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Post Category: Marketing Geniuses

Facebook And The Implicit Location Check-in

24 Aug, 2011

A recent change to Facebook’s mobile application has social media, and location-based check-in pundits crowing today.

The mobile ‘Places’ feature is being phased out, although similar functionality will be available from the new version of the mobile app. You can add your location through a normal status update.

Some are even claiming this as a victory for location check-in services like Foursquare, Gowalla and (to a lesser degree) Yelp. Not so fast…

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Let’s Stop Pretending Commercials Are Innovative

8 Mar, 2011

Commercials are an annoyance that we’ve learned to tolerate.

Commercials are annoying. Sure, every once in a while there’s a commercial that does a fine job of storytelling, capturing viewer attention and even becoming part of the cultural fabric. But these types of advertisements are the exception.

Commercials are intrusive. They’re fast-forwarded through—an excuse to run to the bathroom. Commercials are an annoyance that we’ve learned to tolerate as television viewers/radio listeners. We’ve been conditioned to believe that this invasive style of advertising is a necessity that must be endured in order to enjoy quality content.
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Creative Directors Are So 20th Century

1 Mar, 2011

In the marketing/advertising agency environment, the Creative Director has historically been the top dog—understanding what motivates the target audience; providing visionary creative leadership; defining tonality and consistency of message and design. Wikipedia states the following:

The job entails overseeing all aspects of product design… A creative director is ultimately responsible for the quality of the final creative work.

Media and agencies have transformed over the decades—especially the past 15 years with the advent of the Internet as a marketing outlet—but the role of the Creative Director has remained fairly unchanged. It’s time for a new breed of leadership that compliments the ongoing media and marketing evolution.
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How to Work With User Experience Designers

14 Feb, 2011

Do you have any User Experience Designers in your organization? If so (or if you’re considering hiring one), this handy guide should help you understand how to deal with the mysterious UXD.

What is User Experience Design?

We should start by identifying what a UXD is and what they are typically asked to do because, let’s face it, it’s kind of an enigma. In most cases, a UXD is tasked with looking holistically at a customer/user’s interaction with a brand, process or system from start to finish (and beyond); understanding the business and the customers’ objectives, and designing an experience that is both pleasurable and valuable to all parties. Easy, right?

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Requiem For a Provocateur – Life in the Time of The Flame Wars

7 Feb, 2011

People who pay attention to social media and digital marketing are very much aware of the latest brouhaha over a tweet by Kenneth Cole. Cole, who claims to have posted the tweet himself, stuck his designer shoe squarely in his mouth by making a joke over an international crisis, but he immediately realized his gaffe and posted a sincere public apology.

xkcd - Duty Calls

Once upon a time, that would have been the end of the story. The apology would have been issued, the public’s feathers would become unruffled, and we’d return to business as usual. That was life before the Flame Wars.
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Whole Foods – Using Twitter The Right Way

26 Nov, 2009

After dropping the kids off at school yesterday, I headed to our local Whole Foods Market to pick up the Thanksgiving turkey.  Fortunately, I made it into the store just as it opened, beat the crowd and left unscathed – poultry in hand.

Prior to driving away from the store, I posted the following to my Twitter account:

So I went to @wholefoods this morning, and one of their employees gave me the bird. Happy Thanksgiving

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