There is no place on Earth with a greater reality distortion field (since Steve Jobs passed away, at any rate) than Disney World, which is where I was for the last week. Yet even Disney World, the self-described “happiest place on Earth”, is losing its power to shield you from reality. Disney World does an…
Chris Brogan recently mentioned not having a scratch game when it came to pancakes: I thought this was amusing, because as foods go, pancakes are fascinating. For those folks who aren’t familiar, a pancake is a breakfast bread that’s cooked entirely in a pan or griddle. The recipe for your average pancake goes something like…
I had the privilege to attend and speak at the MITX Data and Analytics Summit in Boston. One of the things that I took away from the event, which was excellent and enjoyable, is that analytics and measurement tools are getting more and more sophisticated (and expensive). We’re evolving our measurement and metrics tools constantly.…
Net Neutrality is a terrible name for the problem at hand. If you’re unclear what it’s about, read this comic by The Oatmeal. Comics explain everything. As a marketer, Net Neutrality could be a double-edged sword. If I worked for a company that had control over the pipe, like a CoxCastWarnerCN Inc., I could make…
As marketers in the always-on, all-data-all-the-time mindset, we often forget to look backwards. In fact, looking back more than a month or a quarter is generally frowned upon, with snarky comments such as “having both feet firmly planted in the past”. That said, there can be tremendous value in a much bigger picture perspective. Try…
Here’s a social media 101 lesson that seems to continually escape people, whether they be unpopular celebrities who ask to be memed, politicians and political parties who attempt to run hashtag Twitter campaigns, brands that show up for live online events, etc.: If you are unpopular, do not submit yourself to stand trial in the…
Privacy doesn’t mean private any more. Private used to mean you didn’t have access to something. We denied you access to certain information. Think about today, this world for a second. We say we want privacy. Then we hand over all of our information to app makes, to devices, to the world to see in…
I’m often asked how I prepare presentations and talks for public speaking. The answer has changed a lot over the past year, but my current process is the one I’m most happy with. First and foremost, I have to know that I have something people want to hear about. There are some topics that are…
