I’ve received many inbound requests for comments based on a report from Gartner, an IT analyst firm, that estimates as many as 70-percent of social media campaigns will fail in 2011. There are a series of discussions hitting the blogosphere and the Twitterverse exploring this very topic, some elementary and others on the right path. I contacted Gartner earlier this week and the problem is, that this data isn’t new at all. In fact, these discussions are fueled by information…
The Best of 2010: Hybrid Theory and the Future of Marketing
Jeremiah Owyang, industry analyst at Altimeter Group, published a report that sent shock waves throughout the global creative industry. For large agencies, it represented a harbinger of change. For specialized groups, the report was a declaration of validation. In his report, “How Social Media Boutiques are Winning Deals Over Traditional Digital Agencies,” Owyang documents the disruption facing traditional agencies. For those businesses already advanced in social media strategies and needs, budgets are turning to boutique shops as much as 8x…
Introducing Your Friends, Fans and Followers
Social Media is among many things, our gateway to discovery and interconnection. While social networking may seem trivial, truth is that we get out of it what we put into it. But this goes beyond the time and energy we spend on day-to-day participation. Our investment in social media earns its largest dividends when intent and purpose meet personification and engagement. We are defined by what we share and who we know and in the world of business, media, and…
The Future of Advertising Has Been Promoted: A New Study
For years, Twitter focused on building a fervent community while other established and burgeoning social networks attempted to do so while fueling growth with advertising dollars. 2011 will go down in history as the year when Twitter was officially promoted from a micro blogging network to a full fledged interest network, with each of its denizens expressing their likes and dislikes Tweet after Tweet. Combine a highly engaged interest network with the ability to introduce relevant promotions or brands in…
The 5th C of Community, Social Commerce
Brands are racing to create a social presence on Facebook, Twitter and the hottest social networks of the moment. The initial goals, of course, are to increase brand awareness and build community. To do so however, takes a holistic approach that extends beyond the regiment of broadcasting messages to silent audiences. Now, brands must establish a social equilibrium whereby the 4C’s of community drive measurable and mutually beneficial activity and engagement through the thoughtful introduction of content curation and creation,…
Twitter Promoted to Ad Network
Four-and-a-half years ago, Jack Dorsey sent the Tweet that would eventually spark a social revolution. At just 24 characters long, Dorsey and the Twitter team introduced us, one by one, to a new medium for connecting and communicating with one another. It would forever change how its community shared, discovered, and learned, setting the stage for a new era of influence and relevance. And in just four short years, Twitter would emerge as something more personal than a social network,…
Video: The Great Advertising Disconnect? From Campaign to Continuum
In part eight of a series of conversations exploring the state and future of social media, Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo (@26dottwo) and I discuss the changing landscape of advertising and engagement. Advertising and marketing is experimenting with campaigns and engagement programs that essentially brings creative to life. It’s the fusion of influence and confluence that will define their success over time. But how do we define success? Success stories in social are now common, but can we truly use…
Video: Facebook as an Advertising Medium + Media A.D.D.
In part two of a series of conversations discussing the state and future of social media with Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo (@26dottwo), we review the viability of Facebook as an advertising platform. The discussion brings up elements introduced in my recent post introducing the concept of The Last Mile and how everything begins with the First Mile. We also review the ever-thinning attention span (Media A.D.D.) and ideas introduced in Part Two of the Hybrid Theory Manifesto. This series…
The Hybrid Theory Manifesto: The Future of Marketing, Advertising, and Communications Part Three
Part Three of Three Nicheworks are highly coveted or soon will be as no brand is an island. Attention and interests are focused within social streams and as individuals are empowered to define their online experiences, connecting the dots proves pivotal. If conversations are markets, nicheworks represent the glue that binds disparate conversational ecosystems. And through effective engagement, we make inroads towards community and being the construction of bridges between our brand and each desirable market. From Silos… While many…
The Hybrid Theory Manifesto: The Future of Marketing, Advertising, and Communications Part Two
Part Two of Three In the book Engage!, I use music as a metaphor for the business approach necessary to execute socialized programs flawlessly. I suggest that today, many organizations approach new media with the style of jazz improvisationalists. They possess an incredible ability to jam independently and also together, but they often drift into wild, wonderful solos that may or may not lead the audience back to the heart and soul of the brand purpose and mission. Instead, I…
