When most people describe innovation in their work or share their vision for “the art of the possible,” what they’re really describing is iteration. Let me explain… Every company faces two opportunities forward. And a balance of the two requires investment and care to grow and thrive in a future that doesn’t stand still. 1) Iteration: Embracing the new to improve, enhance, augment, optimize, and scale what we do really well. Note: not everything you do today should come along…
How true storytelling can save marketing (and more…)
I recently had the privilege to work on a very special project with my friends at GapingVoid and LinkedIn. We set out on a creative endeavor to explore the intersection of story, art, humor and candor as a means of fostering self-reflection and inspiring personal and professional change. The result is a something I’m very proud of…a new short and sweet but compelling ebook, Once Upon a Digital Time: How to be an amazing storyteller when everyone is a “storyteller.”…
The Art of Storytelling in an Era of Connected Audiences
Once upon a time, brands and agencies set out to tell the most engaging, transparent and shareable stories the world had ever seen. Little did they know, the audience would become storytellers in their own right. That signal, that certain spark to break the fourth wall to connect with audiences had since extinguished. The world moved on. Now, everyone was connected and everyone not only had stories to tell and experiences to share, there were devices, platforms and channels to…
Breaking the Digital Fourth Wall Through Experiential Storytelling
The fourth wall is the space that separates a performer or performance from an audience. A character, actor, author or storyteller “breaks the fourth wall” when they address the audience directly. As an analyst, author, blogger, podcaster and creator, I am by default, in the content business. Dedicating time to produce my work matters not if no one happens upon it. But once someone discovers my work, it must convincingly pierce the fourth wall between the medium and them to…
Embracing the Audience: 5 Tips on Customer-Based Marketing
After I presented at the Digital Media Summit in Toronto, Sylvia Ng, VP of Growth and Analytics at ScribbleLive, asked for an interview to discuss challenges and opportunities ahead for digital marketers. Following is her summary of our conversation. I wanted to share it with you here… In the midst of endless blogs, podcasts, tweets, instagrams, and snapchats, how does a brand or business get noticed? Creating a truly effective marketing campaign is about understanding your brand, and more importantly,…
Audience as the New Currency: YouTube and Its Impact on Hollywood and Social Media
Guest post by Brendan Gahan (@BrendanGahan), a YouTube marketing expert. Gahan was Forbes 30 under 30 for Marketing & Advertising and has helped Fortune 500 brands with their YouTube and social media marketing. Let’s face it: YouTube has become big business. One billion unique monthly users? Yes. Six billion hours of video watched each month? Yes. Over 100 hours worth of video uploaded each minute. Yes. All, yes. The dominant player in the online video space continues to blanket the…
The GRAMMY Awards 2012: How social media changed the DNA of the Recording Academy
In celebration of the 54th GRAMMY Awards, we are debuting a special edition of (R)evolution. Shot on location in Los Angeles, Evan Green, CMO of the Recording Academy discusses the fusion of two worlds, the social explosion and the increasingly sophisticated expectations of consumers. In this fascinating discussion, we learn how a 54 year old industry body adapted to the change in how people interact with television, music and one another, shifting from watching the conversation to engaging and helping…
Time, Tide and the Net Wait for No One by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead
In June 2011, I was alerted by good friends Dr. Kaye Sweetser and Navy Commander Charlie Brown that Charlene Li and I were referenced in a speech presented by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead. I was honored to say the least. But, after reading the transcript of the speech, I’m also informed and inspired. I wanted to share the full transcript with you here. Excerpt: Whether you are a leader in or outside the Navy — or you…
An Audience with an Audience of Audiences
From my book…The End of Business as Usual Several years ago, Mollie Sterling shared a picture of a classroom at her alma mater, The Missouri School of Journalism. The picture eventually went viral and in 2008, Apple used it in a press conference announcing a next generation Macbook event. In her post entitled “Look at them Apples,” Sterling featured the now famous picture with a statement that documented the rapid evolution in human computing and networking, “It does my heart…
Video: A False Belief in Numbers? The bigger part of the story = who you are NOT connected to
In the next installment in a series of conversations exploring the state and future of social media, Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo (@26dottwo) and I discuss social media by the numbers. At any given moment, your “fans,” “likes,” followers, commenters, readers, are expecting personalized experiences. Simply catering to an “audience” is borderline antisocial. Addressing the needs and expectations of the social consumer and the various roles they play in business is the minimum ante to continue to sit at the…
