Guest post by Patti Sanchez (@PattiSan), co-author of the new book “Illuminate: Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols” (with Nancy Duarte @NancyDuarte) In business, as in life, the one thing that’s constant is change. In our personal lives, babies lose their teeth and grow adult ones. We have our first day of school then eventually graduate. We meet someone whom we someday marry and have children with. In our professional lives, we work toward big goals that result in…
Nonstop: X, my experience touring Geneva [VIDEO]
While I was in Geneva for the Lift Conference, I spent quite a bit of time with Manuel Diaz, Arnaud Grobet, Karim Chouikri and Brice Le Blévennec of Emakina. I gotta say, I like how they roll because everything we did was recorded by a video crew. It was then assembled into this special montage as part of a series called “Nonstop.” I have to admit, I felt a bit like a celebrity. The episode in a collection of moments that include and revolve around my main stage…
Facebook Borrows Key Feature from Snapchat to Help Brands and Customers Connect
Conversations about the eventual demise of Facebook are greatly exaggerated. Each week it seems, Facebook finds interesting ways to improve engagement on its platforms by either innovating, acquiring or borrowing new features. Did you know that 900 million people use Facebook Messenger every month? Beyond everyday conversation, Facebook sees a promising opportunity for businesses. In fact, over one billion messages are sent between people and businesses on Messenger each month. The team at Facebook aims to help businesses benefit from further promoting…
X Marks the Spot: Where Experience Meets Design
Please watch the video below… I’ve met some pretty incredible people over the years. One such individual that I wanted to introduce to is Bryan Elliott, an entrepreneur, writer, event producer and advocate for innovative thinkers and businesses. I originally met Bryan at Blog World Expo back in the day, one of the original big tech shows we all used to hit on the circuit. He’s just one of the nicest (and most connected) human beings you could ever meet at a conference or anywhere really….
Why Mobile First is No Longer Enough; It’s Time To Think About Mobile Only Design
For the last few years, “mobile first!” has become the mantra among savvy digital marketers. But a mobile first approach seems to be more of an ideology than it is a standard in digital design. Recent research shows that marketers still invest in mobile as an afterthought or as a bolt on to more mainstream digital programs. For some reason, executives still need more convincing to properly fund and support mobile initiatives that span the entire customer journey not just…
How to Create Content that Connects with Your Customers
Guest post by Jessica Ann (@itsjessicann), CEO and Creative Director of Jessica Ann Media, and author of Humanize Your Brand: How to Create Content that Connects with Your Customers. We’re living in a post-advertising age. Instead of lamenting the past, or focusing on “the good ole’ days” of traditional marketing, we’re now being called to get more real. Everyone (and their mom) is affected by how we’re consuming the fast-paced media of today. And in turn, the content that we create…
If You’re not an Experience, You’re not a Brand. Period.
The headline was inspired by my new friend Manuel Diaz, president of Emakina.fr. It’s a wise observation that he shared with me while talking about the future of brand and experience in Geneva recently. Luckily, Manuel’s team was on hand to document the experience for an episode of Marche Ou Crève and I wanted to share it with you here. It was the kind of conversation you have in a café in Europe over a glass of champagne…and although this was…
The P2P Business Advantage: People to People, Peer to Peer
Guest post by Leo Bottary (@leobottary), coauthor of The Power of Peers There are two fundamental truisms in business and in life: 1)Who we surround ourselves with matters; and, 2) We can help each other in ways that can’t be realized anywhere else. No book, business course, coach or consultant will give you what you can get from a group of peers who share your skill and commitment to excellence. A 2013 study conducted by the Center for Leadership Development…
The Future of Retail: Stop Iterating and Start Innovating
The team at OneStop invited me to Los Angeles to speak to a wonderful group of digital marketers, etailer/retailer, search and commerce strategists. Among the many things I’m studying and speaking about these days, the future of retail is fascinating to me personally and professionally. The future of retail isn’t just about new technology, the latest gadgets and all of the incredible startups that are pushing retail, commerce and everything else forward. It’s also shaped by connected/mobile customers who are more…
Digital Transformation and the Questions I Never Hear
Following my presentation at LeWeb about the nuances between iteration, innovation and disruption (and the impact of each), I was invited to the business pavilion to share my views on digital transformation. The host for the conversation was my dear friend Benjamin Costantini. Before we could get settled, Ben brought a bottle of champagne on stage, two glasses, we toasted and the discussion started…on the right foot, or taste, I should say. I know he knows my passion for champagne. But perhaps…