically, the Industrial Revolution and subsequently, the "technology revolution," were predicted to enable more leisure time for workers. Yet, when we take a look around us, we see overwhelmed, stressed-out people attempting to manage multiple communication channels in their business and personal "Early in the nineteenth century, most Americans worked ... more

Chinese brands have come a long way since the days of Mao where coats and boots came in two colors and consisted of dubious quality. Rising in complexity and caliber, brands such as Haier and are not content to rule the middle kingdom and instead seek to invade new markets. ... more

In a blog post last week, Dell revealed that it has generated more than $2 million in revenue from @DellOutlet, one of its many Twitter sites. Late last year, there were some headlines about Dell crossing the $1 million mark via Twitter and it's only gotten bigger since How did ... more

Harris Interactive's latest EquiTrend study bears out conventional marketing wisdom in a recent MediaPost Poor Economy Heightens Brand . The when the economy turns sour, consumers "tighten their grip on brands they are loyal to; they don't run to the label with the lowest price." Couldn't have stated this more ... more

It's bad enough that society is already suffering from MDD (Media Deficit Disorder) .... a modern day, technology-led version of ADD. We can't seem to do any one particular task well anymore, because we're so busy juggling multiple things at the same time. Our attention spans have shrunk to the ... more

Those of you who attended the MarketingProfs B2B this week got a chance to see Steven Berlin s Monday keynote. As it turns out, it was amazing timing, since Steven's cover on Time magazine debuted only a few days The cover featured a tweet Steven posted on Twitter about the ... more

If you attended the MarketingProfs B2B earlier this week, and you blog about it, you could win a pass to our Digital Marketing Mixer this fall in We are looking for blog posts (both video and text) that talk about the 2009 B2B Forum in Boston, and will award special ... more

Social marketing gives us that giddy combination of exciting and terrifying. Makes your heart thump. Some people think that email marketing by comparison is old-school and boring. I say there is nothing sexier than the high revenue and ROI from the email No need to take sides, my friends. Email ... more

The short answer is .... In a recent article in the NY Times called Tweeting Your Way to a . They talk a lot about people who have found a new job Tweeting for an employer. Social Media roles are opening up in many firms and the Twitterati that have ... more

Economist Jeff Rubin, author of Why your world is about to get a whole lot Oil and the end of was interviewed on CNN's "Your Money" this past weekend... and guess what? Our lives are about to change. "Our cars, our homes, our whole world has been getting bigger in ... more

If you have never seen this web page - you should! With legions of Twitter-ers on staff - 432 to be exact - Zappos make customer service easy, decentralized, and inexpensive. But that begs the question - what impact will Twitter have on today's customer contact History would tell us ... more

Mashable , "Is social media making corporate Web sites irrelevant?" and points to a Facebook Page set up by Vitamin . Paul Dunay, in a recent MarketingProfs Daily Fix , asks,"With Facebook Pages, who needs a Following suit, I ask the question, should a Facebook Page be part of your ... more

How important is social media monitoring to your company? Do you feel your company is adequately measuring its social media campaigns? What are the biggest hurdles to this type of These are some of the survey questions we hope you'll help us answer as part of an upcoming special report ... more

Breaking the Curse of the Corporate Perfectionist I knew I would struggle when I started blogging a few years ago. I blame my years of journalism work. Sentences had to be carefully crafted, and words chosen carefully. My first editor at BusinessWeek told me, "Magazine real estate is precious. Use ... more

Since I'm fairly new on Twitter and still trying to sort it , an article in the current issue of Advertising Age caught my eye. "Michelob joins keg party at Twitter, but will its tweets draw heat?" asks the headline, while the subhead makes reference to the age-verification problems that ... more

In this Marketing Over Coffee we discuss Google, Social Signals and Confirmed Opt-in..... all that and more in this Marketing Over Coffee, a weekly audio program sponsored by MarketingProfs that covers classic marketing tactics and what's new on the technology Direct Link to Show length SMX - Twitter & social ... more

Most of the data that is standard in email marketing reporting is of little value to executives. Very few executives give a hoot about opens and clicks. In fact, very few marketers even look at their email system reports I can't make this stuff !). Precisely because they aren't helpful ... more

I just returned from The Twitter , held in Mountain View, CA, last week. BTW, despite indications to the contrary, it was the first Twitter for business conference. (Not exactly the same focus as , but business-centric The main takeaway for me is that Twitter IS a tool businesses should ... more

Marketing executives should have a pulse on shifting consumer preferences, macro-economic conditions and emerging competitors. However, in forecasting the financial crisis of 2008 and beyond, most marketers (and economists for that matter) failed to accurately "call" the collapse, even though signs of catastrophe were Does marketing have a leadership role ... more

For many years now, I have bellowed a mantra to anyone who will listen. In order to succeed, charities must operate with the head of a business and the heart of a I can't count how many times I've seen nonprofit professionals cringe at the thought of adopting a business ... more

As the principal of a design firm with package design as a core competency, these are exciting times. We are seeing greater sustainable packaging innovations and they're coming at a faster clip these days. I recently blogged about SunChips new biodegradable . Now, on the heels of the recent SunChips ... more

As the principal of a design firm with package design as a core competency, these are exciting times. We are seeing greater sustainable packaging innovations and they're coming at a faster clip these days. I recently blogged about SunChips new biodegradable . Now, on the heels of the recent SunChips ... more