SXSW 2013 and the changing face of breaking through

Another SXSW and another year where a startup failed to capture the buzz that launched Foursquare and Twitter into the mainstream so many years ago.  While I’m only referring to events of 4 and 5 years ago, the speed of innovation in today’s world makes that feel like centuries.  But it’s not just innovation that’s evolving rapidly – we’re also seeing accelerated evolution in the media mix that’s required to truly target an audience and breakthrough. As startups continue to flock to Austin in record numbers, the hope seems to persist that the...

How to ensure your content is king

This post was originally published to the Weber Shandwick Social Studies blog.  Crown photo by Dennis Jarvis, licensed under Creative Commons. As Matt Cremer neatly stated in a February 2012 article for AdAge, “Content marketing, an idea that’s been kicking around since companies started firing up Movable Type blogs, is in the full flush of its industrial revolution”.  And with good reason.  Statistics continue to point to the voracious appetite that consumers have for consuming video, taking, sharing and now pinning photos, reading and sharing articles and...

To scan or not to scan? QR codes put to the test at SXSW

This post was originally published to the Weber Shandwick Social Studies blog. We see them everywhere.  On buildings, in magazines, on business cards and more.  QR codes are more and more emerging as an element of the marketers toolkit.  So it stands to reason that on the ground at SXSW Interactive, the QR could should reign supreme… shouldn’t it? In reality, as 30,000 digerati descent on Austin the technology is being put to its ultimate test this week.  If an audience that prides itself on being on the leading and even bleeding edge of technology...

You are now a broadcaster – it’s time to get used to it

We see the statistics all the time. 800,000,000+ registered Facebook users. 200,000,000+ tweets sent per day. 2 days worth of video uploaded to YouTube every minute. And my personal favourite: All of the content created in the history of the world prior to 2003 is now replicated every 48 hours.   In today’s world every man, woman, child, employee, business or brand that dares to participate, has the access and tools available to become their own media outlet.  It’s an exciting time to be an individual with a story to tell, but it’s also a rapidly...

Why 2012 will finally be the year of mobile

This article was originally posted to the Weber Shandwick Social Studies Blog. “Next year will be the year of mobile.” Stop me if you’ve heard this statement before, but in 2012 it’s going to happen – though I’ll forgive your cynicism as it comes from a legitimate place. As marketers we’ve been hearing this is “the year of mobile” since American Idol brought SMS to the mainstream nearly a decade ago.  While this was a huge leap forward for the relevance of the mobile phone in our culture, it also represented a very different kind of mobile experience...

Overdue Apologies – and where to find me

I honestly do feel bad I have to write to apologize for my negligence on this platform.  While I’m sure I could tell you “I’ve been busy”, I know you’ve been busy too – I just haven’t been blogging enough.  I’ve certainly been tweeting and experimenting with posts on various platforms, but the nitchblog has been a casualty of all the great things happening over at Weber Shandwick.  But no longer.  With this early New Year’s resolution I’m promising more blogging in this space – not a ton, but more....

How Long Before the MacBook Air Is Half of Apple’s Notebook Business? – AllThingsD

via allthingsd.com Smaller, lighter, faster. With the cloud looking like the concept-du-jour, the Air has a lot of growth still ahead. Read the full article at: http://allthingsd.com/20111115/how-long-before-the-macbook-air-is-half-of-app… Tweet this! Or... Facebook...

Groupon Marketing Spending Works Almost Too Well | Advertising Age

via adage.com There’s a lot of skepticism around the longevity of group buying platforms. This seems to support that – group buying business growth is a monster that needs cash to sustain it. Not great for the long term… Tweet this! Or... Facebook...

Sphero: The Ball. Evolved. | Vimeo

via vimeo.com I talk a lot about good technology helps business, but sometimes tech is just fun. If we can evolve the way we work and learn, why not the way we play? Tweet this! Or... Facebook...

Monetizing the Music Industry | All Things D

via google.com It’s so interesting to see a major industry shift before our very eyes. Many would say that Steve Jobs is the catalyst here. Tweet this! Or... Facebook...