Recently my colleague wrote an intriguing post about the (relatively) new LinkedIn feature they call Endorsements.  This feature is different to the valuable feature they have had for a long time, called Recommendations. The Recommendation feature requires that someone else provides a testimonial for you that you can approve and allow it to be posted onto your profile. The Endorsement feature [...]

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Twitter, Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn - the names go on and on, and the task to get connected socially gets tougher and tougher.  No, it's really not a problem gaining more friends on Facebook, or a hundred extra Twitter followers, but is that really social networking? Making a momentary connection with someone that has 3,000 "followers" or "friends" does nothing for either party unless the [...]

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When social media became the new rage of marketing a few years back so many people saw it as the new holy grail.  In reality, this happens every few years as the new and the exciting takes over the imagination of the media who drive it incessantly until something newer and more exciting arrives and we follow that holy grail till it becomes passe. And so, each new innovation does not disappear, it[...]

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Social networks present enormous branding opportunities, but also critical reputational risks to businesses, according to an August 2012 study by Altimeter Group. When asked to estimate the level of risk that social networks present for businesses, 35% of the respondents – for whom social media risk management is their primary or a significant part of their responsibility – identified [...]

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This question is often missed when people prepare their marketing strategies - most likely because they don't really ask the question.  Often people are blinded by the bright lights and sexy appeal of anything digital and they fail to ask the really pertinent questions that will help them with the correct answer. Before trying to find the answer to the question above, you should ask a few more [...]

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A new IBM study of more than 1,700 Chief Executive Officers from 64 countries and 18 industries worldwide reveals that CEOs are changing the nature of work by adding a powerful dose of openness, transparency and employee empowerment to the command-and-control ethos that has characterized the modern corporation for more than a century. The advantages of the fast-moving trend are clear. [...]

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In tough times, the extra bit of creativity could make the difference.  Here's a story you will love: An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament. Dear Bubba: I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I [...]

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The marketing efforts of many small and midsize companies are often caught between using and ignoring the new emerging technologies.  It's not always about implementing these technologies - that's the easy part.  Just pay some technogeek and voila - you have a presence. The real question owners and marketers for these companies need to ask is NOT: "should I implement these technologies"?  [...]

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"Reality appears to have finally arrived at Procter & Gamble, the world's largest marketer, whose $10 billion annual ad budget has hurt the company's margins. P&G said it would lay off 1,600 staffers, including marketers, as part of a cost-cutting exercise. More interestingly, CEO Robert McDonald finally seems to have woken up to the fact that he cannot keep increasing P&G's ad budget [...]

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The rapid evolution of technology over the last few years has driven organizations to take note of digital opportunities such as search, smart phones and social media.  Driven by the acceptance of younger generations, these types of media are all the rage and are driving innovation and a new way of life.  Or is it? Is this new way of life becoming the norm for EVERYONE or just the younger [...]

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