social media

The ironic success of that Starbucks ‘Thrones’ cameo

There’s really no need to catch you up to speed, because the whole world already knows: a Starbucks cup made a very accidental appearance in last week’s Game of Thrones, and the entire internet lost its mind. The only thing truly “lost,” however, was the almost literal boatload of money HBO could have charged Starbucks ...

Failed campaigns: When to admit defeat

That’s the funny thing about digital marketing: there just aren’t any guarantees in this business. You can have a shrewd strategy. You can read every conceivable data point. And you can kill it in content. And even then, your campaign could still fail. So what do you do? For one, as the headline suggests, you admit ...

Tread lightly through the social media minefield

For digital marketers, social media is a double-edged sword that can never be sheathed. Like it or not, all companies must contend with platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. There’s simply no way one can forego social media strategy and be successful. In other words, we’re all forced to wield a deadly weapon on a daily basis. ...

Is it time to abandon Facebook once and for all?

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Facebook. First, there was fallout over the Cambridge Analytica data breach, and then, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s appearance before Congress. The latter did no favors for the CEO’s public image; thanks to his rather stiff performance, social media users branded him with colorful nicknames like “Zuckerbot.” While ...

Is Reddit secretly trying to become the next Facebook?

There is great unrest on Reddit. It’s because the social news aggregation website, which bills itself as “the front page of the internet,” is going through changes – and some users theorize there’s a nefarious scheme at work. As user mrv3 put it, in a post that made the coveted front page recently, “Reddit is trying ...

To pivot, or not to pivot: The truth about video

In the last couple of years, video has become the new crude oil of digital marketing: advertisers have chased after it relentlessly, and often at any cost. And they’re still doing it, with one report saying marketers are planning to increase their video spend for mobile in 2018.  But beware, intrepid prospector. If you’re planning ...

What happens when THEY google YOU? A guide to personal branding

Let’s say a potential client types your name into Google. What would they see when they hit “Enter”? If you don’t have a strong personal brand, then it’s probably not a whole lot. This will be the case even if you’re a leader in your field, someone who commands respect among his or her colleagues. ...

Did Super Bowl ad ‘losers’ actually win the game?

Did you catch that 30 seconds of complete darkness during one of the ad breaks on Super Bowl Sunday? It was just a technical error, but as the Washington Post put it, “a blank screen may have been preferable” to some of the commercials that actually aired. Burn. But the Post may be right; as ...

Considering the impossible: Will Facebook ever die?

Before you dismiss the notion of Facebook’s demise, take a step back for a second. Actually, take a step back about 12 years. Now you’re in 2006, and you’ve just logged into your MySpace for the umpteenth time since you woke up, gleefully engaging with everything your friends do. There’s something magical – and addictive ...

Should marketers be afraid of Facebook’s new algorithm?

If you’re in any corner of the digital marketing world, you’ve no doubt heard the grumbling – and seen the hand-wringing – about Facebook’s new algorithm. The trepidation is understandable. After all, this change – which is described as the biggest-ever revamp of the News Feed algorithm – is aimed right us. “As we roll this out,” ...