Innovation; you can’t go to a conference, meeting, or agency without someone assaulting everything in sight with the word; people, clients, random objects, there is little left sacred, no discrimination. So much so it has lost whatever meaning it used to have or we have forgotten the original meaning of it altogether. The word alone should be put to pasture with the likes of agile (which actually, programmatically, used to mean something…good).
But what does it mean for an agency or a person to be innovative? The concept is buzzing around the marketing world, impossible to ignore and strangely, even harder to observe in action. Agency-defined innovators only have as much power and influence as their next idea. It’s no wonder that they soon find themselves trolling Twitter #innovation #hashtags, proving once again that nothing is new until everyone has done it.
But let’s take a step back, innovation, simply defined, is the introduction of something new, anything new, that’s it. So how can there be an SVP of Something New? Reinvention and curiosity is human, when each employee comes to the office ready to face risks without fear of failure, determination and creativity. Building a special task force of innovators can... Read more
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The Agency Dilemma: Innovation
5 Mobile Rules from Top Marketers
Portions of this article appeared previously on Mashable.com.
Let’s face it: mobile advertising still has a long way to go. Facebook finally announced its latest and greatest mobile-ad effort last week, but smart industry folks say it still leaves much to be desired. And even though more money’s flowing toward mobile, the dollars spent on mobile marketing still don’t come close to aligning with the amount of time we spend with smartphones in hand. In fact, some say that the only reason mobile pulls in ad spend is because it’s so damn cheap.
Even so, it seems inevitable that mobile’s share of spend will continue to increase – if only because it already owns such a significant share of mind. Mobile also has serious potential to perform for marketers. A Nielsen report out this week showed a shorter time to purchase and dramatically higher purchase rates among mobile consumers. And leaders at trailblazing agencies are putting serious effort into setting the mobile agenda for the rest of the marketing world.
Mobile has transcended its role as a connection and convergence device. In the words of Starcom MediaVest Group’s Jesse Missad, “it will be part of every communications plan.”
I spoke with Missad and... Read more
A Minute of You: What does your Facebook Timeline Movie look like?
What does Facebook mean to you? Let’s face it, these days Facebook is not just a social network, or a site for us to simply post updates. It has truly become a critical part of our lives - our virtual playground, where all our friends live, communicate and share. And if you are anything like me, than you can rarely go anywhere without posting, checking in, or communicating with your friends on Facebook in real-time conversations.
Facebook is more than just a platform, it’s an experience – and it has changed the way we live our lives.
Marketers are looking to do the same – build connections with their consumers in a more personalized way. These marketers often look to agencies for advice on how to successfully engage and connect with their audiences on social networks like Facebook. What better way to show marketers how to leverage Facebook’s platform than by Facebook using itself as a marketing tool?
With the release of Timeline Movie Maker, Facebook as a brand is leading by example, showing marketers how to use Facebook as a platform to connect with people on an emotional level. Built in collaboration with Facebook and my agency,... Read more
