Do you remember the tin can walkie-talkie? Where you connected two empty tins with a string and spoke into them, allowing the string to magically transmit the message? Admittedly the tin can walkie-talkie, or tin can telephone as some people may remember it, is pretty LOW-TECH compared to the cell phones we have these days. But it tapped the attraction of a fundamental human … [Read more...]
10 attributes of a social media influencer
Last week I shared some insights about influencer marketing, with examples on how it works in the travel industry, based on my experience at #TBEX in New York state recently. I’ve got part 2 of those thoughts for you this week. Influencers can range from celebrity status with huge broadcast reach of millions, to micro influencers, those with 20,000 – 100,000 followers on … [Read more...]
5 Tips for earning media quotes
First I got a call, then a text during a meeting. Recognizing it was a reporter, and seeing the timeliness of the request, I excused myself at the next break, replied initially, became informed, and then articulated an opinion in order to respond to the reporter’s questions. They were writing an article on celebrity endorsements, particularly featuring men, in the age of the … [Read more...]
How media amplifies a message: H&Ms Coolest Monkey PR fiasco
This week H&M learned that racism and marketing don’t go well together. Fueled by the ever-increasing views that only the combination of traditional and online media along with amplification of social media could provide, the brand has become mired in a slew of bad publicity. Earlier this week, H&M was forced to apologize and order a mass withdrawal of stock after … [Read more...]
Creating content takes commitment and consistency
Audience first marketing is all about the notion of building a loyal audience first through content creation and sharing, before actually ever having a business. The piece I wrote about this was widely shared recently. If you happen to have missed it, here's a link. Once you have an intimate knowledge of the audience needs and wants, you have an incredible opportunity to sell … [Read more...]








