by Stephen Denny How many of us have to get up every morning and do battle against a competitor that towers over us? We’ve always had Goliaths in our midst that spend more on their agency retainers than we do on marketing. It’s hard enough to hold our ground. But we’re asked, instead, to take share away from them, often with a smaller budget and fewer people than we did …Read More
Innovation Gone Wild In Today’s Adland Jungle
by Guest Contributor Cheryl Burgess Crowdsourcing on the Prowl in Adland’s Jungle Once upon a time, ad agencies waited for social media to simply, well….disappear. This waiting period not only kept agencies from pressing ahead in areas like understanding how new technology could benefit their clients but kept them from leading the social media charge. As masters of their own destinies, many agencies stopped innovating. Agencies simply held on to …Read More
Nine Steps to Getting More from Your PR Resources
by Dorothy Crenshaw Even the best and most productive client-agency relationship can be tested by a poor economy. For many businesses, a PR consultant or an agency commitment is a large investment, and one that’s increasingly under pressure to deliver against business and communications goals. How, then, can you make your relationship as efficient and fruitful as possible? 1. Commit the time. Maybe you thought having a PR firm would actually save …Read More
The Must Have Skill: CHANGE
by Matt Gill Good news. A year ago, companies were asking themselves, “How do we cut?” Today, the question for many organizations is, “How do we grow?” And as a jobseeker, the best thing you can do is to understand whom they are looking for to ensure their growth. Among the key attributes companies are now looking for in executive and senior level marketers is the ability to manage through …Read More
Where’s Your Asset Model?
by Joe Pulizzi I recently had the pleasure of speaking at South by Southwest Interactive and attending many of the outstanding events over the few days I was there. It’s quite an experience. More than anything else, I was able to meet in person dozens of marketing thought leaders for the first time. Almost across the board, here is the general resume of each one: Promising and growing consulting practice. …Read More
Three Trends Marketers Should Glean from SXSW Interactive
by guest contributor Patricia Martin Everyone comes to SXSW with an agenda. Newbies typically come for the content — namely the panels and keynotes. Veterans come to network at parties. And I’m a marketing geek who knows her limitations for small talk so I attend both. It’s a stimulating mix that helps me see what’s coming. Here are three things I saw at SXSW 2011 that will affect the future …Read More
Hemingway Was a Career Coach
by Peter Engler I recently re‐read Hemingway’s brief (125 pages) but remarkable novel, The Old Man and the Sea. It is clear to me that not only was “Papa” a unique and powerful writer, he also knew a great deal about life and its many individual achievements and unexpected challenges. He would have made an excellent career coach. With the time‐honored privilege of editorial license afforded writers (and coaches, I …Read More
Social, Shiny Objects and the Goal Line
by Stephanie Fierman I love social media. Twitter is tantalizing, Facebook is fabulous, Tumblr is terrific. I participate every day, and I sprinkle it on all my food for that extra tingly burst of engagement. But as a marketer focused on delivering results, my personal early warning system is picking up a tiny signal I don’t like, and it’s this: social media’s shiny object moment is ending and we are …Read More