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Posted by Michael Leis
in Emerging Platforms, on December 29, 2008 at 10:29 AM PDT
February's TV conversion from standard NTSC to Digital TV has dragged on for nine years like a star player who's been sitting on the bench. Much of the talk has been around the conversion itself. But what about the content?
From what DTV I've been able to see, it's not looking good. Lots of recycled content, weather, information loops. Where's...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Social Media, on December 15, 2008 at 10:00 AM PDT
I have the pleasure of meeting with a lot of brands who are looking for ways to take advantage of trends in social computing. What they feel like they lack is direction and assets that they can use as social currency. The funny part is, a lot of these assets are in the brand trash can.
What do I mean? Here are a few places to look for social...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Social Media, on December 08, 2008 at 09:00 AM PDT
In a client marketing planning meeting late last week at corporate HQ, we discussed Facebook strategy. The question came up on whether it was better to pursue a top-down content strategy when the client said:
"About 50 of our local franchisees have already set up their own Facebook pages."
For better or worse, digital marketers need to...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Social Media, on November 24, 2008 at 02:00 PM PDT
For many US households, alongside all the turkey, stuffing and football will be another social object the entire family shares: Facebook.
This is a crucial turning point in suburban American culture. Even as recently as last year, it could be said that Facebook was "just for the kids" or "not as big as everyone says it...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Emerging Platforms, on November 21, 2008 at 10:00 AM PDT
In an astounding turn of events, only hours after Razorfish CEO Clark Kokich issued last rites for Web 2.0 here in iMediaConnection, Web 3.0 was declared dead on arrival at county jargon hospital.
Trotting out one buzzword after another, Clark both decries the shiny objects, "For us, it's not a new technology or a new...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Emerging Platforms, on November 17, 2008 at 11:00 AM PDT
If you haven't heard, Motrin has deeply insulted the mommy-blogging community this weekend in a row over the following video:
It's a truly unfortunate case of an agency picking out the wrong part of the narrative to broadcast. In the entire backstory of the relationship between mothers and their babies, Motrin and their agency chose to...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Social Media, on November 13, 2008 at 04:08 PM PDT
A client (who will remain nameless) has recently been lamenting the economic distress leading to people in local offices without clientele. Is there a more perfect scenario to begin establishing a social media presence with resident experts that have extra time on their hands? Let's look at a few of the more commonplace objections that got thrown...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Emerging Platforms, on November 10, 2008 at 05:33 PM PDT
If you're wondering where to shift marketing dollars for smart long-term investing, take a look at where Google can't get a foothold.
The best place to look into future computing trends right now is Korea. They're the closest thing to ubiquitous computing and broadband access the world has at the moment. And Google has started to buy...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Social Media, on November 06, 2008 at 12:09 PM PDT
How can you jump into the social media pool without drowning? Here are a few qualifiers to test you or your clients basic readiness to begin making a difference in this incredibly important channel:
1) Do you have inventory? Is it valuable to your audience?
Before you do anything, take a look at the pieces of content that make up your...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Social Media, on November 05, 2008 at 11:08 AM PDT
Much of my time is spent working through social media strategies and channels. Inevitably, the conversation turns to ROI, as though there is a magic number no one has claimed, but everyone wants to know. These three letters have stood for everything from "Help me make a quantifiable case," to "I'll believe social media is effective...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Opinions, on November 03, 2008 at 12:25 PM PDT
This presidential election has been a landmark from a marketers' perspective. Without an incumbent candidate, there is no legacy brand; no frontrunner. What's more, with voters spread across the marketing landscape, how would the candidates as brands reach out to each of these audiences with strategy and tactics that move the needle?
So,...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Word of Mouth, on October 29, 2008 at 10:12 AM PDT
This post is in response to Jodi Harris' You are entrusting your brand to "idiots"
I saw this article about Joel Levinson too, and think it shows how much UGC promos have not changed over time, regardless of the media. In radio, we called these folks "Professional Winners."
Back in the day, there would be guys sitting in...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Emerging Platforms, on October 27, 2008 at 09:52 AM PDT
The questions from brand managers and executives continue to center around: How do we start building a Social Media presence? If the links that came across my screen over the past week are any indication, the answer is to hire a screenwriter.
Mad Men Live
Back in July I mentioned with a keyboard that Microblogging is Screenplay Writing One...
Posted by Michael Leis
in Social Media, on October 21, 2008 at 10:12 AM PDT
Often when asked to explain how and why Facebook applications and virtual gifts work, I turn to jeans jackets.
When we were teens, we would experiment with our outward-facing identities by carefully selecting, arranging, and pinning buttons on our jeans jackets. Depending on the reactions we got from friends, we would adjust accordingly. The...