I put out an article a couple weeks ago titled, “Are you a slave to social media?” Evidently it struck a chord, since it was my most highly shared and Tweeted piece this year. It also earned me an invitation to contribute to Social Media Impact, the top trusted social media news site out of the US http://socialmediaimpact.com/slave-social-media/. So I thought we’d follow up on … [Read more...]
Archives for 2014
Did GAP goof? Remembrance Day Sale goes wrong in Canada
GAP appears to be retracting big time on a promotional email put out by head office on Monday Nov 10, that didn't go over too well with Canadian customers. The offer was on a "puffer vest" for $19.99 on special during a Remembrance Day Sale. Seems many Canadians took issue with the company provoking commercial gain, on what is universally accepted as a somber day of thanks and … [Read more...]
A campaign to make the fur fly
I remember well a day back in 1988 when the advertising sales department at the Georgia Straight, Vancouver’s urban weekly where I was working at the time, fell in the cross hairs of activists on behalf of the inhumane treatment of animals in the commercial fur trade. You see, long before desktop publishing, newspapers were constructed like puzzle pieces – ads created and then … [Read more...]
Content marketing is hot, but is it time to kick a few platforms to the curb?
Pass the Louisiana Hot Sauce, cayenne pepper or Tabasco. “Content marketing” is hot. The Content Marketing Institute (yes, there is now an institute devoted to the study of this thing that didn’t exist a couple years ago, that we all now need), defines content marketing as: “A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and … [Read more...]
5 Reasons why a picture is now worth 10,000 words
They used to say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Now it’s worth at least 10,000 words and perhaps more. Here’s why: In a world of ready access to visuals with the prevalence of smart phones and easy to use photo editing software, combined with social media platforms that enable and encourage sharing, one photo can easily reach 10,000 viewers even if it is only … [Read more...]
