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...

The iPhone 4 is finally here – but is it really worth the hype?

The new iPhone is here. If you managed to escape the news through US commercials (where it’s already launched), Facebook, your fanboy friends’ incessant rambling, the lineup update barrage on twitter this morning, or even the recent “antenna gate” crisis, then I’m telling you now.  It has arrived. As with the iPad and pretty much every Apple device before it, the Canadian release date has lagged behind the US. Today it finally landed in the Great White North and the regular lineups at the Apple stores, Best Buys, and the expected low grade hysteria as proud...

Facebook may be “Big Brother”, but I’m not too scared

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk in the news and on social networks about Facebook’s “evil” privacy policy.  Before you start worrying that Facebook is coming to take you down for your personal info – relax.  Take a deep breath.  Telling Facebook some things about yourself isn’t so bad. Once a novelty known as the place where “the kids” could “poke” ’til your hearts’ content, almost overnight, Facebook has now become the latest iteration of Big Brother.  And it’s not a difficult...

Promoted Tweets: Should Twitter be “playing Google”?

By now you’ve heard the big news – Twitter has (another) business model!!  It’s always slightly amused me how venture capital money can build companies that can bring the internet to a standstill with announcements like “hey everybody – we have a plan to maybe make some of that money back!”.   And when Twitter announced Promoted Tweets, that’s exactly what happened.  It caused everyday Twitterati to gossip, quip and chatter.  It caused brands to ask questions.  It caused agencies to create “official...

Checking in at SXSW and the location-based revolution

So I just got my first “swarm” badge for checking in on Foursquare, and I couldn’t be more excited.  For a while I rejected joining the Foursquare movement, but upon learning I’d be heading down to South by Southwest Interactive, I knew I’d have to jump on the Foursquare bandwagon (or Gowalla – I suppose they deserve a shoutout too). Excited to see its potential in action To begin this location-based adventure, I was lucky enough to travel down to Austin with some notable Toronto “agitators”, David Crow, Jay Goldman and...

nitchCraft: Talking personal style and personal relationships with The Refinery

Today things are getting stylish here at the nitchblog. I had the chance to chat with Wendy Woods of The Refinery, a creative image consulting company that helps real women find clothing and accessories that enhance their personal style and are practical for their daily lives. But more than an image consultant, Wendy has become a media guru in her own right, using numerous tools to help spread word about her business and educate her clients (and potential clients). I’m really excited to share some of what this non-traditional media business has done in the...

It’s time for the magazine industry to realize digital is an asset, not an adversary

When the news came down the pipes this week that Conde Nast was shutting down four of its magazine publications, I’m not sure that “shock” was a word many people associated with the announcement.  Sure, Conde Nast is a huge company and would theoretically be able to weather the storm longer than most, but the reality is this is just another example of how magazine, as a medium, is now almost completely unsustainable in its current form. Looks like it's back to Kraft Dinner for me.... However, as was pointed out in a great article in Mashable this...

nitchCraft: Having a coffee for the Kids with DailyChallenge.org and Pay it Backwards Day

Tomorrow is a very important day across the province of Ontario so I would be remiss if I didn’t feature my Darius Bashar of DailyChallenge.org who will be presenting Pay it Backwards Day tomorrow, September 30.  Wednesday only, any time you walk into a Second Cup and buy a coffee (or anything) for the person behind you in line, $5 will be donated to Sick Kids Hospital.  I think this is just amazing, but rather than make the intro a spoiler, let’s allow the interview to do the talking as we learn more about this great event and all that’s going on...

nitchCraft: Travelling the world and bringing a loyal audience along, with Journeywoman

Today nitchCraft features its first non-video content site.  This distinction goes to a blog that serves as a written content resource several thousand pages strong, frequented by hundreds of thousands of women looking to travel smarter.  Journeywoman.com was started by the intrepid Evelyn Hannon waaay back in a little decade called the 90s and it continues to grow today with the help of one of our new friends, twitter, and a continued commitment to respecting her loyal audience.  Without further ado, I give you, Journeywoman. Brand: Journeywoman Key Mediums: Blog...